confirmed by authentic documents discovered in Lisbon. The lady eloped with
him from near Bristol. The name of Madeira is derived from its thick woods,
the word being the same as the Latin Materies.]

* * * * *

A briefe note concerning an ancient trade of the English Marchants to the
Canarie-ilands, gathered out of an olde ligier booke of M. Nicolas Thorne
the elder a worshipfull marchant of the city of Bristoll.

[Sidenote: The English had an ordinary trade to the Canaries 1526.] It
appeareth euidently out of a certaine note or letter of remembrance, in the
custody of me Richard Hakluyt, written by M. Nicolas Thorne the elder a
principall marchant of Bristoll, to his friend and factour Thomas Midnall
and his owne seruant William Ballard at that time resident at S. Lucar in
Andaluzia; that in the yeere of our Lord 1526 (and by all circumstances and
probabilities long before) certaine English marchants, and among the rest
himselfe with one Thomas Spacheford exercised vsuall and ordinary trade of
marchandise vnto the Canarie Ilands. For by the sayd letter notice was
giuen to Thomas Midnall and William Ballard aforesayd, that a certaine ship
called The Christopher of Cadiz bound for the West Indies had taken in
certaine fardels of cloth both course and fine, broad and narrow of diuers
sorts and colours, some arouas [Transcriber's note: sic.] of packthreed,
sixe cerons or bagges of sope with other goods of M. Nicolas Thorne, to be
deliuered at Santa Cruz the chiefe towne in Tenerifa one of the seuen
Canary-ilands. All which commodities the sayd Thomas and William were
authorised by the owner in the letter before mentioned to barter and sell
away at Santa Cruz. And in lieu of such mony as should arise of the sale of
those goods they were appointed to returne backe into England good store of
Orchell (which is a certaine kinde of mosse growing vpon high rocks, in