will sooner mount and light aire downward presse Then how thou'lt aske me come these huge and raging floods That spoile on Riphean hils the Boree-shakeÌ„ woods Drowne Libanus and shew their enuious desires To quench with tost-vp waue the highest heau'nly fires He aske thee Cham how Wolues Panthers from the Wild This refutes all the obiections of Atheists At time by Heau'n design'd before me came so mild How I keepe vnder yoke so many a fierce captiue Restored as I were to th' high prerogatiue From whence fath'r Adam fell how wild foule neuer mand From euery coast of Heau'n came flying to my hand How in these cabins darke so many a gluttonous head Is with so little meat or drinke or stouer fed Nor feares the Partridge here the Falcons beake pounces Nor shuns the light-foot Hare a Tygers looke or Ounces How th' Arch holds-out so long against the wauy shot How th' aire so close the breath and dong it choaks vs not Confused as it is and that we find no roome For life in all the world but as it were in toombe Ther 's not so many planks or boords or nailes i'th'arch As holy myracles and wonders which to marke Astonnes the wit of man God shew'th as well his might By thus preseruing all as bringing all to light O holy Syre appease appease thy wroth and land In hau'n our Sea-beat ship ô knit the waters band That we may sing-of now and ours in after age Thy mercie shew'd on vs as on the rest thy rage Annotations vpon the first Booke of Noe called the Arke 1 DIvine verse He complaines of the miseries of our time of his bodies crasinesse and care of houshold affaires which hinder his bold designes and make his Muse fall as it were from heauen to earth He calls the verse diuine because of the subiect matter which he handleth acknowledging withall that as Ouid saith Carmina proueniunt anime deducta sereno and this serenitie or quietnesse of spirit which is all in all for a Christian Poem is a gift from Heauen And therefore this our Poet In stead of calling vpon his Muse which is but himselfe or helpe of profane inuentions looketh vp rather vnto that power from whence commeth euery good and perfect gift that is the father of light 2 Oh rid me This is a zealous inuocation and well beseeming the Authors intent which also is enriched with a daintie comparison For verily the chiefe grace of a Poem is that the Poet begin not in a straine ouer high to continue and so grow worse and worse to the end but rather that he increase and aduance himselfe by little and little as Virgil among the Latin Poets most happily hath done Horace also willeth a good writer in a long-winded worke ex sumo dare lucem that is to goe-on and finish more happily then he began Who so doth otherwise like is to the blustring wind which the longer it continues growes lesse and lesse by degrees but the wise Poet will follow rather the example of Riuers which from a small spring the farther they run grow on still to more and more streame and greatnesse 3 As our foresire foretold Saint Peter in his 2. chapt of his 2. Ep. calls Noe the Herault or Preacher of righteousnesse and in the eleauenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes it is said that Noe being aduertised from God of things not yet seene conceined a reuerent seare and built the Arch for safegard of his familie through the which Arch he condemned the world and was made heire of the righteousnesse which is by saâ—th By these places may be gathered that Noe laying hold on the truth of Gods threats and promises as Moses also sheweth in the sixt of Gen. prepared materials for the Arch and in building the same did as well by worke as word of a Preacher condemne the impiety and wickednesse of men warning them of the iudgement which hung ouer their heads which also was put in execution at the very time appointed by the Almighty 4 When all were once i' th' Arke This historie of the Deluge our Poet had before touched in the end of the second day of his first weeke which passage I the Translator thought good here to insert that the description might be the fuller These verses and the rest to the end of this booke shew vs the fearefull iudgement of God vpon the sinnes of that former world set downe first by Moses in the 6.7 and 8. chapters of Genesis Were I to write a full commentary thereof I should discourse of Noes Arke and diuers questions which present themselues concerning that rare subiect with the precedents consequents and coincidents but I touch lightly these things to draw the Readers care and make still more and more knowne vnto him the great learning and Art shewed in this diuine Poem To see how our Author is his crafts-master let a man conferre this decription with that of Ouid in the first booke of his Metam concerning the Deluge of Deucalion Some of his verses I thought good here to set downe for encouragement of such as haue leysure more neerely to consider and compare the French with the Latine Protinus Aeolijs Aquilonem claudit in antris Et quaecunque fugant inductas flamina nubes Ennttitque Notum madidis Notus euolat alis Terribilem piceá tectus caligine vultum Barba grauts nimbis canis fluit vnda capillis Fronte sedent nobulae rorant pennaeque sinusque Vtqué manu latè pendentia nubila pressit Fit fragor densi sunduntur ab aethere nimbi Then speaking of the land and out-let of Riuers thus Intremuit motuque vias patesecit aquarum Eupatiata ruunt per apertos slumina campos Cwnque satis arbusla trabunt pecudesque virosque Tectaque cumque sais rapiunt penetralia sacris See the rest of Ouid who hath not so exactly described these things as our Poet. 5 Nereus By this word he means the Sea which at the Deluge ouerflowed the whole Earth because it was not then held within the proper bounds thereof by the powerfull goodnesse and prouidence of the Creator Ouid expresseth it thus Omnia pontus erant deerant quoquelittora ponto Virgil thus Spumeus atque imo Nereus ciet aequora sundo Natalis Comes in his Mythologie lib. 8. cap. 6. hath much of Nereus and the Nereides where also he giues a reason why the Poets so call the Sea 6 The Sea-Calues So I translate le Manat for the Veal-like flesh thereof though this be indeed a great Sea-fish described by Rondeletius in the 18. chapter of his sixt booke He is also like a young Bull with a broad backe and a very thicke skin they say he weigheth more then two oxen are well able to draw His flesh as I said before commeth neere the taste of Yeale but it is fatter and not so well relished he will be made as tame as a dog but hath a shrewd remembrance of
shew his wisdome or rather to signifie that he saw both the world that was before the Flood and that which came after All this in processe of time hath beene dawbed vp with strange fables as appeares by the writings of the Gentiles That which the Poet here saith this one fit of Noes drunkennesse is touched and couched in a word by Moses Gen. 9.21 but our Author hath amplified it very artificially describing in right kind a man no man when he is ouercharged with wine of purpose to make vs abhorre and detest that vice which ouerthrew the ancient Greeks Romans though since their time it is growne a custome as may seeme by the strange debauchment and outrage of our dayes now taken for a vertue Among the works of S. Basil that ancient Greeke Bishop there is an Homilie against drunkennesse and the strange behauiour of a drunkard right so set downe in all points as liere by the Poet. That which is reported of Caesar that dying he couered himselfe with his garment when Brutus with the rest of that conspiracie killed him in open Senate is written by Plutarch in his liues The drunken man neuer thinks of his shame as Caesar did for during the fit his reason is gone which proues that a fit of drunkennesse is much more dangerous then death it selfe what 's then the habit and continuall custome thereof besides the daily and great offence giuen by these men no men to God and his Church The comparisons here vsed to shew the nature of a slanderer taken from Plutarchs flatterer c. are so fitly applied by the Poet to his purpose that they need no further exposition 21. Come brothers come Moses saith Gen. 9.22 that C ham the father of Chanaan saw the nakednesse of his father lying drunke in the tent as ver 21. and told his two brethren without and Sem and Iaphet tooke a garment and laid it vpon their shoulders and went backward and couered the nakednesse of their father and their faces were fromward and they saw not their fathers nakednesse And this is the point which the Poet handles in this section 22. Slept out the surfet was It is recorded in the foresaid chapter also that Noe awoke from his wine end knew what his younger sonne had done vnto him he knew it either by some part of his memory confusedly retained in drunkennesse or by renelation from God except we should thinke rather that Sem and Iaphet told him that he might reproue the foule impietie of their brother and he is noted the younger for aggrauation of the crime Whereupon the Father said Cursed be Canaan a seruant of seruants shall he be to his brethren and againe Blessed be the Lord God of Sem and Canaan shall be his seruant God shall enlarge Iaphet and he shall dwell in the tents of Sem and Canaan shall be his seruant The Diuines propound here many questions to be considered whereof these two are the chiefe 1. Why Noe went here so far as to denounce that curse against his grandchild Canaan and that race 2. What is the meaning of these blessings vpon Sem and Iaphet The Poet answers in a word that Noe pronounced these curses and blessings by spirit of prophecie Forasmuch as God in his infinite wisdome when he had before humbled his poore seruant Noe was pleased now to arme him againe with fatherly authoritie wherewith hee might pronounce the iust and alway venerable sentences of his eternall decree For in few words here haue we the state of the world and Gods Church set downe by this great Patriarke who could not haue spoken those things so after verified in destruction of the Canaanites and Gods extraordinarie fauour to the Israelites and faithfull Gentiles but by the Holy Ghost to whom is alway present euen that which is to come For the rest Moses compriseth all after his manner briefely but with words so liuely and significant as are easie to be vnderstood of all that weigh and reade them with reuerence and humilitie and take helpe of the good Commentaries of Fathers both old and new 23. O soule vice He detesteth in most proper termes and grauely inueigheth against drunkennesse saying that though it did no more hurt in the world then impeach the reputation of this Patriarke otherwise an example of vertue it were to be hated aboue death And further in very few lines he presseth together what the ancient Authors both holy and profane haue said against drunkennesse There are certaine eminent places of holy Scripture which I need but quote vnto the Reader See Prou. 20.1 21.17 23.20.29.30 c. 31.4 Esay 5.11 22. 28.1 Hosea 4.11 Luk. 21.34 Rom. 13.13 1 Cor. 6.10 Gal. 5.21 Ephes 5.18 Among the ancient Fathers S. Chrysostome and S. Basil haue in diuers their Homilies very graue and expresly condemned this vice And there is a whole Homilie against it in the first Tome of S. Basil and the 80. of the fourth Tome of S. Chrysostome vpon those words of S. Paul to Timothie Modico vino vtere See also what S. Austen writeth hereof to the holy Virgins and in his fift booke vpon Gen. where he speaks of Lot And what S. Ierome hath to Oceanus and Eustochium vpon the first to Tim. the third chap. and to Titus Among the works of the Heathen the 84. Epistle of Seneca is worthy to be read The Greeke and Latine Poets haue also infinite inuectiues against this vice so beastly nay condemned euen by nature it selfe in beasts As for the examples here alledged by the Poet of Clytus and Pentheus see Plutarch in the life of Alexander the Great and Ouid in his third booke of Metamorphosis toward the end and apparent examples hath the holy Scripture of mischiefe ensuing vpon this wine-bibbing Not Lot Nabal Ammon Ela Balthasar and others But the Histories of our time haue a thousand times worse and more tragicall which our after-beers will detest and wonder at BABILONE The second Booke of Noe called BABILON Preface representant la felicité des estats puplics gouuernez par bōs sages Princes le malheur des peuples assuicttis à vn tyran Ce que le Poëte propose proprement afin de ce donner entree en lavie esfaitz de Nembrot O QVE c'est vn grand heur de viure sous vn Prince Qui prefere â son bien le bien de sa pronince Qui fleau des vicieux des bons protectuer Ounre l'aureil au sage la ferme au flateur Qui de soy-mesme Roy chasse plustost le vices Par ses honnestes moeurs que par loix supplices Qui est humble en son ame graue par dehors Qui a l'amour de siens pour garde de son corps Qui le lustre emperlé d'vn Scepre n'idolatre Et qui se cognoissant monté sur vn Theatre Ou pour Contrerolleur tout vn Monde le voit
light They vtter not a word of that first language right 10 Once when th' Inhabitants of plenty-flowing Nile The Phrygians and Egyptians contend for antiquitie of tongue With men of Ida stroue for eldership of stile The right of Eloquence they tri'd by stammering And such as iudgement lackt they set to iudge the thing To wit two sucking babes whom their two Mothers dumbe In hermitages kept where no man else did come No charmy voyce of man was heard sound neere the place 8. O proud rebellion A fine description of euils ensuing this confusion of speech First the acquaintance of all mankinde together the knot and loue-bond of Nations is so loosened and broke that scarse is there found any remedy for it some of them not thinking on or not at all caâ—â—ng for others Secondly that onely one language which decked and imbellished the acquaintance and fellowship of men that kept them in peace and temper such as it was that made them all well appaid that moued each one to his dutie and was much regarded of all hath lost all this by this change and in a word hath neither shew nor grace of a language insomuch as euen at this day the fall of the Tower of Babel is heard from North to South from East to West That is to say in the diuerse languages of so many Nations we may obserue almost nothing else but a kinde of chattering and confused sound neither fit nor comely nor expressing at all the nature of things At least one people so iudgeth of anothers tongue For I pray you what pleasure taketh a Frenchman to heare a Moscouite or a Mexican speake And euen the tongues that we vnderstand and speake as we thinke reasonable well what are they vnto vs in respect of our mother tongue or the principall tongues Thirdly whereas the Nations dwelling farthest asunder might easily haue come together beene acquainted and trafficked one with another Now a man is no sooner gone out of his owne doores but hee hath much â—dooe to vnderstand those that he meeteth withall and if he set foot in any farre countrey hee needeth interpretouts or must haue spent a long time before to learne the tongue or else must speake by signes or alwayes hold his peace and liue like a dumbe creature Fourthly to amplifie further this miserie the Poet sheweth that if this disorder had not happened a man might haue learned in short time all the Liberall sciences and gained the top of that hill where Encyclopaedia that is the full compasse of all Arts crowneth all such lawfull aspiring mindes and in a word obtained the perfect knowledge of all things whereas now we spend our whole life in the learning words of the Hebrew Greeke and Latine tongues and that is nothing else but babling and in stead of being well seene in the heauenly Philosophie and that of this lower world wee must take paines in syllables and words circuits of speech and other like exercises vntill we be gray-headed and white-bearded and so end our liues scarse hauing yet attained any sufficient knowledge of Law Physicke or Diuinitie that are the chiefe professions The learned know how hard a matter it is to haue a good stile which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the measure of learning and that Aristotle who hath so excellently well set it downe in that wonderfull worke of his commonly called the Organ is vnderstood but of a few What may a man say then of the most part of the discourses and speech of men now adayes liuing It is nothing but babble it is Babel it selfe I speake not here of the substance of things but of the fashion order and manner that is vsed to make them bee conceiued of those to whom wee speake be they neuer so cunning in the tongue themselues Then of Barbarisme and ignorance what shall a man thinke 9. What shall I tell you more Moses saith in the beginning of the eleuenth Chapter that then that is many yeares after the Floud and about the same time when Chams posteritie left the East parts to come and dwell in the plaine of Sennaar the whole earth was one language and one speech to wit Noe and his children and all the families from them issued though they dwelt not together yet spake they all the same language All of them parted not from the East to the foresaid plaine of Sennaar but likely enough is their opinion that hold that Noe and Sem parted not so soone so farre a sunder and especially that they accompanied not these builders of Babel who sought renowne and set vp their rest in this world A man may aske now what was that only language they spoke in the world before the Floud and after vntill the building of Babel The Poet answereth it was the language of God himselfe Hereupon ariseth two opinions The first is of those that to honour their countrey after the example of some ancient Heathens would make vs beleeue they are sprung of the earth or fallen from the Moone and thinke their speech the most excellent of all other The Aegyptians and Phrygians haue long sithence debated this matter as shall be said more at large in the next Section A few yeares agoe a Physitian of Brabant named I. Goropius set forth a great booke entituled Origines Antuerpiana wherein he aimeth especially at this marke to proue the Cymbrike tongue which in his opinion is the base Almaine to be the first speech of the world Since his death a certain writer of Liege hath set forth many other books of his about the same matter and in one of them that is called Hermathena this Cymbrike tongue or low Dutch is preferred far aboue the Roman Greek Hebrue It asketh a long discourse to answer his Reasons for this time I will answer but in a word Namely that all that which he alledgeth for the preheminence of his owne tongue is a meere cauill that is called in the Schooles Petitio principij when a Sophister taketh for granted that which is expresly denied him and hee knowes not how to proue Goropius groundeth all his discourse on this that the Cymbrike tongue hath borrowed nothing of any other and that the Hebrue is comen of it and euen borroweth of the Cymbricke This a man will denie Goropius and his disciples and whereas they shew some Hebrue words or Phrases that resemble the words and termes of the base Almaine and so conclude that Adam spake low Dutch and that the language of Moses and the Prophets is hard ambiguous poore and borrowed of the Cymbricke which they were not well able to follow I answer that they are deceiued and that on the contrary they ought to say the Hebrue was before all other tongues who were begun in Babel and haue sithence brought forth infinite others as the high and low Dutch and other like now vsed in the world I would the learned professors of principall tongues would find some time to
right nature of things in the right hand an Ewer because the speech of the wise dampeth and putteth out the flame of passions I might note hereof many examples but I leaue them for the diligent Reader to search meaning here to offer him but Annotations which I feare alreadie are growen too long The little chaines that come forth from the Images golden tongue and draw such a number of hearers by the eares and heart signifie the great power of a well framed speech the truth whereof appeareth chiefely in preaching the word in counsels of graue common-wealths-men and orations of good Magistrates and valiant Captaines In this manner did the ancient Frenchmen paint and set out their Hercules surnamed Ognius whereupon Alciat hath made a pretie Embleme it is the 180. expounded at large by Cl. Minos The summe of all is that Eloquence is to be preferred before force Our Poet aimeth at that description Further concerning the Bore the Tygre and the Beare lying tame at the feet of this Image it signifieth that a pleasant and learned speech appeaseth all angrie cruell and sauage men and cuen the maddest and most brutish people in the world it maketh the woods and hills to daunce and leape that is to say it moueth bendeth and instructeth very block-heads and such as are most hard of vnderstanding and this may be the meaning of those fained tales of Amphion Orpheus Arion and other like Lastly this Image is inuironed with a double ranke of pillers well and strongly grounded and vnder-pinned that beare vp in due proportion the nino languages following each by her owne chiefe authors and maintainers For euery pillar was wrought in fashion of a man and framed to the countenance of one of their best writers in a long gowne or stole And that is the meaning of the French à la Cariatide After the Carian right as Vitruuius writeth at large in the first Chapter of his first booke of Architecture This I note because the French Commenter lets it passe and it troubled my selfe to vnderstand it at the first 23. Among the blessed wits For chiefe props of the Hebrue tongue which he placeth in the fore-front of Eloquence as in euery regard it was meet whether we cofider the sweet grauitie the natural impliance the shortnes hautines liuelines of it or the sincerity holines light heauenly Maiestic he nameth first Moses because he is the most anciēt of those whose writings in this tongue are extant As for the book of the Prophesie of Henoch it was lost a long time agoe He describeth this holy Law-writer after an excellent manner as was requisite in a discourse of eloquence His face shineth like a blasing Star alluding to that in the Scripture that Moses comming downe frō the Mount where he had talked with God his face so shined that none was able to behold his countenance in so much as he was faine to weare a vaile ouer it the rest is very easie to be vnderstood especially of such as haue neuer so lightly turned ouer the history Now for the bookes of Moses they were written many hundred yeares before the Greekes were knowne who were not heard of in the world but a little before the reigne of Saul had but few workes in writing or none at all till after the time of Salomon as their owne Histories witnesse whosoeuer will take paines to turne them ouer Nay further all their knowledge came from the Aegyptians Phenicians and others who had leaned somewhat by conuersing with the Hebiues And to come againe to Moses he hath beene in maruellous account with insinite Heathen Writers If any haue lightly regarded or found fault with him it was either because they vnderstood him not at all or maliced him exceedingly which a man may easily finde in their writings The second Author of the Hebrue he counteth Dauid whose Psalmes he speaketh of much in few lines but little it is in comparison of their excellencie whereof many ancient and late Writers haue spoken notable things I will not heape them vp here assuring my selfe that all true Christians will grant me that the Book of Dauids Psalmes is as Saint Basil saith the Store-house and treasurie of all good learning for all men to come at and will confesse with Saint Ierome and Saint Chrysostome that nothing better becommeth a man be he Peasant or Crafts-man great or small than to sing vnto the Lord the praises and thankesgiuing in these excellent songs contained the very liuely and true Anatomies of a beleeuing soule O how cursed and abominable before God and his Church are those wicked ones that haue forbidden Christians the vnderstanding and vse of them and banished them out of Christendome that haue suffered allowed maintained commanded and commended vnto the people these shamefull and wanton Poesies these books of vanitie error and leasings which with their Authors deserue the fire not the quiet and peaceable persons that call vpon Iesus Christ and belecue stedfastly the life euerlasting The soule that feareth God will not take this my digression ill nor thinke it needlesse As for the vngodly let them spit at it if they will I regard them not The third Author and ornament of the Hebrue is reckoned Salomon in his Prouerbs the Booke of the Preacher and the Song of Songs bookes more besprinckled with golden words and notable sentences than his Crowne was with pretious stones and pearles embossed Happie is the man that taketh delight to marke and daily thinke vpon so profitable and necessary instructions The fourth is the Prophet Esay the sonne of Amos right such a one as the Poet hath described These foure hee thought sufficient to name because they haue most Writings extant and are withall exceeding cloquent as might easily be proued by particulars if I were to write a Commentary or a whole discourse thereof 24. The Greeke Homer his Illias and Odyssea containing 48. bookes is the most ancient Greeke Author we haue his inuentions are wonderfull his vaine naturall his verses smooth and full of Art and the more they are considered the greater grace they haue There is also in them a hidden sense and the very well-spring of all humane knowledge as may appeare by that infinite peeces of his poesies are cited in the bookes of ancient and late Phylosophers Geographers Historiographers and Orators as Plutarch and others witnesse The next to Homer is Plato not in time but in worthinesse he is called the diuine Phylosopher because he is so maruellous pure so high and lofty in all his disconrses the true scholler of him that professing himselfe to know but one thing namely that he knew nothing declared that he knew all things that might be learned in the world as touching the world For concerning the knowledge of saluation Plato and his maister both were ignorant and sith all other knowledge is nothing in comparison of that the more are we bound to God that haue it he said most truely
that he knew nothing The third is Herodotus who writeth in the Ionick Dialect that is a kinde of Greeke differing a little in phrases and pronuntiation from the common-spoken as some farre scituate shires doe from the Court or mother-Citie of their Countrie in diuers points it agreeth with the French Plutarch dealeth somewhat too roughly with this worthy Historiographer in whose defence I will oppose the authoritie of a learned man of our time who in a certaine Preface of his saith of Herodotus Narrationes eius sunt disertae iudicationes expressae speciosae explicationes accuratae euidentes collectiones certae atqueplenae in his rerum gestarum hominum temporum fides accurata compertorum relatio dubiorum coniccturasagâ—x sabulosorum verecunda commemoratio miravbique simplicitas eximius quidam candor See the great praises and perfections of a graue Historiographer The fourth is Demosthenes the prince of Greeke Orators the very rule and square of all that endeuour to speake eloquently a man that leadeth other mens mindes as he list excellent in all his discourses which are extant the most of them and read to the great vse and prosit of those that know how to apply them 25. Then he of Anthonie and Catiline great foe That is Cicero surnamed the father of Eloquence he is the first and chiefe of those that grace and maintaine the Latine tongue He was extreamely hated of Marke Anthonie and Catiline both whom he hath also bitterly pursued and touched to the quicke as his Catilinarie and Philippicke Orations declare the often printing of his workes and learned mens continuall reading of them and borrowing thence the best graces of their writings doe proue his learning eloquence and plentie of speech to be such as the Poet here describeth The second is Caesar the most valiant of eloquent men and most eloquent of valiant men as may well appeare by his life in Plutarch and his Commontaries de bello Gallico by which worke he hath wrung the pen out of learned mens hands and in a manner discouraged them all from writing Histories because they see such perfection therein as they are not able to come neere The third is the Historiographer Salust we haue of his workes besides diuers Orations two Histories remaining Coniuratio Catilinae bellum Iugurthinum short they are but full of sentence and sinewes witnessing the ancient force and vigor of the Roman tongue The Reader may hereto adde the commendations of these three Authors as they are in many learned bookes of late writers here and there scattered As for those that thinke Cicero bableth without learning and that Caesar the Dictatour and first Emperour wrote not these Commentaries that beare his name and that Salust writeth a hard and forced stile because their accusations are false and they so farre out of the way I thinke them worthy none other answer than our Poets few verses here Of the fourth which is the Poet Virgil too much cannot be spoken his bookes of Georgickes and Aeneidos being such maruellous workes and so farre exceeding all other bookes of humanitic I speake not onely for the excellence of his verse but sure in the depth of his inuentions his iudgement his decence his modestie his grauitie and his state how much he doth outstrip and goe beyond all others may be seene not onely in euery booke of his but euen in euery verse wherein is contained a thousand thousand secrets and as it were the abridgement of all kinde of Arts and knowledge besides his proper tearmes his Epythites alway fit his metaphors and figures sow'n and sprinkled in their right places and his speech quite throughout eloquent and pure without any bodging or dawberie whatsoeuer The learned Caesar Scaliger among many others hath plainly and at large declared in his Art of Poetrie the excellency of this Author 26. Th'Italian For ornament of the Italian a language risen of the Roman or Latine he nameth three Poets and one Orator slipping diuers writers of historie and Secretaries that haue left diuers excellent workes Orations and Epistles among vs. The reason is I thinke because these foure containe in them all the graces of the others He nameth also the Tuscan tongue because of all the diuers Dialects of Italie the Luquish Milanish Geneuish and Venetian none are so pure and fine as the Florentine or Tuscan Iohn Boccace hath written long time agoe but a very fine and pure stile as his Decameron his Fiametta the Philocope The Laberinth and his other bookes witnesse that with the world are in so great request Francis Petrach hath written since and inuented goodly words and partly by his owne pregnant wit partly by imitation of the best Authors hath enriched the tongue with many graces he hath ventured also farre and made Sonets Chapters and Cantoes wonderfull curious Then Ludouico Ariosto of Ferara hath set forth a legend of Loue entituled Orlando furioso in verses sweet and meet famous throughout all Italie he is full of affections in his discourse and as delightfull as is possible by reason of the varietie of that fabulous matter he writeth of which he shadoweth so cunningly that the Reader is therewith often affected and mouâ—d as if it were a true storie or at least not altogether false Torquato Tasso is last of the foure in time of writing but in account as the Poet saith the first and chiefe he was the sonne of Bernardo Tasso that eloquent man whose excellent Epistles are in print This his sonne hath written in twenty bookes or Cantoes of stately verse a poeme the best of all Italians entituled Gierusalemme liberata all the graces and riches of the Greekes and Latines are there gathered together all wrought into it after the best manner so graue so short so learned so comely so liuely so stately as if it were the worke of another Virgil. There are also printed at Ferrara three volumnes of his workes containing other kindes of verse and all sorts of fine inuentions a Comedie a Tragedie diuers Dialogues and discourses in prose all are worth reading and all make good the iudgement that our Poet hath giuen of the Authour 27. The language Arabicke This language is comen of the Hebrew among other learned mens bookes that haue made this tongue of account we haue the workes of Aben Rois that is the sonne of Kings for Ben signifieth a sonne in Hebrew and the Arabians adde to the beginning this preposition A and sometime Al. This Aben Rois is the same that we commonly call Auerroës the Commentar a very excellent Philosopher He hath commented vpon most of Aristotle and is translated into Latine printed at Venice the worke doth shew the deepe reach and subtill braine of the man Auicen was a great Rhilosopher and Physitian as his writings also declare Gesner saith Auerroës was of Cordway and Auicen of Seuill and so I thinke but it appeareth by their workes that they were both Arabians and professed the superstition
more then three moneths sayling The realme and citie of Malaca are described in the sixth booke of the Portugall historie chap. 18. It is neare the Equinoctiall aboue Taprobana so therefore Asia reacheth from the North-pole beyond the Equator The Isles from whence are brought buge masses of Cloues and Cassia are the Moluckes siue in number Tidor Terenat Motir Machian and Bachian beset with diuers other Isles and Islets vn ler and neere the Equator in the East which with their properties and manners of their inhabitants are well set downe in the 13. booke of the history of Portugall Chap. 8. Samotra whereon passes the night-equalling line or the Equator is the Isle Taprobana Southward ouer against Malaca it is aboue 450. leagues long and 120. broad I haue described it in the fist day of the first weeke see further the history of Portugall in the sixt booke the 18. chap. Zeilan is an Isle right against the Cape of Calecut aboue Taprebana toward the East it lies North and South in length about 125. leagues and in the broadest place is 75. ouer There are taken out of the sea great store of pearles very faire and brighte for the further description thereof see the 4. booke and 20 chapter of the history of Portugall Bisnagar is a kingdome lying betweene Decan and Narsingua the mountaines of Calecut and the sea called the great gulfe of Bengala It is rich in gold which is there found in riuers Looke the situation thereof in the Map of the East Indies and in the Asia of Ortelius and Cellarius The Pont-Eusine is now called the Maior or the Hacke Sea at the one end thereof toward the Midland-sea is Constantinople the Card-men call it by diuers names which Orteliu hath set downe in his Synonym By the Brother waues of those Chaldean streames is meant as I suppose the Persian sea whereinto Euphrates and Tygris both together empty being before ioined about Babylon now called Bagadet and so the Poet takes as much of the breadth of Asia at the West end as he doth at the East the one from Quinsay to Chiorze the other from the sea of Constantinople to the Persian Gulse Concerning the straight of Anion the Cardmen are not all of one opinion Mercator Ortelius Cellarius Theuet and others set downe plainly a good broad arme of Sea betwixt the North-east point of Asia and America But Vopelius ioynes Asia and this fourth part of the world together greatly enlarging Asia and cut tolling the other contrary to the opinion of the Authors aforesaid and many Spaniards that haue written of the new-found world the reasons that may be alledged in fauour of either side require a large Commentary Vopelius his opinion indeede cutteth off many doubts that arise about the enpeopling of America but Mercator and the others who are most commonly followed seeme to ground more vpon Geography and better to agree with the seas naturall sway and easie compassing the earth Arias Montanus in his booke intituled Phaleg where he treateth of the habitations of Noes posteritie setteth downe a Map according to Vopelius this booke of his bound in the volume called Apparatus is ioyned with the great Bibles of Antwerp But the Poet followeth Mercator Ortelius and the common opinion of the Cardmen of our time for Ptolome Strabo and Mela in their daies had not discouered so much Quinsay which the Poet cals Quinzit is a famous citie in the Northeast point of Asia about ten leagues from the sea built vpon peeres and arches in a marrish ground it is twenty leagues or one hundred miles about and by reason as well of the great Lake-waters there as also of the ebbe and slow of the sea it bath as M. P. Venet reports in the 64. chapter of his second booke 12000. bridges of stone the most renoumed bound-marke of all Asia and the greatest citie in the world if that be true But Theuet gainsaith it in the 27. chapter of the 12. booke of his Cosmography where he describes the Citie and Lake with the Riuer that causes the Lake to swell he saith it is not aboue foure leagues in compasse yet M. Paule affirmes he hath beene there Chiorze is another worthy part of Asia set downe here for a bound-marke because of the strange Buls there as great as Elephants with haire as smooth and soft as silke Howsoeuer now adaies that country is nothing so ciuill as others inhabited by the posterity of Cham and Iaphet yet the fruitfulnesse of the ground and great commodities there growing for maintainance of mans life declare it hath beene in times past one of the best portions of the children of Noe. 7. Ashur t' Assyriland Moses saith the sonnes of Sem were Elam Ashur Arphaxad Lud and Aram The Poet here in six verses hath noted out the first habitations of these fiue reseruing afterward about the 300. verse and so forth to shew their first second third and fourth out-going ouer the rest of Asia Concerning Ashur it may be gathered out of the 10. of Genesis verse the 11. that hauing sorted himselfe with the people that now began to feare Nimred and liking not to liue vnder that yoke went on further and in the Countrey after his name called Assyria built Niniuy which a long time remained one of the greatest Cities in the world as appeares by the prophesie of Ionas and other places of Scripture and Caleh and Resen not farre asunder which haue beene long agoe destroyed Elam that was the eldest seated himselfe by the riuer Euphrates neere the Persian Gulfe which now is called the Sea of Mesendin The Poet giues him a Princely title because the Monarchie began betime and long continued thereabouts where also reigneth still the Sophi a great Emperour and deadly enemy of the Turkes The Riuer Araxes is described by Ptolome in his third Map of Asia where he makes it spring from the soot of Pariard which some men take for the hill Taurus and so passing Scapene Soducene and Colthene to emptie into the Caspian sea These Countries are very rich and therefore the Poet cals them sat lands Lud hauing passed the Riuer composed of Tygris and Euphrates which straight after voids into the Golfe had Elam on the North the two Riuers ioyned and the Gulfe on the East and on the West the Marches of Seba which is the vpper part of Arabia The poet here allotteth him the Lydian fields if by Lydia be vnderstood that part of the lesser Asia called Meonia by Ptolome Herodote and Plinie Lud should haue wandered further then the other foure brothers Moses reports not any thing of his Colonies and his farre going may be the cause for according to the Poet he should haue coasted vp as farre as Aeolia and the Midland sea The seat of Aram is Mesopotamia to wit the Countries about Babylon and the mountaines of Armenia which were after called by the name of Taurus This also containeth Syria and the great Armenia
malâ gentibus intulit That is the bold sonne of Japhet brought fire by craft among the Nations Of this matter the Poets haue set forth many fables the true drift whereof our Author sheweth in a word Looke what I haue noted vpon the 707. verse of the sixt day of the first weeke The rest of this place is easie to be vnderstood 30. As is a pebble stone A fine similitude concerning the aforesaid matter to shew how all the Arts began from the plaine of Sennaar to spread by little and little ouer all the world 31. For from Assyria He beginneth here to treat of the more particular peoplings And first he sheweth how the posteritie of Sem began to fill Asla Their first oute-ease leauing the coast of Assyria bent toward the East Of this riuer Hytan Plinie saith 6.23 Carmaniae slumen Hytanis portuosum auro fertile Looke Solinus cha 67. They hauing peopled this quarter thrust on further toward Oroatis a riuer of Persia whereof Plinie faith in his 6. booke the 23. Flumen Oroatis oslio dissicili nisi peritis Insulae 2. paruae inde vadosa nauigatio palustri similis per curipos tamen quosdam peragitur and in the 25 chap. Persidis initium ad Flumen â—roatin quo diuiditur ab Elimaide Read also the 24. chapter of the said booke of Plinie for the better vnderstanding of their dwelling here Then they drew further forth into Persia towards the Citie of Susa close by the which Coaspis runneth such is the sweetnesse of that water that as Plinie Soline Plutarch and others record the Kings of Persia drinke of none other So they came into the valleys of the famous hill Caucasus where dwelt the Parthians whose Kings were commonly called Arsaces From hence into Medie and lastly vp higher toward the Hyrcanian or Caspian lake Looke Ptolomie in his first second and third table of Msia Mercater Ortelius Cellarius and Theuet All these remoues are contained within the compasse of fiue or six hundred leagues 32. These mens posteritie He setteth downe in foure verses the chiefe countries peopled by the second ouercrease of Sems Issue The land fronting Cheisel is a part of Tartarie not farre from the Caspian sea whereinto that riuer falleth and riseth neere the wildernesse of Lop aboue Tachaliston which is a great Countrey neighbour to the mountaine Imáus Charasse Charassan or Chorasan it is a Countrey that lies betweene Isligias Bedane and Tacalistan which I note more particularly then I finde in the French Commentary because there is so little difference of letters betweene that and the name of Carazan whereof the Poet speaketh in the fourth verse following This Charasse Gadel Cabul Bedane and Balistan are prouinces enclosed by the riuer Indus the mountaine Imaus the Caspian Sea and realme of Persia a circuit of land somewhat more then 600. leagues 33 Their of-spring afterward He commeth to the third ouercrease of the Semites who went forth Southward as well as North and Eastward The inhabitants of Cabul thrust forward their Issue toward Bisnagar a rich countrey of South Asia lying betweene the Persian sea and the Gulfe of Bengala Narfinga for so I haue translated the French Nayarde is a kingdome lying yet lower and very rich That plenteous land that Ganges thorow-flowes it containes the higher India where are many wealthy kingdomes set forth well at large in the Maps as Cambaie Decan Bengala Pedir c. Toloman is further vp toward the North. Aua is beyond the Gulfe of Bengala toward the East about Pegu and Siam countries of infinite wealth Mein on the West hath Ganges on the East Macin on the South Bengala and on the North Carazan which the Poet surnameth Muskey because there is great store of the best Muske Lop a Desert thirty dayes iourney ouer lying yet higher Northward It seemes the Roet followes the opinion of M. P. Venet who in the first booke of his Tartarian Historie chap. 35. makes very strange report of the fearefull sights that the poore passengers there meete with often to the losse of their liues Not vnlike it is that certaine legions of cuill Spirits there abiding haue had some speciall power giuen them so to punish the Idolatrous Mahometists who still inhabit those quarters The Poet saith all che countries marching this Wildernesse were peopled by this third outerease of the Semits It is an opinion somewhat likely and thereon I rest vntill I heare some other if it be possible giue more certaine intelligence of the matter 34. Long after sundry times He speaketh of the fourth and last ouercrease of Sem. Tipura a Countrey breeding many Rhrinocerots which according as the Greeke name signifieth I haue translated horny-snouted beasts read the description of them in the exposition of the fortieth verse of the sixt day of the first weeke this Tipura lieth Eastward aboue Toloman betwixt Carazan an Caichin or Gaucinchine for so I haue translated it hath on the West Tipura and Toloman on the South Campaa on the North China and Mein and on the East the East-Ocean a land very large and bearing great store of Aloës Mangit is farre vp in the North so is also Quinsai Ania and Tabin one aboue another euen vnto the Anien Straight and Seythicke Ocean By this description plaine to be seene in the Maps of Asia the Poet meant to shew vs all the seuerall remoues of Sems posteritie who not passing beyond the Anian Straight might long content themselues with â—o large a portion as Asia containing aboue foure thousand leagues of ground As for the particular description of these Countries their length breadth and commodities I neither dare nor will euer charge therewith my notes entenâ—ed for short Besides it was not the Poets minde to hold the Reader long with view and study of such matter and questions as may be had and plainly resoiled of the Card-men 35. Now from the center-point Out of Affyria and Mesopotamia Iaphet or the next race from him drew toward the West into those places that the Poet names set downe as they are in the ancient and later Maps of Asia and Europe I neede not mine 〈◊〉 euery word of the text Armenis is distinguished into the Great and Lesse it lieth neere the Caspian sea and coasteth toward Europe The sweete Corician caue it is in Cilicia and is described of Plinie in the 27. chapter of his 5. booke and Strabo in his 4. booke and Solinus in his 51. chapter Concerning the strange matters which the Poet reports of it read Pomponius Mela his description of Cilicia the first booke Besides many notable properties of the place he saith moreouer that when a man hath gone there a troublesome narrow way a mile and more he shall come through pleasant shades into certaine thicke woods which make a sound no man can tell how of certaine country-songs and after he is passed thorow to the end thereof he shall enter another deeper shadow which amazeth much all that come
PART OF DV BARTAS ENGLISH AND FRENCH AND IN HIS OWNE KINDE OF Verse so neare the French Englished as may teach an English-man French or a French-man English Sequitur Victoria junctos With the Commentary of S. G. S. By WILLIAM L'ISLE of Wilburgham Esquier for the Kings Body Sufficit exiguâ fecisse in parte periclum Haec Regi placeant sic quoque caetera vertam LONDON Printed by IOHN HAVILAND M.DC.XXV A Pastorall Dedication to the King I Soong of late as time then gaue me scope Howbee't for other times a way left ope But now as now to th' end my Lord may heare My voice then hoars to day is waxen cleere My former Shepheards song deuised was To please great Scotus and his Lycidas But this for Galla whom th'All-mightie power Hath made a Lilly-Rose and double flower O Vally Lilly and Sharon-Rose her blesse Though this good speed preuēted hath my presse Else had I not this peece of booke alone But whole Du Bartas offred at your throne For either nation counterpaged thus T' acquaint more vs with them and them with vs. Yet o vouchsafe it thus and grant an eare To these two Swains whom I ore-heard whilcare As Shepheard Musidor sate on a balke Philemon commeth to him and they talke Least on quoth he my tongue ore-often run Thus each with oth'r I stay till they haue done Phi. Good day what not a word how dost thou fare Or art thou sicke or takest thou some care Mu. Care Shepheard yea to shew what ioy I can Ph. How that 's a riddle what 's thy meaning man Mu. For sith a Nymph a daught'r of Shepheards God Who rules a world of sheepe with golden rod From loftie shrine descending yet will daigne To stoope at this my cottage homely-plaine And of her fauour make herselfe the guage To me that ought her seeke on Pilgrimage Phi. Oh now I see whereon thy mind is bent How to prepare fit entertainement Mu. What shall behooue me do or how to looke For though I pawne my fairest pype and hooke That one which Damon gaue me by his will That other woon in game on Magog hill I le entertaine her She I pawne my life Will proue the greatest Kings child sister wife I le entertaine her If I not mistake Some Wheat-floure haue I for a bridall-cake And Abricots and Plums blacke red and white Preseru'd with hony cleere as chrysolite And nuts and peares and apples prety store My poultrie will affoord me somewhat more Except the Fox deceiue me Phi. Shame him take Oft hath he made our Chaunticleer to quake But Creame and Butt'r is skarce yet out of horn And all Achats this yeare apprize to corn Mu. I nothing buy nor haue I much to sell Store is no sore my house it finds full well For there is corne and milke and butt'r and cheese Thankes vnto Pales then if please my bees That waxen wasps when any shrews do fret them But if I may by gentlenesse entreat them To lend m' a combe as sweet as is my guest Enough it will be for a Sheepheards feast Phi. Thou mak'st me think of my great gransirs cheere That would but did not Ouid. 8. Mei de Philemone Baucide Vnius anser eral minuna cuslodi◠villae kill for Iupitere And that he would was but a single goose The Sentinell of that skant furnisht house Mu. I know the Gods do hart and welcome prize Aboue great store of cheere and sacrifize Phi. True and their cheere some more some lesse by rate Not of their owne but of their hosts estate Mu. I haue a flocke too Pan I praise therefore Though not so fat as hath beene heretofore But I le receiue this guest with such deuice As Shephard best becomes no Muse is nice They quickly yeeld to grace a Pastorall Vranie Thalie Calliop and all Such I prepare and they will all be here With all the musicke of their heauenly queere Phi. But how I pray thee as thou lou'st the kirke Wilt thou deuise to set them all awerke Mu. I haue a pricke-song for Calliope To trie her voice in euery moode and key And she shall sing the battell of those Rammes Who to th' affrighting of our tender lambes In riualling for Helens of the flocke Affront each other with a cannon knocke Some faire Ewes wool-lock wearing each in horn Or other fauour as they wont toforn At feast of Gor good Shepheard that of yore Embrew'd the Crosier-staffe with Dragons gore This order shall she sing of all most liefe Because my faire guest weds thereof the chiefe Ph. So for Calliope What for the rest Mu. In Orchard that my selfe with care haue drest My rarest tree it beares but only seau'n Hath apples streaked like the Globe of Heauen On one of them Vranie shall discourse Of euery starre the setting and the sourse And shew the Bride and Bridegroome all confines Of his and her land by the mid-day lines Ph. Were lines of length and breadth like-easly seen It were not heard Mu Then on the flowrie green Or in my garden shall Thalia sing How diuers waies dame Flora decks the Spring And how she smiles to see May after May Draw'n-out for her to tricke this Ladies way With diuers kinds of diuers-colour'd flow'rs Some strew'd aground soe hanging on the bow'rs As curious writers wont embraue their Text With new and gueason words Phi. On on to th' next Mu. Well-pleasing Euterp shall the next in order With gentle breath enwhisper my Recorder And after playing sing and after song Trull-on her fingers all the cane along High low amids now vp now downe the key With Re-Mi-Fa-Sol and Sol-Fa-Mi-Re Declaring how by foure the selfe-same notes Are set all tunes of Instruments and Throates Which are to sound the Queenes sweet harmonie Both of her minde and bodies Symetrie Ph. As I haue heard report such if it be Mu. Fy-on that If Ph. Deserues it only she Mu. But I proceed On harpe shall Polymnie Renew great Orpheus sacred memorie For louing only one and her so well That he assayd to fetch her out of Hell Phi. So Poets say but such come neuer there From death perhaps Mu. So would I do I sweare For such a wife Phi. So would not I for mine But now the rest for here 's but fiue of nine Mu. Sweet Erato that sets my guest a fire Shall play the romant of her hearts desire So bee 't her Grace it hold no disrepute To heare it charmy-quauerd on her lute Then shal the Bride-maids the Bride-men dance The Men of England with the Maids of France And sing with Venus Cupid Himene This Madrigall set by Terpsichore Spring-Quyristers record this merry lay For Galla faire to day Goes forth to gather May. Grow all the Ground but chiefely where she goes With White and Crimsin Rose Her Loue is both of those She shall him choose and take before the rest To decke her lockes and brest And both shall be
and her people in the second booke here and that of France in the third both laid together betokning as it were some new bond of Loue shortly to come betwixt that Realme and this which we all pray the Lord to prosper To make way then yet more for this mutuall acquaintance by communication of Language thus much of that Noble Poet I thought meet to counterpage with French and English Not all both because the Kings happie match growing on so fast I had no time to finish and print so great a volume and for that I may say of this Author as of Homer know foure of his bookes and know them all for thus much onely may suffice I presume to helpe an Englishman vnderstand the whole French of Bartas or a Frenchman the whole English of Siluestor If you aske me why I keepe this kind of Hexameter verse I need say no more but that it is the same which the Author kept in the originall and he doubtlesse for the more graue made choice thereof with great reason according to the counsell of Horace who aduiseth all writers Descriptas seruare vices operumque colores his reason followes which with little alteration of the verse I may hereto fitly applie Indignantur enim communibus propè socco Dignis carminibus dici primordia Mundi And what is our English Pentameter but the same kind of verse which is vsed in our Comediâ—s Besides I had a desire to trie how French and English would go hand in hand for enter changeable helpe and teaching of the one by the other now both Nations are so well inclined to learne and conferre together For which purpose I found this worke very fit and readiest on such a sodain to present my Lord the King withall at the here celebration of his marriage And herefore onely if there were none other cause yet gentle Readers my hope is yee will hold me excused I was about to end but may not forget to let you vnderstand that this Bartassian verse not vnlike herein to the Latin Pantameter hath euer this propertie to part in the mids betwixt two wordes so much doe some French prints signifie with a stroke interposed as here in the first two pages you may see for example The neglect of this hath caused many a braue Stanza in the Fâ—irie Queene to end but harshly which might haue beene preuented at the first but now the fault may be sooner found then amended I doe but note it vnto you that you may the better obserue the true cadence of this our Authors verse and so craning your fauourable construction of these and all my like endeauours I rest willing to doe you what further seruice I am able VV. L. Iusqu'a la fin du Mond la lys Francoise Fleurisse iointe auec la Rose Angloise Fin d' Adam commencement de Noe. The end of Adam and beginning of Nöe PVis il commence ainsi ‑ La branlante cité Des peuples escaillez ‑ tout ce lambris vouté Ou du grand Foudroyeur ‑ la puissance eternelle Mit Phebus Phebé ‑ par tour en sentinelle Adam declaire ason fils en coÌ„bien de iours le monde a esté creé L'air des nues la lice ‑ le camp assiné Oùle colerâ— Autan ‑ le Nort mutiné Se donnent le battaille ‑ siers iettent par terre Maint bois qui moytoien ‑ veut esteindre leur guerre Des fragiles humains ‑ le diapré sciour Fut fait en six Solcils ‑ le septiesme iour Fut le sacré Sabat ‑ Ainsi la terre l'onde L'air l'azur dore ‑ des pauillons du Monde Subsisteront six iours ‑ mais longs touts diuers Des iours bornez du cours ‑ de l'oeil de l'Vniuers Combien d'aages il dureia L'vn coÌ„mence par moy ‑ L'autre a pour son Aurore Le pere inuente-nef ‑ qui les coutaux decore D'vn pampre cultiué ‑ L'autre ce grand Berger Qui suit le Tout-puissant ‑ en pays estranger Et dounant plus de foy ‑ à la saincte parole De Dieu Le premier aage du monde sous Adâ— Le second sous Noe. Le troifiesme sous Abraham Le quatriesme sous Dauid ses successâ—s qu' à la raison ‑ son fils vnique immole L'autre vn autra Pasteur ‑ dextrement courageux A qui la fonde-sert ‑ d'vn canon orageux Et qui change veinceur ‑ en septre sa houlette Grand Prophete grand Roy ‑ grand Chantre grand Poêts Celui la qui le suit ‑ prend-son commencement Par lannict de ce Roy qui void cruellement Massacrer ses enfans sur la riue grasse D' Euphrase transporter la Iudaique race Le cinquiesme sous la captiâ—iâ—e dâ— Zedechias Le â—â—xiesme sous Iesus Christ Le deâ—nier qui sera le repos du monde Et lautre a pour Soleil le Messie attendis Qui batu qui chassé qui moque qui pendu Qui mis dans le cercueil a de nostre iniustice Blen que iuste souffert l'execrable supplice Mais le dernier sera le vray iour da Repos L'air deuiendra muet de Neptune les flots Chommeront paresseux le ciel perdra sadance Le Soliel saclarâ—é la terre sa chenaâ—uâ—e Et nous estans plongez en eternels esbats Celebrerons au ciel le Sabat des Sabats Las que doy-te esperer de larace voisine Du seu qui doit vengeur cendroyer la machine Considerations d'Adam sur ce qui doit auenir à ses descendans iusques à la sin du premier moÌ„de exterminé par le deluge comme le rout est expose par Moses Des hommes qui n' auront que leur dosir pour loy Et qui n' orront parler nide Dieu nide moy Puis que pleins de sureur ceux qui prindrent naissance Dessus le sacré sueil Enos â—establiâ— le 〈…〉 Qui sentent bruire eâ—cor le diuin iudgement Et sont comme tesmoins de mon bannissement Semblent despiter Dieu Ame traistre mutine Hé 〈◊〉 est ce assâ—z d'auoir fuit triple l'Androgyne N' est câ— assez O Lamech d'auoir ton lict souillé Si tis n'auois encor ten çoutclas mouillé Dans le sang hisayeul sans que ni la defence De cil sou qui sleschit l'internale puissance Ni la marque qu' au front l'Assassin inhumain Portâ—il pâ—ur saufconduit ait retenu tamain 〈…〉 O saint Enos sus courage redresse L' est 〈…〉 la soy Enos â—establiâ— le 〈…〉 que l'humaine sagesse Foulois la sous les pieds inuoque l'Immortol Pourpre d'vâ—lâ—e le sang les coins de son autel D' vn enceas vaporeux son nez sacré parfume Et l'amorâ—i slambcau de Verité r ' allume Vâ—â—◠〈◊〉 â—â—sciple Henoe du monde
of his first booke of Antiquities saith he peopled Lybia And it was indeed in the sandie deserts thereof that the children of Cham held the Temple and Oracle of Iupiter Hammon or Chammon For the doctrine of truth by little and little being corrupted and at last quite abolished amongst them as among the Cananites the Scripture shewes Idolaters Magitians and persons euery way debauched and profane these now blind and ignorant of the true God make to themselues a God and giue him a double name one drawne from the name of the true God Ichoua turned into Jupiter and the other from their great Auncestor Cham. After this the Deuill plaid terrible pranks in this Temple and it became the most renowmed among the Gentiles as you may reade in the second booke of Herodotus And it is not vnlikely that Cham euen at the time of the Floud was plotting in his heart for such honours to be done him by his posteritie preiudiciall to the glory of Almighty God As for his obiections here they tend all as all Chamites or Atheists reasons doe first to controll the wise and vnblameable prouidence of the All good and Almighty God Secondly to shake the foundation of deuout humilitie in his Church Thirdly to censure both the mercy and iustice of the Lord. Fourthly to make the order of Nature his buckler to keepe off all apprehension of the vengeance of God whose wayes though the wicked thinke to follow them with naturall reason are all past finding out as witnesseth the Prophet Isay and S. Paul 9. Fie Father I come now to set downe in briefe the reproches and foule speeches vttered here by Cham whereof I need say but little because the Reader may very easily distinguish them sithence there is nothing in the Poets words but easie to be vnderstood The chiefe point is to consider well of Noes answers which I haue one by one obserued as they stand in the Text. 10. By this the father gauld After he hath witnessed his griefe in preface hee bestowes vpon this scoffer such titles as he deserued and then layes open the well-head of Atheisme which is for man to trust ouermuch in himselfe and little regard what is taught by the Spirit of God then foretelling the miserable end of all Atheists he answers the obiections of Cham very punctually enriching and beautifying his discourse with descriptions comparisons inductions and proofes necessarie which well considered afford much instruction and comfort vnto men of an vpright heart The two last answers are very remarkable whereunto the Patriarke most fitly adioynes the calling on the name of God of purpose to shew vnto whom the faithfull ought to flie in all their troubles and tentations I will not adde hereunto what Iosephus hath in the first of his Antiquities because there are many things little to the purpose and such as sort not with the state and maiestie of that sacred historie set downe by Moses Something it is that Philo Iudaeus hath written of Moses and the Deluge in his second booke of the life of Moses toward the end Vpon this historie of the Flood haue the Heathen people forged that fable of Deucalion described by Ouid in the first of his Metamorphosis But in these answers by our Author put vpon Noc the Reader may finde wherewithall to stop the mouth of all Atheists Epicures which are so bold to censure all that the holy Scripture saith as well of the Essence and Nature of God as of his workes whether they concerne the creation and preseruation of the world with the redemption of Mankinde or his iust iudgements vpon the profane and reprobate vnbeleeuers C'est ainsi que Noë sa prison adoucit Enchante sa tristesse Dieu fait cesser le deluge le temps acourcit Nayant espoir qu'en Dieu quiresserrant les veines D'où surgeonnoyent sans fin tant de viues fontaines Arrestant l'eau du ciel faisant que les airs Raffermissent tancez les digues de leurs mers Met les vents en besongne Pour cest effect il cōmande auxvents de faire retirer les caux dessecher la terre O balais de la terre Frais esuentaus du ciel ô des forests la guerre O mes herauts dit-il postes messagers O mes nerfs ô mèsbras vous oiscaux qui legers Parl'air trainé mon char quand ma bouche allumee Ne souffle que brassiers que souffre que sumce Que le foudre est monsceptre que l'effroy le bruit L'horreur roule à trauers l'espesseur d'vne nuict Esueillez-vous courez humez de vos haleines L'eau qui desrobe au ciel les monts les plaines Labrigade des vents à sa voix obeit Fin du deluge arrest de l'arche sur les montagnes d'Ararat L'orgueil plus escumeux de l'eau s'esuanouit La mer fait saretraite la Carraque saincte Prend terre sur vn mont dont les astres ont crainte Qui se perd dans le ciel qui void sourcilleux Presque dessous ses pieds mille monts orgueilleux Noe Le corbeau mis hors l'arche pour descouurir la terre La colombe à la seconde fois apporte au bec vn rameau d'oliuier signe de paix qui ce-pendant a'vn doux espoir s'allete Donne la clef des champs au Corbeau qui volete Antour des monts voisins voyant tout noyé Varetrouuer celuy qui l'auoit enuoyé La Colombe sortant par la fenestre ouuerte Fait quelques iours apres vne autre descouuerte Et coguoissant qu'encore la marine est sans bort Lasse de tant ramer se sauue dans le Fort. Mais sept-fois par le ciel Phebus n'a fait la ronde Qu'elle reprend le vol pour espier le Monde Et rapporte à la fin en son bec vnrameau D'Oliuier palle-gris encore mi-couuert d'eau O bien-heureux presage O plaisante nouuelle O mystere agreable Io la Colombelle Paisible port au bec le paisible rainseau Dieu fait paix auec nous d'au si sacre seau Authorize benin son auguste promesse Qu'au combat on verrasans rage la Tigresse Le Lyon sans audace le Lieure sans peur Plus-tost qu'à nos despens il se monstre trompeur O primice des fruicts ôsacré-saincte Oliue Branche annonce-salut soit que turestes viue Apre's le long degast d'vn Deluge enragé Ie m'esgaye que l'eau n'apoint tout rauagé Soit que baisé le slot ta verdeur rebourgeonne I'admire la bonté du grand Dieu qui redonne L'ame à tant darbres morts dans moins d'vn moment Decore l'Vniuers d'vn nouueau parement Noé parle en la sorte Noé ne vent sortir sans conmandemēt expres de Dieu qui l'auoit enclos en l'arche Or combien que le Monde Monstrast ja la plus part de ses Iles sur l'onde Luy presentant logis qu'enuieilli
dans sa nuict Il descouure vn Soleil qui sauorable luit Qu'vn air infect l'estouffe en si puante estable Il ne veut desloger que Dieu n'ait agreable Son desembar quement que deuotieux Il soit auec tout ce qui estoit enserré de viuans auec luy Iln'entende tonner quelque oracle des cieux Mais si tost que Dieu parle il sorte de sa cauerne Ou plustost des cachots d'vn pestilent Auerne Auec Sem Cham Iaphet sa femme ses trois Brus Et cent cent façons soit d'animaux pollus Soit de purs animaux Car le sainct Patriarche En auoit de tout genre enclos dedans son Arche God makes the flood to cease 11 Thus Noah past the time and lesned all their harme Of irkesome prisonment with such like gentle charme His hope was onely in God who stopping now the vaines Whence issued-out before so many wells and raines Chidde th' aire To that end commands the winds to driue backe the water and drie the earth and bid her shut the flood-gate of her seas And sent North-windes abroad go ye quoth he and case The Land of all this ill ye cooling fannes of Heau'n Earths broomes and warre of woods my herauts posts and cau'n My sinnows and mine armes ye birds that hale so lightly My charriot ore the world when as in cloud so nightly With blasting scept'r in hand I thundring rage and ire From smoaky flamed mouth breathe sulph'r and coles of fire Awake I say make hast and soop the wat'r away That hides the Land from Heau'n robs the world of day The winds obey his voice the flood beginnes t' abate The Sea retireth backe 12 The Arklanded And th' Arch in Ararate Lands on a mountains head that seem'd to threat the skie And troad downe vnd'r his feet a thousand hills full high 13 Now Noes heart reioic'd with sweet conceit of hope The Rauen sent out to discouer And for the Rau'n to flie he sets a casement ope To find some resting place the bird soares round-about And finding none returnes to him that sent her out Who few daies after sends the Doue another spie That also came againe because she found no drie But after senights rest The Doue sent out the second time brings an Oliue branch in signe of peace he sends her out againe To search if any Land yet peer'd aboue the maine Behold an Oliue branch she brings at length in beake Then thus the Patriarch with ioy began to speake O happie signe o newes the best that could be thought O mysterie most-desir'd Io the Doue hath brought The gentle Doue hath brought a peacefull Oliue-bough God makes a truce with vs and so sure sealeth now The patent of his Loue and heau'nly promises That sooner shall we see the Tyger furylesse The Lyon fight in seare the Leuret waxen bold Then him against our hope his woonted grace with-hold O first fruit of the world O holy Oliue-tree O saufty-boading branch for wheth'r aliue thou be And wert all while the flood destroyd all else I ioy That all is not destroyd or if since all th'anoy That waters brought on all so soone thou did'st rebudde I wonder at the Lord that is so mightie and good To ralliue euery plant and in so short a space Cloath all the world anew in liueries of his grace 14 So said he Noe comes not out of the Arke but by the commandement of God who sent him thereinto yet although the flood had so reflowd That all about appeerd some Islets thinly strew'd Him offring where to rest although he spied a bright And cheerefull day amid his age-encreasing night Although th' infected ayre of such a nastie stall Ny choakt him would he not come forth before the call Of God that sent him in before some thunder-steauen For warranâ— of his act gaue Oracle from Heauen No sooner spake the Lord He comes forth and all other liuing creatures that were with him but he comes out of Cell Or rath'r out of dennes of some infectious Hell With Sem Cham and laphet his wise and daughters three And all the kinds of Bruits that pure or impure be Of hundred hundred shapes for th' holy Patriarch Had some of euery sort enclosd with him i'th'Arch 11. Thus Noah In the beginning of the 8. Chap. of Gen. Moses reports that God remembred Noe and euery beast and all the cattell that were with him in the Arke and made a wind passe vpon the earth and the waters ceased This the Poet expoundeth giuing by the way very proper Epithites vnto the winds and such also as are mentioned in the Psalmes 18. and 104. This wind dried the earth by degrees and caused the waters to retire into their proper place of deepe Sea and Chanels for the waters enterlaced with the earth make but one globe And though at the Deluge by Gods appointment they went out far beyond their bounds to drowne the wicked yet when the same God would deliuer his seruant Noe out of danger at his command they remasse themselues into their wonted heap furthered thereunto by the winds and there continue so setled that they passe not the bounds of an ordinarie ebbe and flow This is done by the power of God and for the promise he made to Noe that there should be no more generall Flood to destroy the earth 12. And th'Arke The Poet here calls it the Holy Carraque as built by the commandement of God and containing his Church On the seuenth day of the seuenth moneth saith Moses Gen. 8.4 rested the Arke vpon the Mountaines of Ararat Some by this name vnderstand the great Armenia others the top of Caucasus So Goropius who thereupon discourseth at large in the 5. booke of his Antiquities entitled Indo-Scythica Iosephus in his first sheweth what thought Berosus Nicolaus Damascenus and others very auncient concerning the Arke but followeth the first opinion The Poet contents himselfe here to signifie and expresse only in generall some very high hill 13. Now Noahs heart reioyc'd From the end of the seuenth moneth to the end of the ninth saith Moses the waters began to abate daily more and more and on the first day of the tenth moneth that is eight moneths and thirteene dayes after the Flood began the tops of the hills appeared so then already were the waters soonke aboue fifteene cubits This fust made the Patriarke be of good hope For after forty dayes he opened the window of the Arke and let goe the Rauen which went and came till the waters were dried from the surface of the earth He sent out also a Doue to try if they were yet further abated but the Doue not finding where to rest the sole of her foot returnâ—d vnto him againe into the Arke for the waters were yet ouer the whole earth and he reached out his band and tooke her to him into the Arke And when he
refute the allegations of Goropius Especially those that make against the Hebrue which he hath too saucilâ—e disgraced in the second booke of his Hermath Pag. 25.26 c. The second opinion which I hold with the Poet is that the Hebrue tongue inclosed chiefly in the Canonicall bookes of the old Testament which haue beene wonderfully preserued vntill our time is the first speech of the world and the same that Moses meant when he said The whole earth had one mouth or language before the building of Babel The reasons therof are touched in a word by the Poet who doth hereafter treat of them more at large as wee haue also noted in the margent and meane to speake somewhat thereof in the 12. Annotation Now whereas this first language hath at this day no letter nor word but is full of maimes and miseries it may be said of euery tongue since the confusion that it is nothing but corrupt â—angling weake vncertaine and changing euer from time to time as many haue already shewed heretofore The Greeke and Latine tongues haue changed fiue or sixe times and the learned know what wrangling there hath beene about the writing pronouncing and disposing of their termes and phrases Then what is to be said of the Greekish and Latinish tongues those that are but apes of the other What of the barbarous strange and new tongues Or of those whose foolish pronunciation only no man can abide or of others that by vse time and force of people are waxen current But this I leaue to such as list to Comment hereupon at large 10. Long since the Phrygians The Egyptians being euer great braggers vaunted long agoe that they were the most ancient people of the world a certaine King of theirs named Psammetichus attempted to search out the truth and for that end thought meet by some meanes to discouer what was the first language of the world Thus he tooke two new-borne babes and deliuered them vnto shepheards to be nourished commanding they should be brought vp in a secret staule there to sucke the milke of Goats and straitly forbidding that none should come there to pronounce any word before them then after a certaine time when they were of age they should be left alone and made to fast a while Now so soone as they were past three years old their gouernour hauing in all points accomplished the Kings commandement came to open the staule and then the two children began to crie Bec bec the shepheard said not a word they repeat still the words and he let his Master vnderstand thereof who caused the children to be brought secretly vnto him and heard them speake So when the meaning of the word was asked and the Egyptians vnderstood it signified bread in the Phrygian tongue they granted the preheminence of antiquitie vnto the Phrygians Herodotus writeth that the Priests of Vulcan in the Citie of Memphis told him the same tale There are some others that thinke these Babes were brought vp of dumbe nurses howsoeuer it be sure it is that the pride of the Egyptians was by some such deuise daunted Suidas touching the very point saith that babes nourished of a Goat must needs crie somewhat like a Goat and such was the sound of the word Bec a meet reward for his wisdome that made such a triall The Grecians in old time were wont to call an old dotard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word composed of Bec and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Moone the same is turned into a prouerbe which Erasinus expoundeth But Goropius in the fifth and ninth booke of his Origines playeth the subtill Sophister as his manner is and vseth his beake vpon the word Bec concluding since Bec in low Dutch signifies bread and Psammetichus his babes called for Bec that so long agoe they spoke low Dutch whereupon it followeth that his tongue was the most ancient of the world He calleth also his discourses vpon the same Bocceselanea offering the subiect of a Comedie to some new Aristophanes But let vs consider the answers of the Poet to the Phrygians and to Goropius Resonnast à l'entour de trois-fois douze mois Eux conduits au milieu des peuples de Xante Et des Egyptiens d'vne halaine impuissante Crient Bec plusieurs-fois Bec bec est le seul mot Et que leur langue forme que leur bouche esclôt Refutation du iugement de ces enfans Adone les Phrygiens sachans qu'en leur langage Bec veut dire dupain peignent de leur courage Laioye sur le front pour auoir eutant d'heur D'obtenir de Nature arrest en leur faueur Sots qui ne pensoient pas que les bélantes troupes Qui retondoyent les fleurs des plus voisines croupes Leur enseignoit ce terme que les mots Gaulois Memphiens Grecs Hebrieux Troyens Latins Anglois Ne naissent auec nous ains que chasque langage S'aprend par hantise par vn long vsage L'aptitude à parler demeurant seulement Naturelle aux humains comme l'autre ornement Qui richement diuers les rend plus dissemblables Aux stupides troupeaux des bestes miserables RespoÌ„se à l'obiection prinse de la voix confuse des animaux Que si tu mets en ien que le Taureau misgit Le tardif Asne brait le Lyon rugit Ore haut ore bas que partels langages Ils nous semblent diserts descouurir leur courages Ce ne sont point des mots ains des expressions Dubrouillé mouuement de peu de passions Des indices confus de douleur de tristesse Dire de soif de faim d'amour on de liesse Response à la seconde obiection prinse du gazouillis des oiseaux On en peut dire autant de ces chantres ailez Qui sur les verds rameaux des bussons reculez Gringotent le matin Car bien que comme il semble Deux à deux trois à trois ils deuisent ensemble Que leur voix se flechisse en cent mille façons Qu'ils decoupent hardis cent mignardes chansons Qu' Apollo ait esté disciple en leur eschole Cest vn son sans sujet des notes sansparole Vne chanson redite en vniour mille fois Vn discours qui muet se perd dedans les bois Auantage de l'homme doué de rayson pardessus tous autres animaux Mais le seul homme peut discourir d'attrempance De force d'equité d'honneur de prudence De Dieu du ciel de l'eau de la terre des airs Auâ—c termes choisis signisians diuers Desuelopant son coeur non par vn seul langage Ains comme Scaliger merucille de nostre âge Louange de Ioseph Scaliger tres-docte entre les doctes de ce temps Le Soleil des sçauant qui parle cloquemment L'Hebrieu Gregois Romain Hespagnol Alemant François Italien Nubien Arabique Syriaque
his booke De ant quitate linguae Hebraicae there are many such Treatises set forth by diuers learned men whereout and of the bookes aforenamed may be gathered infinite proofes of that which the Poet hath touched in this second reason The third is that there liues no Nation vnder the cope of heauen but keepeth still some words of Hebrew in their speech First the Caldean Syrian Arabian Egyptian Persian Ethiopian and many other as the Gotthicke Troglodyticke Punicke are so deriued thence that they come as neere it as Italian to Latine some more some lesse Secondly the Greeke Latine and those others that are farthest off haue yet here and there some words that we must needes grant are sprong from the same fountaine a man may set downe a many of them but it were too long here to coate the examples Thirdly the roots of many words that are taken to be Greeke or some other tongue are found to be Hebrew as Franciscus Iunius hath plainly shewed in his learned oration Deliuguae Hebraea antiquitate praeslantia The fourth reason is that the doctrine of the old Testament which is the doctrine of the first and most ancient people of the world was not written but in Hebrew No man denieth that the people that came of Sem the sonne of Noe is the most ancient among these remained the Church of God and the Hebrew tongue God spake not but in the Hebrew tongue by the high Priest that wore the sacred Ephod and the breast-plate of iudgement whereon was set 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vrim Thummim words signifying lights and perfections which some thinke was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or foure-letered name Iehoua contained within the brest-plate others say it was the rankes of those twelue precious stones there enchased that on them had ingrauen the names of the twelue tribes of Israel as if it were a repetition of that which Moses saith in the 17 18 19 and 20. verses of the 28. chapter of Exodus where he speaketh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vrim Thummim in the 30. verse others hold they were certaine names others are of diuers other opinions Some late writers thinke those words were ingrauen in the breast-plate This is a secret the search whereof whether one dispute of the words or what they meant or what 's become of them c. is very painfull and needlesse for that now sithence the comming of Christ we ought to follow the truth it selfe and not stay vpon shadowes These words doubtlesse gaue to vnderstand that all light and perfection commeth of our Sauiour in whom all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily dwelleth in whom are hid all the treasures of vnderstanding knowledge who is the light of his Church that is made vnto vs of God his father wisedome iustice redemption and holinesse In all iudgements demands oracles and reuelations that were made by Vrim and Thummim as may be gathered out of the 27. chapter of Numbers the first booke of Samuel the 13. and 30. chapters and other places where aduise and counsell was asked of God and answere was made by the mouth of the high Priest there appeared a cleere light a sure truth and perfection all which in Christ is accomplished Now these demands and answers were propounded and rendred in the Hebrew tongue long time before any other language was vsed in the world For so soone after their scattering at Babel they could not well be incorporated into a common wealth and as for religion that was not kept but in the race of Sem as Moses plainly declareth all through the historie of Abraham Concerning the Prophets their dreames and visions God spake not they vnderstood not neither answered or taught they the Church but in the Hebrew that significant vnmingled holy chaste and heauenly tongue whereas others lispe and stammer-out vncertaine sounds and are infinite wayes defiled through the dishonest foolish erronious and vngodly discourses of their inuentours I except the bookes of the new Testament and all writings drawne from the cleere fountaines of holy Scripture besides the which there is nothing but vanitie filth wickednesse and vngodlinesse in the world Moreouer the Lord himselfe setteth downe his law to his people and writing it twise with his owne finger and speaking with his owne mouth to Moses and his other seruants in the Mount vsed the Hebrew tongue So did the Angels and Prophets and Iesus Christ spake the Syriacke a tongue so deriued of the Hebrew that they are very like as their Grammars declare The Apostles spake diuers tongues and wrote also according to the people and persons with whom they had to doe yet for all that in their bookes may be noted an infinite many of phrases borrowed of the Hebrew as the learned interpreters of the new Testament haue exactly shewed The fift and last reason set downe by the Poet is that the Hebrew words especially the proper names some are alledged for example and many other may be added are of great waight and importance for sometimes they lay open vnto vs the chiefe things that doe befall the person so named Nay further if a man would take the paines to change the order of letters hee may sinde in them many goodly mysteries The Greekes haue found the way and followed it in the interpretation of their proper names but they come farre short of the liuelihood and maiestie of the Hebrewes who begun the thing before them many hundred yeeres As for other tongues the most part of their proper names haue no meaning they are deuised at-all-auentures so are they right tokens of barbarisme Some tongues there are more happy and plentious than others in this behalfe but their interpretations are for the most part vncertaine especially if the Root thereof come not from or neere the Hebrew Herehence againe the curious reader may take occasion of a large commentarie I leaue it vnto him 13. Then doe I theesalute It is not without cause that the Poet straight vpon the former discourse vseth these words considering the excellency of the Hebrew tongue and that he setteth out in so few verses her wonderfull perfections each one of them requiring a large treatise and himselfe being vnable to shut vp so great matters in so few words For example sake let vs consider but very briefly those three points that the Poet here toucheth to wit that the two and twenty Hebrew letters are full of hidden sense that the proper names of persons Countries and Cities in this tongue are as much as abridgements of their life and deedes that the names of birds beasts and fishes containe the history of their natures howbeit since the fall of Adam the knowledge thereof is greatly darkened To make the Reader somewhat more desirous to enter mediation hereon I will set him downe some examples Concerning the mysteries of the Hebrew Letter-row Eusebius and S. Ierom in his Epistle ad Paul vrbic which is the 155. expoundeth them as I
tongue should remaine entire and vncorrupt with such as had corrupted the seruice of God But the Lord being mercifull vnto Abraham restored to him againe and kept for his faithfull children the first Language which had not beene so much corrupted in the family of Sem who parted not so farre from his father La terre partagee entre les enfans de Noé Sem tire vers l'Orient Ce pays qui s'estend non moins riche que large Iusqu'au bord Perosite où reide se descharge L'Ob Roy des douces caux l'Ob au superbe cours Fleuue qu'a peine on peut trauerser en six iours Iusques à Malaca les Isles où s'amasse La Canelle le Clou Sumatre sur qui passe Le Cercle egale-nuicts iusqu'au slot encor De Zeilan porte-perle Binasgar porte-or Depuis la mer Euxine l'onde fraternelle Des fleuues Chaldeans iusqu ' à l'onde cruelle Du destroit Anien les paresseuses eaux Habitation des successeurs de Cham. Ou Quinzit est hasty Chiorze ou les Taureaux Aussi grands qu'Elephans son habillez de soye Est la part du grand Sem. Car le destin enuoye Assur en l'Assyrie à sin qu'en peu de iours Chalé Resen Niniue au ciel haussent leurs tours Le porte-scepre Elam saisit les monts de Perse Et les fertils guerets que l'Araxe trauerse Lut le champ Lydien Aram l'Aramean Et le docte Arphaxat le terroir Chaldean This countrry reaching forth as rich as it is large From Peake of Perosites Sem went toward the West where doth himselfe discharge The stately running Ob great Ob fresh waters King A riuer hardly crost in six daies trauelling To Malaca to th'Isles from whence are brought huge masses Of Calamus and Cloues Samotra whereon passes Heau'ns Equinoctiall line and to the waters far Of Pearly Zeilan Isle and goldie Bisnagar And from the Pont-Eusine and from the brother waues Of those two Chaldee streames vnto the Sea that raues With hideous noise about the Straight of Aniens To Quinsies moorie poole and to Chiorza whence Come Elephantick buls with silken-haired hides This hight the share of Sem for Gods decree it guides Ashur t'Assyriland that after some few daies How and what Nations came of Sem. Chal Rezen Niniué their tow'rs to heau'n may raise The Persian hilles possest great Elams kingly race And those fat lands where-through Araxes bont his pace Lud held the Lydian fields Aram th'Armenia And learned Arphaxad the quarter Chaldean 6. This Countrey He setteth downe the lots of Sem Cham and Iaphet first in generall after meaning to shew the particular Colonies of each So then to Sem he allotteth Asia The proofe of these seuerall shares may be gathered out of the tenth Chapter of Genesis It is not meant that Sem in his owne life-time tooke possession of this huge plot of groūd although he liued 600 yeers but the posteritie of his fiue sonnes ouer-spred it by succession of time as the Poet declares at large hereafter and a man may perceiue some token hereof in that Moses reckoneth in the foresaid Chapter the sonnes of Joktan the sonne of Heber peti-sonne of Arphaxad sonne of Sem. Now before I shew the bounds here noted by the Poet in this lot of Sem I will set downe the description and deuision of Asia as now it is The map-drawers of our time differ in their order some consider it by the whole masse others by the sea-borders and parts best knowne which they reckon to be nine and those particularly deciphered in the first chapter of the twentieth booke of the Portugall historie But this kinde of deuision because it is more obscure and farther from my purpose I leaue and rest on the other which deuides the masse of Asia into siue principall parts the first which is ouer-against Europe and vnder the Emperour of Moscouie is bounded with the frozen sea the riuer Ob or Oby the lake of Kittay and the land-straight that is betwixt the Caspian and Euxine sea The second is Tartary subiect to the great Cham which abutteth Southward on the Caspian sea the hill Imaus and the riuer Juxartes Northward and Eastward on the Ocean and Westward vpon Moscouie The third part is possessed by the Turke and containeth all that lyes betweene the Euxine Aegean and Midland seas and so further betwixt Egypt the Arabian and Persian Gulfes the riuer Tygris the Caspian sea and the land-straight there The fourth is the Kingdome of Persia abutting Westward on the Turke Northward on the great Cham Eastward on the riuer Indus and Southward on the Indian sea As for the fist part it is the same which we call the East-Indies so named of the riuer Indus and distinguished the higher from the lower by the famous riuer Ganges These Indies are very large Countries as the Maps declare and front out Southward as farre as Malaca hauing besides an infinite sort of Ilands great and small which the Card-men haue well set downe both in Maps and writing Now see we the manner how the Poet considereth Asia He takes it first by right line from North to South to wit from the Peake foreland or cape of Perosites as farre as Malaca where he taketh in the Moluckes and Taprobana and from thence riseth againe to Zeilan and Bisnagar Then draweth another line from the Maior or Euxine sea on the West to the straights of Anien Northeast and toucheth by the way some few Countries most note-worthy reseruing the rest vntill his particular description of the Colonies which followeth from the 297. verse vnto the 319. To make plaine some words in the text the Peake of Perosites is a promontory about the farthest part of Moscouy neare the Scythian sea where liueth as Cellarius reports of Asia in his great booke entituled Speculum orbis terrarum and Mercator in his world-map a certaine people which haue so small a vent for their mouth that they are nourished onely by the sauour and steeme of sodden flesh And about this promontory the Riuer Ob rising from the lake of Kythay groweth to an huge breadth and so emptieth into the Scythian or frozen sea The Baron of Herbestoin noteth it in his map of Moscouie and in his Historie saith as much as here followeth touching this riuer fol 82. They that haue beene thereon say they haue laboured a whole day without ceasse their vessell going very fast to passe the Riuer and that it is fourescore Italian miles broad Which ageeth well with that the Poet here saith and with report of Merator and Cellarius so that by good right it may be called rather then any other streame the king of all fiesh waters because in all the world besides there is none so large and this also is of a wonderfull great length for as the foresaid Baron affirmeth from the one end to the other to wit from the lake of Kythay to the frozen-sea it asketh
road into Spaine the Greekes into France and the Frenchmen into Greece neither could the Pyrene mountaines hinder the Germans passage ouer wayes vnknowne and vntroad the light-headed people haue caried their wiues and children and ouer-aged parents some after long wandering vp and downe seated themselnes not according to their free choice but where they first might when they waxed weary of trauell some on other mens possessions sâ—ized by force of armes some as they sought vnknown places were drowned in the sea some there sat downe where they first began to want proâ—ision And all for sooke not their countries or sought other for the same causes Many after their cities were destroyed by warre sled from their enemies and so berest of their owne possessions were faine to presse vpon other mens many left their dwellings to auoide the disquiet of ciuill warres and many to emptie Cities of their ouerceasing multitude some by pestilence or the earth 's often gulsing or like vnsufferable faults of a bad soyle were cast forth and some were entâ—sed from home by report of a larger and more fruitfull ground some for one cause some for another c. 19. I doe not speake-of here The Poet hath Scoenites which I translate Arabes because they were a people of Arabia great robbers and harâ—â—ers of Aegypt and the coast of Affricke 〈◊〉 the shopheards Nomades are as I take them the Numidians and Moores or as some thinke a kinde of Scythiant The Hordies are the Tartarians who liue in the field in chariots and tents Now the Poet leauing the vncertaine course of these roguing Nations who haue had no more stay in them then swallowes and other wandring birds intendeth to speake of a more warlike people whereof he alledgeth some notable examples 20. Right such that Lombard was He setteth downe much matter in few ords concerning the Lombards There are diuerse opinions of their pedegree Melancthon and Peucer in the third and fourth booke of Carious Chron hold they dwelt in a Saxonie by the riuer Albis about where now are the Bishopricks of Meidburg and Halberstad and a part of the Marquesse of Brandburg and from thence vnder the conduct of Alboin entred Jtalie and in the time of the Emperour Iustin the second seated themselues betweene the Appenine hils and the Alpes where they began a kingdome They were called Lombards either because of their long Ianelines for thence it seeme are come the names of Halbards and Iauclines de barde or because they dwelt in a countrey flat and fruitfull as the Dutch word Bard may signifie Some otherutho rs count them farre-northerne people yet shew not their ancient aboad Ptolomee in the fourth table of Europe deriues them from the countrey of Swaube as also he noteth in the second booke and 11. chapter of his Geogr. with whom agreeth C. Tacitus in his Histories But Lazius in the 12. booke of his Migrations of the Northerne people Vignier in the first part of his Library page 905. and out Poet here followes the opinion of Paulus Diaconus they differ not much but onely about the time of their stay and place of their first aboad Melancthon and Peucer set them first in Saxonic Paulus Diaconus the Poet and others in Scandinauie or Schonland a great nearelsle of the Sound or Baltike Sea from whence they might come in by the bankes of Albis all or some of them and some by the coast of Mekelborg c. For Paulus Diaconus in his first booke second chapter saith of this people They encreased so fast in their fore-said Country that they were faine to part themselues in to three companies and cast lots which of them should goe seeke another seat This I say to shew the Poets cunning drift that in so few lines hath set downe matter enough for any man to write-on whole volumes of bookes Thus then to follow the Poet the first notable and fast aboad of the Lombards who came from the Goths and Vandals was Schonland whence a part of them dislodging vnder the conduct of Ibor and Agio setled in Scoring which is about the marches of Liuonia and Prussia and after they had there dwelt certaine yeeres were constrained by a dearth to seeke further so as they came to Mauringia and at length to Rugiland and the countries neere adioyning which Paulus Diaconus setteth downe by name There after the death of their leaders they chose Agilmond for their king He had reigned 33. yeeres when the Bulgares a neighbour people assailing them vnawares slue King Agilmond After him was chosen Lamisson for King who to reuenge the death of his predecessour made warre with the Bulgares got and held a dart of Pologne then waxing wearie of that countrey he led his people toward the Rhine to the coast of the Countrie Palatine as Tacitus notes in his second booke of Histories and Velleius Patere in the life of Tiberius About Heidelberg there is a towne called Lamberten which seemes to make somewhat for the Lombards aboad there so saith Lazius But many yeeres after they coasted backe againe and dwelt in Moranie where they warred against the Heruâ—es Sucues and Gepides Then went they vp into Hungarie vnder the safe-conduit of the Emperour Iustinian to whom they paid tribute as Procopius and Diaconus declare at large There had they cruell warre with the Gepides but at length agreed and ioyned with them and vnderstanding by the practise of Narses that Italie was a Countrey much sitting their nature their King Alboin made a road thereinto and got Lombardie before called Insubria there they rested and raigned two hundred yeers vntill Charles the groat vanquisht them as is before laid 21. Such was the Goth. Lazius in the tenth booke of his Migrations hath handled well and largely the Historie of Gothes gathered out of Procopius Iornandes Tacitus Claudianus Olaus Magnus Eutropius and many others I will shut vp all in short and by way of Paraphrase vpon the Poets verse The Goths and Almaine people had for their first assured seat the Isles of the Sound or Baltike Sea and Gothland yet retaines the name of them In Syllaes time they left these Isles and came to dwell in Almaine beside the riuer Vistula now called Wixel After they had warred there against the Frenchmen they bent toward Transsiluania Hangaria and Valachia where they remained vntill the time of Valentinian maintaining themselues by force of armes against the Greekes and Romans Then for many causes alledged by Lazius they went forward into Thrace and there dwelt and became tributaries vnto Valentinian and Valens Eutropius saith all went not thither but a good part of them kept their former place and the cause of their sundring was a civill disagreement about religion the one side retaining Heathenisme vnder Athalaricke their King the other vnder Fridigerne mingling with Christenisme the abhominable heresie of Arrius which taketh quite away the true religion of Christ The Arrians drew toward the West and wore after called
but went to field with 1500. foot and 3000. horse ouercâ—me the Gâ—tes and Triballes and wasted all Macedonie only through negligence as they retired loaden with spoile they were brought to their end Yet they that remained in Gaule sent forth other companies into Asia who passed on as far as Bossen and Dardanie where by reason of a quarrell that fell betweene them they sundred themselues One part of them cast into Thrace and raigned there a long time the other setled about where Sauus and Danubius meet not far from Belgrade These that remained in Dardanie when they heard tell of the fruitfull soile of the lesser Asia went on so far as Hellespont and there because they were three Companies they parted Natolia betweene them into three parts The Trocynes had the coast of Hellespont the Tolystoboges Eolide and Jonie which the Turkes call Quision The Tectosages the country further into the maine land All that part of Asia which lyeth on this side Taurus they made their tributary planting themselues all along the riuer Hâ—lys that parteth Paphlagonia from Syria That Prouince where the Gaules dwelt in Asia from their first arriuall to the height of the Romane Empire retained the name of Gaul-Greâ—ce together with that same language which Saint Ierome six or seuen hundred yeares after saith was like that he heard spoken in Gaule about the quarter of Treues Thus concerning the ancient Gaules no to cleare some few darke words of the Text. The worke of Romulus c. He meaneth Rome builded by Romulus the most warlike Citie of all the world and therefore Mars whom the Painims counted the God of Warre may be thought the founder of it Cold Strymon a riuer parting Macedonie from Thrace as Plinie saith and because Thrace is no very warme country he giueth Strymon the adioint of Cold. The Emathicke fields to wit Macedonie so called of King Emathion Plinie speakes thereof in his fourth booke and tenth chapter thus Macedonie a Comtrie containing an hundred and fiftie Nations sometime renowned for two Kings he meaneth Philip and Alexander and for the Empire of the whole world it was afore-time called Emathia which word the Poets as Virgil and Lucan doe sometime vse for Thessaly a Countrie neare Macedonie Lucan in his very first verse Bella per Emathios plusquam ciuilia Campos And Virgil in the end of his second Georgie Nee fuit indiguum superis his sanguine nostro Emathâ—am latos Aemi pinguescere campos The Pharsalian fields are in Thessaly as Fliny recordeth in his fourth booke and eight Chapter Dindyma A hill in Phrygia The Poet calleth it Dindyme chastré guelt Dindym because the Priests of Cybele called Curetes kept and sacrificed there and were Eunuches atrired like women The Poets meaning is that these Gaules harried also Phrygia and called the country where they dwelt in Asia Gaul-Greece after the name of that from whence they first came and so planted as it were another Gaule in the middest of Asia What became of their successours in the Romanes time because the Poet makes no mention thereof I passe it also 23 Of people most renowà d He sheweth in few words wherefore he thrusteth no further into discourse of the out-roads the people made in old time For though Carion Melancthon Pâ—ucer Lazius Rhenanus Goropius and others of our time haue that way farre ventured and some-while with very good successe yet it cannot be denied but that they leaue many doubts and doe not all-where cleare the matter See then how fitly the Poet addes that followeth Il dit en somme queles trois fils de Noé peuplerent le monde Il me suffira donc de suiure son oree Et pendant attentif de la bourche dorce Du sage fils d'Amram rechanter dans ces vers Que Sem laphet Cham peuplerent l'Vniuers Et que du grand Noé la Fuste vagabonde Pour la seconde fois flott a par tout le Monde Cela ne se fit point tout à coup mais par trait de temps Non que i'enuoye Sem de Babylone auant Tout d'vn vol es terroirs du plus lontain Leuant Du Tartare Chorat boire l'onde argentine Et peupler le Catay le Cambalu la Chine En Espaigne Iapheth le profane Cham Es pays alterez de Medre de Bigam Es champs de Cephala dessus le mont Zambrique Et le Cup d'Esperance angle dernier d'Afrique Car ainsi que l'Hymete Comparaisons bien propres pour monstrer comment les parties du moÌ„de furent peuplees par les ou le mont Hiblean Ne furent tous couuert aâ— Auetes en vn an Ains la moindre ruchee enuoyant chaque prime A leurs slancs à leurs pieds à leur flairant cime Deux ou trois peuplemens cher nourissons du ciel En sin tous leurs rochers se fondirent en miel descendans de Noé asauoir peu à peu comme d'an en an par multiplication de peuple Ou plustost tout ainsi que deux Ormes fecondes Qui croissent au milieu d'vn champ emmuré d'ondes An tour de leur estocs produisent des Ormeaux Ceux-cy d'autres encor tousiours les nouueaux Gaignent pied à pied l'Isle font mesme en ieunesse D'vn grand pré tondu-ras vne forest espesse Tout ainsi les maçons de la superbe Tour S'en vont esparpillez acaser à l'entour De Mesopotamie peu à peu leur race Frayant heureusement sleuue apres sleuue passe Saisit terre apres terre si le Tout-puissant Ne va de l'Vniuers les iours accourcissant Il ne se trouuera contree si sauuage Pourquoy la premiere monarchie se dresse en Assirie Que le tige d'Adam de ses branches wombrage C'est pourquoy les pays au Tygre aboutissans Pendant l'âge premier sont les plus fleurissans Qu'il se parle d'eux seuls qu'ils commencent la guerre Et qu'ils sont la Leçon aureste de la terre Babylone viuant sous la grandeur des Roys Tenoit l'empire en main auant que le Gregeois Logeast en ville close que des murs Dircees Vn luth doux eust meçon les pierres agences Le Latin eust des bourgs des maison les Gaulois Des hutes l'Alemant des tentes l'Anglois Les Hebrieux Chaldeans Egyptiens auoyent la Philosophie super naturelle auant que les Grees sâ—eussâ—t quelque chose Les fils d'Heber auoient commerce auce les Anges Detestoient les autels dressez aux Dieux estranges Conotssoient l'Inconu des yeux de la foy Comtemploient bien heureux leur inuisible Roy. Le Chaldee sçauoit des estoilles le nombre Auoit aulné le ciel comprenoit comme l'ombre De la terre eclipsoit l'Astre au front argenté Et la sienne esteignoit du Soleil la clarté
there by reason of a noise is heard loud and passing mans power to make as it were the sound of many Cimbals These are his words Terret ingredientes sonitu Cimbalorum diuinitùs magno fragore crepitantium He sets downe also at large all other the pleasant delights of the place Concerning this musicke some thinke it a fable others ascribe it to a naturall cause as that the ayre entting by a natrow mouth into a vault of stone wide and very deepe soone growes thereby exceeding raw and so turnes into water then dropping still downe in many places and quantities somewhat proportionable vpon the sounding stone makes in those hollow rockie places a noyse as it were musicall Taure his lostie downes this great mountaine reacheth hence well toward Pisidia Westward and on the other side a great way into Asia as Ptolomee sheweth in his first table Meander a riuer arising out of the mountaines of Pelta and Totradium in Asia the lesse runneth thorow Hierapolis Pâ—sidia Licaonia Caria and other countries thereabouts into the Midland sea Illios or Troas Bithynia and the rest are higher toward Hellespont and the Maior sea 36. Then boldly passing ore He spake before of Illios which lies in low Phrigia vpon the shore of the Midland sea about the Sigean Peake and the riuer Sin Sis hard by the Straight of Gallipolie where Abydos on Asia-side standeth and Sestos on the side of Europe now he saith the second ouercrease of Semites past the Straight it being in breadth but the fourth part of a league as Bellon nuoucheth in the second booke and third chapter of his Singularities In times past there stood two towers one in Sest the other in Abyde in the tops whereof wont to be set great lights to waine the marrinets by night Looke what we haue noted vpon the word Phare in the first day of the first weeke verse 448. and what vpon the word Leander first weeke fift day 912. verse At this time Sest and Abyde are two Castles where the Turke hath Garrisons and are the very keyes of Turkie in that quarter so neare is Constantinople vnto them Strimon Hebre and Nest are three great riuers passing thorow Thrace which is now called Romania and â—alling into the Aegean sea called now by some Archipelago and by the Turkes the white sea Looke the ninth table of Europe in Ptolomee The Rhodopean dales Rhodope is a mountaine bounding Thrace in the dales thereof beside other Townes are Philippoli and Hadrianopoli Danubie or Donaw is the greatest riuer of all Europe springing out of Arnobe hill which Ptolomee and Mercator puts for a bound betweene the Sweues and Grisons this Riuer running thorow Almaine Austria Hungaria Slauonia and other countries with them interlaced receiueth into it aboue fifty great Riuers and little ones an infinite sort so emptieth by six great mouthes into the Maior sea Moldauia Valachia and Bulgaria are the countries neare about the fall of Danubie 37 Thrace These countries neare the Maior and Aegean Seas and the Thracian Bosphore thrust on the third ouercrease of people further West and Northward as the Poet very likely saith the Maps of Europe shew plainly the coasts he nameth for their chiefe seats But to shew how and when they changed and rechanged places and names of places driuing out one the other and remouing by diuers enterspaces it were the matter of a large booke 38 Now turning to the South He commeth now to handle the Colonies or ouercreases of Chams posteritie first in Arabia Phaenicia and Chananaea which was after called Iudea the site of these countries wee know well they are easie to be found in the generall Maps and those of Europe beside the particulars in Ptolomce and other late Writers as namely in the Theater of Ortelius When the Chamites had ouerbred Arabia and the countries South from Chaldaea which lies betwixt the Arabian and Persian Gulfes they went at the second remoue downe into Aegypt betwixt the red and Midland seas thirdly they entred Affrick and by little and little filled it The Poet points out many countries for better vnderstanding whereof wee must consider that Affrick the fourth part of the world knowne is diuided into foure parts Barbaria Numidia Lybia and the Land of Negroes Barbaria containeth all the North coast from Alexandria in Aegypt to the Straight of Gibraltar along by the Midland sea and is diuided into foure Kingdomes Maâ—oco Fessa Tremisen and Tunis containing vnder them 21. Prouinces Vnder the same Southward lieth Numidia called of the Arabians Biledulgerid and hauing but few places habitable Next below that is Lybia called Sarra as much to say as Desert a countrie exceeding hot marching athonside vpon the Land of Negroes that the last and greatest part of Affricke reacheth South and Eastward very farre In the further coast thereof is the countrie of Zaâ—zibar certaine kingdomes and deserts neare the Cape of good hope which is the vtmost and Southerest peake of all Affrick Corâ—ne is neare Aegypt The Punick Sea the Sea of Carthage put for the Midland that parteth Europe and Affrick asunder Fesse is the name of the chiefe Citie of that Realme in Barbarie Gogden a Prouince of the Negroes as are also Terminan Gago and Melli neare the same Argin lieth neare the White Cape Gusola is one of the seuen Prouinces of Maroco in Barbarie Dara a country in the North-west of Numidia not farre from Gusola Tembuto agreat countrie in the West part of the Negroes neare about the Riuer Niger So is Gualata but somewhat higher and right against the Greene Cape Mansara which I haue put in for the verse sake as I left out Aden it lies neare Melli vpon the lowest mouth of Niger By Aden that the French hath I take to be meant Hoden which is betwixt Argin and Gualata or somewhat lower The Wildeâ—nesse of Lybie is surnamed Sparkling because the sands there ouerchafed with a burning heat of the Sunne flye vp and dazle mens eyes Cane Guber Amasen Born Zegzeg Nubie Benim all are easie to be found in the Mappe neare about the Riuer Niger sauing Benim which is lower by the Gulfe Royall and Nubie higher toward Nilus Amasâ—n which I haue added is a great countrie neare the place where Niger diueth vnder the Earth From these quarters South and Eastward lies the great Ethiopia a countrie exceeding hot sandie and in many places vnhabitable because of the sands which by the wind are so moued and remoued oftentimes that they ouer-heate and choke-vp diuers great countries that might otherwise be dwelt in There the great Negus called Prester-Ian raigneth farre and neare His Realmes Prouinces Customes Lawes Religion and the manner of his peoples liuing are set forth at large by Franciscus Aluares is his Historie of Ethiopia that is ioyned with Iohannes Leo his description of Affrick 39 If thou desire to know Hitherto the Poet hath told vs how Asia Europe and Affricke were peopled by the successours of Noe. But he hath not
are both of them leuell without mounting or descending any hill and straight without stopping at any lake or poole In a word whosoeuer hath seene either of them will say it is a worke farre surpassing all the great buildings and paued causies of the Romanes or the walles of Babylon built by Queene Semyramis or those most wonderfull Pyramides of Aegypt Guaynacapa a certaine King of the Indians who liued about an hundred yeares agoe caused these waies to be repaired and enlarged but he was not the first beginner of them as some would make vs beleeue for he could not haue finished them in all his life-time and the stone-worke semes to be much more ancient There are built vpon them a daies iourney asunder many goodly Pallaces called Tambos wherein the Court and armies of the Princes wont to lodge But Gomara saith our Spanyards haue by their ciuill warres vtterly destroyed these causies and cut them asunder in many places that they might not come one to another yea the Indians themselues haue broke off and seuered their parts in time of warre Now let vs heare the Poets answer 41 What then alas belike His first answer is that the people of the West-Indies fell not out of the ayre as many little frogs doe in a warme shower framed by the vertue of the Sunne of the dust or vapours arising out of the earth nor that they grew not out of the ground like roots or plants nor by any strange or vaine inchantment as of the Serpents teeth sowne by Cadmus the Poets faine grew souldiers in compleat harnesse But these they are men well-featured stout and long-liuing chiefly in the North and South-parts of the Country where both men and women in stature strength and continuance farre excell the people of Europe Asia and Affricke The commodities they haue for health their meat drinke and dwelling their ceremonies ciuill gouernment and other properties duly noted by the Historians make very good proofe of the Poets saying 42 Indeed this mightie ground This new-found world is called America of the name of Americus Vespusius a certaine famous Pilot of Florence one of the first discouerers of the Countrey not much more than an hundred yeares agoe His second answer is that this part of the world could not be so soone inhabited as the other three because it is discoasted further from the plaine of Sennaar for in Asia the plaine it selfe was And Arabia being peopled Affrick was very neare at hand and Europe from the lesser Asia is parted but with a narrow Phare whereas America is farre beyong all these which way soeuer we coast He calleth Europe a learned Soyle tower-bearing louing-right for the number of learned men and cunning Artisans of Kingdomes and States well gouerned and Fortresses that are there That after Iupiter his deare-beloued hight lo wit Europa that was the daughter of Agenor King of Phaenicia For the prophane Poets faine their great god being in loue with her to haue taken the shape of a Bull and on his backe to haue carried her ouer Hellespont and therefore the place where he first landed her was called by her name From this fable seemes to be drawne the name of Besphore which is as much to say as Bull-ferry Perhaps this Iupiter was some notable Pirate or Tyrant there-about raigning who in a Ship called the Bull stole away some young Lady and fled for safetie into Europe These words which from cold Bosphors head Doth reach the pearly dow of Tithons saffron bed set downe the length of Asia that is from the Bosphere of Thrace vnto the East-Ocean The Castile armes and lore that is the Spanish Religion and forces which Christopher Columbus brought first into America and there planted in the name of the Spanish King 43 But there the buildings The third answer is that the stately buildings infinite treasures and diuers gouernments that are there will witnesse that the country hath beene long inhabited although hard it is to learne how I haue already spoke of the great Causeyes of Peru. Now the sumptuousnesse of Themixtetan the great Citie of the Kingdome of Mexico and the Kings Pallaces of Peru such they are described by the Spaniards make further proofe of the Poets saying As for the vncountable wealth of the Indies it plainly appeares that aboue ten thousand millions of gold haue beene brought thence into Europe beside heapes of Rubies Emerauds and Pearle much wracked in the sea and much brought for a yearely tribute into Spaine Whereunto I will adde what Franciscus Lopes de Gomara saith concerning the vnualuable riches of Guainacapa the name signifieth young and rich the father of Antibalippa last King of Peru whom the Spaniards put to death All the furniture of his house table and kitchin saith he in the 120. chapter of his fourth booke were of gold and siluer and the meanest of siluer somewhat embased with copper for the more strength He had in his Wardrop Giant-like Images of gold liuely featured as also all kinde of beasts fowles trees herbes and flowers that the Land there beareth and all kinde of fishes that either the Sea there or any fresh water of his Kingdome breedeth in the said mettals well and proportianably resembled not so much as cords paniers troughes billets and other such implements but were so to conclude there was nothing in his Kingdome whereof he had not the counfeit in gold or siluer It is also said that the Kings of Peru called Ingaes haue a garden in a certaine Isle neare Puna where they delight themselues when they list take the Sea that hath in gold and siluer all herbes slowers and trees and other things whatsoeuer meet for a pleasant garden such a sumptuous deuice as neuer was heard-of or seene elsewhere Besides all this that King last but one had gathered into Cusco huge masses of gold and siluer vnfined which the Indians hid so secretly as the Spaniards could neuer come by it there was also in and about Cusco great store of picture-tables and tombes all of sine siluer worth some thirtie some fiftie some threescore thousand Ducats a peece also dining-tables vessels and Images a great number all of fine gold The Spaniards at the taking of Antibalippa found as good as 252000. pounds of siluer and of gold 1300265. pezoes euery pezo valued at a Ducat and a halse Besides the great golden table of Antibalippa worth nigh 40000. Crownes Now for all this great spoile that the Spaniards got and hauock that they made as well in Peru as other the Prouinces there-about yet the Indians as Benzo reports who stayed there with the Spaniards fourteene yeares and wrote in three bookes worthy reading that whole story they sticke not to say they haue yet more remaining than all that the Spaniards euer had And to make their meaning plainer they will take out of a great vessel ful of wheat one grain betwixt their singers say See you this the Viracochie so they call the
of Nicaragua is by Gomara described in his fist booke chap. 203. so are the other wonders which the Poet here notes in his fourth booke chap. 194. 47 Then Chili they possest Gomara in his fourth booke chap. 131. holds opinion that the men of Chili are the right Antipodes or Counter-walkers vnto Spaine and that the country there is of the same temper with Andaluzie This Chili lyeth on the shore of el Mar Pacisico so also doth Quintete which I haue put for Chinca both neere the Panagones or Giants whose country is full of people and hath certaine riuers that runne by day and stand by night some thinke because of the snowes which in the day time are melted by the Sunne and frozen by the Moone in the night but I take it rather to be some great secret and miracle of nature The cause why here I made exchange of Chinca was first for that the Poet had spoke before of the springs of Chink which I take for the same then because it is so diuerfly placed of the Card-men for Ortelius in his Map of the New World sets it aboue and Theuet beside Chili in either place it stands well to be taken for the Chink aforenamed but Mercator placeth it a great deale lower and on the contarry coast neere the riuer of Plata where indeed is a country called Chica that perhaps hath bred this error Lastly Quintete stands so right in way which the Poet followes from Chili to the Patagones that I thought it not amisse to take the same rather then the doubtfull Chinca By the somie Brack of Magellanus he meanes the Sea and Straight of Magellan close by terra Australis Gomara describeth it well in the beginning of the third booke of his Portugall Historie The Poet hath already shewed how people came first on the North America from the kingdome of Anian ouer the maine land to the Atlantick sea shore then on all the further coasts from Quiuir to the Magellan Straight along the Archipelago de San Lazaro Mar del Zur Pacifico and now hee takes the higher side on the left hand from the Land-Straight of Panama to the riuer of Plata which is not farre from the Magellan noting by the way the most note-worthy places of all this huge reach of ground represented as it is by our late writers in their generall and particular Maps of the New-found world Huo is a great sweat-water streame arising at Quillacingas that lieth vnder the Equator and running athwart the country called Caribage into the Sea at Garra Vraba is the country that lieth betwixt that riuer and Carthagene Concerning Zenu marke what Gomara saith thereof in his second booke and 69. chapter It is the name of a Riuer and Citie both and of a Hauen very large and sure The Citie is some 8. leagues from the Sea There is a great Mart for Salt and Fish Gold the inhabitants gather all about and when they set themselues to get much they lay sine-wrought nets in the riuer of Zenu and others and oftentimes they draw-vp graines of pure gold as big as eggs This country is not farre from the Straight of Darien In the said second booke chap. 72. He describes also Noua Grenada and the Mount of Emeraudes which is very high bare and peeld without any herbe or tree thereon growing and lyeth some fiue degrees on this side the Equator The Indians when they goe-about to get the stones first vse many enchauntments to know where the best veine is The first time the Spaniards came there they drew thence great and little 1800. very faire and of great price but for this commoditie the country is so barren that the people were faine to feed on Pismers till of late the Spanish couetousnesse hath made them know the value of their Mountaine Cumana is described in the foresaid booke chap. 79. in the end whereof Gomara saith the vapours of the riuer Cumana engender a certaine little mist or slime vpon mens eyes so as the people there are very pore-blind Parie is described in the 84 chapter of the said second booke Maragnon a Riuer which as Gomara saith 2 booke 87 chapter is threescore miles ouer It emprieth at the Cape of Alinde three degrees beyond the Aequator but springeth a great way further South by Tarama in Peru thence running Eastward it casteth only an Arme into the Amazon about Picora Which hath caused many the first writers of America to count from that place both but one riuer So also doth our Poet here otherwise he would haue msntioned first how the people passed the Amezon that other great streame now knowne by the name of Orenoque which riseth about Carangui and emptieth as Theuet saith 104. leagues aboue the mouth of Maragnon Bresile which the Spaniard discouered in the yeare 1504. is surnamed fierce because of the Canibales Caribes and other man-eating people there I. de Leri hath written very fully all the historie of his aduenture in part of the country where dwell the people called Toupinamboes The riuer of Plata the Indians call Paranagacuc which word importeth as much as a great water Gomara speaking thereof in the 89. chapter of his second booke saith In this riuer is found siluer pearles and other things of great price It containes in breadth 25. leagues making many Islands and swels like Nilus and about the selfe-same time It springeth first out of the mountaines of Peru and is after increased by the infall of many riuers for the country thereabout is leuell or slat whereof it seemes to haue receiued the name of Plate Thus the Poet guesseth at the manner of this new-found worlds empeopling by the coast of Asia Whereunto I will adde what Arias Mont that learned Spaniard hath written thereof in his booke entituled Phaleg He saith Ioktan the double pety-sonne of Sem that is whose double grandfather Sem was had thirteene sonnes which are named by Moses in the 10. of Genesis and some of them peopled the West Indies from the East That which Moses saith Genesis 10. chap. 30. vers concerning Sephar a mountaine of the East Arias applies to the great hills of Peru which the Spaniards call Andes they reach out further in length then any other in the world and neere them stands an ancient towne called Iuktan Moreouer there lies higher a neere-Isle betwixt Cuba and Mexico called Iukatas which may bee thought to resemble still the name of him that first brought people into the country To Ophir one of the sonnes of Ioktan Arias allots the land of Peru for as much as in the third chapter and six verse of the second booke of Chron. there is mention made of the gold of Paruaim To Iobab the country of Paria which is neere the Straight of Panama very â—iâ—h also in gold and pearle I haue said else-where that Arias Montanus tooke Asia to be all one main-land with America and knew no Anian Straight If that be true sure the
haue in their discourses by word or writing to tend alwayes to some one certaine point or end as the only marke they aime or leuell-at Let the Reader finde out some better note hereupon for mine owne scarse contents me Seuenthly this Vnitie is said to be no number because a number taken as it is commonly for a name of multitude is composed of many vnities and more then number because it giues a being to all numbers and thus it hath a power to comprehend all numbers and is actually in all Let vs adde a word more to the praise of Vnitie God is one and the Church of many gathered together is but one yea there was but one Creator one world one man for of him was the woman framed one language before the confusion of Babel one Law one Gospell one Baptisme one Supper of the Lord one hope one loue one Paradise one life euerlasting Concerning the diuers significations of one and other numbers in holy Scripture I forbeare to speake because the Poet makes no plaine mention thereof But this I note further that out of these verses so artificially couched together nothing can be drawne which may any way seeme to fauour their vaine speculations who goe about to build vpon numbers the rules of Religion and such as are of force to establish or ouerthrow Common-wealths and least of all hath any support or rellyance for Arithmanticall Cheaters Magicians and other like mischiefes of the world who abusing the passages of holy Scripture where numbers are vsed thinke they haue found therein the way to foretell what is to come or power to raise vp Spirits and in a word to practise many things vnlawfull which the curious and profane haue taught by their bookes published in Print but let their names bee buried in euerlasting silence 9. Twaine The Pythagorians called the number of two or twaine Isis and Diana because as Diana was barren saith Plato in his Thâ—â—teâ—us so Two being the head and beginning of Diuersitie and vnlikenesse hath no such power as other numbers haue It is the father of numbers huen which the Poet calles esseminate because they bring forth nothing but are cause rather of the ruine of Vnitie For to diuide a thing is to destroy it as Aristotle argues very punctually in the eight Booke of his Metaphysickes Plutarch in his Treatise of the Soules creation saith that Zaratas the Master of Pythagoras called Two the mother of Numbers and One the father whereof he yeelds a reason which our Author hath in a word 10. Three Some account Three the first of all numbers for as for Two the Pythagorians doe not vouchsafe it the name of a number but call it a confounding of Vnities which are to speake properly no numbers but the roots and beginnings of numbers I will say nothing here of the praise of Three set downe by Plutarch in his Treatise of Isis and Osiris and elsewhere nor yet what say the Poets whose Chiefe hath this Numero Deus impare gaudet meaning not an odde number whatsoeuer as Fiue or Seuen but only Three which is the first of all the odde numbers and makes in Geometry of three surfaces only the first body that hath length breadth and thicknesse called a Triangle The Pythagoreans call this kinde of Solide Minerua and in their purifications and washings doe vse much the number of Three Virgil also toucheth vpon this secret in the 6. of his Aeneids Thus Idem ter socios purâ circumtulit vndâ and in the first of his Georg. thus Terque nouas circum saelix cat hoslia fruges And Ouid. 2. Fast thus Et digitis tria thura tribus sublimine ponit And in the 6. Protinus arbuteâ postes terin ordine tangit Fronde ter arbuteâ lamina fronde notal Infinite authorities haue we to this purpose to name one Plinie saith in translating I searched out the place Nat. Hist 28.4 Ternâ despuere deprecatione in omni medicinâ mes suit atque ex hec effectus adiuâ—are But for as much as this and the like fauours of superstition and witchcraft I leaue it and for beare also to shew further how curiously some apply this number vnto diuers mysteries of Religion contenting my selfe onely to expound the Poets words First hee saith it is a number proper vnto God and I thinke he meanes it of the holy Trinitie Father Sonne and Holy Ghost which is one true God for of nothing else can it be said that Three are One and One is Three Againe he saith it is the eldest brother of all the Odde numbers but of that wee spoke before Thirdly he saith that in this number Three is No number and Number well met Then he saith further it is a number well beloued of Almightie God I translate it Heau'ns fauour winning and it hath respect either to the sore-alledged place of Virgil or rather to the effects that God worketh in his creatures which would make a large Commentary for the number of three hath beene obserued by some in the Order of Angels sent downe vnto Men in Men themselues in Sciences in Vertues and other things so many as can hardly be numbred Moreouer he saith the number Three hath a Center and two Extremities of equall distance one from another which is easie to be vnderstood for the Center of Three is the second Vnitie which is equally distant from the first and the third and by this reason also is it the first of all number that hath End Middle and Beginning which is also very plaine to conceiue 11 Foure The Cube or perfect Square body in Geometrie hath a piedestall or base of foure corners and is the most perfect of Solide bodies representing stedfastnesse continuance and vertue whereof came the prouerbe of Homo quadratus not square faced like the Chinois Trigault in expedit one Iesuitica but a man disposed and dealing squarely a man sound constant and vertuous Reade Pierius his Exposition of this number with the rest before and after it I haue said much thereof in my Commentaries vpon the Quartaines of le Sieur de Pybrac Expos 39. where he saith that Truth is framed of a perfect Cube Now to the rest of our Poets words Secondly then he ascribes to the number of Foure this property that with his owne contents which are one two three he makes vp I en this is plaine Thirdly he saith it is the number of the name most to be feared that is the name of God For the Hebrues write the name of God with foure letters and say it is vn-vtterable and pronounce euer Adonai for Ichoua which name the Diuines call Tetragramaton Iohn Reuelm hath discoursed largely thereof in his Cabala and in his bookes de Verbo Mirifico Other Nations also haue giuen to God a name of foure letters The Assyrians Adad the Aegyptians Amun the Persians Syre the old Romans Aius the Greekes ΘΕΟΣ the Mahumetans Alla the Goths Thor the Spaniards Dios the Italians Idio the
Germans Gott the French Dieu I passe by the names Adon Adni Iaho Iesu as also what some haue inuented vpon the names of Cain Abel Seth Enos for they haue written herein very much to little purpose The Spirit of God would haue vs rest vpon the substance of things not vpon the number of letters vsed in their names For the fourth commendation of this number he saith it is the number of the Elements to wit the Earth the Water the Aire and the Fire whereof thus Ouid Metam 15. Quatuor â—ternus genitalia corpora Mundus-Continet c. And in his first booke more distinctly Ignea conuexi vis sine pondere coeli Emicuit summaqueâ—â—cum sibi legit in arce Proximus est Aer illi leuitate locoque Densior his Tellus elementaque grandia traxit Et pressa est grauitatesui Circumsluus huâ—â—â— Vltima possedâ—t solidâ—amque coereuit orbem For the fist he saith it represents the foure Seasons of the yeare the Spring Sommer Autumne and Winter For the sixt he compares it to the foure Cardinall Vertues Iustice Fortitude Temperance and Prudence For these seuenth to the Huanours of Mans bodie bloud Coller Phlegme and Melancholy For the eight to the principall Winds East West North and South Let me say moreouer that the Pythagoreans as Maâ—rebius reports had this number in so great esteeme that they were wâ—nâ— to sweare by it 12. Fâ—ue th'Ermaphrodite So called because it is composed of the Femall 〈◊〉 and Masculine Three which is the first Odde number That which followeth how this number multiphed alway shewes it selfe is easie Plutarch de Cessatione Oraculorum and vpon the Title of Et in the Temple at Delphos telleth great wonders of this number of Fiue 13 Th'Analogicke Six Saint Augustine in his fourth booke De Trinitate and in his fourth booke also De Genesi ad literam and Hugode S to Victore in his booke De Sacramentis both say the number of Six is a perfect number because it is composed of his owne proper parts For the Diuisors of Six besides the Vnitie which diuides all numbers by themselues as 1 is in Six six times and so of the rest are 6 3 and 2. Diuide then Six by Six the Quotus is 1 diuide it by 3 the Quotus is 2 diuide it by 2 the Quotus is 3 that is a Sixt part a Third and a Second which 1 2 and 3 being put together make-vp againe the whole Six which preoues it a perfect number Other numbers the most thus examined are found more or lesse than their parts As the Diuisers of 10. are 10.5 and 2. Ten is in ten once Fiue is in Ten twise two is in Ten fiue times so the Quotes of Ten thus diuided are 1.2 and 5. which added make but eight two lesse than the number deuided Wheras the Diuisers of 12. being 6.4.3 1. The Quote of 12 diuided by twelue is 1. by six 2. by foure 3. by three 4. by two 6. and these Quotes 1.2.3.4 and 6. make a Totall of 16. which is foure more than the number diuided Some say then that Six being the first perfect number and answerable to his owne parts therefore it pleased God to create the World in six daies to shew that all was perfect nothing more than need nothing lesse So by good right is this number tearmed Analogicke that is proportionate and answerable in all points to it selfe as hath beene shewed 14 The Criticke Seu'n First the Poet calles Seuen a Criticke number as much to say as Iudging of a matter For that on the seuenth day Physitions are wont to iudge of a disease to life or death though sometimes where a strange and resisting nature is they double the number and awaite the fourteenth day which is as saith Hippocrates in his Aphorismes the tearme of diseases that are simply acute or sharpe If the maladie passe this day it is commonly seene that it continues to the one and twentieth which is a third Seuenth Looke what Galen saith in his bookes De diebus Criticis and what Consorius in his booke De die Natali as also what the Physitians hold concerning euery Seuenth and Climactericall yeare as of the nine and fortieth composed of seuen times seuen and the sixty three of nine times seuen In the second place the Poet calles this number Male and Female because it is made of an Eauen and an Odde three and foure hereof see Scaliger in his 365. Exer. against Cardan In the third and last place he commends it for the number of the Planets and of the holy Rest-day because the Lord rested the seuenth day and hallowed it 15 Eight the double Square The smallest Latus of any Square-number is two which multiplied by it selfe makes foure and the same againe multiplied by the Latus two is eight which is the first Cube and double the first Square Some haue played the subtill Figure-slingers with the Greeke name of our Sauiour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and found it to make 888. to wit eight Vnities eight Tens and eight Hundreds applying also thereto certaine Prophesies of Silylla but I leaue this subtill deuice sithence the Poet giues me no occasion to handle it 16 And sacred Nine So stiled for the number of the Muses though otherwise in Musike this number makes a discord and the Astrologers call it a sinister number and ill-betokening In the Theogonie of â—â—â—lodus and in Virgil where he speakes of the nine turnings of the infernall Riuer Styx some are of opinion that it represents the disagreeing Complexions of Mans bodie See the Hieroglyphikes of Iohn Pierius in his 37. booke 17 Ten. Of this number Ouid in his booke De Fastis speakes very properly Semper adusque decom numero crescente venitur Principium spatijs sumitur inde nonis But to our Poet he saith it containe in it selfe the force and vertue of all numbers either simply or by multiplication as it is plaine in the Text. Againe he saith it is like the Line in Geometrie because it is the first that makes a length for all that goe before it are expressed by single Characters as 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9 and so stand like prickes or points not flowing to a Line but Ten hauing alwaies one other Figure or Cypher ioyned vnto it thrusts-out into length and so makes as it were a Line in Arithmeticke beyond which Line there is no proceeding but by multiplying this Ten againe and so forth to the greatest number that can be giuen which may surmount the waues or sands of the sea Forcadel in his Arithmeticke and others besides those of old haue shewed the manner how But Archimedes wrote thereof long agoe and entituled his worke De numeo arenae And surely by the multiplication of Ten it may be done Let them examine or trie it that haue leisure or rather let vs all leaue this to him that made all things in number weight and measure who onely knowes the the number of the Starres
whereof Euclide and his Expositors haue spoken at large in their sixt booke as they haue also many propositions touching the same before 22. The Globe This is a kind of Geometricall Solide most excellent and perfect aboue all others as all men that haue written thereof doe plainly declare whom the Poet here also followeth Their chiefe reasons are 1. That it hath the same fashion and shape that the world hath 2. That it hath neither beginning mids nor end 3. That it is moueable in place and immoueable out of place That it is concaue and conuex which is as much to say as Inbent and Out-bent or crusye and bulked that it is made of straight lines meaning the diameters and yet crooked round about as is the surface thereof that it mooueth euery way at once vpward downward backward forward rightway leftway that it swayes and mooues with it according to proportion all round bodies next it This we may well perceiue by that heauen called Primum mobile which drawes with it the firmament of fixed starres together with the seauen spheres of Planets That although it stand still as when the sphere is laid on a plaine yet seemes it to be in continuall motion and euery way nods and threatens to fall because the base or foot it stands-on is but a point from whence on euery-side halfe hangs-ouer This may seeme strange then euen where there is a foundation to rest-on Much more in the Earth that hath no foundation to sense but hangs in the Ayre whereof the Poet giues a good reason because it selfe is the resting-place or middle point of all the bodies concentrike and round of it selfe is not by any promontorie or corner forced from abroad More ample reasons hereof shall yee finde in the Commentaries of Clauius Junctinus Schreckensuschius and others vpon the Spheare of Iohn of Hallifax commonly called Iohannes de sacro Bosco and in the Commentarie of Millichius vpon the second booke of Plinie 4. The Sphere is alwaies and euery where throughout like it selfe so are not other bodies Geometricall 5 As houses that are blunt-cornerd receiue more into them then do the straight or sharp-cornerd because these stride not so wide as the other so the Sphere being as it were euery way blunt containes more then any Geometricall bodie of other shape 6. Other Solides are broken oft-times by reason of their beginnings ends plights knobs and ioynts whereas the Sphere is voide of all those and therefore must needs be more perfect and sound as all Astronomers and Geometricians doe proue both by their owne experience and to the view of others 23. The doubling of a Cube and squaring of a Round About these two secrets of Geometrie diuers learned men of our Age haue taken great pains as well in their Commentaries vpon Euclide as in Bookes and Treatises printed apart But because these matters doe require demonstrations with distinct number and figure it was impossible for me to set them downe here and my ayme is at things of more vse and profit He that would be further satisfied herein let him repaire to the learned Mathematicians or to their Bookes set forth in Print Nicolas de Cusa Orontius Cardan in his worke de proportionibus Pelletier Clauius Candales in diuers demonstrations vpon Euclide haue largely discoursed vpon these Secrets and others drawing neere vnto them 24. Keepe faster The Theoremes Problemes and Propositions of Geometrie contained in the books of Euclide are most certaine and out of all controuersie among people endued with reason as the Expositors of this Author doe plainly shew Howbeit the Sceptikes and Pyrrhonians both old and new do oppose them But the Poet simply considers the truth of things reiecting all Sophistrie which deserues not to be disputed withall especially when it denies principles and such as these whereby Geometrie hath filled the whole world and that but a hundred yeares since with an infinite sort of rare and admirable inuentions 25. By her the gentle streame For proofe of that last point he brings in 1. The vse of Wind-mills and Water-mills 2. Artillerie 3. The Saile mast sterne and other furniture of a ship 4. Printing 5. The Crane or wheele deuised to draw or lift-vp great stones to a high building and other Engines to command and beat downe pyles planks and whole trees if need be into the earth vnder water 6. The Crosse-staffe or Iacobs-staffe as we call it to measure the Earth Ayre Heauen and Sea and vnder this may be comprised all other instruments which the Surveyours of Land Camp-masters Geometors Astronomers and other men vse to that purpose or the like 7. All kinde of howre-glasses of sand or water Dyals of all sorts and sounding clocks to marke how the time passes both by day and night 8. Certaine statues and deuises of wood which by meanes of sundry gynnes of motion within them haue beene made to pronounce some words of mans voice whereto may be added the woodden Pigeon of Archytas the Eagle and Flie of Iohn de Montroyall the brasen head of Albertus Magnus the clock-cock of Strausburg 9. The deuise of Daedalus to flie in the ayre which hath beene imitated since by others In the tenth and last place he glaunceth at the vaunt which Archimedes made that he would mooue the Earth out of place if he had but elsewhere to stand These all deserue throughly to be considered but for the present I will content my selfe thus only to haue pointed at them And so come to the third Image which is Astronomie 3. L'Astronomie ne peut estre bien veue que de ceux qui conoissent l'Arithmetique la Germetrie Or d'autant que ces deux nous donnent seure entree Dans le sainct Cabinet où l'Vranie astree Tient sa ceinture d'or ses lumineux pendans Ses Perles ses rubis ses saphirs ardans Qu'homme ne peut monter sur les croupes iumelles Du Parnasse estoillé que guindé sur leurs ailes Que quiconque est priué de l'vn de ces deux yeux Contemple vainement l'artifice des cieux Le sculpteur a dressé pres de l'Arithmetique Et l'Art mesure-champ l'image Astronomique Ornemens de l'Astronomie Elle a pour Diademe vn argentè Croissant Sous qui iusqa'aux talons à iaunes flots descend Vn Comet allumé pour yeux deux Escarboucles Pour robe vn bleu Rideau que deux luisantes boucles Attachent sur l'espaule vn damas azurè D'estoilles d'animaux richement figuré Et pour plumes encor elle porte les ailes De l'oiseau moucheté de brillantes rouëles Now these two Arts because they lead vs onward right Into that sacred tent where Vranie the bright Sits guirt in golden belt with spangles albedight Of carbuncl ' and of pearle of rubye and chrysolite And that a man withou the help of eithers quill May neuer mount the twyns of starrie Pernas hill But whosoeuer wants one of these Eagles eies In vaine
that I need say no more of them 4 For the fourth Article we must consider this that the Earth so enuironed with Sea is a spongie poicus body full of channels conduit-pipes both neare her ouer-face and thorow her inner parts euery way whereby it comes to passe that all the great streams arising of little springs and fountaines farre from Sea and before they come there encountring and bearing with them an ininite company of land flouds brookes and small tides yet encrease not the Sea which affords so much water to the whole Earth by her secret waies afore-said As for the Snow and Raine which falleth sometime in great plentie to encrease the waters this is but an exchange that the Aire still makes in paying that againe which it borrowed of the Sea Yet aboue all is the power and wisdome of God the Creator to be thought-on who by his onely will and command keepes so the waters heapt-together in his great Magazin of the Sea which otherwise both by reason of their nature and daily encrease would ouerflow all as they did before God commanded the dry-land to shew it selfe then fled they at the voice of their Maker as it is said in the 104. Psalme And beholding the shore stopt their course there yea ran againe backward as fearing their Master 5 Hereupon it folleth out fit that I speake somewhat of the Seas Ebbe and Flow. This is the right and proper motion thereof considered not as water but as the Sea The Poet in the third day of his first weeke shewes diuers opinions concerning this Ebbe and Flow. Some thinke that when the waters were first commanded to retire and shew the dry-land God gaue them this perpetuall motion which as a ballance whereof the Equator is beame doth rise and fall without ceasing and hath this vertue from the Primouable and shall continue it to the worlds end But the learneder sort hold the Moone by her diuers apparitions of waxing and waining to cause this motion of the Sea Whereunto the Poet also in place aboue-quoted seemes to encline Some say also the Sunne helpes it forward and breeds great alteration in the masse of waters by his great heat and brightnesse because it is obserued that alwaies when the Sunne and Moone are in coniunction the Seas Ebbe and Flow is greatest but this also comes specially by the Moone as by some reasons here following shall further appeare The holy Scripture indeed here as all where else mining the wonderous order of Nature teacheth vs to lift vp our thoughts to God the Creator who stirres and stayes the Sea how and when it pleaseth him yet may we say neuerthelesse that herein he commonly doth vse the seruice of second causes though keeping still to himselfe the soueraigne authority ouer them all so as he can hinder change and vtterly destroy them at his pleasure With this acknowledgement consider we these Inseriour causes Plutarch in his third booke of the Philosophers Opinions Chap. 17. showes what they thought of old time concerning the Tâ—des and alterations of the Sea Some he saith ascribe the cause of them to the Sunne and Winds others to the Moone a third sort to the high-rising of waters in generall a fourth to the swelling of the Atlanticke Sea Now he distinguishes the motion into three kinds to wit the Streame and that is naturall the Floud and that is violent the Ebbe and that is extraordinarie As for the Floud it is a motion of the Sea water rising and falling twice in some and twentie houres whereby the Sea is purged and cleansed by certaine periods answerable to the rising and setting of the Moone It is in the nâ—ame Ocean open to the winds that the sloud is strongest but appears chiefeâ—y by the shore-side where it is not checkt or staid by some islaÌ„ds The Midland Sea hath not the Tide In the Adriatike and other like Bayes there is searse any The Baltique hath none at all because it is so straightned and bound with land euery way and is so full of Islands If the Moone be in the waine or past the first quaâ—ter the Tide is euery where weake but neare the new Moone or full it waxeth very strong and this is held to be the reason because this Planet being so neere vnto vs and hauing Domimon ouer all moisture encreaseth the waters and drawes them to and fro as she riseth or setteth for where she setteth vnto vs shee riseth vnto the other Hemisphere The Ebbe and Flow is sometime more slow and gentle sometime more swift and violent according as the Moone waineth or waxeth but herein must we note also the diuers seasons of the yeare together with the winds which helpe or hinder much the Tides and cause them to runne more swift or slow This power hath the Moone by motion of the Primouable which maketh her tise and set as the Sunne and other Starres doe in the space of a day When she riseth the sea begins to swell till shee come to the Medridian or Moone-line of any place and from thence abateth all the while she is tending to the set then the Sea descends with her till she come toward the Counter-Meridian where the water is againe at the highest and falles till she rise againe to this our Hemisphere So whereas the Tides keepe no certaine hower but are sometime sooner sometime later the cause is that though the Moone be whirled about with motion of the Primouable yet hauing proper motion in latitude of the Zodiacke thwarting that other she riseth not alwaies at the same time nor in the same Signe not with the same light and distance from the Sunne nor with the same coniunction and aspect of other Planets and fixed Stars all which cause a difference and are some more some lesse disposed to the encrease of waters And these Sea-waters doe also much differ in nature Some are cleare and purified and haue roome enough these flow moderately but higher others muddy thicke and kept-in with straights which runne with more violence though not with so high a Tide This hath God appointed to cleanse and preserue the waters for in time of calmes they grow ranke and the Sea sends-vp ill vapours being the great sinke as it were of corrupt matter which is to be scummed and cleansed by the Tides and winds These also doe serue for Nauigation but chiefly to magnifie the Creators wonderfull power when wee see thereby and consider how truly it is said in the Psalme 107.23 and 24. They that goe dawne to the Sea in shâ—ps and occupie their busiaesse in great waters doe see the workes of the Lord and his wonders in the deepe c. For that huge masse of salt-water yeelds it selfe captiue as it were to the Moone-beames and thereby is easily commanded I will enter no further into the cause of this Miracle but lest I be too long in these notes leaue those to search it deeper that are more able 6 Concerning
the bitter and saltnesse of the Sea-water Plutarch hath spoke thereof in his booke of the Philosophers Opinions 3.16 see what he saith there and in the ninth question of his first booke of Table-talke and in the first question of his Naturall causes Aristotle in the 23. Section of his Problemos Pliny in his second booke from the 97. chap. to the 101. where he assoiles the most obiections that are made concerning this point of the Sea but especially in the 110. he ascribes there to the Sunne the Saltnesse of Sea-water at the top not at the bottome With him agrees Mellichius vpon the same Chapter of Plinie Garcaeus in the 36. Chapter of his Meteorologie Danaeus in his Christian Physickes 2.11 And Velcurio in his Comment vpon Aristolles Naturall Philosophie 3.7 7 Of the seuenth Article enough hath beene said in the third and the Terrestriall Globe and Mappes doe make all very plaine 8 There rests for the eight Article a word to be said concerning the forme or shape of the Sea whether it be round or flat That which hath beene afore-said shewes plainly it is round but neither in it whole selfe nor parts how then Only as it is enterlaced with the whole body of the Earth and hath for bed the great deepe If any be so curious as to seeke herein further satisfaction let him reade Scaliger against Card. Exercit. 37. c. So much for these eight Articles touching the Sea 30 Here should th' Aire The Poet goes about here to range in proper place both the Elements and Heauens to wit The Earth lowest the Water next thereupon then the Aire then the Fire next ouer these the seuen Planets and aboue them the Fix-star-heauen embrased with the primouable and ouer that the glorious habitation of Saints This is the common opinion of Christian Astronomie agreed-on by most Winters both of late and former times Some few as Copernicus and his followers gainsay it but the Poet takes after that opinion which is most likely and most receiued 31 Among the greater Six The Terestriall Globe hath Ten Rings or Circles six great ones so called because they diuide the Sphere after the full compasse thereof into equall parts and foure called leste because they diuide it into parts vnequall The first of the great here mined by the Poet is the Equator or Equinoctiall which I tearme The Circl ' of Match-day night This Circle in euery part therof is like distant from the Poles of the world diuideth the Globe into two equall parts and is the greatest of all the Circles by reason whereof it comes to passe that the Sunne and other Planets haue vnder this a swifter course than other of those heauenly bodies as contrariwise they runne slower when they come nearer the Poles And when the Sunne is vnder this Line day and night is equall throughout the world and that caused the name There are two such times in the yeare the one called of the Spring the Vernall Equinox about the eleuenth of March the other the Autumnall of that Season and falleth commonly neare the thirteenth of September For when the Sunne first entreth Aries or Libra then is he vnder the Equinoctiall and stayeth as long aboue as vnder euery Horison that is twelue houres a peece halfe the naturall day This and the rest would better be vnderstood with an Armillary Sphere in hand 32 This other The second great Circle is called the Zodiake which diuides the Equator into two equall parts at the beginning of Aries and Libra and the one toward the North is called the Articke halfe and the other toward the South the Antarticke halfe of the Equator The Zodiake hath other Poles or Axelpoints than those of the world and from them also distant 24. degrees which also in the Globes turning draw-out the Tropicke Circles of Cancer and Capricorne whereof hereafter 33 This other passing-through The Astronomers imagine also two other great Circles called the Colures which a man may thinke doe stead the Globe no more than to hold the parts thereof together For the office that some giue them to distinguish the Night-qualles and Sunstaies belongeth more properly to the Equator and Tropickes The Poet here exactly describes the first Colure and saith it is drawne from one of the Tropickes to the other to note the staies of the Sunne who comming thereto neere goes not so fast as afore 34 And this here crossing This is the description of the second Colure that shewes the equall space betwixt the two Equinoxes or Eauen-nights of Spring and Autumne and the two Solstices or Sun-stayes of Summer and Winter The word Colure comes of the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies curtolled or cut off by the taile because onely one part appeares vnto vs and the other is hid and so saith Proclus 35 And this the circl ' of Noon That is the Meridian which passing through the Poles and our Zenith or Crowne-point diuides the Globe into halues the one East the other West It is called the Noon-line or Meridian because alwaies when the Sunne by sway of the Primovable comes thereto at what time or place soeuer then there it is Noone and Noone is nothing else but the midday Naturall or Artificiall Whereupon it followes that all Cities vnder the same Meridian stand alike distant from East and West and contrary-wise if one be neerer East or West then another they haue not the same Meridian but diuers Th'arke then or round parcell of th'Equator reckoning from West to East which is betweene the Meridian of the Fortunate Isles and the noon-point of any place or Citie is colled the longitude or length of that Citie or place and their Latitude or bredth is the Arke of their Noon-circle from th'Equator to the Crowne-point Hence also arises the distinction of Climats implied here in the word Horison which moueth as farre as you will to North or South The Ancient Astionomers saith Appian in the 6. Chapter of his Cosmography diuided the whole Earth into seuen Climats or degrees of heat and cold but we now obserue nine by reason of our late more exact discoueries A Climate is a space of the Earth betweene two paralels or lines of Latitude differing halfe an houre in Sunne-dyall one from other for the Sunne drawing from the Equator toward the Poles must needs make the daies vnequall And so much is one Climat remoued from the Equato as makes the daies there differ halfe an houre from the Equinox from Day-and night-cauen Heere further is to be noted that euery Climate takes 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 enâ—â—keble Citie Riuer Country Isle or Mountaine c. From the â—â—quâ—â—â— then to reckon Northward the first Climate is câ—lled of Mâ—â—â— because it runnes thorow the midst of that Citie in dâ—â—â—ke 〈◊〉 second of Sieâ—â— a Citie in Egypt vnder the Tropick of Caâ—â—â— the third of Alexandria the fourth of Rhodes the fift of Rome the sixt of Pontus the seuenth of Boristhenes
Of all that doe repent and will new life beginne The Fishes And these two Fishes they that with fiue loues of bread Blest of th'all-feeding Word aboue fiue thousand fed Of the Antartike Pole Orion But let the twinkling Ball now vpsidowne be rowlâ—d And with like curious eye the sotherne halfe behold O know you not the face of this fierce warlike wight That neere the shining Bull enlustres heau'n with light The sonne of Nun it is that worthy Ioshuah Eridanus The Dogs The Hare Argo Who dry ore Iordan went as on a sandy bay And did those Canan dogges from prey vnworthy scare And set his conquering foot vpon Loues hartlesse Hare Loe here that Argosie which all the world did saue And brauely now triumphs both ouer wind and waue Lo here the yellow plights of Moses brasen snake Hydra That shone in wildernesse all others sting to slake The Raveâ— The Gobles Lo here that happy Rav'n which did Elia feed Here Iosephs golden cup wherein he wont arreed His wondrous prophesies and here that heau'nly knight Which vnto Machabee appeared all in white The Centaure The wo'fe The Altar-slone His ang'r-enflamed launce so strooke this Pagan Woolfe With paine and bursten-rot athwart the belly-gulfe That on Gods Altar-stone prophaned many a yeere Now reeks a sweet perfume and Levies hallowed queere Sings ioyfull Psalms againe in Gods temple Idol-staind And th' Idumean Race this Crowne at length obtainde The southerne Crowne The southerne Fish The Whale To raigne in Israel Now here the Fish behold With tribute paid for him that was for sinners sold And here the gaping Whale whose ill-digesting maw Three daies a Prophets life held as empawn'd by law The Poet by this correction shews his pietie and learning While Heb'r all sings for me with Muse so bold new odd And strikes a string vntouchd and walks a path vntrod Thinke not ô Christen peopl ' I take all that he saith Concerning th'oast of heâ—u'n for articl ' of my faith Or that I ment set-vp old Zenoes schoole againe T'embound th' eternall God and so relinke the chaine Of Stoyck destinie or would of all to come As Caldeman arreed in books of heau'n the summe No nothing lesse I meane but only thought by grace Of such a new deuise as here I enterlace Refresh your weary minds that hauing past before So many a foamy flood such warre against the shore And hurly-burling rage of counterbuffed waue So many a ghastly Wylde a dyke a rock a caue You might set foot at length on some delightfull place Whereon the skie may shew for eu'r a louely face Where runs a siluer streame the wind blowes sweetly awhile And where to welcome you the ground-selfe seems to smile Oh who good Reader knowes but fuller may be done Hereaft'r of some so zeal'd this worke I first begon 42. Yea were it not This is the fourth reason wherein the Poet with commendable courage aduentures to blot out of memory the Greeke Latine and Arabian fables which with so many gybrish names had soyled as it were the face of heauen and makes Heber say that the names of Constellations on either side the Equator doe containe the mysteries of Holy Church First then hee speakes of the North-Pole-Starres and saith the Chariot which is commonly called Charles Waine is the same that carried vp to heauen the Prophet or Seer Elias 2. King 2. And Bootes is Elizeus there mentioned to with-hold first and then behold his Masters going away As for the other names of that kinde here following any Reader acquainted with the Bible may conceiue them at first and what the Poet meanes by them 43. While Heber sings The Poet now hee hath made Heber so largely discourse vpon the reasons of these shapes and names giuen by the Astronomers to the six Starres of both Poles and of the Zodiack he â—oynes thereto a notable correction thereof to auoid two extreames the one of Zeno the chiefe Stoicke and his followers who so tie the first cause which is God to the second that they hold all good or euill successe of our life vnauoydably to depend vpon the Starres Their opinion touching the necessity of Fate hath beene fully refuted by many famous men both old and new Writers but especially by Saint Auslen in his Bookes De Ciuitats Dei The other extremitie is that opinion of Iudiciall Astrologers who make our whole life from the beginning to the end liable to the vertue and influence of the heauens Those also haue beene refuted by diuers of our time especially by the learned John Picus Earle of Mirandula and by his Nephew Francis Picus in his Booke intituled De praenotione rerum Our Author shewes therefore that he vtterly disauoweth such opinions of the Stoicks and Astrologers whom he tearmeth Caldemen or Caldeans because Iudiciall Astrologic was in great vse among that people as may be gathered out of History but most out of the Bookes of the Prophets and Esay chiefely Chap. 52. at length he shewes the reason which I touched before why he brings in this new discourse namely to giue the Reader an acceptable pause of recreation and shew how much he desires that our posteritie may see Heauen cleansed of these Idolls which the Heathen by names giuen to the Starres pretend to haue place there Cest art du tout diuin donnant à tant d'imagee Non le nom des Payens ains des saincts personnages Continuation du descouurement des secrets de l'Astronomie par la declaration des principaux mots vsitez entre les Astronomes Discours sur les cieux des Planetes destinguez subtillement doctement par les Astronomes Mais allons retrouuer Heber dont le discours Enseigne à son Phalec des Planetes le cours Figuré dans l'acier qu'est-ce que Perigee Câ—ncentrique Eccentrique Epicycle Apogee Et de quelle façon Mars le seme-debats La Torche porte-iour la Cyprine aime-esbats Saturne Iupiter ont trois Spheres en vne Cinq le facond Mercure deux fois deux la Lune Car les diuins esprits dont nous tenons cest art Voyant leurs Feux errer or ' d'vne or ' d'autre part Tantost loin tantost pres du centre de Nature Pour bannir de là haut le vuide la rupture Et le brouillis des corps que leur desuoyement Causeroit dans les cieux couuerts du Firmament On t osé plus qu'humains des rouès eternelles Qui portent ces brandons faire plusieurs rouëlles Qui tousiours se baisant ne s'entreheurtent point Tant bien l'vn rond à l'autre est distinctements ioint Le bas est sous le haut qui recourbé l'â—â—ccolle Ainsi que le Marron porte vne taye molle Pour emmantellement la taye vn cuir tané Le cuir vn feutre espais picquant herisonné Puis il prend l'Astrebale ou la Sphere est reduite En forme toute plate
of Mahomet As for Eldebag Iohannes Leo writeth of him in the fift booke of his description of Asticke This poet borne at Malaga in Grenade of great name thorough all the parts of Buggie and Thunes was very eloquent in the Arabian tongue and wonderfull sharpe in railing on those that did him hurt he made the men of Tebesse feele it in a Satyre he wrote against them the effect whereof is this that Nature knowing the Tebessians should be men of little worth and very swine would make no good thing grow about their Citie but Nuts The last to wit Ibnu-farid the French Commentar knoweth not what he was and I cannot learne 28. The Dutch For the Dutch or Almaine tongue hee setteth vs downe Michaell Beuther who very well hath translated the Latine Commentaries of Sleidan the next is Luther borne at Islebe as learned and eloquent a man as any was among the Diuines and Preachers of Germanie as all will confesse that haue read his workes in Dutch he Preached and read Diuinitie the space of many yeeres at Wytteberg in Saxony Then Gasper Peucer son in law to Phillip Melancibon an excellent Philosopher Mathematician and Phisitian as his workes declare And lastly Peter Beutricke Counceller to Duke Iohn Cosimer and chiefe dealer for him with diuers Princes lately deceased I could name you many more but I content my selfe as the poet hath done with these foure 29. Then Gueuare The Bookes of Anthony de Gueuare du Bosean de Grenade de Gracylace haue beene for the most part translated into Latine Italian and French but they are farre better in their Castilian which is the most pure Dialect of the Spanish tongue and wherein the men of learning and good nourtriture are wont ordinarily to write and speake And these foure the poet hath chosen for the most eloquent writers in this tongue yet nothing foredeeming diuers others that haue written well both in verse and prose as namely Osias whom but for his old Dialect he iudgeth as good an author as the other 30. The speech of English For ornament of the English tongue he nameth Sir Thomas Moore and Sir Nicholas Bacon both Lord Chauncellours the first of them was very learned in the Arts and tongues the second exceeding well seene in the common lawes of England and both very eloquent in their mother language As for Sir Philip Sidney he deserueth no lesse commendation then the poet hath giuen him Chaucer deserueth the like commendation here that Osias did among the Spanish Authors 31. But what new Sunne is this He maketh a digression in praise of the Queene of England who the space of seuen and thirty yeeres hath gouerned her Realme in great prosperitie so as during the troubles and ouerthrowes of other kingdomes about her herselfe and her people haue beene preserued from infinite dangers This famous Queene hath also the tougues here mentioned by the poet very par fit and at this day by the singular grace of God she is accounted the precious pearle of the North and very fortunate in all the warres she taketh in hand her happy successe and victories are euery way so memorable that they deserue to be written in a large historie and reuerenced of all posteritic 32. But what are these of France Clement Marot worthy to be admired for his time in regard of the ignorance and barbarisme that raigned in Europe many yeeres before him hath led the Muses ouer the Alpes and arrayed them after the French fashion as witnesseth among other his workes the translation of nine and fortie Psalmes of Dauid a worke that will continue in account as long as Yea and Nay are spoken euen to the worlds end Indeed he wanteth that Art and those fine deuices that some later Writers haue but euen in this want and these imperfections he hath done wonderous well and sheweth in his naturall vaine that if he had list he could haue beene excellent yea in some points and places he hath so done alreadie as the best of them all could haue done no better For translations wee haue Iacques Amiot who hath turned into French the Aethiopian Historie of Heliodorus seuen bookes of Diodorus Siculus and all Plutarch wherein he hath laboured to very good purpose and with happie successe I would to God he had set his hand also to Thucidides Xenophon and Seneca his stile is pure and naturall not affected not forced right good and true French Blase Viginere hath also translated many bookes as the Polonian History a part of Liuie Caesar Chalcondylas Philostratus three Dialogues of Friendship and the Psalmes in free verse all which I haue read ouer and againe yet doe I preferre Amiot before him Indeed I finde in Viginere a very ready stile and matter well chosen but the other I know not how me thinkes hath a better cariage of himselfe The Sâ—iour de Vauprinas in his French Librarie saith of all the foster-children of the Muses that were bred in France Viginere hath so written that as well for learning as for eloquence of speech he hath preuented all that shall come after him and as it were shut the gate against them See what a commendation here is I leaue the Reader to iudge of our opinions Our Poet stayeth in doubt but I haue beene bold to goe further I trust without any great offence in this consisteth not the good or bad state of France Concerning Poets he nameth Peter Ronsard who hath made himselfe rich with Greeke and Latine spoiles as his Treatises of Loue his Odes Elegies and Hymnes doe witnesse wherein a man may reade all sorts of verses and all kinde of matter sometimes in a low stile sometimes in a meane sometimes in a loftie stile For which the Poet calleth him Great Ronsard I will note here a notable speech of his After our Poets first Weeke was come forth in Print being asked his opinion of the worke he answered alluding to the title Mounsieur du Bartas hath done more in one weeke than I haue done in all my life time As for Philip de Mornay Lord of Plessie Marly his learned worke of the truth of Christian Religion honoured thus by the true title and written in good French with liuely reasons there gathered together moueth and draweth to his purpose that is to acknowledge the truth all that reade it with a heart desirous of peace and good The like may be said of his Discourse of Life and Death of his Treatise of the Church his Meditations and some Epistles and Demonstrations of his For all his Writings are strengthened with Arguments Inductions and proofes inuincible and all in a stile with grauitie and sweetnesse mixed well knit and well sounding and easie enough to those that are neuer so little acquainted with it The Poet hauing so liuely represented his Vision endeth his discoarse of Elequence and her most renowned sauourer in euery Language and so shut vp his sixt Booke Which is the second of the second day of
of Russe Enuironed about with surges mutinous Was come-vnto by men thinke after they forsooke The plaine where Tegil flood swift-running ouertooke Once and againe the streame of running-far Euphrates They lodged at the foot of hoary hill Nyphates So forth of Armenie the field Hiberian The Colchish th' Albanick and high Bospherian Might well be furnished and thence vnto th'Vprist Might come the Tartar fell who roameth where he list All on that circuit huge and thence accoast the Set Was stoard the land that Rha doth neere his rising fret The shore of Lyuonie the plaine of Moscouie Byarmie Permie Russe White-lake and Scrifinie 24 It shall suffice The Poet hath heretofore compared Antiquity chiefly concerning the Nations Out-roads vnto a great forrest wherein the cunningest guides haue often lost themselues Now therefore he saith it is the safer way to follow and keepe neare the verge of the forrest rather than venter too farre into it He shewes thereby that his meaning is to giue vs a generall view of these matters not curiously to minse the particulars as they haue done who vndertake to gather out of Authors and teach others the course of Noes posteritie euery mile as they haue runne vntill this present and pore still into the Arke to finde there the names of their Country-men and ancestors Therefore he voweth to rely wholly vpon the golden mouth of Moses which was the sonne of Amram as the Scripture witnesseth Numb 26.59 Now Moses saith Gen. 10. in the end of the Chapter That of the children of Noe were the Nations diuided on the earth after the Floud And before in 5.20 and 30. verses he sheweth plainly from whence they began to people the world and as it were to lead againe the Arke ouer the face of the earth in filling most countries of the world with their great posteritie encreased as it was by vertue of Gods wonderfull blessing Gen. 9.1 Encrease and multiply and fill the earth 25. Yet not as if Sems house He saith Sem peopled not the East all at once but by succession of time that Iaphet when he came out of the Arke did not forthwith runne to Spaine nor Cham to hide himselfe in the furthest part of Affrick but that by little and little and in processe of time their issues ranged so farre forth either way He speaketh of diuers Countries far vp in the East and farre downe Southward the site whereof appeareth plaine in the Mappes and to emich this true story he vseth two prettie comparisons of the rockes of Bees in Hybla and Elmes in an Island and as by their surci ease both places are by peecemeale at length quite ouergrowne so he saith the world by yearely encrease of Noes posteritie was part after part ouer-peopled as it is First after the confusion of tongues they lodged one behinde another about the coast of Mesopotamia afterward as they encreased in stocke their new families passed the riuers hilles and straights looking-out other dwelling places to their liking the prouidence of God directing all as appeares for the better grace and trimming of the earth and the commoditie of all manking 26. And hence it comes to passe This ensueth necessarily of that goes before Where the posteritie of Noe were most together in the beginning there we must confesse was the chiefe sway and greatnesse of mankind and that was in Assyria and Chaldea as Moses witnesseth Gen. 11. whereout the Poet concludeth as afore see further Gen. 14. Concerning the Kings wars that are there named with their countries marching vpon Tigris or there abouts and of Nymrod it is namely said that the beginning of his raigne was Babel c. in the Countrey of Sennaar marching vpon the riuer Tygris 27. For Babylon betimes Hauing spoken in generall of the first peoples greatnesse hee specifieth now the first Monarchie whereof it seemes Meses hath enough written in the tenth chapter aforesaid Now the best Authors many of these and the former times declare and proue by the account of yeares that the first Monarchie as in Babylon and Babylon was in Chaldâ—a whereupon some dispute for Nimnie and Assyrians and some because these two great Cities began about one time had seuerall Princes and raigned both many hundred yeares they make a double Monarchie of the first vntill such time as the Chaldean had swallowed the Assyrian I take not the word Monarchie too precisely as if in the time of the Babylonian there were none other in the world Aegypt began in good time to be of power and great Kings there were in the Land of Canaan and the countries adioyning But I vnderstand with our Poet that the first rule plainly appeared at Babylon euen in the time of Noe. Hee that would vpon this point compare prophane Histories with the Scripture might sinde matter for a long discourse the summe whereof may be seene in Funccius Carion Vignier and other Chroniclers To be short I say the raigne of Nymrod mentioned Gen. 10.10 many yeares fore-went all other wee reade of and especially those of the Greekes Romanes Gaules c. as is proued plainly by the account of time Thebes a Towne of Boeotia in Greece it hath a spring by it called Dirce whereof the Towne-selfe among the Poets is often surnamed Amphion a wise Polititian who by his eloquence and sleight perswaded the people of those times rude as they were and vnciuill to ioyne together in building the walles of Thebes whereupon the Poets to shew the force of eloquence faine that Amphion by the cunning stroakes of his Lute made the stones to come downe from the rockes and lay themselues together in order of a wall And thus saith Horace in his Epistle of Poetrie ad Pisones Dictus Ampbion Thebanae conditor vrbis Saxa mouere sono testudinis piece blanda Read more of him in Appollonius his Argonauticks 28. The sonnes Hâ—ber This proues againe that the neere successours of Noe silled not the world all at once but by succession of time So the true religion remained in the family of Sem The Chaldeans were excellent Astronomers and Philosophers the Egyptian Priests knew the secrets of Nature before there was any knowledge of letters in Greece which was not peopled so soone as the other by many yeeres as the histories euen of the Greekes themselues declare See the latter Chronicles 29. All Egypt ouershone Another proofe If the world had beene peopled all straight after the flood riches and dainties would haue beene found vsed in all countries at the same time But they were in Egypt and Tyre long before the Greekes and Gaules knew the world So it followes that Greece and Gaule were not so soone peopled as Egypt and Phaenicia By the limping Smith he meanes Vul an that first found out the vse and forging of Iron in Sicilie Prometheus was the first that found the vse of fire among the Argol ans or Greekes Of him saith Hor. 1. booke 2. Ode Audax Iapeti genus ignem sraude