say so much as was known in his time containing the same in 4 Tables In his 5.6 and 7. booke he describeth all Asia and the East Indians whereof hee maketh 12 Tables and in describing any Region or prouince he sheweth how it is bounded both North South East and West And also what notable Cities Flouds Lakes or Mountaines bee in euerie Region and therewith setteth downe the longitude and latitude of euerie place To which his booke diuers haue made certaine Alphabeticall tables containing the names of all the places that are mentioned in the foresaid books shewing in what leafe to finde the same to the intent that you may the more readily find out not onely the place but also the longitude and latitude thereof and in what Table it is contained Notwithstanding I knowe by good triall that there are a number of places mentioned in the saide bookes which you shall not finde in the foresaid Alphabet Werefore I wish that Mercator Ortellius Barnardus Brugensis or any other of the latter Cosmographers and setters foorth of Mappes and Cards would take the paine to make a generall Alphabet containing all the names that are to bee found and knowen both auncient and moderne of Regions Cities Seas Floods Lakes Riuers Portes Baies Hedlandes Caâ—es Mountaines and all other notorious places contained in their Maps and Cardes togither with the true longitude and latitude annexed to euerie place agréeable to their Maps to the intent that euerie man delighted with the reading of Histories may in their Mappes both generall and speciall easilie finde out anie place that hee seeketh Which worke in mine opinion would bee most thankfullie receiued of all those that delight in Geographie to the great commendation and prayse of the Authours thereof For though Ptolomey Appian Gemma Frizius Gastaldus Orontius Munsterus Ortellius and others haue set downe certaine names both auncient and moderne togither with their longitudes and latitudes yet they are but very fewe in comparison of all the names that are wanting yea or of those that are comprehended in their own Cards and Mappes all which Maps I would wish to agree in their longitudes and latitudes for otherwise a man shall hardly finde the place which hee seeketh Wherefore I pray God with all my heart that some good man that is a skilfull Cosmographer may shortlie traueile hearein to the profit of all Students in Geographie But now to returne to my matter which is to shew how to find out any place contained in Ptolomeis tables I say that you must first finde out the name of the place in the Alphabet and that will direct you to the booke wherin it is set down togither with the longitude and latitude thereof And there also you shall find in what table it is contained Then hauing taken a note of the longitude and latitude and also the number of the table wherein it is to be sought resort to that table bee it in Europe Affrike or Asia In the front of euerie which table and also in the base are set down certaine numbers of longitudes in such sort as the vttermost and nethermost be like numbers and do directly answere one another Againe on both sides of the table are set downe certaine numbers of latitude like in quantity and directly answering one another Then séeke out the longitude of the place which you would find in the front and also in the base and marke the same with two prickes one aboue another beneath From which two pricks lay a ruler or extend a thread holding it fast there vntill you haue found out the latitude of the place on both sides of the table which beeing also marked on each side with a pricke extend another thread from those two last prickes and in that very point wheras the two threads do crosse you shall find the place to be which you séeke or at least should be there Moreouer on the right hand of euerie table Ptolomey setteth downe most commonlie vnder what Clime and Paralel euerie place is and by that meanes you may also knowe the longest day that any Paralell hath For as I haue sayd before in my Sphere euery Paralell procéeding from the Equinoctiall towardes the Pole encreaseth by one quarter of an hower and euery Clime containing two Paralels encreaseth by halfe an hower Of which Climes Ptolomey setteth downe but seuen but of Paralels he maketh 21 in such order as this table following sheweth which Table consisteth of foure Columns whereof the first containeth the seuen Climes togither with their names and also howe many miles euery Clime hath in breadth And the second containeth 63 degrées of latitude further then which Northward Ptolomey his Tables do not extend The third containeth the numbers of the 21 Paralels and the fourth the howers and minutes of the longest day in euerie Paralell The seuen Climes their names and miles in breadth The degrees of latitude The 21. Paralels Of the longest day in euery Paralell The howers m.   63 * 21 19 30 60 â– 20 19 0 â– 19 18 30 â– 18 18 0 7 Dia Riphios 195. Miles 50 â– 17 17 30 â– 16 17 0 6 Dia Boristenes 225 â– 15 16 30 â– 14 16 0 13 15 30 5 Dia Romes 240. â– 12 15 0 40 â– 11 14 45 4 Dia Rhodou 350. â– 10 14 30 9 14 15 3 Dia Alexandrias 370. â– 8 14 0 30 â– 7 13 45 2 Dia Sienes 420. â– 6 13 30 â– 5 13 15 1 Dia Meroes 465 20 â– 4 13 0 â– 765. â– 3 12 45 â– 2 12 30 10 â– â– 1 12 15 â– â– * The Equinonctiall line vnder vvhich those that dwell haue no Latitude and therfore they haue alwaies 12. howers day and 12 hovvers night But you haue to vnderstand that whereas Ptolomey maketh the furthest North part of his seuenth Clime called Dia Ripheos to haue but 50 degrees and 30 minutes of latitude the moderne Cosmographers doe allowe to those mountaines 70 degrées of latitude affirming the same to bee those selfe Mountaines which are otherwise called Montes Hiperborei which because they enclose a great part of the North side of the world are called Orbis terrae cingulum that is to say the girdle of the worlde the wrong latitude whereof and of diuers other I thinke Ptolomey had from others and not from himselfe For being brought vp in so warme a soile as Alexandria standeth in he could neuer endure to go so far northward to take the latitude of those colde Riphean Mountaines and therefore if you list to knowe what latitude doth truly belong vnto euerie Clime and Paralell then resort to Orontius his Table of Climes and Paralels set downe in my Sphere which sheweth how many degrées of latitude euery Paralell hath togither with the longest day euen from the Equinoctiall to the very Pole wherefore I leaue to speake heere any further thereof and so for this time ende this Treatize which if I shall perceiue to bee thankfully taken I minde God willing to put in print the description and vse of the Sphere and of the Globe both Celestiall and Terrestiall Also a verie plaine and briefe Arithmetike togither with the discription and certaine vses of the Tables of Sines called in Latin Tabulae Sinuum And finally the principles of Nauigation more plainely I beleeue than euer there haue beene heretofore taught onely to helpe and further such as bee desirous to traueile by Sea and haue not bene exercised in the Mathematicall Disciplines without some knowledge whereof it is hard to bee skilfull in that Art FINIS The Axle trre of the world The two Poles The greter Circle The Equinoctiall The north latitude The South latitud A Degree Longitude The Zodiake The Meridian The Horison The 2 Colures 4 lesser circles The Circles Artike and Antartike The Tropike of Cancer The Tropike of Capricorn The greatest declination of the Sun Paralels Zones A Paralell of y e longest day A Clyme Europa Affrica Asia America Organum directorium
and bowing of the meridians which by theyr oblique ouerthwart falling into the Paralels doe so much disfigure in the vttermost parts the true shape of the Regions as they can skant be knowen And as for the mariners Cardes because their Paralels of latitude are also of equall distance from the Equinoctiall to the very Pole he sayth that they must needes misfashion the Regions and make the directions distances longitudes and latitudes to be vntrue and thereby cause great errors Which to auoyd hee maketh the spaces of his Paralels and degrees of latitude to encrease by little and little towardes the Pole affirming that thereby all places shall haue theyr true shape and also their true directions distaunces longitudes and latitudes His second care was that the Regions and places might haue their true quantitie and greatnes and also true distance one from another wherin he hath taken as he saith greatest paines whilest he did confer the Tables of the Castilians and Portugales aswell amongest themselues as with diuers other Nauigations both printed and written His third care was to shew what partes of the world were knowen to the auncient men that the limits and bounds of theyr Geographie might not bee vnknowen to the intent they might haue their due honour and praise And hauing shewed what places they did in their time describe both East West North and South in the end of hys speach he affirmeth that auncient Cosmographers haue set down in the East Indians more places then euer the Portugales haue as yet discouered or attained vnto This Barnardus Puteanus borne in Bruges is by hys owne confession a Cutter or Grauer in brasse and also a Cosmographer whose Mappe set foorth in the yeare of our Lord 1579. doth not differ in any one point that I can finde from the last vniuersall Mappe of Mercator that famous Cosmographer who as I vnderstand was himselfe also sometime a Cutter Grauer of such Maps and Globes as Gemma Frizius did cause to bee printed in his time from whom Mercator learned great part of hys most excellent skill in Cosmographie But of one thing I am sure y e Ptolomey was first Maister to them all who hath set down so good and perfect rules of describing the Earth be it whole or part as in the opinion of most learned men no better can be inuented Truely when I did first beholde these latter Maps and sawe that the Paralels towardes the Pole were as long as the verie Equinoctiall it selfe it seemed to mee somewhat straunge for then I said that a Shippe in sayling about the world vnder the Paralell of 60 degrees should by this meanes make as long a voyage as that which saileth about the world right vnder the Equinoctiall which voyage is twice as long For this containeth in longitude 21600 miles which is the whole compasse of the Earth and the other containeth in longitude 10800 miles which is iust halfe so much and no more But after that I had taken better aduisement thereof I found by measuring with my compasse that one degrée of the Meridian next to the 60 degree of latitude did comprehend two of such degrees as are set downe in the Equinoctiall and that one degree of the Meridian crossing the the Paralel that hath 70 degrees of latitude did comprehend 3 degrees of the Equinoctiall line and so I found the degrées towards the Pole to waxe greater and greater by which degrees I perceiued their meaning was to haue the longitude of their paralels to be measured not by the degrées of the Equinoctiall And by y e meanes their paralels should haue ech one as nigh as might be his due longitude proporcionally euen as they haue in the globe Moreouer the shape quantities and distances of such Countries as haue beene found out of late daies must néeds bee more perfectly set forth in these Mappes then in those y t haue bene made hertofore because the true longitudes latitudes of those places were not so wel known then as they are now Albeit I feare mee that of many places in the Indies there are as yet but fewe true longitudes known For it is not so easie a thing to get the true longitude of euery place as the true latitude thereof And had not the late makers of Maps bene greatly holpen by the Maps and Cards of such learned Pilots as haue traueiled those Countries I doubt not but that they should haue committed as great errours as those that wrote before them And of one thing I doe assure my selfe that in these latter Mappes more places are described then euer were knowen or discouered as for example the North-parts of Groyneland Crockland America all which they make Islands and yet neuer sayled about them and specially on the North side as it may wel be gathered by the vaine attempting of diuers Nations to finde out newe waies in the North seas to the Molucas both by East and West For being a little entred into those seas they are quickly driuen backe either by extreame colde by great Yses or by the raging floods bred of snowe and falling from the mountaines of the next continent and making in some places such Whirlepooles in the Sea as if any Shippe chance to come nigh them it is soone swallowed vpppe Neither doe I thinke that King Arthur in hys time euer sent as it is reported any of his people to inhabite those Islands beeing places in mine opinion more méete for Whales and monstruous fishes to dwel in then for men and specially for English men which are not able to suffer the cold winter at Wardhouse to which place some of our Mariners do saile in Sommer season euerie yeare And yet Wardhouse hath skant in latitude 71 degrées much lesse then are they able to winter in those places that haue 77 degrees of latitude as the North side of Groynland and Crockland hath Moreouer the North side of the promontorye Tabin hath 76 degrées of latitude which place whatsoeuer Plinie saith therof in his fourth booke of Histories yet I beleeue that no Roman came euer there to describe y e Promontory Neither doe I beléeue that the Fryer of Oxford by vertue of his Art Magicke euer came so nigh the Pole to measure with his Astrolabe those colde parts togither with the foure floods which Mercator Barnardus do describe both in the front and also in the nether end of their Maps vnlesse hee had some colde deuil out of the middle Region of the aire to be his guide And therfore I take them in mine opiniō to be méer fables Truly if any men should discouer those parts me thinketh that the people of Finmarke of Wardhouse or such like people bordering vpon the North seas should best doo it hauing bodies vsed to extreame colde But then being bred in so grosse an aire their wits perhaps are too grosse for such a purpose I remember that William Boorne in his booke called the Regiment of the
their vse and also the vse of Ptholomey his Tables THis woord Mappa in latin signifieth a Table cloth of lynnen to couer a board of the shape and likenes whereof vniuersall tables contayning the description of the earth are commonly called Mappes And first you haue to vnderstande that euery such Mappe is chiefly traced with ij sortes of lynes or circles that is Meridians and paralels The Meridians are either right or circular lynes passing through both the Poles of the worlde and are imagined to be drawen right vp and downe from the head to the foote of the Mappe and are called Meridians of this Latin woord meridies which is as much to say as midday or noonetyde Because that when the Sunne commeth to touch any of those lynes it is mydday to those that dwel right vnder the same Againe Paralells are either right or circular lynes imagined to be equally distant one from another which doe crosse the foresaid Meridians with right angles Now in the verie midst of the Map is most commonly drawne from head to foote a ryght lyne which signifieth not onely the first Meridian but also the Axle tree of the world the vpper ende of which lyne is called the poole Artique that is to say the North Pole and the neather end the Pole Antartique that is the South Poole and this lyne is crossed in the verie midst betwixt the ij Pooles with another great circle or right lyne called the Equinoctiall because that when the Sunne commeth to touch this lyne or circle the day and nyght is equall throughout the world The one halfe of which lyne toward the right hand sheweth the east part and thother half towards the left hand sheweth the west part of the world so as these ij lynes the first Meridian and the Equinoctiall do point out the iiij quarters of the world North South East and West from whence the foure principall wyndes do blowe betwixt which wyndes are set downe in most Mappes together with their Latin or Italian names in the outermost skirt or border thereof viij other wyndes so as in all there be xij wyndes whereby the auncient Greekes and Romanes were wont to saile The names whereof both Greeke Latin and English are heretofore set downe in the latter end of our Sphere But now to returne to our first two lynes that is the first Meridian and the Equinoctiall you haue to note that both these lynes or circles are deuided each of them into 360. degrees so as euery quarter of them contayneth 90. degrees And in the Equinoctiall are set downe the degrées of longitude which is the length of the worlde round about from West to East and againe from East by West home againe The first degrée whereof beginneth whereas the first aforesaid Meridian crosseth the Equinoctiall in the verie middest of the Mappe and so procéedeth Eastward vnto the number of 90 degrées which is as farre as you can goe Eastward sith from thence by reason of the roundnesse of the Earth you must néedes turne backe againe by the backe side of the Sphere or ball Westward vntill you come to the 270 degrée which is the farther point westward you can goe from whence you must returne Eastward vntill you come to the 360 degrée which is the last degrée of longitude and endeth where the first degrée beginneth Moreouer in the said first Meridian or in some other Meridian hard by it are set downe the degrées of latitude that is to say the breadth of the worlde both Northerne and Southerne for from the Equinoctiall to the North Pole are contained in the foresaide Meridian 90. degrées and that is called the North latitude and from the Equinoctial to the South Pole are contained in y e said Meridian other 90 degrées which is called the South latitude and in most Mappes the Equinoctiall line is deuided and crossed with 18 Meridians on each side of the first Meridian deuiding the Equinoctiall into 36 seuerall spaces or distances euery space conteining 10 degrées and euerie degree containeth 60 Italian myles of length Moreouer betwixt the Equinoctiall and each of the Poles are drawen certaine Circles or lines called as I said before Paralels of which most commonly 4 are painted with red inke signifying the 4 lesser Circles before described in our Sphere whereof the highest towards the North Pole is called the Circle Artique béeing distant from the Pole 23 degrées and a halfe and the lowest towards the South Pole is called the Circle Antartique béeing also distant from the Pole 23 degrées and a halfe Now as touching the other two red Circles the one lying betwixt the Circle Artique and the Equinoctiall is called the Tropique of Cancer and the other lying betwixt the Equinoctiall and the Circle Antartique is called the Tropique of Capricorne and each of these two Tropiques is distant from the Equinoctiall 23 degrees and a halfe which is the greatest declination of the Sunne for betwixt these ij Tropiques the Sunne continuallie maketh his course and returne as this word Tropique signifyeth mounting neuer higher then the Tropique of Cancer nor discending lower then the Tropique of Capricorne for which cause some doe set downe in their Maps betwixt the sayde two Tropiques an ouerthwart line signifying the ecliptique line vnder which the Sun continually walketh Now by helpe of the foresaide 4 circles the earth is deuided into 5 zones that is one whotte 2 temperate and 2 cold The whotte is contained betwixt the 2 Tropiques in the midst of which whotte zone is the Equinoctiall line and of the 2 temperate zones the one lieth betwixt the Tropique of Cancer and the circle Artique and the other betwixt the Tropique of Capricorne and the circle Antartique Againe of the 2 colde zones the one lyeth betwixt the North Pole and the circle Artique and the other betwixt the South Pole and the circle Antartique Nowe besides these foure speciall Paralels there bee diuers other Paralels drawne on each side of the Equinoctiall both Northward and Southward which crossing in certaine points the first Meridian marked with degrees do shew the true latitude of euery place and vnder what Clime or Paralell it is and also how many howers the longest day of any place vnder euery Paralell is beginning to accompte the same eyther from the Equinoctiall vpward towardes the North Pole alongst the first Meridian marked with degrees of Northerne latitudes or els from the sayde Equinoctiall downe-warde towardes the South Pole marked with degrees of Southerne latitude Notwithstanding they vse most commonlye to set downe the number and iust distaunces of the Clymes Paralels and howers in the North latitude onely willing the like numbers of Clymes Paralels and howers to bee accompted in the South latitude euen as they are in the North latitude and with like distances And note that in procéeding towardes the Pole from the Paralell whereas the longest day is 24. howers they accompte the Paralell of the longest daye no longer by howers but by
monethes that is to saye from one moneth to six monethes whereof wee haue spoken before in our sphere The numbers of the aforesayd Clymes Paralels and howers you shall finde set foorth in Vopellius Mappe alongest the first Meridian on the left hand But hee setteth downe the numbers of the longest daies encreasing by monethes in the vttermost border of hys Mappe on the right hand betwixt the North Pole and the circle Artique And in that border hee setteth downe the number of leagues and miles answerable to euery Paralell whereas also hee sheweth the three differences of Inhabitants according to their shadows that is to say the Periscij Heteroscij and Amphiscij Periscij are those that dwell in anie of the two colde zones whose shadowe goeth round about them Heteroscij be those that dwell in anie of the two temperate zones whose shadowe tendeth at noone-tide but one waie that is either North or South Amphiscij bee those that inhabite the whotte zone whose shadowe tendeth both waies that is sometime North and sometime South as is before declared at large in our sphere But in the Mappe of Gemma Frizius you shall find all these thinges set foorth on the left hand of his Mappe amongest the vttermost circles whereas vpon the circle Artique hee setteth downe the twelue signes hauing certaine compassed lines running downe to the Equinoctiall meeting and concurring all in one point at the end whereof vpon the Equinoctiall you shall finde the number of howers at which the sunne riseth in euery degree of latitude Also at the nether ende of hys Mappe on the left hand he placeth a halfe quadrant which hee calleth Directorium nauticum whereof wee shall speake heereafter And because he would haue hys Mappe to serue both sea and land he setteth downe a certaine number of mariners compasses deuided with 32 lines signifiyng y e 32. windes which doe shew howe euery place beareth one from the other and by what winde a Shippe is to bee directed from one part to another which thing is also obserued in Mercators Mappe and others that haue written more lately and yet nothing seruiceable for the Sea because as M Borowgh Controller of her Maiesties Nauy a man most skilful in the Art of sailing saith no consideration is had in the said Maps or Cards touching y e variation of the Compasse without the which they can neuer set downe any true or iust direction Now as touching the diuision and order of the partes of the Earth most commonlie described in vniuersall Mappes you shall vnderstand that the ancient Cosmographers not knowing then the West Indies nor manie other places scituated both Northward and Southward which haue bene since discouered deuided the whole Earth onely into thrée partes that is Europe Aphrike and Asia in the description whereof their Mappes neuer extended in latitude Northwards further then to 63 degrées as I haue said before in my Sphere and Southward no further then to 20 degrées of the Northerne latitude or there about but in longitude from West to East beginning the same at the Ilandes called Insulae Canariae or Fortunatae which are scituated at the West end of Aphrike in the Sea called Mare Atlanticum their descriptions doe extend to 180 degrées But because a whole worlde almost hath bene founde out since those times our moderne Cosmographers doe deuide the whole Earth into 4 partes that is Europe Aphrike Asia and America which we nowe call the West Indies And because men of diuers Nations haue sayled round about the world East and West their late descriptions doe extend in longitude the whole content of the Equinoctiall which is 360 degrées and in latitude Northwards the same descriptions doe extende to 80 degrées and Southwards to 66 ½ as you may sée in the vniuersall Mappes lately set foorth by Mercator and by Barnardus Puteanus and others But the ancient and moderne doe greatly differ in the diuision of the partes of latitude as well Northerne as Southerne and also in longitude for whereas the ancient Cosmographers doe deuide each latitude into 90. degrées by certaine Paralels making 9. equall spaces euery space containing 10. equall degrees in the latter Mappes last mencioned you shall finde those spaces and the degrées thereof altogether vnequall the first 3 spaces next the Equinoctiall onely excepted for those differ not aboue one halfe degree at the most but from thence Northward euery space is greater then other and euery degree in euery such space is greater then other insomuch as the fourth space containeth 11 degrées and a halfe of those degrees which are set downe in the first space and the fift space conteineth of such degrees 13 degrées ¾ the 6 space containeth of the said degrées 16 degrées ¼ y e 7 containeth of the same degrées 20 degrees ½ so as the space is is twise so broade as the first space and one halfe degree more the eight space conteineth of the said first degrees 36 further then which 8 spaces containing 80 degrees of latitude their Mappes extend not Northward and they obserue the like proportion in the Southerne latitude sauing that they extende no farther Southward then to 66 degrees and a halfe Againe they differ in longitude thus for the moderne Cosmographers doe make the first Meridian to passe through the Isles called Azores which doe stande 5 degrees more Westward then the Fortunate Islands do through which Fortunate Islandes Ptolomey and his followers doe appoint the first Meridian to passe The cause of which transposing the saide first Meridian is because that the mariners Compasse doth neuer shewe the right North and South in any other place but onely vnder that Meridian Yea M. Borowgh thinketh that it would shewe it more truely if the saide Meridian were placed somewhat more Westward But in those Cardes and mappes that are made according to the rules of Ptolomey the spaces of Paralels containing the 90. degrées of latitude both Northwarde and Southward are equall and all the degrées of euery such space are also equall And yet the spaces of Paralels that shew the longest day in any place are towards the Pole euery one more narrowe then other for as I haue sayd before in my sphere there are 3 kinds of paralels that is Paralels of the Sunne Paralels of the latitude Paralels of the longest day The causes why in these latter Maps the degrées of latitude are made greater and greater towards the Poles are set downe by Barnardus in his vniuersall Mappe who sayth there that in making the said Mappe he had 3. speciall cares First that the places might be so scituated as they may haue both true direction and distance and also due longitude and latitude and as nigh as may bee the same very shape which they haue in the sphere or globe to which end hee hath inuented a new proportion or habitude of the Meridians to the paralels affirming that the Maps before made are not fit for Nauigation by reason of the crookednes