read that euery one of his mouthes whereby it emptieth it selfe into the sea are so wide and great that it is affirmed to ouercome the sea for forty miles in length together and that so farre the waters may be perceiued to be sweet amid the brackish surges of the salt sea Polybius in his fourth booke to these adioineth that by the violent and swift fall of the waters of this riuer into Pontus Mar maiore there are certaine knols hils or shelfs which the sea-men call Stethe that is breast bones made of the gathering together of such things as the riuer bringeth downe with it and are more than a day saile off from land vpon which oft times the seamen falling by negligence are in great danger of shipwracke Strabo also maketh mention of the same They which desire to know more of this riuer his name nature quality fountaine mouthes and streames which do runne into it let him read the commentaries of William Stuckius written vpon Arrianus Periplus of the Euxine sea for there he hath most plentifully and learnedly descr bed all these things Of the Thracians Moesians Getes Dakes and other countries nations and people of this mappe read the seuenth booke of Straboes Geography and the Epitome of the same PONTVS EVXINVS now called MAR MAIORE THe sea which heere we purpose to describe famoused of ancient writers by meanes of the Argonantes and fabulous story of the golden fleece was called as we find recorded by diuers and sundrie names first it was called PONTVS by the figure Synecdoche then PONTVS AXENVS that is inhospitale the harbourlesse sea but afterward it was named PONTVS EVXINVS hospitale mare the good harborough as Pliny Ouid and others do witnesse Strabo Tacitus Plutarch Ptolemey and Iornandes do call it PONTICVM mare the Ponticke sea without any addition at all Lucretius nameth it PONTI mare the sea of Pontus of the country Pontus abuttant vpon it For the same reason it is of Valerius Flaccus Ouid and Martianus named SARMATICVM and SCYTHICVM mare the Sarmatian and Scythian sea of Claudian AMAZONIVM of Herodotus and Orosius CIMMERIVM of Festus Auienus TAVRICVM of the Sarmatians Scythians Amazones Cimmerians and Tauri certaine Nations dwelling vpon the coast of this sea Of the prouince Colchis neighbour vnto it vpon the East Strabo nameth it COLCHICVM mare of the mountaine Caucasus which heere beginneth Apollonius intituleth it CAVCASEVM of the riuer Phasis which vnloadeth it selfe into this sea or towne of that name situate vpon that riuer Aristides calleth it PHASIANVM mare Procopius saith that it was sometime named Tanais vnfitly and falsly as I thinke Almost all ancient writers haue likened this sea or more truly this bay or gulfe vnto a Scythian bow when it is bent so that the string doth represent the South part of it namely from the streights of Constantinople vnto the further end of it Eastward toward the riuer Phasis for excepting only the promontory Carambis Cabo Pisello all the rest of this shore hath such small capes and creekes that it is not much vnlike to a right line The other side or North part doth resemble an horne that hath two crooked ends the vpper end more round the lower more straight which proportion this our mappe doth very precisely expresse This sea also hath two promontories one in the South then called Promontorium Carambis now Cabo Pisello the other in the North Ptolemey nameth it Criou metopon Arietis frons the rammes head Paulus Diaconus calleth it Acroma and now it is knowen by the name Famar These two capes are opposite one against the other and are distant one from another about 2500. furlongs as Ammianus and Eustathius do testifie which although they do make 312. Italian miles yet they are distant only 170. miles as Pliny saith or as Strabo reporteth so much as a ship will saile in three daies notwithstanding to those which do saile either from the East to West or from West to East they seeme to be so neere one to the other that one would thinke that there were the end of the sea and that Pontus Euxinus were two seas but when you shall come in the middest between these two capes then the other part appeareth as it were a second or another sea The compasse of it round about by the shore Strabo maketh to be 25000. furlongs Polybius but 22000. and yet from this Ammianus taketh 2000. and that by the authority of Eratosthenes Hecataeus and Ptolemey as there he affirmeth Herodotus an eie-witnesse of the same writeth that he measured the length of it and found it to be 11100. furlongs and likewise he found the breadth of it where it was furthest ouer to be 320. furlongs This measure Strabo and Pliny in the twelfth chapter of his fourth booke do more distinctly partly out of their owne and partly out of other mens opinions set downe Strabo writeth that about 40. riuers do vnloade themselues into it Yet this our mappe doth shew many more Antiquity doth hold that this sea of all our seas was by farre the greatest heere hence I suppose that the Italians haue giuen it that name of Mar maiore the Great sea and that heere as there at Caliz without the straits of Gibraltar was the end of the World and that it was innauigable both for the huge greatnesse of it as also by reason of the barbarous nations which daily did annoy the shore and vse all maner of cruelty and inhumanity toward strangers and aliens From hence arose those epithites and adiuncts giuen by the ancient poets to this sea of Pontus vast and rough Virgil and Catullus call it Ouid infinite and terrible Lucane a deuouring and dangerous sea Silius raging Statius an vncertaine and swelling sea Valerius Flaccus perilous Manilius horrible spitefull and furious Seneca mad and churlish Festus Auienus raucisonum making a hoarse ill fauoured noise Thus farre of the Names Forme and bignesse of this sea of the Situation and Nature of the same although Herodotus Pomponius Strabo Pliny Ouid and Macrobius that I may say nothing of others haue spoken much yet in mine opinion no man hath done it more exactly and diligently than Ammianus in his 22. booke whom he that listeth may adioine to this our discourse and if he be not satisfied with these he may to them adde a whole booke written by Arrianus of this sea together with the large commentaries of Struckius vpon the same As for vs we will content our selues in this place with a few peculiar obseruations of this sea gleaned heere and there out of the ancient monuments of learned writers of former ages It is sweet or at leastwise more sweet than other seas moreouer the waters of it are more light than others and do neuer ebbe and flow but alwaies keep one and the same stint of running one way as Lucrece Macrobius Pliny and Ouid do witnesse Which I take to be the cause that sometime it hath all been frozen
Manutius doth highly commend it both for learning and chiualrie Whether this be that Quintianum of which Optatus after speaketh I leaue to the learned to determine The riuer Mela or Mella of which Virgil maketh mention doth runne through the middest of this shire as also Catullus in this verse affirmeth Brixia Cygnaea positus in specula Flauus quam molli percurrit flumine Mella Old Brixia plac'd amidde the brookes as gardian of the Swans The riuer Mella kindly greet'th and watereth all his lands This riuer retaineth the name of Mella vnto this day Notwithstanding it runneth not by it now as you may see although not farre off from thence it passeth through his liberties The little riuer which runneth along by the city is now called Garza but I thinke that in old time it was also called Mella And I thinke I may truly affirme that the riuer Mella when it approacheth neere vnto the city spreadeth it selfe into two channells both of them retaining the same name do make a riuer-iland like as Nilus maketh Heracleopolites and then againe falling into one streame still keepe the name of Mella and hauing so heauily laden runne for many miles together at length it vnladeth it selfe into the riuer Ollio But before I finish the discourse of this Mappe I haue thought good to say somewhat of the Lakes of the same The lake Benacus called of the poet Catullus Lydius Capriolus thinketh to haue been so named of the city Benaco sometime seated vpon his brinke a mention of which to this day remaineth still in a village called Toscolano which thou seest vpon his west side standing vpon a brooke of the same name A memoriall of this city is preserued in an auncient monument whose inscription Manutius setteth downe in his Orthographie This lake is now called Garda of the castle Garda placed opposite vnto Benaco vpon his east banke This lake as Alexius Vgonius writeth in a letter of his to Cardinall Poole aboundeth with store of fish which for goodnesse do far surpasse all others It is enclosed on euery side with most pleasant hilles into it from all quarters the cleare fountaines flow Goodly meddowes vines oliues beeches laurell and cedars besides townes furnished with all maner of necessarie prouision like a crowne beset it round on euery side so that nothing at all of those things may further be desired which may make a champion country either beautifull to the eie or commendable for profit and commodities c. While I was writing of this there came into my mind what speech I once had of this lake with that most learned good man Benedictus Arias Montanus for we both had seene the same although not at the same time in which we both did protest either to other that we neuer in all our liues had seene a place either more pleasant for situation or more delightsome to the eie so that it was no maruell that Catullus did so highly commend in his Epigrammes that his Sirmion and the waters of this lake The other lake in this Cart is Sebinus or Seuinnus for Plinie vseth both made by the riuer Ollio This now they call Iseo of a town of the same name situate vpon his banke There is also another lake which they call Idro by what name it was called of the auncients or whether by any I doe not certainly know I know that a certaine learned man doth hold it to be Brigantinus Lacus whereof Plinie speaketh but why I am not of his opinion I haue shewed reasons in my Geographicall treasure Bresciano BRIXIANI AGRI TYPVS Brixia Cygnaea supposita in specula Cum priuilegio Imperiali Regio et Belgico 1590. Milliaria Italica decem The Dukedome of PIEMONT THat prouince which was formerly called Taurinorum regio is now termed Piemont or Pedemont for that it is seated at the bottome of the Alpes which do diuide France and Sauoy from Italie and so is as one would say The prouince at the foot of the hilles The bounds of this country are thus on the East the riuer Po on the South the Alpes of Liguria vpon the West the Alpes of France on the North Riuiera di Duria It hath many goodly fields full of pleasant and fruitfull hilles which yeeld corne and other sorts of graine excellent wines and fruite great store It is well replenished with Cities Townes and Villages Vnder the gouernment of the Lombardes it was called The Dukedome of Taurine so named of the city Taurin By them it was first reduced into the forme of a prouince vnder the iurisdiction of a Duke The gouernment of the Lombardes being come vnto a period it was made subiect to the Kings of Italie who were alwaies chosen by the Emperours after that it was gouerned by diuers Petie Kings and long since in later ages it was accounted as part of the iurisdiction of the Princes Earles and Dukes of Sauoy vntill the yeare 1536. when as Francis the first King of France tooke a great part of it and now it is againe restored to the Duke of Sauoy The chiefe city of this Prouince is Turin seated at the mouth of the riuer Dorra where it falleth into Po. This citie Ptolemey Plinie and Tacitus call Augusta Taurinorum That this citie in old time was a very famous citie it may easily appeare in that it was a colonie of the Romanes It lieth at the foot of the mountaines it is foure square and hath foure goodly gates It is very famous for the rich Isle and state of the citizens and is adorned with many goodly buildings amongst the which the Cathedrall Church is most beautifull It hath an Vniuersitie of all maner of goodly learning and is very well serued with all sorts of prouision of victuall The countrie is of a very good and fertile soile especially toward the East and South hauing Vallies most rich for veines of Iron Paulus Diaconus affirmeth that Taurin was the seat of the Lombardes vnto whom it was subiect vntill Desiderius their king was ouercome and taken by Charles the Great and then it was brought vnder the subiection of the Kings of Italie Emperours Countes Montferrate and Marchions and Dukes of Sauoy to whom at this time it is obedient Neere the head of the riuer Po toward Ripell or C. de Reuell and Paisana are quarries of most excellent Marble Vpon the North side of the fountaine of the riuer Po beginneth a certaine pleasant valley called the Vale of Po or as the inhabitants terme it the Vale of Luserna of the towne Luserna which standeth in it It runneth out in length thirtie miles and is not aboue foure miles broad In the entrance of his Eastend is Mambrinum in the end toward the West is a very high stone crosse The people of this place are commonly called The Christians but in some maners and customes which they vse they scarse follow the strickt rules of Christianity nay they do obserue most vngodly and wicked rites and ceremonies amongst which
and engins both for offence and defence against the assault of Pirates The village is inhabited almost of none els but Cooks Ostlers Shoemakers and such like fellowes which attend heere ready to do any businesse for such as resort hither almost all the yeare long in great numbers for deuotion and to prouide and serue them with such things as they want Heere is also the town and castle called Fabriano whose inhabitants do almost altogether liue by making of Paper which thereof is called Charta Fabriana There are also many other goodly towns in this prouince which are excellently described in Leander Franciscus Pamphilus hath also written in verse a description of this Shire The Mount Apennine in this place hangeth ouer this country with craggy topps exceeding high in which is that huge caue that they call Sibyllas caue in their language Grotta de la Sibylla and which the poets faine to be the Elysian fields For the common people do dreame of one Sibylla to be in this caue which heere possesseth a large kingdome full of gorgeous buildings and Princely palaces beset with pleasant gardens abounding with many fine wanton wenches and all maner of pleasures and delights all which she will bestow vpon them which through this caue which is alwaies open will go vnto her and after they haue been there the space of one whole yeare they haue free liberty giuen them by Sibylla if they please to depart and from that time being returned vnto vs they affirme that they liue for the rest of their time a most blessed and happy life This caue is knowne also to our countrie-men by the name of Vrow Venus bergh that is The Lady Venus mount Whereupon they vulgarly sing certaine Dutch rimes of one little Daniel for so the ballad calleth him who after that he had liued a whole yeare in this caue at last it repented him of this kind of life therefore heere he leauing his Loue departeth goeth to Rome commeth to the Pope confesseth his sinne and desireth to be absolued The Pope not deeming the sinne to be veniall the staffe which by chance he had in his hand withered and drie sticking it into the ground said that his sinnes should then be pardoned when this staffe shall beare Roses Daniel by this answeare despairing of his saluation went away very heauy and discontent and presently taking two of his nephewes his sisters sonnes with him returneth againe vnto his Paramour Within three daies after the staffe was obserued to put forth blossomes Daniel was sought for vp and down but could no where be found For they do beleeue that he spent the rest of his life in this caue But the story of this ballade is a worthy matter for a poeticall head and to be deemed as true as the rest of their fictions CORSICA CORSICA an Iland of the Mid-land sea was anciently inhabited of diuers nations At this day it is diuided into two parts The East part they call Banda di dentro The inner side the West part opposite to this Banda di fuori The outter side That end which is next to Italie Di qua da i Monti On this side the mountaines That next to Sardinia Di la da i Monti beyond the Mountaines Yet the people of what part soeuer in respect of the situation of the mountaines do call one another Tramontanesse but himselfe Cismontanum The iland is very hard to be entered or come vnto as being on all sides enclosed with steepe and high hilles The inner part is almost wholly mountainous and therefore is no very good corne ground yet is it highly commended for rich wine being transported to Rome of the place is called Vinum Corsicum It breedeth Horses of great stomacke and Hounds of extraordinary bignesse Heere iâ— as Plinie affirmeth the beast Musino a kind of ramme which in the steed of wooll beareth an hairie shagge like the goate now they call it Mofoli Strabo speaketh of this beast in Sardinia as if it were proper to that iland The Italians do account the inhabitants of this I le for valiant and stout souldiers Ancient writers haue affirmed that heere is found a kind of bitter Hony The Tyrrheni first possessed this Iland and afterward the Carthaginians from these the Romanes tooke it who held it vntill such time as the Saracens draue them out these the Genowaies at length expelled Then being taken by the citizens of Pisa it became subiect to the Bishops Lastly it was brought againe vnder the obedience of the Genowaies to whom at this day it doth belong Leander Alhertus hath so exactly described this Iland out of the Commentaries of Augustine Iustinian that a man may not easily find what moreouer may be added or desired SENENSIS DITIONIS ACCVRATA DESCRIP Cum Priuilegio CORSICA MARCHA ANCONAE OLIM PICENVM 1572. APRVTIVM now called ABRVZZO IN the kingdome of Naples there is a prouince which they call Abruzzo the Latines anciently named it Aprutium why it was so called as it is vncertaine so that it tooke not his name of the Brutij as some haue been of opinion I make no question Some there are which thinke it so named ab Apris of Bores for that the country being foresty and full of woods it swarmeth with wild hogges other some do deriue it ab asperitate montis Apenini from the cragginesse of the mount Apeninus which heere in this tract is very hideous steep and high The greater and better sort of writers do beleeue that in it some part of the ancient name of Praetutiana doth as yet remaine For Volaterranus Blondus Domi. Niger Leander and Scipio Mazella do perswade themselues that the Samnites and amongst them the Praetutiani the Peligni Marucini Ferentini Vestini Marsi Caraceni and Albenses haue formerly inhabited these places It is bounded at this day on the North side by the Hadriaticke sea on the West by the riuer Tronto anciently called Truentum on the East by Fortoro in old time named Frento vpon the South it hath the mount Apenine although in some places it stretcheth it selfe beyond the same This prouince Alphonsus the stout king of Arragon diuided into two parts Abruzzo the neather and Abruzzo the higher Abruzzo the higher which we haue described apart by it selfe is seuered from the Neather by the riuer Pescara which old writers called Aternus Scipio Mazella in his curious description of the kingdome of Naples affirmeth that this country is by situation and nature of the place very strong and inhabited by a stout and sturdy nation and the soile is very fertile of wines and cattell The chiefe cities of it are Aquila Interamna or Teramo Amatrice Atri Pinne and long since heere haue stoode Amiterno and Furconio both now defaced yet of their ruines and ashes is raised Aquila some fiue miles off built vpon the toppe of an hill as Volateran and others haue written This city is seated in a place most fertile of all maner of things necessary so
the maine land was a monastery erected by S Columba where diuers of the kings of Scotland haue been buried beside the bishops sea in the village Sodore in whose diocesses all the rest were and therefore were of it called Insulae Sodorenses All the other beside Hirth are of small account as being nothing but rocks stones and craggie knols in which you shall scarce all the yere long finde a greene turffe The people in maners behauiour apparell and language do much resemble the Irish as those in the Orkney doe the Goths and Norweyans More of these see in Solinus and M. Camdens Britannia to whom we are beholding for this The I LE of MAN which Pliny calleth Monabia Orosius and Bede Menauia Gildas Eubonia the Welch Menaw they themselues Maning Caesar Mona and Ptolemey Monoëda that is as who say Mon-eitha Mon the father for a distinction from Anglesey which is also called Mon is midway between England and Ireland as Caesar in his fifth booke of the warres of France and Gyraldus Cambrensis report yet the people are more like in language and maners vnto the Irish men It is in length from South to North about 30. miles in breadth in some places it is 15. in other places where it is narrowest not aboue 7 or 8 miles ouer In Bedaes time it had but 300. families or housholds now it conteineth 17. parishes very populous and well inhabited It beareth great plenty of Hempe and Flax. The soile is reasonably fertile either for Corne or Grasse and therefore it yeerely yeeldeth both great plenty of Barly Wheat and Rie but especially of Oats whereof they for the most part make their bread maintaineth great store of cattel and many flocks of sheepe but that aswell the one as the other are lesse than they be in England They burne Seacole insteed of wood of which they haue none or very little Vpon the South coast lieth a small ile which they call The calfe of Man where there is such wonderfull plenty of sea fowles which they call Puffins and of those geese which we call Bernacles Clakes or Soland geese as none which haue not seene them will easily beleeue Thus farre of Mona described by Caesar the other Mona which Tacitus and Dion do speake of now followeth That which we now call ANGLESEY that is The English I le Tacitus and Dion as I said called Mona the Welchmen Mon Tir-mon Inis Dowyl that is The darke ile the Saxons Monege a very goodly and fruitfull iland the ancient seat of the Druides was brought in subiection vnder the Romane Empire by Paullinus Suetonius and Iulius Agricola about 46. yeeres after the birth of Christ It is very neere the coast of Britaine as Dion saith yea so neere that from the main by swimming ouer the flattes and shallow places Iulius Agricola as Tacitus witnesseth conueied in thither both horsemen and footmen to suppresse certaine rebels that held it against the Romans But of this iland there is in this our Theater a whole discourse written by Humfrey Lloyd a learned gentleman painfull student in the British stories Vpon the coast of Wales also lieth BERDSEY that is The birds Ile called of the Britans Enhly of Ptolemey Edry of Pliny Andros or Adros a plaine and champion country toward the West but in the East very hillie and mountainous Then GRESHOLME and STOCHOLME excellent pastorage passing pleasant by reason of the sweet smell of the wild Tyme which heere groweth euery where in great abundance Next to these is SCALMEY as fertile as any called of Pliny Silimnus of Ptolemey Limi and in the catalogue of Martyrs Lemeneia Insula In the mouth of Seuern lie the Holmes or as the Welchmen call them the Echni FLATHOLME and STEEPHOLME Reoric in Welch Item BARREY SILEY CALDEY and LONDEY small Ilands but very fertile Thirty or forty miles off West from the Cape of Cornewall which the seamen commonly call The lands end lie the SORLINGS or the SYLLY called by Sulpitius Seuerus Sillinae of Antonine Sigdeles of Solinus Silurae or Silurum Insulae the Grecians of their situation named them Hesperides the West iles and of their rich commoditie of Tinne Cassiteros which they yeeld Cassiterides the Stanneries but why Festus Auianus should name them Ostrimnides I know not They are in all 145. beside craggie rockes which are innumerable There are 10. of them which also Eustathius doth testifie S. Mary Annoth Agnes Sampson Silly Brefer Rusco or Triscraw S. Hellen S. Martine and Arthur with Minanwitham and Minuisisand greater and more famous then the rest for their rich veines of Tinne from whence as Pliny saith Medacritus first brought Lead or Tinne into Greece Many of them are good corne ground all of them infinite store of Conies Cranes Swannes Herons and other Sea-fowle These are those ilands as Solinus writeth which a tempestuous frith of two or three houres saile ouer doth part from the outmost end of Cornwall Danmoniorum ora whose inhabitants doe still obserue the ancient customes they keepe no faires or markets they care not for mony they giue and receiue such as one another haue neede of they rather regard more to get necessary things for exchange than those of high price and great valew they are very deuout in their religious seruices to their Gods and both women and men in like manner do hold themselues to be very skilfull in foretelling of things to come Vpon the coast of France ouer against Normandy are GERSEY Caesarea Antoninus calleth it a fertile soile good corne ground and reasonable pastorage it hath 12. parishes wel inhabited and very populous Item GARNSEY SERKE ALDERNEY ARME the QVASQVETS and others which although the ancients did neuer reckon amongst the number of the Brittish iles yet we know that they are now subiect to the crowne of England and euer haue beene since the yere of our Lord 1108. at what time they were by Henry the first annexed to this kingdome They are all in the diocesse and iurisdiction of the Bishop of Winchester Close to the shore of England is the I le of WIGHT Ptolemey calleth it Wictesis Pliny Suetonius Vectis the Panegyricus Eutropius Vecta Diodorus Icta all deriued from the Brittish word Guith which signifieth a deuision or separation for that it was once ioined as then they vulgarly held vnto the maine land like as Sicilia was to Italy It is 20. miles long 12. miles broad Vespasian first brought it vnder the obedience of the Romans in the raigne of the emperor Claudius as Suetonius writeth in the fourth chapter of his Vespasianus yet Eutropius affirmeth it to be done by Maximianus the emperor It is by the sea which entreth vp high within the land diuided into two prouinces Fresh-water ile and Binbridge I le In Bedaes time it conteined but 1200. families now it hath 36. parishes villages castles which do belong all to Hantshire and are of the diocesse Winchester The soile is