give him so long a life as to see it in his own dayes remedied wherein he got a greater victory over that stubborn people than ever did any forein Prince or any of his Predecessors could doe before him an act indeed truly royall and worthy himself Another custom they had of that nature that the like was hardly ever heard of amongst the Heathen and much less in Christendom which took beginning as the Scoâ—ish Historians affirm in the reign of Ewen the 3d who is the fifteenth King in the Catalogue after the first Fergus This Ewen being a Prince much addicted or wholly rather given over unto lasciviousness made a Law that himself and his successors should have the maidâ—nhead or first nights loâ—ging with every woman whose husband held land immediately from the Crown and the Lords and Gentlemen of all those whose husbands were their tenants or homagers This was it seems the Knights service which men held their states by and continued till the dayes of Mâ—lcâ—lm Comnor who at the request of his wife Margaret she was the sister of Edgar Aâ—heling abolished this Law and ordained that the tenants by way of commutation should pay unto their Lords a mark in money which tribute the Historians say is still in force It was called Marchetâ— mulieris but whether from Mark a horse in the old Galliqne implying the obscene signification of â—quitare as Mr. Selden thinks or from Marca the summe of money by which it was afterward redeemed I cannot determine Certain I am that this last custom was of such a barbarous and brutish nature that the custom of the Indians in giving to the Bramines the first nights lodging with their Brides and that of many Savage unconverted Nations in prostituting their Wives and Daughters to the Lusts and pleasure of their Guests have not more unchristianity in them than this of those Scotish Christians if I may so call them These Customs shew the antient Scots to be rude and barbarous partaking little of the civilitie of the Neighbouring Nations nor are they so broken of the former but that they are observed by a modern Writer to be still greedy of revenge where they find means to take it as also to be a subtile and politick people inclined to Factions and Seditions amongst themselves which he that reads their Stories cannot choose but see A people as King Iames observeth in his Bafilâ—con Doron ever weary of the present state and desirous of novelties accustomed to judge and speak rashly of their Kings and Princes towards whom they have alwayes caried themselves with such untractableness that more Kings have been betrayed murdered and deposed by the Scots than by all the Nations in the World But take them in themselves without these relations and they are said to be an industrious people capable of all Sciences which they give their minds to and generally well versed in Grammâ—ticall Learning of which most of their Gentry have a smattering And of most note in point of Learning have been 1 Marianus surnamed Scotus and 2 Hector Boctius the Historians 3 Iohn Major a well known School-man for the times before the Reformation And for the times that followed 4 George Buchanan an ingenious Poet but an unsound States-man whose Historie and Dialogue de jure Regni have wrought more mischief in the World than all Marchiavels Works Not to have been remembred here but because he was Praedagogue to 5 Xing Iames of most famous memory whose printed Works declare his large abilities in all kinds of Learning 6 Napier the Laird of Marchiston 7 8 Barclay the Father and the Sonne 9 Iohn 〈◊〉 the best Antiquary of this Nation 10 Doctor Iohn Maxwel the late learned Bishop of Ross and my very good Friend besides some others of less note The Christian Religion was here planted by divers men according to the severall Nations who did here inhabit amongst the Low-Landers or Saxon-Scots by Aâ—â—an the first Bishop of Lindiâ—farn or Holy Iland amongst the Picts inhabiting the South-Eastern parts by Ninâ—as Bishop of Candida Casa or Whit-herne in Galloway amongst the Northern-Picts Anno 555. and finally amongst the Scots by Pallâ—dius a Deacon of Rome sent to them hither for that purpose by Pope Celestine Anno 435 or thereabouts And for the Reformation of Religion over grown with the rust and rubbish of the Romish Church degenerated from it self in the later dayes it was here made by a strong hand according to judgement of Knox and others not taâ—ing counsell with the Prelates nor staying the leisure of the Prince as they did in England but turning Prince and Prelates out of all autority made by that means more naturally subject unto alterations than it had been otherwise or only to be made good by the same violence which first introduced it T is true that for a while being in danger of the French and of necessity to support themselves by the power and favour of the English they bound themselves by a solemn Subscription to adhere only to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England and to observe that form of Worship which was there established Religionis cultuâ— Ritibus cum Anglis communibus subscripserunt as is affirmed by Buchanan their own State-Historian But no sooner was that danger over but they â—ound opportunity and leisure to effect their end and have endeavoured ever since by practices and correspondencies with that party here and finally by Force of Arms to thrust their Constitution and Form of Worship on the Church of England As for the Government of the Church it was originally by Bishops as in all parts else but so as they exercised their Functions and Iurisdictions in all places equally wheresoever they came The Kingdom not being divided into Dioceses till the time of Malcolm the 3d Anno 1070 or thereabouts Nor had they any Arch-Bishops till the yeer 1478. The Arch-Bishop of York being accounted and obeyed before that time as the Metropolitan of Scotland But being once setled in an orderly constant Hierarchie they held the same untill the Reformation began by Knoxe when he and his Associats approving the Genevian plat-form took the advantage of the Minoritie of K. James the sixth to introduce Presbyterian Discipline and suppress the Bishops forbidding them by their own sole autority to intermedle any more in matters which concerned the Church cantoning the Kingdom into Presbyteries of their own assigning and that the King might not be able to oppose their doings they kept him under by strong hand imprisoned him at Sterlin made him fly from Edenburgh removed from him all his faithfull servants and seized upon his principall Fortresses and in a word so bafled and affronted him upon all occasions that he was minded many times to have left the kingdom and retire to Venice Which doubtless he had done as I have heard affirmed by some of great place and power had not the hopes of coming at the last to the Crown of
the Teeth of Fishes white as the driven Snow or the polished Ivorie and therein placed the greatest part of their pride and bravery Nor are the modern Irish much abhorrent from such barbarous customs as plainly shew from what Originall they descend altered but little by converse with more civill Nations Oâ— naturall constitution generally strong and nimble of body haughty of heart careless of their lives patient in cold and hunger implacable in enmity constant in love light of belief greedy of glory and in a word if they be bad you shall no-where find worse if they be good you shall 〈◊〉 meet with better The Diet especially of the meer Irish is for the most part on herbs roots butter mingled with oat-flower milk and beef-broth eating flesh many times without bread which they disgest with â—â—quebaugh and give their bread-corn to their horses instead of Proâ—â—nder But more particularly those of the richer sort in all parts and of all sorts those which inhabit within the Pale as they themselves call it and in such places where the English Discipline hath been entertained conformable to civility both in behaviour and apparrell The Kernes for by that name they call the wild Irish of the poorer and inferiour sort most extremely barbarous not behaving themselves like Christians scarcely like men All of them so tenacious of their antient customs that neither power nor reason nor the sense of the inconveniencies which they suffer by it can wean them to desert or change them A pregnant evidence whereof is their use oâ— Ploughing not with such geares or harness as in other places but by tying the hindmost horses head to the tayl of the former which makes the poor Jades draw in a great deal of pain makes them unserviceable by the soon losing of their tayls and withall is a course of so slow a dispatch that they cannot break up as much ground in a week as a good Teem well harnessed would perform in a day yet no perswasion hath been able to prevail upon them for the changing of this hurtfull and ridiculous custom And when the Earl of Strafford the late Lord Deputy had damned it by Act of Parliament and laid a penalty on such as should after use it the people thought it such a grievance and so injurious to the Nation that among other things demanded towards a Pacification of the present troubles their Agents and Commissioners insisted eagerly on the abrogation of this Law An humour like to this in the point of Husbandry we shall hereafter meet with in another place Neer of kin to which is a lazie custom that they have of burning their straw rather than put themselves to the pains to thresh it by that means to part it from the corn From which no reason can disswade them nor perswasions winne them They have among them other customs as absurd though less inconvenient as placing a green bush on May-day before their doores to make their kine yeeld the more milk kneeling down to the New Moon as soon as they see it desiring her to leave them in as good health as shee found them and many others of like nature They use a Language of their own but spoken also in the West of Scotland and the Hâ—brâ—des or Western Ilands which though originally British or a Dialect of it by reason of their intermixture with 〈◊〉 Danes Easterlings or Oost-mans and English-Saxons hath no Affinitie with the Wâ—lch for ought I can learn The Christian Faith was first preached among them by S. Patrick affirmed to be the Nephew of S. Maâ—tin of â—ouâ—s Anno 435. Reformed in the more civill parts and the English Colonies according to the platform of the Church of England but the Kernes or naturall wild Irish and many of the better sort of the Nation also either adhere unto the Pope or to their own superstitious fancies as in former times And to say truth it is no wonder that they should there being no care taken to instruct them in the Protestant Religion either by translating the Bible or the Engliâ—h Liturgâ—e into their own Language as was done in Wales but forcing them to come to Church to the Engliâ—h Service which the people understand no more than they do the Mass By meanâ— whereof the Irish are not onely kept in continuall ignorance as to the doctrine and devotions of the Church of England and others of the Protestant Churches but those of Rome are furnished with an excellent Argument for having the Service of the Church in a Language which the common Hearers doe not understand And therefore I doe heartily commend it to the care of the State when these distempers are composed to provide that they may have the Bible and all other publick means of Christian Instruction in their naturall tongue The Soil of it self is abundantly fruitfull but naturally fitter for grass and pasturage than it is for tillage as may be seen in such places where the industrie of man is aiding to the naturall goodâ—ess of the Soil But where that wanteth the Country is either over-grown with Woods or encombred with vast Boggs and unwholesom Marishes yeelding neither profit nor pleasure unto the Inhabitants In some places as in the County of Armagh so rank and fertill that the laying of any soil or compost on it doth abate its fruitfulness and proves the worst Husbandry that can be It hath been antiently very famous for the Piety and Religious lives of the Monks Amongst whom I cannot but remember Columbus and of him this memorable Apothegm when offered many fair preferments to leave his Country he returned this Answer It becomes not them to imbrace other mens goods who for Christs sake had forfaken their own Of no less pietie but more eminent in point of Learning was Richard Fitz-Rafe Arch-Bishop of Armagh commonly called Armacanus who flourished about the yeer 1350. A declared Enemie of the Errors and corruptions of the Church of Rome It is affirmed of this Iland that amongst other Privileges which it hath above other Ilands it fostereth no venomous Serpent and that no such will live here brought from other places Hence of her self we find her speaking in the Poet. Illa ego sum Graiis Glacialis Hibernia dicta Cui Deus melior rerum nascentium Origo Ius commune dedit cum Creta altrice Tonantis Angues ne nostris diffundant sibila in oris I am that Iland which in times of old The Greeks did call Hibernia ycie-cold Secur'd by God and Nature from this fear Which gift was given to Crete Ioves Mother dear That poisonous Snake should never here be bred Or dare to hiss or hurtfull venom spred The other miracles of this Iland are 1 That there is a Lake in the Countie of Armagh into which if one thrust a peece of Wood he shall find that part of it which remaineth in the Mud to be turned into Iron and that which is in the Water to be turned into a Whet-Stone richly
Ireland and all the lessâ—r Ilands became united either to the Crowns of England or Scotland and those two Kingdoms to each other joyned in the person of the same King and the participation of his favours though different still in Lawes and some forms of Government as most of the Estates of Spain at the present time Vnited also in one name the different Appellations of England and Scotland being swallowed up or incorporated rather in that of GREAT BRITAIN which of pleased King James to own for his Stile Imperiall And for a memorie thereof to cause a peece of Gold to be coyned of 20 s. since raised to 22 s. which he called the Vâ—itâ—â— stamped on the one side with his picture and this Inscription JAâ—OBVS D. GR. MAGâ—AE BRITANNIAE FR. ET HIBERNIAE REX and on the other side with his Arms crowned with this Motto FACIAM EOS IN GENIEM VNAM All we have now to doe is to lay down the names of those puissant Princes whom God hath raâ—sed to be The Monarchs of Britain 1602. 1 James the sixth of that name King of the Scots Sonne of Mary Qu. of Scots Daughter of James the 5th the Sonne of James the 4th and of the Lady Margaret eldest Daughter of Henry the 7th of England which Margaret being after maried to Archembald Douglass Earl of Aâ—gus had a Daughter named Margaret also the only Child of her Parents maried to Matthew Stewart Earl of Lennox by whom she was made the mother of Henry Lord Darnley the Father of King â—ames the sixth by the said Mary Queen of Scots So that King Iames descending from the eldest Daughter of Henry the 7th both by Father and Mother on the expiring of the Line of Henry the 8th in the person of Q. Elizabeth of famous memorie was the next heir to the Crown of England and was accordingly with all joyfull acclamations proclamed and acknowledged King in the Citie of London March 24. Anno 1602. according to the Accompt of the Church of England A learned and Religious Prince a true Defender of the Faith a Nursing Father of the Church and a lover of learning He died at Theobalds March 27. 1625. having reigned 23 yeers and four dayes over 1625. 2 Charles second Sonne of King Iames and Anne of Denmark his elder Brother Henry dying long before the 63d King in descent from Cerdick King of the West-Saxons the 45th King of England in descent from Egbâ—rs the 24th from the Norman Conqueror the 64th Monarch of the English and the second Monarch of Britain In the beginning of his reign he maried the Princess Henrietta Maria Daughter to Henry the 4th and Sister to Lewis the 13th French Kings by whom blest with a Royall Issue of Sonnes and Daughters As for the Forces and Revenues of these British Monarchs we cannot put the estimate of them in a better way than by laying together that which hath been delivered of each severall part out of which Items the summa totalis of the whole both in power and treasure will be easily gathered For though these Monarchs never had any occasion to muster and unite the Forces of their severall Kingdoms upon any one Action yet by considering what they have been able to doe divided we may conclude of what they may doe if need be being now united And so we are to do in marshalling the Arms of the British Monarchie which are 1 Quarterly France and England 2 Scotland 3 Ireland the fourth as the first I shut up this discourse of the British Empire with those words of Scripture the Motto of another of King Iames his Coins QVAE DEVS CONJVNXIT NEMO SEPARET And so much for Britain A TABLE Of the Longitude and Latitude of the chief Cities mentioned in this first Book A.  Lon. Lat. Aberdene 22. 20. 57. 20. Alcala de Henares 23. 0. 40. 30. Alicante 28. 40. 39. 0. Almodine 34. 0. 33. 40. Ancona 43. 10. 43. 50. S. Andrewes 22. 10. 56. 20. Angolesme 27. 0. 46. 0. Angiâ—rs 18. 10. 47. 25. Aquilegia 42. 50. 46. 40. Armagh 14. 50. 54. 9. Avero 17. 30. 41. 10. Avignon 23. 40. 43. 50. Aux 22. 40. 43. 40. St. Anderes 22. 20. 43. Aix 22. 20. 42. 10. Arles 22. 45. 43. 20. Amboise 20. 35. 47. 35. B. Badaies 19. 40. 38. 30. Baione 24. 20. 42. 10. Basil 28. 10. 48. 30. Besanson 26. 30. 47. 30. Bilbao 23. 30. 43. 10. Baden in Switzerl 31.  48. 44. Blavet 21. 15. 47. 50. Bononia 35. 50. 43. 33. Brest 20.  48. 50. Bath 20. 56. 51. 20. Bragance 6.  45.  Barwick 22. 43. 55. 48. Barcelone 17. 15. 41. 36. Burdeaux 18.  45. 10. Burges 24. 10. 48. 20. C. Cambridge 23. 25. 52. 11. Calice 26. 2. 52.  Canterburie 24. 50. 51. 16. Cartagena 28. 20. 38. 20. Cane 21.  50.  Carlile 21. 31. 5â— 57. Chester 20. 23. 53. 11. Chichester 26. 10. 51.  Clermont 30. 15. 45. 50. Chur 32.  42.  Corck 15. 40. 41. 40. Corduba 9. 4. 37. 50. Conimbre 5. 45. 40. 19. Compostella 17. 15. 44. 18. Coventrie 25. 52. 52. 23. D. Dieppe 28. 40. 49. 30. Digioâ— 25. 45. 47. Dole 28. 3. 49. 5. Dâ—ver 26. 10. 51.  Dublin 16. 40. 54. 27. Dun-Britton 19. 24. 57. 10. Durham 22.  54. 55. E. Edenburgh 22.  55. 50. Embrun 28.  44.  Elie 25. 20. 52. 40. Exeter 22. 10. 51.  F. Florence 41 10. 43. 40. Ferrara 44.  36.  Fayall   48. 40. G. Geneva 33. 40. 46. 20. Gelway 13. 17. 54. 6. Glocester 19.  53.  Gades 15. 10. 37.  Granada 11.  37. 50. Groine 16. 50. 43. 20. Genoa 37. 50. 45. 0. Grenoble 27.  45. 30. H. S. Hilarie in Guernzey 22. 20. 49. 40. Hull 25. 20. 53. 40. L. Leon 21. 10. 42. 15. Lisbon 9. 10. 38. 38. Lions 23. 15. 45. 10. Lincoln 22. 52. 53. 12. London 23. 25. 5. 34. Luca 42. 10. 40.  Ligorn 40. 20. 43 30. M. Majorca 39. 50. 33.  Malaga 23. 50. 37. 22. Merseilles 24. 30. 43. 10. S. Malo 19.  49.  Medina Caeli 23. 30. 41. 10. Millaine 38. 30. 46. 10. Modena 41. 50. 35. 40. Montpelier 25. 30. 44. 10. Montalban 23.  45.  Messana 45. 50. 37. 50. Minorca 34. 30. 40. 0. N. Naples 46.  39. 30. Nantes 24. 10. 47. 10. Narbon 30. 20. 43. 20. Nevers 25.  47.  Newcastle 22. 30. 54. 57. Nismes 26.  44. 2. Norwich 24. 55. 52. 40. O. Oleron 24. 30. 45. 30. Orleans 28. 30. â—8 0. Orange 26. 20. 43. 20. Oxford 22.  51. 50. Otranto 49. 30. 40. 20. P. Pampelun 24. 30. 43. 3. Paris 23. 30. 48. 40. Pavie 44. 1. 33. 5. Padua 44. 45. 36. 20. Parma 39. 20. 45. 10. Pescara 43. 0. 30. 10. Palerme     Peragia 42. 20. 43. 10. Peter-port in Iarsey 23. 0. 49. 20. Pisa 40. 30. 43.
lâ—qui liceat when as a man might thinke as hee listed of the publick and speak what he thought But whether this be such a Rara temporum felicitas such a felicitie of these our times as Tacitus conceived the other to be of those future times will shew But to return againe to Poland notwithstanding this mixture of Religions yet that most publickly allowed and countenanced is the Religion authorised by the Church of Rome asserted here by the zeal of the Kings unto that cause and the great power of the Bishops who seeing how those of their Order have spâ—d in Germanie and other places under colour of Reformation of some things amisse have hitherto upheld the Ecclesiasticall Estate in the same forme they found it The Government of the Church as formerly by 3 Archbishops and 19 Bishops who challenge a jurisdiction over all the kingdome â—ut exercise it upon those onely who submit unto them those who embrace the Doctrines of Luther or Calvin following the formes of Government by them established as others doe some new ones of their owne devising And for those Provinces and people which lie towards Greece or were parts heretofore of the Russian Empire and still hold a Communion with those Churches they have Archbishops and Bishops of their owne Religion that is to say the Archbishops of Vilne and Lemburg the Bishops of Polozko Luzko Pinsko Volodomire Presmil and Kiovia Yet amongst all these different Churches and formes of Government there is this conformitie that whensoever the Gospell is read openly in the Congregation the Nobility and Gentrie use to draw their swords according to an antient custom which they had among them signifying their readinesse to defend it against all opposers Which reason doubtlesse gave beginning to the standing up at the Creed and Gospell in the primitive times retained still in the Church of England whereby we doe declare how prepared and resolute we are to defend the same though some of late holding it for a Relick of Popery with greater nicety then wisdome have refused to doe it Chief Rivers of this Kingdome are 1 Vistula or Wixel the antient Boundary betwixt Germany and Sarmatia Europaea which rising in the Carpathian Mountaines passeth by Cracovia the chief City of Poland and dividing Prussia from Pomerella falleth into the Baltick sea not far from Dantzick and is navigable for the space of 400 miles of old called Vandalis 2 Warta which runneth through the lesser Poland 3 Duina the lesse watering Livonia and 4 Borysthenes or Nieper passing through Podolia both spoken of before when we were in Russia 5 Niester by Ptolemie called Tyras which falleth into the Euxine Sea having first parted Podolia from Moldavia 6 Jugra by some called the lesser Tanais arising in Lituania and falling into the more noted Tanais which is now called Don. Of lesse note there are 1 Reuben or Reuhon 2 Chronuâ— now called Pregel 3 Bogh said by some to bee the 〈◊〉 of the Antients 4 Minnael 5 Niemen the Maeander of these Northern parts 9 Winde a Livonian river falling into the Baltick Mountains of note here are not many the Countreys for the most part being plain and Champain and those which be are rather boundaries betwixt this and some other Kingdome then proper unto this alone The chief of which are those called Sarmatici dividing Gâ—rmany from Sarmatia Europaea by Solinus named Sevo by Ptolemie the Carpathian Mountains the boundary at this time betwixt Poland and Hungary The common metes and Land-markes being thus laid down we will next take a view of those severall Provinces of which this kingdome doth consist being ten in number that is to say 1 Livonia 2 Samogitia 3 Lituania 4 Prussia 5 Poland specially so called 6 Mollovia 7 Podlassia 8 Russia Nigra 9 Voltinia and 10 Podâ—lia all of them except the proper Poland within Sarmatia Europaea 1 LIVONIA 1 LIVONIA or LIEFLAND is bounded on the East with the Empire of Russia on the West with the Baltick Sea on the North with the Gulf or Bay of Finland on the South with Samogitia and Lituania Extended in length along the shore of the Baltick for the space of 125 Dutch or 500 Italian miles 40 Dutch or 160 Italian miles in breadth and called thus perhaps from the Lenovi a people of Germany inhabiting not far from the River Vistula The countrey for the most part plaine without any mountaines furnished with corn and fruits in so great aboundance that they send part thereof into other countries and yet there is much ground untilled in it by reason of the bogs and marishes which are very frequent Here is also store of wax honey and pitch but they have neither oyl nor wine the want of which last is supplyed by Meth. Of tame beasts fit for mans service they are well provided as also of such whose skins are of more value with the Merchant then their flesh at the market as Ermins Sables Castors others of that kinde besides good store of game for hunting the countrey having in it many large woods parts of the Hercynian And as for Rivers there are few countries which have more watered by the Winde the Beck the Dwine the Ruho all of them falling into the Baltick many great Lakes whereof the chiefe is that of Beybas 45 miles long and full of fish The people are much given to gluttonie and drunkennesse especially in rich mens houses where it is to be had for the paisant lives in want enough meere slaves to their tyrannicall Landlords who spend in riot and excesse what these get by drudgerie And when at any time the poore wretch leaves his Landlord to mend his condition with some other the Lord if he can overtake him will cut off his foot to make sure of him for the future They are a mixture of many Nations as the Fstones which are the naturall Inhabitants derived from the Estii a Dutch people spoken of by Ptolemie of which Nation are almost all the Paisants the Moscovites Swedes Danes Dutch and Polanders intermingled with them comming in upon severall conquest and planting themselves in the best parts of it in which they still Lord it over the Native but the Dutch especially for long time Masters of the whole The Christian Faith was first here planted by Meinardus of Lubeck imployed herein in the time of Frederick the first at the perswasion of some Dutch Merchants who traded hither by the Archbishop of Breme by whom made the first Bishop of the Livonians The Church hereof at this time governed by the Archbishop of Riga the Bishops of Derpt Asâ—lia Oesel Curland and Rivallia in those parts which remaine subject to the Polander where the Religion of the Church of Rome is onely countenanced Such parts of it that are under the Swedes or Danes are for the most part of the Lutheran profession planted with colonies of that people But the Estones or originall Inhabitants as they have a language so they have a Religion
sadness of the misadventure that he endeavoured what he could to settle a Plantation in it That of more same and greatness then all the rest to which the name is now most properly ascribed is situate in the Latitude of 32. 30 minutes Well stored when first discovered with plenty of Hogs divers fruits Mulberries Palmitos Cedars as also of Silk-worms Pearls and Amber and such rich Commodities of Fowl so infinite an abundance that our men took a thousand of one sort as big as a Pigeon within two or three hours The Aire hereof very sound and healthy found by experience the best Argument in such a point to be agreeable to the body of an English man yet terribly exposed to tempests of rain thunder and lightning For which and for the many shipwracks happening on the Coasts thereof and want of other Inhabitants to be said to own it the Manners have pleased to call it the Iland of Devils The soil affirmed to be as fertile as any well watered plentiful in Maize of which they have two Harvests yearly that which is sowed in March being cut in July and that which is sowed in August being mowed in December No venâ—mous creature to be found in all the Iland or will live brought hither And besides these Commodities of so safe a being so fenced about with Rocks and â—lets that without knowledge of the passages a Boat of ten Tuns cannot be brought into the Haven yet with such knowledge there is entrance for the greatest ships The English have since added to there strengths of nature such additional helps by Block-houses Forts and Bulwarks in convenient places as may give it the title of Impregnable It was first discovered but rather accidentally then upon design by John Bermudaz a Spaniard about the year 1522. and thereupon a Proposition made in the Council of Spain for setling a Plantation in it as a place not to be avoided by the Spanish Fleets in their return from the Bay of Mexico by the Streits of Bahama Neglected notwithstanding till the like accidental coming of Sir George Summers sent to Virginia with some Companies of English by the Lord De la Ware An. 1609. Who being shipwracked on this Coast had the opportunity to survey the Iland which he so liked that he endeavoured a Plantation in it at his coming home An. 1612. the first Colonie was sent over under Richard More who in three years erected eight or nine Forts in convenient places which he planted with Ordinance An. 1616. a new Supply is sent over under Captain Daniel Tucker who applied themselves to sowing Corn setting of Trees brought thither from other parts of America and planting that gainful Weed Tobacco An. 1619. the business is taken more to heart and made a matter of the Publick many great Lords and men of Honour being interessed in it Captain Butler sent thither with 500 men the Isle divided into Tribes or Cantreds to each Tribe a Burrough the whole reduced to a setled Government both in Church and State according to the Law of England After this all things so succeeded that in the year 1623. here were said to be three thousand English ten Forts and in those Forts fifty peeces of Ordinance their numbers since increasing daily both by Children borne within the Iland and supplies from England OF FLORIDA FLORIDA is bounded on the North-east with Virginia on the East with Mare del Noort on the South and some part of the West with the Gulf of Mexico on the rest of the West with part of New Gallicia and some Countries hitherto not discovered Extended from the River of Palmes in the 25 degree of Latitude to Rio de Secco in the 34. which evidently speaketh it for a Country of large dimensions It was first discovered by the English under the conduct of Sebastian Cabat An. 1497. afterwards better searched into by John de Ponce a Spaniard who took possession of it in the name of that King An. 1527. and by him called Florida either because he landed there upon Palm-Sunday which the Spaniards call Pascua di Flores or Pascha Florida or else quia Florida erat Regio by reason of that fresh verdure and flourishing estate in which he found it But by the Natives it is said to be called Jaquasa This Country lying Parallel to Castile in Spain is said to be of the same temper both for Aire and Soil but that it is abundantly more fruitfull the heart of the ground not being here worn out by continual Tillage as perhaps it may be in the other For here they have great abundance of Maize the natural bread-Corn of the Country which they sowe twice a year viz. March and June and reap in the third month after laying it in some publick Barns and thence distribute it to the neccssities of particular persons Well stored with several sorts of Fruit as Mulberries Cherries Chelnuts Grapes and Plums of both excellent taste and colour Beasts wilde and came of all kindes which these Countries yield and of like sorts of Fowl The Woods and Forrests full of the largest Okes and the loftiest Cedars some Cypress-Trees and Bays of a large proportion with great plenty of that Wood which the Inhabitants call Pavame and the French name Sassafras the bark whereof is Medicinal against some Diseases and another Tree which we call Esquine affirmed to be a Soveraign and present Remedie for the French disease It is also said to be enriched with some Mines of Gold and Silver neglected by the Natives till the coming of the Spaniards and French put a price upon them and to have in it Emeralds of great worth and beauty with many Tarquoises and Pearls Others report that all the Gold and Silver which they have amongst them came from some ships which had been wracked upon those Coasts contrary whereunto it is said by the Natives that in the Hills which they call Apalatei there are found great Veins of a reddish Mettal which the French concluded to be Gold though they wanted time and opportunity to search into them The People are of an Olive-Colour great stature and well proportioned naked except their Privities which they hide with the skins of Stags their Arms and knees stained with divers paintings not to be washed off their hair black and hanging down as low as their thighs Cunning they be and excellent in the Arts of dissimulation So stomackfull that they do naturally love War and Revenge insomuch that they are continually in War with one or other They are crafty also and very intelligent as appeareth by the Answer they gave to Ferdinando Soto a Spaniard who was here among them An. 1549. For when he went to perswade the people that he was the son of God and came to teach them the Law Not so replyed a Floridan for God never bad thee to kill and slay and work all kinde of mischief against us The Women when their Husbands are dead use to cut off their hair close
Title For thus we read That Pepin having thrust his Master Childerick into a Monastery to make good his Title to the Crown or some colour for it derived his Pedigree from Plythylda one of the Daughters of Clotaire the first maried to Anspert the Grandfather of that Arnulphus who was the first Mayer of the Palace of Pepins Family As also how Hugh Capet putting aside Charles of Lorrein the right Heir of this Pepin to make his Lawless Action the more seemingly Lawfull drew his descent from some of the heirs Generall of Charles the Great his Mother Adeltheid being the Daughter of the Emperour Henry the first surnamed the Fowler who was the Sonne of Otho Duke of Saxonie by Luitgardu the Daughter of the Emperour Arnulph the last Emperour of the Romans or Germans of the house of Charles And it is said of Lewis the ninth so renowned for Sanctitie amongst them that he never enjoyed the Crown with a quiet Conscience till it was proved unto him that by his Grandmother the Lady Isabel of Hainall he was descended from Hermingrade the Daughter of Charles of Lorrein Adde here that this supposed Salique Law not onely crosseth the received Laws of all Nations else which admit of Women to the succession in their Kingdoms where the Crown descends in a Succession and have a great respect both unto their persons and posterities in such Kingdoms also where the Kings are said to be Elective as in Poland Hungaria and Bohemia but that even France it self hath submitted to the imperious command of two Women of the Medices and at the present to the Government of a Spanish Princess So that it is evident that this Law by whomsoever made and how far soever it extended is of no such force but that the Labells of it may be easily cut in pecces by an English sword well whetted if there were no other bar to the title of England than the authoritie and antiquity of the Salique Law But for my part if it be lawfull for me to dispute this point I am not satisfied in the right of the English title supposing the Salique Law to be of no such force as the French pretended and measuring the succession in the Crown of France to be according to successions in the Realm of England on which King Edward the third seemed to ground his claim For if there were no Salique Law to exclude succession by the Females as the English did pretend there was not yet could not Edward comming from a Sister of the 3 last Kings which reigned successively before Philip of Valois against whom he claimed be served in course before the Daughters of those Kings or the Males at least descending of them had had their turns in the succession of that Kingdom Of the three Brethren two left issue viz. Lewis and Philip. Lewis surnamed Hutin Sonne of Philip the fair and Joan Queen of Navarre had a Daughter named Joan maried to Philip Earl of Eureux who was King of Navarre in right of his Wife from which mariage issued all the succeding Kings of that Realm the rights whereof are now in the house of Burbon Philip the second Brother surnamed the Long by Ioan the Daughter of Othelin Earl of Burgundie had a Daughter named Marguerite maried to Lewis Earl of Flanders from whom descended those great Princes of the race of Burgundiâ— the rights whereof are now in the house of Spain If then there were no Salique Law to exclude the Women and their Sonnes Charles King of Navarre the Sonne of Queen Joan and of Philip de Eureux descended from Lewis Hutin the Elder Brother and Lewis de Malaine Earl of Flanders and Burgundie the Sonne of Lewis Earl of Flanders and of Marguerite the Daughter of Philip the Long the Second Brother must have precedency of title before King Edward the third of England descended from a Sister of the said two Kings their issue severally and respectively before any claiming or descending from the said King Edward So that K. Edward the third had some other claim than what is commonly alleged for him in our English Histories or else he had no claim to that Crown at all and I conceive so wise a King would not have ventured on a business of so great consequence without some colourable Title though what this title was is not declared for ought I know by any Writers of our Nation I believe therefore that he went upon some other grounds than that of ordinary succession by the Law of England and claimed that Crown as the Eldest heir-male and neerest Kinsman to the last King For being Sisters sonne to the King deceased he was a degree neerer to him than either the King of Navarre or the Earl of Flanders who were the Grand-children of his Brethren and having priority of either in respect of age had a fair Title before either to the Crown of that Kingdom And on these grounds King Edward might the rather goe because he found it a ruled Case in the dispute about the succession in the Kingdom of Scotland For though King Edward the first measuring the order of succession by the Laws of England and perhaps willing to adjudge the Crown to one who should hold it of him gave sentence in behalf of Iohn Raliol the Grand-Child of the Eldest Daughter of the Earl of Huntingdon yet was this Sentence disavowed and protested against by the other Competitors Robert Bruce Sonne of the Second Daughter of the said Earl of Huntingdon as a degree neerer to the last King though descended from the Younger Sister not only though himself wronged in it but had the whole Scotish Nation for him to assert his right by whose unanimous consent his Sonne was called to the Government of the Realm of Scotland during the life of Baliol and his Patron both Proximitie in blood to the King deceased was measured by neerness of degrees not descent of Birth and on this Plea though different from the Laws of England as Bruce had formerly possessed himself of the Crown of Scotland so on the same though different from the Laws of Castile did Philip the second ground his claim to the Crown of Portugal For being Eldest Sonne of Mary the Sister of Henry the last King and this was just King Edwards Case to the Crown of France he thought himself to be preferred before the Prince of Parma and the Duke of Bragance descended from the Daughters of Edward the said Kings Brother because the Eldest Male of the Royal blood and neerer to the said King Henry by one degree In the pursuance of which title as Philip onenly avowed that the Laws of Portugall were more favourable to him than the Laws of Castile so in like case the Laws of France might be more favourable to King Edward than the Lawes of England In claims to Crowns the Rules if Regall Succession differ in many Countries and in few Countries are the same with that of the Succession into mean
because he compelled the Moores to be baptized banished the Iewes and in part converted the Americans unto Christianity or because having united Castile to his Dominions surprized the Kingdom of Navarre and subdued that of Granada he was in a manner the Catholique or genenerall King of all Spain The last reason seemeth to sway most in the restauration of this attribute in that when it was granted or confirmed on Ferdinand by Pope Alexander the sixt the King of Portugal exceedingly stomached at it quando Ferdinandus imperio universam Hispaniam saith Mariana non obtineret ejus tum non exigua parte penes Reges alios It seems Emanuel could not think himself a King of Portugal if the title of the Catholick King did belong to Ferdinand Wherein he was of the same mind as was Gregory the Great who when Iohn of Constantinople had assumed to himself the title of the Occumenicall or Catholique Bishop advised all Bishops of the World to oppose that arrogancie and that upon the self-same reason Nam si ille est Catholicus vos non estiâ— Episcopi for it Iohn were the Catholick Bishop they were none at all But upon what consideration soever it was first re-granted it hath been ever since assumed by his Posterity to whose Crown as hereditarie and in common use as the most Christian King to France the Defender of the Faith to England And yet there was some further reason why the Spaniard might affect the title of Catholick King his Empire being Catholick in regard of extent though not of Orthodoxie of doctrines as reaching not over all Spain onely but over a very great part of the World besides For in right of the Crown of Castile he possesseth the Towns of Mellila and Oran the Haven of Masalquivir the Rock of Velez and the Canarie Ilands in Africk the Continent and Ilands of all America except Brasil and some plantations in the North of the English Hollanders and a few poor French In the rights of the Kingdom of Aragon he enjoyeth the Realms of Naples Sicil and Sardinia with many Ilands interspersed in the Mediterranean and in right of the house of Burgundie the Counties of Burgundie and Charolois the greatest part of Belgium with a title unto all the rest besides the great Dukedom of Millain the Havens of Telamon and Plombino and many other peeces of importance in Italie held by investiture from the Empire To which if those Estates be added which accrewed to Philip the second by the Crown of Portugal we have the Towns of Ceuta Targier and Maragon in Barbarie the Fortresses of Arguen and S. George in Guinea the Ilands of Azores Madera Cape Verd S. Thomas Del Principle on this side of the Cape and of Mosambique on the other in Asia all the Sea-coast almost from the Gulf of Persia unto China and many strong holds in the Moluccoes Bantan Zeilan and other Ilands and finally in America the large Country of Brasil extending in length 1500 miles An Empire of extent enough to appropriate to these Monarchs the stile of Catholick The Monarchs of Spain A. Ch. 1478. 1 Ferdinand K. of Aragon Sicily Sardinia Majorca Valentia Earl of Catalogue surprised Navarre and conquered the Realm of Naples Isabel Q. of Castile Leon Gallicia Toledo Murcia Lady of Biscay conquered Granada and discovered America 1504. 2 Joane Princess of Castile Granada Leon c. and of Aragon Navarre Sicily c. Philip Archduke of Austria Lord of Belgium 1516. 3 Charles King of Castile Aragon Naples c. Archduke of Austria Duke of Millain Burgundy Brabant c. Earl of Catalogue Flanders Holland c Lord of Biscay Friâ—zland Iltreict c. and Emperour of the Germans He added the Realms of Mexico and Peru the Dukedoms of Geldeâ—land and Millain the Earldom of â—utphen and the Signeuries of Utrecht Over-Yssell and Growing unto his Estates A Prince of that magnanimity and puissance that had not Francis the first in time opposed him he had even swallowed all Europe He was also for a time of great strength and reputation in â—unis and other parts of Africa disposing Kingdomes at his pleasure but the Turk broke his power there and being hunted also out of â—â—ermany he resigned all his kingdoms and died private 42. 1558. 4 Philip II. of more ambition but less prosperity than his Father fortunate onely in his attempt on the kingdom of Portugal but that sufficiently balanced by his ill successes in the Netherlands and against the English For the Hollanders and their Consederates drove him out of eight of his Belgic Provinces the English overthrew his Invincible Armada intercepted his Plate-Fleets and by awing the Ocean had almost impoverished him And though he held for a time an hard hand upon France in hope to have gotten that Crown by the help of the Leaguers yet upon casting up his Accompts he found that himself was the greatest Loser by that undertaking So zealous in the cause of the Romiâ—h Church that it was thought that his eldest Sonne Charles was put to death with his consent in the Inquisition-house for seeming savourably inclined to the Low-Country 〈◊〉 as the 〈◊〉 called them These four great Kings were all of the Order of the â—arrer but neither of the two that followed 1598. 5 Philip III. Finding his Estate almost destroyed by his Fathers long and chargeable Warres first made peace with England and then concluded a Truce for twelve years with the States of the Netherlands which done he totally banished all the Moores out of Spain and was a great stickler in the Warres of Germany 1621. 6 Philip IV. Sonne of Philip the 3d got into his power all the Lower â—aluinate but lost the whole Realm of Portugal and the Province of Catalonia with many of his best Towns in Flanders Artots and Brabant and some Ports in Italy not yet recovered to that Crown from the power of the French This Empire consisting of so many severall Kingdoms united into one Body may seem to be invincible Yet had Queen Elizabeth followed the counsell of her men of Warre she might have broken it in pieces With 4000 men she might have taken away his 〈◊〉 from him without whose gold the Low-Country Army which is his very best could not be paid and by consequence must needs have been dissolved Nay Sir Walter Ralegh in the Epilogue of his most excellent History of the World plainly affirmeth that with the charge of 200000 l continued but for two years or three at the most the Sâ—aniardâ— might not only have been perswaded to live in peace but that all their swelling and overflowing streams might be brought back to their naturall channels and old banks Their own proverb saith the Lion is not so fierce as he is painted yet the Americans tremble at his name it 's true and it is well observed by that great Politiâ—ian 〈◊〉 that things wcich seem 〈◊〉 and are not are more feared farâ—e off than 〈◊〉 at hand Nor is this judgement
Mediolanium now Llanvillin in the County of Montgomerie By these three Nations was all that tract possessed which lyeth on the other side of the Severn a very stout and hardie people and so impatient of the yoke that two of the three Legions which the Romans kept constantly in Britain as before is said were planted in and neer these people the better to contein them in due obedience that is to say the second Legion at Caer Leon upon Usk of which more anon and the twentieth at Deuvana where now stands West-Chester So difficult a thing it was to make this Nation subject to the power of Rome and no less difficult to bring them under the command of the Saxons whom they withstood when all the rest of Britain had been conquered by them and lived to see their Victors overcome by the Normans before themselves had yielded to a forrain yoke The Christian Faith planted amongst the Britans in the time of Lucius they still retained when all the residue of the Iland had replapsed to Paganism and they retained it not in secret as afraid to own it but in a well-constituted Church Insomuch that Angustine the Monk when he first preached the Gospell to the English Saxons found here no fewer than seven Bishops that is to say Herefordensis Tavensis Paternensis Banchorensis Elwiensis Wicciensis and Morganensis or rather Menevensis all which excepting onely Paternensis doe still remain amongst us though in other names Hereford and Worcester Wicciensis reckoned now in England S. Davids or Menevensis Tavensis or Landaff Bangor and Elwyensis or S. Asaph in Wales according to the present boundaries and limits of it And as they did retain the Faith so they retained it after the tradition of their Predecessors neither submitting unto Augustine as Archbishop of Canterbury nor to the Pope from whom he came as Occumenicall or châ—ef Pastor of the Church of Christ nor receiving any new doctrines or traditions from them but standing on those principles of Liberty and Religion which they were possessed of till all the world almost had yeelded to that powerfull See Not manumitted from the vassalage and thraldom to it till they embraced the Reformation of the Church of England in Doctrine Discipline and Worship the Liturgie whereof was by the command of Queen Elizabeth translated into the Welch or 〈◊〉 as the Bible also was by vertue of an Act of Parliament in the fift of that Queen the care thereof committed to the Bishop of Hereford and the four Bishops of Wales But because the Bible then set forth was onely in the large Church volume it was in the beginning of the Reign of King Charles reduced to a more portable Bulk at the cost and charge of my Cousin Mr. Rowland 〈◊〉 one oâ— the Aldermen of London who also caused the book called The Practice of Pieâ—ie to be printed in that Language for the instruction of the People and a Welch or British Dictionarie to be made and published for the understanding of the Language But to return unto the Church and affairs thereof for the better ordering of the same it hath been long agoe divided into four Dioceses besides that of Herefora for the exercise of â—ccleâ—acall Discipline those Dioceses subdivided into 9 Archdcaconries as before in England all subject heretofore to their own Pâ—â—mate or Archbishop residing in the City of Isca Silurum the â—eâ—repolis of the Province of Britannia Secunda called by the â—â—elch or Britans Caâ—-â—eon or the Citie of the Legion from the second Legion fixt there for defence of the Province and Caâ—-Leon upon â—sk because situate on the River so named But this City being too much exposed to the sury of the Saxons the Archiepiscopall See was translated to Menew standing on a Promontoâ—â—e in the extreme Angle of Pembrokeshire by David then Archbishop thereof and neer of â—in to Arthur that renowned King of the Britans from whom in tract of time the name of Menew being left off the See and Citie came to be called S. Davids From David unto Samson the 26 Archbishop of the VVelch being above 400 yeers did they hold this dignity but then the Pestilence extremely raging in these parts Archbish Samson carried with him the Episcopall Pall and therewith the dignity it self to Dole in Bretagne After which time we hear of no Archbishops in Wales in name and title though the power proper thereunto still remained amongst them the VVelch Bishops acknowledging no other Primate nor receiving consecratioâ— from any other hands than their own Bishop of S. Davids till Bishop Bernard was compelled to submit himself to the power and jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of King Henry the first But its time to look upon the face of the Country as it stands at the present which we find mountainous and barren not able to maintain its people but by helps elsewhere To make amends for which defect there were some Silver mines discovered in it not long since by Sir Hugh Middlâ—ton Knight and Baronet not onely to the great honour of his own Countrie but to the profit and renown of the whole Iland of Great Britain Their chief commodities are course Clothes entituled commonly by the name of Welch Freeze and Cottons which Merchandise was heretofore brought to Oswestâ—e the furthest Town of Shropshire as the common Emporie and there bought by the Merchants of Shrewsbury But the Welch coveting to draw the Staple more into their own Countrey occasioned the Merchant to hold off from buying their commodities till in the end the Merchant got the better of them and inforced them to settle the whole trade at Shrewshury where it still continueth To speak of Mountains in a Country which is wholly mountainous were a thing unnecessary yet of most note are those of 1 Snowdon 2 Brechâ—n 3 Rarduvaure and 4 Plinlimmon Not much observable but for their vast height and those many notable Rivers which issue from them The principall whereof are 1 Dee in Latine called Deva arising out of Rarduvaure hils in Merionethshire and running into the Sea not far from Chester Over this River Edgar King of England was rowed triumphantly in his Barge by eight inferiour Kings Vassals and Tributaries to him that is to say Kenneth King of the Scots Malcolm King of Cumberland Mac-cuâ—s King of the Isles Dufwall Gryffith Howel lago and Indethel Princes or Kings of Wales using these words to such as attended on him that then his Successors might call themselves Kings of England when they did the like This was in the yeer 973 and the last of his reigne 2 Wie in Latine called Vaga arising from Plinlimmon hils and emptying it self into the Severn at Chepstow More in the heart of the Countrie for these are but borderers for the greatest part of their course 3 Câ—nwy which rising in Merionethshire and dividing the Counties of Denbigh and Caâ—narvon mingleth with the Sea at Abur Conwey 4 Tyvie which rising in Montgomeryshire and
passing between the Counties of Cardigan Pembroke and Carmarthen runneth into the Sea a little below Cardigan 5 Chedlaydy which running quite thorow Pembrokeshire emptieth it self into Milford Haven one of the most capacious and safest havens not of England onely but of all the world The men are of a faithfull carriage towards all men especially towards one another in a strange Countrie and towards strangers in their own Of a temper questionless much inclining to choler as being subject to the passion by Aristotle called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which men are quickly moved to anger and as soon appeased of all angers the best and noblest Their Language the old British hath the least commixture of forein words of any in Europe and by reason of its many Consonants and gutturall Letters is not so pleasing as some others in the Pronunciation A Language not much studied by those of other Nations in regard that such of the Inhabitants who have addicted themselves to learning have rather chose to express themselves in the Latine or English tongues than that of their own Native Countrie The principall of which not to say any thing of Merlin the Tages of the Welch or British were 1 Gildas for his great knowledge surnamed Sapiens 2 Geofry of Monmouth and 3 Giraldus Cambrensis the Historians and of later times 4 William Morgan the Translator of the Bible into Welch for which performance most deservedly made Bishop of Landâ—ff 5 Sir Iohn Price the Antiquary 6 Owen the Epigrammatist c. The whole Countrey not taking the Counties of Shropshire and Monmouth into the reckoning containing in it 12 Shires onely of which seven were set out by King Edward the first that is to Pembroke Carmarden Cardigan Merioneth Angleser and Carnarvon The other five viz the Counties of Denbigh Flint Montgomery Radnâ—r and Bâ—ccâ—nock were after added out of the Marchlands by King Henry the 8th These 12 Shires are again contracted or subdivided into 4 Circuits for the administration of Iustice Of which the first containeth the Countâ—â— of Montgomery Flint and Denbigh the second those of Carnarvon Anglesey and Merieâ—â—â—â— the third those of Carwarden Cardigan and Pembroke and the fourth those of Glamorgan Brâ—câ—nock and 〈◊〉 In these 12 Shires are reckoned one Chase 13 Forests 36 Parks 230 Rivers and an hundred Bridges They contain also 1016 Parishes amongst which four Cities 55 Market-Towns and â—â— Castles on the old erection The Câ—ties small poor and inconsiderable The Market Towns the especially on the Marches and outparts of the Countrie very fair and strong as being not only built for commerce and trade but fortified with Walls and Castles to keep in the Welch and so employed till the incorporating Wales with England took away all occasion of the old hostilities And for the Castles in the In-lands partly by the iniquity of time which is Edax rerum but chiesly by the policie of the Kings of England who would not suffer any places of strength to remain in a Countrie almost inaccessible and amongst men apt to take the advantage offered the very ruines of them are now brought to ruine But to proceed more particularly the four Cities or Episcopall Sees are 1 S. Davids formerly the 〈◊〉 of Wales situate on the Promontorie in Pembrokeshire by the Antients called Octopitae in a safe place and far enough from the Saxons whom the Welch most feared but incommodious enough for all the rest of the Clergie to repair unto it and not so safe neither unto the Inhabitants of it in respect of sundry other nations who have often spoyled and defaced it For standing neer the Sea it hath been frequently visited and spoyled by the Danes Norwegians and other Boats insomuch that the Bishops were inforced to remove their dwelling to Caermarthen which brought the City small enough before when it was at the biggest to the condition of a Village 2 LLâ—â—ndâ—â—â—â— upon the River Taffe whence it took the name LLan in the Welch or British signifying a Church LLandaffe the Church upon the Taffe the Bishops whereof derive their Lineall succession from those of Caer-Leon upon Vsk though the Primacie or Archbishops See were removed to Menew A small Town now it is God wot nothing to rank it for a City but the Cathedrall Church and the Prebends houses 3 St Asaph a small Town in Flintshire so called from St. Asoph the second Bishop hereof left here by Kentigern a Scot by whom the Cathedrall Church was founded about the year 560. Situate on the banks of the River Elwy thence called LLan-Elwe by the Welch the Bishop Elwyensis in some Latine Writers 4 Bangor upon the Menai a branch of the Irish Sea of no more beauty and renown than the other three but onely for the Cathedrall founded here by the first Bishops defaced by Owen Glendower and afterwards reedified by Henry Dean Bishop hereof An. 1496. Towns of chief note for these Cities have not much in them which is worth the nothing are 1 Slrewsbury counted now in England but heretofore the seat of the Princes of Ponysland who had here their Palace which being burnt in some of their broyls with England is now converted into Gardens for the use of the Townsmen The Town well traded and frequented by the Welch and English the common Emporie of both well built and strongly situate on a rising ground almost encompassed with the Severn that part thereof which is not senced with the River being fortified with a very strong Castle the work of Roger de Montgomery the first Earl hereof An. 1067. Over the River for convenience of passage it hath two Bridges and but two the one towards England and the other called the Welch-bridge which is towards Wales built by Leoline or LLewellen the first one of the Princes of Northwales whose they conceive to be that Statua which is there standing on the Gate Remarkable since the times of King Henry the sixt for giving the title of Earl to the Noble Family of the Talbots a Family of great honour and as great an Estate till the parcelling 〈◊〉 the Lands betwixt the Daughters and Co-heirs of Gilbert Talbot late Earl hereof according to the ill custom of England where many times the Estate goes to the Females and the Honour with nothing to mainiain it to the next Heir Male. 2 Banchor by Beda called 〈◊〉 a famous Monastery of the Britans conteining above 2000 Monks attending their devotions at the times appointed at other times labouring for their livelihood most cruelly and unmercifully slaughtered by the Saxons at the instigation of Austin the first Archbishop of Canterbury offended that they would not yeeld unto his autoritie 3 Carnarvon on the Menaâ— before-mentioned not far from Bangor the Monastery of Banchor being in Flintshire well walled and fortified with a strong Castle by King Edward the first after his conquest of the Countrie formerly much resorted to for the Chancery and Exchequer of the Princes of North-Wales 4 Denâ—â—â—h
Ch. 877. 1 Amarawd 36. 913. 2 Idwallo 3 Merick 4 Iames or Iago 1067. 5 Conan Sonne of Iames. 1099. 6 Gryssith ap Conan 1120. 7 Owen Guinedth 1178. 8 David ap Owen 1194. 9 LLewellen ap Iarweth 1240. 10 David ap Llewellen 1246. 11 LLewellen II. Sonne of Gryffith the Brother of David ap LLwellen the last Prince of Wales of the British Race Of whom it is said that once consulting with a Wâ—tch he was told by her that it was his destiny to be caried in triumph thorow London with a Crown on his head Hereupon making some excursions on the Englâ—â—h Borders he drew upon himself the whole power of King Edward the first which not being able to withstand and the King as willing on the other side not to sight with Mountains Commissioners were appointed to conclude the differences Robert Lord Tiptoff and some others for the King of England and for the Welch Prince Grono ap Heylyn a great man of that Countrey descended from Brockwell Skythrac one of the Princes of Powys-land from whom if Camdâ—aâ—â—rentiâ—ux be of any credit the Author of these Papers doth derive his Pedegree under whom that Family had the Office of Hereditarie Cup-Bearer and from thence their name Heylyn Promus 〈◊〉 à poculis quae vox â—a proprium â—omen abiit saith the Welch Dictionarie By those Commissioners it was concluded and agreed on that LLewellen should enjoy a part of the Countrey with the Title of Prince during his life the rest in present and the whole after his decease to be surrendred over to the King of England But David the Brother of LLewellen finding himself excluded by this Agreement from the hope of succession incensed his Brother and the Welch to a new Revolt the issue whereof was the taking of David executed by the hand of justice and the death of LLewellen slain in Battail neer the Buelth in Brecknocksâ—ire Whose head being pitched upon a stake and adorned with a Paper-Crown was by a Horseman caried triumphantly thorow London Anno 1282. And so the Prophecie was fulfilled In him ended the Line of the Princes of North-Wales after they had for the space of 405 yeers resisted not only the private undertakers and Adventurers of England but the Forces of many puissant Monarchs whose attempts they alwayes made frustrate by retiring into the heart of their Countrey and leaving nothing for the English to encounter with but their Woods and Mountains But now the fatall period of the â—ritish Liberty being come they were constrained to yeeld to the stronger What followed after this we shall see anon The Arms of these Princes was quarterly Gules and Or four Lions Passant gardant counterchanged 2 POWISLAND contained the whole Counties of Montgomery and Radnor all Shropshire beyond the Severn with the Town of Shrewsbury and the rest of Denbigh and Flinâ—shires comprehending by the estimate of those times 15 Cantreds or hundreds of Villages the word Cant signifying an hundred and Tret a Village The principall Cities or Towns of it were S. Asaph Shrewsbury Matravall spoken of before A Countrey more partaking of the nature and fertility of England than the parts belonging unto Guinedth or North-Wales but alwayes lying in harms way by reason of the Neighbourhood of the more potent English and therefore given by Roderick to Merâ—yn his youngest Sonne partly because he was the youngest but chiefly because he was a man of approved valour and so more fit to have his portion upon the Borders In his Line it continued a long time together but much afflicted and dismembred by the â—arks of Chester and Shrewsbury who took from them a good part of Flint and Denbigh and 〈◊〉 and by the Princes of North-Wales who cast many a greedy eye upon it Of the Successors of Prince Mervyn I find no good Caâ—taâ— more than of Brockwell Skythrac before remembred The last that held it all entire was Meredyth ap Blethyn who following the ill example of Roderick Mawr divided it betwixt Madoc and Gryffith his two Sonnes Of which Maâ—eâ— died at Wiâ—chestâ—r Anno 1160 in the time of King Henry the 2d his part hereof depending after his decease on the Fortunes of Guinedâ—h and Gryffith was by Henry the first made Lord of 〈◊〉 the stile of Prince left off as too high and lofty In his Race it continued till the time of King Edward the first to whom at a Parliament holden in Shâ—ewsbury Owen ap Gâ—yffiâ—â—h the fifth from Gryâ—â—ith ap Meredith before mentioned surrendred his place and Title and received them of the King again to be holden in Capite and free Baronage according to the Custom of England Avis or Hawis Daughter and Heir of this Owen ap Gryffith was maried unto Iohn Charlâ—ton Valect or Gentleman of the Privie Chamber to King Edward the 2d by whom in right of his Wife he was made Lord Powis Edward the fift also of this Line of the Charleâ—ons was the last of that House his Daughter Jâ—ne conveying the Estate and Title to the House of the Greyes and of them also five enjoyed it the last Lord Powis of the Line or Race of Mervyn being Edward Grey who died in the dayes of our Grand Fathers And so the title lay extinct untill revived again in the person of Sir William Herbert of Red-castle descend from the Herberts Earls of Pembroke created Lord Powys by K. Charles the first Anno 1629. The Arms of the Princes of Powysland were Or a Lyon Rampant Gules 2 SOUTH-WALES or Deheubarâ—h conteined the Counties of Monmouth Glamorgan Caermarden Cardigan and Brecknock the greatest and most fruitfull part of all Wales but more exposed to the invasion of forrain Nations English Danes Flemmings and Norwegians by whom the Sea-Coasts were from time to time most grievously plagued Insomuch that the Kings and Princes hereof were inforced to remove their seat from Caermarthen where it was fixt at first unto Dynevour Castle as a place of greater strength and safety where it continued till the Princes of it were quite extinct called from hence Kings of Dynevour as before is said The chief Towns of it Caermarthen Monmouth Landaffe S. Davids spoken of alreadie The Kings and Princes as farre I can find upon any certainty are these that follow The Princes of South-Wales A. Ch. 877. 1 Cadel 2 Howel 907. 3 Howel Dha 948. 4 Owen 5 Aeneas 6 Theodore the great 1077. 7 Rhese ap Theodore 1093. 8 Gryffith ap Rhese 9 Rhese II. ap Gryffith 10 Gryffith ap Rhese the last Prince of South-Wales of the Line of Cadel after they had with great strugling maintained their liberty for the space of 300 years and upwards but so that though they still preserved the title of Princes they lost a great part of their Countrie to the Norman-English For in the reign of William Rusus Bernard de Newmark a noble Norman seized upon those parts which now make the Countie of Brecknock being then a fair and goodly Lordship and
England made him stay it out So that his Maxim of no Bishops no King was not made at Random but founded on the sad experience of his own condition And though upon the sense of those inconveniences which that alteration brought upon him he did afterwards with great both Policie and Prudence restore again the Episcopall Order and setled it both by Synodicall Acts and by Acts of Parliament yet the same restless spirit breaking out again in the Reign of his Sons Anno 1638. did violently eject the Bishops and suppress the calling and set up their Presbyteries thorowout the Kingdom as in former times The famous or miraculous things rather of this Countrey are 1 the Lake of Mirton part oâ— whose waters doe congeal in Winter and part of them not 2 That in the Lake of Lennox being 24 miles in compass the Fish are generally without Fins and yet there is great abundance of them 3 That when there is no wind stirring the waters of the said Lake are so tempestuous that no Mariner dares venture on it 4 That there is a stone called the Deaf-stone a foot high and 33 Cubits thick of this rare quality that a Musket shot off on the one side cannot be heard by a man standing on the other If it be otherwise as he must have a strong Faith who beleeves these wonders let Hector Boetius bear the blame out of whom I had it Chief Mountains of this Kingdom are the Cheviot Hills upon the Borders and Mount Grampius spoken of by Taciâ—us the safest shelter of the Picts or Northern Britans against the Romans and of the Scots against the English now called the hills of Albanie or the mountainous Regions of Braid-Albin Out of these springeth the 1 Tay or Taus the fairest River of Scotland falling into the Sea about Dâ—ndec in the East side and 2 the Cluyd emptying it self into Dunbritton Frith on the West side of the Kingdom Other Rivers of most note are the 3 Banoc emptying it self into the Frith of Edenburgh on the banks whereof was sought that fatall battell of Banocks-bourn of which more anon 4 Spey 5 Dee the Ocasa of Ptolomie none of them of any long course by reason that the Countrey Northward is but very narrow In reference to Ecclesiasticall affairs this Kingdom hath been long divided into 13 Dioceses to which the Diocese of Edenburgh taken out of that of S. Andrews hath been lately added and in relation to the Civil into divers Seneschalsies and Sheriffdoms which being for the most part hereditary are no small hinderance to the due execution of Justice So that the readiest way to redress the mischief as King Iames advised is to dispose of them as they fall or Escheat to the Crown according to the laudable custom in that case in England The greatest Friends of the Scots were the French to whom the Scots shewed themselves so faithfull that the French King committed the defence of his Person to a selected number of Scotish Gentlemen and so valiant that they have much hindered the English Victories in France And certainly the French feeling the smart of the English puissance alone have continually heartned the Scots in their attempts against England and hindred all means of making union betwixt them as appeared when they broke the match agreed on between our Edward the sixth and Mary the young Queen of Scots Their greatest enemy was the English who overcame them in many battels seized once upon the Kingdom and had longer kept it if the mountainous and unaccessible woods had not been more advantagious to the 〈◊〉 than their power for so much King Iames seemeth to intimate in his Speech at 〈◊〉 1607. And though saith he the Scots 〈…〉 nour and good fortune never to be conquered yet were they never but on the defensible side and may in paâ—t thank their hills and inaccessible passages that saved them from an utter overthrow at the hands of all them that ever pretended to conquer thâ—m But Jam cunctigens una sumus siâ—â—â—mus in aevum One onely Nation now are we And let us so for ever be The chief Cities are Edenburgh of old called Castrum Alatum in Lothien where is the Kings Palace and the Court of Justice It consisteth chiefly of one street extending in length one mile into which runne many pretty lanes so that the whole compass may be nigh three miles extending from East to West on a rising ground at the Summit or West end whereof standeth a strong and magnificent Castle mounted upon a steep and precipitious Rock which commandeth the Town supposed to be the Castrum Alâ—tum spoken of by Ptolomiâ— Under the command or rather the protection of which Castle and thorough the neighbourhood of Lâ—ith standing on the Fryth and serving as a Port unto it and finally by the advantage of the Courts of Justice and the Court Royall called Holy-Rood-House it soon became rich populous well-traded and the chief of the Kingdom but withall factious and seditious contesting with their Kings or siding against them upon all occasions No way to humble them and keep them in obedience to their Soveraign Lords but by incorporating Leith indulging it the privileges of a City and removing thither the Seat Royall and the Courts of Judicature which they more fear than all the Plagnes that can befall them It belonged in former times to the English-Sâ—xons as all the rest of the Countrey from the Fryth to Barwick from whom oppressed by the tyranny of the Danes it was taken by the Scots and Picts Anno 800. or thereabouts 2 Sterling situate on the South-side of the Forth or Fryth in the Sheriffdom so called a strong Town and beautified withall with a very fair Castle the birth-place of King Iames the sixt the first Monarch of Great Britain Neer to which Town on the banks of the River Bâ—nnock hapned the most memorable discomfiture that the Scots ever gave the English who besides many Lords and 700 Knights and men of note lost in this Fight as the Scotish Writers do report 50000 of the common Soldiers our English Histories confess 10000 and too many of that the King himself Edward the 2d being compelled to slie for his life and safety Some of the Scotish Writers tell us that the purer sort of Silver wâ—ich we call Sterling money did take name from hence they might as well have told us that all our Silver Bullion comes from Bouillon in Luxembourgh or from the Port of Boulâ—gne in France the truth being that it took that name from the Easterlings or Merchants of East Germany drawn into England by King Iohn to refine our Coin 3 Glasco in Cluydsdâ—le honoured with an Archbishops See and a publick School to which some give the name of an University founded here by Archbishop Turnbal Anno 1554. 4 S. Andrews the chief Town of Fife an Archiepiscopall See â—nd an Vniversity by the Latines called Fanum Reguli which and the English name it took from the bones
milder and bear the better fruit And 4ly whereas there was before but one Freeholder in a whole Country which was the Lord himself the rest holding in villenage and being subject to the Lords immeasurable taxations whereby they had no encouragement to build or plant Now the Lords estate was divided into two parts that which he held in demain to himself which was still left unto him and that which was in the hands of his Tenant who had estates made in their possessions according to the Common-Law of England paying in stead of uncertain Irish taxations certain English rents whereby the people have since set their minds upon repairing their houses and manuring their lands to the great increase of the private and publick revenue But that which most advanced the reduction of Ireland to a setled and civil Government and rooted it in a subjection to the Crown of England was the voluntary flight of the Earls of Tyrone Tirconnel Sir Iohn Odaughertic and other great men of the North possessed of large territories and great jurisdictions Who being both uncapable of Loyaltie and impatient of seeing the Kings Iudges Iustices and other Ministers of State to hold their Sessions and execute their Commissions of Oyer and Terminer within the parts where they commanded without more provocation or the fear of any danger but a guilty Conscience forsook the Countrie and left their whole Estates to the Kings disposing By whose directions their Lands were seized upon and sold to severall Purchasers the Citie of London infeoffed in a great part of them a great plantation made in Ulster of English Welch and Scots by the united name of a British Plantation and a new Order of Knights Baronets erected in the Kingdom of England for raising money to advance and indear the Work Which had it been as cordially affected by the English as it was by the Scots if more of this Nation had gone thither and not abandoned so great a part of it to the power of the other it had been better for both Kingdoms in the conformity of each to one form of Government which the Scots being factious for another did not easily brook and the uniting of both people in the bonds of Amitie the Irish looking on the Scot as a meer Intruder but on the English as his old Master or his Follow-Subject Howsoever so great a part of the Countrey and that which heretofore was the nest of the Rebels being thus disposed of it came to pass that Ireland which before served only as a grave to bury our best men and a gulf to swallow our greatest treasures being governed neither as a country Free nor conquer'd was brought in some hope by the prudence and policie of her last Kings and late Lord Deputies to prove an Orderly Common-wealth civill in it self profitable to the Prince and a good strength to the British Empire For to such Order it was redaced in a little time that the wayfaring men might travell without danger the ploughman walk without fear the laws administred in every place alike the men drawn unto villages the woods and fastnesses left to beasts and all reduced to that civility as our fathers never saw nor could we well sample out of antient histories The revenues of this kingdome are said by Walsingham in the time of Edward the third to have been yeerly 40000 pounds but his successors till of late have scarce got so much as the keeping of it cost them King Richard the 2d being by the same Walsingham reported to have spent 30000 marks out of his own purse over and above the money which he received thence Whether this Countrey were so profitable to Edward the third or no I determine not though I find good reasons to perswade me that Walsingham was not well acquainted with the state of that â—xchequer â—ut sure I am that the Revenues of the Crown are more than double what they were in the said Kings reign and more duely paid into the Exchequer of that Kingdom than ever formerly the profits of the Customehouse amounting to 30000 per Annum in the last yeer of King Iames his reign Not to say any thing of the great Improvements which were made by the Earl of Strafford in the time of his Government because they fell together with him The strength of this Kingdom consisteth partly in the situation of it begirt about with difficult and dangerous Seas partly in the many Castles first built and fortified by the English Planters and partly in a standing Armie continually kept up by the Kings of England for defence of their hold and interess against the Rebellions of the Natives What Forces it is able to raise both of Horse and Foot could never be conjectured at till now of late For formerly the Kings of England being actually possessed onely of those four Counties which they called the Pale that is to say the Counties of Dublin Louth Kildare and Meth which last hath since the time of King Henry the 8th been subdived into three were not able to raise any great power out of that Estate but were forced to send Soldiers out of England as occasion was to preserve their Soveraignty in Ireland The greatest Levie which I read of was that of 1500 Irish led by the Prior of Kilmamham to King Henry the fifth then being at the siege of Harflew in Normandie And on the other side the great Lords of the naturall Irish and degenerate English being divided into factions amongst themselves and never joyned in any one principle of common intereâ—s were more inconsiderable than the weak but united forces of the Kings of England And though most of them at the last were drawn into a confederacy with the Earl of Tir-Oen to make good his rebellion yet find I not that their Armie did exceed at any time the number of 8000 men and those not well-appointed neither So that the best estimate which can be made of the forces of Ireland must be measured by the Armies raised in the late Rebellion when the Irishrie had both time and leizure to get themselves some reputation in the world and make provision for a War In prosecution of which he who considers the many Armies they have raised since their first mustering under the command of Sir Phelim O Neal the many defeats which have been given them and those as many new recruits after each defeat all of them raised out of the bodies of their own People without supplie from other Countries besides such as have served against them for the King must needs conclude that they want not men enough for service nor skill nor courage to attempt the most difficult enterprises The Arms of Ireland are Azure an Harpe Or stringed Argent Which Coat King James to shew himself the first absolute King of Ireland first caused to be marshalled with the Royall Arms of Great Britain Reckoned in Ireland at and since the Reformation Arch-Bishops 4. Bishops 19. One
the Councell of Colen in the reign of Constantius the son of Constantine the Great anno 347. But the light hereof being extinguished for a time by those barbarous nations who fell upon these out-parts of the Roman Empire began to shine again on the conversion of the French in all parts of this countrey the Conquests and example of this puissant Nation giving great incouragement thereunto In which as those of other Countries doe not want their honour so the greatest part thereof belongs to the English Saxons Willibrod the first Bishop of Vtrecht Willibald of Aichstat Swibert of Virden Willibald of Breme and specially Boniface the Archbishop of Mentz being most gloriously fortunate in that sacred service The Moravians Boâ—emians and others farther off came not in till afterwards Not fully converted to the faith they began to suck in the corruptions of the Church of Rome discerned and opposed by John Husse and Hierome of Prague Bohemian Divines who by reason of the marriage of King Richard the second of England with the daughter of Wenceslaus Emperour and King of Bohemia had opportunity to be acquainted with the preachings of Wiclef the points of whose Doctrine they approved and propagated But these two being burnt at Constance by the decree of that Councell their followers in Bohemia would not so give over but after many sufferings and much bloudshed obtained at last a toleration of the Emperour Sigismund their King more able to make good his word in his own dominions then he had been to save the two Martyrs from the fire at Constance to whom he had granted his safe conduct for their comming and going In this condition they remained under the name of those of the Sub utraque or Calistini because of their Administring the Sacrament in both kindes till the rising of Luther who justly offended at the impious and unwarrantable Assertions of Frier Tekel and others of the Popes Pardon-mungers first opposed their doings and after questioned that authority by which they acted falling from one point to another till he had shaken the foundations of the Roman Fabrick Of the successe of his undertaking we shall speak more punctually in the Dukedome of Saxony the place of his birth the Scene of this great Action and the proper Sphere of his Activity Suffice it now to say that his doctrine was so well approved of that the Dukes of Saxonie Brunswick Lunenbourg Wirtenberg Mecklenberg and Pomerania the Marquesse of Branderbourg the Lantgraves of Hassia and most of the Free and Imperial Cities did adhere unto it who from their Protestation made at Spires the Imperiall Chamber to that effect anno 1529. had the name of Protestants The next year following they delivered in the Confession of their faith at Auspurg a City of Suevia thence called Confessio Augustana authorized or tolerated at the least after a long war with variable successe on both sides by the Emperour Charles the fift at the Pacification made at Passaw anno 1552. and afterwards more fully at Ausbourg where their Confession had first been tendred anno 1555. In the mean time arose up Zuinglius amongst the Switzers of whose both Doctrine and successe we have spoken there These not communicating Councels went two severall waies especially in the points of Consulstantiation and the Reall presence not reconciled in their times nor like to be agreed upon amongst their followers For Calvin rising into the esteem and place of Zuinglius added some Tenets of his own to the former doctrines touching Predestination Free-will Vniversall Grace Finall perservance points fitter for the Schooles then a popular Auditory by which the differences were widened and the breach made irreparable the cause being followed on both sides with great impatience as if they did not strive so much for truth as victory And of the two those of the Lutheran party seemed more violent though the other was altogether as irreconcilable who could not choose but stomach it to see themselves undermined and blown by a new form of doctrine not tolerated in the Empire but under colour of conformity to the Confession of Ausburg For Zuinglianisme being entertained amongst the French a busie and active people spread it self further in few years then it was propagated by the Switzers men of the same temper with the Dutch in all times before Insomuch as it did not only prevail in France but by the reputation of Calvin and the diligence of his followers was wholly entertained in the Kingdome of Scotland the Netherlands and even in Germanie it self in which it got footing in all the territories of the Counts Palatines of the Rhene in some of the Lantgraves of Hassia in the Imperiall City of Strasburg many of the Hanse-towns and amongst other Princes and Free Cities of inferiour note The rest of Germanie containing the Patrimoniall Estates of the house of Austria the Dukedomes of Bavaria and Lorrain the territories of the three Spirituall Electours and of all the other Bishopricks in the hands of the Clergie some of the Marquesses of Baden part of the subjects of Cleve and but three of the Imperiall Cities and those small ones too that is to say Gmund Vberlinque and Dinekell-Spuell unlesse some more be added by the late great successes of the house of Austria remain in their obedience to the See of Rome yet so that there be many Protestants in Bohemia Austria and in other the Estates of the Popish Princes as there be Papists in the Free Cities of Frankford Nurenberg Vlm Aken and some other places besides the late increase of them in both Palatinates As for the Government of their Churches those that continue in obedience of the See of Rome are under the old form of Archbishops and Bishops co-aevall in all Germanie as in most places else with the faith it self The Calvinists by which name the Zuinglianâ—st now also passeth if not eaten out submit themselves for doctrine discipline and formes of worship to Calvins Modell whereof we have spoke more at large when we were in Geneva And for the Lutherans they have divided the Episcopall function from the Revenues giving those last to some of their younger Princes with the title of Administrators of such a Bishoprick the function or jurisdiction to some of the more eminent Clergie with the title of a Superintendent assigning to them a priority both of place and power before other Ministers which they enjoy for term of life together with some liberall maintenance in proportion to it In other things as habit and title of dignitie they differ not at all from the other Ministers and over them in place of Archbishops they have their generall Superintendents all of them of each sort accomptable to the supreme Ecclesiastical Consistory as formerly to the Provinciall or Nationall Synod made up of Counsellors of State and the heads of the Clergie so that the form is much the same as in elder times the greatest Alteration being in the names and that no other in
And of these Habitations some are presented to us by the names of Ooanoke by the English called the Blinde Town 2 Pemeoke 3 Shycoake said by my Author to be Civitas ampla a large City but we must understand him with Relation to the rest of this Country 4 Chowanoak 5 Secatan 6 Mattaken 7 Weopomioke 8 Pyshokonnok said to be inhabited by none but women 9 Chipano 10 Muscamunge both upon the Sea most of them called by the name of those several Tribes which inhabit in them In reference to the English and their Plantations we are to know that they made choice of the Southside of a large and goodly Bay for the place of their dwelling A Bay which thrusting it self a great way up into this Country and receiving into it many of the Rivers before mentioned is by the Natives called Chesepoack and yeildeth the only safe entrance into this part of the Country the Capes thereof for that cause fortified by the English that on the Southern point being called Cape Henry and the other Cape Charles according to the names of the two young Princes Towns of most note which have been either since built or frequented by them 1 James Town Jacobipolis so named in honour of King Iames on the South-side of that Bay not far from the River Chikahamania first founded in the year 1606 at what time it was trenched about and some Ordnance planted on the Works 2 Henries Town Henricopolis so named in honour of Prince Henry the eldest son of King Iames built in a convenient place more within the Land 80 miles from Iames Town 3 Dales-gift so called because built and planted at the charge of Sir Thomas Dale An. 1610. 4 Bermuda an open Burrough five miles from Henricopolis 5 Ketoughtan a noted and frequented Port in the Bay of Chesepoack very much traded by the English 6 Wicocomoco the chief Town of Pawhatan one of the Roitelets of this Country much courted by the English at their first setling here and a long time after a Crown being sent him by King Iames with many other rich presents the better to sweeten and oblige him but for all that he proved a treacherous and unfaithfull neighbour The sum of the Affairs of this last Plantation is that the business being resumed in the year 1606 and a Commission granted to certain Noblemen and Merchants to advance the work they fell in hand by the Counsell and incouragement of Capt. Smith with the building of Iames Town having first fortified Cape Henry in which Town he fixed a Colony of 100 men These being almost consumed by famine and other miseries were the next year recruited with 120 more brought by Captain Newport but a Fire having casually consumed their houses once again discouraged them But the houses being reedified and a Church added to the houses by the industry of Smith their Governour the Colonie began to flourish and to increase in reputation amongst the Savages especially having made as they believed a friend of Pawhatan In the year 1609. the Lord De la Ware was appointed Governour and Smith commanded to return who left here 490 persons and of them 200 expert Souldiers 3 Ships 7 Boats 24 great Guns 300 Muskets with victuals and ammunition necessary and 39 of their Weroances or Petit-Kings Tributaries and Contributioners to the English Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Summers sent thither with 9 ships and 500 men lost a great part of their numbers in the Isle of Bermudaz the rest not well according with the old Plantation were at the point of returning home when happily the Lord De la Ware arrived with three Ships more An. 1610. But falling into a desperate sickness and come home to England he recommended the estate of the English there to Sir Thomas Dale who furnished them with Men Cattel and other necessaries after whom came Sir Thomas Gates with 300 men and some heads of Cattel And then the Government hereof being conferred on Henry Earl of Southampton the affairs here began to settle in a prosperous way when unexpectedly in the year 1621. the Salvages falling on them fearing no such treacherie killed 340 of their men and had also then surprized James Town if one of the Savages who had received the Christian faith had not discovered their intention Since that recovered of that blow it went happily forwards and might by this time have been raised to some power and greatness if the English by diverting on some by plantations and by imploying indigent and necessitous persons in so great a work had not discouraged the design For certainly one might say of this Plantation as the Scripture doth of the Camp of David in the time of Saul that few or none were sent unto it except the Principals but such as were in distress or debt or some way or other discontented men never likely to advance and pursue a business of such publicke interesse Commendable howsoever in this particular though perhaps that commendation do belong to their Governours that being here they kept themselves constantly to those Forms of Worship which were established and observed in the Church of England As for the Natives of the whole they were divided as was said into several Tribes every Tribe under the command of their several Chiefs which Chiefs though many in number and of little power knew well enough how to keep their State unto their Subjects and to shew it also unto Strangers For when Powhatan was pleased to give audience unto Captain Newport and the rest of the English sent from Smith they found him on a Bed of Mats his Pillow of Leather imbroidered with white Beads and Pearl attired with a Robe of skins like an Irish Mantle at his head and feet an handsom young woman on each side of the room twenty others with their necks and shoulders painted Red and about their necks a great chain of Beads his principal men sitting before them in like manner Yet notwithstanding this great State and great it was indeed for such peâ—it Princes he and the rest became so subject to the English that in Smiths time they did not only pay their Tributes or Contributions but at his command would send their Slaves and Subjects to James-Town to receive correction for wrongs done to the Colonie And it is probable enough that those of New-England being the greater and more powerful Plantation as followed with the stronger zeal and carried on by the united purses of a prevalent Faction were of like influence also amongst the Natives though I find it not expressed in so many particulars 4. The Isles of BERMVDAZ many in number some say 400 at the least are situate directly East from Virginia from which they are distant 500 English miles 3300 of the same miles from the City of London So called from John Bermudaz a Spaniard by whom first discovered Called also the Summer-Ilands from the shipwrack of Sir George Summers upon that Coast so much delighted with the
though some places have been marked out for new Plantations here being little Gold and Silver and consequently not much temptation to draw on the Spaniards to the work OF BRASIL BRASIL is bounded on the East with Mare del Noort or the main Atlantick on the West with some undiscovered Countries lying betwixt it and the Andes on the North with Guiana from which parted by the great River Maragnon and on the South with Paraguay or the Province of Rio de la Plata The reason of the name I find not except it came from the abundance of that wood called Brasil wood which was found amongst them as the famous Isle of Cyprus from its plenty of Cypresses It reacheth from the 29. to the 39. Degree of Southern Latitude or measuring it by miles it is said to be 1500 miles from North to South and 500 miles in breadth from the Sea to the Andes which must be understood with reference to the whole extent of it for otherwise all that which is possessed by the Portugals under the name of Brasil is so short of taking up all the breadth hereof that they possess nothing but the Sea coasts and some few Leagues comparatively within the land the greatest part of it being so far from being conquered that it hath not hitherto been discovered The Country full of Mountains Rivers and Forrests diversified into Hils and Plains always pleasant and green The Air for the most part sound and wholsom by rea on of the fresh winds which do reign amongst them there being all along the Coasts certain quick winds rising from the South about two houres before Noon which do much benefit the Inhabitants yet in regard it is somewhat movst it is hold to be more agreeable to old men then to young The soil in most parts very fruitful were it not cloâ—ed with too much rain but howsoever liberally provided of Sugar câ—nes no one Country more 〈◊〉 of which they have their Ingenios as they call them or Sugar houses in most parts of the Country in which they entertain many thousand slaves brought hither yearly from Guinea and Congo and other maritime parts of Africk A trade in which the Portugals are much delighted and I cannot blame them there being few years in each of which they bring not out of Brasil to Portugal 150000 〈◊〉 of Sugar every Arrobe containing 25 Bushels of our English measure Here is also infinite quantities of that red wood used in dying Cloth which we commonly call Brasil wood but whether the wood took that name from the Country or the Country rather from the wood I determine not the trees whereof are of that incredible greatness that whole families live on an Arm of one of them every tree being as populous as the most of our villages In other Commodities common to them with the other Americans we need not give particular â—â—stance Amongst the Rarities hereof are reckoned 1 the Plant called Copiba the bark of which being cut doth send out a Balm the soveraign verue whereof is to well known to the very Beasts that being but by venemous serpents they reâ—ort unto it for their cure 2 The Herb called Sentida or Viva which toughly touched well close the leaves and not open them again till the man that had offended 〈◊〉 be gone out of sight 3. A kind of Wheat in the Valley neer unto S. Sebastian which is continually 〈◊〉 and alwayes ripe or never wholly â—pe because alwayes growing for when one Ear doth gâ—an another doth bloom when one is ripe and yellow another is green 4 The Oxesish with eyeâ— and eye-lids two arms a cubit long and at each an hand with five fingers and nails as in a man under the arms two tears inwards like a Cow in every female 5 A Creature found of late about the Bay of All Saints which had the face of an Ape the feet of a Lion and all the rest of a man of such a terrible aspect that the Souldier who shot him fell down dead but this I rather look on as an aberration of Nature then a rarity in her 6 Beasts of such strange shapes and such several kinds that it may be said of Brasil as once of Africk Semper aliquid apportat novi every day some new object of Admiration The people here are endowed with a pretty understanding as may seem by him who tartly blamed the covetousness of the Spanish for coming from the other end of the world to dig for Goâ—d and holding up a wedge of Gold cryed out Behold the God of the Christians But in most places they are barbarous the men and women go stark naked and on high festival days hang Jewels in their lips these 〈◊〉 days are when a company of good neighbours come together to be merry over the rosted body of a 〈◊〉 whom they cut in collops called Boucon and eat with great greediness and as much delectation They have two 〈◊〉 qualities as being mindfull of injuries and forgetfull of benefits The Men cruel without measure and the Women infinitely lascivious They cannot pronounce the Letters L. F. R. The reason of which one being demanded made answer because they had amongst them neither Law Faith noâ— Rulers They are able Swimmers as well Women as Men and will stay under water an hour together Women in Travel are here delivered without any great pain and presently go about their business be longing to good housewives The good-man according to the fashion of one kinder sorts of Husbands in England who are said to breed their wives children being sick in their stead and keeping their â—ed so far that he hath â—rothes made him is visited by his 〈◊〉 or Neighbours and hath Junâ—ets sent to comfort him And amongst these there are some Rarities if not Monstrosities in Nature it being said of those which live towards the Andes that they are hairy all over like Beasts such as Orson is fained to have been in the old Romance and probably so ingendred also that the Guaymares disbowell women with childe and roast the children and finally that the savage Nation of Camucuiara have their Paps almost down unto their knees which they tie about their waste when they run or go faster then ordinary Rivers of note I finde not any till I come to Maragnon though that a Boundary rather betwixt this and Guiana then proper unto this alone If any chance to come in our way as we cross the Country we shall not pass them over without some remembrance And so proceed we to the division of the Country not into Provinces or Nations as in other Places but into Praefectures or Captainships as the Portugals call them Of which there are 13 in all which we shall severally touch on as we trace the coast from the Province of Rio de la Plata unto that of Guiana that is to say 1. The Captainship of S. VINCENT bordering on Rio de la Plata inhabited by the most civil People of all