for a more fresh example our people of Meta Incognita of whome and for whome thys discourse is taken in hande that were broughte this last yeare into Englande were all generallie of the same coloure that many Nations be lying in the middest of the middle Zone And this their couloure was not only in the face whiche was subiecte to Sunne and Ayre but also in their bodies which were still couered with garments as oures are yea the very sucking childe of twelue Moneths age hadde his skinne of the very same couloure that most haue vnder the Equinoctiall which thing can not procéede by reason of the clime for that they are at least tenne degrées more towards the North than we in Englande are no the Sunne neuer commeth néere their Zenith by .40 Degrées for in effect they are within thrée or four degrées of that which they call the frosen Zone and as I said fortie degrées from the burning Zone whereby it foloweth that there is some other cause than the Clymate or the Sunnes perpendicular reflection that shoulde cause the Ethiopians great blacknesse And the most probable cause to my iudgemente is that this blacknesse procéedeth of some naturall infection of the first inhabitāts of that Countrey and so all the whole progenie of them descended are still poluted with the same blot of infection Therefore it shall not be farre from our purpose to examine the first originall of these blacke men and how by lineall discente they haue hitherto continued thus blacke It manifestly and plainely appeareth by holy Scripture that after the generall Inundation and ouerflowing of the Earth there remayned no moe mē aliue but Noe his thrée sonnes Sem Cham and Iaphet who only were lefte to possesse inhabit the whole face of the earth therefore all the land that vntill this daye hath bin inhabited by sundry discents must néedes come of the ofspring eyther of Sem Cham or Iaphet as the onely sonnes of Noe who all thrée being white and their wiues also by course of nature should haue begotten and brought forth white children But the enuie of our great and continuall enimie the wicked Spirit is such that as he could not suffer our old Father Adam to liue in the felicitie Angelike state wherein he was first created but tempting him sought procured his ruine fal So againe finding at this floud none but a father and thrée sonnes liuing he so caused one of them to transgresse disobey his fathers commandement that after him all his posteritie shoulde be accursed The fact of disobedience was this When Noe at the commandement of God had made entred the Arke the fludgates of Heauen were opened so that the whole face of the earth euery trée Mountaine was couered with abundāce of water he straitely commanded his sonnes their wiues that they should with reuerence feare behold the iustice and mighty power of God that during the time of the floud while they remained in the Arke they should vse cōtinēcie absteine frō carnall copulation with their wiues many other preceptes he gaue vnto thē admonitions touching the iustice of God in reuenging sinne his mercie in deliuering thē who nothing deserued it Which good instructions exhortatiōs notwithstāding his wicked sonne C ham disobeyed and being persuaded that the first child borne after the floud by right law of nature should inherit possesse all the dominion of the earth he contrarie to his fathers commandement while they were yet in the Arke vsed cōpany with his wife craftily went about thereby to disinherit the ofspring of his other two bréethren for the which wicked and detestable fact as an example for contempte of Almightie God and disobedience of parents God would a sonne shuld be borne whose name was Chus who not only it selfe but all his posteritie after him should be so blacke lothsome that it might remaine a spectacle of disobedience to all the World. And of this blacke cursed Chus came al these blacke Moores which are in Africa for after the water was vanished frō off the face of the earth and that the land was drie Sem chose that part of the land to inhabit in which now is called Asia and Iaphet had that which nowe is called Europa wherin we dwel and Africa remained for Cham his blacke sonne Chus was called Chamesis after the fathers name being perhaps a cursed dry sandy vnfruteful groūd fit for such a generatiō to inhabit in Thus you sée that the cause of the Ethiopians blacknesse is the curse infection of bloud not the distemperature of the clymate which also may be proued by this example that these black men are found in all partes of Africa as well withoute the Tropicks as within euen vnto Capo d'buona Speranza Southward where by reason of the Sphere should be the same temperature as is in Spayne Laddigna and Sicilia where all be of very good complexions Wherefore I conclude that the blacknesse procéedeth not of the hotenesse of the Clime but as I sayd of the infection of bloud and therfore this their argumente gathered of the Africans blacknesse is not able to destroy the temperature of the middle Zone We may therefore very well be assertayned that vnder the Equinoctiall is the most pleasant and delectable place of the worlde to dwell in where although the Sunne for two houres in a yeare be directe ouer their heads and therefore the heate at that time somewhat of force yet bycause it commeth so seldome and continueth so small a time when it commeth it is not to be wayed but rather the moderate heate of other times is all the yeare to be remembred And if the heate at any time should in the shorte daye ware somewhat vrgent the coldnesse of the long night there would easilie refreshe it according as Honterus sayth speaking of the temperature vnder the Equinoctiall Quodque die solis violento incanduit aestu Humida nox reficit paribusque refrigerat horis If the heate of the Sunne in the day time doe burne or parch any thing the moysture of the nighte dothe coole and refresh the same againe the Sunne being as long absente in the night as it was present in the day Also our Author of the Sphere Iohannes d' Sacro bosco in the Chapter of the Zodiacke deriueth the Etimologie of Zodiacus of the Gréeke word Zoe whiche in Latin signifyeth Vita life for out of Aristotle he alledgeth that Secundum accessum recessum solis in Zodiaco fiunt generationes corruptiones in rebus inferioribus according to the Sunnes going to and fro in the Zodiake the inferiour bodies take their causes of generation and corruption Then it foloweth that where there is most going too and fro there is most generation and corruption whiche must néedes be betwéene the two Tropikes for there the Sunne goeth too and
vse after one yéere or two the ayre woulde séeme to hym more temperate It was compted a greate matter in the olde time that there was a brasse pot broken in sunder with frosen water in Ponthus which after was broughte and shewed in Delphis in token of a miraculous cold region and Winter and therefore consecrated to the Temple of Apollo This effecte being wroughte in the Paralell of .48 degrées in latitude it was presentlye compted a place verye hardly and vneasily to be inhabited for the greate cold And howe then can suche men define vppon other Regions very farre without that Paralell where they were inhabited or not séeing that in so neare a place they so grossely mistooke the matter and others their followers being conteÌ„ted with the inuentions of the olde Authors haue persisted willingly in the same opinion with more confidence thaÌ„ consideration of the cause so lightly was that opinion receiued as touching the vnhabitable Clime neare vnder the Poles Therfore I am at this present to proue that al the land lying betwéene the laste climate euen vnto the point directly vnder either Poles is or maye be inhabited especially of suche creatures as are ingendred and bredde therein For indéed it is to be confessed that some particular liuing creature cannot liue in euery particular place or region especially wyth the same ioy and felicitie as it did where it was firste bredde for the certaine agréement of nature that is betwéene the place and the thing bredde in that place as appeareth by the Elephant which being translated and brought out of the second or third climate though they may liue yet will they neuer ingender or bring forth yong Also wée sée the like in many kinds of plants and hearbs for example the OraÌ„ge trée although in Naples they bring forth fruit abundantly in Rome and Florence they wil beare only faire gréene leaues but not any fruite and translated into England they will hardly beare either flowers fruite or leaues but are the next winter pinched and withered with colde yet it followeth not for this that England Rome and Florence should not be habitable In the prouing of these colde regions habitable I shall be verye shorte bicause the same reasons serue for this purpose which were alleaged before in the prouing the middle Zone to be temperate especially séeing al heate cold procéede from the Sunne by the meanes eyther of the Angle his beames doeth make with the Horizon or else by the long or shorte continuance of the Suns presence aboue ground so that if the Sunnes beames do beate perpendicularlye at righte Angles then there is one cause of heate and if the Sunne doe also long continue aboue the Horizon then the heate thereby is muche encreased by accesse of this other cause and so groweth to a kind of extremitie And these .ij. causes as I said before doe moste concurre vnder the two Tropickes and therefore there is the greatest heate of the worlde And likewise where both these causes are most absent there is greatest want of heate and encrease of colde séeing that colde is nothing but the priuation and absence of heat and if one cause be wanting and the other present the effect will growe indifferent Therefore this is to bée vnderstanded that the nearer anye region is to the Equinoctiall the higher the Sunne doeth rise ouer their heads at noone so maketh either righte or neare righte angles but the Sun tarryeth with them so much the shorter time causeth shorter dayes with longer and colder nights to restore the domage of the daye paste by reasoÌ„ of the moisture consumed by vapour But in such regions ouer the which the Sun riseth lower as in regions extended towardes eyther pole it maketh there vnequall Angles but the Sunne continueth longer and maketh longer dayes causeth so much shorter and warmer nights as retayning warme vapoures of the daye paste For there are found by experience Sommer nights in Scotland and Gothland very hot when vnder the Equinoctiall they are found very colde This benefite of the Sunnes long continuaunce and encrease of the day doth augment so muche the more in colde regions as they are nearer the poles and ceaseth not encreasing vntil it come directly vnder the point of the Pole Articke where the Sunne continueth aboue grounde the space of sixe moneths or halfe a yeare togither so the daye is halfe a yere long that is the time of the Suns being in the North signes from the first degrée of Aries vntil the last of Virgo that is all the time from our .10 day of March vntill the .14 of September The Sun therfore during the time of these .6 moneths without any offence or hindraunce of the nighte gyueth his influence vpon those landes with heate that neuer ceaseth during that time which maketh to the great increase of Sommer by reason of the Sunnes continuaunce Therfore it followeth that though the Sunne be not there very high ouer their heads to cause right angle beams to giue great heate yet the Sun being there sometimes almâ—â—t 24. degrées high doth caste a conuenient and meane heate which there continueth without hinderaunce of the nighte the space of six moneths as is before saide during whiche time there foloweth to be a conuenient moderate and temperate heat or else rather it is to be suspected the heat there to be very great both for continuance also Quia virtus vnita crescit the vertue and strength of heat vnited in one encreaseth If then there be suche a moderate heat vnder the Poles and the same to continue so long time what shoulde moue the olde writers to say there cannot be place for habitation And that the certaintie of this temperate heat vnder both the Poles might more manifestlye appeare lette vs consider the position qualitie of the Sphere the length of the day and so to gather the heighte of the Sunne at all times and by consequent the quantitie of his Angle and so lastely the strength of his heate Those landes and regions lying vnder the pole and hauing the Pole for their Zenith muste néedes haue the Equinoctiall circle for their Horizon therefore the Sunne entring into the North signes and describing euery .24 houres a Paralell to the Equinoctiall by the diurnall motion of Primum Mobile the same Paralels must néedes be wholy aboue the Horizon and so looke howe many degrées there are froÌ„ the fyrst of Aries to the last of Virgo so many whole reuolutions there are aboue theyr Horizon that dwell vnder the Pole whiche amounteth to .182 and so manye of oure dayes the Sunne continueth with them During whiche tyme they haue there continuall daye and lighte withoute anye hinderaunce of moiste nightes Yet it is to be noted that the Sunne being in the fyrst degrée of Aries and laste degrée of Virgo maketh his reuolution in the very Horizon so that in these
places a fruitefull â—oyâ—e and is not yet thorowly discouered but onlâ—e seene and touched on the North edge therof by the trauaile of the Portingales and Spaniards in their voyages to their East and Weast Indies It is included almost by a Paralell passing at .40 degrées in South latitude yet in some places it reacheth into the Sea with greate Promontories euen vnto the Tropicke Capricornus Onely these partes of it are beste knowen as euer against Capo d'buona Speranza â—where the Portingales 〈◊〉 Popingayes commonly of a wonderfull greatnesse and againe it is knowen at the South side of the straight of Magellanus and is called Terra del Fuegâ— It is thoughte this Southlande about the pole Antarâ—â—ke is farre bigger than the North land aboute the pole Articke but wheâ—her it be so or not we haue no certaine kâ—owâ—â—dge for we haue no particular description hereof as wâ— hâ—ue of the lande vnder and aboute the North pâ—le Thus I haue briefly â—utted bounded out all the parts oâ— the Earth according vnto thys latter diuision into siâ—e pâ—rts Which that iâ— might be more apparant sensible to euery mans vnderstaÌ„dingâ— I haue here vnto adioyned an vniuersall Map wherein my minde was to make knowne â—o the eye what Countries haue béene discouered of late yeares and what before of olde time The olde knowne partes haue their bounâ—es traced and drawen with whole lines the newâ— disâ—ouâ—râ—d Câ—uâ—triâ—s 〈…〉 â—ounâ—s drawâ—n wâ—th poâ—nts or brokeâ— lâ—nâ—â— wâ—â—rbâ— the 〈◊〉 shâ—ll at the firste sight see both the shape and faâ—hâ—on of the whole vnâ—uersall face of the Earth compared alâ—â—ogâ—ther and also all the seuerall partes theâ—â—of wâ—ether â—hey were of old timâ— discouered or of lâ—te yeares thâ— wâ—â—ch Mâ—ppe though it be roughly framâ—d wâ—thoute degrees of Longitude or Lâ—titude yet is it sufficâ—ent for the purpose it wâ—s ordeyned for heerein as in all the rest of this diâ—coâ—rse of the thrée voyages of our woâ—thâ— Generall Captâ—â—ne Fâ—obisher my intente is more to sette out simply the true and playne procéeding and handling of thâ— wholâ— mâ—tter than to vse circumstance of many words oâ— fâ—ne â—loquent phrases wherein if I shoulde once goe about to â—nâ—angle my selfe it would doe nothing else but bewray my owne ignorance and lacke of Schole skâ—ll Theâ—efore of me there is nothing else to be loked for but such playne talke and writing as Souldyers and Marriners doe vse in theyr dayly méetings and voyages and this of necessâ—tâ—e must anye man vse that will deale with suche a mâ—tter as thys is although he wâ—re curious to the contrâ—rie By this discourse and Mappe is to be séene the vâ—liante courâ—ges of men in this later age within thâ—sâ— 8â— yeares that haue so muche enlarged the boundâ—â— oâ— the Woâ—ldeâ— that now we haue twice and thrice so muâ—â—e sâ—oâ—e for â—ure earthlie pâ—â—â—grination as we haue hadâ—e in 〈…〉 so thâ—t nowe men neede no more contentâ—ouâ—â—â— to 〈◊〉 for roâ—me to buiâ—d an house on or for a little 〈…〉 of one acre or two when greate Countrâ—â—s 〈…〉 Worldes offer and reache out themselues 〈…〉 will first voutsaâ—e to possesse inhabite and 〈…〉 there are Countreys yet remayning 〈…〉 and possessors whiche are fertile to bâ—â—â—g forth 〈…〉 of corne and grayne infinite sortes of lande 〈…〉 Horse Elephantes Kinâ— Shéepe great varietie 〈…〉 Fowles of the ayre as Phâ—sants Partridge Quayle Poâ—â—ngeys Ostridges c. infinitâ— kinde of fruts as Almonds â—ates Quinces Pomgranats Oringes c. holesome mediemâ—ble and delectable Greate varietie of floures câ—ntinuâ—llie springing Winter and Sommer beautifull for couloure odorifâ—rous and comfortable Abundance of faire hilles and valleys furnished with all maner woddes and pleasante riuers Millions of newe fashions and strange beastes aâ—d fishes both in Sea and fresh waters Mountaines bringing forth aâ—l maner of Mettals as gold siluer yronâ— c. All sorts of pretious stones and spices in al which land waâ—teth nothing that may be desired eyther for pleasurâ— pâ—ofite or â—ecessarie vsâ—s which sundry Countreys to possesse and obteâ—ne as it is an easie thiâ—g so would I not haue our Englishe Nation to be slacke therein leâ—st perhâ—ppes agayne they ouershoote themselues in refusing ocâ—casion offered as it was in the time of King Henry the seauenth when all the West Indies were firste prâ—fered to the Englisâ—men to be giuen into their handes whiche they little regarding was aftâ—â—wâ—rd offerâ—d to the Spanyâ—rdes who presently aâ—cepted thâ— occasion and now enioy the infinite treasure and commoâ—itie thereof I would not wishe Englishmeâ— to bâ— newe vnlike themselues â—or in all the later discouerieâ— the Englishe nâ—tion hath bin as forwâ—rd as anâ— other â—s firstâ—â— by their Nauigations Northâ—â—stward the bouÌ„ds of Europe wer made perfâ—ct on the North syde for Ptolomie Stâ—abo and al other Geogrâ—phers â—eâ—te it desâ—ribed but onelâ— to the Ilandes Orcadâ—s iâ— Iâ—elande and Hyperboreos Montes in Sarmaâ—iâ— aâ—d finding the lâ—nd on â—he North sidâ— oâ— â—â—rmâ—ny Poland Moscouia and Asia 〈◊〉 eâ—tend Northwâ—â—d â—hey leâ—t â—onâ—uâ—â—dly â— knâ—w â—ot whether it reâ—câ—ed to the Polâ— as one 〈…〉 or 〈…〉 voyage hath since bin perfected by the two bréethren the Borowes other valiant yong meÌ„ of our time Eastward beyonde the great Riuer Obij as farre as the Empire of the great Cam or Cane of Tartariâ— as â—ppéereth in my general Map by the pricked bouÌ„ds therof Thâ—t voyage was then takeÌ„ in hand of the valiant Knight with preteÌ„ce to haue gone Eastward to the rich CouÌ„trey of Catâ—ya was grouÌ„ded briefely vpon these reasons First bicause ther was a Unicornes horne found vpon the coast of Tartaâ—ia by the Riuer Obij which said he was like by no other ways to come thither but froÌ„ India or Câ—taya where the saide Unicornes are only fouÌ„d that by some sea bringing it thither Also a fishermaÌ„ of Tartariâ— reported that he sailed verye farre South eastward found no end of sea or likelyhoode therof Lastly a Tartarian inhabiting néere the Scithian Seâ— reported such a streame and currant to runne there coÌ„tinuallyâ— towards the West that if you cast any thing therein it would presently be caried out of your sight towards the West whereby necessarilâ— foloweth ther should be some passage to some largâ—r sea wherin this coÌ„â—inuaâ—l streame might emptie it self And by the experience of this voâ—age it wâ—s found that the frosen â—ones were not frosâ—n buâ— hâ—b table and nauigable a thing that almost all the old Philosophers did deny went about with sundry reasons â—o impugne â—or â—n this voyage to Moscouiâ— our men passed beâ—ond .72 degrées in Noâ—th Latitude wheras the frosen Zone beginneth at .66 dâ—grées a halfe This enterprise althogh it tâ—ke not effâ—ct to find the passage to Cataya Eastwâ—rd bâ—câ—use the worthy knight the chiefe Author therof dyed in the way thither yet hath it bin very beneficiall to England in finding out the trade to S. Nicholas both for the maintenâ—nce of the Nâ—uâ—e the yerely profit is reaped therby
fro most and no where else but there Therefore betwéene the two Tropikes that is in the midle Zone is greatest increase multiplication generation and corruption of things which also we find by experience for there is Sommer twice in the yeare and twice Winter so that they haue two Haruests in the yeare and continuall spring Seing then the middle Zone falleth out so temperate it resteth to declare where the hotest part of the World should be for we fynde some places more hote than others To answere this doubt reason persuadeth the hotest place in the Worlde to be vnder and about the two Tropickes for there more than in anye other place doe both the causes of heate concurre that is the perpendicular falling of the Sunne beames at righte Angles and a greater continuance of the Sunne aboue the Horison the Pole there being eleuated thrée or foure and twentie degrées And as before I concluded that though the Sunne were perpendicular to them vnder the Equinoctiall yet bycause the same continued but a small tyme theyr dayes being short and theyr nightes long and theyr spéedie departure of the Sunne from their Zenith bycause of the suddayne crossing of the Zodiake with the Equinoctiall and that by such continuall course and recourse of hote and cold the temperature grew moderate So now to theÌ„ vnder the two Tropikes the Sun hauing once by his proper permotioÌ„ declined .20 degrées from the Equinoctial beginneth to draw néere theyr Zenith which may bée as before aboute the eleuenth day of May and then beginneth to send his beames almost at right Angles about which tyme the Sunne entreth into the first degrée of Gemini and with this almost right Angle the Sunne beames will continue vntill it be past Cancer that is the space of two Monethes euery day at noone almost perpendicular ouer their heads being then the time of Soâ—stitium Aestiuale whiche so long continuance of the Sun aboute their Zenith maye cause an extreame heate if anye be in the world but of necessitie farre more heate than can bée vnder the Equinoctiall where the Sunne hathe no suche long abode in the Zenith but passeth away therehence very quickly Also vnder the Tropikes the day is longer by an houre and a halfe than it is vnder the Equinoctiall wherefore the heate of the Sunne hauing a longer tyme of operation must néedes be encreased especially séeing the nighte wherein colde and moysture doe abounde vnder the Tropikes is lesse than it is vnder the Equinoctiall Therefore I gather that vnder the Tropikes is the hotest place not onely of Torrida Zona but of any other parte of the Worlde especially bycause there both causes of heate doe concurre that is the perpendicular falling of the Sunne beames two Monethes togyther and the longer abode of the Sunnes presence aboue the Horison And by this meanes more at large is proued that Marochus in Sommer is farre more hote than at any tyme vnder the Equinoctiall bycause it is scituate so néere the Tropike Cancer and also for the length of their dayes Neyther yet doe I thynke that the Regions scituate vnder the Tropikes are not habitable for they are founde to be verye frutefull also although Marochus and some other partes of Africa néere the Tropike for the drynesse of the natiue sandie soyle and some accidentes maye séeme to some to be intemperate for ouermuch heate For Ferdinandus Ouiedus speaking of Cuba and Hispaniola Ilands of America lying hard vnder or by the Tropike Cancer sayeth that these Ilandes haue as good pasture for Cattell as anye other Countrey in the world Also they haue most holesome and cléere water and temperate ayre by reason whereof the heards of Beasâ—es are muche bigger fatter and of better tast then any in Spayne bycause of the rancke pasture whose moysture is better digested in the hearbe or grasse by continuall and temperate heate of the Sunne whereby being made more fatte and vnctious it is of better and more stedfast nourishment For continuall and temperate heate dothe not only draw much moysture out of the earth to the nourishmente of suche things as growe and are engendred in that Clime but dothe also by moderation preserue the same from putrifying digesting also and condensating or thickning the sayd moyst nourishmente into a gummie and vnctious substance whereby appeareth also that vnder the Tropikes is both holesome frutefull and pleasant habitation whereby lastly it followeth that al the middle Zone whiche vntyll of late dayes hathe bin compted and called the burning broyling and parched Zone is now found to bée the most delicate temperate commodious pleasaunte and delectable part of the World and especially vnder the Equinoctiall Hauyng nowe sufficiently at large declared the temperature of the middle Zone it remayneth to speake somewhat also of the moderate and continuall heate in colde Regions as well in the nighte as in the day all the Sommer long and also how these Regions are habitable to the inhabitantes of the same contrarie to the opinion of the olde writers Of the temperature of colde Regions all the Sommer long and also hovve in Winter the same is habitable especially to the inhabitants thereof THe colde Regions of the Worlde are those whiche tending towarde the Pole Artike and Antartike are without the circuit or bounds of the seauen Climates which agréeable to the opinion of the old Writers is founde and sette out in oure Authour of the Sphere Iohannes de Sacrobosco where hée playnely sayeth that without the seauenth Climate which is bounded by a Paralell passing at fiftie degrées in Latitude all the habitation beyonde that to be discommodious and intollerable but Gemma Phrisius a late writer finding England and Scotland to be withoute the compasse of those climates wherein he knew to be very temperate and good habitation added therevnto two other Climates the vttermost Paralell whereof passeth by .56 degrées in Latitude and therein comprehendeth ouer and aboue the first computation England Scotland Denmarke Moscouia c. which all are rich and mightie Kingdomes The old writers perswaded by bare coniecture wente aboute to determine of those places by comparing them to their owne complexions bycause they felt them to be hardlie tolerable to themselues and so toke thereby an argument of the whole habitable earth as if a Man borne in Morochus or other part of Barbarie should at the later end of Sommer vpon the suddayne eyther naked or with hys thinne vesture be broughte into England he woulde iudge this Region presently not to be habitable bycause he being broughte vp in so warme a Countrey is not able héere to liue for so sodaine an alteration of the colde ayre but if the same man hadde come at the beginning of Sommer and so afterwarde by little and little by certaine degrées had felt acquainted himselfe with the Frost of Autumne it would haue séemed by degrées to harden him and so to make it far more tollerable and by