Rivulets 14. At Glassenbury in Somersetshire are several ancient Pyramids mention'd by William of Malmsbury with imperfect Inscriptions but why when and by whom erected is meerly conjectural 15. In the Cathedral of Exeter is an Organ which is reckon'd the largest of any in England the greatest Pipe belonging to it being fifteen Inches Diameter which is more by two than the celebrated Organ of Ulm. 16. In Dover-Castle is an old Table hung up which imports that Julius Caesar landed upon that Part of the English Coast Lastly In the County of Surry is the English Anas or the River Mole which loseth it self under Ground and ariseth again at some considerable distance as doth also Recall in the North-Riding of Yorkshire Cambden page 155 and 754. To these Rarities abovemention'd I might here add some Stupendious Fabricks in this Kingdom which may be fitly term'd Art's Master-Pieces But to descend to particulars would swell this Paragraph to a disproportionable bigness Archbishopricks in this Kingdom are Two viz. those of Canterbury and York The Archbishop of Canterbury hath the Precedency of York and is stil'd Primate of all England the other being also Primate of England but not of all England A Controversy hotly debated between these two Archiepiscopal Sees but at last determin'd in favour of the former Bishopricks in this Kingdom including Wales are those of London Chichester Carlisle Durham Salisbury Exeter Winchester Worcester Chester Bath and Wells Lincoln Bristol Oxford St. Asaph Norwich Bangor St. Davids Glocester Rochester Peterborough Hereford Eli Landaff Litchfield and Coventry In point of Place after the two Archbishops followeth the Bishop of London next to him the Bishop of Durham 3dly the Bishop of Winchester and then all the rest according to the Seniority of their Consecration Universities of this Kingdom are those famous Seats of the Muses or two Eyes of England term'd Oxford and Cambridge which for magnificent Buildings rich Endowments ample Priviledges as also number of Students Libraries and learned Men are inferior to none or rather not to be parallel'd by any in the World The Names of the respective Colleges and Halls in each of these Universities the most of which do surpass many of our Foreign Universities are as followeth In Oxford are In Cambridge are University Magdalen Peterhouse Baliol Brazen-Nose Clare-Hall Merton Corpus Christi Bennet or Corpus Christi Oriel Christ-Church Pembroke-Hall Exeter Trinity Trinity-Hall Queen's St. John's Gonvil and Caius New-College Jesus King's College Lincoln Wadham Queen's College All-Souls Pembroke Catherine-Hall Jesus-College Halls are Seven viz. Christ-College St. John's College Glocester Alban Magdalen-College St. Edmund St. Mary Trinity-College Magdalen New-Inn Emanuel-College Hart Sidney-Sussex The English being originally a mixture of divers Northern and Southern Nations do still retain in their Humour a just Mean betwixt those two Extreams for the dull Saturnine Genius of the one and the hot Mercurial Temper of the other meeting in their Constitutions render them Ingenious and Active yet Solid and Persovering which nourisht under a sutable Liberty inspires a Courage both generous and lasting This happy temperament of Spirit wherewith this People is endu'd doth eminently appear to the World by that mighty Inclination they always had and still have both to Arms and Arts and that wonderful Progress they have hitherto made in each of them For the matchless Valour and Bravery the singular Prudence and Conduct of the English Nation both by Sea and Land is so universally known and hath been so frequently manifested in most Parts of the World that many Potent States and Kingdoms have felt the Dint of their Sword and been constrain'd to yield to the Force of their Arms. They have also so effectually appli'd themselves to all sorts of Ingenious Literature since the happy Days of our Reformation and are advanc'd to such a Pitch of True and Solid Learning that they may justly claim a true Title to the Empire of Human Knowledge Finally their manner of Writing whether for Solidity of Matter Force of Argument or Elegancy of Stile is indeed so transcendently Excellent that no Nation hath yet surpass'd the English and none can justly pretend to equal them The English Language being a mixture of the old Saxon and Norman one a Dialect of the Teutonic and the other of the French having also some Tincture of the Ancient British Roman and Danish Tongues is much refin'd of late and now deservedly reckon'd as Copious Expressive and Manly a Tongue as any in Europe Harangues in this Language are capable of all the delightful Flowers of Rhetorick and lively Strains of the truest Eloquence nothing inferior to the most fluent Orations pronounc'd of old by the best of the Roman Orators In a word 't is a Language that 's rightly calculated for the Masculine Genius of those who own it Pater-Noster in the English Tongue runs thus Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Kingdom of England is a famous Ancient and Hereditary Monarchy a Monarchy which can seldom admit of any Inter-regnum and therefore is free from many Misfortunes to which Elective Kingdoms are subject yea such a Monarchy in the Words of that Worthy Gentlemen Dr. Chamberlain Author of the Present State of England as that by the necessary subordinate Concurrence of the Lords and Commons in making and repealing of Statutes or Acts of Parliament it hath the main Advantages of an Aristocracy and Democracy and yet free from the Disadvantages and Evils of either In short 't is a Monarchy continues the aforesaid Author as by most admirable Temperament affords very much to the Industry Liberty and Happiness of the Subject and reserves enough for the Majesty and Prerogative of any King who will own his People as Subjects not as Slaves Chief Persons of this Realm after the King and Princes of the Blood are the Great Officers of the Crown who are commonly reckon'd Nine in number viz. 1. Lord High-Steward of England an Officer indeed so great or whose Power was esteem'd so exorbitant that it hath been discontinued ever since the Days of John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster his Son Henry of Bullingbrook being the last who had a State of Inheritance in that High Office and is now confert'd by the King upon some of the Chief Peers only pro illa vice as upon occasion of the Crowning of a New King or the Arraignment of a Peer of the Realm for Treason Felony or such like 2 The Lord High-Chancellor whose Office is to keep the King 's Great Seal to moderate the Rigor of the Law in judging according to Equity and not according to the Common Law He also disposeth of all Ecclesiastical Benesices in the King's Gift if valued under 20 l. a Year in the King's Book In case there be no Chancellor then the Lord Keeper is the same in Authority Power Precedence only different in Patent 3 The Lord High Treasurer whose Office as being Praefectus Aerarii
their worldly Estate for that noble Undertaking which might probably be less subject to Abuses than erecting and endowing of Hospitals Alms-houses and such like that in process of time such a stock of Money might be settl'd in a sure Fund as yearly to afford a desirable Competency to a continued Set of Men who should be found sussiciently able and willing to labour in that most Christian Design §. 6. New York THIS Country discover'd Anno 1608. by Mr. Hudson is term'd by the Italians Yorke Nouella by the Spaniards Nuevo York by the French Nouvelle Yorke by the Germans New Yorke and by the English New York so call'd from the then Duke of York for it being sold by Mr. Hudson to the Dutch without leave from his Master the King of England and they keeping Possession thereof under the Name of New Netherland till the Year 1664. 't was then reduc'd to the English Crown whereupon King Charles the II. by special Writ made his Royal Brother the Duke of York Proprietor of it from whom as aforesaid it derives its Name The Air of this Country is commonly reputed to be much the same with that of New England The opposite Place of the Globe to New York is that part of the East-Indian Ocean lying between 120 and 130 Degrees of Longitude with 40 and 42 Degrees of South Latitude The Soil of this Country as also Long Island is by general Relation so rich that one Bushel of European Wheat doth ordinarily produce an hundred in many places It aboundeth likeways with most sorts of English Grain Herbs and Fruits and produceth excellent Tobacco as also Melons Pumpkins c. The length of the Days and Nights in this Country is the same as in the Kingdom of Naples they both lying under the same Parallels of Latitude The chief Commodities of this Country are Tobacco Bever Otter Ratoon Deer and Elk-Skins and other costly Furs for which the English and Dutch trade with the Natives In divers Parts of New York especially those nigh unto and upon the Banks of the River Connecticut grows a sort of Snake-Weed whose Root is much esteem'd off for the Biting of the Rattle-Snake Being pulveriz'd it hath an excellent Fragrant Smell and a good Aromatick Taste but seems different from the Serpentaria of the Shops Archbishopricks Bishopricks Universities None The Natives of this Country especially those of Long Island are by mortal Diseases and frequent Wars among themselves reduc'd to a small number Some of 'em are now serviceable to the English and the rest spend their time commonly in Hunting Fowling and Fishing especially the Men who remove from place to place and leave their Wives for Tilling the Ground and Planting the Corn. They 're much given of late to Drinking and frequently intoxicate themselves with strong European Liquors The Inhabitants of this Country being English and a few Dutch do use the Languages peculiar to their respective Countries The Natives speak a very unpleasant Dialect of the Indian Tongue The Natives of this Country are govern'd by their peculiar Sachems who are said to advise with their chief Councellors in Matters of Importance but still to pronounce the definitive Sentence themselves which their People commonly receive with great Applause The English here residing are subject unto and rul'd by their own Governor authorized and sent over by His Majesty the King of Great Britain The English here residing are much the same in Point of Religion with those here in England But the Natives are still in the dark and addicted to the blackest Idolative the generality of 'em being said to Worship the Devil under the Name of Monetto to whom they frequently address themselves with a kind of Magical Rites and their Priests call'd Pawaws do act as so many Conjurers §. 7. New Jersey THIS Country discover'd by the English under the Conduct of the two Cabots Anno 1497. and lately divided into East and West Jersey is term'd by the Italians Jerscia Nouella by the Spaniards Nuevo Jersey by the French Nouvelle Jersey by the Germans Neu Jerseii and by the English New Jersey so call'd from the Island Jersey in the British Channel but why so term'd is somewhat dubious The Air of this Country is esteem'd abundantly healthful to breath in and agreeable enough to English Constitutions as sufficiently appears from the long Experience of many Planters The opposite Place of the Globe to New Jersey is that part of the vast Indian Ocean lying between 120 and 130 Degrees of Longitude with 39 and 41 Degrees of Southern Latitude The Soil is not every where the same being in some Parts extraordinary good and in others very indifferent But 't is generally believ'd to prove much better after the felling of the Timber and clearing the Ground in which the Colony begins now to make a good Progress The length of the Days and Nights in this Country is the same as in the South of Italy they both lying under the same Parallels of Latitude The chief Commodities exported hence for England are Whale-Oyl Whale-Fins Bever Monkey Ratoon and Martin-Skins As also Beef Pork Corn Butter and Cheese to the adjacent Islands As the principal Observables of New Jersey we may reckon some rare Plants growing in divers Parts of that Country and easily found by the curious Botanist if only at the pains to make a search proportionable to his Curiosity Here also is that huge Creature call'd the Moose of whose Skin they make excellent Buff. Archbishopricks Bishopricks Universities None The Natives of this Country fewer in number than in most of the adjacent Colonies are generally reckon'd a very simple and innocent sort of People and many of 'em are now become very serviceable to the Planters The English here residing are much the same in Manners with those in England All that can be said of the Language of the Natives of this Country is in general that 't is one of the many different Dialects of the Indian Tongue Those of the Plantation retain and use their own Language This Country being divided into a certain number of Shares or Proprieties out of each Propriety is Annually chosen a Freeholder by the Inhabitants thereof These Freeholders meet at a certain time of the Year as a General Assembly or compleat Representative Body of the whole Colony In that Assembly together with the Governor or his Deputy is lodg'd the Legislative Power in making or repealing of Laws relating to the whole Province but still with this Restriction that they no ways infringe that Liberty of Conscience at first establisht and that by an irrevocable Fundamental Constitution never to be alter'd by any subsequent Law whatsoever No Tax or Subsidy Rates or Services are to be impos'd upon the People but by and with the Consent of their Representatives in that Assembly The English here residing are of different
Sorsaparilla Turmerick Snakes-Root c. What chiefly deserves the Epithet of Rare in Carolina is a certain Herb which goes by the Name of the Country and remarkable for its long red Root which draws upon Paper good red Lines but answers not in Dying Archbishopricks Bishopricks Universities None The Natives of this Country being naturally Men of good Courage and for a long time at Wars among themselves are mightily diminish'd in their Number by what they were But those remaining are generally Persons of a good agreeable Temper and maintain a firm Friendship with our Colony The English here residing are the same in Manners with those here in England The Natives have a particular Jargon of their own which sounds very harsh to the Ear and seems to Strangers extreamly hard if not impossible to be acquir'd The English use their own Language King Charles II. having granted Carolina by Letters-Patent in Propriety to George Duke of Albemarle Edward Earl of Clarendon c. by those Letters the Laws of England were to be always in force in this Country only the Lords Proprietors are impower'd together with the Consent of the Inhabitants to make or repeal such By-Laws as shall from time to time be thought expedient for the better governing of the whole Colony The English here residing are of many and different Perswasions in Matters of Religion there being a Liberty of Conscience allow'd by the very Constitution of their Government The Natives have as yet no reveal'd Knowledge of the True God but follow the vain Imaginations of their own Minds however they are said to acknowledge one Supreme Being whom they Worship under the Name of Okee and to him their Priests do frequently Sacrifice but they believe that he takes no care of Human Affairs committing them to lesser Deities They acknowledge also a Transmigration of Souls and a Future State of Happiness after this Life SCET. V. Concerning Terra Arctica UNDER the Title of Terra Arctica we comprehend all those Northern Countries lying either intirely or mostly within the Arctick Polar Circle The chief of which are these following viz. Greenland Nova Zembla New Denmark Spitsberge Terra de Jesso New North Wales Of these we know little more as yet than their bare Names I am very sensible That in treating of them yea and that individual Part of the Earth exactly under the North Pole some Writers are pleas'd to speak as particularly as if they were discoursing of the Fifty two Counties of England But leaving such Gentlemen to divert themselves with their own Chimera's and leaving these Countries to the better Discovery of Future Ages I pass on to the various Divisions of South America chusing rather to say nothing of the aforesaid unknown Countries than to relate things of them that are satisfactory neither to my self nor the Reader being willing to have due regard to that excellent Saying of the Roman Orator Quam bellum est velle confiteri potius nescire guod Nescias quam ista effutientem nauseare atque ipsum sibi displicere Cic. de Nat. Deor. Lib. 1. Now followeth SECT VI. Concerning Terra Firma  d. m. Situated between 297 30 of Long. It s greatest Length from E to W. is about 1260 Miles 330 00 between 03 20 of Latit Breadth from S. to N. is about 480 Miles 11 30 Being divided into East the River Orinoque call'd Guiana West the River Orinoque term'd Castello del Oro. East comprehands the Provinces of Caribana Chief Town Moreshego N. to S. Guiana Manboa West comprehends the Provinces of Panama or Terra Firma Panama From W. to E. Carthagena Idem St Martha Idem Rio de la hacha Idem Venezula Idem Andaluzia Comane Paria Maluregvara From E. to W. Granada St. Fe de Bagota Popayan St. Fe de Antiochia THIS Country discover'd by the Spaniards and Conquer'd Anno 15 14. is term'd by the Italians Terra Firma by the Spaniards Tierra Firma by the French Terre Ferme by the Germans Het vast Land and by the English Terra Firma so call'd by the Discoverers thereof as being one Part of the Firm Land or Main Continent at which the Spaniards first touch'd in their Western Discoveries The Air of this Country is extreamly hot yet generally accounted very wholesome save in the Northmost Parts adjacent to the Isthmus of Panama where the Ground is full of Lakes and Marishes which by their ascending Vapours do render the Air very gross and consequently less wholesome to breath in The opposite Place of the Globe to Terra Firma is that part of the East-Indian Ocean lying between 107 and 150 Degrees of Longitude with 3 Degrees of North and 11 Degrees of Southern Latitude This Country lying mostly in the first North Climate is said to be blessed with an excellent Soil producing great plenty of Corn and Fruits where duly manur'd It mightily abounds in Venison Fish and Fowl A great part of it is planted with Cotton and others are very productive of Sugars and Tobacco Here are also very considerable Mines of Gold Silver Brass c. many precious Stones and in several places good fishing of Pearls The longest Day in the Northmost Part of this Country is 12 Hours ½ the shortest in the Southmost is 12 Hours or thereabouts and the Nights proportionably The chief Commodities of this Country are Gold Silver and other Metals Balsam Rozin Gums Long Pepper Emeralds Saphires Jasper c. Upon the Coast of Terra Firma nigh Surinam is frequently seen and sometimes taken that Fish usually call'd by Mariners the Old Wife but otherways the Square Acarauna so term'd from his Figure being almost a compleat Quadratum 2. In several Parts of Guiana are certain Trees call'd Totock remarkable for their Fruit which is of so great a bulk and withal so hard that People can't with safety walk among 'em when the Fruit is ripe being in danger every moment to have their Brains knockt out 3. In one of the Branches of Orenoque River is such a hideous Cataract that the Water falling down makes as loud a Noise as if a thousand Bells were knock'd one against another Vid. Heylin's Cosmog last Edition page 1086. 4. On the top of a high Mountain call'd Cowob is a considerable Lake according to the Report of the Natives and that well-stockt with most sorts of Fishes 5 In some Rivers of Guiana is a certain little Fish about the bigness of a Smelt and remarkable for having four Eyes two on each side one above the other and in Swiming 't is observ'd to keep the uppermost two above and the other two under Water 6. In the Island of Trinidado near the Coast of Terra Firma is a remarkable Fountain of Pitch which boileth out of the Earth in great abundance and is exported thence to various places in these Parts of the World 7. Near C. Brea on the Continent is another Fountain of Pitchy Substance much us'd
sorts of our English Grain and those Parts possess'd by the French produce some plenty of Vines This Island is sufficiently stockt with Deer Hares Otters Foxes c. Here also is abundance of Land and Water-Fowl but above all things its Coasts are surrounded with incredible multitudes of Cod-Fish The length of the days and Nights in New-found-Land is the same as in the Southmost parts of England and Northern of France they all lying under the same Parallels of Latitude The Commodities of this Island are principally Furs Whale-Oyl and Cod-Fish especially the latter whereof there is such plenty that the Fishing and bringing of them to Europe particularly the Streights is now grown to a settl'd and very advantageous Trade Nothing here deserves the Epithet of Rare unless we reckon that prodigious large Bank of Sand upon the South-East of the Island about 300 miles in length and upwards of 75 in breadth where broadest remarkable for those vast multitudes of Bacalaos or Cod-Fish and Peer John which are taken in great numbers by divers European Nations who yearly resort hither for that end So thick do those Fishes sometimes swarm upon this Bank that they retard the passage of Ships sailing over the same Archbishopricks Bishopricks Universities None The Natives of this Island are for the Plurality of 'em Persons of a middle Stature broad-face'd and those of the Masculine Sex are usually beardless They generally colour their Faces with Oker and for Cloathing use Skins of Wild Beasts They live by ten or twelve Families together in poor Cabbins made of Poles in form of our Arbours and cover'd with Skins They ordinarily imploy themselves in Hunting as most of the other Americans usually do The English and French here residing are much the same with those in Europe All that can be said of the Language here commonly us'd among the Natives is that 't is a certain Dialect of the Indian Tongue which prevails among all the Indian Inhabitants with little variation of Accent in the various Parts of the Island The Europeans here residing do still retain the maternal Language of the respective Countries from whence they came In the Year 1623. Sir George Calvert Principal Secretary of State having obtain'd a Patent for a Part of Newfoundland erected the same into a Province call'd Avalon and therein settl'd a Plantation which after him was enjoy'd by his Son Caecilius Lord Baltimore This Island was set upon and master'd by the French in the late tedious War but speedily retaken by the English who are now in full Possession of what they formerly enjoy'd The Natives of this Island upon its first discovery were found to acknowledge a Supreme Being whom they own'd as the Creator of all things but err'd extremely in their Apprehensions about the manner of the Creation alledging that Men and Women were at first made of a certain number of Arrows stuck fast in the Ground They generally believe the Immortality of the Soul and that the Dead go into a far Country there to make merry as they think with their Friends §. 3. Cuba THIS Island discovered by the Spaniards Anno 1494. is term'd by the Italians Spaniards French Germans and English Cuba Which Name is the same it had when first discover'd being so call'd by the Natives and neighbouring Islanders what may be the Etymology of that Indian Appellation we know not The Air of this Island considering its small Latitude is very temperate being mightily qualifi'd by Vapours that daily ascend from the Earth The opposite Place of the Globe to Cuba is that part of the East-Iudian Ocean lying between 110 and 120 Degrees of Longitude with 20 and 23 Degrees of South Latitude This Island lying in the same Climate with the Northern Part of New Spain is not so fertil in Grain as Wood being generally cover'd over with Trees some of which do drop the purest Rozin Here is great plenty of Fish and Flesh and in some Parts are divers kinds of excellent Fruits The length of the Days and Nights in Cuba is much the same as in the North of New Spain they both lying under the same Parallels of Latitude The chief Commodities of this Island are Gold Ginger Cassia Mastick Aloes Cinamon Sugar c. The most remarkable thing in this Island is a noted Bituminous Fountain out of which there flows a sort of Pitchy Substance commonly us'd for calking of Ships Here also is a Valley full of Flint-Stones of different sizes and those by nature so round that they may serve as Bullets for most sorts of Cannons Vid. Heylin's Cosmog page 1079. In this Island is one Bishoprick viz. that of St. Jago Suffragan to the Archbishop of St. Domingo in Hispaniola The Inhabitants of this Island being for the most part Spaniards are the same in Manners with those on the Continent The Spaniards here residing do still retain and commonly use the Spanish Tongue This Island was formerly govern'd by certain Caciques or Captains but is now wholly subject to the King of Spain who still keeps a particular Governor in it whose ordinary Residence is in that Great and Populous City Havana The Spaniards here residing are of the same Religion with that establish'd and universally profess'd in Spain §. 4. Jamaica THIS Island first discovered by Columbus in his Second Voyage to America and brought into Possession of the English by Penn and Venables in the time of Oliver Cremwell is term'd Jamaica by the Italians Spaniards French Germans and English It was at first call'd St. Jago by Columbus which Name was afterwards chang'd into that of Jamaica after King James then Duke of York when it had been subjected for some time to the Crown of England The Air of this Island is more temperate than in most of the neighbouring Islands the Heat thereof being much allay'd by fresh Easterly Breezes that blow in the Day-time and the frequent Showers that fall in the Night Hurricanes and Earthquakes so frequent in the Caribbees are seldom heard of here whereupon we may justly impute that terrible Earthquake Anno 1693. rather to a Moral than a Natural Cause viz. the many and horrid Abominations abounding among the Inhabitants whith without doubt did loudly call for Judgements from Heaven The opposite Place of the Globe to Jamaica is part of the East-Indian Ocean lying between 110 and 120 Degrees of Longitude with 17 and 20 Degrees of South Latitude The Soil of this Island is extraordinary rich and fertil producing great quantity of Corn Herbs and Fruits abounding also in Sugar Cotton Tobacco various kinds of Spices with divers sorts of Physical Drugs and Gums as Sumach Guiacum Aloes Benjamin Sarsaparilla c. The large and pleasant Fields appear constantly Green and Springing they being well stockt with variety of Trees and Plants which are never disrob'd of their Summer-Liveries Here likeways are