92 3 It is probable that the sea is carried some-where from East to West and some-where from North to South contrariwise 98 4 Of the violent motion of the sea caused by windes 101 5 To some certaine places at certaine times belong certaine winds 102 6 The violence of the winds makes the sea sometimes in some places transcend his ordinary bounds 103 CHAP. VII Of the Depth Situation and Termination of the sea 1 The ordinary depth of the sea is commonly answerable to the ordinary height of the maine land aboue the water and the Whirlepooles extraordinary depths answer to the height of the mountaines aboue the ordinary height of the Earth 104 2 The superficies of the sea is some-where higher then the superficies of the Earth some-where lower 109 3 The sea in respect of the Earth is higher in one place then another 111 4 The Water is so diuided from the dry-land that the quantity of water is greater in the Southerne Hemispheare of land in the Northerne 115 5 The whole Globe of the Earth is enuironed round with sea betwixt East and West 116 6 It is probable that the Earth is enuirnoed round with water from North to South Of the North-west passage 117 CHAP. VIII OfSea Trafficke and Merchandice 1 Nauigation first taught by Almighty God was afterwards seconded by the industrie of famous men in all ages 132 2 Nauigation is very necessary as well for the increase of knowledge as riches 135 CHAP. IX Of Pedography Riuers Lakes and Fountaines in the Earth 1 All Riuers haue their originall from the sea the mother of riuers 142 2 All Riuers and Fountaines were not from the beginning 155 3 Many riuers are for a great space of land swallowed vp of the Earth whereof some after a certaine distance rise againe 156 4 Riuers for the most part rise out of great mountaines and at last by diuerse or one Inlet are disburthened into the sea 157 5 Diuerse Fountaines are endowed with diuerse admirable vertues and operations 159 6 Places neere great Riuers and Lakes are most commodious for Habitation 162 7 Of Lakes and their causes 162 8 It is probable that some Lakes haue some secret intercourse with the sea vnder ground 163 CHAP. X. Of Mountaines Vallyes plaine-Regions woody and champion Countreyes 1 Mountaines Vallyes and Plaines were created in the beginning and few made by the violence of the Deluge 165 2 The perpendicular height of the highest mountaines seldome exceeds 10 furlongs 169 3 The ordinary height of the land aboue the sea in diuerse places is more then the hight of the highest mountaines aboue the ordinary face of the Earth 171 4 Mountaines Countreyes are commonly colder then plaine 172 5 Mountaines since the beginning of the world haue still decreased in their quantity and so will vnto the end 174 6 Of Woods and their nature 178 7 Woods are not so frequent or great as in ancient times 179 8 Places moderately situate towards the North or South-pole abound more in woods then neere the Equatour 180 CHAP. XI Of Ilands and Continents 1 It is probable that Ilands were not from the first beginning but were afterwards made by violence of the water 184 2 Peninsula's by violence of the sea fretting through the Istmus haue oftentimes turned into Ilands and contrariwise Peninsalas by diminution of the sea made of Ilands 189 CHAP. XII Of Inundations and Earth-quakes 1 No vniuersall Inundation of the Earth can be naturall the other may depend from naturall causes 193 2 Particular alterations haue happened to the bonds of Countries by particular Inundations 195 3 Certaine Regions by reason of great Riuers are subiect to certaine anniuersary Inundations 197 4 Regions extreame cold or extreame hot are not so subiect to Earth-quakes as places of a middle temper 201 5 Hollow and spongie places are more subiect to Earthquakes then solide and compacted Soiles 202 6 Ilands are more often troubled with earth-quakes then the continent 203 CHAP. XIII Of the Originall of Inhabitants 1 All Nations had their first originall from one stocke whence afterwards they became diuided 206 2 The first inhabitants of the Earth were planted in Paradise and thence translated to the places adioyning 208 3 The first plantation of Inhabitants immediately after the Deluge beganne in the East 213 CHAP. XIV Of the disposition of Inhabitants in respect of the site 1 The people of the Northerne Hemispheare as well in Riches and Magnificence as valour science and ciuill gouernment far surpasse the people of the south Hemispheare 221 2 The extreame Inhabitants toward the pole are in complexion hot and moist Those towards the Equatour cold and drye those of the middle partaking of a middle temper 226 3 The extreame Inhabitants towards the poles are naturally enclined to Mechanicall works and martiall endeuours the extreame towards the Equatour to workes of Religion and Contemplation The middle to lawes and ciuility 232 4 The people of the extreame Regions towards the poles in Martiall prowesse haue commonly proued stronger then those neerer the Equatour but the middle people more prouident then either in the establishment and preseruation of commonwealths 236 5 The extreame Regions in Manners Actions and Customes are cleane opposite the one to the other The middle partake a mixture of both 239 6 The people of the Easterne Hemispheare in science Religion Ciuility and Magnificence and almost in euery thing els are farre superiour to the Inhabitants of the Westerne 250 7 The Westerne people haue beene obserued to be more happy and able in Martiall discipline the Easterne in witty contemplation and contemplatiue sciences 252 8 The Easterne part of the Westerne Hemispheare was peopled before the Westerne 255 CHAP. XV. Of the Diuersity of dispositions in regard of the Soile 1 Mountaine-people are for the most part more stout warlike and generous then those of plaine Countries yet lesse tractable to gouernment 256 2 Windy Regions produce men of wild and instable dispositions But quiet Regions more constant and curteous 273 CHAP. XVI Of the dispositions of Inhabitants according to their originall and education 1 Colonies translated from one Region into another farre remote retaine a long time their first disposition though by little little they decline and suffer alteration 278 2 The mixture of Colonies begets the same Nation a greater disparity and variety of the Nations amongst themselues 278 3 Education hath a great force in the alteration of Naturall dispositions yet so as by accident remitted they soone returne to their proper Temper  4 By Discipline Nations become more Wise and Politicke in the preseruation of states yet lesse stout and couragious 283 The Analysis of the second Booke Generall which of a place generally taken without any speciall diuision handles the Adiuncts and proprieties these agree to a place in respect of the Earth it selfe which are Internall or Externall Common or Magneticall whereof Chapter 2. Heauens which are Generall or Speciall Chapt. 3.
the Scripture especially in the 8 of the Prouerbs and the 103 Psalme where God is said to haue set a bound vpon the seas which they should not passe But this reason seemes not warrantable That the great Creator of all things should in the first institution of Nature impose a perpetuall violence vpon Nature Moreouer all miracles are temporary and not perpetuall for then were it ordinary and so scarce a miracle others vpon lesse ground haue imagined that there are certaine Northerne starres in Vrsa maior and Draco of so great vertue that they can draw the Ocean from this habitable part of the earth toward the North and so constraine the waters that they cannot ouerwhelme the earth but this opinion is ridiculous and deserues no solide refutation being a meere coniecture without ground or probability others vpon the like reason haue dreamed that there is more Water then Earth in the Globe and that the water by his extraordinary masse occupying the center of the world turnes the earth on one side making it to swimme as a ship vpon the sea But this assertion wee haue refuted in our first Chapter of the first booke All these Authors suppose that the earth is vncouered toward the North-Pole but ouerflowne with waters towards the South which the experience of Nauigatours at this day hath sufficiently disanulled Others againe affirming out of a Peripateticall dreame that the water is ten times greater then the earth suppose the earth to bee like a sponge to drinke vp the water to proue which assertion they produce an experiment that the earth being digged any thing deepe in most places there will appeare water whence they collect that the water is mixt with the whole earth and receiued into it'â— concauities But howsoeuer wee may graunt that there are many and vast concauities in the Earth capable of Waters yet it is impossible that the Water should bee ten times as great as the Earth for by this reason although all the Terrestriall Globe were Water it could not bee but that a greater portion of Water then that in the Earth should arise aboue the Earth because according to their owne Supposition 9 partes should bee aboue the Earth Neither can Aristotles words bee well wrested to this interpretation For as much as hee vnderstood this ten-fold proportion of the Water to the Earth not of the spaces which they replenished measured by their Circles and Diameters but of the proportion they beare one to the other in their transmutation as that one measure of Earth turned into Water should bee as much as 10. All these opinions seeming so absurd it seemeth more probable to imagine that either the Waters are condensated and thickned which were in the beginning created thinne whence will follow that they should occupy a lesse place and by consequence leaue the dry-land in many places habitable or which is more probable that God in the first Creation made certaine hollow concauities and channels in the Earth which was before plaine and vniforme into which the waters were receiued and bounded in so much that they could not flow abroad This seemes enough to satisfy the search of such as are not too curious to search into his secrets whose power and omnipotence transcends the capacity of the wisest In this diuision of a place into Water and Land wee will first treat of the Sea and the accidents belonging thereunto Not that the water is worthier or greater then the Earth The contrary whereof wee haue proued heretofore but because the consideration of it is more simple as that wherein fewer matters are to bee handled then in the land For Riuers and Lakes although consisting of this watery element wee thought fit to handle apart as adiuncts belonging to the land 4 In the Sea are considered two things 1 The Adiuncts 2 The Diuision The Accidents of the sea whereof we are to treat are either Internall or Eâ—ternall 5 The Internall are such as are inbâ—ed in the Sea These againe are either Absolute or Relatiue 6 The Absolute are such as agree to the Sea without any comparison with the land such are either Figure Quality or Motion 7 The figure is the conformity of the externall superficies of the Sea whereof obserue this Theoremâ— 1 Although the whole body of the water be Sphericall yet it is probable that the parts of it incline to a Conicall figure That the whole Water according to it's outward superficies iâ— Sphericall and round is sufficiently demonstrated before in the first booke But notwithstanding this roundnesse of the whole the parts of it may for ought I see admit of a Conicall figure for as much as this hath little or no proportion to the vast Spheracity of the Water no more then little hils to the greatnesse of the Earth For the prosecution of which point I will first shew the reason of this my coniecture grounded on experience and afterwards out of the ground and demonstration of the principles of Mathematicall Philosophie endeauour to make it more manifest First therefore by a Conicall line wee vnderstand a crooked line which differs from a Periphery or circle in as much as it keeps not alwayes an equall distance from the center but is higher in the midst then on either side Now if the parts of the water standing still were in their higher superficies exactly sphericall they should by the same grounds bee concentricall or haue the same center with the whole Earth But that it hath not the same center will appeare by little dropps of Water falling on the ground which incline as wee see to a round figure yet were it more then ridiculous to say that this round conuexity of a droppe could bee concentricall with the whole Earth sith in so great a masse it is hardly sensible But here our ordinary Philosophers are ready to answer that this conformity of the water dropps in a round figure is rather Violent then Naturall because the Water being by nature moist is ready to fly and auoid the touch or drouth or any dry thing And because the Water thus auoiding the drouth cannot of necessity but some way touch it it is imagined to conforme it selfe to that figure whereit it may least of all touch This is the round or Sphericall figure wherein any body contained cannot touch a plaine otherwise then in one onely point But against this coniecture of moisture flying drouth strong enough is the experiment of Scaliger in his 105 exercitation that quick-siluer a moist substance being cast either into Water or Iron-Oare will gather it selfe to a round body notwithstanding it is manifest that quick-siluer naturally neither auoides the touch of Water or Iron for as much as the one is very mâ—â—st the other of great affinity as our Chimicks teach with quick-siluer the parent of all Mettals Moreouer it is manifest that this conformity to roundnesse is in dropps of raine falling to the Earth through the Aire yet will not our
the Sea were dâ—uided into many parts it would more easily dissolue and putrify The grounds of this opinion being ouerthrowne there want not reasons to contradict First sayes one if the Sea were not created salt then was there some time wherein it was fresh To this I answer two wayes First that it might bee created fresh yet being apt from the heat of the Sunne to receiue saltnesse it might almost at the first receiue it Secondly if I should grant that it was a long time before it embraced this quality I know neither History to confute mee or reason to conuince mee Secondly it is vrged from the Nature of liuing creatures in the Sea that they cannot well liue in fresh waters and therefore it seemes originally salt and not by Accident But this is of no great force First because experience shewes that many kind of fishes liue in both and many rather couet and desire the fresh Water then the Sea Secondly it is not improbable that as the Sea by little and little and by degrees turned from freshnesse to saltnesse the temper and disposition of the fishes was in like manner changed and altered Whence it may come to passe that fishes since bred and nourished in fresh Waters cannot so well endure the salt Moreouer who knowes whether all these seuerall kinds of fishes now found in the Sea were from the beginning since wee see by experience that sundry kinds of liuing creatures dayly arise out of putrefaction on the land which may with like probability or more bee admitted in the Sea There are yet behind other reasons of one Patricius a Platonist who would oppose Aristotle in good earnest Aristotle saith hee speaking of the saltnesse of the Sea Water shewed not the cause For I would aske why that parcell of water from whence the thinner parts are extracted should remaine salt was it so from the beginning or afterwards imprest was it Inbred or Accidentall If hee would haue it an inbred quality from the beginning hee vainly goes about to seeke out the cause If the saltnesse bee aduentitious the cause is to bee giuen but the cause giuen by him is not true for as much as it rather takes away the saltnesse But to these obiections of Patricius spunne out in many words wee may answer two wayes either that the saltnesse is meerely aduentitious bred by an exhalation drawne vp by the Sunne and so distilling downe againe or else because this answere seemes not wholely to satisfy For as much as rainy Water is seldome salt and if it were could hardly flow in so great quantity to feed the saltnesse of the Sea I will answer secondly that the saltnesse is radically or originally in the matter of the Water yet so as it cannot bee drawne out and sensibly bee perceiued in the mixture of many sweet humours ioyned with it without a separation first made by the heat of the Sunne of the thinner parts from the thicker So that the Sunne is a disponent though not a productiue cause of this saltnesse in the Sea 2 Seas absolutely salt are neuer frozen This may seeme a Paradoxe to some men in regard that amongst our Geographers wee haue so often mention made of Mare Congelatum taking it's name from the Ice wherewith it is shut vp from passage as also for that in the voyages of Frobisher Dauis Hudson and other later Nauigatours which haue beene imployed in the search of the Northwest passage wee find such strange relations not onely of Seas closed vp with Ice and hindring their passage towards the North but also of Rocks and Ilands of Ice of an incredible greatnesse The truth of these Relations I no way disapproue but rather out of these testimonies approue our former assertion that Seas which are wholly Salt are neuer found to freeze For first whereas it is called Mare Congelatum it may beare the nâ—me well enough from the multitude of Ice floating on the water or collected into a Rocke or Iland This Ice as it will easily appeare is not produced out of the substance of the Salt water of the maine Ocean but rather carryed into the Sea by great riuers of fresh water running into the Ocean For the riuers are not alwayes frozen but sometimes by a remission of the cold are thawed and the peeces broken a sunder and floating into the Sea in it oft times meet in great heapes which may bee proued 1 In that these great râ—cks of Ice melting with the heate of the Sunne haue dissolued into fountaines of fresh water gushing downe in great abundance wherewith sometimes in case of necessity they haue fraughted their shippes as wee haue testified by the fore-named Nauigatours 2 Because some part of the maine Sea situate perhaps more Northerne and in a colder Climate suffers not this accident whereas places neere the shore farther South are almost alwayes frozen The reason whereof is because the Sea neere the shore is commonly mixed with fresh waters conueyed in either by great Riuers or infinite secret passages vnder ground which wee see not The reason why that salt waters exclude this propriety incident or the fresh I take to bee the Hot-spirits hid in the salt humor which are more feruent and operatiue then those of the fresh water 9 So much for the saltnesse The next is the Thicknesse whereof we will set downe this short Theoreme 1 The Water of the Sea is thicker then other Water This Proposition hath it's light from the former because thicknesse of Water is a companion of the saltnesse as depending from the same cause to wit the exhalation and extraction of the thinner parts of the Water There are many small causes giuen by Patricius of this thicknesse of the Sea-Water Fâ—â—st because the parts of it should more strongly hold together and not couer and ouerflow the firme land But this seemes to bee grounded on an errour that the Water should be aboue the Land and that it should containe it selfe within it's owne bounds and limits which opinion we haue elsewhere reiected The second cause of the thicknesse of the Sea is that it might bee more apt to beare and carry ships and other great weights for the vse of man Thirdly the Water being thicke may more easily bee conuerted into salt out of which many saltish minerals in the Earth are ingendred Other causes are giuen by this Author but lesse forceable which we will omit as referring them to the Philosopher whose proper taske it is to seek them out CHAP. VI. Of the Motions of the Sea 1 THe Motion of the Sea whereof we are in this Chapter to treate is either Naturall or Violent The Naturall I call that which is partly incident to the Naturall Disposition of the Sea 2 This againe is two-fold either Generall or Speciall Generall is that which agrees generally to all or at least to most parts of the Sea such as is the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea Wee must here obserue that the Water
sort as they imagine For the only withdrawing of that hand and letting goe of that bridle which gaue the water that restraint would haue beene â—ufficient to haue ouerwhelmed the whole Earth The second reason is taken from Ilands in the sea which are nothing else but parts of the land raised vp aboue the water Thirdly we find by experience that a ship carried with the like wind is driuen so swiftly from the port into the open sea as from the sea into the port which could not be done if the sea were higher then the land for it must needs be that a ship if it were to be carried to a higher place should be moued slower then if it came from an higher to a lower Fourthly all Riuers runne into the sea from the inner parts of the land which is a most euident signe that the land is higher then the sea for it is agreeable to the nature of the water to flow alwaies to the lower place whence we gather that the sea shore to which the Water is brought froÌ„ the land must needs be lower otherwise the water in ruÌ„ning thither should not descend but ascend This opinion I hold farr more probable as being backt by reason and the Authority of our best Philosophers yet not altogether exactly true as we shall shew hereafter But Bartholomew KeckermaÌ„ in a late German writer holding these 2 former opposite opinioÌ„s as it were in one equall Ballance labours a reconciliation In a diuerse respect saith he it is true that the sea is higher and that it is lower then the Earth It is higher in respect of the shores and borders to which it so comes that sensibly it swells to a Globe or a circumference and so at length in the middle raiseth vp it selfe and obtaines a greater hight then in those parts where in the middle of the sea it declines towards the shore Of which parts the hight sufferâ— such a decrease that by how much neerer the shore they shall approach by so much the lower they are in respect of the shore in somuch that touching the shore it selfe it is much lower then the Earth For this opinion our Author pretends a demonstration which hee grounds on the 4 chapter of Aristotle de Caelo in his second booke where hee puts downe these two positions which he calls Hypotheses or suppositions First that the Water no lesse concurrs to the making of a Globe or circle then the Earth for it so descends naturally that it doth sensibly gather it selfe together and makes a swelling as wee see in small dropps cast on the ground Secondly the Water makes a circle which hath the same center with the center of the Earth Out of these grounds would our Keckerman conclude the water in some places to bee higher in other places to bee lower then the Earth And hence proceeds he to giue an answer to their reasons who haue affirmed the Earth to bee higher then the sea What to thinke of the proposition or conclusion we will shew hereafter but in the meane space I hold this conclusion not rightly inferred out of these premises For first whereas he sayth that the water by nature is apt to gaher it selfe round into an orbe or spheare I would demaund whether such a roud body hath the same center with the world or a diuerse center he cannot say that it hath a diuerse center from the center of the Earth First because as we haue demonstrated in our first part the Earth and the Water haue but one center and that the Water is concentricall with the Earth Secondly from the second proposition or ground of his out of Aristotle if he meanes such a sphaericity as hath the same center with the center of the Earth I answer first that he contradicts himselfe because he giues an instance in small dropps cast on the ground whose quantity being so small and conuexity sensible can in no mans iudgment be concentrick to the Earth Secondly out of this ground that the Spheare of the water is concentrick to the Earth hee confutes himselfe for according to the principles of Geometry in a Spheare or circle all the lines drawne from the center to the circumference must be equall Then must all places in the circumference or superficies of a sphericall body be of equall hight from the center and by consequence the sea being such a Sphericall body cannot haue that inequality which Keckerman imagines it to haue wherefore some other demonstation must be sought for this conclusion I will goe no further then that I haue spoken in the former chapter concerning the figure of the Water Where I haue probably shewed it to be conicall and out of this may be easily gathered how it may be higher then the land in some places as of the middle of greater seas where the head of the Cone is lifted higher in other lower as in the narrow streits where the increase of the eminencie is also lesse The grounds and principles of which we haue laied before 1 The sea in respect of the Earth is higher in one place then another Besides the naturall conformity of the Water to a conicall figure as we haue fore-shewed whence one part of the superficies must be graunted to be higher then another wee must needs in the sea acknowledge other accidentall causes which produce an inequality in the parts of the sea The chiefest whereoâ— are the Equality of inclination in all parts of the water to motion And the inequality of the channells and shores whence it commeth to passe that the Water of the sea being euery whereof it selfe equally inclined to motion is notwithstanding vnequally receiued into channels so that in some place hauing as it were a large dominion to inuade as in the maine Ocean it falls lower and euener In some other places as streites or narrow seas the water hauing a large entrance from the Ocean but litle or no passage through it must needes swell higher and so one place by accident becomes higher or lower then another Which farther to confirme diuerse instances may be alleaged out of moderne and ancient obseruations For diuerse histories giue testimony that sundry Kings of Aegipt by cutting the Isthmus or narrow neck of land lying betwixt the red sea the Mediterranean laboured to make Africk an Iland open passage from one sea to the other but afterwards they were perswaded to desisâ— from their enterprise Some say because they saw the red sea to bee higher then many parts of Aegipt and hereupon feared a generall inundation of all Aegipt if the pâ—ssage were broken open Others haue deliuered that they feared that if the passage from one vnto another were broke open and the red sea hauing a vent that way the red sea would become so shallow that men might wade ouer it and so insteed of making Africk an Iland it would haue been more ioyned to the Continent then before Both opinions consent in this that the waters
as often it doth to be set on fire for hauing water neare it it may soone be quenched whereas many little springs cannot afford so much water as would suffice for such a purpose Lastly amongst other reasons wee cannot forget the pleasantnes of faire riuers which are no small ornaments to a City and delights to the eye of the Inhabitants 8 Thus much for riuers A Lake is a collection of perpetuall waters nourished with fresh springs and hauing of it selfe no passage forth In this definition of a Lake wee haue comprized these three things First that it is a collection of constant and perpetuall waters Secondly that it is continually fed cherished with fresh springs rising vp from the bottome Thirdly that it finds no passage forth into the sea or otherwise By the two first it is distinguished from a great Pond or standing poole called in Latin Stagnum For asmuch as a standing poole being commonly â—ed with raine water and hauing no springs from the Earth whereby it may bee long nourished is often times by the heat of the sunne exhausting it out by vapours either extraordinarily diminished or altogether dried vp Whereas in a Lake by reason of fresh springs the Water is perpetuall and remaineth sweet and holsome except by some other accidents it change it's disposition For the latter clause that a lake finds no passage forth it may bee two waies vnderstood either of a visible or apparant passage outwardly through the superficies of the Earth to the sea or of a secret and subterranean passage vnder ground The former may againe be vnderstood of a passage forth immediatly by it selfe or mediatly by some riuer whereas wee haue said that it finds no entrance into the sea we ought to vnderstand it that immediately it is not to be accompted a continuate part conioyned with the sea neuerthelesse it may be disburthened into the sea by some riuers running out of it as some would haue the great riuer Tanais not to haue his head or fountaine in the Riphaean mountains as the ancients haue taught but in a certaine Lake not faâ—re from the city Tulla so Volga Edill draw their originall from a lake not farre from Moscow with many others of like nature What to thinke of the subterranean intercourse betwixt Lakes and the sea wee will shew in this Theoreme 1 It is probable that most Lakes haue some secret intercourse with the sea vnder ground For the confirmation of this point there want not reasons The first reason may be drawne from the quantity of Water in most Lakes which is found without any great sensible difference to remaine the same without any diminution or encrease whereas if the water bound in with these limits should haue no passage out any way it should encrease to such greatnes that it would easily ouerwhelme the bankes To giue a few instances we find that diuerse very vast riuers exhaust themselues into the Caspian Lake as Volga and Edill which receiuing into them many notable riuers are at last themselues swallowed vp in the said lake In like manner the Lake of Palestine called the dead sea is known to receiue into it besides diuerse lesser riuers the great and famous riuer Iordan Heere would I demaund whether these great riuers perpetually casting themselues into a Lake giue an encrease to the former quantity or not if they should augment the water they would by consequence alter the bounds But this is contradicted by experience If the quantity of the water suffers no encrease it must needs follow then that the water should some other way be diminished as it is heere encreased This must either be by the sunne drawing vp some parts of it by vapours or by some cauerns of the Earth drinking vp some parts of it Or lastly by a subterranean passage into the sea Concerning the former it cannot bee denied but much Water is drawne vp into vapours by the heat of the sun yet that these vapours counteruaile the water perpetually brought in is in my conceit very improbable for against this quantity of water extracted out this way of evaporation I will oppose these three things which shal perswade a reasonable man that the water receiued in shall farre surpasse the vapours exhaled from it First that the vapours are stirred vp in the day time when the sunne is lifted aboue the Horizon at such a height that his heat is somewhat strengthned wheras all these watry currents neuer intermitting their vsuall course neuer cease to runne by day or night wherein is seen a double aduantage of the riuers in respect of the watry exhalation Secondly of these watry vapours so drawne out a great part must at diuerse times returne back or at least so much otherwise by rayny showres dropped downe into this Lake Thirdly these watry parts thus rarified and attenuated in vapour should putting this supposition in equality diffuse themselues abroad in such extraordinary manner that all the Regions round about should in all likely-hood suffer a great inconueniency of foggy exhalations On the other side it is very vnlikely that it should bee receiued into empty caverns of the Earth without passage into the sea or some great riuer disburthening it selfe thereunto For I would demaund whether these cauerns were euer filled with water or not if they haue been filled how could they receiue more water sith the filling of any place supposeth it to be first empty That they were neuer yet filled with Water is farre more vnreasonable that any man should imagine any cauerne of the Earth to bee so vast with so great currents of Water perpetually running in almost six thousand yeares should not replenish especially considering the bowells of the Earth not farre from the vpper face to be every where spread with Water round which might also helpe to this purpose Wherefore it cannot well bee imagined but that euery such great lake hath some vent or passage vnto the sea either by some secret subterranean channell or at least by some great riuer issuing out of it and so running into the Ocean Another reason may be taken from the currents of some seas which are by good reason ascribed to this cause For it is obserued by skilfull Nauigatours that the Water is carried by a very stiffe course from Propontis and the black sea into the Aegaean and from thence into the Mediterranean The originall of which current mâ—y with good coniecture be found out in the Caspian which by some secret passage vnder ground disburthening it selfe into the black sea causeth it to enforce his owne waters farther of for the receit of the other Thirdly that these subterranean passages are not vnlikely may be confirmed by many riuers which are swallowed vp some wholly some for â—ome place only of the Earth whereof we haue spoken before Also it may seeme likely by the Water spread round about the Earth which through the bowells of it find a passage from the sea bearing as
of Riuers for it is manifest that all Riuers are higher at the Spring or fountaine then at the place where they disburtheÌ„ themselues into the sea Now although water is apt to slide away at any Inequality yet it is most probable that in greater riuers especially where the waters fall oftentimes with violence as at the Cataracts of Nile much inequality must bee granted in the Declivity of the ground supposing yet the water for euery mile to gaine two foot in the Declivity of the ground we shal find the hight very neere to equalize the hight of the highest mountaines although 2 foot in a mile is farre lesse then can be imagined in so great a Riuer The Riuer which I take for an example shall be Nilus which we shall obserue to runne about 50 Degrees from South to North which resolued into miles will make 3000 accompting for euery mile 2 foot we shall haue 6000 foot which will be neare these 10 furlongs being a mile and 5 parts then allowing for these mighty Cataracts where the water falls with so great a violence we must reckon a number of feet far greater then this measure for euery mile must the hight of land aboue the sea be much more then of the mountaines 4 Mountainous Regions are commonly colder then other plaine countries This proposition is not absolutely to bee vnderstood without a limitation for some plaine Countries neere the Articke Pole may be colder then some hilly Regions neere the Aequatour in regard of other concurrent causes but here we speake as the Logicians vse caeteris paribus comparing two places either together like or not much different or at least in our vnderstanding abstracting them from the mixture of all other considerations that this Theoreme is worthy credite diuerse reasons stand in readines to iustifie the first may bee drawne from the cause of heat in Inferiour Bodies which is the reflexion of the Sunne beames Now that this reflexion is of more strength and validity in plaine then in hilly and mountanous Countries is euident first because as the Optickes teach the rayes are more ioyned and combined in a plaine then in a conuex superficies for howsoeuer the whole Earth be of it selfe Sphericall yet the conuexity being not sensible by reason of the vastnes of the Circle whereby the conuexity is made lesse it may optically be called a plaine superficies Secondly it is taught in the Optickes that a reflexion is of more validity in an equall then in an vneuen and ragged superficies such as is found in Mountaines and vneuen places A second reason why mountanous Regions should exceed others in cold may be the vicinity of them to the middle Region of the Aire for of all the Regions if we beleiue Aristotle the middle is the coldest as being more seperate from the Sunne the fountaine of heat and the higher Region farther off from the reflexion of the Sunne-beames then the lower Now sith the parts of the Earth are affected with the quality of the Aire it must needs stand with reason that the more it shall approach to the middle Region the more it must partake of its quality Thirdly that this is consonant to obseruation reasons are vrged by experience of all Trauailers who report the topps of Mountaines euen in the midst of Summer to be couered ouer with snow although situaâ—e vnder or neare the Aequinoctiall Circle Of this nature are the Alpes in Italy the Mountaines of the Moone in Africke Andâ— in Peru and Tenariffe in the Canaries That snow should be an effect of cold I need nor labour to confirme A fourth reason may bee drawne from other effects of cold or heat for it is daily proued by experience that such diseases as chiefly follow heat especially the Pestilence in Aegypt and such plaine Countries are wonderfull prevalent whereas hilly and rockic Countries by the benefit of Nature stand in little feare of such Inconueniences Lastly no greater argument can be drawne then from the disposition of such men as inhabite such hilly Regions who haue all the Symptomes of externall cold and internall heat Insomuch as â—odin seemes to make a Harmony and â—oâ—cent betwixt the Northerne man and the Mountanist 〈…〉 Southerne man such as inhabite plaine countries ascribing to the former externall cold and internall heate to the latter externall heate and internall cold How farre this comparison will hold we shall haue more occasion to discusse here after when we come to the consideration of the Inhabitants â— Mountaines since the beginning of the world haue still decreased in their quantity and so will continually decrease vntill the end This obseruation Blaucanus I know not how truly ascribes to his owne Inuention but to what Author soeuer we owe it we must needs acknowledge a pleasant speculation grounded on good reason This Theoreme to demonstrate the better we will first lay these grounds oftentimes before-mentioned First as appeares by testimony of holy Scripture the figure of the Earth was in the beginning more perfectly Sphericall ouer-whelmed euery-where with Waters 2ly That a seperation was made by translocation of the parts of the Earth in such manner as some places admitting of concauities became the receptacle of the waters other places wheron these parts of the Earth were heaped together were made mountanous 3. Hence will follow that the Earth thus swelling vp in high mountaines is out of his naturall site and position therefore according to the law of nature will endeuour by litle and litle to returne to her former state and condition Now that the Earth hath sensibly suffered such a change since the beginning it is easie to shew out of experiments the causes we shall find to be the water aswell of the Rain as Riuers which we shall demonstrate by these Reasons 1 We see Riuers by litle and litle continually to fret and eat out the feet of mountaines wheÌ„ce the parts thus fretted through by coÌ„tinuall falling downe weare out the mountaines and fill vp the lower places in the valleyes making the one to encrease as the other to decrease the whole Earth to approach nearer to a Sphericall figure then before which seemes to be warranted by a place in Iob 14 where he saith to God The mountaine falling commeth to â—ought the rocke is remoued out of his place The waters weare the stones thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth From these Riuers in the valleyes continually eating through the parts of the Earth as the feete of mountaines are caused those slow but great Ruines called Labinae a lambendo by which sometimes whole Townes and Villages haue bin cast into the next great Riuer 2 To proue that Raine water challengeth a part in this diminution of mountains we may shew by the like experieÌ„ce we see plainly that Raine-water daily washes downe from the Toppes of mountaines some parts of the Earth whence it comes to passe that the highest mountaines
Peninsula's the most famous are Africa Scandia Taurica Chersonesus Peloponnesus and America Peruana That little parcell of land which ioynes this Peninsula with the maine land we call an Istmus which is a narrow necke of land betwixt two seas ioyning two Continents such as are Istmus Corinthiacus and Istmus Cimbricus more famous are those two narrow lands whereof the one lyeth betwixt Peruana and Mexico in America the other diuiding Africke from Asia A Promontorie is a great mountaine stretching it selfe far into the sea whose extremity is called a Cape or Head of which the most remarkeable are the Cape of good hope in Africke 2. The Cape of S. Vincent in Portugall 3. The Cape of Comary in Asia 4. The Cape de la Victoria in America Our obseruation concerning this distinction shall bee comprised in this Theoreme 1 Peninsula's by the violence of the sea fretting through the Istmus haue oftentimes beene turned into Ilands and contrariwise sometimes Peninsula's by diminution of the sea made of Ilands This proposition is not hard to proue if any credit ought to bee gâ—uen to ancient writers for it is commonly related that Sicily was heretofore ioyned to Italy Cyprus to Syria Euboea with Boeotia Besbicum with Bythinia all which at this day are Ilands separated and diuided from the continent The like hath beene coniectured of our Brittany which some imagined heretofore to haue beene ioyned with the continent of France about Douer and Calais as may seeme probably to be gathered out of the correspondency of the Cliffs whereof we haue spoken in this chapter before the agreement of the soyle the smalnesse of the distance and many more arguments remembred by vs else-where Also it hath beene obserued on the other side that the sea in some places leauing his ancient bounds hath ioyned some Ilands to the land making Peninsulas of Ilands In this sort if wee belieue antiquity was Antissa ioyned to Lesbos Zephirium to Halicarnassus Ethusa to Mindus Promiscon to Miletum Narthucusa to the Promontory of Parthenius In these antiquities it behooues euery man to iudge without partiality according to reason not ascribing too much to fabulous narrations wherein those ages did abound neither yet shewing himselfe too incredulous For as much as we cannot charge these Authors with any manifest absurdity The speciall and particular arguments by which wee should establish our assertion wee must according to the rules of method reserue to the speciall part where we shall treat ofspeciall Countreyes CHAP. XII 1 OF the perpetuall Accidents of the land we haue spoken somewhat it remaines in this place wee treat of the Casuall 2 The casuall I call such as happen not ordinarily at all times such as are Inundations and Earth-quakes 3 An Inundation is an ouerwhelming of the land by Water Howsoeuer it bee certaine out of holy Scriptures that God hath set the sea his certaine bounds and limits which it cannot passe yet the same God sometimes to shew his speciall iudgement on some place or age hath extraordinarily permitted the sea sometimes to breake his appointed limits and inuade the Iurisdiction of the land This wee call a Deluge or Inundation The inundations which euer haue been obserued on the Earth are of two sorts either Vniuersall or particular An vniuersall is that whereby the whole face of the Earth is couered with water whereof we haue onely two examples The first was in the first creation of the world when as wee read in the Scriptures the whole face of the Earth was round inueloped with Water which couered the tops of the highest mountaines till such time as God by a supernaturall hand made a separation of the Waters from the dry land But this is improperly called an Inundation because the same properly taken implies as much as an ouer-flowing of that which was dry land before The second as we read in Genesis happened in the time of Noah when God for the sinne of man drowned the whole world breaking open the cataracts of Heauen and loosing the springs of the deepe Particular inundations are such as are not ouer the whole Earth but in some particular places or regions Such a deluge according to Genebrardus happened in the time of Enos wherein a third part of the Earth was drowned The like iâ— spoken of Ogygeâ— King of Athens that in his time happened a very great Inundation which drowned all the confines and coasts of Attica and Achaia euen to the Aegean sea In which time it was thought that Buras and Helice Cities of Achaia were swallowed vp whereof Ouid in his Metamorphosis speakes thus Si quaeras Helicen Buran Achaidos vrbes Inuenies sub aquis Buras and Helice on Achaiâ—n ground Are sought in vaine but vnder seas are found As famous was the Inundation of Thessaly in Deucalions time mentioned not onely by profane writers and Poets but also by S. Augustin Ierom and Eusebius which would haue it to happen in the time of Cranaus who next after Cecrops gouerned Athens This inundation was exceeding great extending it selfe not onely ouer all Thessaly and the regions adioyning westward but ouerwhelmed the greatest part of Italy The same or other happening neere the same time oppressed Aegypt if Eusebius may obtaine credit Hence some would haue the people of Italy to haue been called Vmbrij as Pliny and Solinus report quia ab imbribus diluuij superfuissent But this Etymologie seemes too farre fetcht There are also two other notable Inundations meÌ„tioned by ancient writers which fell out in Aegypt from the Riuer of Nilus whereof the first couered all the neither Aegypt which was subiect to Prometheus and hence as Natalis Comes obserues was the fable drawne of the vulture lighting on Prometheus liuer afterwards slaine by Hercules For as Diodorus Siculus obserues the Riuer Nilus for the swiftnes of his course was in ancient time called an Eagle This Riuer afterwards did Hercules by his great â—kill and iudgement streiten and bound reducing it into narrow channels whence some Greeke Poets turning Hercules labours into fables faigned that Hercules slew the Eagle which sed on Prometheus brest meaning that hee deliuered Prometheus out of that sorrow and losse which hee and his people sustained by that Inundation The second of these Egyptian flouds happened about Pharus in Egypt where Alexander the great built Alexandria To these may bee added many more of lesser moment as well in ancient times as in our dayes As that of Belgia in some parts mentioned before on another occasion and not many yeeres since in some parts of Somerset-shire with vs in Britanny 1 No vniuersall Inundation of the Earth can be Naturall The other may depend on some Naturall causes Of the causes of Inundations many disputes haue beene amongst Naturall Philosophers some haue trusted so farre to Nature that they haue ascribed not only particular Inundations but that vniuersall Deluge in the time of Noah to second causes of this opinion was Henricus Mecliensis a Schollar of
perpendicular lines is altogether insensible For if two perpendicular or heauy points moued in a line should be distant one from the other the space of 10 a 100 or more feet because this distance is very little in respect of the semidiameter of the Earth the angle of concurse must needs be very little and by consequence those two rayes or lines measuring the descent of two heauy Bodies will seeme altogether Equidistant Yet that there is such a concurrence Nature and Reason will easily consent Hence wee may detect a popular errour beleeued of the vulgar that the walls of houses standing vpright are parallell and of equall distance when contrariwise it is plaine that such walls are erected by a perpendicular and measured by perpendicular lines which being drawne out in length will meet in the Center of the Earth The like may we pronounce of a deep Well whose sides or wall are erected perpendicularly and therefore should it reach as farre as the Center it must needs follow that the sides growing neerer and neerer as they approach the Center would in the end close or shut vp into a Pyramide whose Base should bee the mouth of the Well Likewise if a Tower should bee erected to the Heauens it would be strange to imagine how great and broad the vpper part of it would bee in respect of the bottome Hence againe it may be inferred that any pâ—uement leuelled by a perpendicular is not an absolute plain but rather the portion or Arch of a sphericall superficies whose Center is the same with the Center of the whole Eâ—rth But this roundnesse in a small distance is no way sensible but in a great pauement of foure or fiue hundred paces leuelled perpendicularly it will make some shew of roundnesse whence it must needs follow that an extraordinary great pauement measured ouer by a right line cannot be called leuell or equally poized forasmuch as it is not euery where equally distant from the Center of the Earthly Globe 2 Two heauy bodies of the same figure and matter whether Equall or Vnequall will in equall time moue an equall space This proposition being inuented by one Iohannes Baptist de Benedictis is cited and confirmed by Iohn Dee in his Mathematicall Preface to Billing slie's Geometry Which corrects a common errour of those men which suppose the lighter bodies generally not to moue so fast downeward to the Center as the heauy The demonstration of this Theoreme being drawne from many Staticall principles which we cannot here conueniently insert wee are enforced to omit as intending not the search of these matters any farther than they direct vnto the knowledge of Geographie Yet were it no hard matter to giue â— more popular expression of this reason out of the proportion betwixt this weight of the heauy Body and the Resistance of the Medium Because the Greater Body as it is carryed down-ward by a greater force and violence so on the other side it meets a greater impediment being not able so soone to diuide the Aire as the Lesser Likewise the Lesser body falling with lesse force yet is more apt to diuide it then the other Whence both set the one against the other there will be no disparity in the time and motion 12 Of the primary conformity of the Terrestriall bodyes in the constitution of the Terrestriall Spheare wee haue treated It now seemes needfull that we descend to the secondary which is the inclination of all the parts to make a round Spheare or Globe 1 The Terrestriall Globe is round and Sphericall This Proposition is of great vse and one of the chiefâ—â—â— grounds in Geographie The ground of the Sphericall figure of the Earth is the right motion of heauy bodies to the center For this right motion as wee haue shewed doth expresse one Beame of the circle by whose circumuolution is proâ—uced the circumference of iâ— which we call Secundary conformity of the parts of the Earth in so much as it growes Mathematically as it were out of the first For this Sphericall figure of the Earth sundry sound reasons are vrged by Geographers First that the Earth is round according to its Latitude that is from North to South Secondly according to its Longitude that is from East to West and therefore must it needes bee absoâ—utely Sphericall The first part is shewed that it is round from Nâ—rth to South for if a man trauell from North to South or contrariwise from South to North hee shall perceiue nâ—w starres in the Heauens to appeare and shew themselues which before hâ—e could not see which can be referred to no other cause then the Sphericall conuexity or swelling of the Earth As for example The starre which is called Canopus which is a notable starre in the ship appeares not at Rhodes or at least from high places But if you trauell forth Southward from Italy into Egypt to Alexandria the same starre Proclus obserues will manifest it selfe to your sight the fourth part of a signe aboue the Horizon From whence wee may draw a sound proofe that there is a Sphericall and gibbous conuexitie which interposeth it selfe betwixt Rhodes and Egypt In which place the people who inhabite that part of Egypt which borders vpon Arabia which are called Trogloâ—ites of their dwelling in caues cannot see any Starre of the Great Beare Whence wee may concluâ—e that the Earth from the North to the South is round and Sphericall For if otherwise the Earth were plaine all the Northerne starres would appeare to the inhabitants of the Southerne Regions and on the other side all the other Southerne constellations would bee seene of the Northerne inhabitants which sense and reason altogether contradict Secondly that the Earth is round according to its Longitude betwixt East and West may bee proued by two reasons The first is taken from the rising and setting of the Sunne Moone and other Starres for as much as all they doe not arise or set with all Nations at the same houres For with the inhabitants of the East the Sun-rising is sooner with the Westerne inhabitants later and that in such proportion that euery 15 degrees measured out by the Sunnes diurnall motion adds or subtracts one whole houre in the length of the day This is found by experience and testimony of Cosmographers that the Sunne riseth with the Persian inhabiting toward the East foure houres sooner then to the Spaniard in the West Sundry other the like examples may bee alleaged all which we must needes impute to the Sphericall roundnesse of the Earth proportionally increasing betwixt East and West The other reason to confirme this last point is drawne from the Ecclipses of the Sunne and Moone which would not appeare in diuers places at diuers houres if the Earth were plaine or square We see plainly that Ecclipses of the Moone appeare sooner to the Westerne people but later to the Easterne As according to Ptolomie in Arbela a towne of Assyria where Alexander ouercame Darius the last King of
retaine in it selfe the vertue of the Load-stone yet by reason of the liquefaction is altogether languishing and as it were buried but vpon touch of a Load-stone is stirred vp to his former vigour for the magnet insinuats his Incorporeall influence into the iron and so rectifies and animates that force which was almost dead 2 The magneticall Coiton is strongest of all in the Poles This may easily bee demonstrated by an experiment for if the iron needle which is proposed to bee Attracted and the Poles and Center be placed in the same right line then this Coition will be to a perpendicular as in A and B to wit the Poles in the Diagramme but in the middle space they will obliquely respect and point and by how much farther off from the Pole it is by so much is this vertue weaker but in the Equator it selfe it becomes meerely parallell without any inclination at all To know in what proportion this force is increased or weakened we must put another ground That the force of this coition is increased proportionally as the chords of a circle for by how much the least chorde in a circle differs from the Diameter so much the forces Attractiue differ from themselues For sith the Attraction is a Coition of one body with another and magneticall bodies are carried by a conuertible nature it comes to passe that a line drawne from one Pole to another in the diameter directly meetes with the body but in other places lesse so that the lesse it is conuerted to the body the lesse and weaker will bee the coition 3 So much bee spoken of the magneticall Coition It followes that wee speake of Magneticall Direction which is a naturall conuersion and conformity of the magneticall bodies to the Poles of the Earth It is manifest that a magneticall body so seated that it can moue without any impediment will turne it selfe in such wise that the one Pole of it will respect the North Pole of the Earth the other the South which motion wee call Direction This we may plainely see in a Marriners compasse whose Lilly alwayes respects the North point If a compasse bee wanting the same may bee shewed in a little corken-boate which being put in the water with a load-stone in it will so turne and conuert it selfe that the Poles of the Load-stone will at length point out the Poles of the Terrestriall Globe The manner how shall be disclosed in these Theoremes 1 The South part of the Load-stone turnes to the North and the North part to the South To confirme this assertion some haue produced this experiment Let there bee cut out of a rocke of Load-stone a Magnet of reasonable quantity Let the two poles both North and South bee marked out in the Load-stone the manner of which wee shall perhaps teach hereafter then let it be put in a corken little boat on the water so that it may freely float hither thither It will be euident that that part which in the rocke or Mine pointed Northward will respect the South and contrarywise the South part will respect the North as wee may see in this figure Let the Magnet as it is continuated with the Mine or Globe of the Earth be AB so that A shall be in the North pole B the South-Pole Let this Load-stone be cut out of this rocke or Mine placed on the water in a little timber boat which shall be CD we shall find that this little dish or boat will turne it selfe so long vntill the Northpart A be turned to the Southpart B and on the other part the Southpart B be conuerted to the Northpart A and this coÌ„formity would the whole rock of Load-stone claime if it were diuided and separated from the Globe of the Earth The reason why the magnet in the boat on the water turneth windeth and seateth it selfe to a contrary motion to that it primarily receiued whiles it was ioyned to the bowels of the Earth and vnited to the body of the great Magnet is because euery part of a Load-stone being separated from the whole whereof it is a part becomes of it selfe a perfect compleat magneticall body as we may say a little Earth hauing all the properties of the great Globe as Poles Meridians Aequators c. And therefore according to the nature of magneticall vnion spoken of in our next Theoreme will in no wise endure to settle it selfe as it did before but deemes it a thing more naturall and of more perfection to turne his aspect a contrary way to that which he inioyed at his first constitution Here may we note a great errour of Gemma Frisius who in his corollary vpon the 15 Chap. of his Cosmographicall Comment on P. Appian affirmes that the Needle magnetically effected would on this side the Aequator respect the North-pole but being past the Line would straight-way turne about and point to the Southpole An errour as Mr Hues saith vnworthy so great a Mathematician But Gemma Frisius in some â—ort may be excused for as much as the grounds of magneticall Philosophy were in his time either not discouered or most vnperfectly knowne and the vncertaine relations of Nauigators were reputed the best Arguments and how easie a matter it is for a Trauailer in this sort to deceiue a Scholler who out of his reading and experience can shew nothing to the contrary let euery man iudge 2 This contrary motion here spoken of is the iust confluxe and conformity of such bodies to magneticall vnion This is demonstrated by Gilbert in this manner Let the whole magneticall body be CD then C will turne to the North of the Earth B and D vnto the South part A. Let this magnet bee cut in twaine by the middle line or Aequator and the point E will tend to A and the part F will direct it selfe to B for as in the whole so in the parts diuided nature desires the vnion of these bodies The end E willingly accords with F but E will not willingly ioyne it selfe with D nor F with C for then it would haue C against its nature to moue toward A the South or D in B which is the South Separate the stone in the place of diuision and turne C to D and they will conueniently agree and accord For D will turne it selfe to the South as before and C to the North and E and F ioynt parts in the minerall or rocke will now bee most sundred For these magneticall parts concurre and meet together not by any affinity of matter but receiue all their motion and inclination from the forme so that the limits whether ioynt or diuided are directed magnetically to the Poles of the Earth in the same manner as in the diuided body 3 If any part Southward of the magneticall body bee torne away or diminished so much shall bee also diminished of the North-part and contrariwise if any part bee taken away in the North-part so much shall the vertue of the
The parts whereof this Terrestriall Spheare consists may bee considered two wayes either as they are vnited in the whole by a Magneticall forme or disioyned and taken by themselues In the former the parts of the Earth are supposed to moue in the same motion by which the whole Spheare of the Earth is moued because the whole and all the parts taken together are the same and subiect to the same circular reuolution Notwithstanding this any part seuerall and disioyned from the whole hath a right motion downeward toward the Center by which it returnes to its true naturall vnion This inclination of the parts agrees not with the whole Earth neither vnto any part vnited and conglobated to the whole but onely to a part separated from his place so that the whole may notwithstanding in his place inioy a circular motion Now to come more neerely home vnto their Arguments drawne from the Homogeneity of the Earth wee answer as before that there is a twofold Homogeneity The one of the matter and quantity the other of the Magneticall forme and Nature of the former wee may conclude out of the right motion of all the parts the disposition of the whole so wee vnderstand it in a good sense first that euery part is here to bee vnderstood not in but out of his proper place Secondly that by the whole wee ought not to vnderstand the whole Globe with all his parts conformed in one Sphericall frame but all the parts indefinitely taken for if wee should vnderstand of the whole Globe their Argument will in no way hold true If according to the later wee might well grant them their Conclusion yet can it not oppugne our Assertion Because it will follow out of the Naturall inclination of euery part that all the parts seuerally taken haue such a disposition of returning to the Earth being separated there from Yet will not this by any necessary inference bee proued to agree to the whole Globe of the Earth but rather will it follow contrarywise that the whole Spheare of the Earth is moued circularly and therefore euery part with and in it is moued with the whole in the same motion A third argument which is thought greater then all the other is drawne from two experiments The first is that a stone or Bullet let fall from a higher place to the ground will perpendicularly descend to the point of the Earth right vnder Secondly that two Bullets imagined to bee of equall weight and matter being discharged from equall pieces of ordinance with the like quantity of powder the one towards the East the other towards the West will reach an equall distance in the Earth both which would seeme impossible if wee grant this supposition of the Earths circular reuolution For in the former case the Earth sliding away swiftly during the fall of the stone would change the point marked out for another And in the second for the like cause the Bullet shot towards the East being preuented by the swiftnesse of the Earth's motion carrying along with it the Ordinance out of which it proceeded should returne backe ouer the shooters-head and contrarywise that Bullet shot towards the West besides his owne motion by the motion of the Earth the other way should bee carryed so much farther as the Earth is remoued from the place where it was first discharged Both which experiments seeme to crosse this circumgyration of the Terrestriall Globe which our magneticall Cosmographers labour to confirme But with them to giue an answer to these and the like experiments wee must distinguish the parts of the Earth into three sorts some are hard and solide parts adioyned to the Globe as stones mineralls what else in the bowels of the Earth is vnited to it or at least necessarily adherent to the outward face of it Some other parts there are of a thinne and fluid substance as the Aire and other vapours in it deriued from the Earth A third sort there are of such parts as being in themselues solide are notwithstanding by some violence separated from the solide globe as stones cast into the Aire Arrowes Bullets and such like discharged from the hand or Engine For the two former wee may easily imagine them carried with the same circular motion which we assigne vnto the whole being no other then the parts of it depending from the whole masse For the third sort whereof consists the difficulty wee cannot imagine them so moued round as if they were wholly separated from the Communion of the Earthly Spheare for howsoeuer there seemes a separation according to matter and quantity yet retaine they the same magneticall inclination to the whole masse as if they were vnited to it and therefore such solide parts are moued with the same vniforme and naturall motion wherewith the Earth it selfe is turned so that in solide bodyes so separated from the superficies of the Earth of an Arrow or Bullets shot wee must imagine a twofold motion The one Naturall vniforme whereby they are moued as homogeneall parts according to the reuolution of the whole Spheare The other violent by force impressed from the Agent The right motion proceeding from the strength of the shooter cannot crosse or hinder the Naturall because the one being right and the other circular admit no such proportion as that one should hinder or further the other Neither can these motions well be tearmed contrary or opposite which are in diuers kindes To explaine this matter farther we will adde this Diagramme Lâ—t the whole orbe of the earth bee imagined to bee LQM whose center is A the thicknesse of the Aire ascending from the Earth O Q. Now as the orbe of this fluid substance of the aire asceÌ„ding vniformely is moued round with the Globe of the earth so must wee imagine the part of it marked out by the right line OQ to bee carried round with an vnalterable Reuolution Wherefore if any heauy body should bee placed in the Line OQ as for example P it will fall downe toward the center by the shortest way in the same line OQ which motion downewards towards the center can neither bee hindered by the circular motion of the Earth nor yet Mixt or compounded with it It cannot bee hindred because as wee haue shewed a Right motion and a circular being not in the same kind cannot properly bee reputed contrary Neither for the same cause can they bee mixt or compounded Wherefore this motion will be no other then one simple and Right motion neuer varying from the Line OQ which being once vnderstood it is no hard thing to imagine a Bullet or stone forced by equall strength from Q towards L and from Q. towards the point M to obserue alwayes a like distance notwithstanding the Earth's cirâ—ular Reuolution Hauing hitherto shewed this Sphericall motion of the Earth to bee possible and no way to contradict Nature wee are in the next place to shew it to bee no way opposite to the sense of
not backt with any necessary demonstration For it proues not thing else but the Earth to bee the Center of all earthie and heauy bodies and not to bee absolutely placed in the exact middle of the world Another reason not much vnlike the former is drawne by some from a finall cause and the naturall harmony of the parts of the world one with the other The Earth say they is of all other bodyes the most vile and sordid Therefore it is agreeable to nature that it should be placed in the middle equally distant from each part of the Heauens that one part might not seeme to complaine of this vnpleasing vicinity more then another But this reason takes as granted to matters as yet not decided First that the Earth amongst all other bodyes is most vile and sordid depending on the ground of Peripateticks that the heauenly bodies suffer no corruption a thing sooner spoken then proued Secondly that pure and impure bodies the most excellent and most vile in nature are alwayes most distant as in nature so in place which is a peremptory assertion without ground A third reason more probable then the former is drawne from the apparences of Starres aboue the Horizon It is manifest that the Starres aboue the Horizon appeare alwayes to bee of one and the selfe-same magnitude and quantity whether in the verticall point or in the East or the West or any other place whence we may collect that they differ equally in distance from the Earth and by consequence the Earth is seated in the middle of the world for if it were otherwise that the Starres in some place should bee neerer in other farther ofâ— they would some-where seeme greater otherwhere lesser according to the grounds of the Opticks This reason howsoeuer popular seemes to admit a two-fold exception First because it implies that a man standing on the superficies of the Earth is equally distant from all places and parts of the Heauens whereas the heauens in the Horizon are farther distant by reason of a whole semidiameter of the earth interposed Secondly all Starres arising in the East or setting in the West ordinarily seeme greater then in the Verticall point by reason of vapours ascending and interposed Whence wee cannot well gather the Earth to bee seated in the middest from the like apparence of the Starres when experience teacheth the coÌ„trary that they seeme not alwayes of the like magnitude Concerning the first we answer that the Semidiameter of the earth interposed betwixt the Superficies and Center is in it selfe greater But this as wee shall proue in respect of the Heauens is so little that the sense cannot gather any difference in obseruation of the Starres but that they should alwayes appeare of the like magnitude Concerning the second wee must needs acknowledge that vapours ascending about the Horizon by an Opticall Refraction make the Starres seeme greater then other wise they would doe But the reason may bee vnderstood in this sort that whether a â—an be placed in the same Horizon where the Sunne is when hee riseth or vnder that Horizon where the Sunne is now vnder his Meridian or vnder that horizon where hee is setting hee will appeare to bee of one and the selfe-same greatnesse without any sensible difference Whereas therefore they speake of the appearance of Starres they would haue them taken as abstracted from all impediments of sight or interposed vapours and so the reason may obtaine her force The fourth reason why the earth should bee seated in the midst alleaged by Ptolomie and others is this wheresoeuer any man stands on the Surface of the Earth six signes of the Zodiacke will shew themselues and the other six signes will lye hid and by consequence halfe the heauens will appeare the other halfe will bee vnder which is an euident reason that the Earth is in the midst for otherwise it could not so happen The former is confirmed by Ptolomie Alphraganus and the best Astronomers the consequence may bee inferred out of naturall reason This argument will sufficiently hold vpon this supposition mentioned before and to bee proued hereafter That the Earth hauing no sensible magnitude in respect of the Firmament no sensible difference can shew it selfe betwixt the Sensible and the Rationall Horizon Besides these reasons which make the matter more then probable others are produced by Ptolomie demonstratiue â—ot admitting any euident or probable exception or euasion The first is this If the Earth bee placed out of the Center of the world it must haue of necessity one of these three Sites or positions Either it must be in the plaine of the Equinoctiall or at least it must bee placed not onely without the plaine of the Equinoctiall but without the Axell-tree That is to expresse it plainer It must either bee placed beside the Axell-tree yet equally distant from both the Poles or else it must bee on the Axell-tree and so consequently neerer to one Pole then the other or thirdly it must needs be beside the Axell-tree yet neerer to one Pole then another If the first position were admitted these absurdities would of necessity follow First that in a right Spheare there would happen no Equinoctiall but onely in that Horizon which passeth by the Center of the world for example sake â—et there be imagined a Spheare BDCE whose Center is A let the Equator bee DE the Axel-tree of the world BC and let the Earth bee in F the right Horizon HG not passing by the Center of the world A which shall bee parallell to the Axis BC since the Equator cuts the Horizon in right angles It is most manifest that not only the equatour but other parallells of the same will bee vnequally diuided of the Horizon for as much as it passeth not by the Center or the Poles of the world wherefore it must needs follow that the dayes must continually be vnequall to the nights which contradicts all experience because in a right Spheare the dayes are alwayes found to bee equall to the nights Secondly out of this position it would follow that no man in a right Spheare should behold the halfe or hemispheare of the heauens but either a greater or lesser part as may be demonstrated out of the same Diagramme whereas sense can testifie that six signes of the Zodiacke are alwayes conspicuous aboue our Horizon and the other six alwayes hid only excepting that Horâ—zon which passeth by the Center of the Earth wherein the Mediety of Heauen is conspicuous Thirdly the same Starres in a cleere aire should not alwaies seeme of the same magnitude for if the earth be placed in the Equinoctiall plaine and beside the Axis of the world toward the Zenith or Meridian the Starres which are in the Meridian will appeare greater then in the East or West because they are neerer But if it bee placed neere the Nadir or midnight point they will appeare greater in the East or West then in the Meridian if it should bee placed towards
as meere points in respect of their Orbs because they sensibly are seene as parts of these Orbs. But the Earth is greater then some of the lower Starres as the Moone Whence we may with good grounds auerre that if a man were placed in the Moone hee might behold the Earth far greater then the Moone being obserued by vs in the Earth Wherefore no man can deny but the Earth in it selfe hath a great vastnesse But if wee consider this greatnesse in respect of the Heauens we shall find this vast greatnesse to shrinke almost into nothing and become as a meere point without sensible magnitude But this is not altogether generall without limitation because the heauenly bodies are distinguished into the higher and greater such as are the Firmament with the foure higher Planets such as are Saturne Iupiter Mars and the Sunne or the lower and lesser such as are Venus Mercurius and the Moone which difference in place and greatnesse admits a great diuersity in this proportion as wee shall shew in these two Theoremes 1. The Earthly Globe compared in quantity with the Firmament and superiour Orbes of the planets hath no sensible magnitude This Proposition is supported not only by the authority of many and graue Authors as Aristotle Ptolomy Pliny Alphragan and others but by diuers strong reasons drawne from experience and obseruation of Astronomers The first argument shall be this which is most popular The Sunne and many other Starres in the Firmament are found out by Astronomicall Instruments to bee manifold greater then the Globe of the Earth yet appeare they in respect of the heauens but as a little point or portion Then must the Earth being in comparison far lesser be deuoyd of all sensible magnitude or proportion Secondly if the Earth had any notable quantity in respect of the Heauen then must the Diameter of the earth haue as great a quantity in respect of the Diameter of the Sky for there is the same proportion of the Diameters which the circumferences haue one to the other as is demonstrated in Geometry Now if the Diameter of the Earth hath any notable magnitude in coÌ„parison of the Diameter of the Skye then the Starres which be ouer our heads be neerer vnto vs by a notable quantity then when they bee either in the East or West For it must needs follow that the Starres placed in the verticall point are neerer by the Semidiameter of the Earth then when they are either in the Easterne or Westerne point as we see in â—his figure here set downe ACDB wherein I make E to be the Center of the Earth AEB the true Horizon and EF the Semidiameter of the earth Now if the Semidiameter FE haue any sensible proportion then must G the verticall point be neerer to F. then either A or B. supposed to bee the East west points because EA or EB are the whole Semidiameter of the Celestiall circle whereof FG is only a part But contrarywise there is no such diuersity perceiued in the magnitude of the Starres but that they appeare still to bee of one and the same greatnesse except by accidentall interposition of vapours and grosse bodies wherefore it must of necessity follow that their distance is all one in all parts of the Skye and by consequence the Semidiameter of the earth hath no sensible diuersity in distance Thirdly hence would arise another reason no lesse forcible then this that if the Semidiameter of the Earth had any comparison or proportion to the Semidiameter of the Skye the Horizon that we haue on the vpper part of the earth should not diuide the Skye into two equall parts for as much as the part which is couched vnder the Horizon would alwayes be greater and the other lesser as in our former Diagramme if EF haue a notable quantity in compaâ—ison of EA then will the line CFD being the Horizon on the top of the earth differ notably from the line AEB being the Diameter of the World and the Horizon to the Center of the Earth and so shall not the Horizon CFD diuide the world into two equall parts but the vpper part shall alwayes be lesser then the lower which crosses ordinary experience for we may see in long winter nights that those Starres which are in the East Horizon in the beginning of the night will be in the West at the end of twelue houres and contrarywise those Stars which did set in the West when those others did rise in the East shall rise agayne when the other shall set Fourthly if the earth had any sensible greatnesse in respect of the Heauens then were it vnpossible for any Sunne Diall to bee regular and obserue due proportion For we see the shaddowes to moue as duely and orderly about the Center of Dials and such instruments as if their Center were the very Center of the world which could neuer happen if these two Centers should differ notably in respect of the Spheare of the Sunne to expresse it the better we will set this Figure which represents the three notable circles in a Diall which are described by the course of the Sunne in three notable places of the Zodiacke to wit the two Tropicks and the Equinoctiall Herein the vttermost arch BLC represents the Tropicke of Capricorne and is described no greater then the quarter of a circle because the Sun placed in the Signe shines vnto vs but six houres The Equinoctiall is set as halfe a circle because the Sun being in it appeares vnto vs 12 houres is here noted out by EIF The Tropicke of Cancer containes 3 quarters of a Circle because when the Sun is in it there are eighteen houres from Sun-rising to Sun-set and that circle is GHK The Center of the Diall is A and the Style which giues the shadow DA whose top being D doth describe those portions of circles with such exactnesse as if the Diall were set in the very Center of the Earth and the distinction of the houres shewes it selfe no otherwise then if the Center of the Diall were the same with the Center of the world To these arguments I may adde that if there should bee a sensible greatnesse of the earth in respect of these superiour Orbes either all or most of these absurdities would arise which follow their opinions who place the Earth out of the CeÌ„ter of the World which we haue before treated of 2 The Terrestriall Globe compared with the inferiour Orbs hath a sensible magnitude Although the whole Earth compared with the Firmament and superiour Orbs of the Planets seeme no otherwise then a point yet from this wee must except the Orbes of the lower Planets Venus Mercury but especially the Moone Who are found by obseruations of diuerse skilfull Astronomers to haue a sensible and notable greatnesse in respect of the earth whereof a manifest argument may bee drawne from the Parallax or variation of the sight wherein our obseruations of the same Starre at diuerse places are
Spheare the Inclinatory Needle shall conforme it selfe in a Parallell-wise to the Axell of the Earth through that place passeth the Equinoctiall Line As to finde out the Meridian of any place wee are to vse the helpe of the Directory Needle so to the finding out of the Equatour and Parallels the Inclinatory Needle is most necessary because the former respects the Magneticall Motion of Direction the latter of Declination Now wheresoeuer wee shall see the Needle to conforme it selfe in such sort as it may lie Parallell with the Axell of the Earth we may assure our selues that such a place is vnder the Equinoctiall Circle The reason whereof wee haue giuen in our 3 Chapter out of the CoÌ„uertible nature of the Magnet and here needs no repetition only wee will insert this one figure wherein the line CD drawne through the Centers of two Inclinatory Needles lying Parallell to the Axell of the Earth A. B. will expresse this Equinoctiall line which wee here seeke For the Magneticall Inclinatory Needle being set in a Frame or Ring made for such a purpose will vnder the Equator respect one Pole no more then another but lie leuell with the Plaine of the Horizon as vnder the Poles it will make right Angles with the Plaine of the Horizon In the middle spaces betwitxt the Equatour and the Poles it will conforme it selfe in such sort as it makes certaine Angles with the Axell of the Earth though not equall yet proportionall to the Latitude out of which an ingenious Artificer may deduce the Parallels of any place without any obseruations of the Heauens as is taught by Instruments inuented by Gilbert Ridley and diuers others which haue vndertaken this subiect 16 Of the Inuention of the Equatour wee haue spoken In the site we ought to consider the placing of the Equator in respect of the world 1 The Equatour is an vnmoueable Circle whose Poles neuer vary from the â—ixt Poles of the world Whether the Poles of the Equator haue been any times varied from the Poles of the world is a controuersie which hath exercised the greatest wits Ioseph Scaliger trusting as it seemes more to ancient History then Moderne experiment seemes in two Epistles not only to make a doubt whether the Poles of the Equatour haue continued the same with the Poles of the world but superâ—iliously as the manner of most criticks is rather out of coniecture then Reason to taxe the common opinion of manifest errour and absurdity The ground and originall of this doubt growes out of the obseruation of the fixt Stars which haue since the Times of the Ancients beene found to bee moued out of their places or at least not to retaine the same points in the Period of the Sunnes Motion The chiefest Instances are taken from the stars in the Hornes of Aries which in Hyparchus time which liued aboue 60 yeeres before Ptolomy were obserued to bee not much distant from the Equinoxe and before him in the very point it selfe but in our time remoued about 28 Degrees off Also it is obserued in the Cynosure or Pole-star that in Hyparchus time it was distant from the Pole about 12 Degrees which wee finde in our time to bee scarce 3 Degrees distant To salue this Apparence Ptolomy inuented a slow motion of the Starry Heauen or Firmament whereby the Fixt stars might bee remoued farther off from the Equinoctiall points in the Eclipticke whence of a consequence the Pole-starre should not keep the same position in respect of the Pole it selfe but vary his site according to the Motion which opinion hath a long time passed without contradiction till Copernicus out of new grounds sought for this Motion in the Earth to which hee assigned no lesse then three Motions Since Copernicus arose Ioseph Scaliger who contradicting the common receiued grounds and yet for ought I see not trusting to the suppositions of Copernicus would bring in another opinion to wit that the Stars of the Firmâ—ment are not moued from the point of the Equinoxe but rather that the point is carryed away from the stars The decision of this point I dare not vndertake better becomming the learned and industrious endeauours of our worthy Professours M. Doctour Bainbrigge and M. Henry Brigges as best suiting with their Learning and Profession Ipse semipaganus ad sacra vatum carmen offero nostrum Neuerthelesse as a Learner for mine owne satisfaction I would willingly enter a little into conference with this great and admired Oracle Ioseph Scaliger to sound the certainty of his grounds That the Pole-starre saith hee was so far distant from the Pole as 12 Degrees was no true obseruation but the errour of Hyparchus who afterwards by his authority deceiued Ptolomy and He Posterity The Reasons hee alleadged are 1 Because Eudoxus which was more ancient then Hyparchus obserued the same star to bee in no other place then where now it is 2 Because that greater light of Astronomy Copernicus perceiuing the Equinoxes and Solstitiall points to be moued was enforced to inuent other grounds but because his demonstrations depended only on the Apparences hee sought out this effect in the motion of the Earth If it were manners to oppose so great a Scholler as Ioseph Scaliger I would aske a few questions why we should not credite the obseruations of Hyparchus Ptolomy and all posterity as well as of Eudoxus sith Antiquity without consent approbation is no great argument of truth Neuerthelesse if the matter be well examined we shall perhaps find Antiquity to be more firme on our side The same reason as I take it may be giuen for the stars in the Hornes of Aries as of the Pole-starre because all the fixt-starres by the consent of all are imagined to keep the same vniforme site among themselues in such sort as the varying of some would disorder all the rest at least argue the like variety or change of all Now to proue the stars of Aries to haue beene varyed many of the Ancients as Master Hues hath obserued liuing in diuers times haue confirmed The first star of Aries which in the time of Meto Atticus was obserued in the Vernall Intersection in the time of Thales Milesius was before it 2 Degrees in Tymocharis age it was after it 2 Degrees 24 Minutes In Hipparchus time 4 Degrees 40 Minutes in Abbumazars 17 Degrees 50 Minutes in Albarens 18 Degrees 10 Minutes in Arzachels 19 Deg. 37 Min. in Alphonsus his time 23 Deg. 48 Min In the time of Copernicus and Rheticus 27 Degrees 21. Min. In our time about 28. Against all these Testimonies if we should oppose the Testimony of Eudoxus and Scaâ—iger wee should bee thought very partiall to preferre them before the consent of Antiquity Eudoxus though very Antient being but one and the other one of the last If any should obiect that Eudoxus spake onely of the Pole-starre and not of the stars in the hornes of Aries I answere as before that the same reason is to bee
seene in this Figure wherein the Line CD represents vnto vs the sensible Horizon the Line AB the rationall The former is called Naturall or Physicall because it comes vnder the measure and apprehension of the sense the other Astronomicall because it is of great vse in Astronomy in the resolution of the Horizon into his parts wee ought to consider two things first the Poles of the Horizon Secondly his Periphery or circumference The Poles are commonly called Zenith or Nadir The Zenith is the Verticall point directly placed ouer our Head whereunto is opposite on the other side the Nadir directly vnder our foote and therefore may bee called the Pedall point The parts or intersections in the circumferences are designed out vnto vs by certaine lines discouering the coasts in the Terrestriall Globe These lines are called either windes or Rhumbes The windes with the Grecians were onely 8. But the latter Nauigators haue increased them to the number of 32 whereof foure were called Cardinall to wit such as are directed to the foure coastes of East West North and South The other are Collaterall being placed on each side of the Cardinall windes The Rhumbes are Lines passing by the Verticall point of any place as you may see in the Compasse going before Now because one Rhumbe answers to two coasts or windes the number of the Rhumbes is but halfe the number of the windes to wit 16. Here it is to bee noted that a Rhumbe differs from a Winde whereas a Rhumber is one line pointing out vnto vs two windes or coasts These Rhumbes as they are conceiued in the Globe were thought by Nonnus to bee the portions of greater Circles But learned Mr Hues in his booke out of vndoubted principles strongly confutes him The grounds which hee takes are these First that all Meridians of all places passe the Pole and cut the Equatour and all his parallels at right Angles Secondly If our course should bee directly any way else then towards one of the poles a new Meridian must succeed and a new Horizon Thirdly that the Iron Needle being touched with the Load-stone shewes the common section of the Meridian and the Horizon and on one side perpetually respects the North on the other the South Fourthly the same Rhumbe cuts all the Meridians atall places at equall Angles and euery where respects the like coasts in the world Fiftly that a greater circle drawne by the Verticall points if remoued from the Equatour cannot cut diuers Meridians at equall Angles Sixtly a greater circle drawne by the Verticall point of any place makes greater Angles with all other Meridians then with that from which it was first drawne whence it is necessary that the line which shall bee supposed to make Angles with diuers Meridians as the Rhumbes should bee bowed toward the Meridian I know not what would bee more said against the opinion of P. Nonnus who would haue all the Rhumbes to bee portions of greater circles To illustrate further the nature and vse of the Horizon wee will insert these Theoremes 2 The Sensible and Rationall Horizon in the Earth are much different in respect of the Firmament all one It may bee gathered out of the suppositions of Ptolomy and Alphraganus and almost all other Astronomers that no man being placed on the surface of the earth can precisely see the halfe of it For that Horizon which terminates our sight as we haue shewed is a plaine superficies euery way circularly extended in the Earth in such sort as men placed either in the Sea in a ship or in a great field or Countrey would thinke the visible part of the earth to bee plaine whose ends would seeme to touch the Heauens Whence must needs come to passe that such an Horizon cannot diuide the Spheare of the â—arth into two equall parts For so much will be found wanting as is measured betwixt that superficies which toucheth the earth and that which passeth by the Center of it equidistant from the other for this later only can diuide the earth into 2 equall parts according to Theodosius and may well bee seene in the former figure wherein are expressed both Horizons as well the visible as inuisible touching the Spheare in a point on the superficies as the Rationall passing by the Center Neuerthelesse wee must consider that the quantity intercepted betwixt these two Horizons in the Terrestriall Spheare is of little or no moment compared with the whole frame of the Heauens For sith the Heauens are so farre distant from vs it will come to passe that if two equidistant lines should bee drawne the one from the Eye the other from the Center of the Earth to the Firmament they would according to sense appeare one and the selfe-same by reason of the wonderfull distance as wee see in a long Gallery whose walls haue an equall distance the one from the other the walls will notwithstanding according to Opticall principles seeme widest where they are neerest and to close and shut vp at the ends or at least to concurre neerer much more must wee imagine this to happen in the sight if we compare the greatnesse of the Firmament with the Spheare of the Earth in whose magnitudes wee shall finde a incomparable disparity This will appeare by the Apparences for wee shall see the six signes of the Zodiacke conspicuous aboue our Horizon and the other six vnder it hid from our sight Also the Sunne and Moone when they are diametrally opposed almost at the same moment will appeare the one in the East the other in the West at least the one will rise soone vpon the setting of the other And if we beleeue Pliny the Moone was obserued to bee eclipsed in the East point the Sunne at the same time being in a sort aboue the Horizon in the West Such an Eclipse could not happen without a diametrall opposition of the two lights and therefore can the Sensible and the Rationall Horizon haue no sensible difference in respect of the Firmament 2 The sensible Horizon may be greater or lesser according to the nature and disposition of the place In this consideration wee take no notice of the difference of sights whether they be weaker or sharper but suppose an eye sufficient to kenne so farre in the Earth as the place will permit The difference then betwixt diuerse Horizons must bee sought out in the condition of the place A Sight placed on the top of a high mountaine may see much farther then one in a low valley compassed about with hills for as much as the Semidiameter of the sensible Horizon which is equall to the Rayes or Lines drawne from the extreame parts of the visible Earth are much greater The most indifferent iudgement of this Horizon may bee taken from the superficies of the Sea beyond sight of land for a man thereon sayling in a ship may perceaue the surface of the Sea as a plaine on euery side to bound the sight in a round circle
part of the Earth because such as dwell directly vnder the Equatour or either of the Poles although they may bee Antipodes agree not to that definition by reason the former are Antipodes only in opposite points of the Equatour the other of the Meridian Whether there were any Antipodes or no was made a question amongst the Ancients in so much that Saint Augustine in his booke de ciuitate Dei and Lactantius in his third booke of Institutions seemes stiffely to defend the contrary which opinion is supposed to grow out of their contempt or neglect of Mathematicall studies in those ages wherein the zeale to religion was most vnnecessarily opposed to Philosophie and the mistresse forsaken of her best hand-maides which ignorance of the Ancients was so farre deriued to posterity that in the yeere of our Sauiour 745 one Boniface Bishop of Mens was accused before the Pope Zachary Virgilius Bishop of Salisburg for heresy in that hee auerred there were Antipodes The matter being first preferred to the King of Bohemia and an appeale made vnto the Pope it happened that the honest Bishop for this assertion was flatly condemned for hereticall doctrine and inforced to recant his opinion yet is it wonderfull how such matters were thus decided for granting these two easie grounds First that the earth is Sphericall a proposition proued in their time 2 That euery place or at least two opposite places in the Terrestriall Spheare may bee habitable it must of necessity follow that such Antipodes must bee granted which makes me to imagine that Saint Augustine absolutely and grossely denied not the Antipodes because in setting downe the premises and grounds of our opinion hee seemed to vnderstand them too well to deny a necessary induction being a man of so great a wit and apprehension but questionlesse he thought that the Torrid Zone which by most of the Ancients in his time was reputed vnhabitable and vnpassable no man had yet set his foot in those remote parts beyond the line so that it seemed in him not to arise out of ignorance of the constitution of the earthly Globe but out of the receaued opinion of the Torrid Zone and the vast Ocean the one of which hee held vnhabitable the other vnpassable from whence also sprang vp an argument or rather an idle fancie that the Antipodes could not be admitted without granting another Sauiour and another kinde of men besides Adams posterity for if this coniecture had not taken place the Pope I suppose would neuer haue proued himselfe so ridiculous a Iudge as to haue condemned Virgilius for heresie As for Lactantius howsoeuer otherwise a pious eloquent Father the weakenesse and childishnesse of his arguments will to any indifferent reader discouer his ignorance in the very first rudiments of Cosmographie Here we may learne how farre religion it selfe is wronged by such who set her opposite to all her seruants But whatsoeuer the Ancients out of their glimring reason haue coniectured our times haue sufficiently decided this controuersie wherin such Antipodes are established both by reason and experience which matâ—er wee shall reserue to our second booke wherein we shall declare how farre and in what sense the Earth may bee tearmed habitable 1 Those which are to vs Perioeci are the Antoeci to our Antipodes our Antoeci the Periaeci to our Antipodes likewise our Perioeci are the Antipodes to our Antaeci This Proposition as a Corollary may by necessary consequence be deduced out of the precedent definition and be well expressed out of the constitution of the artificiall Globe and needs no farther demonstration 2 The Perioeci Antoeci and Antipodes are diuersly distinguished in respect of the celestiall apparences The proprieties of the Perioeci are chiefly foure 1 They haue the same eleuation of the Pole and therefore the same temper of the yeere and the same length of dayes and nights 2 They dwell East and West in regard one of the other 3 They haue contrary times of dayes and nights for when the one hath his Noone the other inioyes his mid-night likewise when the Sun with the one riseth it setteth with the other 4 They haue the same Zone Climate and Parallell but differ by a semicircle to wit 180 degrees To the Antoeci they haue likewise assigned 5 proprieties viz. 1 They inhabite the like Zones but in diuerse Hemispheares 2 They haue the same eleuation of the pole but not of the same pole because the one sees the pole Arcticke the other the pole Antarcticke equally raised aboue his Horizon 3 They haue Noone and Mid-night iust at the same times 4 They inioy the same temper of the Heauens 5 They haue the seasons of the yeere contrary For when the Southerne Antoeci haue their Summer the Northerne haue their Winter and contrariwise when the Northerne haue their spring these haue their Autumne To the Antipodes they haue allotted 3 Proprieties 1 That they haue the same eleuation of the pole though not of the same pole 2 They haue the same temper of the yeere and the same quantity of dayes and nights 3 They haue all the other accidents contrary For when the one hath Night the other hath Day when one Winter the other Summer when the one the Spring the other Autumne and contrariwise These accidents and proprieties here mentioned must be vnderstood in respect of the Heauens only The qualities arising from diuerse other Accidentall and particular causes in diuerse places of the Earth we shall differre vnto our second part CHAP. XI Of the Longitudes and Latitudes 1 THe distinction of the Terrestriall Globe according to certaine Spaces being formerly explaned we are now to treat of the Distinction of the said Spheare according to certaine Distances 2 A Distance here we vnderstand to be a direct line drawne betwixt two points in the Earth such a Distance is twofold either Simple or Comparatiue 3 The Simple Distance is taken from the two great circles to wit the Meridian or the Equatour which is either the Longitude or Latitude The diuision of Distances into the Simple or Comparatiue is most necessary for it is one thing for a place absolutely taken in it selfe to be distant from some fixt point or other in the Globe Another for two places to be compared betwixt themselues in regard of such a fixt point for as much as the former implies only the distance betwixt two points the other the distance of two such points or places in respect of the third These points from which such points are said to be distant are either found in the Meridian Circle from which the Distance is called Longitude or else in the Equatour whence we call it Latitude 4 The Longitude is the distance of any place Eastward from the first Meridian To vnderstand the better the Longitude we must consider that it may be taken two wayes either Generally or Specially In the former sense it is taken for the Distance of the whole Earth stretched from the West vnto the East
by the ray EG so that the distance betwixt the Moone and the fixt starre will bee in that station the Arch of the circle CG Now by the first common Axiome of Euclide euery man must grant that the Arch of BG is greater then CG the former being the whole and this the part Secondly out of the same ground wee may as easily collect that this distance betwixt the Moone and some other knowne fixt starre is varied proportionally according to the distances of the places on the earth because so many places as there are so many diuersity of aspects will arise being increased or diminished according to the distances of places on the Terrestriall Globe This conclusion thus demonstrated wee must proceed to practice in this manner as is taught by Gemma Frisius First it behooueth you to search out by the helpe of Astronomicall Tables the true motion of the Moone according to the Longitude at that time of your obseruation at some certaine place for whose Meridian the rootes of those Tables are calculated 2. You must know the Degree of Longitude of some fixed starre nigh vnto the Eclipticke either preceding or following the moouing of the Moone 3. You must seeke out the Distance of moouing of the Moone and the said starre 4. The distance once had apply the crosse-staffe to your sight and so mooue the Crosse to and fro till you may behold the Center of the Moone at the one ende and the fixed starre with the other So shall you see expressed by the Degrees and Minutes marked on the staffe the distance of the Moone and the said starre correspondent to the place of your obseruation which being noted set downe also the distance betwixt the Moone and the foresaid Starre which was first calculated Then subtract the lesser from the greater the residue will shew the least difference which being diuided by the moouing which the Moone maketh in one houre you shall know the time in which the Moone is or was ioyned with the first distance of the foresaid starre Then hauing conuerted that time into degrees and minutes the rest will be performed either by addition or substraction of the Product thereof to or from that Meridian for which the Tables where by you first calculated the motion of the Moone were appointed and verified If the distance betwixt the Moone and the fixt Starre of your obseruation bee lesser then must you adde the degrees and minutes to the knowne Latitude so shall you finde the place of your obseruation to bee more Eastward If it bee greater then substract the degrees and minutes from the knowne Longitude and the place of your obseruation in this regard will bee more Westward These rules are so farre true that the Moone bee supposed to bee more Westward then the fixed Starre for if otherwise your working must be cleane contrary to wit if the distance betwixt the Moone and the fixed Starre bee lesser you must subtract the degrees and minutes from the knowne Longitude so shall the place of your obseruation bee more Westward but if it bee greater then must you adde the degrees and minutes vnto the knowne Longitude and the place of your obseruation shall bee sound Eastward This way though more difficult may seeme better then all the rest for as much as an Eclipse of the Moone seldome happens and a watch clocke or houreglasse cannot so well bee preserued or at least so well obserued in so long a voyage whereaâ— euery night may seeme to giue occasion to this experiment if so bee the ayre bee freed from clouds and the Moone shew her face aboue the Horizon 4 By the obseruation of the difference in the Sunnes and Moones motion the Longitude of places may be found out To explane this proposition wee will set downe three things 1 Certaine Postulata or granted Axioms 2 The example 3. The manner and practise The grounds or propositions which wee take as granted of all Mathematicians are these 1 That the motion of the Moone is 48 minutes of an houre slower in 24 houres or 360 degrees then that of the Sunne 2 That by obseruation of the heauens and other Mathematicall helpes an Artificer may know in any place first the Meridian Secondly the houre of the day Thirdly the time of the Moones comming to the Meridian 3 The time of the Moones comming to the Meridian may bee knowne by an Ephemerides These things granted wee will suppose for example that in London the Moone on some set day comes to the Meridian at foure of the Clocke after Noone 2 That in some part of the West-Indies the Moone bee obserued to come to the Meridian the same day at 10 minutes after foure These grounds thus set downe the distance of Longitude of that place Westward from London may bee found out The manner of practise is thus to bee wrought by the golden Rule If the difference of the Sunnes and Moones motion bee 48 minutes of an houre in 360 degrees what will it be in 10 minutes The fourth proportionall number will bee 75 degrees the distance of Longitude of the place assigned from London in West Longitude from which number the Longitude from London being subtracted and the remainder from 360 the residue will shew the Longitude If the Moone in the place assigned come sooner to the Meridian wee must count so much in East Latitude This way I first found in Mr Purchas his relation of Halls discouery of Groenland written by William Baffin since this Chapter came vnder the Presse the expression of which being as I suppose shorter and easier then in the Author I doe owe for the most part to my worthy Chamber-fellow Mr. Nathanael Norrington to whose learned conference I confesse my selfe to owe some fruits of my labours in this kinde and all the offices of friendship This manner of inuention for mine owne part I preferre before all the rest both for certainty and facility and as it should seeme by Baffins practise it is more in vse amongst Marriners then the former howsoeuer lesse mentioned amongst writers 14 Thus much for the Inuention of the Longitude the Expression is the imitation of the Longitude on the face of an Artificiall Globe or Mappe which is directed by these Rules 1 The place whereof wee desire to know the Longitude being brought to the Brasen Meridian the degrees of the Equatour will shew the Longitude This Rule may easily be explaned by these three precepts First that you must turne round the Globe on his Axell-tree till you bring the place whereof seek the Longitude vnder the brasen Meridian 2 You must diligently and exactly marke what degree the Meridian cuts in the Equatour 3. You must number how many degrees that point is distant from the first Meridian and the number will giue you the true Longitude sought after This also mâ—y be performed without turning of the Globe if so be any other Meridian in the globe signed out shall passe by the said place For
consider the naturall changes of Countries sithence the first creation wee shall finde them to haue suffered as well in the naturall accidents and disposition of the soile as the temper of the Inhabitants concerning the former wee may note a twofold alteration whereof the one is a progresse from Imperfection to Perfection the other contrariwise from Perfection to Imperfection The first groweth out of the generall Industrie of mankinde which is wont to worke euery thing as neere as it can to his best ends and vse for his owne good and propagation of his kinde which wee may best finde in the first originall of the world the first ground-worke of ciuill society for man being once expelled out of Paradise for his owne transgression had left him notwithstanding for his lot the whole world besides which no question hee found as in the cradle of Nature a poore infant as yet altogether vnfashioned and vnshaped for humane habitation For who can imagine the earth at that time to bee any otherwise then as a vast Wildernesse all ouergrowne with briers and bushes growing of their owne accord out of the Earth Moreouer what Fennes Bogges Marishes and other such incombrances could there bee wanting to those places which neuer yet felt the chastising hand of husbandrie All these incommodities as mankind began to multiplie and propagate it selfe on the face of the Earth were by little and little remoued and the Earth reduced into a better forme for humane dwelling because euery man choosing out his owne possession began presently to till and manure the soyle with all heedfull industrie For if our first Parents being placed in Paradise it selfe the most pleasant and fertile portion of the whole world were neuerthelesse enioyned to dresse and manure the Garden for their better vse and profit what shall wee imagine of the other parts of the Earth which no doubt a thousand degrees come short of this perfection especially knowing this curse to bee laid on man by our Creatour That he should eat his bread in the sweat of his browes as though the earth were bound to open her treasures onely to mans paines and labour And howsoeuer the diligence of mankinde hath gone very farre in adorning and fashioning the vpper face of the earth yet hath it not waded so farre but that many places in our times are left altogether rude and vncultered groaning vnder vast Wildernesses and vnprofitable desarts For times past wee might haue for instance gone no farther then Britanie and Germanie both which Countryes we shall finde in these dayes to differ as much from the dayes of Caesar as Caesar iudged them to differ from the Roman Territory which no doubt hee preferred before all parts of Europe Notwithstanding this generall inclination of mankinde to perfect their dwelling places for their better ease and comfort wee shall finde many wayes whereby the parts of the Earth haue degenerated and proued more vnfit for humane habitation then in former times The first which is the greatest and cause of all the rest is that Curse which our Almighty Creatour cast on the whole earth for Adams sake which afterward seemes renued and increased in the generall deluge wherein all mankinde suffered for their sinnes a plague of waters For as the estate of mankind immediatly before the Flood was farre better then that afterwards so was the estate of Paradice farre better then that So as wee may note from the beginning of the world a generall defect and weakenesse of the Creatures still more and more declining from their originall perfection granted in the first creation So that many great Philosophers haue coniectured not without ground that the world from the first creation hath suffered the change of ages sensibly and this wherein wee liue to bee the last and decrepite age wherein Nature lyeth languishing as ready to breath out her last But this opinion seemes to bee controled by reason for as much as wee finde not a proportionall decrement and defect of naturall vigour in things as well in man as other creatures For if wee compare the estate of a man before the Flood with the age of Dauid long after wee shall finde a great disparity in the proportionall decrement of the Yeeres and Ages of men for as much as many before the Flood attained to 800 and some as Methusalem to 900 yeeres But in Dauid time the dayes of mans life as he himselfe testifieth are threescore and ten and admit wee vnderstand this speech of Dauid to bee meant only of his chiefest strength and liuelyhood wee shall yet finde a great diuersity because man is vnderstood to bee in his greatest strength and vigour in his middle age so that the whole age of man by this account surmounts not 140 yeeres To which proportion of defect or decrement our times can no way agree because many men in our dayes come neere the same age as wee see by experience which may bee confirmed by diuerse instances whereof wee will produce only two the one of a certaine Indian presented to Soliman the Turke being of the age of 200 yeeres the other of the Countresse of Desmond in Ireland which Sr Walter Rauleigh mentions to this purpose who was married in Edward the fourth's time yet was aliue very lately But to this doubt I might answer that this extraordinary difference betwixt the ages of men betweene the Patriarches and Dauids time compared with men ages betwixt Dauids and our dayes came from two especiall causes First by the vniuersall Deluge which caused a generall defect and decay of nature in the whole earth the like whereof hath not since beene found Secondly it was as it seemes much impaired by the Intemperance and luxurious diet of those times which added much to this generall weaknesse of nature for as much as the children can haue little or no naturall perfection in themselues more then is deriued vnto them by their parents For nothing can giue that to others which it neuer had it selfe whence it must needs come to passe that the posterity deriued from luxurious and distempered bodyes should proue as weake and impotent generally if not more then their Parents Now why the people soone vpon the Flood should finde their distemperature more noxious and preiudiciall to long life then the men of our age a good reason may bee giuen because the Earth long after the Flood had not fully receaued that naturall heat and spirit which it lost in the Deluge So that all things arising out of it as Plants Hearbs Fruits and liuing creatures feeding thereon proued for a while more vnwholsome and vnnaturall then in some yeeres after when it had somewhat reuiued it selfe by the heat of the Sunne and the Starre and by little and little returned to his owne nature The other cause of deficiencie is more speciall as not happening to all but to diuerse parts of the Earth and that more at one time then another as the neglect of due manuring many places
of the Earth but should in part bee driuen backe and in part flow besides for since it is of a moist nature while the Earth is carried from the Aire about it the Water iâ— somewhat left behind as wee may see in a small vessell which is moâ—e laâ—ge then deep for if it be moued forward the Water will leape back to the opposite part will oftentimes poize it selfe hither thither seeking an aequilibration when therefore the Earth is a litle caried forward the water as it were left behind being out of his Aequilibrium or aquall poize it will runne to the other part but beyond the true poize forthe violence of the motion oppressed into it in the beginning from thence for the same cause it will tend againe to the opposite part doing this oftentimes seeking an equall weight wherein it may rest so that if the Earth should at any times rest from her naturall motion the Water would also leaue off the Libration to and fro But because the circumvolution of the Earth is imagined to be perpetuall the libration of the sea is also per petuall so farre forth then that this motion is of the continent or Earth it is onely accidentall in the Water neither besides his proper nature neither according to nature But so farre forth as the Water is in some sort moued in the Earth it may be said to be according to nature for it alwaies seekes the lower place because it cannot aequally follow the motion of the Earth Hence they giue the reason why this motion is not perceiued in Lakes and Riuers as well as in the maine Ocean for sith the motion of the Earth is not very sensible it cannot be perceiued but in a great masse of waters The reasons to confirme this opinion besides the refutation of other opinions are chiefly these two If the Water by it selfe should be mou'd without the motion of the Earth it must needs be moued either according to or against his nature But neither of them can be graunted First if according to Nature there would not be one only motion of one body according to nature but many which is denyed by Arâ—stotle If besides or against Nature some violent motion would bee perpetuall which also seemes absurd wherefore it must needs follow that the sea should moue accidentally For sith the Water is conteined outwardly of the Aire internally of the Earth And that part of the Aire which toucheth the Water is of Aristotle called Stagnans or standing still not flowing as that which is aboue the Earth but is onely troubled variously with windes This libration or motion of the Water cannot bee caused by the wind or Aire wherefore it must proceed from the motion of the Earth The second reason may be drawne from the quantity of tides in diuers places of the Earth for it is â—ound by experience that the Water swels higher greater in the maine Ocean then in other lesser Seas For it is obserued that about great Brittaine it mounts sometimes aboue 80 cubits also it oftner ebbes and flowes in lesser currents because the spaces of this libration are shorter and straâ—ghter or because besides the motion of ebbing and flowing which the Mediterranean seas partake from the Ocean at Hercules Pillars they haue a proper libration in their owne channels whence it comes to passe that in some narrow seas as in the Euripus besides Euboia the sea seauen times a day ebbs and flowes whereof there can no sufficient reason be giuen from the motion of the Moone or other cause whereto other Philosophers ascribe this effect This opinion of Caesalpinus seemes to carry great likelyhood of reason and congruity with experience yet because it is grounded on the circular motion of the Earth which seemes a paradox to most men I dare not warrant it otherwise then probable neither can it well stand with the grounds of our Magneticall Philosophers because they affirme the whole spheare of the Earth and Water together with the Aire to moue round with one Vniforme revolution in such sort as one should not moue to the opposite part or stay behind the other as they would haue it here to doe There is yet another opinion more commonly defended in the schooles of naturall Philosopherâ— that this motion of the sea is to bee ascribed to the Moone as the principall cause others againe as they admit the Moone to haue her operation in this effect ioyne other causes to it and indeed this seemes more probable for there want not arguments in Patricius and other later writers to shew that the Moone cannot be the sole cause of this motion First because this motion is not obserued in all seas Lakes and Riuers wheâ—eupon neuerthelesse the Moone hath the like dominion But experience shewes the contrary for besides fresh Riuers it is manifest by obseruation of trauailers that this ebbing and flowing is not to be found in the Hircâ—â— Mantian and Dead sea also in Maotis Palus in the Pontick Propontiâ—ke Ligurian and Narbon streytes neither in the Tyrrhene sea Moreouer it is not obserued in a great part of the Red sea Neither can the Narrownesse of the channell excuse it because these seas are great and also for the most part within the Tropicke of Cancer and therefore exposed sometimes to the perpendicular beames of the Moone Secondly If the Moone should by her owne â—orce excite and moue these waterâ— then would it moue those seas which it doth moue Altogether and not only in parts The contrary whereof we may find First in the Red Sea which in the beginning and end Ebbes and flowes but in the middle not at all moreouer the Mediterranean sea ebbes flowes as one sea on all the coasts of Africa wherein it is in a sort diuided and yet those seas with which it is ioyned as the Tyrrhene Ligurian and Gallican Seas feele not any such motion Thirdly it is obiected that if the Moone were the only cause of this Flâ—x and Reflux of the sea then those seas which are said in whole to moue should aequally flow in hight but this is contradicted by experience because some flow higher and some lower As for example The Adriatick sea in the inmost creeke neere Venice swels neere foure foote in hight but the rest of it not aboue two â—oote which increase is likewise obserued in the Aegean Cretian Ionian and Cyprian Seas also the Syrian and Aegyptian euen to Portus Ferinae But from mons pulcher to the Herculean streytes it increaseth aboue two foot in length But without these straights the same Ocean by the coasts of Portugall and Biscay and France the Sea riseth vsually to 15 foot in hight and neere the coasts of Belgia and Brittaine 18 foot At the confines of Bristoll to 60 and thence to the borders of S. Michael to 60 But at the coasts of Aethiopia neere the Atlantick shores it riseth not higher then in the Adriatick Sea But neere the Ilands
Scaliger who would not haue a ship to passe it under three moneths out of which he laboured to proue this motion of the sea because the shippe was longer a going then returning The second experiment hee takes from the obseruation of one Iohn Eupolius who willing to passe from the port of S. Blasiâ—â— which is beyond the Cape of good hope in Africke to Melinde towards the Indies could not goe forward by reason that the currents as they call them droue them backe from Melinde to Pate a towne by this side of the Indyes whence hee would conclude that the Water should in this place rather runne from West to East towards the Indies The third experiment is drawne from the testimony of Thomas Lope who when he was to passe from the Cape of good hope towards the Indies testifies that the current of the Water was so violent that it oftentimes leapt into the forepart of the shippe The fourth is from the testimony of Iohannes Guietanus who putting forth from Tidor came into Spaine before the sixteenth moneth This iourney from Tidor to the Cape of good hope containes 55 leagues which makes 1650 miles from this to the Iland of S. Helena by the relation of another pilot are 1400 miles from whence to the Equinoctiall circle are 1600 miles from hence to Spaine by the computation of degrees are not aboue 1520 miles of all which the summe is 7114. Now if wee take out of sixteene moneths 49 dayes wherein the ship against Cape of good hope was carried hither and thither which the marriners call Voltegiairâ— and 70 other dayes wherein it stood still in the coasts of Guinea in Melacia there will remaine a whole yeere spent in this iourney which dayes if we diuide by those 7114 miles there will be allotted to euery day no more then 19 miles which euidently shewes that this iourney was most short in respect of the swiftnesse of the Nauigations For if the Ocean should driue his currents to St Hâ—lâ—na euen to the west they had ended their iourney in a farre lesser time because those currents as they say carry the ship But this iourney was accomplished very slowly wherefore the currents were not carried from East to West aâ— Sâ—aliger relates Likewise from sundry other experiments hee goes about to proue that it constantly cannot bee obserued to flow from North to South as the said Scaliger affirmes but that it is various according to diuers places Neuerthelesse that the Sea should haue a perpetuall current from the Poles towards the Equatouâ— seemes to stand as well with Reason as Experience For all men must needs confesse that the motion of the Heauens vnder the Equatour must bee much swifter then neerer the Poles because the circles of it are greater neere the Equatour Now by how much swifter the motion of the Heauen is by so much more is the Rarefaction of the Aire or other Elementary bodies right vnder it whether it be Aire as it is most probable or Fire as Peripatetickâ— imagine But howsoeuer we determine that controuersie it must needs be that the Aire must suffer Rarefaction answerable to the swiftnesse of the motion if not immediatly by the swift motion of the Heauens yet by a consequent by the greater feruour of the Fire which vnder the Equatour must needs be greater and of more force then about the Poles whence the parts of the Aire vnder it must partake more degrees of Heat and by necessary consequence suffer a greater Attenuation 2 The Sun-beames being darted perpendicularly cannot choose but attenuate and rarifie the Aire more vnder the Line then in places more declining to the Poles This ground thus laide these two consectaries will follow 1 That the Aire thus attenuated must needes take vp a largeâ— place then it before possessed which cannot be but by inlarging it selfe towards either Pole either North or South whence the parts of the Aire in those places must bee more thickned and condensated 2 That these parts of the Aire carried towards the Poles and meeting with the cold Regions of the North and South must by condensation turne into water and so fall downe in Raine or Snowes whence the Water encreasing neere the Poles perpetually must haue a perpetuall current towards the Equatour where they are againe exhausted in vapours by the Heat of the Sunne in such sort that as well the parts of the Sea betwixt themselues as the waters in regard of the Aire may proportionally maintaine themselues by the mutuall transmutation To this reason some haue added another that the Sunne soiourning in the Southerne Signes is neerer to the Earth then when hee is in the North by the whole Latitude of his excentrice and therefore of greater force to draw the water toward the South But whether this Reason be of any great force I will not spent time to dispute let euery man vse his own iudgment It seemes to me a coniecture not improbable that these currents may bee also varied according to diuers reasons of the yeere as also according to diuers channels by diuers crossings and doublings of the Tides as wee find in diuers places but I will not be too bold in this opinion because I loue not to walke without a guide in these vncertainties 4 Of the Naturall motion of the Sea we haue spoken It remaines we speake somewhat of the Violent The Violent motion is that which is stirred vp by windes The consideration of windes is either absolute or respectiue Absolute I call that wherein the Naturall effects and properties of the winds are handled which properties belong to the naturall Philosopher they being according to Aristotle a Naturall body vnperfectly mixt The Respeâ—tiue consideration is that wherein the windes are considered in respect to the â—errestriall Globe This Respect againe twofold either in regard of the whole Spheare of the Earth whereof they designe out the points of the Horizon by certaine lines called Rhumbas or else in respect of the Sea to which they giue a motion The former respect we haue handled in our first booke of Geography The later is more proper to this place howsoeuer the wind is an exhalation common as well to the Earth as to the Sea affecting both with some alteration yet because it more neerely affecteth the Sea as his proper Prouince and Dominion and hath for the most part beene most obserued of Sea men and Marriners Wee thought fit to treat of it in this place Of windes some are vncertaine and various which in all places interchangeably supply their turnes keeping no certainty or regularity in times or places others are called set or standing windes because they are obserued to blow at certaine time and places of both which as much as concernes our purpose we shall speake in these two Theoremeâ— 1 To some certaine places at certaine times belong certaine windes These windes are by some called Anniuersary because they blow at a certaine season euery yeere of these there
others but as yet not found out Neither hath it more troubled the industry of Marriners then the wit of Schollers which we shall find by discourses written of that subiect The absolute decision of this controuersie we must leaue to time onely such probabilities as I chance to meet with I will faithfully set down to giue encouragement to their deseruing labors who shall farther attempt the search and full discouery of this North-west passage The Reasons I find vrged I may well reduce to three Heads The first is drawne from the testimonies and opinions of ancient Writers The second from the Relations and discoueries of later Nauigators from the time of Henry the seuenth till our age The third and last from the last and newest aduentures of men of our time either lately dead or liuing To begin with the first we shall from the testimony of Plato in Timaeo as also in his Dialogue callâ—â— Critias draw a probable argument for there he makâ—s relation of an incomparable great Iland named Atlantis of larger extent then Europe and Asia which was situate Westward from the streights of Gibraltar and nauigâ—ble round abouâ— The Princes of this Iland according to Plato's report heretofore extended their government ouer a great part of Europe and Africa To second which opinion of Plato we shall reade in Marinus Siouâ—us his History of Spaine that in the American golden mines discouered by Columbus there haue bin found certain pieces of Coine ingrauen with the Name and Image of Augustus Caesâ—r which were afterward sent to the Pope by Iohn Rufus Archbishop of Consentium whence a probable coniecture seemes to be grounded that America in those dayes was both peopled and discouered Now it appeares againe noâ— only by Plato but also by the opinion of Mansilius â—icinus Crantor Proclus and Philo Iudaeus is witnessed in their learned Commentaries on Plato that this Iland called Atlantis some 600 yeares before Plato's time suffered an extraordinary inundation was swallowed vp by water other like exaÌ„ples whereof we shâ—l produce many hereafter in place coÌ„uenient admitting these testimonies of antiquity whereof we ought to cherish a reuerend esteem these consectaries will seeme to offer themselues by way of necessary consequence 1 That this Iland Atlantis was the same which afterward from Americus Vesputius got the name America because wee find no Iland in the Atlanticke Ocean which comes neare that greatnesse and quantity assigned by Plato 2 that this Atlantis or America in those dayes at least was an Iland because they reported it to bee Nauigable round about 3 It must stand with great reason probability that this land being an Iland before Plato's time should be so still if at least it come not nearer to the nature of an Iland at this day then before For either this Relation of the ouerflowing of this land is true or false If at all deserues credit more reason is that it should be Nauigable round about then before insomuch that the Water in this manner swelling high would sooner fret through and cause a passage then make a stoppage 4 This passage must of necessity be toward the North-west where America is diuided from Asia by the streites of Aâ—ian which opinion seemes better warranted forasmuch as we find it seconded by the descriptions of many Geographers of great name and authority as Gemma Frisâ—us Munster Appian Hunâ—erus Guicciardine Michael Tramasiâ—us Franciscus Demongenitus Bernardus Puteanus Andreas Vanasor Tramontanus Peter Martyr and Ortelius in his generall Mappe Who all haue described America as an exact Iland setting downe all the coasts and countryes on the North-west sea of America from Hoche-laga as farre as Gape Haremantia all these learned men hauing with one voice described or reported America for an Iland He should shew but a slender esteem of Antiquity or fauour of too much selfe-conceite who should offer to contradict This first Argument I confesse spunne out into so many circumstances seemes at first sight to carry a great shew of truth but vpon sound examination will be found very defectiue and vncertaine carrying more probability in the conclusion then the premises daâ—e to iustify How many Paralogismes and vncertaine grounds are involved in this reason let my ingenious reader iudge 1 whether Plato's report of this Atlantis were a true Relation grounded on experience and obseruation or a pleasant Fiction derived from the Poets of that time wherewith the Grecia Learning was much infected 2 How comes it to be thought probable that Plato in those dayes should be so exact in delineating out the boundes of this New-world who was so ignorant in the old as to thinke Europe and Asia to be inferiour in greatnesse to America which notwithstanding he thought to be an Iland 3 How should so famous a King as Atlas stretching his Monarchie as the Authors of this reason report from America to a great part of Europe and Africk in that vast gulfe of time slippe away with so slight a mention That there was such a Prince as Atlas I make no question vpon whose fame and greatnesse the Poets grounded that fiction of raising vp the vault of heauen with his shoulders But whether this Atlas euer saw America my reader must giue me leaue to make a doubt The Ignorance of Nauigation in those times wherein occasion had not brought to light the chart compasse together with the huge vastnesse of the Atlantick Ocean will speake my Apologie 4 The finding of coine graued with the Image and inscription of Augustus Caesar in the American mines seemes to me more ridiculous then all the rest We find the acts and conquests of Caesar and Pompey in Europe and Asia and some parts of Africk particularly set downe by the graue writers of that time We find Augustus Caesar for some petty coÌ„quests against barbarous people emblasoned by the Poets of that time to the highest pitch of their inuention we may obserue the age wherein Augustus liued to be the florish and pride of all the Romane learning and himselfe the Idoll and subiect of most of their Poeticall flatteries hauing the happinesse to be inuested in the empire in such a time wherein the Romane Monarchie hauing been too much wounded with a ciuill dissention was willing to admire her worst Physician And can any man be so senselesse to imagine that the discouery of the goldeÌ„ world should passe away clouded in such a flattering age without any mention could not so much as the name be registred to teach posterity the way to so rich an Empire For my owne part I can ascribe this if the Historie deserue credit to nothing else but the pride and imposture of the Spaniards whom we obserue in all relations to be a most ingratefull Nation who admiring nothing but their owne greatnesse haue requited their best deseruing benefactors with disgrace and obloquie striuing to raze out their names and memory to whom they owe the greatest glory Columbus was a Florentine and no
next winter whence comes a new supply of more raine These Riuers say they in the summer decrease and sometime are dry because of the defect of wâ—ter when the place is not great enough to receiue sufficient water for the whole yeere This opinion seemeth grounded on these reasons First because wee find by experience that Riuers and fountâ—ines are greater and larger in Summer then in Winter Secondly because where there is lesse Raine fewer or no Riuers are seene As in the Desarts of Ethiopia and Africke few or no Riuers are found But in Germany France Brittany and Italy many Riuers shew themselues because they abound in the moisture of the Aire and much fall of Raine Thirdly amongst vs wee see by experience in a hot and dry Summer they are much decreased from their ordinary greatnesse or altogether dryed vp which is a great probability that their originall is from raine This opinion if it bee onely vnderstood of some Riuers may be probable because some currents out of doubt take their originall from great showers or snowes as at the foot of the Alpes and other such places where the snow daily melts and feeds them but if it be generally vnderstood of all Riuers it is manifestly false as may appeare by these reasons First because the Earth no where drinkes vp the raine farther then ten foot deep in the soile for the higher superficies of the earth is either dry and so easily drinkes vp and consumes the Water within that space or else being already moist it receiues it not at all but expells it by Riuers and channells Secondly some mountaines not couered with earth but consisting of hard rocke notwithstanding send forth great store of springs and fountaines which water could not bee receiued in through a hard rocky substance Thirdly because in very dry places certaine pits being digged downe into the ground 2 hundred or three hundred foot deep will discouer many great streames of Water which could not be from the receite of Raine Fourthly it cannot be imagined that so much raine could in a winter fall into one place besides that which the drouth of the earth consumes to nourish so mighty and great Riuers in the Earth as are Riuers running in a perpetuall course Fiftly all Riuers almost take their originall from some mountaines or other as Danubius from the Alpes and Nilus from the mountaines of the Moone in Africke Which places being extraordinary high are more vnapt to receiue water then lower places of the earth To the reasons that they alleadge for their opinions it is not hard to answer That riuers should be greater in winter thâ— in the summer the cause may be better giuen Because more moisture of the Aire falls into the brinke from externall Râ—ine or snow in winter then in summer and the ground being moister is able to drinke lesse then at other times which is also the reason why in hotter and dry Countreyes there is not such plenty of Riuers for we deny not but fountaines may sometimes be increased and sometimes diminished by addition of raine-water but that any such vast conâ—auity should be vnder ground as the receptacle of so much raine and should nourish so many and so great currents The second opinion is of those who thinke that the originall of all riuers and fountaines is from the Sea Which conceit hath beene strongly fortified by many Fathers of the Church and graue Diuines of later time which opinion is chiefly grounded vpon these reasons First because it seemes a most incredible matter that so much vaporous matter should be engendred vnder the earth to feed such a perpetuall course of water Secondly if all Riuers should not be deriued from the sea no reason could bee giuen why so many riuers dayly emptying themselues into the sea the sea should not encrease but continue in the same quantity Thirdly to this purpose they vrge the place of Eccles. 1. All riuers runne into the sea and yet the sea is not full To the place whence they came they returne that they may flow againe But this opinion seemes to bee shaken with a great difficulty For it is a hard matter to conceiue how the water of the sea being by nature heauy lower then the superficies of the earth as we haue demonstrated should ascend into high mountaines out of which we find springs of water oftentimes to arise for either it must ascend Naturally or by Violence not naturally for the foresaid cause because it is a heauy body If violently they must assigne some externall Agent which enforceth it to this violence This difficulty diuerse Authors haue laboured diuerse waies to salue Some amongst whom the chiefe was Theoderet haue fled to a supernaturall cause in Gods providence as though the water in it's own nature heauy should be notwithstanding enforced to the topps of the mountaines But this opinion seemes very improbable because although we cannot deny Gods miraculous and extraordinary working in some things yet all men haue supposed this to be confin'd within the bounds of nature And very strange it were to imagine that almighty God in the first institution of nature should impose a perpetuall violence vpon nature Others as Basill haue thought that the sea-water was driuen vpwards towards the tops of mountaines by reason of certaine spâ—rits enclosed in it Mare as he saith fluitans permeans per cuniculos fistularet angustos â—ox vbi obliquis aut certe recta in sublime surrectis excursibus se occupatum deprehenderit ab agitante compulsum spiritu superficie terrâ— vi disrupta erumpit atque for as emicat The same opinion almost in euery respect is ascribed to Plato in Phedone and Pliny 2 booke .65 chap. Quo inquit spiritu actu terrâ— pondere expressa siphonum modo eâ—â—cat tantâ—que a periculo decidendi abest vt in summa quoque et â—â—tissima exiliat Qua ratione manifestum est quare tot fâ—uâ—inum quotidiâ—nâ— accessu maria non crescant But this exposition will hardly satisfy him who desires to search farther then obscurity of words For first by admitting spirits as mouers of the waters they seeme to fall into a Platonick opinion before examined of vs concerning the heat of the sea-water Secondly I would demaund whether such spirits in the water to which they ascribe this motion be Naturall Agents or Supernaturall or Violent They cannot be naturall Agents For asmuch as they are supposed to driue and enforce the water against his owne nature For by nature as all men know it is apt to descend whereas here it is supposed to ascend by reason of such spirits They cannot bee violent agents because they bee perpetuall whereas no violent thing can be perpetuall Thomas Aquinas being desirous to shew how much fountaines could ascend out of the sea-water varies in opinion from the former and imagines that the fountaines and Riuer-water is drawne vpwards through the force of Celestiall bodies for the common good
suddenly a great floud of Water bringing out with it a great quantity of creatures and fishes of which being fatted vnder the Earth whosoeuer chanced to eat dyed presently The like is reported that at the time of the Mithridatick warre at a certaine city of Phrygia named Apamea there sprang vp out of the ground many new Lakes Fountaines Brookes and that one riuer sprang vp very salt which brought vp with it a great quantity of Oisters and other Sea-fishes although the city Apamea bee very farre off from the Sea This is reported by Nicolaus Damascene Also Cardinall Contarenus testifies in the second booke of Elements that in a cleare day being in Valentia in Spaine there happened a very great inundation of water breaking out of the Earth which being carried towards the City had well neere turned it into the Sea had not the gates bin shut and dammes well ordered Why this sudden change should sometimes happen many reasons may be produced The first reason may be because of some sudaine ruine or falling downe of some parts of the Earth whereby the courses of the riuers being one way stopped must needs seeke out a passage some other way This sometimes happens in great Earth-quakes as we may reade in Theophrastus that in the mountaine Coricus after an Earth-quake many new springs and fountaines discouered themselues Another reason not much vnlike the former is giuen from the Hardnes of the Earth which oftentimes stopping and hindering the naturall course of the water enforceth it to seek a new passage Hence the foresaid Theophrastus was induced to belieue that in a City of Crete the fountaines were stopped vp because the Inhabitants betoke themselues to another place so that the soile was not so much shooke and moued as before A third reason may be the wasting or cutting downe of great woods on the Earth for it is the nature of the Trees and plants to suck to themselues the Moisture of the ground into one place But these trees cut downe or remoued the waters course must needes be altered 3 Many Riuers are for a great space of land swallowed vp of the Earth whereof some after a certaine distance rise againe This is confirmed by many Historicall instances as of the riuer Timanus in the prouince of Aquilia of Erasenus in Argolica Padus in the Alpes more remarkeable is that of the river Guadiaua in Spaine which runneth vnder the ground for the space of 13 leagues and neere to a towne called Villa Horta breakes vp againe the like is recorded of Eurotaâ— in Arcadia which is said to breake forth of the ground in the Prouince of Lacedamon So Cadmus Asia is swallowed vp in a hole of the ground not farre from Laodicea So Piraâ—â—s in Catonia Licus in Libanon Orontes in Syria Other riuers are thought to haue found a secret passage vnder the sea from one Region to another As a riuer hauing his fountaine in the mountaine Meiaâ—es which being conuayed in a blind Channell vnder the middle of the sea comes forth againe at the port of Pâ—normus so others report of Alpheus which being drowned vnderground nere the Peloponnesian shore takes a large iourny vnder the Sea till it arriue at Syracuse where it ends in Arethuse which brings forth they say such things as are cast into Alpheus which is much like that which is spoken of the Well of Aesculapius in Athens wherein if any thing were cast they were rendred againe in Phalericus But this last I rather hold as a poeticall fiction then a true History Some riuers there are which are not wholly drowned in the earth but for some part aâ— a part of the Rhâ—nâ— which is hid about foure thousand paces from the city Cauba and shewes it selfe again before it come to Bonna in like manner a part of Danuâ—ius which hides it selfe about Greina a Towne of Panonia superiâ—r some riuers there are againe which are not drunke vp immediatly of the earth but of certaine great Lakes into which they fall as Iordan of the Lake Asphaltites some lakes againe hauing swallowed vp riuers as it were vomit them forth againe as Rubresius casts out Araâ—e in the Prouince of Narbon and so Lemanus the riuer Rhodanus in the same Prouince also in Italy Lorus cast out Abdua Eupilus Lambre Fucinus Marcia 4 Riuers for the most part rise out of great Mountaines and at last by diuerse or one Inlet are disburthened into the sea The first part of this proposition is manifest enough out of diuerse instances of the greatest riuers in the world for all Geographers will giue you to vnderstand that the riuer Indus in Iâ—dia is deriued from the mountaine Caâ—casus Tanais from the Riphaean mountaines in Sarmaâ—ia Araxis from Panardes in Armenia Po from the Vesusian Hills in Liguria Danubius from Arnobia in Germany Exesus in Norico from the mountaines Elachia Isara from the ridge of the Alpes toward France and Durias toward Italy from thence So from the Herminian mountâ—ines in Portugall are deriued three great Riuers So Nilus in Africk from the mountaines of the Moone These riuers thus rising are of diuerse kinds for some haue visible apparant springs and fountaines others are deriued from Lakes out of which they runne As Alba in Prusia out of Elbinga Medoarus Oxus out of two lakes of the same names neere the Alpes Rindacus from Artinia a poole besides Melitopolis The reason why riuers should be ingendred in mountaines and such high places may be giuen because they are made as we shewed before by the heat of the sunne starres and subterranean fires rarifying and attenuating the Waters And this operation of the sunne in higher places must needes be more effectuall then in lower Now for the second part it is plaine to proue that all riuers runne into the sea either making a passage from their fountaines on the land toward the sea shore as Nilus and Danubius with other riuers or by disburthening themselues into greater riuers wherein they are conuaied into the sea as the 60 great Nauigable riuers which empty themselues into Danubius or at least are swallowed vp of the Earth and so reduced againe to their first mother which we may imagin of the riuers forespoken of drunk vp of the Earth Although all riuers as we shewed fall into the sea yet not all in one the selfesame fashion if we respect their passage on the laÌ„d For some are caried into the sea by one oâ—tiuÌ„ or mouth whereof we haue two notable examples the first of a great riuer in Brasill called Rio de La Plate which is caried into the sea by a mouth of 40 leagues with such violence that the Marriners may â—hence draw fresh water before they come within sight of land The other not much vnlike is that which runnes by the kingdome of Congo Angolo which is six and thirty thousand paces broad where it enters into the sea and is caried with such a force that it seuers the
are harder and more rocky then others as being more able to resist this violence of the water Hence also it happens that old buildings being erected in the sides of mountaines haue their foundations after a time vncouered and are much subiect to Ruines an instance whereof may bee giuen out of the Romane Capitoll whose foundation according to the relation of George Agricola appeares now plainly aboue the ground which without question was heretofore deepe rooted in the Earth In Plaines and valleyes we find all things to happen contrary wise to wit that all places in regard of their superficies are raised much higher then they were in times past The reason whereof may easily be giuen out of the great quantity of the Earth carried by the washing of the Raine from the Topps of mountaines into the valleyes whence we may perceiue old houses heretofore fairely built to be now almost buried vnder ground and their windowes heretofore set at a reasonable hight now growne euen with the pauement so some write of the Triumphall Arch of Septimius at the foot of the Capitoll Mountaine in Rome now almost couered with Earth insomuch as they are inforced to descend down into it by as many staires as formerly they were vsed to asceÌ„d In like sort we see in old Monasteries Religious houses their lower roomes windowes doores very far couched vnder grouÌ„d of which great incoÌ„uenience we cannot suspect the Architects iudgment but rather our fore-mentioned cause from this burying of parts of some houses vnder ground it may be gathered that the farther they are vnder ground so much ancienter they are as we may obserue heere with vs in Oxford that our most ancient Colledges haue the windowes of their lower roomes some-where altogether choaked vp with Earth without or at least halfe way in somuch as the flore within is found to bee farre inferiour in height to the street without This is also confirmed by Architects who in digging vp old foundations before they came to firme ground whereon to erect a building are enforced first to remoue away the Rubbish or as they terme it the Made-ground wherein oftentimes they find Wood Iron-Instruments old coine with diuers other Trash of this Nature An instance we haue in some of the lower places in Somersetshire where some vpon occasion digging the Earth somewhat deep haue found great Okes turned topsy turvy with their Roots vpwards To coniecture with some that this was caused by Noah's Floud seemes to be very improbable 1 because as we haue formerly shewed in this Chapter the Water in the Deluge could not haue so violent a motion to procure such an alteration in the parts of the Earth 2 It cannot so well be imagined how such Trees should remaine so long a time without putrefaction wherefore we cannot well cast it on any other cause then the addition of the earthly parts brought by raine from the mountaines into the valleyes and so by some Land-flood which partakes much of slimy and earthly matter dispersed abroad vpon the land about Now on the contrary part wee find in few places of mountaines such made-ground which hath before beene moued This will also appeare out of the industry of our Low-countreyman who by baying vp the Riuers into certaine Artificiall Channels the ground about hath been much raised where on the contrary side the forcing of the water into higher places oftentimes is found to fret through the Earth and make it lower What we haue spoken of the effects of Riuers and Raine in diminishing the greatnes of the mountaines and exalting of the vallyes we may in some sort find in the sea For the bottome of the Sea being lower then the Earth and many great Riuers continually running from the Earth into it it is manifest that there is carried in their current a great quantity of earth in so much as by the heaping of sand and earthly rubbish the mouthes of great Riuers are in time choaked vp and commodious hauens spoyled and remoued farther into the land of which alternall transmutation of the Sea and Land wâ— shall speake hereafter for present instance need to goe no farther then diuerse Townes in Deuon which according to the Relation of ancient men haue heretofore been faire hauens able to receiue great ships to which notwithstanding at this time a small boat cannot arriue except in a full Tide The like whereof is reported by Aristotle 1 of a place in Egypt called Delta made by the heaping vp of sand and slime brought by Nilus from the Ethiopian mountaine 2 of Ammania Regio which in times past being Sea through the slime conuayed in the Riuers became afterwards as a standing poole which in processe of time waxed dry and ioyned it selfe to the Continent 3 Of Maeotis Palus that the dry land enuironing it round is so much encreased that ships of that burthen cannot arriue which could in times past within 60 yeeres before which is also in some sort testified by Polybius 4 The like is related of Bosphorus Thracius and many other places recorded by Pliny of which we shall speake hereafter From these obseruations Blancanus would inferre these consectaries 1 That the Earth was not from the beginning endowed with mountaines 2 That it should not so continue vntill the end of the world â—nd vnlesse the Fire whereof the Scripture speakes should preuent it the whole Earth should in the end be ouer-whelmed with waters as in the beginning and so be made void of habitation but on such coniectures I dare not too boldly venture being speculations built on no sufficient grounds All which can hence warrantably be collected is expressed in our former Theoreme 2 Of the Figurature of Countreyes in Mountaines Valleyes and Plaines we haue spoken It is requisite here wee speake somewhat of Woods and Champian Countreyes 3 A Wood is a Region or space of Land beset with trees A Champian Region is a space of Land either altogether voide or scarce furnished with trees Some Criticks here curiously distinguish in Latine betwixt Sylua Lucus and Nemus by Sylua vnderstanding a space beset with trees ordained to bee cut downe but Lucus was a place where trees were not ordained to bee cut downe but reserued sacred For in such groues they did anciently vse to offer sacrifice as may appeare by diuerse places out of the Old Testament where the Heathenish manner of worshipping was forbidden and sometimes reproued in the Kings of Iuda and Israel That which the Latines call Nemus is a Groue or Wood ordained onely for pleasure and recreation but the discussing of these businesses rather belong to a Grammarian then a Geographer who takes little notice but of those matters which most principally and remarkeably belong to any Region wherefore omitting other curiosities wee haue distinguished onely betweene a Woody and a Champian Countrey whereof as wee haue defined one is beset with a multitude of trees the other with few or none What concernes a
Albertus Magnus who in his Commentaries vpon the great Coniunctions of Albumazar obserued that before Noahs flood chanced a coniunction of Iupiter and Saturne in the last degree of Cancer against the constellation since termed Argo's ship out of which he would needs collect that the floud of Noah might haue beene fore-showne because Cancer is a watry signe and the house of the Moone being mistrisse of the Sea and all moist bodyes according to Astrologie which opinion was afterwards confirmed by Petrus de Alliaco who affirmes in his Comment vpon Genesis that although Noah did well know this flood by diuine Reuelation yet this coniunction being so notable hee could not bee ignorant of the causes thereof for those were not only signes but also apparant causes by vertue receiued from the first cause which is God himselfe Further to confirme this assertion hee would haue Moses by the cataracts of Heauen to haue meant the the great watry coniunction of the Planets A reason wherof hee seemes to alleage because it is likely that God would shew some signe in the Heauens by which all men might be warned to forsake their wicked courses But notwithstanding this curious opinion I rather cleaue to those which thinke this Deluge to be meerely Supernaturall which I am induced to belieue for diuers causes vrged by worthy writers First because this is set downe in Holy Scripture for a chiefe token or marke of Noahs extraordinary faith dependance vpon Gods promises which had been much diminished and of small moment had it any way been grounded on the fore-sight of second causes For this was no more then might haue beene discouered to the rest of the wicked worldlings who no doubt would in some sort haue prouided for their safety had they receiued any firme perswasion of this dreadfull Deluge To which others adde a second reason that second causes of themselues without any change or alteration are not able to produce such an admirable effect as the drowning of the whole World for it is not conuenient say they that God the Author of Nature should so dispose and direct the second causes that they might of themselues bee able to inuert the order of the Vniuerse and ouer-whelme the whole Earth which hee gaue man for his habitation But this reason is thought very weake for as much as it seemeth to imply a new creation The conceit of a new Creation is pronounced by a learned Countreyman of ours both vnlearned and foolish for whereas it is written saith hee that the fountaines of the deepe were broken open it cannot otherwise be vnderstood then that the waters forsooke the very bowels of the Earth and all whatsoeuer therein was dispersed made an eruption through the face of the Earth Now if wee compare the height of the waters in this deluge aboue the highest mountaines being onely 15 cubits with the depth of the semi-diameter of the Earth to the Center we shall not find it impossible answering reason with reason that all these waters dispersed vnder the Earth should so far extend as to drowne the whole Earth for the semi-diameter of the Earth as Astronomers teach is not aboue 35 â— miles wherein the waters contained and dispersed may bee sufficient for the hight of the greatest mountaines which neuer attaine 30 miles vpright whereas this distance of 30 miles is found in the depth of the Earth 116 times Secondly the extension of the Ayre being exceeding great it might please God to condensate and thicken a great part thereof which might concurre to this Inundation We willingly assent to the worthy Authour that this Inundation might bee performed without any new creation Notwithstanding we cannot hence collect that it was Naturall But to compose the difference the better and to shew how far Nature had a hand in this admirable effect we will thus distinguish that an effect may be called Naturall two manner of wayes First in regard of the causes themselues Secondly in respect of the Direction and Application of the causes If we consider the meere secondary and instrumentall causes wee might call this effect Naturall because it was partly performed by their helpe and concurrence But if we consider the mutuall application and coniunction of these second causes together with the first cause which extraordinarily set them a worke we must needs acknowledge it to be supernaturall For other particular Inundations in particular Regions we may more safely terme them Naturall as directed and stirred vp by second causes working no otherwise then according to their owne naturall disposition Two causes concurring together are here most notable whereof the first is the great coniunction of watry Planets working on the water their proper subiect the other the weaknes of the bounds and banks restraining the water which by processe of time weare out and suffer breaches both these causes sometimes concurring together cause an Inundation which assertion wee may lawfully accept but with this caution that Almighty God working by second causes neuerthelesse directs them oftentimes to supernaturall and extraordinary ends 2 Particular alterations haue happened to Bounds of Regions by Particular Inundations Howsoeuer some inundation haue not continued long but after a small time leâ—t the Earth to her owne possession yet others haue been of such violence as they haue beene found to haue fretted away or added and so altered the bounds and limits of places which besides diuerse examples produced by vs in our former chapter Aristotle seemes to acknowledge in the 1 booke ofhis Meteors the 14 Chapter where he saith that by such Accidents sometimes the Continent and firme land is turned into the Sea and other-where the Sea hath resigned places to the Land for sith the agitation or mouing of the water depends ordinarily vpon the vertue of Heauenly bodyes if it should happen that those Starres should meet in coniunction which are most forceable and effectuall for stirring vp of Tempests and Flouds the Sea is knowne to rage beyond measure either leauing her ancient bounds or else vsurping new By this meanes as we haue shewed in the former Chapter some Ilands haue been ioyned to the Land and some Peninsula's separated from the Land and made Ilands somewhere the Sea hath beene obserued for a great space to leaue the Land naked as Verstegan coniectures of the most part of Belgia which hee sayes was in ancient time couered with water which besides many other arguments hee labours to proue out of the multitude of fish-shells and fish-bones found euery-where farre vnder ground about Holland and the coasts thereabouts which being digged vp in such abundance and from such depthes could not saith hee proceed from any other cause then the Sea which couered the whole Countrey and strewed it with fishes Lastly that the Sea might seeme as well to get as lose shee hath shewed her power in taking away and swallowing vp some Regions and Cities which before were extant Such fortune had Pyrrha and Antisâ—a about Meotis
complexion of heat and moisture The middle Region betwixt both extreames being compounded of both must needes by mixâ—ure and participation inioy a middle quality Besides this eâ—poâ—iâ—ion of the causes of this temper wee shall obserue many speciall markes and Instances which will discouer this variety of disposition First it is plaine that heat and moisture are the two qualities of fecundity Whence it must consequently follow those Regions which are most populous to bee chiefly endowed with this quality and disposition Now where shall wee of this Hemispheare find any Countrey to whom Nature owes a greater incâ—ease of mankinde but in the North amongst the Goâ—hes the Sâ—yâ—hians the Scandians and Germans by whose abundant fertility vast desarts haue beene cultured and inhabited stately Cities haue bin founded Colonies haue bin transported and deriued almost into all Europe Hence haue Methodius P. Diacoâ—â—â— compared the armies of the North to swarmeâ— of Beeâ— and the North is termed by Olaus Magnus the store-house of mankind to wit from which so many strong Nations aâ— the Gothes the Gepidae the Hunnes the Cymbrians the Lumbards â—he Alanâ— the Bâ—rgundians the Normans the Picts the Herâ—â—â— the Sâ—eâ—ianâ— the Slaui the Swiâ—zers and the Russians are not ashamed to deriue their Ancestry But here may bee obiected that the Southerne people are much more addicted to Veneriâ— then the Northerne which seemes an argument of greater Heat But to this I answer that this insatiate appeâ—ite of Venery in the Southerâ—e people proceeds not from heat bâ—t from Choler Adust and Melancholy which humours carry in them a Salt and sharpe quality according to Physicians which stirres vp their appetite to Venery which we may plainely obseruâ— by experience for no men are more moued by this itching appetite of carnall Copulation then Melanchâ—ly men But howsoeuer this affection is most predominant in such men yet it is hardly seconded by pâ—rformance which makes Geographers to ascribe more promptnesse of generation to the Noâ—therne men although sensuall coâ—â—â—piscence raigne more in the Southerne men which indifferent proportion was without doubt granted to either by the prouidence of Almighty God that they who were endowed with a greater sufficiency should lesse affect sensuall delights then the rest which want that proportion of heaâ— and moisture And those of the other sort should haue their Appetites more raised vp to wantonnesse without the which their off-spring would soone fayle A second argument to proue our assertion is the Tall and large staturâ— of the Northerâ—e man which argues both heat and moisture whereas the Southerne man is small and dwarfish in stature composed of weake and feeble Nerues That the people situate towards the Pole in a moderate distance suâ—passe in greatnesse can be showne not only in this our Hemisphâ—are in the Germaâ—s Scythians Belgians â—nd others but also in the other by the Pantagones whose siâ—uation Southward answeres somewhat neerely to the hight of Germany That moisture is a great cause of growth appeares as well by Trees and other vegetalls which growing in low and marish grounds increase to a most incredible greatnesse as of those â—orementioned on the side of Riuo Negro in Peru and neere the Lake Hiarotis in India as by Beasts For first we find the moistest to bee of greatest stature which is the reason why the great Whales and fishes in the sea grow to such a vast quantity Secondly such Beasts as haue hot and moist bodies cannot so well prosper and liue in those Southerne counâ—reyes as the horse which by nature being hot and moist liueth but faâ—ntly in Aethiopia yet is of good strength in Scythia Whereas the Asse being by nature hot and dry is of great accompt and seruice in Africke in Europe little respected in Scythia cannot liue Neither is moisture sufficient for the growth except it bee stirred vp by heat wherefore we may conclude hence that the Northerne man hath both Out of the contrary effects wee may likewise collect that the Southerne man wants this quality These reasons indifferently proue these qualities to wit of heat and moisture to bee in the Northerne man and the contrary in the Southerne Diuerse other arguments are vrged some to proue the one quality some the other apart A great argument of heat in the Northerne man may bee his extraordinary drinking A vicâ— which could neuer bee reformed or corrected by times or statutes This drowth of theirs stirring vp this desire of drinking can proceed from no other cause then their heat Whereas the Southerne man is seldome taxed of this vice not because hee is more religiously temperat then the Northerne but rather for the naturall temper of his body which can neither require or beare so much as the Northerne In so much as Bodin seemes to make a doubt whether the immoderat drinking of the Germans is to bee esteemed a greater fâ—ult then the niggardly sparing humour of the Italian sith both arise rather out of nature then education Another argument of heat in the Northerne man is the extraordinary strength in respect of the Southerne man which is an apparant demonstration of heat Wee find that the bloud of the Scythian is full of small strings such as are in the gore of Bulls and Bores and betokeneth strength Whereas the bloud of the African is thinne such as is in a Hart or Hare No lesse are those reasons which especially proue the Northerne man to bee endowed with much moisture Thirdly wee may much better argue from the Physiognomicall accident of the body wee shall find the inhabitants vnder the Tropickes to bee exceeding blacke vnder the Pole it selfe beyond 60 degrees somewhat browne but from thence about 60 their colour is reddish from thence to 45 degrees whitish about the 30 they beginne to wax yellow and then some what enclining to greene all which proceeds out of the variety of heat and cold For the Blacknesse of the Africans about the Tropickes wee can ascribe to no other câ—rtaine â—ause then externall heat and internall cold his necessary concomitant neere to which approacheth the yellow and greene colour of the people not farre of Whereof the formâ—r discouers Choller and Adustion the other meâ—anâ—holy And how soeuer the brownnesse of the people dwelling very neere thâ— Pole may come by reason of externall cold which by excesse rather dries vp their moisture then strengthens the internall heat Yet the Red colour of the Inhabitants about 60 degrees is a firme argument of heat and the white â—ue of the middle people an apparant marke of a middle tempeâ— No lesse may bee collected from the eyes and haires of these three Nations The eyes of the Scythians are generally tending to a gray colour The remote haue them of a blew-whitish shining colour as the Cymbrians and Danes according to Plutarch The Britannes â—ermans and Normans come neere vnto this colour but haue them not alâ—ogether so gray and shining but more obscure But the Southerne man hath â—he colour
truly they can rather admire then imitate and better set vs the materâ—alls then inuent the workemâ—nship like those distressed Israelites which were enforced to runne vnto the Philistines to haue their swords sharpened As we ascribe to those nations of the North this perfection in operatiue and externall faculties So cannot wee deny the Southerne man his due prerogatiue which is Religion Contemplation For these nations being aboue all other affected with melancholy willingly withdrâ—w themselues from common society into Desarts and remote receptacles more accommodated to abstracted meditation For contemplation being of the Hebrewes tearmed a precious death hath a speciall force to sharpen the wits of men and by separation as it were from the dregges of the vulgar not onely opens vnto him the seâ—rets of nature but giueâ— him wings to â—lie vp to heauen in sacred meditation Whence it cannot seeme strange that from these parts at first proceeded the Prophets Philosophers Mathematicians of great estimation Alâ—o that almost all Religions of any great moment owe their first originall to those parts we need roue no farther then the Hebrewes Chaldaeans Aegyptians Graecians whom wee shall find the first founders of Diuine and Humane sciences Which historicall obseruation dissents not any whit from the iudgement of the Naturalists Because as Huarâ—â—s obserues the true â—oment of the best vnderstanding consisâ—s in the cold and drye braine incident to melancholy And Aristoâ—le obserues that beasâ—s theÌ„selues are so much the more adiudged to approach the prudencie of man by how much they parâ—ake the quality of cold An instance of which may bee giuen in the Elephant whose bloud according to Plinys Testimony is coldest of all other Creatures To this I might adde for an argument of the râ—ligious disposition of the Southerne man 〈…〉 Afâ—r writes â—oncerning the vast number of Temples in â—ome places of Africke as about Fesse Morocco their strict obsâ—ruation of holy rites their â—igide Ecclesiasticall censure witâ— such like What is spoken by Aluarez of the hill Aâ—iarâ— in the midst of Africke of their strange Library Churches Pallaces with other matters of this purpose would serue well to my purpose had â— the ingenuity to beleâ—ue the Iâ—sâ—â—te But against this may be obiected perchance that the Chrisâ—ian Religion which is the truest and only Religion hath no great footing as yet amongst thoâ—e Southerne Nations Secondly that their Churches haue no perfect platforme of Ecclesiasticall gouernment as we find in other Churches towards the Northâ—rne tract To the first I answer that we here speake of the Inclination of men to Religious exercises so far forth as it depends on their naturall disposition not respecting this or that Religion for to bee informed in the true Religion and reiect all other depends not any way on the naturall Inclination of men but on the immediate gift of the Almighty God which is pleased oftentimes to make elecâ—â—on of one Nation before the other to make the one according to the Apostle a vessell of honour the other of dishonour To the second I likewise answer that in Religion two things are to be conâ—idered First the Religious and deuouâ— Inclination of man to embrace diuine contemplation Secondly the well ordering and gouerâ—ing of Religious aâ—â—ions according to Lawes and Statutes pertaâ—ning to the externâ—ll regiâ—ent of the Church The foâ—mer onely being granâ—ed to â—he Southerne man wee may ascribe the perfection of the other to the people of the middle Region whom we haue pronounced to bee most happy in the managing of â—iuill afâ—aires and Politicke gouernment Now to proue this people to bee bâ—st endowâ—d with this faculty many reasons may bee alleaged because according to the testâ—mony of most approued writers wee haue found Lawes Manners Statutes the best manner of gouerning Common-wealths to haue proceâ—ded from these Nations For Histories will shew vs that the greatest and bâ—st empires of the world haue flourished in Asia Greece Asyâ—ia Italy France Germany which lie betwixt the Equâ—tour the Pâ—le from the 40 to the 50 degrees And that out of these haue alway proceeded the best commanders the most prudent States-Men and Law-giuers the wisest Lawyers the most eloquent Oratours the wariest Merchants Whereas neither Africa in the South nor Scythia in the North could euer boast of many Law-giuers or States-Men worthy note whence Galen complaines that Scythia neuer brought forth any Philosopher besides Anacharsis of any great credit 3 The People of the Extreame Region towards the Poles in Martiall prowesse haue commonly proued stronger then those neere the Equatour but the middle people more prouident then either in the establishment and preseruation of Commonwealths The grounds of this Proposition wee haue layd before for the former clause that the people of the North should proue more puissant then these of the South may well bee concluded out of their naturall strength of body and their courage of the minde whereof the latter makes them â—eady to attempt the other to execute most chiualrous designes Neither want there most true and pregnant examples in history to second this principle for euery man that is indifferently seene in history may obserue with wonder how the strong Nations of the Scythians haue inuaded the South winning from them many Trophies and victories whereas wee seldome find any expedition set on from the South to the North except to the losse or ruine of the South worth any memorable relation To this many would haue these threatning prophecies of Ieremy Ezechiel and Esay to allude which foretold that from the North should issue warres troopes of horsemen and the Ruines of Kingdomes This we shall obserue to bee true not only in the generall but almost in all particular States which wee shall find propagated from the North to the South The Assyrians at first ouercame the Chaldâ—â—â—s the Medes the Assyrians the Persians the Medes the Greekes the Persians the Parthians the Greeks the Romans the Cartâ—aginians the Gothes the Romans the Turkes the Arabians the Tartars the Turkes and howsoeuer the Romans by their prowesse wanne somewhat towards the North yet found they by experience that beyond Danubius no great matter was to be expected for as much as these Nations could not be easily vanquished and being ouercome would not away with subiection which as some say was the cause that Traian hauing built a great Bridge of stone ouer the Danow was perswaded to breake it downe Tacitus expressely confesseth that the Germans were too hard for the Romans and could not haue beene ouercome by them but by the aduantage of the weapons and manner of fight wherein the Romans hauing long continued a ciuill Nation had practised themselues which he secondeth by many instances drawne from seuerall conflâ—cts betwixt the Germans and the Romans which he might well speake for as much as himselfe reports 210 yeeres were spent in the conquest of Germany and no Nation so much troubled them as this which notwithstanding when all was past was
Arianisme The people of Grâ—enland according to Mâ—â—sters relation being of a wauering disposition soone lik't the Christian Religion but soone relapsed to Idolatrie The Turkes being a kind of Scythians assoone as they came into Asia without any great consâ—raint embraced Mahâ—metanisme The Tartars likewise without any enforcement yeelded first to Christianity and soone fell backe to the Arabian rites The Normans comming into France although very rude and barbarous reiecting Gentilisme Paganisme subscribed to the Christians As soone or sooner the Islanderâ— fell from Idolatrie to the true Religion The Bohemians and Saxons first cast off the Roman yoake which were seconded by all Saxoniâ— the Cities of the Balticke sea Denmarke Norway Suedia Heluetia and Britanny The reuolt of these Nations from the Roman subiection I cannot tearme leuity or inconstancy in their chiefe leaders and teachers Being such as vpon long deliberation and mature aduice attempted that which they knew to bee most consonant to truth and reason to whom without doubt God Almighties hand was not wanting But for the rude and vulgar people to be so soone wonne and turned from one opinion to aonther without longer deliberation was argument of a mutable disposition Sith there can bee no greater token of Inconstancy then to make an absoluâ—e change of Religion in all points in so short a space whereas the Religions being so neerely affined the one to the other no man at first sight out of reason and discourse would embrace or reiect all grounds together but by degrees No lesse argument of leuity in those Northerne people is the distraction and diuision of them into so many sorts and factions of Religion as wee find now in Germany Belgia Polonia and else-where which no doubt at first proceeded from one or few beginnings But on the contrary side if wee looke on the Africans and Southerne people we shall find them as obstinate and peruerse in standing to their owne propositions as ready to tax the Northerne people of leuity and Inconstancy For such hath been the setled constancy of these nations as wel Africans as Asiaticks that no meanes could be inuented to draw them from their opinion but either heauenly miracles or force of armes Which constancy hath beene apparant noâ— onely in men but also in women and children which made Antiochus euen mad when he by all cruelty tortured the seuen Sonnes as wee find in the boâ—ke of the Maccabees yet was as farre from turning them from their Ceremony of forbearing the eating of Swines flesh that both the mother inuited them and the Children willingly submitted themselues to Martyrdome Against this constancy Mahomet when neither by fained miracles noâ— perswasion he saw he could preuaile betooke himselfe to Armes for the establishment of his discipline which otherwise hee could no wayes haue brought to pâ—sse And it is strange to see the Iewes at this day which being a people dispersed ouer the face of the whole Earth groaning vnder the seruile yoake of subiection hauing no King or supreame gouernour of their owne haue so obstinately retained their religion for these three thousand yeeres What shall I speake of the Mahumetans in Africke and Asia of the Indians the Chinois and other Southerne people which hauing once setled a platforme of Religious discipline are impregnable against all persuasion mainely opposing themselues against the grounds of our Religion hauing not so much as the principles of nature to support their owne To let passe the ordinary commerce and trafficke with Christian nations which in so euident a case might probably beget some fruits the admired Industrie of the Iesuites erecting their Colleges amongst them might seeme to promise greater matters But as I haue credibly beene enforced by such as haue trauailed as well into Turkie as Africkâ— and India the euent of their labours hath come so farre short of expectation that they haue by their conference rather engendred a worse opinion of Christianity Which though some may impute probably to their indirect meanes and superstitious rites imposing on the conscience what God neuer commanded but rather forbad Yet who so shall obserue the cunning and subtilty of these Sophisters will rather ascribe it to the peruerse and stubborne disposition of the people vnapt to receiue any new impression For else who could imagine they could be so powerfull in peruerting and infecting others with their Roman superstition in these parts hauing their consciences better enformed out of Gods Word and their vnderstandings ordinarily better taught in principles and euery way more strongly fenced against temptation As these Southerne nations alwaies boasted of their owne Constancy as a prime vertue so ceased they not to vpbraide the Northerne man with inconstant leuity This the Italians obiect to the French and Germans as wee finde in Tacitus The Greekes heretofore to the Italians the Cretians to the Graecians the Hebrewes and Aegyptians to the Greekes and Cretians On the other side the other haâ—e so much complained of their peruerse and setled superstitions For to iudge indifferently of either they are both vices declining from that golden mediocrity which wee call Constancy For the defect is leuity the excesse Pertinacy and as it is very culpable in any man to turne with euery winde so it is as great an indiscretion to be so wedded to our owne opinions or affections as to turne on no occasion Because all things vnder the sunne are subiect to change and alteration And therefore it is the part of a wise man to accommodate himselfe vnto the obiect and not in a fond dreame to wrest all the world to his owne fancy For a wise Sea-man will rather obey the storme then seeke his ruine and when he cannot recouer the port will turne to any other point for his owne preseruation I speake here onely of matters of state and policy and not of religious actions otherwise then concerne the externall rites and Ecclesiasticall discipline the most part of which by wise men haue been esteemed no other then matters indifferent which may admit of change alteration But here some one might obiect that the French of all Nations haue been generally taxed of lightnesse and inconstancy being notwithstanding in the middle region more North then the Africans yet more South then the Germans or Scythians I cannot altogether excuse them of this Nationall blemish yet with their countreyman Bodin I hold it more fitly tearmed temerity then leuity being a people very quicke and agill as well in speech as action in so much as the executions of matters with them many times are past â—re the Spaniard can enter into consolation for as the Spanish counsell is ouer slow and full of delayes so is the French too heady and hasty and as delay to the one so rashnes to the other hath proued dangerous The mediocrity betwixt both being a promptitude or alacrity in effecting matters is to be esteemed as a vertue which we find in the Italians whose action is quicke enough yet commonly
of the vsurping Turkes which professe themselues to bee vtter enemies to Learning and the true Religion To which wee may adde the ignorance of the Christian Religion in many places which is the greatest ground of solide knowledge For amongst all religions in the world there is none which giueth more way to learning then the Christian Whereas some others altogether forbid the studie of such matters yet is not this inclination so absurde in the Easterne people but that euery-where some markes and footesteps will discouer their disposition For in the East shall wee find no small number of Christian Churches and Monasteries professing Christianity and other good learning But to speake no more of the Christian Religion which wee hold rather by Gods speciall grace then nature the superstitious deuotion of these heathen nations to their owne false religions is a sufficient argument of their naturall inclination to religious exercises How obstinately peruerse Ceremonious and superstitious the Indians are found in Idolatrous Religions I haue often wondred to heare some trauaylers reporte Of the other Hemispheare comprehending America I haue as yet small euidence out of History whereon to ground any certainty all we can say shall be comprized in this Theoreme 2 The easterne part of the westerne Hemispheare was peopled before the westerne This proposition seemes probably warranted as well by reason as authority for first supposing as an infallible ground that the first ofspring of all nations was in Asia towards the East it must needs follow that to people America there should be a passage thereunto out of Asia because America was a long time not inhabited ere it was discouered to the Europaeans This passage then was either by Sea or Land Were it by sea the first part whereat they could arriue was the easterne side If wee suppose it to be by land as is most likely in those ancient times yet was it most probable it should bee on the North-east side from the Pole because it is found by obseruation that on the North-west side it is diuided from Asia by streites then must they first touch on the Easterne part To this we may adde the experience of the Castilians and Portugalls who first discouered this part who affirme that the people dwelling on that side haue beene obserued to surpasse the westerne by farre in ciuility of manners knowledge and such endowments which may bee an argument of the antiquity of their plantation CHAP. XV. 1. THe second diuersity of disposition of inhabitants ariseth from the diuerse nature of the Soile Here fowre distinctions of Nations are remarkeable 1 Of the Inhabitants of the Mountaines and plaine-Countreyes 2 Of marish and dry 3. Of windy and quiet 4. Of sea-borders and Iland-people That mens dispositions are diuersly varied according to the temper of the soile euery mans owne experience may easily enforme him for to reserue particular instances to their proper places it is most manifest that all the vitall operations of the soule depends as well vpon the corporeall and organicall parts as the spirits which being diuersely affected by the qualities of the Aire and Earth must needes vary and suffer a change Plaine and euident disâ—arity is found first betwixt two nations situate in the same Parallell or climate in respect of the heauens Secondly betwixt two men borne in seuerall Countreyes liuing together for some time in the same region Thirdly of one and the selfe-same man liuing at diuerse times in diuers regions Fourthly of a man liuing in the same Countrey at diuerse seasons and times all which being heretofore demonstrated will declare vnto vs the great Sympathy and operation the Aire and his diuerse qualities hath with and on our corporeall spirits and organs But the temperament of the Aire as we haue formerly shewed depends on the temperature of the soile whence it must needs follow that the naturall disposition of men should bee varied somewhat in respect of the soyle This disposition of the soile being manifold wee haue reduced onely to three heads leauing other curiosities to such as haue more leasure What wee iudge in this shall be declared in these Theoremes 1 Mountaine people are for the most paâ—t more stout warlike and generous then those of plaine Countreyes yet lesse tractable to gouernment Of the warlike disposition of the mountanists and their strange Impatience to subiection many Histories giue testimony Geographers repor that setting aside the people of the North to whom for strength and valour wee haue giuen the palme the Inhabitants of the mountaine Atlas are great and strong out of whom the Kings of Numidia and Mauritania in time of warre are wont to leuy their forces And it is worthy admiration to consider the mountaine people of Arabia who could neuer be drawne to yeeld to subiection but being fortified not somuch by the benefit of the place as some might happily imagine but rather by naturall strength and valour haue alwaies liued in liberty To whom as is reported the Turkes giue a yeerely stipend to keepe them off from inuading the Territories of Palaestine and Damascus Of the Maâ—sians the ancient inhabitants of the Appenine mountaines in Italy the Romans were wont so well to conceiue that it grew into a prouerbe Sine Marsis triumphasse neminem Gostane when he went about to inuade the kingdome of Succia chose his legions of souldiers out of the Dalecarly who inhabite the Succian mountaines But amongst all no nation hath purchased a greater opinion and reputation then the Heluetians liuing amongst the Alpes These men are originally descended from the Succians which for valour haue â—o farre approued themselues that they haue not onely kept themselues free from forraigne iurisdiction but haue often deliuered their neighbouring countries from slauery and oppression Against the house Austria they haue not once displaied their banners and triumphed in their ouerthrow A great part of Germany hath smarted vnder their valour and such an honorable opinion haue they wonne that they are accompted as it were the Censors and moderators to decide controuersies in matters of state and kingdomes Cicero giues grrat commendations of strength to the Ligurgians inhabiting the mountaines It is well knowne how long and tedious warres the mountaine Cilicians and Acrâ—cerauneans had with the Turkes how long with small damage they endured affront and droue them back Here we might add the examples of the Biscanes and Cantabrians in Spaine who vnder the conduct of Pelagius their King withstood the Saracens and preserued both their language and religion The like ought to be spoken of the Welsh Cornish people amongst vs as of the Scottish Highlander all which liuing in mountanous countries haue withstood the violence of forraigners and for many yâ—ares preserued their owne liberty And howsoâ—uer it may be obiected that the aduantage of the place gaue them courage yet can wee not deny their disposition due commendation hauing not only thus for a time protected their owne rights but made many hostile
time or incertainty of tradition neglected and obliterated they fell backe into such wayes as their owne depraued nature dictated or the diuell malitiously suggested 2 By Discipline nations become moâ—e wise and politicke in the preseruations of states yet lesse stout and couragious As Discipline hath been the chiefe cause of the establishment of all states so hath it on the other side been occasion to soften and weaken the courage of many nations For it hath beene many times seene that such people who haue beene commended for wit haue yeelded to such who are of a ruder disposition as at this day the Greeks and Macedons to the Turkes the ancient Gaules to the French the Egyptians to the Persians the Chaldeans to the Saracens Hence some giue a reason why the French did inuade and runne ouer Italy without controle vnder Charles the 5 because the Italian Princes at that time were giuen to study and learning and it is obserued that the ancient courage of the Turke is much abated since the time that they grew more ciuill and more strictly imbraced discipline And this some thinke to haue giuen occasion to Alexander the great to conquer the Persian Monarchie the Persians hauing beene before reduced to ciuility and lost their hardnesse And we daily see by experience that no men are more desperate and aduenturous then those which are rude and barbarous wanting all good manners and education None more fearefull and many times more cowardlike then such as are most wise and politick an example of the former we haue in Aiax of the other in Vlisses wherevpon the wisest lâ—aders and commanders haue not been esteemed the most valiant A certaine English gentleman writing military obseruations affirmes the French nobility to bee more valorous and coragious then the English Because of the loosenesse of their discipline and the strictnesse of ours But I will neither grant him the one or the other neither can I auerre their courage to be greater or our discipline stricter If their valour bee more it must needs follow their wit is lesse out of this ground But how soeuer it be I am sure that Caesar and Tacitus giue the cause of the great stature and courage of the Germans to be their loosenesse and liberty which howbeit it bee not the sole cause it must needs bee a great helpe For wee plainely finde by experience that those countries which be most mountanous where is lesse discipline are found to produce men for the most part most warlicke Such as the Suitzers in Germany and Biscaynâ—s and Arragonians in Spainâ— Whence as some obserue such countries as are partly Mountanous partly plaine are seldome at quiet the one part willingly submitting themselues to gouernment the other affecting warre and rebellion Which hath been the cause of the troubles of Naples and in England before Henry the eight's time betwixt the Welsh and English Why discipline should in this sort mollifie and weaken the courage of men many causes may bee giuen The first and greatest is Religion then the which there is no greater curbe to the courage not meerely of it selfe but by accident Because Death being the greatest hazard of a souldier religion giues a more euident apprehension and sense of the immortality of the soule of man and sets before the eye of his vnderstanding as it were the images of Hell-paines and Caelestiall ioyes weighing in an aequall scale the danger of the one and the losse of the other Whereas ignorant people wanting all sense of religion lightly esteeme of either holding a temporall death the greatest danger Whence grew the vsuall Prouerbe amongst profane Ruffians that conscience makes cowards But this as I said is meerely accidentall For as much as nothing spurres on a true resolution more then a good conscience and a true touch of religion witnesse the holy Martyrs of the Church of all ages whose valour and constancy hath outgone all heathen presidents But because souldiers for the most part being a most dissolute kinde of people hauing either a false religion which can suggest no setled resolution or an ill conscience grounded vpon no assurance Religion must needs beget in them a more fearefull disposition Another cause may bee the seuerity of discipline which especially in the training vp of youth is mixed with a kind of slauery without which our yonger yeers are very vntractable to tast the bitter roots of knowledge This feare as it were stamped in our affections cannot but leaue behind it a continuall impression which cannot suddainly bee razed out Such as we find in vs of our masters and teachers whose friendship we rather imbrace then familiarity A third reason why discipline would weaken and mollifie a Nation may be the delight which men reape in Contemplatiue studies and morall or politicke duties whence followes a neglect of the other For people of knowledge must needs finde a greater felicity in giftes of the minde which is vsually seconded with a contempt of externall and military affaires The last cause may bee the want of vse and practise of military affaires in most common-wealths for many states well established continue a long time without warres neither molesting their neighbours nor dissenting amongst themselues except very seldome and that by a small army without troubling the whole state whence the generall practise being lesse knowne becomes more fearefull Notwithstanding all this it were brutish to imagine discipline any way vnnecessary or hurtfull either to a Captaine or Statesman For as much as it more strengthens the wit then abates the courage of a nation Neither is it properly said to breake and weaken but rather to temper and regulate our spirits For it is not valour but rather rashnesse or fiercenesse which is not managed with policy and discretion And although it hath sometimes beene attended with notable exploites as that of Alexander the great of the Gothes the ancient Gaules and many other Yet shall we obserue such conquests to bee of small continuance For what they atcheiued by strength they lost for want of policy So that it is well said by one that moderation is the mother of continuance to States and Kingdomes Thus haue we run ouer by Gods assistance the chiefe causes of diuersity of dispositions of Nations Wherein if any man will informe himselfe as hee should hee must compare one circumstance with another and make his iudgement not from a man but a nation and not censure any Nation out of one obseruation For practise in Art cannot alwayes come home to speculation So experience in this kinde will oftentimes crosse the most generall rules wee can imagine T is enough to iudge as wee finde and walke where the way is open If any man will desire more curiosity hee may spend more labour to lesse purpose Let euery man by beholding the nationall vices of other men praise Almighty God for his owne happinesse and by seeing their vertues learne to correct his owne vices So should our trauaile in this Terrestriall Globe bee our direct way to Heauen And that eternall guide should conduct vs which can neuer erre To whom be ascribed all Glory Prayse and Power for euermore Deo triuni Laus in aeternum FINIS Ptolom geogr l. 1. sec. 1. Seneca in Medeâ Act. 2. De gen cor 〈◊〉 de caelo cap. 4. L. de Sphaer Lib. 1 geog cap. 4. Lib. 2. c. 72. Lib. 1. De Mundi fabr part 3. cap. 2. Psal. 104. Fundauit Terram super bases suas ne dimoueatur in saeculum vers 5. Ptol. dict 1. cap. 5. Alph. 6. diff 6. Prop. 11. lib. 1. * Pag. 149. R. Ld. D. 1 Meteor Lib. 4. Sr Walter Rawleigh
to wit that it might water aswell the mettalls in the bowells of the earth as giue moisture and nourishment to Plants and liuing creatures dwelling thereon And this motion saith he although it be against the particular nature of the water is not altogether violent because elementary bodyes are bound by a certaine law to obey and subiect themselues to the heauenly so that motions impressed by them are not enforced on them by violence For albeit in some sort it thwart the phisicall disposition yet haue all creatures an obâ—dientiall aptnesse as they terme it to submit themselues to the superiour But this opinion of Thomas Aquinas in my conceit seemes lesse sound then the former For first Thomas had no need at all of these shifts holding some of his other grounds For in another place comparing the hight of the sâ—a and land one with the other he firmely maintaines that the sea is aboue the land and that it is bounded and restrayned from ouerflowing the dry land by the immediate power of the Creator If this be graunted what need there any ascent or drawing vp of the water by any externall power of the heauenly bodyes sith the remitting of this restraint of waterâ— in some places were sufficient to cause such springs and riuers in the earth Secondly his opinion cannot stand without manifest contradiction of himselfe for how can the water being of his owne nature heauy be drawne vpward without violence and thwarting of nature And whereas he alleadges for himselfe an obedientiall aptnesse in the elementary bodies to obey the superiour he shall find very little helpe to maintaine his part For this obedientiall inclination must be either according to the nature of the water or opposite vnto it or at least the one must be sudordinate vnto the other That it is according to the nature of the water he himselfe disclaimes and experience refutes because it naturally descends not ascends if it be opposite as indeed it must needes be he contradicts himselfe If the Physicall and obedientiall inclination be subordinate the one to the other I vrge that subordinate causes can produce no other then subordinate effects for asmuch as the causes and the effects are measured and proportioned the one by the other But wee plainly see that the motions of ascent or descent are diametrally opposed and contrary the one to the other so that they cannot otherwise proceed then from opposite and contrary causes Secondly this obedientiall aptnesse is commonly vnderstood of a creature in respect of his Creator in whose hand it is as to create all things of nothing so to reduce all things againe into nothing But this although it be aboue nature yet no way contradicts nature and easier it is to be imagined that the Creator should annihilate any Creature then letting it remaine in his own Nature giue it a motion against nature Moreouer 〈◊〉 we duly coÌ„sider nature in her course we shall find that the lower elementall Bodies onely concurre to the conseruation of the whole and of one another by following their own priuate inclination for the whole is nothing else then an orderly concent and harmony of all the parts from whose mutuall cooperation it receiues his perfection so that where any part failes in his owne office the whole must needs sustain dammage Thirdly it will hardly be resolued by any of this opinion by what meanes or instruments the heauenly or superiour Bodies can haue such an operatiue power ouer the water as to lift it vpward from his owne Center for neither can this thing be performed by motion hight or any InflueÌ„ce which are the three meanes of operation of celestiall Bodies on elementary I will not stand to proue every particular in this matter But onely would haue my aduersary to answere and giue an instance and speciality Another opinion there is of Aristotle followed by all Peripaâ—eticks who in his first booke of Meteors and 13 Chapter goes about to proue and maintaine that all Springs and Wells in the land are produced and generated in the bowells of the Earth by any vapours resolued into water which opinion he labours â—o strengthen in this manner It is certain saith he that the Earth hath within it much aire because Nature will no-where admit a vacuity But the Earth hath not onely many open but a great many secret holes and conâ—auities which cannot otherwise be filled then with aire Moreouer a great part of the Earth and other vapours therein contained and stirred vp by the force of the Starres are conuerted into Aire and that aswell the Aire included in the bowells of the Earth as vapours there also bred are perpetually conuerted into water This reason may seeme to perswade because it followes of necessity that the coldnesse of the Earth expelling their heat they should harden condensate be disposed at last to the generation of water whence also the cause 〈◊〉 giuen of the generation of water in the middle Region of the Aire although it be not alwaies thence bred aswell for other causes as for that the Aire by the heat of the Sunne is sometimes too hot and the vapours are too much attenuated and ratified so that the matter of Raine cannot be alwaies supplyed This would Aristotle haue to bee the originall of all Springs and Fountaines So that the water should first distill as it were drop by drop out of this vapourous matter and this moist matter so collected and drawne together should afterwardâ— breake forth out of the ground and so cause such fountaines Some reasons are also produced to proue this assertion for say the Authors of this opinion If the Springs and Riuerâ— should proceed from any other cause then they should take their beginning from Raine-water which is before refuted or from the Sea by certain secreâ— passages which opinion seemes too weake to endure examination First this seemes an argument that the Sea-water is commonly Salt but the water of Springs and Riuers is for the most sweet and fresh and therefore such Springs are not deriued from the Sea Secondly because we neuer find the Sea to be emptied which must needes be if it should giue beginnings to all such currents of water in the Earth Thirdly we haue already shewed that the superficies of the Earth is higher then the Water so that it cannot be conceiued how riuers should be deriued from the Sea To this opinion howsoeuer seeming probable and supported with the name and authority of so great a Philosopher I dare not wholly assent forasmuch as it thwarts the Testimony of holy Scripture and cannot otherwise stand with reason because it cannot well be imagined how so many vapours and so continually should be ingendred in the bowels of the earth to nourish so many and so great currents as we see springing out of the Earth for a very great quantity or portion of Aire being condensated and made Water will become but as a little drop The Aire according
to Aristotles grounds being by a Tenne-fold proportion thinner then the Water Moreouer the Aire in these places seated in the superficies of the Earth and higher then other places and by consequent neerer the Sun should rather be rarified and thickned because heat is the greatest cause of rarefaction as we shall shew hereafter for the reasons alleaged for these opinions they are drawne only from the weaknes of their assertion which hold that Fountaines are deriued either from Raine water or from the Sea both which wee haue examined briefly and whereof wee shall speake hereafter The Schoole of Conimbra not vtterly reiecting all the former opinions haue vndertakeÌ„ to forgoe an opinion as it were partaking of all pretending to say something more when indeed they produce nothing besides the former Their assertion they haue set downe in eight propositions which I will faithfully set downe and then censure The first is that in subterranean places vnder the superficies of the earth is hid a great quantity of water distinguished into Riuers Ponds and Lakes This they proue from the daily experiment of such as diggs diuerse wells and deâ—pe trenches in the Earth Who many times vnder the Earth find not only many riuers and ponds but many times happen vpon so great abundance of Water that they can neither find the bottome or bounds thereof To this they add an experiment of Philip and Macedon recorded by Asclepiadorâ—â— who caused many men expert in digging of mettalls to be let downe into an old and forsaken mine to search out the veines of mettalls to see whether the couetousnesse of antiquity had left any thing to posterity These men vsing great lights are said to haue found nothing there but great and vast riuers and great receptacles of waters This they also labour to confirme by many and suddaine eruptions and breaking out of waters out of the earth whereof we shall haue occasion to speake more hereafter This first position howsoeuer in it selfe true enough seemes litle to the purpose but we will proceed to the second which is this That when God in the third day of the Creation seperated the waters into one place and hid it in the cauerns and secret receptacles of the earth at the same time dispersed into diuerse parts of the earth a great quantity of water by diuerse occult passages and channels whence comes that great masse of waters vnder the earth which is before mentioned This they seeme to perswade by reason for say they as the wise Architect of all for mans sake and the rest of liuing creatures for the vse of man hath discouered the dry land by restrayning all the waters into one place so it was most necessary that he should inwardly water the earth by which stones mettalls mineralls other such things in the bowells of the Earth should in time grow and increase Also that some water should from hence breake vp out of the Earth for diuerse causes hereafter specified Finally as Philo-Iudaeus affirmes for the continuation of the parts of the earth which otherwise might by drouth be seperated and diuided The third proposition grounded on the two former is this That many riuers and fountaines in diuerse places by Gods decree arise out of the earth by quantities of waters hid in the cauernes of the earth which they proue by reasons drawne from the vtility of such fountaines and riuers springing out of the earth Fourthly they defend that all fountaines and currents were not so made and appointed in the first Creation because Histories experience teach vs that many haue broken out of the ground afterwards whereof we shall haue occasion to speake hereafter Fiâ—tly they affirme that if the opinion of Aristotle be vnderstood of all fountaines and flouds it cannot be approued for asmuch as it seemes sufficiently declared in the third opinion how such riuers might be generated without such vapours as also because many arguments and places of holy Scriptures seeme to proue the contrary As also the foure Riuers of Paradice created in the beginning of the world cannot bee guessed to draw their originall from such vapours as Aristotle imagines to which accord many ancient Fathers vpon these places recited in that opinion whereas all riuers are thought to fetch their originall from the sea Sixtly for the credit of their master Aristotle they are constrained to auerre that although his opinion cannot be verified of all riuers and fountaines of the earth yet if it be restrayned to some such perpetuall currents it may haue probability For asmuch aswe are to beleeue that many such large cauerns and holes are hid vnder the earth in which no small quantity of vapours may be ingeÌ„dred This probability is greater in those riuers which are lesser in quantity then the greater for the reasons before shewed Seuenthly they affirme that it is absolutely to be beleeued that not only great riuers and currents are deriued from subterranean waters which haue originall from the sea but also lesse fountaines and springs for the most part challenge the same beginning whence they labour to proue by this reason that in very few places of the earth there is found so perpetuall and apt disposition of vapours vnder the ground as to nourish so many and so great currents of water Eightly say they it cannot be denied but that Waters aswell proceeding from raine as that which is generated of vapours in the cauerns of the earth sometimes may flow into fountaines and riuers What concernes Torrents bred of raine they haue recourse to the reasons of the first opinion for others they make it also probable because we see by experience that Vapours and Aire compassed about with earth are by reason of the cold enuironing it turned into water This is indeed the opinion of those subtill Iesuits of Conimbra wherein although they giue a flourish as if they would defend their master Aristotle on whom they comment yet meane they nothing lesse but indeed warily sticke to the other of the Diuines and ancient Fathers of the Church touching the deriuation of all 〈◊〉 from the sea Which opinion howsoeuer in it selfe most probable they know not how to manage and defend against opposition For whereas they suppose that in the first sepâ—â—tion of the sea from the dry-land a great quantity of water was dispersed into diuerse hollow places cauerns of the earth from whence Riuers are deriued and made they haue not in any probable manner expressed how this water should perpetually flow and feed so many great currents For first I would aske of these learned fathers whether the water inclosed in the bowells of the earth whence these springs are fed be higher or lower then the fountaines arising out of them If it be higher whether the Riuers are continually nourished on the old store or a new supply be daily made That so great riuers should bee maintained so many thousand yeares out of the old prouision is most improbable because the