we made the North Forlande perfite which otherwise is called Halles Iland and also the small Ilande bearing the name of the saide Hall whence the Ore was taken vppe whiche was broughte into Englande this last yeare 1576. the sayd Hall being present at the finding and takyng vp thereof who was then Maister in the Gabriell with Captayne Frobysher At oure arriuall héere all the Seas about this coast were so couered ouer with huge quantitie of great Ise that we thought these places mighte only deserue the name of Mare Glaciale and be called the Isie Sea. This North forlande is thought to be deuided from the continente of the Norther lande by a little sounde called Halles sound whiche maketh it an Iland and is thoughte little lesse than the I le of Wight and is the firste entrance of the streightes vpon the Norther side and standeth in the Latitude of .62 Degrées â—â— Minutes and is reckned from Freeseland leagues God hauing blessed vs wyth so happie a lande fall we bare into the streightes whyche runne in next hande Weast and somewhat to the Northwarde and came as néere the shore as we mighte for the Ise and vpon the eyghtéenth day of Iuly our Generall taking the Goldfiners with him attempted to go on shore with a small rowing Pinnesse vpoÌ„ the small Iland where the Ore was taken vp to proue whether there were anye store thereof to be found but he could not gette in all that Iland a péece so bigge as a Walnut where the firste was found so that it may séeme a great miracle of God that being only one rich stone in all the Iland the same should be found by one of our Countreymen whereby it shoulde appeare Gods diuine will and pleasure is to haue oure common wealth encreased with no lesse abundance of his hydden treasures and golde mynes than any other nation and would that the fayth of his Gospell and holy name should be published and enlarged throughe all those corners of the earth amongest those Idolatrous Infidels But oure men whiche sought the other Ilandes thereaboutes found them all to haue good store of the Ore wherevppon our Generall with these good tidings retourned aboorde aboute ten of the clocke at night and was ioyfully welcomed of the company with a volie of shotte He brought Egges Fowle and a yong Seale aboord which the companie hadde killed ashore and hauing founde vpon those Ilandes ginnes set to catch fowle and stickes newe cut with other things he well perceiued that not long before some of the countrey people had resorted thither Hauing therefore founde those tokens of the peoples accesse in those partes and being in his firste voyage well acquainted with their subtile and cruell dispotion he prouided well for his better safetie and on Friday the nintéenth of Iuly in the morning earely with his best companie of Gentlemen and souldioures to the number of fortie persons went on shoare aswell to discouer the Inlande and habitation of the people as also to fynd out some fitte harborowe for our shippes And passing towardes the shoare with no small difficultie by reason of the abundance of Ise whiche lay alongest the coaste so thicke togither that hardely any passage throughe them might be discerned we arriued at length vpon the maine of Halles greater Iland and founde there also aswel as in the other small Ilands good store of the Ore. And leauing his boats here with sufficient guarde passed vp into the countrey about two Englishe miles and recouered the toppe of a highe hill on the top whereof our men made a Columne or Crosse of stones heaped vppe of a good heigth togither in good sorte and solempnely sounded a Trumpet and said certaine prayers knéeling aboute the Ancient and honoured the place by the name of Mount Warwicke in remembrance of the Right Honorable the Lord Ambrose Dudley Erle of Warwick whose noble minde and good countenaunce in this as in all other good actions gaue great encouragement and good furtheraÌ„ce This done we retired our companies not séeing any thing here worth further discouerie the couÌ„trie séeming barren and full of ragged mountaines in most parts couered with Snow And thus marching towards our boats we espied certaine of the countrie people on the top of Mount Warwicke with a flag wafting vs backe againe making great noise with cries like the mowing of Bulles séeming greatly desirous of conference with vs whervppon the General being therewith better acquainted answered them again with the like cries whereat and with the noise of our trumpets they séemed greatly to reioyce skipping laughing and dauncing for ioy And herevppon we made signes vnto them holding vp two fingers coÌ„maunding two of our menne to goe aparte from our companies whereby they might doe the like So that forthwith two of oure menne and two of theirs mette togither a good space from companie neither partie hauing their weapons about them Our men gaue them pinnes and pointes and sued trifles as they had And they likewise bestowed on our men two bowe cases and suche things as they had They earnestlye desired oure menne to goe vppe into their Countrie and our men offered them like kindnesse aboorde oure shippes but neyther parte as it séemed admitted or trusted the others curtesie Their manner of trafficke is thus they doe vse to lay downe of their marchandise vppon the ground so much as they meane to parte withall and so looking that the other partie with whome they make trade shoulde doe the like they themselues doe departe and then if they doe like of their marte they come againe and take in exchange the others marchandise otherwise if they like not they take their owne and departe The daye being thus well nearâ— spent in haste we retired our companies into our boates againe minding forthwith to searche alongest the coast for some harborowe fitte for oure shippes for the present necessitie thereof was much considering that all this while they lay off and on betwéen the two lands being continually subiect aswell to great danger of fléeting yse which enuironed them as to the sodâ—in flawes which the coast seemeth much subiect vnto But when the people perceiued our departure with great tokeÌ„s of affection they earnestly called vs backe againe following vs almost to our boates wherevpon our Generall taking his Maister with him who was beste acquainted with their maner went apart vnto two of them meaning if they could lay sure holde vpon them forcibly to bring them aboord with intent to bestow certain toyes and apparell vpon the one and so to dismisse him with all arguments of curtesie and retaine the other for an Interpreter The Generall his Maister being met with their two coÌ„panions togither after they hadde exchanged certaine thinges the one with the other one of the Saluages for lacke of better marchandise cutte off the tayle of his coate whiche is a chiefe ornament among them and gaue
in durance at Edenburgh by the Regents commaundement of Scotlande After we had prouided vs héere of matter sufficiente for our voyage the eyght of Iune we sette sayle agayne and passing through Saint Magnus sounde hauing a merrie winde by night came cléere and lost sight of all the lande and kéeping oure course West Northwest by the space of two dayes the winde shifted vpon vs so that we lay in trauerse on the Seas with contrarie making good as néere as we could our course to the Westward and sometime to the Northward as the winde shifted And héereabout we met with thrée Sayle of English fishermen from Iseland bouÌ„d homewarde by whome we wrote our letters vnto oure friends in England We trauersed these Seas by the space of .26 dayes without sight of any land and met with much drift wodde and whole bodyes of trées We saw many monsterous Fishe and strange Fowle whyche sémed to liue only by the Sea being there so farre distant from anye land At length God fauoured vs with more prosperous windes and after we hadde sayled foure dayes with good wind in the Pâ—upe the fourth of Iuly the Michaell being formost a head shotte off a péece of Ordinance and stroke all hir sayles supposing that they descryed land whyche by reason of the thicke mistes they could not make perfit howbeit as wel our accompt as also the greate alteration of the water whiche became more blacke and smooth dyd playnely declare we were not farre off the coast Our Generall sent his Maister aboorde the Michaell who had bin within the yeare before to beare in with the place to make proofe thereof who desâ—ryed not the land perfecte but sawe sundrie huge Ilands of Ise which we déemed to be not past twelue leagues froÌ„ the shore for about tenne of the clocke at night being the fourth of Iuly the weather being more cléere we made the land perfect and knew it to be Fréeseland And the heigth being taken héere we founde oure selues to be in the Latitude of .60 Degrées and a halfe and were fallen with the Southermost parte of this land Betwéene Orkney and Freeseland are reckned leagues This Freeseland sheweth a ragged and high lande hauing the Mountaynes almost couered ouer with Snow alongst the coast full of drift Ise and séemeth almost inaccessible is thought to be an Iland in bignesse not inferior to England and is called of some Authours Weast Freeseland I thinke bycause it lyeth more Weast then anye part of Europe It extendeth in Latitude to the Northward verie farre as séemed to vs and appeareth by a description set out by two bréethren Venetians Nicholaus and Antonius Genoa who being driuen off from Ireland with a violent tempest made Shipwracke héere and were the first knowen Christians that discouered this lande aboute thrée hundred yeares sithence and they haue in their Sea-Cardes set out euerie part thereof and described the condition of the inhabitants declaring them to be as ciuill and Religious people as we And for so much of this land as we haue sayled alongst comparing their Carde with the coast we find it very agréeable This coast séemeth to haue good fishing for we lying becalmd let fall a hooke without anye bayte and presently caught a great fish called a Hollibut which serued the whole companie for a dayes meate and is dangerous meate for surfetting And sounding about fyue leagues off froÌ„ the shore our leade brought vp in the tallow a kind of Corrall almost white and small stones as bright as Christall it is not to be doubted but that this laÌ„d may be found very rich and beneficiall if it were throughly discouered although we saw no creature there but little birds It is a maruellous thing to behold of what great bignesse and depth some Ilandes of I se be héere some .70 some .80 fadome vnder water besides that which is aboue séemyng Ilands more than halfe a mile in circuite All these Ise are in tast freshe and séeme to be bredde in the sounds thereaboutes or in some land néere the pole and with the wind tides are driuen alongst the coastes We fouÌ„d none of these Ilands of Ise salt in tast wherby appeareth they were not congealed of the Ocean Sea water which is always salt but of some standing or little mouing lakes or great fresh waters néere the shore caused eyther by melted snow froÌ„ tops of Mountaines or by continuall accesse of fresh riuers froÌ„ the laÌ„d and intermingling with the Sea water bearing yet the dominion by the force of extreame frost may cause some part of salt water to fréese so with it so séeme a little brackish but otherwise the maine sea fréeseth not therefore there is no Mare Glaciale or frosen Sea as the opinion hytherto hath bin Our General proued laÌ„ding here twice but by the suddaine fall of mistes wherevnto this coast is much subiect he was like to lose sight of his Ships being greatly endangered with the driuing Ise alongst the coast was forced aboord and faine to surceasse his preteÌ„ce till a better oportunitie might serue and hauing spent .4 days nights sailing alongst this laÌ„d finding the coast subiect to such bitter cold continuall mistes he determined to spend no more time therin but to beare out his course towards the streights called Frobishers straightes after the Generals name who being the firste that euer passed beyonde .58 degrées to the Northwards for any thing hath bin yet knoweÌ„ of certainty of New found laÌ„d otherwise called the continent or firme laÌ„d of America discouered the said streights this last yeare .1576 and hopeth that there wil be found a thorough passage into the sea which lieth on the back side of the said new found laÌ„d called Mare pacificum or Mare de Sur by the which we maye go vnto Cataya China the East India and all the dominioÌ„s of the Great Cane of Tartaria Betwéene Freeseland the straights we had one great storme wherin that Michael was somewhat in daÌ„ger hauing hir Stéerage broken hir top Mastes bloweÌ„ ouer bord being not past .50 leagues short of the straights by our accoÌ„pt we strooke sayle lay a hull fearing the coÌ„tinuance of the storme the wind being at the Northeast and hauing lost company of the Barkes in that flaw of wind we happily mette againe the .17 day of Iuly hauing the euening before séene diuers Ilandes of fléeting Ise which gaue an argument that we were not farre from land Our Generall in the morning froÌ„ the maine top the weather being reasonable cléere descried laÌ„d but to be better assured he sent the two Barkes two coÌ„trarie courses wherby they might discrie either the South or North forlande the Ayde lying off on at Sea with a small saile by an Iland of Ise whiche was the marke for vs to méete togither agayne And aboute noone the weather being more cléere
childes arme And bycause the daye was well neare â—pent oure menne made haste vnto the reste of oure companie which on the other side of the water remained at the â—entes where they founde by the apparell â—eâ—ter and other Englishe furniture that they were the same companye whiche Capitaine Yorke discouered the night before hauing remoued theÌ„selues froÌ„ the place where he left theÌ„ And now considering their sodaine flying from our men and their desperate manner of fighting we beganne to suspecte that we hadde already hearde the laste newes of our men whiche the laste yeare were betrayed of these people And considering also their rauennesse and bloudy disposition in eating anye kinde of rawe fleshe or carrâ—eâ— howsoeuer stincking it is to be thoughte that they had sâ—aine and deuoured oure men For the doublet whiche was sounâ—e in their tents had many holes therein being made with their arrowes and dartes But nowe the night being at hande our men with their captiues and suche poore stuffe as they founde in their tentes returned towardes their shippes when being at Sea there arose a sodaine flawe of winde whiche was not a little daungerous for their small boates But as God would they came all safely aboorde And with these good newes they retourned as before mentioned into the Countesse of Warwicks sound vnto vs And betwene Iackmans sounde from whence they came and the Countesse of Warwickes sound betwene land land being thoughte the narrowest place of the straights were iudged nine leagues ouer at leaste and Iackmans sounde being vppon the Southerlande lyeth directlye almoste ouer againste the Countesses sound as is reckned scarce thirty leagues within the straightes from the Queenes Cape whiche is the entrance of the straights of Southerland being the supposed continent of America This Cape béeing named Queene Elizabethe Cape standeth in the Latitude of degrées and a halfe to the Northwardes of Newe found lande and vpon the same continent for any thing that is yet knowen to the contrarie Hauing now got a woman captiue for the comforte of our man we broughte them both togither and euery man with silence desired to beholde the manner of their meeting and entertaynement the whiche was more worth the beholding than can be well expressed by writing Aâ— theyr first encountring they behelde each the other very wistly a good space withoute spéeche or worde vttered with greate change of coloure and countenaunce as though it séemed the gréefe and disdeyne of their captiuitie had taken away the vse of their tongs and vtterance the woman at the first verie suddaynely as though she disdeyned or regarded not the man turned away and beganne to sing as though she minded another matter but being agayne broughte togâ—ther the man brake vp the silence first and with sterne and stayed countenance beganne to tell a long solemne tale to the woman wherevnto she gaue good hearing and interrupted him nothing till he had finished afterwards being growen into more familiar acquayntance by spéech were turned togither so that I thinke the one would hardly haue liued without the comfort of the other And for so muche as we coulde perceiue albeit they liued continually togither yet did they neuer vse as man and wife though the woman spared not to do all necessarie things that apperteyned to a good huswife indifferently for them both as in making cleane their Cabin and euery other thing that apperteyned to his ease for when hée was Seasicke shee would make him cleane she would kill and flea the Dogges for their eating and dresse his meate Only I thinke it worth the noting the continencie of them both for the man would neuer shift himselfe except he had firste caused the woman to depart out of his Cabin and they both were most shaâ—â— fast least anye of their priuie parts should bée discouered eyther of themselues or any other body On Monday the sixth of August the Lieutenante wyth all the Souldyers for the better garde of the Myners and the other things a shore pitched their tents in the Countessâ—â— Ilande and fortifyed the place for their better defence as well as they could and were to the number of forty persons when being all at labour they might perceyue vppon the toppe of a hill ouer against them a number of the countrey people wasting with a flagge and making great out cryes vnto them and were of the same companie whyche had encountred lately our men vpon the other shore béeing come to complayne their late losses and to entreate as it seemed for restitution of the Woman and Chylde whyche our men in the late conflict had taken and brought away wherevpon the Generall taking the sauage Captiue with him and setting the Woman where they mighte best perceyue hir in the highest place of the Ilande wente ouer to talke with them Thys Captiue at the fyrste encountrie of hys friendes fell so out into teares that he coulde not speake a worde in a greate space but after a whyle ouercomming his kyndnesse hée talked at full wyth hys companyons and bestowed friendly vppon them suche toyes and trifles as we hadde gyuen hym whereby we noted that they are verie kynde one to the other and greately sorowfull for the losse of their friendes Oure Generall by signes requyred hys fyue men whyche they tooke Captiue the last yeare and promised them not only to releasse those whyche hée hadde taken but also to rewarde them wyth greate giftes and friendship Our Sauage made signes in aunswere from them that oure men shoulde bée delyuered vs and were yet lyuing and made signes lykewise vnto vs that wee shoulde write oure letters vnto them for they knâ—we very well the vse wée haue of writting and receyued knowledge thereof eyther of oure poore Captiue Countreâ—men whyche they betrayed or else by thys oure newe â—aptiue who hathe séene vs dayâ—y write and â—epeate agayne suche wordes of hâ—s language as we desâ—red to learne but they for thys nyghte bycause it was 〈◊〉 departed without any letter although theâ— called â—arneâ—â—lie in hast for the same And the nexte mornyng earâ—lie beeyng the seauenth of August they called agayne for the Letter whyche béeyng delyuered vnto them they spéedily departed makyng signes wyth thrée fingers and poyntyng to the Sunne that they meante to returne wythin thrée dayes vntâ—ll whyche tyme wée hearde no more of them and aboute the tyme appoynted they returned in suche â—orte as you shall afterwardes heare Thys nyghte bycause the people were very néere vnto vs the Lieutenaunte caused the Trumpet to sounde a call and euerie man in the Ilande repayring to the â—untiente hée putte them in mynde of the place so farre from theyr Countrey wherein they lyued and the daunger of a multitude whyche they were subiect vnto if good watche and wâ—rde were not kepte for at euerie lowe water the Enimie myghte come aâ—most dryfoote from the mayne vnto vs wherefore hée wylled euerye man to prepare hym in good
daungerously towed at the sterne of the Barke for many myles vntill at length they espyed the Anne Frances vnder sayle harde vnder their Lée which was no smal comforte vnto them For no doubt both those and a great number moe had perished for lacke of victuals and conueniente roome in the Barkes without the helpe of the sayde ships But the honest care that the Maister of the Anne Frances had of his Captaine and the good regarde of dutie towards his General suffered him not to depart but honestly abode to hazarde a daungerous roade all the night long notwithstanding all the stormy weather when all the Fléete besides departed And the Pinnesse came no sooner aborde the shippe and the mâ—n entred but she presently sheauered and fel in péeces and sunke at the ships sterne with al the poore mens fâ—rniture so weake was the boate with towing and so soâ—â—â—â—e was the sea to bruse hir in péeces But as God woulde the men were all saued At this presente in this storme manye of the fléete were daungerously distressed and were seuered almost al asunder And there were lost in the whole Fléete well néere xx bâ—â—tes and Pinnesses in this storme and some men strokeÌ„â—uâ—r boorde into the sea and vtterly lost Manye also spente their mayne yardes and mastes and wiâ—h the continuall frostes and deawe the roapes of our shippes were nowe growen so rotten that they went all asunder Yet thankes be to God all the fléete arriued safely in Englande aboute 〈…〉 The 〈…〉 Southeastwarde 〈…〉 in the laâ—itude of Degréeâ— which wâ—s nâ—uâ—r yâ—â—â—ounde before and saâ—led thrâ—â— days 〈◊〉 the coâ—st the land séeming to be fruiteful full of woods and a champion countrie There dyed in the whole Fléete in all this voyage not aboue fortie persons whiche number is not great considering howe many ships were in the Fléete and how strange Fortunes wée passed A generall and briefe Description of the Countrey and condition of the people which are found in Meta Incognita HAuing now sufficiently and truly set forth the whole circumstaÌ„ce and particular handâ—ing of euery occurrente in the thrée Uoyages of our worthy Generall Captayne Frobisher it shal not be froÌ„ the purpose to speake somewhat in generall of the nature of this CouÌ„trey called Meta Incognita and the condition of the sauage people there inhabiting First therefore concerning the Topographicall description of the place It is nowe sound in the last voyage that Queene Elizabethes Cape being scituate in Latitude at Degrées and a halfe which before was supposed to be parte of the firme land of America And also all the rest of the South side of Frobishers straytes are all seuerall IlaÌ„ds and broken land and likewise so will all the North side of the said straytes fall out to be as I thinke And some of our company being entred aboue .60 leagues within the mistaken straytes in the third Booke mentioned thought certaynely that they had descryed the firme lande of America towards the South which I thinke will fall out so to bée These broken landes and Ilandes being very many in number do seeme to make there an Archipelagus which as they all differ in greatnesse forme and fashion one from another so are they in goodnesse couloure and soyle muche vnlike They all are very high lands Mountaynes and in most parts couered with Snow euen all the Sommer loÌ„g The Norther lands haue lesse store of Snow more grasse and are more playne Countreys the cause may be for that the Souther Ilands receiue al the Snow that the cold winds and percing ayre bring out of the North. And contrarily the Norther partes receiue more warme blastes of milder aire from the South wherevpon may grow the cause why the people couet and inhabit more vpon the North partes than the South as farre as we can yet by our experience perceiue they doe Theâ—e people I iudge to be a kinde of Tartar or rather a kind of Samowey of the same sort coÌ„ditioÌ„ of life that the Samoweides be to the Northeastwards beyond Moscouy who are called Samoweydes which is as much to say in the Moscouy tong as eaters of themselues and so the Russians their borderers doe name them And by late conference with a friend of mine with whome I dyd sometime trauell in the parts of Moscouy who hath great experience of those Somoweides people of the Northeast I finde that in all their maner of liuing those people of the Northeast and these of the Northweast are like They are of the couloure of a ripe Oliue which how it may come to passe being borne in so cold a climate I referre to the iudgement of others for they are naturally borne children of the same couloure complexioÌ„ as all the Americans are which dwell vnder the Equinoctiall line They are men very actiue and nimble They are a strong people and very warlike for in our sighte vppon the toppes of the hilles they would often muster theÌ„selues and after the maner of a skirmish trace their ground very nimbly and mannage their bowes and dartes with greate dexteritie They goe clad in coates made of the skinnes of beastes as of Ceales Dere Beares Foxes and Hares They haue also some garments of feathers being made of the cases of Foules finely sowed and compact togither Of all which sortes we broughte home some with vs into England whiche we found in their tents In Sommer they vse to weare the hearie side of their coates outwarde and sometime go naked for too much heate And in Winter as by signes they haue declared they weare foure or fiue folde vpoÌ„ their bodies with the heare for warmth turned inward Hereby it appeareth that the ayre there is not indifferente but eâ—ther it is feruent hote or else extréeme colde and far more excessiue in both qualities than the reason of the clymate shoulde yeeldeâ— For there it is colder being vnder Degrees in latitude thaÌ„ it is at Wâ—râ—inâ— in the voyage to Saint Nicolas in Moscouie being at aboue 70. degrees in latiâ—ude The reason hereof perhappes maye be that thys Meta Incognita is much frequeÌ„ted and vexed with eastern and Northeasterne windes whiche from the sea and Ise bringeth often an intollerable colde ayre whiche was also the cause that this yere our straites were so long shutte vp But there is great hope and likelyhoode that further within the straightes it will be more constant and temperate weather These people are in nature verye subtil and sharpe witted readie to conceiâ—e our meaning by signes and to make answere well to be vnderstoode againe As if they haue not séene the thing wherof you aske them they wyll winck or couer their eyes with their hands as who would say it hath bene hyd from their sighte If they vnderstande you not wherof you aske them they wil stoppe their eares They will teache vs the names of eache thing in their language which we desire to learne and are apt to learne any
but touched with the foresaid Magnes playing Aequilibra vpoÌ„ some Piramid or point receyueth such vertue that it produceth like effect Whervnto if wood or paper in circular forme deuided into .32 equall parts be handsomely compacted it will distinguishe and poynte out all parts of the Horizon and direct into all coasts of the worlde and that onely by the inâ—luent Spirite of the two principall pointes respecting euer North and South This excellent propertie and benefite of the Lodestone I the rather remember at large bycause some Seamen whiche knowe this rare and miraculous effecte as well as I doe not sufficiently admire the same bycause it is now so commonlye knowen and yet indéede is to be preferred before all pretious stones in the worlde whiche only tend to ornament and haue no other vertue whereas this serueth to so necessarie vse The vertue of this stone as it is not long since it was first found so in these dayes it is like to receiue his perfection concerning his Northeasting and Northwesting to be brought in rule particularly in this noble voyage of our worthy Captain Martine Frobisher who as you shall after vnderstande in the discourse hath diligentlye obserued the variation of the Néedle And suche obseruations of skilfull Pylots is the onelye waye to bring it in rule for it passeth the reach of naturall Philosophy The making and pricking of Cardes the shifting of Sunne and Moone the vse of the compasse the houre glasse for obseruing time instrumentes of Astronomie to take Longitudes and Latitudes of Countreys and many other helps are so commonly knowen of euery Mariner now adayes that he that hathe bin twiâ—â— at Sea is ashamed to come home if he be not able to â—ender accompte of all these particularities By whiche skill in Nauigation is brought to passe that the people of Europe can as easilye and farre more easilier make long voyages by Sea than by lande whereby hathe come to passe that within the memorie of man within these foure score yeares there hathe béene moe newe Countries and regions discouered than in fiue thousande yeares before yea more than halfe the worlde hathe béene discouered by men that are yet or might very well for their age be aliue When I name the world in this sense I meane the vppermoste face anâ— Superficies of the Earth and Sea which vnite togither make one Globe or Sphere And this face of the Earth whiche Almightie God hath giuen man as most conuenient place to inhabite in thorowe the negligence of man hathe vntill of late dayes layne so hidde and vnknowne that he hathe loste the fruition and benefit of more than halfe the earth A maruellous thing that man who hath always abhorred so muche thraldome and restrainte and so gréedily desired libertie coulde be contented so many thousande yeres to be shut vp in so narrow bounds For it is to be thought that onely such Countries in times paste haue bin known as either did bounde and hang togither or else were separated by very narrow Seas as are Europa Affrica Asia out of which from either to other a man maye trauaile by lande or else shal finde in some places very narrow Seas separating them and so mighte saile from the one to the other onelye by lande markes wythoute the Arte of Nauigation bycause the one was wythin a ken of the other For euen the greate strength and stoutnesse of Hercules himselfe wheÌ„ out of Graecia Westward he had trauelled conquered al the Regions and Countries comming to the straight betwéene Spaine and Barbarie made accompte to haue béene at the Weast ende of the worlde and therefore there erected two Pillers as a perpetual monument of his fâ—â—e whiche to this daye are called Herculeae Columnae the Pâ—llâ—â—s of Hercules the one standing in Spaine of Europe the other in Affrica and called the straight Fretum Herculeum and nowe commonlye is named the straightes of Malâ—ga or Gibraltar And hauing come so farre Westward conteÌ„ted himselfe and said Non plus vltra no further Likewise Alexander Magnus out of Macedonia in Greece passing thorow Armenia Persia and India comming to the great Riuer Ganges conqueryng all these Countrâ—es â—althoughe he was perswaded that Asia extended somewhat further into the East and Northeast yet knowing them not to be verye greate Countries and thinking them to be of small moment erected there certaine Aultars whiâ—he are yet called Arae Alexandrinae as beyond which no man else in those dayes had passed or néede to passe more Eastwarde and this was accompted as it were a â—ounder of the Easte side of the worlde althoughe indéede Asia doeth extende further .20 degrées and is enuironed with Mâ—re Eoâ—m and the straight Anian which our Captaine Frobisher pretendeth to finde out Touching the South parts of the world towards Affrica Ptolomeus King of Aegipt a famous Cosmographer who was more sollicite and curious in describing al the face of the Earth than any King before him or after excepte of late dayes deliuered in plat described knowen only 16. degrées beyond the Equinoctiall to the Southwardes or pole Antartique and that bounder was called Montes Lunae out of whiche the greate riuer Nilus is supposed to haue his beginning spring And as for the known land on the North parts of the world Thyle being one of the Ilands of Orcades more probably than Iseland was so long pronounced and continued Vltima that it was estéemed a greate erroure for anye man to imagine anye lande more North than that Thus haue I briefly named the foure principall bounders of the worlde whiche was onely known from the beginning of the worlde as some thinke vntill within these 80. last yeres That is the straights of Gibraltar or Malega Weastward The East part of Asia beyond Arae Alâ—xandrinae Eastwarde Vltima Thyle by Scotâ—ande Northward .16 Grades beyoÌ„d the Equinoctiall Southward But these 16. degrées of South latitude are to be vnderstoode only in the continent of Affrica whiche extendeth not passyng .70 degrées in longitude Therefore whatsoeuer Countries or Regions haue since béene discouered and knowne beyonde 180. degrées in longitude .60 degrées in North latitude and 16. degrees in South latitude all the commendation honour renoume glorie and fame therof must be attributed to the Englishmen Spaniardes Portingales Frenchmenne and Italians whose valiaunt courage and high mindes be suche that either they alreadye haue or shortly will dyscouer and searche out euery narrowe corner of the world By these mens valours and industries the knowne Regions of the worlde whiche before were diuided into thrée partes that is Europa Affâ—ica and Asia are now made sixe by addition of other thrée For like as the whole Massie frame of the world being firste diuided into two principall regions the one Elementall the other Heauenly the Elementall containeth foure partes that is the foure Elements the Earth the Water the Ayre and the Fyre the Heauenly Region although one
procéede For nothing can be don in a momente And this seconde cause mora solis supra Horizontem the time of the Sunnes abiding aboue the Horizon the old Philosophers neuer remeÌ„bred but regarded only the manner of angles that the Sun beames made with the Horizon which if they were equall and right the heate was the greater as in Torrida Zona if they were vnequall oblique the heat was the lesse as towardes both poles which reason is very good substancial for the perpendicular beames reflect and reuerberate in themselues so that the heate is doubled euery beame striking twice by vniting are multiplied and continue strong in forme of a Columne But in our latitude of 50. .60 degrées the Sun beams descend oblique slanting wise so sthiketh but once departeth and therefore oure heate is the lesse for any effect that the angle of the Suns beames make Yet because we haue a longer continuaunce of the Sunnes presence aboue our Horizon than they haue vnder the Equinoctiall by whiche continuaunce the heate is increased for it shineth to vs .xvj. or .xviii. houres sometime when it continueth with them but twelue houres alwayes And againe oure night is very shorte wherein colde vapors vse to abound being but .6 or .8 houres long wheras theirs is alwayes twelue houres long by which two aduaÌ„tages of long dayes and shorte nights thoughe we wante the equalitie of Angle it commeth to passe that in Sommer oure heate here is as greate as theirs is there as hath bin proued by experience and is nothing dissonant from good reason Therefore whosoeuer wil rightly way the force of colde heate in any region muste not onelye consider the Angle that the Sunne beames make but also the continuaunce of the same aboue the Horizon As firste to them vnder the Equinoctiall the Sunne is twice a yeare at noone in their Zenith perpendicular ouer their heades the â—â—â—re during the .ij. houres of those two dayes the heat is very vrgent so perhaps it will be in .4 or .5 dayes more an houre euerye daye vntill the Sunne in his proper motion haue crossed the Equinoctiall so that this extreame heate caused by the perpendicular Angle of the Sunne beames endureth but two houres of two dayes in a yeare But if anye man say the Sunne maye sâ—alde a good while before and after it come to the Meridian so farre forthe as reason leadeth I am content to allowe it and therefore I will measure and proportion the Sunnes heate by comparing the Angles there with the Angles made here in England bicause this teÌ„perature is best knowen vnto vs As for example the .11 daye of Marche when vnder the Equinoctiall it is halfe an houre paste eight of the clocke in the morning the Sunne will be in the East bycause there it ariseth alwayes at six of the clocke and moueth euerye houre 15. degrees aboue the Horizon and so high verye neare wil it be with vs at London the saide .11 of March at noone And therfore looke what force the Sunne hath with vs at noone the .11 of March the same force hath it vnder the Equinoctiall at halfe houre paste eight in the morning or rather lesse force vnder the Equinoctiall For with vs the Sunne hadde béene alreadye six y houres aboue the Horizon and so had purified and clensed all the vapours and thereby hys force encreased at noone but vnder the Equinoctiall the Sunne hauing béen vppe butâ— 2½ houres hadde sufficient to doe to purge consume the colde and moyste vapoures of the long night and as yet had wrought no effect of heate And therefore I may boldely pronounce that there is muche lesse heate at halfe houre past eight vnder the Equinoctiall than is with vs at noone a fortiori Butte in Marche wée are not onelye contented to haue the Sunne shining but we greately desire the same Likewise the .11 of Iune the Sunne in oure Meridian is .62 degrées highe at London and vnder the Equinoctiall it is so high after .10 of the clocke and séeing then it is beneficiall with vs à fortiori it is beneficial to them after .10 of the clocke And thus haue we measured the force of the Suns greatest heate the hottest dayes in the yeare vnder the Equinoctiall that is in March and September from sixe tyll after tenne of the clocke in the morning and from two vntill sunne set And this is concluded by respecting only the first cause of heâ—te which is the consideration of the Angle of the Sunne beames by a certaine similitude that whereas the sunne shineth neuer aboue twelue houres more than eight of them would be coole and pleasaunt eueÌ„ to vs much more to them that are acquainted alwayes with suche warme places So there remayneth lesse than foure houres of anye excessiue heate that only in the two sommer dayes of the yeare that is the eleuenth of March and the fourtéenth of September for vnder the Equinoctiall they haue two sommers in March and September which are our spring and Autumne and likewise two winters in Iune and December which are our Sommer and Winter as may well appeare to him that hath onelye tasted the principles of the Sphere But if the sunne be in eyther Tropicke â—or approching neare therevnto then may we more easilye measure the force of his Meridian altitude that it striketh vpon the Equinoctial As for example the twelfth of Iune the sunne will be in the first degrée of Cancer Then loke what force the heate of the sunne hath vnder the Equinoctiall the same force and greater it hath in all that Paralel where the Pole is eleuated betwéene 47. and 48. degrées And therefore Paris in Fraunce the 12. daye of Iulye sustayneth more heate of the Sunne than Saint Thomas Ilande lying néere the same Meridian doth likewise at noone or the Ilandes Taprobana Moluccae or the firme lande of Peru in America which al lye vnderneath the Equinoctial For vpon the 12. day of Iune aforesayd the sunne beames at noone doe make an Isocheles Triangle whose Vertex is the Center of the Sunne the Basis a lyne extended from Saint Thomas Ilande vnder the Equinoctiall vnto Paris in Fraunce neare the same Meridian therfore the two Angles of the Base muste néedes be equall p. 5. primi Ergo the force of the heate equall if there were no other cause than the reason of the Angle as the olde Philosophers haue appointed But bycause at Paris the Sun riseth two houres before it riseth to them vnder the Equinoctiall setteth likewise two houres after theÌ„ by means of the obliquity of the HorizoÌ„ in which time of the Sunnes presence .4 houres in one place more thaÌ„ the other it worketh some effect more in the one place than in the other being of equall height at noone it muste then néedes follow to be more hote in the Paralell of Paris than it is vnder the Equinoctiall Also this is an other
vse after one yéere or two the ayre woulde séeme to hym more temperate It was compted a greate matter in the olde time that there was a brasse pot broken in sunder with frosen water in Ponthus which after was broughte and shewed in Delphis in token of a miraculous cold region and Winter and therefore consecrated to the Temple of Apollo This effecte being wroughte in the Paralell of .48 degrées in latitude it was presentlye compted a place verye hardly and vneasily to be inhabited for the greate cold And howe then can suche men define vppon other Regions very farre without that Paralell where they were inhabited or not séeing that in so neare a place they so grossely mistooke the matter and others their followers being conteÌ„ted with the inuentions of the olde Authors haue persisted willingly in the same opinion with more confidence thaÌ„ consideration of the cause so lightly was that opinion receiued as touching the vnhabitable Clime neare vnder the Poles Therfore I am at this present to proue that al the land lying betwéene the laste climate euen vnto the point directly vnder either Poles is or maye be inhabited especially of suche creatures as are ingendred and bredde therein For indéed it is to be confessed that some particular liuing creature cannot liue in euery particular place or region especially wyth the same ioy and felicitie as it did where it was firste bredde for the certaine agréement of nature that is betwéene the place and the thing bredde in that place as appeareth by the Elephant which being translated and brought out of the second or third climate though they may liue yet will they neuer ingender or bring forth yong Also wée sée the like in many kinds of plants and hearbs for example the OraÌ„ge trée although in Naples they bring forth fruit abundantly in Rome and Florence they wil beare only faire gréene leaues but not any fruite and translated into England they will hardly beare either flowers fruite or leaues but are the next winter pinched and withered with colde yet it followeth not for this that England Rome and Florence should not be habitable In the prouing of these colde regions habitable I shall be verye shorte bicause the same reasons serue for this purpose which were alleaged before in the prouing the middle Zone to be temperate especially séeing al heate cold procéede from the Sunne by the meanes eyther of the Angle his beames doeth make with the Horizon or else by the long or shorte continuance of the Suns presence aboue ground so that if the Sunnes beames do beate perpendicularlye at righte Angles then there is one cause of heate and if the Sunne doe also long continue aboue the Horizon then the heate thereby is muche encreased by accesse of this other cause and so groweth to a kind of extremitie And these .ij. causes as I said before doe moste concurre vnder the two Tropickes and therefore there is the greatest heate of the worlde And likewise where both these causes are most absent there is greatest want of heate and encrease of colde séeing that colde is nothing but the priuation and absence of heat and if one cause be wanting and the other present the effect will growe indifferent Therefore this is to bée vnderstanded that the nearer anye region is to the Equinoctiall the higher the Sunne doeth rise ouer their heads at noone so maketh either righte or neare righte angles but the Sun tarryeth with them so much the shorter time causeth shorter dayes with longer and colder nights to restore the domage of the daye paste by reasoÌ„ of the moisture consumed by vapour But in such regions ouer the which the Sun riseth lower as in regions extended towardes eyther pole it maketh there vnequall Angles but the Sunne continueth longer and maketh longer dayes causeth so much shorter and warmer nights as retayning warme vapoures of the daye paste For there are found by experience Sommer nights in Scotland and Gothland very hot when vnder the Equinoctiall they are found very colde This benefite of the Sunnes long continuaunce and encrease of the day doth augment so muche the more in colde regions as they are nearer the poles and ceaseth not encreasing vntil it come directly vnder the point of the Pole Articke where the Sunne continueth aboue grounde the space of sixe moneths or halfe a yeare togither so the daye is halfe a yere long that is the time of the Suns being in the North signes from the first degrée of Aries vntil the last of Virgo that is all the time from our .10 day of March vntill the .14 of September The Sun therfore during the time of these .6 moneths without any offence or hindraunce of the nighte gyueth his influence vpon those landes with heate that neuer ceaseth during that time which maketh to the great increase of Sommer by reason of the Sunnes continuaunce Therfore it followeth that though the Sunne be not there very high ouer their heads to cause right angle beams to giue great heate yet the Sun being there sometimes almâ—â—t 24. degrées high doth caste a conuenient and meane heate which there continueth without hinderaunce of the nighte the space of six moneths as is before saide during whiche time there foloweth to be a conuenient moderate and temperate heat or else rather it is to be suspected the heat there to be very great both for continuance also Quia virtus vnita crescit the vertue and strength of heat vnited in one encreaseth If then there be suche a moderate heat vnder the Poles and the same to continue so long time what shoulde moue the olde writers to say there cannot be place for habitation And that the certaintie of this temperate heat vnder both the Poles might more manifestlye appeare lette vs consider the position qualitie of the Sphere the length of the day and so to gather the heighte of the Sunne at all times and by consequent the quantitie of his Angle and so lastely the strength of his heate Those landes and regions lying vnder the pole and hauing the Pole for their Zenith muste néedes haue the Equinoctiall circle for their Horizon therefore the Sunne entring into the North signes and describing euery .24 houres a Paralell to the Equinoctiall by the diurnall motion of Primum Mobile the same Paralels must néedes be wholy aboue the Horizon and so looke howe many degrées there are froÌ„ the fyrst of Aries to the last of Virgo so many whole reuolutions there are aboue theyr Horizon that dwell vnder the Pole whiche amounteth to .182 and so manye of oure dayes the Sunne continueth with them During whiche tyme they haue there continuall daye and lighte withoute anye hinderaunce of moiste nightes Yet it is to be noted that the Sunne being in the fyrst degrée of Aries and laste degrée of Virgo maketh his reuolution in the very Horizon so that in these