Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	league_n	lie_v	north_n	7,122	5	9.6561	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02605	A paradox Prooving that the inhabitants of the isle called Madagascar, or St. Laurence, (in temporall things) are the happiest people in the world. Whereunto is prefixed, a briefe and true description of that island: the nature of the climate, and condition of the inhabitants, and their speciall affection to the English above other nations. With most probable arguments of a hopefull and fit plantation of a colony there, in respect of the fruitfulnesse of the soyle, the benignity of the ayre, and the relieving of our English ships, both to and from the East-Indies. By Wa: Hamond.	Hamond, Walter, fl. 1643.	1640 (1640)	STC 12735; ESTC S103773	16,645	38

A PARADOX Prooving That the Inhabitants of the Isle called MADAGASCAR OR S t. LAVRENCE In Temporall things are the happiest People in the World Whereunto is prefixed a briefe and true Description of that Island The Nature of the Climate and condition of the Inhabitants and their speciall affection to the English above other Nations With most probable Arguments of a hopefull and fit Plantation of a Colony there in respect of the fruitfulnesse of the Soyle the benignity of the Ayre and the relieving of our English Ships both to and from the East-Indies By WA HAMOND LONDON Printed for NATHANIELL BUTTER 1640. The Preface TO the end that the Reader may have the better understanding of this following discourse I will here as a preparative set downe briefly plainely and truly the description of this Island so farre as my weake capacity shall enable mee having beene there diverse times in the Honourable East India Companies Service And once resident there Foure Moneths together In which time I observed all such principall passages as fell within the Circle of my Condition according to my ability A DESCRIPTION OF MADAGASCAR MAdagascar otherwise called St. Laurence Is scituate on the South side of the Aequator and extendeth it selfe from 12. degrees to 26. degrees of South Latitude 60 English miles make a degree and by this account the Island is 840. miles in Length and 240. in Breadth yet the Breadth must bee taken on the South-west side because by North and East it contracts it selfe into a lesser compasse containing in Length 14. deg or 280. Leagues in Breadth about 80. Leagues and is esteemed the greatest known Island in the World It is thus bounded on the West side lye the Kingdoms of Sofala Mosambique and all the maine Land of Africa On the East the Land of Mascaravos or as it is now stiled Mauritius On the North is the Island of Comero and on the South the maine Ocean The whole Island it selfe seemeth on the East side to be a Plaine and Champion Countrey On the West it is more mountainous full of Navigable River's and excellent harbours for shipping the principall whereof best knowne to the English is the Bay of Augustine in 23 degrees of Latitude under the Tropick of Capricorne where most commonly all the ships bound for India touch making it their first Port to winter and refresh and cure their sicke men the ayre being so good that in the space of 7. or 8. dayes which is the time of their longest stay they are perfectly recovered If any where the Proverbe Terra bona gens mala may be here applied The Inhabitants are a sluggish and slothfull people they will neither plant nor sowe yet live plentifully by the fat of the Soyle which though untill'd and unmanur'd yeelds all necessaries for life even to superfluity Nature will not be exceeded or out done by Art what our Northerne Geoponicks labour for by cultivating the earth by planting and transplanting by ingraffing and inoculating groweth here naturally The Woods abound with excellent Timber trees of divers kinds all unknowne to us except the Tamarind whereof we sawed some into Planks which carried betweene 3 and 4 foot diamiter and one other sort which for the resemblance and use we called Box. And which is most to be admired there is none that beareth not fruit serving for food for the Creatures according to their severall kinds Oranges and Limons they have in aboundance and a kinde of Palmito called by the Portugals Corodima● which is said to be admirable vertuous and not unproperly the Inhabitants feeding on it in stead of Bread the lower grounds especially towards the Sea side being full of them Of Trees yeelding most excellent sweet Gummes there are many whereof one for colour and consistence resembleth Sang Draconis and being cast on the Coals smells like Benjamin It might easily have transcended my beliefe had I not seene it and now reporting it I might bee thought to use a Travellers authority were not many surviving in this Kingdome to confirme it There is a Tree which wee named the Flesh-tree because being cut whilst it groweth it bleedeth a certaine Sapp or Liquor like unto blood the inward part thereof is soft and tender even like musculous flesh The Plaines afford excellent Pasturage as may appeare by the largenesse of their Cattle Their Rivers are plentifully stored with Fish and Fowle of all kindes Cattle they have in such abundance that the Inhabitants seeme all of them to be Grasiers they being their chiefest livelyhood Their Oxen are large as ours in England having betwixt their shoulders a great Bunch of flesh weighing 20 or 30. Pound and these they willingly sell for small prizes but their Kine except they bee old or barren they doe not easily part withall keeping them for breeding and their milk is their chiefest food Sheepe they have great store and those very large having long hanging-eares like a Blood-hound their tailes are long and fat and though their flesh for sweetnes and taste may stand in some comparison with our English Mutton yet for the perfect condition of this Creature they cannot stand with ours in competition ours yeelding us yeerly a golden fleece the staple commodity Wooll their 's being hairy like Deere yeelding no fit materials for cloathing Of Goats likewise they have in abundance all wild kinds of Cattle being at home and suckled as by hand loose their wilde nature and become exceeding tame wild Hogges they have in the woods whereof we killed some but for beasts of prey as Lions Tigers Woolves and the like we saw none neither doe I beleeve there are any because their Cattle graze freely up and downe the plaines continually without any annoyance The chiefest enemy they have is the Crocodile whereof there are many in the rivers which sometimes meet with them yet might easily be destroyed had the Inhabitants either will or skill to doe it For looke upon the people and you might justly wonder to see Barbarisme civilized we beyond expectation found them very affable courteous and just in their dealings and lived among them about four moneths with that familiarity and friendship as if we had beene all of one Nation and their Countrey had beene our owne At our first comming a shore when they saw us set up our Tents and placed a couple of Falcons for the security of our men they conceived that we came thither to inhabit and presently their King or Governor by name Andicapela came to our Captain with a retinue of 100. of his people or there abouts to offer him their Country and service humbly beseeching him that he would take them their wives and children and cattell under his protection and they would serve and obey him as their King especially petitioning that he would defend them from their enemies the Massagoces with whom they have mortall wars Their dresse is but little diffring from Adams in his innocency for both men and women go naked