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A01073
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The groundes of the longitude with an admonition to all those that are incredulous and beleeue not the trueth of the same. VVritten by Simon Forman, student in Astronomie and Phisique. 1591.
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Forman, Simon, 1552-1611.
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1591
(1591)
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STC 11185; ESTC S113117
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8,641
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16
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THE GROVNDES OF the Longitude With an Admonition to all those that are Incredulous and beleeue not the Trueth of the same VVritten by Simon Forman student in Astronomie and Phisique 1591. Nihil Impossibile Deo Nil tam difficile quod non solertia vincat Veritas filia Temporis Imprinted at London by Thomas Dawson 1591 TO all true students of Geography and Cosmography and to all trauailers aswell by lande as Sea for the discouerie of straunge Places Ylandes or Countries to all students of Astronomy and to all those that are desirous to augment their skill and knowledge by the helpe of the Longitude and to all others well willours of Arte and fauourers of learning Simon Forman student in Astronomy and Phisique sendeth greeting in our Lord God euerlasting 1591. The groundes of the Longitude with an Admonition to all those that are incredulous and beleeue not the trueth of the same FOrasmuch as there hath beene diuerse Bookes written heretofore by diuerse and sundrie learned men of the arte of Nauigation and Cosmografical science the inuention helpe of the Compasse the making and vse of the Astralabie the practise of the Crosse staffe and Ballestile and diuers other instruments aswell profitable as necessarie for those that vse and practise the arte of Nauigation sometimes to take the height of the Sunne sometimes to take the height Longitude and Latitude of the Starres to know the height of countries and the Latitude of places Ilandes and cities from the Equinoctiall that thereby they may the better know in what place they bee and howe and whether to direct their voiage and their ship that thereby they may also attaine more espeedily and safely to the expected and wished place and come to the hauen they long for And in asmuch as the good Mariner wanteth yet one thing as one of the chiefe pillers of his Arte that is some meane or waie to finde aswell the Longitude which they most desire as the Latitude which they perfectly haue the which Longitude many men haue shot at and none vnto this daie could perfectly find by any instrument or by any other reason then Ptolomy setteth downe which is by the Ecclipses of the Sunne and Moone which Mariners and trauailers cannot haue at all times to helpe themselues after they are beaten and driuen with foule weather or with some vncoth storme or raging Sea vnexpected or else being in some straunge countrie or place to know whether they are gone so farre as they would bee where they suppose some vnknowen Ilande or lande lieth or where they are short of the same which is not to bee done by any of the instruments or meanes aforesaide But by a more secreete meane and way as yet vnknowen vnto all the world except to those to whom my selfe here before haue shewed it vpon the request of some which were very incredulous thereof and yet remaine because themselues as yet do not know the waie of dooing it because they that doe know it are sworne by a sacred othe not to manifest or teach the same to any without leaue before had of the Author And now because I knowe on the one side that men are as desirous of the knowledge hereof as my selfe haue beene sometimes of greater matters And on the other side they will still remaine incredulous of the trueth vntill they heare some reason for it or see the experience thereof as S. Thomas did of the resurrection of Christ which afterwarde said vnto him come hether Thomas and see the printe of the nayles in my handes and thrust thy hande into my side and be not faithlesse but belieue So doe I say vnto all that be incredulous and to those that thorough endlesse trauaile and hardinesse of heart and foolish persuasions are perswaded that there is no true way or means to finde and know the true Longitude of Countries Citties and places and to all those curious carpers whose wittes are intangled in vanitie that are euer searching and neuer finde reatching vp vnto the starres yet cannot attaine to the orbe of the Moone who thinkes none like vnto themselues and because they cannot themselues comprehend the mysterie of hidden and vnknowen things none else should doe it nor assay it As who should say that the omnipotent God the great Creator of all thinges the giuer of all wisdome and knowledge were tied vnto them that they should haue the preferment in things before others or that he should bestow his guiftes according to their direction and not according to his owne will But as he made not all things at one time so he ordeyned the knowledge of all things not to be found at one time nor by one man for if one man could doe euery thing and that his witte were so apte and prompt that he could finde out the knowledge of euery thing what neede had we then to seeke diuers men for diuers causes as Carpentars to build houses Smiths to make yron worke Coblers to mende shooes c. Therefore seeing that the great creator of all thinges disposeth his giftes of knowledge to euery man according to his will and the measure of faith as saith S. Paul and maketh vessels for honor and vessels for dishonor some for the chamber some for the kitching and maketh some poore and some rich and some wise and some foolish and puâ—teth downe the mightie and setteth vp the humble and meeke making the foolish to confound the wise and giueth to one man the knowledge of one thing and to another the knowledge of another thing to some the gifte of prophecie to some the gift of healing to some of doing of wonders and miracle to some the interpretation of thinges and finding of hidden misteries yet al is the administration of one spirit and power of the holy Ghost as S. Paul saith of his free grace powred out vpon euery creature according to his diuine will and fore knowledge And if it be so why maruell you so at me that I should receiue so bountifull a gifte at the hande of God or by him to be indued with the knowledge hereof Am I a monster degenerated from kind or am I not a creature made and formed by his diuine wil and borne into the world and do liue to shewe forth and speake of his glorie and power as well as others Do not all the creatures of God manifest his power and glory each one in his kinde and nature as the birdes of the ayre the fishes of the Seas the beasts and wormes that feede on the ground and the hearbes and trees that grow therof doth not Rubarbe purge coller and is not Selledony good for the eies is there not fire in a flint stone and doth not the Sallamander liue in the fier did not Mercurie Tristnegistus find the Tables wherein was ingrauen the 7. liberal Sciences other secreet Artes in the valley of Hebron after the floud and talked he not with the holy Ghost as it is
recorded in his booke Intituled by the name of Pymander Was not Salomon endued by God with such excellent wisedome as none had greater before his time Did not God shewe his wonders by his seruant Moyses in the land of Egipt and did not Moyses and the children of Israell passe through the red Seat and was not Pharao and his hostes drowned Did not Iosua commande the Sunne to stand still on Gybeon the Moone on Aalon vntill he was auenged on the enimies of the Lord and of Israel Did he not giue power vnto Elias to shut the heauens so that it rained not in 3. yeeres and sixe moneths And then he prayed againe and it did rayne I speake now of the power of the Lord of his wonders done in the old world which also ceaseth not to shew wonders vnto this day and to giue power to some to beare his name before the rest Maruaile not therefore at me that I should finde out the knowledge hereof neither think it a thing impossible to be done for it is not I but the grace of God which is in me as Paul saith for all good giftes and the true knowledge of things commeth from God according as it is written And in the latter daies I will powre out my spirite vpon all flesh and your yoong men shall dreame dreames and your old men shall see visions and your children shall tell of things to come And therefore all though the Lorde did hide the knowledge here of from all the learned men that euer haue written vnto this day as from Ptolomeus Pithagoras Plato Beed Aristotle Alkindus Lergis Aomar Albenoyt Zael Guido bonatus Haly Iohn de sacrobosco Alfonsus Amoaz Dorotheus Frier Bacon Petrus de Medina Purbaicus Regiomontanus Alfraganus Strabo Stadius Leouitius and an infinite number moe of great and learned clearkes which haue written aswell of Astronomie as Cosmographie it was not for want of wisedome or learning in them or great diligence to search the secreete misterie of things neither was it for that there should be borne into the world a greater clarke then they to finde it But it was decreed so by his diuine powre before that when the time thereof was come it should be found by him whom he would to shewe his glory and powre euen by the simple and least made account of to confound the wisdome of the wise and mightie Euen by him that neuer thought of such a thing nor neuer had indeuoured himselfe there abouts nor applied any parte of his studie to that intent had not Maister Robert Parker marchant of London putting the same into his head and intreated me to take some paines therein at whose earnest request I bestowed some part of my studie endeuour therein And by the grace and helpe of God haue brought it to that passe which any man that is desirous of the knowledge thereof may learne the trueth thereof at the Authors handes if he repayre vnto him or else if he or they repaire to Master Robart Parkes in pudding lane Therefore returning to our former discourse againe to speake of the vnbeleeuing sorte and those that stand so stifly vpon impossibilities saying it is impossible to finde any true and direct way for the knowledge thereof because so many learned men aforesaid could neuer finde it and some againe make it impossible because themselues haue trauailed therin with much studie counting themselues great and cunning Clarkes hauing found and prooued twentie waies at the least and could not happen on the right way as themselues haue reported And thereupon some haue beene about to write a booke against it and of the impossibilitie and vncertaintie thereof some againe are of another mind and they say if he haue found out the true way thereof hee neuer founde it by God but by some sinister meanes by the Diuell as who should saie that the cunning of the diuell is greater then the knowledge and power of God or that God was not able to giue the knowledge thereof except the diuell will or that he be made pryuie thereof or that the diuell can do any thing without the permission or sufferance or commaundement of God If you doubt thereof goe aske of Iob and of the booke of the Kings how the diuell came before God c. and how God gaue him leaue and powre and how God made the diuell and instrument to do his will But these and such like are not euill speakers but impairers of the powre of God dishonorers of his persone presumptuous in their owne conceipt enuiors of others hinderers of the benefite of the common-wealth negligent to do good and as hard of beleefe as S. Thomas was Therefore I say vnto them as Christ said vnto S. Thomas Come hether all you vnbeleeuers all you that seeke and neuer find all you cunning Sophisters all you studentes of Astronomie Cosmographie all you also that account things impossible and all you that will write Bookes against it and all you that haue so many waies and none true and you also that seeke by subtiltie of Arguments to enter into the secreet knowledge thereof that thereby you might take away another mans glorie that seeke I say to haue the gaine and prayse of another mans trauaile Come hether also all you that stand vpon the iudgement of the learned and all you also that are desirous to learne and to augment your knowledge Come hether also you Masters and Sailers that entend any long voyages here shall you finde one of the chiefe pillers of your Arte here shall you find a Pilate to direct you in a dangerous passage being driuen with a storme be it neuer so long here shall you finde a Load starre that shall shewe you where you shall goe forth or backe East or West Yea you shall finde such a practise and knowledge that shall proue or disproue all your Maps Cardes Globes and Bookes that here before haue beene written thereof and further it resolueth and discouereth all the doubts here before had in Nauigation And the trueth and certaintie hereof is so sure as the Latitude and as easie to be done to euery wise man And for because you shall not thinke that I make a great preambulation or circumstanticall discourse therof to perswade men without some ground or reason I will here set downe certaine groundes and pillers thereof the which if any can absolutely disproue then may he well say that it is a fallible rule and not true the which I knowe none can disproue except he will denie both reason and learning And the groundes are these viz. 1 God in the beginning created all thinges in number waight and measure in order place and forme and appointed man to haue dominion ouer his creatures and to search and seeke out the secreet and hidden vertues in them conteyned giuen vnto them by by God their creator seuerally by measure c. 2 God created two lights a greater light to rule the daie