The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part IHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation — Volume 12: America, Part I
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
This effect being wrought in the Parallel of fouretie three degrees in
Latitude, it was presently counted a place very hardly and vneasily to be
inhabited for the great colde. And how then can such men define vpon other
Regions very farre without that Parallel, whether they were inhabited or
not, seeing that in so neere a place they so grossely mistooke the matter,
and others their followers being contented with the inuentions of the olde
Authors, haue persisted willingly in the same opinion, with more confidence
then consideration of the cause: so lightly was that opinion receiued, as
touching the vnhabitable Clime neere and vnder the Poles.
[Sidenote: All the North regions are habitable.] Therefore I am at this
present to proue, that all the land lying betweene the last climate euen
vnto the point directly vnder either poles, is or may be inhabited,
especially of such creatures as are ingendred and bred therein. For indeed
it is to be confessed, that some particular liuing creature cannot liue in
euery particular place or region, especially with the same ioy and
felicitie, as it did where it was first bred, for the certeine agreement of
nature that is betweene the place and the thing bred in that place; as
appeareth by the Elephant, which being translated and brought out of the
second or third climat, though they may liue, yet will they neuer ingender
or bring forth yong.[63] Also we see the like in many kinds of plants and
herbs; for example, the Orange trees, although in Naples they bring forth
fruit abundantly, in Rome and Florence they will beare onely faire greene
leaues, but not any fruit: and translated into England, they will hardly
beare either flowers, fruit, or leaues, but are the next Winter pinched and
withered with cold: yet it followeth not for this, that England, Rome, and
Florence should not be habitable.
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