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
8. How pleasant and profitable it is to attempt new Discoueries, either for
the sundry sights and shapes of strange beastes and fishes, the wonderfull
workes of nature, the different maners and fashions of diuers nations, the
sundry sortes of gouernment, the sight of strange trees, fruite, foules,
and beasts, the infinite treasure of Pearle, Golde and Siluer, the newes of
newe found landes, the sundry positions of the Sphere, and many others.
9. How valiant Captaines vse to deale vpon extremitie, and otherwise.
10 How trustie souldiers dutifully vse to serue.
11 Also here may bee seene a good example to be obserued of any priuate
person, in taking notes, and making obseruations of all such things as are
requisite for a Discouerer of newe Countries.
12 Lastly, the Reader here may see a good paterne of a well gouerned
seruice, sundry instructions of matters of Cosmographie, Geographie, and
Nauigation, as in reading more at large may be seene.
Experiences and reasons of the Sphere, to prooue all partes of the worlde
habitable, and thereby to confute the position of the fiue Zones.
[Sidenote: Experience to proue that Torrida Zone is habitable.] First, it
may be gathered by experience of our Englishmen in Anno 1553. For Captaine
Windam made a Voyage with Merchandise to Guinea, and entred so farre within
the Torrida Zona, that he was within three or foure degrees of the
Equinoctiall, and his company abiding there certaine Moneths, returned,
with gaine.
Also the Englishmen made another Voyage very prosperous and gainefull, An.
1554. to the coasts of Guinea, within 3. degrees of the Equinoctiall. And
yet it is reported of a trueth, that all the tract from Cape de las Palmas
trending by C. de tres puntas alongst by Benin, vnto the Ile of S. Thomas
(which is perpendiculer under the Equinoctial)[58] all that whole Bay is
more subiect to many blooming and smoothering heates, with infectious and
contagious ayres, then any other place in all Torrida Zona: and the cause
thereof is some accidents in the land. For it is most certaine, that
mountains, Seas, woods and lakes, &c, may cause through their sundry kinde
of situation, sundry strange and extraordinary effects, which the reason of
the clyme otherwise would not giue. I mention these Voyages of our
Englishmen, not so much to prooue that Torrida Zona may bee, and is
inhabited, as to shew their readinesse in attempting long and dangerous
Nauigations. Wee also among vs in England, haue blacke Moores, Æthiopians,
out of all partes of Torrida Zona, which after a small continuance, can
well endure the colde of our Countrey, and why should not we as well abide
the heate of their Countrey? But what should I name any more experiences,
seeing that all the coastes of Guinea and Benin are inhabited of Portugals,
Spanyardes, French, and some Englishmen, who there haue built Castles and
Townes. [Sidenote: Marochus more hote then about the Equinoctiall.] Onely
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