The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
And because our chiefe desire is to find out ample vent of our wollen
cloth, the naturall commoditie of this our Realme, the fittest places,
which in al my readings and obseruations I find for that purpose, are the
manifold Islands of Iapan, and the Northern parts of China, and the regions
of the Tartars next adioyning (whereof I read, that the countrey in winter
is Assi fria como Flandes, that is to say, as cold as Flanders, and that
the riuers be strongly ouer frozen) and therefore I haue here inserted two
speciall Treatises of the sayd Countries, the last discourse I hold to be
the most exact of those parts that is yet come to light, which was printed
in Lantine in Macao a citie of China, in China paper, in the yeere a
thousand fiue hundred and ninetie, and was intercepted in the great Carack
called Madre de Dios two yeeres after, inclosed in a case of sweete Cedar
wood, and lapped vp almost an hundred fold in fine Calicut cloth, as though
it had bene some incomparable iewel.
But leauing abruptly this discourse, I thinke it not impertinent, before I
make an end, to deliuer some of the reasons, that moued me to present this
part of my trauailes vnto your Honour. The reuerend antiquitie in the
dedication of their workes made choyse of such patrons, as eyther with
their reputation and credits were able to countenance the same, or by their
wisedome and vnderstanding were able to censure and approue them, or with
their abilitie were likely to stand them or theirs in steade in the
ordinarie necessities and accidents of their life. Touching the first, your
descent from a father, that was accounted Pater patriæ, your owne place and
credite in execution of her Maiesties inward counsailes and publike
seruices, added to your well discharging your forren imployment (when the
greatest cause in Christendome was handled) haue not onely drawen mens eyes
vpon you, but also forcibly haue moued many, and my selfe among the rest to
haue our labours protected by your authoritie. For the second point, when
it pleased your Honour in sommer was two yeeres to haue some conference
with me, and to demaund mine opinion touching the state of the Country of
Guiana, and whether it were fit to be planted by the English: I then (to my
no small ioy) did admire the exact knowledge which you had gotten of those
matters of Indian Nauigations: and how carefull you were, not to be
ouertaken with any partiall affection to the Action, appeared also, by the
sound arguments which you made pro and contra, of the likelihood and reason
of good or ill successe of the same, before the State and common wealth
(wherein you haue an extraordinarie voyce) should be farther engaged. In
consideration whereof I thinke myselfe thrise happie to haue these my
trauailes censured by your Honours so well approued iudgement, Touching the
third and last motiue I cannot but acknowledge my selfe much indebted for
your fauourable letters heretofore written in my behalfe in mine, honest
causes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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