'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎379] (402/448)

Mauritius Hands
MAURITIUS is an Ifle fcituate within the burning Zone under twenty degrees five
minutes Antartic latitude *, longitude from the Meridian of Cape Comryn twenty degrees
and as many minutes, and variation four and twenty degrees and nineteen minutes. To
what part of the World it belongs is queftionable, feeing that it participates both with
America in refped of the vaft South Ocean, and inclineth towards the Afiatic Sea, waflv
ing Indiay Java-, and other Ifles and with Afrique alfo, to which molt properly fhe ap
pertains i if you think fit to make her fubordinate to that Emprefs of Ifles Madagascar
which feems to ihadow her, and from whofe Eaftern banks ftie is removed an hundred
leagues or thereabouts: But however doubtful to which three it appertains, of this
there is no doubt that for variety of temporal bleffings fhe may compare with moft pla
ces in the Univerfe. it was firft difcovered by the Portugal, - whofe induftrious arm and
ingenious fancy (e're America was difcovered by Colnmbm) gave us the firft full know
ledge of theEaft, and names to many places formerly innominate. And amongft others,
the name Do~Cerne unto thisbut how properly 1 know not*, if we fhould allude to that
inP//«./. 6; c. 31. that Cm?*? being placed near the Gulph of •, and of the fame
name we meet with fome elfewhere in old Authors amongft the Azores and other places.
After that it varied into the names Roderigo and Cygma, or Cerne-, i.e. Swans, forfo
the Dutch reputed the Dodo's; laftly to Mauritim : which whether in memory of Grave
Maurice-, or of a Ship fo named that by age or accident laid her ribs there I know not:
but by equal authority I may deduce the name from fome Cambry an (the reliques Or glim
mering of whofe fpeech we found gafping in many of thefe remote quarters of the World)
in the word Mmr-Xntfm or bigger Illand fitly fo named, if compared with thofe other
leffer neighbouring Ifles, Dygarrois, Bnglands Forreft, Doz^imo, S. Apolloniay &c. and by a
more euphoniacal conciiion Maur-ifim. But grant it be fo called by the Hollander-, yet it
follows not that they have more right to it than theEnglijh ; they themfelves knowing and
acknowledging tljat the Englijh landed there a dozen years before them v who no
queftion had new-named it, but that they knew the Portugal had done it before. This
alfo be remembred, that in the year 1505. when Franctfcm Almeyda, of all the Vot-
tugals the moft renowned for Eaftern Conqueft and difcovery, fiibjeding many ma-
ritim parts of cAEgl-fymba in Quiloa, Momhazjia, Melinde, Mo^amhyc , &c. re
ports that there and in .fome Ifles (1 fuppofe this one) where he erected Forts
Gcc 2 and
TftcMajr.
Tiorth-ivcsA.