'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.' [‎393] (416/448)

The (jorgades.
ftria & feritia Anglos efe fuperiores, Of all Nations the Englijh for Sea affairs are reputed the
moft excellent; Fofl Anglosy Belgas j & inter hos FlandroSy Hollandosy Zelandos^ Sec. and
next the Englifli the Dutch, amongft which, the chiefeft in that Art are the FJemings^
Hollanders, Zelanders, &c. So as by the judgment of that indifferent and learned
Writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. it appears the Englifh have thefirft place for Sea knowledge and Navigation attri
buted them. And amongft the beft Sea Commanders this late Captain of ours very
well deferved with the reft to be ranked. But to refeurn. That this is a very delight-
fuilfle cannot be denyed> and its admirable profped and other pleafures were M-
ficient to induce our longer ftay but ftay we might not: So as after a Weeks re-
frelhment we difcharged our reckoning in a hearty farewel, and by the invitation
of a profperous gale upon a N. W. courfe fwiftly cut our paflage through the
yielding Ocean ^ inibmuch as on the fixteenth of Ottober we were once more Nadyr
to the Sun, which at that time was in its Antardic progrefs. Our latitude by
obfervation was 13 degrees 13 minutes. The third day after, we had fight of
Afcenfion Ifle, fo named by John de Nova in the year 1502. becaufe upon that
Feaft day it was he firft difcovered it. The Ifle is South from the iEquinodial about
7 degrees, little more than thirty miles in circuit: not well wooded nor watered,
little elfe obfervable: from Santa Hekna feven hundred and twenty miles Englifh or
thereabouts. >
The feven and twentieth day we crofTed the iEquinodial line the fourth time: the wea
ther was hot, but qualified by the Monzoon that continued blowing one way fave when
the Tornado's interpofed, which was more or lefs until we came into nine degrees North.
Wewere miferably peftered with that variable weather, till then being frequently enter
tained with loud blafts of Wind, nafty ihowers of rain, v/ith terrible thunder and light
ning: but Dem his quoque finem. The eleventh of November we were parallel to Cape de
Verd and thofe liles Poets call the who feign that thofe threfe Iflands were the
habitations of the three Gorgons Mednfa, Stenia and Vriale whom they make Furies rather
than beauties-, ill requiting Perjewhis report, that they were the muchfamoufed Daugh
ters of P/ww the Sun of Neptune, their yellow hairs curling like fnakes and dilhevelling
about their naked fhoulders fo much fet forth their beauty and gained fuch admiration
in the beholders as if they were transformed into Statua^s. But leaving thefe upon a
more Wefterly courfe we coafted part of the American Continent, -viz,. Guiana, Florida,
Virginia, New-England, and other parts of Norumhega, which with the feveral adjacent
Ifles we paft by, fhall in this place have no other obfervation than that the Sea in many
places as we failed was fo covered with green weeds and fmall berryes even where the
water was not to be fadomed, that it rather feemed a field of Grafs than the Ocean.
But what was moft to be noted, thofe Weeds or Branches like Nets were intogled and
drawn along by the Barnacles which in thofe long Voyages ufually breed upon the fides of
Ships and exceedingly pefter and retard their way in failing : defiring rather in this place
to vindicate the Truth which of long time hath been either defamed or fo eclipft, as the
reality of the firft difcovery is not well known, being neverthelefs attributed to Colam-
bus. I fhall therefore in the firft place fee what either by Prophetic pens or Reafon
otherwife is upon Record that may point towards that great, nay greateft part of the
World, which for upwards of 5000 years and during thofe mighty contefts for an Uni-
verfal Supremacy by the Monarchs of the Earth was concealed ^ foas until the only wife
God thought fit to give more perfedion to Navigation,* it feemed totally unknown and un-
difcovered.
Tlato who was contemporary with Alex, the Great, and flourifhed about the 3580. year
of the World* is one of the firft. He in his Dialogue betwixt Tim<tm and Critlas difcourfes
(but obfeurely) of a large Occidental iQand ^ which being without a Name, from the view
he feems to make into the Atlanic Seas gives it the name of Atlas •, land in greatriefs compa
rable to Afia and Africa, united- Ariftotle his condifciple approves of his conjedure ; al
beit he takes it only as a fuppofition. Theophrafitts alfo in his Book of Rarities publifhed
two thoufand years ago amongft other things relates how that fbme Merchants failing
throughtheStraitsof were by ftorm driven further Weft than they defired, by
which accident they defcryed land, but found it unpeopled. It is the opinion of moft that
land was the Azores j for the Ifles Columbus firft found out when he made his firft difcovery
were fully planted.
Hanno the Carthaginian is the next. His Sea voyage is very uncertainly related: fome
fuppofe(and 'tis but an Hypothefis) that he doubled bona Speranza, and amongft other
places pretend the difcovery of feveral Weftern Ifles, but he courfe he fteered is queried :
fome fay South, others Weft. Pomponius Mela and Lampridms fay the Land he difcovered
E e e was