'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.' [‎396] (419/448)

afford them civii reception *, but how they were called or whence tfty came, could not
fatisfie. Another time in a Panegyrick which Mutemuz.a returned them, he had this ex-
preffion: One chief caufe of my affedtion to your Nation is, I have many times heard my
Father fay how that he heard his Grandfire affirm. That fome Generations before, his
Progenitors came thither as ftrangers, in company of a Nobleman who abode there a
while and then departed, but left many of his People behind: that upon his return moft
of thofe he left there, died: and that from him or fome of them they fuppofed them-
felves to be defcended. By which narrative it may be prefumed, the People he meant
were Weljh rather than Spaniards, and the Records of that Voyage writ by many Bardhs
and Genealogifts confirm as much, as may appear by the learned Poems of Cymric ap
Gronoy Gut en Owen (who lived in Edward the fourth's time,) and Sir Meredith ap Reefe,
( which laft lived in the Year 1477.) of Madoc has this Eulogie.
Madoc wif mwydic wedd 5
lawn genau Owen Gwynedd
Ni funnum dyr, fyenaid oedd
Nada Mawr, ond y'm oroedd.
Madoc ap Owen was I calf d.
Strongs tall-, and comely: not enthral?d
With home-bred pie afire; hut to Fame,
Through Land and Seas J fought the fame.
By their Language alfo: Weljh Napes being given Birds, Rivers, Rocks, Beafts, &c.
as Gw'rando, which fignifies to hearken; Pen-gwyn a pird that has a white head, and Rocks
of that refemblance: liles there are called Chorrhoefo, there is alio Cape BritainGwyn-
dowr white water , Bar a Bread Mm Mothers Tate Father I)owr W ater ^ Tryd Time j
Bach a Cow; Clugar a Heathcock Llynog a Fox; Wy an egg *, Calaf a Quill ^ Trwyn a nofe^
Nef Heaven, and others. Nor is it a phanfie of yefterday, fince Learned Men both of late
and former times have taken notice fuch are Cynwric ap Grono, Meredith ap Ryce, Gut en
Owen, Lloyd, Powell, Vris, Hacklmt, Brought on, Vurchas, Davys and others, whofe learn
ing and integrity have credit, and abundantly convince the ingenious: fo as no doubt
had it been known as merited, then had not Chriftopher Columbus, Ameficm Vefpuftus,
Magellan kqk others carried away the honour of fo great a difcovery; nor had Madoc
been*defrauded of his memory, nor our Kings of their juft Title to the Weft Indies •, at
leaft to that part of it which a fecret Fate as it were renew'd their claim to by Columbus
his profering the difcovery to King Henry the Seventh. Nor then had his Holinefs nor
his Catholick Majefty had that plea which they now ground upon the Genoans difcovery,
as the Jefuits and others have fo vehemently difputed. Far be it from me in the leaft to
detrad from Columbus, albeit 'tis iiippofed that his confidence arofe from anothers
diredion who by ftrefs of weather was driven upon thofe parts, and to him com
municated j or elfe from Columbus his apprehenfion of the improbability that fo much
of the 360 degrees fhould be Sea, as ordinarily Charts do make; and that he might
as well difcover Weft ward as the Portugals had done Eaft wards to the other Indies: be it
therefore remembred, that this his Voyage was after the other of our tountrey-man
three hundred and two and twenty years: So as poffeffion is the Spaniard's beft plea*, fee
ing juftly he cannot arrogate to himfelf a right upon pretence of the firft difcovery.
Columbus was born at Cugureo or Nervi not far from Genoa,: a Man of a modeft na
ture, ftudious and well read in the Mathematicks, chiefly in Navigation : His firft encou
ragement was (fay the Spaniards) from perufing an Ephemeris writ by a Spanijh Mariner,
who had been forced into the Weft Indies by tempeft and died at Columbus his houfe
after his arrival: this fome think was invented, to the end an Italian fhould not mafter
fo much glory. Whether Columbus had any light from Poets, or heard of Madoc*s Voy
age who knows ? for what Nation formerly knew not the ads of Englijh mcn better than
themfelves ? otherwife Polydore Virgil had not undertook to our fhame and prejudice,
the English Chronologic -, nor Verftegan ( alias Rowly) the confidence to render well-nigh
all the 0 confiderable Gentry of thisLandfromtheEtymology of their Names,Teutoniques.
Columbus well affured of this difcovery fent his Brother to King Henry the VIL to propofe
the bufinefs fo he would accept the undertaking: but the improbability of the deiign to
gether with the obfcure Quality of the Stranger, together with his too great frugality
made the King give little credit to the propofition: for in 1|^ paflage he had beenimpri-
foned by Pirates who ftript him before they fet him at liberty. "Upon the Kings refufal
he apply'd himfelf to the French King, who in like manner hearing that King Henry had
refufed, gave him the likedifmifs: fo as he had refted under a final difcouragement,
had not Ferdinand the Spanish King accepted the motion, and given him the Command of
two hundred Men in two fmall Ships at the requeft of John Perez, de Marchena at that
time Redor of the Monaftery of Rabida, a great Mecoenas of Learning and Induftry:
with