The principal nauigations, voyages, traffiques and discoueries of the English nation. [vols. 1-3] made by sea or ouer-land, to the remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth, at any time within the compasse of these 1600. yeres: deuided into three seuerall volumes, according to the positions of the regions, whereunto they were directed. The first volume containeth the worthy discoueries, &c. of the English ... The second volume comprehendeth the principall nauigations ... to the south and south-east parts of the world ... By Richard Hakluyt preacher, and sometime student of Christ-Church in Oxford.

Chapter I.

WHen I gaue my selfe to the studie of Geographie, after I had perused and diligently scanned the descriptions of Europe, Asia & Afrike, and conferred them with the Mappes and Globes both Antique and Moderne: I came in fine to the fourth part of the world, commonly called America, which by all descriptions I found to bee an Iland enuironed round about with Sea, hauing on the Southside of it the frete or straight of Magellan, on the West side Mar del Sur, which Sea runneth towards the North, separating it from the East parts of Asia, where the Dominions of the Cathaians are: On the East part our West Ocean, and on the

North side the sea that seuereth it from Groneland, thorow which Northren Seas the Passage lyeth, which I take now in hand to discouer.

Plato in Timaeo, and in the Dialogue called Critias, discourseth of an incomparable great I∣land then called Atlantis, being greater then all Affrike and Asia, which lay Westward from the Straights of Gibraltar, nauigable round about: affirming also that the Princes of Atlantis did aswell enioy the gouernance of all Affrike, and the most part of Europe, as of Atlantis it selfe.

Also to proue Platos opinion of this Iland, and the inhabiting of it in ancient time by them of Europe, to be of the more credite; Marinaeus Siculus in his Chronicle of Spaine, reporteth that there haue bene found by the Spaniards in the gold Mines of America, certaine pieces of Money ingraued with the Image of Augustus Caesar: which pieces were sent to the Pope for a testimo∣nie of the matter, by Iohn Rufus Archbishop of Consentinum.

Moreouer, this was not only thought of Plato, but by Marsilius Ficinus, an excellent Floren∣tine Philosopher, Crantor the Graecian, and Proclus,* 1.1 and Philo the famous Iew (as appeareth in his ••ooke De Mundo, and in the Commentaries vpon Plato) to be ouerflowen and swallowed vp with water, by reason of a mightie earthquake, and streaming downe of the heauenly Flud∣gates. The like whereof happened vnto some part of Italy, when by the forciblenes of the Sea, called Superum, it cut off Sicilia from the Continent of Calabria, as appeareth in Iustine,* 1.2 in the be∣ginning of his fourth booke. Also there chanced the like in Zeland a part of Flanders.

* 1.3And also the Cities of Py••rha and Antissa, about Meotis palus: and also the Citie Burys, in the Corynthian bosome, commonly called Sinus Corinthiacus, haue bene swallowed vp with the Sea, and are not at this day to be discerned: By which accident America grew to be vnknowen of long time, vnto vs of the later ages, and was lately discouered againe, by Americus Vespucius, in the yeere of our Lord 1497. which some say to haue bene first discouered by Christophorus Columbus a Genuois, Anno 1492.

The same calamitie happened vnto this Isle of Atlantis 600. and odde yeres before Plato his time, which some of the people of the Southeast parts of the world accompted as 9000. yeeres•• for the maner then was to reckon the Moone her Period of the Zodiak for a yeere, which is our vsuall moneth, depending à Luminari mino••i.

So that in these our dayes there can no other mayne or Islande be found or iudged to bee par∣cell of this Atlantis, then those Westerne Islands, which beare now the name of America: coun∣teruailing thereby the name of Atlantis, in the knowledge of our age.

Then, if when no part of the sayd Atlantis was oppressed by water, and earthquake, the coasts round about the same were nauigable:* 1.4 a farre greater hope now remaineth of the same by the Northwest, seeing the most part of it was (since that time) swallowed vp with water, which could not vtterly take away the olde deeps and chanels, but rather, be an occasion of the inlarging of the olde, and also an inforcing of a great many new: why then should we now doubt of our Northwest passage and nauigation from England to India? &c. seeing that Atlantis now called America, was euer knowen to be an Island, and in those dayes nauigable round about, which by accesse of more water could not be diminished.

Also Aristotle in his booke De mundo, and the learned Germaine Simon Gryneus in his an∣notations vpon the same, saith that the whole earth (meaning thereby, as manifestly both appeare, Asia, Africk, and Europe, being all the countreys then knowen) is but one Island, compassed a∣bout with the reach of the sea Atlantine: which likewise prooueth America to be an Island, and in no part adioyning to Asia, or the rest.

* 1.5Also many ancient writers, as Strabo and others, called both the Ocean sea (which lieth East of India) Atlanticum pelagus, and that sea also on the West coasts of Spaine and A∣frick, Mare Atlanticum: the distance betweene the two coasts is almost halfe the compasse of the earth.

So that it is incredible, as by Plato appeareth manifestly, that the East Indian Sea had the name Atlanticum pelagus of the mountaine Atlas in Africk, or yet the sea adioyning to Africk, had the name Oceanus Atlanticus of the same mountaine:* 1.6 but that those seas and the mountaine Atlas were so called of this great Island Atlantis, and that the one and the other had their names for a memorial of the mighty prince Atlas, sometime king thereof, who was Iaphet yongest sonne to Noah, in whose time the whole earth was diuided betweene the three brethren, Sem, Cam, and Iaphet.

Wherefore I am of opinion that America by the Northwest will be found fauourable to this our enterprise, and am the rather imboldened to beleeue the same, for that I finde it not onely confirmed by Plato, Aristotle, and other ancient Phylosophers: but also by all the best moderne

Geographers, as Gemma Frisius, Munsterus, Appianus, Hunterus, Gastaldus, Guyccardinus, Michael Tramasinus, Franciscus Demongenitus, Bernardus Pureanus, Andreas Vauasor, Tra∣montanus, Petrus Martyr, and also Ortelius, who doth coast out in his generall Mappe set out Anno 1569, all the countreys and Capes, on the Northwest side of America, from Ho••helaga to Cape de Paraman••ia: describing likewise the sea coastes of Cataia and Gronland, towards a∣ny part of America, making both Gronland and America, Islands disioyned by a great sea, from any part of Asia.

All which learned men and painefull trauellers haue affirmed with one consent and voice, that America was an Island: and that there lyeth a great Sea betweene it, Cataia, and Grond∣land, by the which any man of our countrey, that will giue the attempt, may with small danger passe to Cataia, the Moluccae, India, and all other places in the East, in much shorter time, then either the Spaniard, or Portugal doeth, or may doe, from the neerest parte of any of ••heir coun∣treys within Europe.

What moued these learned men to affirme thus much, I know not, or to what ende so many and sundry trauellers of both ages haue allowed the same:* 1.7 But I coniecture that they would neuer haue so constantly affirmed, or notified their opinions therein to the world, if they had not had great good cause, and many probable reasons, to haue lead them thereunto.

Now least you should make small accompt of ancient writers or of their experiences which trauelled long before our times, reckoning their authority amongst fables of no importance: I haue for the better assurance of those proofes, set downe some part of a discourse, written in the Saxon tongue, and translated into English by M. Nowel seruant to Sir William Cecil, lord Burleigh, and lord high treasurer of England. wherein there is described a Nauigation, which one Ochther made, in the time of king Alfred,* 1.8 King of Westsaxe Anno 871. the words of which discourse were these: Hee sailed right North, hauing alwaies the desert land on the Star∣borde, and on the Larbord the maine sea, continuing his course, vntill hee perceiued that the coast bowed directly towards the East, or else the Sea opened into the land he could not tell how farre,* 1.9 where he was compelled to stay vntil he had a westerne winde, or somewhat vpon the North, and sayled thence directly East alongst the coast, so farre as hee was able in foure dayes, where he was againe inforced to tary vntill hee had a North winde, because the coast there bowed directly towards the South, or at least opened he knew not howe farre into the land, so that he sayled thence along the coast continually full South, so farre as he could trauell in the space of fiue dayes, where hee discouered a mighty riuer, which opened farre into the land, and in the entrie of this riuer he turned backe againe.

Whereby it appeareth that he went the very same way, that we now doe yerely trade by S. Ni∣cholas into Moscouia, which way no man in our age knew for certaintie to be by sea, vntil it was since discouered by our English men, in the time of King Edward the sixt:* 1.10 but thought before that time that Groneland had ioyned to Normoria, Byarmia, &c. and therefore was accompted a new discouery, being nothing so indeede, as by this discourse of Ochther it appeareth.

Neuerthelesse if any man should haue taken this voyage in hand by the encouragement of this onely author, he should haue bene thought but simple: considering that this Nauigation was writ∣ten so many yeres past, in so barbarous a tongue by one onely obscure author, and yet we in these our dayes finde by our owne experiences his former reports to be true.

How much more then ought we to beleeue this passage to Cataia to bee, being verified by the opinions of all the best, both Antique, and Moderne Geographers, and plainely set out in the best and most allowed Mappes, Charts, Globes, Cosmographical tables & discourses of this our age, and by the rest not denied, but left as a matter doubtfull.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Proclus pag. 24.
• * 1.2

  Iustine Lib•• 4.
• * 1.3

  Plin••e,
• * 1.4

  A minore ad m••iu••.
• * 1.5

  Strabo lib. 15.
• * 1.6

  V••lerius Ansel∣mus in Catalogo ••nno••um & p••in∣cipum. fol. 6. Gen. 9.10.
• * 1.7

  We ought by reasons ••ight to haue a re••e∣rent opinion of worthy men.
• * 1.8

  A Nauigation of one Ochther made in king Alfreds time.
• * 1.9

  A perfect de∣scription of our Moscouia voyage.
• * 1.10

  By Sir Hugh Willoughbie knight, Chan∣cellor and Bo∣rough.