Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

Of Paradiso. chap. 114.

PAradise is a place in the partes of the East, the name thereof is turned out of Gréeke into Latine, and is vnder∣stood an Orchard, and is called Eden in Hebrew: that is vnderstoode liking a∣mong vs, as Isidore sayth lib. 15. cap. 2. For Paradise is an Orchard of liking, as he sayth. For therin groweth al man∣ner trées, & all manner trées beare aples, therein is y^e trée of life. There is no pas∣sing cold nor passing heate, but alwaye temperate weather & aire. In the middle thereof springeth a Well, that findeth water inough is that place: that well is parted in foure streames and riuers, the way thereto is stopped & vnknowne to mankinde, after the sinne of y^e first man. For it is closed and compessed al about with a firy wal, so that the burning ther∣of reacheth nigh to heauen. And there is ward and defence of Angelics to kéepe Paradise, vpon the front wall, ordeined of God to hold of wicked spirits. And so fire is ordeined to hold out wicked men, and good Angells to holde out euill An∣gells: So that there is no way for euill spirits, nor for euill men to come to Pa∣radise. Huc vsque Isidorus li. 15. cap. 3. Vbi tractat de regionibus.

Also ca. 2. super Gen. the master of sto∣ries, saith in this manner: God from the beginning of the world ordeined and a∣raide a place of liking with hearbes and trées, and in the beginning of the world, that is in the East, & that place is most merrie and far in space of land & of sea, out of the country that we dwel in: And is so high that it reacheth almost to the circle of the Moone: Where also by reson of the height, the water of the greate floud could not come, as he saith. Iohn Damascene speaketh of paradise & saith: because God would make man after his owne Image & likenesse of vnséene and séene creatures, he create & made him as a King and Prince of all the earth, and of all things in the earth, and so hée made a Country and a lande for him: in which man shoulde abide and leade a blissefull lyfe. And this lande and

Country is called Paradise: and is set in place of liking with Gods owne hande, and planted with pleasure in the East, and that lande is higher then all other lands, and shineth with most tem∣perate aire & cleere alway, full of plants, flourishing; and leaues of good smell, and full of light bright shining of fairenesse, ioye, and blisse, it is the oes••er, passing the wit and vnderstanding of sensible creatures the kingdome of God, wor∣thy for him that is after his Image: in which nore vnreasonable beast dwel∣leth but onely man Gods owne hand••∣worke.

Also Serabus sayth and Beda also, that Paradise is a place set in the East, & is departed from countries and lands that men dwel in, with occean & moun∣taines that be betwéene. And is most farre, and stretchet in height as it were to the circle of the Moone, and was most conuenient place to an innocent man: for there is most faire wether & temperate. And there is neuer passing colde nor pas∣sing heate, but euerlasting faire weather and temporate, as Isidore saith. Also for plentie of all good. For as Austen de ci∣••tate Dei. 14. ca. 10. saith: What might they dread, where might they be sorry in so great plentie of so much good, ther no∣thing greeued, there was all that good will desired: there was not that should offend or grieue the flesh nor the soule of man y^t loued blisse. Also for most mirth, for y^e place was ••eller of all sairnesse, as Damascene saith: And that witnesseth y^e euerlasting fairenesse of trées, of flow∣ers, and of spraies: For the trees wither not, nor their leaues nor flowres fade. Also for most solace and mirth, and that witnesseth fairenesse of fruit: for ther is all manner trées faire to sight & swéet to eating. Genesis .2. Also that witnesseth beautifulnesse of light. For cléerenesse of light is proportioned to purenes of aire, as Beda saith. Also for noble grounde & plenteous, & that witnesseth the multi∣tude of springing wells. For it is sayde Genesis .2. That a wel sprong & moisted Paradise, the which well is diuided in foure riuers. Also for surenesse of place, & that witnesseth the highnesse thereof: for it toucheth the circle of the Moone, 〈…〉〈…〉 Beda saith and, Isidore also. That is to vnderstand, that it stretcheth to the aire that is quiet aboue, after this troublous aire, where is the end and bond of moist erhalations and vapours. The passing forth and the rising of such exhalations & vapours is listened to the body of the Moone, as Alexander expoundeth: For Paradise reacheth not fully to the circle of the Moone, but it is sayde that it tou∣cheth the circle of the Moone by a manner figuratiue speaking, y^t is called Hiperbo∣li loqoutio: y^t it might be knowne that the most highnesse of Paradise passeth y^t neather earth without comparison. Also for continuall being without corruptiō: & that witnesseth their long life therein. For ther is Elias & Enok yet aliue with∣out corruptiō, as the master saith in sto∣ries. For nothing aliue may there die: and that is no wouber of Paradise. For we know that in Ireland is an Iland, in which dead bodies rot not: and ano∣ther in which men many not die: but in the last end they must be borne out of y^e Iland. Looke before in Ibernie, in lite∣ral.

Of Paradise, & of the scituation there∣of was opinion among nations, as Plin. saith, where he speaketh of the Ilands of Fortune, of which Isi. speaketh also li. 15 Among the which Ilands in one y^t bea∣reth all good: There the grounde bea∣reth al manner of fruit without tilling. On downs trées be alway clothed with faire gréene twigs & spraies with swéete fruit and good, where corne groweth as hearbs & grasse. Therfore errour of nasi∣ons & ditie of secular prophets, for good∣nes of y^e ground meaned, y^t these Ilands were Paradise: and y^t is errour. For the foresaid Ilands be in y^e west afore y^e left side of Mauritania in the occean, as Isi. saith, li. 15. And Paradise is in the East. And in the top of the highest mountaine of thē falleth waters, & maketh there a right great lake or pond: and maketh so great noise in y^e falling, that men of the country by y^e lake be deafe borne: because of passing huge noise y^t corrumpteth the wit of hearing in children, as Basilius saith in Exameron & Ambrose also and

from that other place, as stoin one well head, come these foure riuers, that is to wit, Phison, that is likewise called Ga∣•••••• Gion, that is also called Nilus, Ti∣gris, and Euphrates. Of y^e which riuers is speciall mention made in Gen••. Looke before sir F••••••stach de fluminibus.