The history of the world

†. V. Of OPHIR one of IOCTANS sonnes, and of Peru, and of that voyage of SALOMON.

OPHIR also was an Inhabitant of the East India, and (as S. Hierome vnderstands it) in one of the Ilands plentifull of gold, which are now knowne by the name of Moluccae. Iosephus vnderstands Ophir to be one of those great head-lands in India, which by a generall name are called Chersonesi, or Peninsulae: of which there are two very notorious; Callecut, and Malacca. Pererius takes it rightly for an Iland, as Saint [unspec 10] Hierome doth, but he sets it at the head-land of Malacca. But Ophir is found among the Molucces farther East.

Arias Montanus out of the second of Chronicles, the third Chapter and sixt Verse, gathers that Ophir was Peru in America, looking into the West Ocean, commonly called Mare del Sur, or the South Sea; by others Mare pacificum. The wordes in the second of the Chronicles are these: And be ouerlayed the house with precious stones for* 1.1 beautie; and the gold was gold of Paruaim. IVNIVS takes this gold to be the gold of Hauilah, remembred by Moses in the description of Paradise: And the gold of that* 1.2 Land is good: finding a Towne in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a Prouince of Susiana called Barbatia; so called (as he thinkes) by corruption for Paruaim: from whence those Kings sub∣iected [unspec 20] by Dauid brought this gold, with which they presented him; and which Da∣uid preserued for the enriching of the Temple.

But this fancie of Peru hath deceiued many men, before Montanus, and Plessis, who also tooke Ophir for Peru. And that this question may be a subiect of no farther di∣spute; it is very true, that there is no Region in the World of that name: sure I am that at least America hath none, no not any Citie, Village, or Mountayne so called. But when Francis Pisarro first discouered those Lands to the South of Panama, arri∣uing in that Region which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 commanded (a Prince of magnificence, Riches and Dominion inferior to none) some of the Spaniards vtterly ignorant of that lan∣guage, demanding by signes (as they could) the name of the Countrie, and poin∣ting [unspec 30] with their hand athwart a Riuer, or Torrent, or Brooke that ranne by, the In∣dians answered Peru, which was either the name of that Brooke, or of water in ge∣nerall. The Spaniards thereupon conceiuing that the people had rightly vnderstood them, set it downe in the Diurnall of their enterprise, and so in the first description made, and sent ouer to Charles the Emperor, all that West part of America to the South of Panama had the name of Peru, which hath continued euer since as diuers Spaniards in the Indies assured me; which also Acosta the Iesuite in his naturall and morall Historie of the Indies confirmeth. And whereas Montanus also findeth, that a part of the Indies (called 〈◊〉〈◊〉) tooke that name of Ioctan, who as he sup∣poseth nauigated from the vtmost East of India to America: it is most true, that Iu∣catan [unspec 40] is nothing else in the language of that Countrie, but [What is that] or [What say you?] For when the Spaniards asked the name of that place (no man conceiuing their meaning) one of the Saluages answered Iucatan (which is) What aske you, or What say you? The like hapned touching Paria, a mountaynous Countrie on the South side of Trinidado and Margarita: for when the Spaniards inquiring (as all men doe) the names of those new Regions which they discouered, pointed to the Hills afarre off, one of the people answered, Paria, which is as much to say; as high Hills or Moun∣taynes. For at Paria begins that maruailous ledge of Mountaynes, which from thence are continued to the Strait of Magellan: from eight degrees of North lati∣tude to 52. of South; and so hath that Countrie euer since retayned the name of [unspec 50] Paria.

The same hapned among the English, which I sent vnder Sir Richard Greeneuile to inhabite Virginia. For when some of my people asked the name of that Countrie, one of the Saluages answered, Wingandacon, which is as much to say, as, You weare

good clothes, or gay clothes. The same hapned to the Spaniard in asking the name of the Iland Trinidado: for a Spaniard demanding the name of that selfe place which the Sea incompassed, they answered, Caeri, which signifieth an Iland. And in this manner haue many places newly discouered beene intituled, of which Peru is one. And therefore we must leaue Ophir among the Moluccas, whereabout such an Iland is credibly affirmed to be.

Now although there may be found gold in Arabia it selfe (towards Persia) in Ha∣uilah, now Sufiana, and all alongst that East Indian shore; yet the greatest plentie is taken vp at the Philippines, certayne Ilands planted by the Spaniards, from the West India. And by the length of the passage which Salomons ships made from the Red [unspec 10] Sea, (which was three yeeres in going and comming) it seemeth they went to the vttermost East, as the Moluceas or Philippines. Indeede these that now goe from Por∣tugal, or from hence, finish that nauigation in two yeere, and sometimes lesse: and Salomons ships went not aboue a tenth part of this our course from hence. But we must consider, that they euermore kept the coast, and crept by the shores, which made the way exceeding long. For before the vse of the Compasse was knowne, it was impossible to nauigate athwart the Ocean; and therefore Salomons ships could not finde Peru in America. Neither was it needfull for the Spaniards themselues (had it not beene for the plentie of gold in the East India Ilands, farre aboue the mines of any one place of America) to saile euery yeere from the West part of America thi∣ther, [unspec 20] and there to haue strongly planted, and inhabited the richest of those Ilands: wherein they haue built a Citie called Manilia, Salomon therefore needed not to haue gone farther off then Ophir in the East, to haue sped worse: neither could he nauigate from the East to the West in those dayes, whereas he had no coast to haue guided him.

Tostatus also gathereth a fantasticall opinion out of Rabanus, who makes Ophir to be a Countrie, whose Mountaynes of gold are kept by Griffins: which Mountaynes Solinus affirmeth to be in Scythia Asiatica, in these wordes: Nam cùm auro & gemmis affluant, Griphes tenent vniuersa, alites ferocissimae, Arimaspi cum his dimicant, &c. For whereas these Countries abound in gold, and rich stone, the Griffins defend the one and the [unspec 30] other: a kinde of Fowle the fiercest of all other; with which Griffins a Nation of people cal∣led Arimaspi make warre. These Arimaspi are said to haue been men with one eye only, like vnto the Cyclopes of Sicilia: of which Cyclopes, Herodotus and Aristeus make men∣tion: and so doth Lucan in his third Booke: and Valerius Flaccus: and D. Siculus in the* 1.3 storie of Alexander Macedon. But (for mine owne opinion) I beleeue none of them.* 1.4 And for these Arimaspi, I take it that this name signifying One-eyed, was first giuen them by reason that they vsed to weare a vizzard of defence, with one sight in the middle to serue both eyes; and not that they had by nature any such defect. But Solinus borroweth these things out of Plinie, who speakes of such a Nation in the extreme North, at a place called Gisolitron, or the Caue of the Northeast winde. For [unspec 40] the rest, as all fables were commonly grounded vpon some true stories or other things done: so might these tales of the Griffins receiue this Morall. That if those men which fight against so many dangerous passages for gold, or other riches of this World, had their perfect senses, and were not depriued of halfe their eye-sight (at least of the eye of right reason and vnderstanding) they would content themselues with a quiet and moderate estate; and not subiect themselues to famine, corrupt aire, violent heate, and cold, and to all sorts of miserable diseases. And though this fable be fayned in this place, yet if such a tale were told of some other places of the World, where wild Beasts or Serpents defend Mountaines of gold, it might be auow∣ed. For there are in many places of the world, especially in America, many high and [unspec 50] impassable Mountaynes which are very rich and full of gold, inhabited only with Tygres, Lyons, and other rauenous and cruell beasts: into which if any man ascend (except his strength be very great) he shall be sure to finde the same warre, which the Arimaspi make against the Griffins: not that the one or other had any sense of

gold, or seeke to defend that metall, but being disquieted, or made afraide of them∣selues or their yong-ones, they grow inraged and aduenturous. In like sort it may be said that the Alegartos, (which the Aegyptians call the Crocadyles) defend those Pearles which lye in the Lakes of the Inland: for many times the poore Indians are eaten vp by them, when they diue for the pearle. And though the Alegartos know not the pearle, yet they finde sauour in the flesh and bloud of the Indians, whom they deuoure.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.2

  Gen 2. 11. & 12 Plin. lib. 6. c. 28.
• * 1.3

  Flaccus, lib. 6.
• * 1.4

  Diod. Sicul. l. 16.