M. Blundevile his exercises containing sixe treatises, the titles wherof are set down in the next printed page: which treatises are verie necessarie to be read and learned of all yoong gentlemen that haue not bene exercised in such disciplines, and yet are desirous to haue knowledge as well in cosmographie, astronomie, and geographie, as also in the arte of navigation ... To the furtherance of which arte of navigation, the said M. Blundevile speciallie wrote the said treatises and of meere good will doth dedicate the same to all the young gentlemen of this realme.

The Contents of the second Page.

TO knowe the true situation of the Prouinces and places contained in this Mappe, it is necessa∣rie first to knowe their Longitudes and Lati∣tudes. The degrées of Latitude or of the ele∣uation of the Pole, which is all one thing, are counted from the Equinoctiall to eyther Pole, which is 90. degrées, and the degrées of Longitude are counted vpon the Equinoctiall from the Iles of Capo Verde towardes the East, and so round about the earth vntill you come to the number of 360. degrées. The Prouinces and Townes that are situated vnder one degrée of Longitude, haue at one selfe time like houres of the day, but those that are situate vnder diuerse degrées of Longitude, doe differ in number of houres, for when it is in one Towne noonetide, it is in an other Towne that is di∣stant from thence towardes the East 30. degrées two of the clocke in the afternoone, and so consequently for euery 15. degrée of di∣stance they differ one houre. Likewise they that dwell vnder one selfe degrée of Latitude haue equall quantitie of dayes and nightes, but yet so as they which dwell on the South side of the Equinoctiall haue the shortest day when wee haue the longest, and haue Winter when we haue Sommer. But those that are situate vnder diuerse degrées of Latitude, haue inequalitie of dayes and nights, for the nigher that any place is situate to∣wardes any of the Poles the more houres the longest day of the yeare in that place containeth. But those that dwell right vn∣der the Equinoctiall haue alwayes their dayes and nightes of like quantitie, and I vnderstande here by the daye, the space betwixt the sunne rise and the sunne set, and you shall finde the quantitie of the longest day of the yeare in euery degrée of La∣titude set downe in the Northeast part of this Carde. As for ex∣ample

to those that haue 30 degrées of latitude, the longest day is 13. houres 57′· and so the nigher that you go to the Pole the lon∣ger is the day, in so much as to those that dwell right vnder the Pole, the yeare is but a day and a night, that is to say, they haue 6. moneths day, & 6. months night. Moreouer the Geographers do diuide the earth into 9. climes for to distinguish therby the prouin∣ces and regions by the quantity of the longest day, the middlemost parallel of euery clime increasing by halfe an houre, and you haue to consider that the degrées of latitude are in all places of like big∣nes euery degrée contayning 15. Almain leagues, or 60. Italian miles, but the degrées of longitude procéeding from the Equinoc∣tiall towards any of the 2. Poles are vnequall, that is to say, eue∣rie one containing fewer leagues or miles than other, but the degrées of the Equinoctiall it selfe are equall to the degrées of la∣titude, euerie one containing 15. Germaine leagues or 60. Ita∣lian miles, as you may plainly sée in the Table set downe in the Northwest part of this Map. And you haue to note that one Al∣maine league doth contain 4. Italian miles, and we haue descri∣bed the degrées of longitude in the Southwest part of this Carde by the houres of the ships way, euery one decreasing lesse than o∣ther from the Equinoctiall to the Pole, whereby you may con∣ceiue that two ships being right vnder the Equinoctiall 150. degrées distant one from another, and are to saile with like gate towards the North pole: when they shall come to the 60. degrée of latitude, their distance shall be no more but 75. leagues. And the further they goe towards the Pole the lesse distant they shall be one from another, in so much as when they be right vnder the Pole it self, they shall both méete, as you may sée in the 2. rounde figures contayning the description of the earth, and set downe in the 2. nether corners of the Map. This matter is to bee conside∣red of the Mariners that they may thereby the better perceiue the imperfections of their sea Cardes. Moreouer, in the se∣cond page Plancius setteth downe the diuision of the earth as well according to the ancient as moderne Geographers, making first thrée generall continents or firme lands, whereof the first is so much as was knowne to Ptolomey and to the ancient A∣stronomers, as Enrope, Afrique, and Asia, the second conti∣••ent is called America, and the third continent is the South part

of the world, not yet fullie discouered, called of Plancius Magel∣lanica, and he diuideth the second continent called America into thrée parts, that is, Mexicana, Pervana, and Magellanica, and by adding those thrée parts to Europe, Afrique, and Asia, he di∣uideth the earth into sixe partes, and first he setteth downe the description of Europe together with her boundes or limittes, and then the commodities thereof, as followeth.

Of Europe.

EVrope is farre lesse than all the rest, and yet exceedeth all others in noblenesse, in magnificencie, in multitude of peo∣ple, in might, puissance, and renowne, the which in times past hath commanded both Asia and Afrique as Quéene, by reason of the Monarchies of the Gréekes and of the Romans, and at this day is of great force by the power of the Turkes and Muscouites. Moreouer it commandeth many prouinces in Mexicana and Pervana by the power of the Spaniards and Por∣tugals, and of other Christian Princes.

Europe is seuered from Asia and Afrique by the sea Mediter∣raneun••, and by the sea called Marmagior, and by the Marish or sea called Palus Meotis, and by the Flood Tanais and Dwi∣na. The chiefest prouinces of Europe are these, Almanie, Italy France, Spaine, Denmarke, Norway, Swethland, Muscouia, Polonia, Hungaria, Sclavonia, and Greece. The chiefest I∣landes of Europe are these, England with Scotland, Ireland, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicilia, Candia, Nigro Ponte sometime called Euboia, and Stalimene sometime called Lemnos. And in this second page hée setteth downe also the discription of Alma∣nie thus.

Almanie is reputed to bee the greatest prouince in all Eu∣rope, and is situated in the middest thereof, which is bounded on the East with Polonia and Hungaria, on the South with Dalmacia, and Italia, and on the West with France, and on the North with the North Sea, and with the Sea called Mare Balticum. The inhabitantes of this Countrey warre•• in olde time with the Romanes for their libertie, and since manie hundred yeares past it hath holden the imperiall Scepter.

About the time of Christ his birth, it was a rude countrey, as Cornelius Tacitus saith, full of Wood, bushes, and marishes, but at this day it is so adorned with great magnificent Townes and well fortified, and is furnished with such a number of Ca∣stles, and Villages, and with such a number of people, and with such pollitique gouernement, as it is to bee compa∣red to any prouince whatsoeuer in all the worlde. The soyle thereof is verie fruitfull both for corne and Wine, and hath manie nauigable Floods stored with plentie of Fish. It hath most excellent Fountaines, and hotte bathes, greate mines of Golde, of Siluer, copper, Tinne, Lead, and Iron. The inha∣bitants doe exercise as well nowe as they haue done in times past the Art military, and it hath manie learned men verie skilful in all sciences, and in Mechanicall artes, they were the inuenters of Artillerie, of Gunpowder, and of the noble Arte of printing, and of making artificiall dials and horologies.

The chiefe merchandizes that are transported out of Alma∣nie into other countreys are these, Golde, Siluer, Copper, Tinne, Leade, vitrioll, Allum, Quickesiluer, Collours of di∣uers sortes, Slates to couer houses, Wheat, Wine, Fish, wool∣len cloath, Linnen cloath, Bombasine, Fustian, Suile, Armour, all sortes of workes made of Iron, or brasse, and other merce∣ries.