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 fift page.

IN this page hée describeth Ireland, the Iles A∣zores, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicilia, Candia, nigro Ponte, Stalimene, all which Ilandes doe belong to Europe, and in the latter end of this page hée beginneth to describe Asia.

IReland is nigh vnto England and Scotland, and is very rich in meddow ground, and hath great plentie of cattell as well tame as wilde, and fish as well of the sea, as of fresh riuers, and greate quantity of foule and birdes, but it hath scarsitie of corne by reason of the great moistnesse of the ayre. This Ile is frée from all venemous beastes, the inhabitantes are wilde people, great and strong, and swift in running, and by little and little they waxe euery day tamer than other, vnder the gouerne∣ment of the English men.

THe Iles of Azores are called of the Flemish Pilots & Mar∣riners the Flemmish Iles, because those of Burghes were the first that discouered those Ilands, & albeit that at this present the inhabitants thereof are Portugales, there is yet a remnant of Flemmish families, as of the Bruines, of the Vltrickts & others. These Iles are fruitfull, and bee 9. in number, that is to say, the Ile of S. Marie, S. Michael, Tercera, Graciosa, S. George, Pico, Fayal, Flores, and Coruo.

Tercera amongst all the rest is the strongest, & bringeth foorth diers Wad. The Ile of S. Michael bringeth foorth Sugar, and great aboundance of good Diers Wad.

COrsica is situate in the sea Mediterraneum, and bringeth foorth most excellent wines, rough Horses, and great hun∣ting dogges: and this Ile is gouerned by the Genueses.

SArdinia is a verie fruitfull Ile, and chiefly of Wheat, which is transported from thence into Italie and into Spaine, like∣wise it hath very good Wine, both red and white, and verie good Salt, it hath also certaine mines of siluer, but not of so profitable yéeld as in times past. The inhabitantes are strong, and able to indure great labour and trauell. In great townes they speake the Spanish tongue of Aragon, but in small townes they speake the vulgar tongue of the Ile.

SIcilia hath bene alwayes famous, and is called of Diodo∣rus the Paragon of Iles, also the Gréekes and the Latines haue greatly celebrated this Ile in their writings. This I∣land hath great aboundance of Wheat and of al other grain, also of wine, Sugar, waxe, Honey, Saffron, Silk, and of all things els appertaining to the vse of man. Wherefore this Ile, together with Aegypt was sometime called the Grange of the Romanes. In this Iland is the hil Aetna, which alwayes burneth, and in the sea of Sicill nigh vnto Drepano, as Plinie writeth in his 32. booke and second chapter, there groweth verie faire redde Corall, in shape like to such a trée or bush as is here figured, which while it is vnder the water is gréene and tender, but so soone as it com∣meth into the aire, it waxeth hard like a stone, and is red, there is found thereof also nigh vnto the sea coast of Prouince, also in Italie nigh vnto Monte Alto, and to Naples, likewise in the red sea, and in the Gulfe of Persia, and there be three sorts of Corral, that is, red, blacke, and white.

CAndia sometime called Creta, was in olde time enritched with the famous Labyrinth, and with a hundred cities, it had also a great number of good ships and expert Pilots, this Ile together with the others, as the Ile of Zante, Ce∣phalonia, Corfue, and diuers others, be at this present gouerned by the Senate of Venice.

The Merchandizes transported out of Candia into other pro∣uinces

are these, noble wines, as Malmsey, Muskadine, Corrants graine of Scarlet, Sugar, Christall of the mountaine, Cotton, and Buckeskins.

NIgro Ponte, sometime called Euboia, is a verie fruitfull Ile in Wheate, Oyle and Wine.

STalimene sometime called Lemnos, is an Ile which hath aboundance of wheate, and most excellent Wines. In this Ile they digge out in the moneth of August a certaine medi∣cinable earth called of the Physitians Terra sigillata. There be manie other Iles besides these in Europe, as the Iles of Den∣marke, the Iles of Zeland in Flanders, the Ile Frumentera, Iui∣ca Maiorica and Minorica, and a number of Iles that are in Sclauonie and Greece.

ASia is seperated frō Europe by the floods Tanais & Dwina & from Afrique by the narrow part of land, which is nigh to Aegypt, betwixt the Mediterrane sea, & the red sea. Asia far excéedeth in greatnes both Europe, Afrique, and Per∣vana, and also in riches, as in pearles of great price, and precious stones and spyces it excéedeth all the other countries of the world.

This region hath bene alwayes renowmed by the first and se∣cond Monarchie of the world, obtained by the Syrians & the Per∣sians, as also it is at this day by the mightie Princes of China, and of Persia, and by the puissancie of the Tartarians.

In this part of the world man was created of God, placed in Paradice, seduced by Sathan, and redéemed by our Sauiour Ie∣sus Christ, and in this region, were done in a maner all the histo∣ries and actes mentioned in the old Testament, and a great part of those of the newe Testament. The most celebrated prouinces of Asia are those that belong to the great Duke of Muscovia, also Tartaria and China, the rich prouince of India, as Guzarette, Corasan, Sigistan, Chirmania, Parthia, Persia, Media, Assy∣ria, Armenia, Natolia Syria, and Arabia. The principall Iles of Asia are these, Iapan, Luconia, Mindanao, Borneo, Suma∣tra, Ceilan, and Cypres, for as for the Iles of Gilolo, Moluccas Banda & Celebes, they belong to that part of the world which is

called Magellanica.

The most mightie Potentates of Asia are these, the king of China, the king of Persia, the great Turke, and the Empe∣rour of Russia, otherwise called the great Duke of Muscouia, according to which Seniories all Asia is diuided into sixe partes, that is to say, the Asiaticall prouinces, belonging to the great Duke of Muscouia 1. Tartaria 2. China 3. the Indies 4. the Prouinces of the king of Persia 5. and those of the great Turk 6. And as touching the Asiatical Prouinces of the Emperour of Russia, and of the prouinces of Tartaria, we shall make men∣cion thereof hereafter, when wee come to translate the Tables or Inscriptions written in Latine, marked with the numbers 3. and 4.