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.

By what names certaine parts of the earth are called by rea∣son of their diuerse shapes. Chap. 27.

NOw besides the foresaid names attributed to the inha∣bitants of the earth for such respect as is aboue said, the Cosmographers doe giue also to diuerse parts of the earth according to y^e diuers shapes therof diuers names also: for if any part of the earth be enuironed round with water ei∣ther salt or fresh, it is called Insula, that is an Iland, as England, Ireland, & such like, but if the water goe round about it sauing in one part, thē it is called peninsula, that is to say, almost an Iland, as Denmarke, Italy, Morea, and such like, and if it be a narrow straight enclosed with y^e sea on both sides, then it is called Isthmus

as the narrow straight of Corinth lying betwixt Boetia and A∣chaia in Gréece which diuers Emperours of Rome haue in vaine attempted to cut, to thintent to make there through a nauigable passage: finally, when it is neither insula, peninsula, nor Isthmus, then it is called Continens, that is to say firme land, as Saxonie, Boemia, Sueuia, and such like, but these be speciall continents, for the Cosmographers of these daies do make but threé general con∣tinents, that is first so much as was knowne to Ptolomie, and to the rest of the auncient writers, secondly the West Indies, lately found out, and thirdly the South part of the world not yet wholly discouered: Againe the auncient men deuided that portion of the world, which was knowne in their daies into 3. parts, that is, Eu∣rope, Asia, and Afrique, whereunto the moderne writers haue added a fourth part called America, containing the West Indies. Now if you would knowe what Kingdomes, Regions, Cities, Townes, Seas with their Hauens, Ports, Bayes, and Capes, Iles, Floods, Marishes, and Mountaines, are contained in euery one of these foure parts, then peruse often the vniuersall Maps, aud Terrestriall Globes, as well of the moderne as of the aunci∣ent Writers, and also the Tables of Ptolomie and of Ortelius, which I wish that they had béene made in such forme as the Ta∣bles of Ptolomie are: for hauing the North alwaies set in the front, it should be the readier to compare the shape or situation of any place or Region to the vniuersall Mappe, and by knowing the Longitude and Latitude of any place, it should be the easier to finde the same, as well in the speciall Table as in the vniuersall Mappe or Globe. The vse of which vniuersall Maps, I haue al∣readie written in a seuerall Treatise by it selfe printed not long since. But now for so much as the knowledge of the windes hath béene alwaies thought a thing méete to be treated of by him that writeth of Cosmography, and specially of the Spheare, I will héere speake some what of them, neither doe I mind to make any great discourse thereof, as naturall Philosophers are woont to doe, but onely to define what the winde is, and to shew into how many parts the same is deuided, as well by the auncient as mo∣derne writers, and by what names they are called, and somewhat of the qualities thereof.