The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes, with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and ilandes lately founde in the west ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne. ... Wrytten in the Latine tounge by Peter Martyr of Angleria, and translated into Englysshe by Rycharde Eden.

¶ Of the temperature of the regions vnder or neare to the burnt lyue cauled Torrida zona or the Equinoctiall: and of the dyuers seasons of the yeare.

THe landes and regions that are neare about the clymes of the Equinoctiall lyne, are naturally hotte, althowghe they bee otherwise tem∣perate by the diuine prouidence. And therfore suche flesshe or fyshe as is taken and kylled in these regions, can not bee preserued from pu∣trefaction except it be tosted, sodden, or perboylde, the same daye that it is kylde. And wheras I haue sayde that such re¦gions are naturally hot, and yet temperate by the prouidence of god, it is so in deede. And therfore not without cause the auncient autours were of opinion that the burnte lyne or Tor∣rida zona where passeth the lyne of the Equinoctiall, shulde be vnhabitable by reason the soonne hath greater dominion in that place then in any other of the sphere, remaynynge conti¦nually betwene the two tropykes of Cancer and Capricorne. For when in these regions the earth is opened or dygged frō the superficial parte therof to the depth of a mans heyght, it is founde temperate. And within this space, the trees and plantes fasten and spreade their rootes, and no dieper. Exten¦dynge the same as farre in breadth in the ground as do the••r braunches in the ayer: And enter no dieper into the grounde then I haue sayde, bycause that beneth the depth of the said space of a mans heyght, the earth is verye hotte, the vpp••r parte beinge temperate and verye moyste aswell by reason of thaboundaunce of water whiche fauleth from heauen vppon that earth at certeyne ordinarie seasons of the yeare, as also for the multitude of great ryuers, brokes, sprynges and ma∣rysshes, wherby the myghtie and supreme lorde which made the••e landes, hath moste prudently prouyded for the preser∣uation of the same.

R. E. As touchynge this poynt whiche was vnknowen to the owlde wryters, and withowt consideration wherof rea••on can not perfectly conceaue howe temperate regione shulde be vnder the Equinoctiall lyne. I haue thought good for the better manifestynge of this ••ecreate woorke of nature, to note owte of Cardanus his booke de Elementis, howe all waters haue theyr cour••e toward the South as to the lowest part of the earth. he wayteth therefore as foloweth. The water was made of lesse quantitie then the earth and only in maner in the superficiall parte therof, that place might bee lefte for the habitation of beastes, and that water by his could∣nesse myght temperate and not destroy the lyfe of beastes. And bi∣cause this generation of lyuynge creatures, was only necessary on the superficiall partes of the earth in comparison to the hole, ther∣fore was the water made to occupie onely the superficiall parte, in the which, metals, plantes, beastes, and fysshes shulde bee nury∣shed. And bycause there was great perell least it shulde be to much con••umed by the ayer and heate of the soonne, continuall mouinge was ioyned to it, wherby it gathereth cou••denes and is preserued from sodeyne resolution. For suche waters as doo not moue▪ doo soone putrifie, and are easely resolued into ayer. By reason wherof nature prouyded for the generation of water in cou••de places, as vn¦der the coles and mountaynes. And whereas the earth vnder the Equinoctiall shu••de otherwi••e for lacke of moyster haue bin to much burned and scorched▪ nature also prouyded that that parte of the earth shulde bee lowest, by reason wh••reof all waters haue theyr course towarde the South to mitigate with moyster thextremitie of heate which otherwise shulde haue byn intollerable in that c••yme. And by this reason, the famous ryuer of Nilus in Egypte, albeit it haue his originall and ••prynge, owt of the mountaynes of the mone cauled Montes Lunae nere vnto the cyrcle of Caprico••ne, yet run∣nynge with all his braunches vnder and beyonde the Equinoctiall cyrcle, ••t di••parseth throwgh owt the burnt line of Torrida ••ona, and by the same vyolent course fauleth into owre sea nere vnto the citie of Alexandria. It was necessary therfore that the greatest parte of the coulde and moyst element shulde haue recourse thyther and con¦syst there, wheras was the gr••atest necessitie therof to temper the heate of the soonne by moystynge and coolyn••e the earthe and the ayer, as vnder the Equinoctiall. And herewith also hath most pru¦dent nature prouyded for the securitie and preseruation of the pla∣ces lyinge betwene bothe thextremities of heate and colde, as be∣twene the poles and the Equinoctiall. For the waters flowynge e∣uer one wayes and k••pynge one course, no regions can be drowned by studdes: which thynge they well obserue that delyuer fieldes from inundations or ou••rflowynges, and that take in hande to drye vp marysshes It therfore waters had not theyr cour••e and faul to∣warde places low•• or declynynge, the hole casth shulde bee ouer∣flowne as a marrysshe And that the most declynynge parte shulde bee towarde the South, and sumwhat hygher about the poles, the cause is aswell the consumynge deare of the soonne in the South•• partes, as the preseruynge coulde of the hygh mountaynes nere to the poles. For we haue els where proued that heate consumeth and

wasteth as coulde gathereth and preserueth. And for this cause that parte of the earthe that is nearest the poles, is, was, and e∣uer shalbe highest, and likewise lowest in the middest furthest from the poles. And therfore it was not conuenient that the sonne shuld ••aue his course on euery syde, neither to the poles. For if it weare ••••ryed alyke to euery parte throughowt the worlde, it is necessary ••hat the earth bee equall: and by that reason shulde it eyther bee altogether dryed, or elles all ouerflowed with water. But where as this coulde not suffyce to the free course of ryuers for the often intercourse of higher places lyinge in the waye, whereby ouerflo∣wynges and stayes of wat••rs and their corruption myght ensue, mooste prouydent nature hath gyuen this priuileage to water that it maye so much ascende as it hath discended: that by his meanes passynge ouer mountaynes and hylles, it maye at the length bee ca∣ryed into the sea. &c. hytherto Cardanus, lette vs nowe returne to the historie.

There are also many roughe and hyghe mountaynes with temperate ayer and pleasaunt, cleare, and moderate nightes. Of the whiche particularitie the auncient writers hauyng no certeyne knowleage, affyrmed the said burnte lyne or Torrida zona, or Equinoctial to be naturally vnhabitable. As touching which thing I am able to witnesse the contrary by testimonie of syght and feelyng as by most certeine senses, hauyng liued many yeares in this regions, by reason wherof better credit ought to be giuen to me then to suche as haue grounded their opinion onely vpon coniectures. And to speake further of the sytuation of these regyons, yowe shall vnderstande that the coaste of the Northe sea, beynge in the goulfe of Vraba and in the porte of Dariena, where the shyppes arryue whiche coome owte of Spayne, is in the syxte degree and a halfe, and in the seuenth, and from syxe and a halfe vnto eyght, excepte a smaule pointe which entereth into the sea toward the North That pointe which of this land and new parte of the worlde lieth moste towarde the East, is the cape of saincte Augustine which is in the eight degree. So that the said goulfe of Vraba is distant from the Equinoctiall lyne, from a hundreth and twentie to a hundreth and thirtie leaques and three quarters of a leaque after thaccompte of .xvii. leaques and a h••lfe for euerye degree from pole to pole. And thus for a lyttle more or lesse, goeth all the coaste. By reason wherof, in the citie of Sancta Maria Antiqua in Dariena, and in all that course of the for∣sayde goulfe of Vraba, at all tymes of the yea••e the dayes and nyghtes are in maner of equall length. And if there bee any

dyfference betwene theym by reason of this smaule distance from the Equinoctial, it is so lyttle, that in .xxiiii. houres ma¦kynge a naturall daye, it canne not bee perceaued but by the iudgement of speculatiue men and suche as vnderstande the sphere. From hense the North starre is seene very lowe And when the starres which are cauled the wardens of the north starre, are vnder the chariotte, it can not bee seene, bycause it is vnder the horisontal. And whereas I haue sayde beefore that it rayneth in these regions at certeyne ordinarie tymes, it is so in deede. For it is wynter and summer there at con∣trary tymes to that whiche is in Spayne, where the greateste coulde of froste and rayne is in December and Ianuary: And the greatest heate of sommer aboute saynt Iohannes daye at mydsommer or in the moneth of Iuly. But in golden Castile or Beragua, it is contrary. For the sommer and tyme of grea∣test drowght and withowt rayne, is at Chrystmas and a mo∣neth before and a moneth after. And the tyme when it ray∣neth most, is about midsommer and a moneth before and a mo¦neth after. And this season whiche they caule wynter, is not for that it is any coulder then, then at any other tyme of the yeare, or hotter at Christmas then at other seasons, the tyme in these regions being euer after one maner, but for that that in this tyme which they caule wynter, the soonne is hyd from theyr syghtes by reason of cloudes and rayne more then at o∣ther tymes. Yet forasmuch as for the moste parte of the yeare they lyue in a cleare, open, and temperate ayer, they sumwhat shrynke and feele a lyttle coulde durynge the tyme of the said moist and cloudy ayer, althowgh it bee not coulde in deede, or at the least suche coulde as hath any sensible sharpenes.