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 difference of regions and causes of greate cities, after the description of Hieronimus Cardanus. Liber .xi. de Subtilitate.

THere is an other difference of regions caused of coulde and heate. For suche as are neare vnto the poles, are vexed with to much coulde: And such as are vnder the line where the soonne is of greateste force, are oppressed with heate. Such as are in the myddest betwene both, are nearest vnto temperatnesse. Under the pole, it is impossible

that there shulde bee populous cities bycause the lande is ba∣ren, and the cariage or conueyaunce of frutes, vyttayles, and other necessaries, is incommodious. By reason wherof, it is necessarie that thinhabitauntes of suche regions lyue euer in continuall wanderynge from place to place, or els in smaule vyllages. Suche as inhabite temperate regions, haue meane cities, aswell for that they haue more commodious conuey∣aunce for necessaries, as also that they may dwell better and more safely togyther then in vyllages by, reason of fortifying theyr townes with walles, and exercisynge of artes and occu¦pations whereby the one maye the he••ter helpe the other. Yet that owlde Rome (beinge in a t••mperate region) was of such incredible byggenesse, the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 was that it obteyned Them∣pire of the worlde, by reason wherof, all nations had cons••u∣ence thyther, and not the greatnesse of the walles. But it is necessarie that the greatest cities bee in hotte regions: fyrste, for that in such regions, parte of the soile is eyther barren yf it lacke water, or els most frutefull if it abounde with water. And for this inequalitie, when they fynde any place meete to susteyne a multitude, it foloweth of necessitie that greate ci∣ties bee buylded in such places by reason of great concourse of people resortynge to the same. An other greate cause is, that wheras in such regions, marchauntes come very farre to such commodious places, they passe through many deserte and pe∣relous regions: So that it shalbe necessary for theyr better se∣curitie, to coome in great companies as it were grea•• armies. And therfore whereas such a societie is once knytte togyther in a commodious place, it shulde bee great hinderance aswell to thinhabitantes as to marchauntes if they shulde wander in incommodious places. And by this confluence, both of suche as dwell neare to suche places, and also of straungers and such as dwell farre of, it is necessarie that in continuance of tyme, smaule townes becoome greate c••ties, as are these: Quinsai, Singui, Cambalu, Memphis, Cairus, or Alcair, o∣therwise cauled Babilon in Egipte. But if here any wyll ob∣iecte Constan••inople (in owlde tyme cauled Bizantium) being in a temperate r••gion, althowgh it bee not to bee compared to such cities as are more then .lx. myles in ••ircuite, yet doo we aunswere hereunto, that the Turkes Empire is the cause of the greatnesse hereof, as wee sayde before of Rome.