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.

That the Spanyardes haue sayled to the Antipodes (that is) suche as go fiete to fiete ageynst vs, and inhabite the inferiour hemispherie or halfe globe of the earthe, contrarie to thoppinion of the owlde writers.

AL the ancient philosophers of the gen••iles do deny that there may be any passage from owre hemispherie or halfe compasse of the earth to the Antopides by reasō of the burnt line (cauled Zona Torrida) and the Ocean sea ly¦inge in the mydde way, wherby this vyage shulde be hyndered and impossible, as Ma∣crobius wryteth,* 1.1 at large in his cōmentaries vpon the dreame of Scipio. Of the Chrystyan phylosophers, Clemente wry∣teth that it is not possible for any man to passe the Ocean:* 1.2 and other wryters of later tyme, seeme to confirme the same. In deede I verely beleue that this way was neuer knowen to them, aswell for that euer presupposynge the thynge to bee impossible they neuer attempted it, as also that the Indians (whom we caule Antipodes) haue no shippes sufficient for so longe and difficulte a nauigation to brynge them knowleage herof,* 1.3 as haue the Spaniardes to passe the Ocean vnto thē: In so much that at this present this vyage is by dayly expe∣rience so well knowen vnto the Spanyardes and Portuga∣les, that they can in maner go thyther blyndfielde, contrarye to thoppinion of those phylosophers. I wyll here omytte to speake of many shippes ••hat haue sayled ordynaryly frome

Spayne to India, and speake onely of the shyppe Uictoria which compass••d abowt the hole globe of the worlde and tou¦ched in the landes of two or three Antipodes,* 1.4 and in fine re∣turned to Spayne by a contrary way, wherby is declared the ignorance of the sage antiquitie. In this nauigation, they founde m••ny secrea••es,* 1.5 amonge the which this is strange and woorthy memorie, that al such deade Christians as were cast into the sea, lay on theyr backes and turned theyr faces vp∣warde: but the gentyles lay all groouelyn on theyr bellyes. They also p••rceaued the soonne and moone to keepe a contra∣ry course from that they doo here, & euer to cast the shadowes of all thynges towarde the south:* 1.6 whiche thynge also was knowen to sum of the owlde wryters. For this is manifeste that the sonne ryseth on the ryght hande to theym that lyue in the thyrtie degrees on thother syde the Equinoctiall:* 1.7 so that lookynge towarde the sonne, they turne theyr faces to the north: wherby it appeareth to bee trew that they affirme. They consumed three yeares lackynge .xiiii. dayes in goyn••e and commynge,* 1.8 and loste a daye in theyr accompte, whereby they dyd eate flesshe on frydayes, and celebrated the feaste of Easter on Mundayes: so that they ouerleaped a day (not fay¦lynge in the calender) and kept no iust rekenynge of the biser¦tile. The cause wherof whyle some haue searched by phylo∣sophie, they haue erred more then the maryners. They sayled x. thousande leaques and .xiiii. myles by theyr accompte, albe¦it they shulde haue gonne lesse, if theyr way hadde liue ryght forth. But as they were enforced partely of necessitie, and partely to fynde that they sowght, they made many wyn∣dynges and turnynges. They trauersed the Equinoctiall line syxe tymes withowt burnynge, contrary to thoppinion of t••e owlde autours. They remayned fyue monethes in the Iland of Tidore, whose inhabitauntes are Antipodes to theym of Guinea,* 1.9* 1.10 wherby it is apparente that wee maye communicate with them. And althowgh they lost the syght of the northe starre, yet dyd they euer dyrecte theyr course therby. For be∣inge in the .xl. degrees of the south,* 1.11 they sawe the needle of the compa••se stande as directly towarde the north as it dooth in the sea Mediterraneum: althowgh sum say that it looseth his force sumwhat.* 1.12 Abowt the poynt of the Southe or pole Antartike, they sawe a lyttle whyte cloude and foure starres

lyke vnto to crosse with three other ioyay••ge therunto, which resemble owre Septentrion, and are indeed to bee the signes or tokens of the south exeltre of heauen.* 1.13 Gre••t was the na∣u••gation of the f••eete of Salamon, bu•• greater was this of Themprours maiestie Don Charles kynge of Spayne. The Argos of Iason whiche the an••••quitie plac••d amonge the starres, sayled but a lyttle way and a shorte vyage in comp••∣rason of the sh••ppe Uictoria whiche owght woorthely to bee kepte in the Arsenall of Siuile in perpetuall memory of so fa∣mous an enterpryse. The daungiours, payn••s, trauayles and laboures of Uly••ses were nothynge in respecte of suche as Iohn Sebastian susteyned:* 1.14 whereby in the scuchion of his armes in the stead of a monstrous or inuincible beast, he woor¦thely gaue the woorlde with this circumscription: PRIMVS CIRCVNDEDISTI ME. (that is) Thou art the fyrst that hath compassed me abowt.

As touchynge the need••e of owr compasse▪ I haue redde in the Portugales nauigations that say••ynge as farre so••th as Cap. de ••••¦na Speranza, the poynt of the needle sty'd res••ected ••h•• northe as it dyd on th••s syde the Equinoctiall. ••a••ynge that it ••um what trembe∣led and ••eciyned a ••••t••e, wherby the fo••ce ••eemed sumwhat to be ••iminisshed, so that they were fayne to helpe it with the lede stone.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Macrobius.
• * 1.2

  Clement.
• * 1.3

  The Indians are Antipo∣des.
• * 1.4

  The shyppe 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.5

  A str••unge thinge.
• * 1.6

  Shadowes to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the so••th
• * 1.7

  The sonne ry¦synge on the ryght ••ande.
• * 1.8

  The vyage of Magella∣nus.
• * 1.9

  Antipodes.
• * 1.10

  Guinea.
• * 1.11

  The north starre.
• * 1.12

  The needle & compasse.
• * 1.13

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.14

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 Ioh•• S••••••∣stian.