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 great Ilande which Plato cauled Atlantica or Atlantide.

THe Philosopher Plato wrytethe in his Dia∣loges of Timeus and Cricia, that in the owlde time there was in the sea Atlanticke ouer agenst Affrica, an Ilande cauled Atlantide greater then Affrica and Asia:* 1.1 affirmynge that those landes a••e from thense continent and greate: And that the kynges of that Ilande gouerned a greate parte of Affrica and Europe. But that in a certeyne greate earthe∣quake and tempest of rayne,* 1.2 this Ilande soonke and the peo∣ple were drowned: Also that there remayned so much mudde of the drownynge or synkynge of that Ilande, that that sea Atlantike coulde not bee sayled. Sum take this for a fable: and many for a trewe hystorie, as doothe Marcilius Ficinus inducinge Proclus alleagynge certeyne hystories of the Ethi∣opians wrytten by one Marcellus,* 1.3* 1.4 who corfirmeth the same to bee trewe. But there is nowe no cause why wee shulde any longer doubte or dispute of the Iland Antlantide, forasmuch as the discouerynge and conquest of the west Indies do plain¦ly declare what Plato hath wrytten of the sayde landes. In Mexico also at this day they caul that water Atl. by the halfe name of Atlant,* 1.5 as by a woorde remaynynge of the name of the Ilande that is not. Wee may lykewyse say that the In∣dies are eyther the Ilande and firme lande of Plato or the re¦manent of the same: and not the Ilandes of Hesperides or Ophir, or Tharsis, as sum haue thought of late dayes. For the Hesperides, are the Ilandes of Cabo Uerde and the Gor¦gonas from whense Hanon browght apes: Albeit in confer∣rynge it with Solinus,* 1.6 there is sum doubte by reason of the nauigation of fortie dayes wherof he speaketh. Aswell maye it bee, that Cuba or Hayti,* 1.7 or any other Ilande of the In∣dies, shulde bee those which the Carthaginenses founde and forbodde theyr citisens to make any vyages thyther or to in∣habite the same as Aristotle and Theophraste doo rehearse where they wryte of the marueylous and vnknowen workes of nature.* 1.8* 1.9 As concernynge Ophir and Tharsis, it is not kno¦wen what or where they bee, althowgh many lerned men as saynt Augustine and other haue searched what citie or lande

Tharsis myght bee. Saynt Ierome who was experte in the Hebrewe tounge, sayth in many places vppon the prophetes that Tharsis is as much to say as the sea: and that whereas it is wrytten that Ionas fledde to Tharsis,* 1.10 he wente to the sea by a longe iorney. Furthermore as concernynge the naui∣gations of Salomon, it is not to bee thowght that his nauies sayled to the west Indies,* 1.11 forasmuch as to passe thyther, it was requisite for them to sayle Westwarde departy••ge frome the sea of Bermeio: and not Eastward as they sayled. Ageine, the west Indies haue no vnicornes, elephantes, diamondes, and such other thynges as they browght in the trade of their nauigations.* 1.12

Notes

• * 1.1

  Plato sayth that these kynges were the sonnes of Neptunus.
• * 1.2

  An earth∣quake.
• * 1.3

  Marcilius Fi∣cinus.
• * 1.4

  Proclus.
• * 1.5

  Mexico or new Spaine.
• * 1.6

  hesperides. Capo Uerde Ophir. Tharsis. Gorgonas. Solinus.
• * 1.7

  Lands found by the Car∣thaginenses.
• * 1.8

  Aristotell.
• * 1.9

  Theophrast.
• * 1.10

  Ionas fledde to Thar••is.
• * 1.11

  The nauigati¦ons of Salo∣mon.
• * 1.12

  Bermeio••is the ••rabian sea.