❧ To the ryght woorshipfull Syr Wylliam Wynter, Knyght, Maister of the Ordinaunce of the Queenes Maiesties Shippes, and Surueyor of the sayd Shippes. Richarde Eden wysheth health and prosperitie.
IT is nowe about twelue yeeres paste (gentle Maister Wynter) since the curtesie and fauour which long before I founde at your hande, mooued me no lesse for the good wyll that I haue euer borne you and your vertues, to excogitate or deuise somethyng, within the compasse of my poore abilitie, that myght be a witnesse, & as it were a seale, to testifie both that I haue not forgotten your gentlenesse, & also howe desyrous I am to pay the debtes of freendshyp which then I promised you, & also attemp∣ted to perfourme: But beyng at that tyme preuented, by meanes of my sodayne departyng out of Englande, with my good Lorde the Vidame, with whom I re∣mayned for the space of ten yeeres, vntyll the calamities of that miserable coun∣trey, with losse of goods, and danger of lyfe, hath dryuen me home agayne into my natiue countrey: Where fyndyng my selfe at some leysure, and desyrous to passe foorth parte of my tyme in some honest exercise, which myght be profytable to ma∣ny, domagable to none, and a meanes to geat me newe freendes, the olde in my so long absence, in maner vtterly wasted: I chaunced in the meane tyme, to meete with my olde acquayntance and freend, Richard Iugge, Printer to the Queenes Maiestie, who had many yeeres before, printed the Booke of Matten Curtes, of the Art of Nauigation, by me translated out of the Spanyshe tongue. Whereof, ha∣uyng with him some conference, he declared that he woulde prynt that booke a∣gayne, yf I woulde take the paynes to deuise some addition touchyng the same matter, that myght be ioyned thereto. At whiche tyme, hauyng with me in the Latine tongue, these bookes here folowyng printed, whiche I brought with me out of Fraunce, I soone agreed to his honest request, to translate them into Englyshe: Whiche beyng accomplyshed, this onely remayned, accordyng to the common custome, to consecrate and dedicate the same to some worthie personage, whose fame, auchoritie, and dignitie, myght defende them from the euyll tongues of such as are more redie rather to reprooue other mens dooynges, then to doo any good them selues. And therfore (gentle Maister Wynter) knowing your auctho∣ritie and fame in well deseruyng, and honorable seruice vnto your Prince and Countrey, to be suche as all men thynke so well of, and so greatlye esteeme, to whom (rather then vnto you) may I dedicate this booke of Nauigation? In consyderation whereof, and the hope that I haue in your approoued curte∣sie, fauourably to accept this dedication, as proceeyng from one that desyreth no∣thyng more then to doo you seruice, and remayne in your grace, I shall thynke my trauayle wel bestowed, and sufficiently recompenced, yf it shall please you to ac∣cept the same as thankfully, as I wyllyngly offer it vnto you. For yf there be any thyng in me, wherein I maye by good reason please my selfe, it is cheefely this, Page [unnumbered] that I haue euer loued and honoured men of singuler vertue or qualitie, in what so euer laudable Art or Science, euen of those whereof I mee selfe haue litle knowledge, as are Geometrie, Astronomie, Architecture, Musicke, Payn∣tyng, feates of Armes, inuentions of Ingens, and suche lyke: Of the whiche, this our age maye seeme not onely to contende with the Auncientes, but also in many goodly inuentions of Art and wyt, farre to exceede them. For (not to speake agaynst all the marueylous inuentions of our tyme) what of theirs is to be compared to the Artes of Printyng, makyng of Gunnes, Fyre woor∣kes, of sundry kyndes of artificial Fyres, of suche marueylous force, that moun∣taynes of moste harde rockes and stones, are not able to resyst their violence, but art by them broken in peeces, and throwen into the ayre with suche violence, that neyther the spirite of Demogorgon, or the thunderboltes of infernal Pluto can doo the lyke. What shoulde I here speake of the woonderfull inuentions of Fartalio, in his booke De Arte maiori? or of many other, wherof Vannucius Beringocius wry∣teth in his booke, entituled Pytotechnia. As touchyng which terrible inuentions, and the lyke, although some men be of opinion that they were inuented by the in∣stigation of the deuyll, for the destruction of mankynde: yet other weyghyng the matter more indifferently, thynke that the inuention of Gunnes hath been the sa∣uyng of many mens lyues, because before the vse of them, men were not woont so long tyme to lye batteryng in the besiegyng of Townes or Fortresses, but in short space to come to hande strokes, and to soughten feeldes, to the great slaughter of great multitudes. And seeyng that nowe our enimies the Turkes, and other In∣fidels, haue the vse of these deuylyshe inuentions (as they name them) it may be thought requisite for vs, agaynst suche deuylles to vse also the lyke deuylyshe in∣uentions, lest refusyng the same, and geuyng place to euyl, we shoulde wyllyngly suffer the kyngdome of the deuyll to triumphe ouer vs, not otherwyse able to re∣syst, and much lesse to ouercome so puissant and horrible enimies (except besyde al hope) myght aryse in our defence some newe Moyses, or Elias, or the Priestes of Iericho, whiche onely with the noyse and sounde of Hornes or Trumpettes ouer∣threwe the walles of the towne. Neyther wyl the example of Dauid and Goliath, or of Samson and the Philistines, serue our turne at this tyme, although I be∣leeue that the arme of the Lorde is not weakened, yf there lacked not a Moyses with his rodde, and woorthie Assystentes, which myght helpe to holde vp his wee∣rye arme. But to returne to speake of ingens, and ingenious inuentions, whiche inuented and vsed to the glorie of God, and defence of his people, against the furie and tyrannie of Infidelles, they may as woorthyly be called the gyftes of God, as were the inuentions and Art of them that buylded eyther the Temple of Hieru∣salem, or the Arke of God: And yet is it there wrytten of those Artificers, that God gaue them the spirite of knowledge and cunnyng in suche Artes. And there∣fore I thynke it may also be sayde without offence,* that the knowledge of Archi∣medes, and other men in suche commendable inuentions, are the gyftes of God, for as muche as the gyftes of God are free, and not bounde to any nation or person. And yf it may be graunted that the spirites of men, or the spirite of God in men, may be diuided (as was the spirite of Moyses to twelue other) or otherwyse that the spirites of dead men may reuiue in other (after the opinion and transanimati∣on of Pythagoras) we may thynke that the soule of Archimedes was reuiued in Bes∣son, that excellent Geometer of our tyme, whom I knewe in Fraunce the Maister of the engins to the Frenche kyng, Charles the nienth, vnder whom that lamen∣table slaughter at Paris was committed, in the whiche were slayne so many noble men. Whiche crueltie the sayde Besson abhorryng, fled hyther into England, and Page [unnumbered] here dyed, in the yeere. 1573. and left in witnesse of his excellencie in that Art, a booke in prynt, conteynyng the fourmes and portractes of syxtie engins of marueylous strange and profytable deuice, for diuers commodious and necessary vses. Of the whiche, for as muche as three of them, that is to meane, the .54. 57. and 60. be engines cheefely parteynyng vnto Shyppes, it shall not be from my purpose here to make a breefe rehearsal of them. The .54. therefore (as he wry∣teth) is an engin not vnlyke vnto that whiche in auncient tyme Archimedes inuen∣ted for the Syracusians, wherewith a man with the strength of onely one hande, by helpe of the instrument called Trispaston (which in our tongue some cal an endlesse Serue, brought a Shyp of marueylous greatnesse from the lande into the sea, in the syght of kyng Hieron, and an infinite multitude, whiche with all their force coulde not doo the same. &c. Of the which also, our countrey man, Roger Bacon,* a great Philosopher (and no Nicromancer, as that ignorant age slaundered him) seemed to haue had some knowledge: For in his booke of the marueylous power of Art and Nature, he maketh mention of an Instrument (as farre as I remem∣ber) no bygger than a mans hande, wherewith one man myght drawe to hym the strength of three hundred men. And I well remember, that at my beyng in Fraunce, I hearde credible reporte, that the Earle of Rocum•••fe, an Almaine, made an engin, wherewith the sayde kyng Charles when he was but .xvi. yeeres of age, lyfted from the grounde a weyght, whiche the strongest man in the courte was not able to remooue. Almoste the lyke deuice we see in the bendyng of a Crossebowe. Also at my being in Germanie in the citie of Strosburge, a woorthy and learned Gentleman, Monsieur de Saleno, tolde me that in that citie one had in∣uented an engin of iron, no bygger then a mans hande, wherevnto fastenyng a rope, with a hooke of iron, and castyng the hooke vpon a wal, tree, or other place, where it myght take holde, he coulde with that engin lyft hym selfe vp to the wal, or other place. But to returne to the other two engines of Besson, parteynyng to our purpose. Therefore the .60. fygure (as he there wryteth) is the inuention of an engin, scarsely credible, wherewith by ballance and easie motion, beyond the order of nature, a Shyp may be so framed and gouerned, that in the calme sea it shall mooue forewarde, and in litle wynde hasten the course, & in too much wynde temper and moderate the same: A thyng woorth the knowledge to a kyng, as he sayth. Of the thyrd engin, which is the .57. fygure of his booke, he wryteth thus, An Artifice not yet diuulgate or set forth, whiche placed in the pompe of a Shyp, whyther the water hath recourse, and mooued by the motion of the Shyp, with wheeles and weyghtes, dooth exactly shewe what space the Shyp hath gone. &c. By whiche description, some doo vnderstand that the knowledge of the longitude myght so be founde, a thyng doubtlesse greatly to be desyred, and hytherto not cer∣taynely knowen, although Sebastian Cabot on his death bed tolde me that he has the knowledge thereof by diuine reuelation, yet so, that he myght not teache any man. But I thinke that the good olde man, in that extreme age, somewhat doted, and had not yet euen in the article of death, vtterly shaken of all worldlye vayne glorie. As touchyng whiche knowledge of the longitude, to speake a litle more b• occasion nowe geuen, it shal not be from the purpose, to rehearse the saying of that excellent learned man, Iohannes Feruclius, in his incomparable booke De ab••s re∣rum causis, where in the Preface to king Henrie of Fraunce, he writeth in this ma∣ner. We haue put our helpyng hande to the Art of Nauigation and Geographie: forby obseruation of the houres of the Equinoctialles, we haue inuented howe, in what so euer region or place of the worlde a man shalbe, he may knowe in what longitude it is: which certaynly we haue not taken of the fountaynes of the anci∣entes, but fyrste, of all other (as I thynke) haue drawen it of ou• ryuers, as our Page [unnumbered] owne inuention. &c. So that (saith be) whiche way so euer you turne your eyes, you may see that the posteritie hath not ryotously wasted the inheritance of Artes and sciences, left them by their predecessors, but haue greatly encreased the same, and inuented other: For certaynely, the multitude of thinges incomprehensible, is infinite, and so therfore inuentions must needes also be infinite, & without ende. And therefore, as touchyng this thing (sayth he) to speake freely what I thynke, they seeme to me to offende as muche, whiche contende that the auncientes haue inuented and comprehended al thynges, as doo they whiche attribute not vnto them the fyrst inuentions, so depryuyng them of theyr ryght possession. For where∣as nowe by the benefite of almyghtie God (who hath geuen vs his Christe, and with hym all good thynges) the lyght of trueth shyneth in our vnderstandyng by godly inspiration, there is no iust cause why we shoulde in suche thynges thinke vs inferior to the auncientes. Of which Argument, who lysteth may reade more in the sayde Epistle of Pernelius.* And for as much as I haue made mention of such inuentions, it shal not be from the purpose, to describe the goodly instrumēt wher∣of Angelus Policianus in the fourth booke of Epistles to Franciscus Casa, wryteth in this maner, I haue receyued your Epistle, wherein you signifie vnto me, that you haue hearde of the strange engine or instrument Antomaton inuented, and made of late by one Laurence a Florentine: in the which is expressed the course and moti∣ons of the Planettes, comformable and agreeyng with the motions of heauen: And that (for as muche as the reporte thereof is hardly beleeued) you greatly de∣syre that I should write vnto you, what certayne knowledge I haue of that thing, wherein I am redie to obey your request. And although nowe it be long since I sawe it, yet as farre as I beare in memorie, I wyll breefely declare the fourme, reason, and vse thereof. And yf the description of it shal seeme vnto you somewha• obscure, you shall not ascribe it altogether to my declaration, but partly to the subtiltie & nouiltie of the thyng. It is in fourme of a square pyller, sharpe toward the top, in maner of a P•rami•, of the height of almost three cubites: ouer or aboue it, in maner of a couer, is a flat or playne rounde plate of gylted copper, garnyshed with sundry colours, on whose other part is expressed the whole course of the Pla∣nets, and whose dimention or measure is somewhat shorter then a cubite, and is within turned or mooued with certayne litle denticle wheeles, an immouable cir∣cle comprehendyng the hyghest border or margent, and diuided with the spaces of xxiiii. houres within it, in the hyghest turnyng rundel, the twelue signes are dis∣cerned by three degrees. Further, within are seene eyght runde is, in maner all of one greatnesse. Of these, two obteyne the myddle poynt, the one fastened in the other, so that the lowest beyng somewhat bygger, representeth the Sunne, and the hygher the Moone. From the Sunne a beame commyng to the circle, sheweth in it the houres: and in the Zodiacke, the monethes, dayes, and number of degrees, and also the true and halfe motion of the Sunne. From the Moone also procedeth a p••ne, or wyre, whiche beneathe or downwarde in the border or margent of the greatest rundell, sheweth the houres: and passyng by the center of the Epicicle of the Moone, and extendyng to the Zodiacke, sheweth the halfe motion of his Pla∣net. Another also rysyng from thence, and cuttyng the border of the center of the Moone (that is of the Epicicle) sheweth her true place, whereby art seene the slownesse, swyftnesse, al motions and courses, coniunctions also, and ful Moones. About these are syxe other rundels: of the whiche, one, whom they call the head and tayle of the Dragon, sheweth the Eclipses both of the Sunne and Moone. The other are attributed to the Planets: from euery of whiche, proceede two pay••es, assigning the motions (as we haue sayd) of the Moone: but they also goe backwarde, whiche chaunceth not in the Moone, whose Eclipse is mooued con∣trarywyse. Page [unnumbered] And thus the reason of coniunctions, departynges, and latitudes, is manifest in all. There is also an other border lyke vnto a Zodiacke, cutting or diui∣dyng vpwarde or aboue, those syx litle rundels (whereof we haue spoken) being the rundels of the Planettes: whereby appeareth the degrees of the East signes, and the spaces of the dayes (that is to say) at what houre the Sunne riseth, by the whiche, euery of the Planettes are carried in their rundels or circles by course, in the day tyme to the East, and in the nyght to the West. Agayne contrarywyse, the greatest rundel of al, draweth with it al the Planettes, in the nyght to the East, and in the day to the West, in the space of .24. houres. At which, to agree with the motions of heauen, both reason and experience doo confyrme: And therfore ought ye not to marueyle, yf these thynges seeme incredible to many. For (as sayth the wyse Prouerve) fayth is slowlye geuen to great thynges, for euen we scarsely be∣leeue our owne eyes, when we see suche thynges. And therefore, whereas in tyme past I read, that suche a lyke instrument was made by Archimedes, my fayth yet fayled me to geue credite to so great an Aucthour, which thyng neuerthelesse this our Florentine hath perfourmed. The worke doubtlesse beyng of such excellence, that all prayse is inferior to it, and can not therfore for the wo••thyn•sse thereof be otherwyse praysed, then to say that it passeth all prayse. The Artificer him selfe also being a man of such integritie of maners, that the sunne is nothing inferior to the excellencie of his wyt: in so much that he may seeme a man sent from heauen, where be learned the makyng of this heauen, by the example of the other. Hyther∣to Policianus. Of the lyke instrument, Roger Bacon also maketh mention in his sayde booke, of the marueylous power of Art and nature, affyrmynge the same to be woorth a kyngdome to a wyse man. But for as muche as the subiect whiche I haue nowe in hande, is cheefely touchyng inuentions parteinyng to Shyppes, and the Art of Nauigation, I thynke good to speake somewhat of the inuention of a certayne Italian wryter, named Leonardo F•o•ananti, who in his booke, entituled,* Specchio discientia vniuersale, doeth greatly glory in the inuention of Shyppes, whiche can not peryshe eyther on the sea, or the lande,* affyrmyng that the lyke was neuer inuented since the creation of the worlde. But I feare me, lest vayne glorie of discoursyng in the Italian tongue, hath caused him more then needes, to commende his owne inuention, as for the moste parte is the maner of the Italian writers. Therfore committing the iudgement hereof to men of greater experience and knowledge in these thynges, I wyl onely translate his woordes, whereby in the booke before named, he describeth the sayde Shyppe in this maner. Take beames of Fyrre, or Pyne tree, which of their owne nature can neuer goe downe, or syncke, or abyde vnder the water, and with these beames frame an e•••ne (Machina, yf I may so call it) of the length of three score foure, and of the breadth of twentie foote, and of the heyght of syxe foote, laying the fyrste ranke in length, and the other trauerse, or ouerthwarte, and the thyrde agayne in length, fas••∣onyng the sore parte lyke vnto other Shyppes, and in lyke maner, bryngyng the poupe or hynder parte to good fourme: then with suche irons as •pparteyne, bynde it, and strengthen it in suche maner that it can not breake. And vpon this frame or fundation buylde your Shyppe, of suche fashion as you thynke best. &c. It were here too long to rehearse with what proude woordes and ostentation he magnifieth this inuention. But whether this frame or engine shoulde be bylden vpon the keele or bottome of the Shyp, or otherwyse, I commit it to them of bet∣ter iudgement, as I haue sayde. But wheras it may for this tyme suffice to haue wrytten thus muche of these thynges, I wyll make an ende with onely a br••te rehearsal of the inuention and encrease of the Art of Nauigation.
After that the Art of Nauigation was founde, euery man began to chalenge vnto Page [unnumbered] hym the dominion of the sea, & there to dwel and kepe warre euen as on the land.
Minos (as wryteth Strabo) was the fyrst that ruled on the sea, whiche neuerthe∣lesse, other ascribe to Neptunus, who fyrst founde the Art of Nauigation, and was therefore (as wryteth Diodorus) appoynted by Saturnus to be Admiral of the fyrste Nauie: and thereby the posteritie afterwarde ascribed to him the gouernaunce of the sea, and named him the God thereof. After whom the Cretenses euer were esteemed most expert in the Art of Nauigation. But (as wryteth Pliuie) boates were fyrst inuented, and with them was the fyrste saylyng in the Ilandes of the redde sea, vnder kyng Erythra, as also witnesseth Quintilian, saying, If none had proceeded further then the inuentions of our predecessors, we had had nothyng in the Poets aboue Andronicus, and nothyng in histories aboue the Annales or Cro∣nicles of Byshoppes, and had yet haue sayled in troughes or in boates. Other haue ascribed this inuention to diuers other nations and persons, as to the Troians and Mysians in Hellesponto, and also that the ancient Britanes made boates of leather or hydes, and sayled with them in the Ocean sea. Plinie wryteth, that Danaus was the fyrst that brought a Shyppe out of Grece into Egypt. Some also geue the same to Minerua. But most ryghtfully, the inuention both of the Shyp, and Art of Nauigation, is ascribed to Noe, who (as wryteth Eusebius) was long before Neptune or Danaus. For doubtelesse (sayth he) the Arke of Noe was none other then a Shyp, and the fyrste and onely exemplar of the buyldyng of all other Shyppes or vesselles of saylyng. Also the moste ancient wryter Berosus the Chal∣dean (as wryteth Iosephus) calleth the Arke of Noe, a Shyp. The same Iosephus also sayth, that the Nephues of Noe, departyng to inhabite diuers partes of the worlde, vsed many Shyppes. &c. Long after Noe, the Tyrians were counted most expert in the Art of Nauigation: and after them, diuers other nations. For wheras no Art is so perfect, but may receyue encrease, hereof doth it folowe, that this Art also hath been greatly augmented, and brought to further perfection by witty inuentions of the posteritie, euen vnto our age: wherof, who so lysteth to knowe further more particulerly who inuented all other partes and instrumentes partey∣nyng to al sortes of Shyppes, & Art of Nauigation, may reade ye thyrde booke of Polidor Virgil, Cap. xv, De Inuentorib. Rer. and Bayfius, de re nauali.
Thus gentle Maister Wynter, beseechyng your woorshyp to take in good part this testimonie of my thankfull hart (suche as it is) I beseeche the immortall God to prosper all your dooinges to his honor, and the benefite of your Countrey.
