The Same Calamity Happened Unto This Isle Of Atlantis Six Hundred
And Odd Years Before Plato's Time, Which Some Of
The people of the
south-east parts of the world accounted as nine thousand years; for
the manner then was
To reckon the moon's period of the Zodiac for a
year, which is our usual month, depending a Luminari minore.
So that in these our days there can no other main or island be found
or judged to be parcel of this Atlantis than those western islands,
which now bear the name of America; countervailing thereby the name
of Atlantis in the knowledge of our age.
Then, if when no part of the said Atlantis was oppressed by water
and earthquake, the coasts round about the same were navigable, a
far greater hope now remaineth of the same by the north-west, seeing
the most part of it was since that time swallowed up with water,
which could not utterly take away the old deeps and channels, but,
rather, be many occasion of the enlarging of the old, and also an
enforcing of a great many new; why then should we now doubt of our
North-West Passage and navigation from England to India, etc.,
seeing that Atlantis, now called America, was ever known to be an
island, and in those days navigable round about, which by access of
more water could not be diminished?
Also Aristotle in his book De Mundo, and the learned German, Simon
Gryneus, in his annotations upon the same, saith that the whole
earth (meaning thereby, as manifestly doth appear, Asia, Africa, and
Europe, being all the countries then known) to be but one island,
compassed about with the reach of the Atlantic sea; which likewise
approveth America to be an island, and in no part adjoining to Asia
or the rest.
Also many ancient writers, as Strabo and others, called both the
ocean sea (which lieth east of India) Atlanticum Pelagus, and that
sea also on the west coasts of Spain and Africa, Mare Atlanticum;
the distance between the two coasts is almost half the compass of
the earth.
So that it is incredible, as by Plato appeareth manifestly, that the
East Indian Sea had the name of Atlanticum Pelagus, of the mountain
Atlas in Africa, or yet the sea adjoining to Africa had name Oceanus
Atlanticus, of the same mountain; but that those seas and the
mountain Atlas were so called of this great island Atlantis, and
that the one and the other had their names for a memorial of the
mighty Prince Atlas, sometime king thereof, who was Japhet, youngest
son to Noah, in whose time the whole earth was divided between the
three brethren, Shem, Ham, and Japhet.
Wherefore I am of opinion that America by the north-west will be
found favourable to this our enterprise, and am the rather
emboldened to believe the same, for that I find it not only
confirmed by Plato, Aristotle, and other ancient philosophers, but
also by the best modern geographers, as Gemma Frisius, Munsterus,
Appianus Hunterus, Gastaldus, Guyccardinus, Michael Tramesinus,
Franciscus Demongenitus, Barnardus, Puteanus, Andreas Vavasor,
Tramontanus, Petrus Martyr, and also Ortelius, who doth coast out in
his general map (set out Anno 1569) all the countries and capes on
the north-west side of America from Hochelega to Cape de Paramantia,
describing likewise the sea-coasts of Cathay and Greenland, towards
any part of America, making both Greenland and America islands
disjoined by a great sea from any part of Asia.
All which learned men and painful travellers have affirmed with one
consent and voice, that America was an island, and that there lieth
a great sea between it, Cathay, and Greenland, by the which any man
of our country that will give the attempt, may with small danger
pass to Cathay, the Moluccas, India, and all other places in the
east in much shorter time than either the Spaniard or Portuguese
doth, or may do, from the nearest part of any of their countries
within Europe.
What moved these learned men to affirm thus much I know not, or to
what end so many and sundry travellers of both ages have allowed the
same; but I conjecture that they would never have so constantly
affirmed, or notified their opinions therein to the world, if they
had not had great good cause, and many probable reasons to have led
them thereunto.
Now lest you should make small account of ancient writers or of
their experiences which travelled long before our times, reckoning
their authority amongst fables of no importance, I have for the
better assurance of those proofs set down some part of a discourse,
written in the Saxon tongue, and translated into English by Master
Noel, servant to Master Secretary Cecil, wherein there is described
a navigation which one other made, in the time of King Alfred, King
of Wessex, Anne 871, the words of which discourse were these: "He
sailed right north, having always the desert land on the starboard,
and on the larboard the main sea, continuing his course, until he
perceived that the coast bowed directly towards the east or else the
sea opened into the land he could not tell how far, where he was
compelled to stay until he had a western wind or somewhat upon the
north, and sailed thence directly east along the coast, so far as he
was able in four days, where he was again enforced to tarry until he
had a north wind, because the coast there bowed directly towards the
south, or at least opened he knew not how far into the land, so that
he sailed thence along the coast continually full south, so far as
he could travel in the space of five days, where he discovered a
mighty river which opened far into the land, and in the entry of
this river he turned back again."
Whereby it appeareth that he went the very way that we now do yearly
trade by S. Nicholas into Muscovia, which way no man in our age knew
for certainty to be sea, until it was since discovered by our
Englishmen in the time of King Edward I., but thought before that
time that Greenland had joined to Normoria Byarmia, and therefore
was accounted a new discovery, being nothing so indeed, as by this
discourse of Ochther's it appeareth.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 8 of 49
Words from 7161 to 8228
of 50368
