He Alleges Many Reasons In Proof
Of This Assertion, And Even Says Particularly, That These Early
Navigators Sailed In Forty Days From Cape Verde To These Islands.
Others
say, that the islands of St Thomas and de Principe are the Hesperides,
and not the Antilles; which
Is the more probable, as these ancient
navigators only sailed along the coast, not daring to pass through the
main ocean, having no compass, nor any means of taking altitudes for
their guidance. It is not to be denied that many countries, islands,
capes, isthmuses, and points, the names of which are found in histories,
are now unknown; because, in course of ages, the force of the waters has
wasted and consumed them, and has separated countries from each other
formerly joined, both in Europe, Asia, Africa, New Spain, Peru, and other
places.
In his dialogue called Timaeus, Plato says there was anciently a great
country and large islands in the Atlantic, named Atlantides, greater than
Europe and Africa, and that the kings of these parts were lords of a
great part of Spain; but that, by the force of great tempests, the sea
had overflowed the country, leaving nothing but banks of mud and gravel,
so that no ships could pass that way for long after. It is also recorded
by Pliny[12], that close by the island of Cadiz, there was a well
inhabited island called Aphrodisias, towards the Straits of Gibraltar,
abounding in gardens and orchards; but we have now no knowledge of this
island, except from the bare mention of it in ancient authors. The Isle
of Cadiz is said to have been anciently so large as to join the continent
of Spain. The Acores are held to have been a continuation of the
mountains of Estrella, which join the sea coast beside the town of Cintra;
and the Sierra Verde, or Green-mountains, which reach the coast, near the
city of _Sasin_ in the land of _Cucu_, or the island of Moudim in which
Algarbe is situated, are supposed to have reached to Porto Santo and
Madeira. For it is considered as an indubitable fact, that all islands
derive their roots from the firm land or continent, however distant, as
otherwise they could not stand firm. Other authors say, that from Spain
to Ceuta in Barbary, people sometimes travelled on foot on dry land; that
the islands of Corsica and Sardinia were once joined; that Sicily was
united with Italy, and the Negropont with Greece[13]. We read also of the
hulls of ships, iron anchors, and other remnants of shipping, having been
found on the mountains of Susa, far inland, where there is now no
appearance of the sea having ever been. Many writers affirm, that in
India and Malabar, which now abounds in people, the sea once reached the
foot of the mountains; and that Cape Comorin and the island of Ceylon
were once united; also that Sumatra once joined with Malacca, by the
shoals of Caypasia; and not far from thence there is a small island which,
only a few years ago, was joined to the opposite coast. Ptolemy advances
the point of Malacca three or four degrees to the south of the line;
whereas its most southerly point, now called Jentana, is in one degree of
north latitude, by which people pass daily the straits of Cincapura to
the coasts of Siam and China; and the island of Aynan is said to have
formerly joined the land of China; the southern extremity of which
Ptolomey placed far to the south of the line, though it now only reaches
to twentieth degree of north latitude.
It may even have been that Malacca and China, as Ptolemy sets forth,
extended beyond the line to the south; as Malacca might join with the
land called Jentana, and the islands of Bintam, Banca, and Salistres, and
the land might be all slime and ouze; likewise China might be united with
the Lucones, Borneo, Lequeuo, Mindanao, and others. Some are of opinion,
that Sumatra joined with Java, across what is now the Straits of Sunda;
and that Java also joined with the islands of Bali, Anjave, Cambava,
Solor, Hogalcao, Maulva, Vintara, Rosalaguin, and others in that range,
all of which are so near as to appear continuous, when seen from a small
distance; and they still are so near together, that in passing through
the channels which divide them, the boughs of the trees on each side may
be touched by the hands. It is not long since several of the islands of
Banda in the east were drowned by the sea overflowing them; and in China,
about 180 miles of firm land are said to have become a lake. All these
things are to be considered as coming within the limits of probability,
especially when we take into account what has been related of similar
events by Ptolemy and others, but which I here omit to return to my
subject.
About 800 years after the deluge, the city of Troy was built by the
Dardanians; and even before that time, spices, drugs, and many other
kinds of merchandize, which were then more abundant than now, were
brought from India to Europe, by the Red Sea. Hence, if credit can be
given to these accounts, we may conclude, that the sea of old was much
frequented, those of the east bringing their commodities to the haven of
Arsinoe in the Arabian Gulf, now called Suez[14], in lat. 30 deg. N. and at
the northern extremity of the Arabian Gulf; from whence the goods were
carried by caravans, upon camels, asses, and mules, to Cassou, a city on
the coast of the Levant sea, in lat. 32 deg. N. Allowing seventeen leagues
and a half to every degree of latitude, these two cities are said to have
been 35 leagues, or 105[15] miles distant from each other. On account of
the heat, these caravans, or great companies of carriers, travelled only
in the night, directing themselves by the stars, and by land-marks fixed
in the ground for that purpose.
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