a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1578. 



the space of halfe a yere, and then those regions (say 

 The nights some) must needs be deformed with horrible darknesse, 

 under the pole. anc j cont ; nua n night, which may be the cause that beasts 

 can not seeke their food, and that also the colde should 

 then be intollerable. By which double evils all living 

 creatures should be constrained to die, and were not 

 able to indure the extremity and injury of Winter, and 

 famine insuing thereof, but that all things should perish 

 before the Summer following, when they should bring 

 foorth their brood and yoong, and that for these causes 

 the sayd Clime about the pole should be desolate and 

 not habitable. To all which objections may be answered 

 in this maner : First, that though the Sunne be absent 

 from them those six moneths, yet it followeth not that 

 there should be such extreme darknesse ; for as the 

 Sunne is departed under their horizon, so is it not farre 

 from them : and not so soone as the Sunne falleth so 

 suddenly commeth the darke night; but the evening 

 doth substitute and prolong the day a good while after 

 by twilight. After which time the residue of the night 

 receiveth light of the Moone and Starres, untill the 

 breake of the day, which giveth also a certaine light 

 before the Sunnes rising ; so that by these meanes the 

 nights are seldome darke ; which is verified in all parts of 

 the world, but least in the middle Zone under the 

 Equinoctiall, where the twilights are short, and the 

 nights darker then in any other place, because the Sunne 

 goeth under their horizon so deepe, even to their anti- 

 podes. We see in England in the Summer nights, when 

 the Sunne goeth not farre under the horizon, that by 

 the light of the Moone & Starres we may travell all 

 night, and if occasion were, do some other labour also. 

 And there is no man that doubteth whether our cattell 

 can see to feed in the nights, seeing we are so well 

 certified therof by our experience : and by reason of the 

 sphere our nights should be darker then any time under 

 the poles. 



The Astronomers consent that the Sunne descending 



274 



