E 



A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1592. 



The eleventh section. 



Fris'ius. Not farre from these mountaines (the three forenamed) 

 declining to the sea shoare, there be foure fountaines 

 of a most contrary nature betweene themselves. The 

 first, by reason of his continuall heat converteth into 

 a stone any body cast into it, the former shape only 

 still remaining. The second is extremely cold. The 

 thu'd is sweeter then hony, and most pleasant to 

 quench thirst. The fourth is altogether deadly, 

 pestilent, and full of ranke poison. 



Ven this description of fountaines doth sufficiently 

 declare howe impure that fountaine was, out of 

 which the geographer drew all these miraculous stories. 

 For he seemeth to affirme, that the three foresaid 

 mountaines doe almost touch one another : for he 

 ascribeth foure fountaines indifferently unto them all. 

 Otherwise, if he had not made them stand neare together, 

 he would have placed next unto some one of these, 

 two of the foresaide fountaines. But neither doe these 

 mountaines touch (being distant so many leagues a 

 sunder) neither are there any such foure tountaines neare 

 unto them, which, he that wil not beleeve, let him go 

 try. But to confute these things, the very contrariety 

 of writers is sufficient. For another concerning two 

 fountaines gainsayth Frisius in these words. There do 

 burst out of the same hill Hecla two fountaines, the 

 one whereof, by reason of the cold streames, the other 

 with intolerable heat exceedeth al the force of elements. 

 These be Frisius his two first fountaines, saving that 

 here is omitted the miracle of hardening bodies, being 

 by him attributed to one of the said fountaines. But 

 they cannot at one time breake forth, both out of the 

 mountaine it selfe, and neare unto the mountaine. 



But here I would willingly demaund, by what reason 

 any of the Peripateticks can affirme, that there is some 

 thine in nature colder then the element of water, or 

 hotter then the element of fire. From whence (I pray 



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