SECOND EDITION 1598 



thereof. And here by the way I cannot but highly com- 

 mend the great industry and magnanimity of the Hollan- 

 ders, who within these few yeeres have discovered to 78. 

 yea (as themselves affirme) to 81. degrees of Northerly 

 latitude : yet with this proviso ; that our English nation 

 led them the dance, brake the yce before them, and gave 

 them good leave to light their candle at our torch. But 

 nowe it is high time for us to weigh our ancre, to hoise up 

 our sailes, to get cleare of these boistrous, frosty, and misty- 

 seas, and with all speede to direct our course for the milde, 

 lightsome, temperate, and warme Atlantick Ocean, over 

 which the Spaniards and Portugales have made so many 

 pleasant prosperous and golden voyages. And albeit I 

 cannot deny, that both of them in their East and West 

 Indian Navigations have indured many tempests, dangers 

 and shipwracks : yet this dare I boldly affirme ; first that 

 a great number of them have satisfied their fame-thirsty 

 and gold-thirsty mindes with that reputation and wealth, 

 which made all perils and misadventures seeme tolerable 

 unto them ; and secondly, that their first attempts (which 

 in this comparison I doe onely stand upon) were no whit 

 more difficult and dangerous, then ours to the Northeast. 

 For admit that the way was much longer, yet was it never 

 barred with yce, mist, or darknes, but was at all seasons of 

 the yeere open and Navigable ; yea and that for the most 

 part with fortunate and fit gales of winde. Moreover they 

 had no forren prince to intercept or molest them, but their 

 owne Townes, Islands, and maine lands to succour them. 

 The Spaniards had the Canary Isles : and so had the Por- 

 tugales the Isles of the A9ores, of Porto santo, of 

 Madera, of Cape verd, the castle of Mina, the fruitful! 

 and profitable Isle of S. Thomas, being all of them con- 

 veniently situated, and well fraught with commodities. 

 And had they not continual! and yerely trade in some one 

 part or other of Africa, for getting of slaves, for sugar, for 

 Elephants teeth, graines, silver, gold, and other precious 

 wares, which served as allurements to draw them on by 

 little and litle, and as proppes to stay them from giving 



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