PREFACE TO THE 



of their ships, the sayd king caused such huge ships 

 to be built, quales non erant in mundo, as the like were 

 not to be found in the whole world besides. 



But to leave our ancient shipping, and descend unto 

 later times ; I thinke that never was any nation blessed of 

 Jehovah, with a more glorious and wonderfull victory 

 upon the Seas, then our vanquishing of the dreadfull 

 Spanish Armada, 1588. But why should I presume to 

 call it our vanquishing ; when as the greatest part of them 

 escaped us, and were onely by Gods out-stretched arme 

 overwhelmed in the Seas, dashed in pieces against the 

 Rockes, and made fearefull spectacles and examples of his 

 judgements unto all Christendome ? An excellent dis- 

 course whereof, as likewise of the honourable expedition 

 under two of the most noble and valiant peeres of this 

 Realme, I meane, the renoumed Erie of Essex, and the 

 right honorable the lord Charles Howard, lord high 

 Admirall of England, made 1596. unto the strong citie of 

 Cadiz, I have set downe as a double epiphonema to con- 

 clude this my first volume withall. Both of which, albeit 

 they ought of right to have bene placed among the 

 Southerne voyages of our nation : yet partly to satisfie 

 the importunitie of some of my special friends, and partly, 

 not longer to deprive the diligent Reader of two such 

 woorthy and long-expected discourses ; I have made bold 

 to straine a litle curtesie with that methode which I first 

 propounded unto my selfe. 



And here had I almost forgotten to put the Reader in 

 mind of that learned and Philosophical treatise of the true 

 state of Iseland, and so consequently of the Northren 

 Seas & regions lying that way : wherein a great number 

 of none of the meanest Historiographers and Cosmogra- 

 phers of later times, as namely, Munster, Gemma Frisius, 

 Zieglerus, Krantzius, Saxo Grammaticus, Olaus Magnus, 

 Peucerus and others, are by evident arguments convinced 

 of manifold errors : that is to say, as touching the true 

 situation and Northerly latitude of that Island, and of the 

 distance thereof from other places ; touching the length of 



Iviii 



