WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 3 



Chapter II 



111 Which the World Is Stated To Be Round; Its Extent; and 

 How, in the Countries Belonging to His Majesty, at Every Hour 

 Mass Is Being Said. 



7. In order to continue with greater clearness and precision in the 

 description I am writing of the West Indies, New Spain and its other 

 dependencies, and the southern provinces of Peru, as well as the 

 tribes which settled this New World and their different languages, 

 it will be advisable to discuss the whole world in passing, since in 

 practically every part of it the valiant Spaniards have conquered with 

 invincible courage innumerable provinces, kingdoms, and nations, win- 

 ning them for the monarchs of Spain ; in all of which the Holy Gospel 

 has been preached with such success for the Church and the monarchy 

 of Spain that (in contrast to the various nations and monarchies 

 which have not permitted it, from the perfidious and hypocritical 

 heretics of the North, and the Turks and the Persians, as far as 

 Great Tartary and the Chinese, who have not known God or served 

 Him in genuine divine worship) the very Catholic and puissant King 

 of Spain has sheltered, extended, and upheld the Holy Catholic Faith 

 through the great valor and effort of his Spanish vassals, in conse- 

 quence of which at every hour without pause praise is continually 

 offered to God and agreeable sacrifice made to Him ; and thus His 

 Divine Majesty will be served, that all may come to real knowledge 

 of Him. 



8. It is well known and agreed that the world is round, since the 

 curve the sun makes over it from E. to W. indicates the fact, even 

 if it had not been described and discussed by so many geographers, 

 mathematicians, and other writers ; and that the parts of it are Hke 

 the whole, is evident ; that is shown out on the high seas, where only 

 water and sky are seen, and the sea forms a curved horizon, visible 

 as far as sight can reach, and the same is seen when one travels on 

 land over a plain. The earth is the center of this visible universe, 

 which is fixed and fastened upon itself in accordance with the disposi- 

 tion of Divine Providence, as is indicated by the Equinoxes ; it sus- 

 tains and holds everything within itself ; the sea, even though it is 

 very great and deep, neither swings nor tilts one way or the other, 

 nor covers the earth, being obedient to the command of God : "Thou 

 hast set a bound that they may not pass over ; that they turn not 

 again to cover the earth." 



9. In addition to this there are reckoned to be on earth five zones 

 or bands : the two outermost very cold, consisting of the Arctic and 



