26 WANT OF KNOWLEDGE AMONG THE ANCIENTS. 



LIB. i. runnes more equaly and is more proper for the life and 

 habitation of man then in her latitude from North to South. 

 The which is true, not onely for this foresaid reason of 

 Aristotle, that there is alwayes one temperature of the 

 Heavens from East to West,, being equally distant both 

 from the Northerne colde and the Southerne heate. But 

 also for an other reason, for that travelling alwayes in 

 longitude we see the dayes and nights succeed one another 

 by course, the which falleth not out going in her latitude ; 

 for of necessitie wee must come to that Region vnder the 

 Pole, whereas there is continuall night for sixe Moneths, a 

 very inconvenient thing for the life of man. The Philo 

 sopher passeth on further, reprooving the Geographers, 

 which described the earth in his time, and saith thus, 

 &quot; Wee may discerne the trueth of that which I have sayd, 

 by the passages which may be made by land, and the navi 

 gations by sea, for there is a great difference betwixt the 

 longitude and the latitude, for the distance from the pillars 

 of Hercules at the Straight of Gibraltar, vnto the East 

 Indies, exceeds the proportion of about five to three, the 

 passage which is from Ethiopia to the lake of Meotis in 

 the farthest confines of Scythia, the which is confirmed by 

 the account of iourneys by land, and by sayling, as we do 

 now know by experience ; we have also knowledge of the 

 habitable earth, even vnto those partes which are inhabit 

 able/ And truely in this point wee must pardon Aristotle, 

 seeing that in his time they had not discovered beyond the 

 first Ethiopia, called the exterior, ioyning to Arabia and 

 Affricke ; the other Ethiopia being wholy vnknowne in his 

 age. Yea, all that great Land which we now call the Land 

 of Prete Ian, neyther had they any knowledge of the rest 

 that lyes vnder the Equinoctiall, and runnes beyond the 

 Tropicke of Capricorne vnto the Cape of good Hope, so 

 famous and well knowne by the navigation of Portugals ; 

 so as if wee measure the Land from this Cape vnto Scythia 



