28 THE SOUTHERN ZONES. 



LIB. i. ^ Q wor ld, saying, &quot; It is necessarie the earth should have 

 the same proportion with the Pole Antarticke, as this our 

 part which is habitable hath with the North ; and there is 

 no doubt but in that other world all things should be ordred 

 as in ours, especially in the growing and order of the 

 winds. &quot; And having alleaged other reasons to no purpose, 

 he concludes, saying, &quot; We must confesse of necessity that 

 the Southerne wind is that which blowes and comes from 

 the burning zone, the which being so neere the sunne 

 wantes water and pastures&quot;. This is Aristotles opinion, 

 and in truth mans coniecture can hardly passe any farther. 

 So as I do often consider, with a Christian contemplation, 

 how weake the Philosophic of the wise of this world hath 

 beene in the search of divine things, seeing in humaine 

 things (wherein they seeme so well read) they often erre. 

 Aristotle holds that the habitable earth of the Pole Ant- 

 artike in longitude from East to West is very great, and in 

 latitude from the Pole Antartike to the Equinoctiall is very 

 small ; the which is so contrary to the truth, that in a 

 maner all the habitation on this side the Pole Antartike is 

 in latitude (I meane from the Pole to the line), and in 

 longitude from East to West it is so small, as the latitude 

 exceede it three partes or more. In his other opinion he 

 affirmes, that the middle region is inhabitable, being vnder 

 the burning zone, burnt up by the excessive heate caused 

 by the neereness of the sunne, and by this reason hath 

 neither waters nor pastures. The which is in like sort 

 contrary ; for the greatest part of this new world is scitu- 

 ated betwixt the two Tropickes vnder the burning zone, 

 and yet it is found very well peopled arid inhabited by men 

 and other sortes of creatures, being a region of all the 

 world the most fruitful! of waters and pastures, and very 

 temperate in the greatest part, which the will of God hath 

 so appointed, to shew that even in natural! things he hath 

 confounded the wiscdome of this world. To conclude, wee 



