48 THE ANCIENTS IGNORANT OF THE COMPASS. 



LIB. i. 



I finde not that in ancient bookes there is any mention 

 made of the vse of the Tinan or Loadstone, 1 nor of the Com- 

 passe to saile by ; 2 yea, I beleeve they had no knowledge 

 thereof. And if we take away the knowledge of the coin- 

 passe to saile by, we shall easily iudge how impossible it 

 was for them to passe the great Ocean. Such as haue any 

 knowledge of the sea vnderstand me well ; for that it is as 

 easie to beleeve that a Mariner in full sea can direct his 

 course where hee please without a compasse, as for a blinde 

 man to shew with his finger any thing, be it neere or farre 

 off. And it is strange that the Ancients have been so long 

 ignorant of this excellent proper tie of the load stone ; 

 piin.,iib. f or Plinie, who was so curious in naturall causes, writing 1 of 



in, cap. 6; fc&amp;gt; 



xxxiv b cap ^is load stone, speakes nothing of that vertue and pro- 

 lib! Vii, a cap. pertie it hath, alwaies to turne the iron which it toucheth 

 towards the North, the which is the most admirable vertue 

 Dios.,iib. it hath. Aristotle, Theophrastus, Dioscorides, Lucretius, 



v, cap. 10. 



Lncret., nor any other Writers or naturall Philosophers that I have 

 scene, make any mention thereof, although they treat of the 



AIIP:. do ] oa( j s tone. Saint Augustine, writing many and sundry 



^vbunuit&quot; properties and excellencies of the load stone in his bookes 

 e of the Citie of God, speakes nothing thereof. And with 

 out doubt all the excellencies spoken of this stone are 

 nothing in respect of this strange propertie, looking alwaies 

 towards the North, which is a great wonder of nature. 



pun., lib. There is yet another argument, for Plinie, treating of the 

 first in venters of Navigation, and naming all the instru 

 ments, yet he speakes nothing of the cornpasse to saile 

 by, nor of the load stone. I say onely, that the art to 

 know the starres was invented by the Phceniciens. And 

 there is no doubt but whatsoever the Ancients knew of the 

 Art of Navigation was onely in regard of the starres, and 

 observing the Shoares, Capes, and differences of landes. 



1 &quot;Iman&quot; the load stone. 



2 &quot; Aguja de Marear&quot; Mariner s compass. 



