60 PliOPHECY OF EEH RING S STRAITS. 



LIB. i. wo } iave often seene in our travel, yet it is a matter impos 

 sible, at the least very difficult, for birdes to passe all the 

 Ocean. All this beeing true which wee have spoken, what 

 way shall wee make for beastes and birdes to goe to the 

 Indies ? and how can I say they passed from one worlde to 

 an other ? i. I coniecture then, by the discourse I have made, 

 that the new world, which we call Indies, is not altogether 

 severed and disioyned from the other world ; and to 

 speake my opinion, I have long beleeved that the one and 

 the other world are ioyned and continued one with another 

 in some part, or at the least are very neere. And yet to 

 this day there is no certaine knowledge of the contrary. 

 For towards the Articke or Northerne Pole all the longitude 

 - of the earth is not discovered,! and many hold that above 

 Florida the Land runnes out very large towards the North, 

 and as they say ioynes with the Scithike or German Sea. 

 Others affirme that a Ship sayling in that Sea reported to 

 have scene the coast of Bacalaos 1 which stretcheth almost to 

 the confines of Europe. ^Moreover, no man knowes how 

 farre the land runnes beyond the Cape of Mendozino 2 in the 

 South sea, but that they affirme it is a great Continent 

 which runnes an infinite length]; and returning to the South- 

 erne Pole no man knowes the lands on the other part of the 

 Straight of Magellan. A ship belonging to the Bishoppe of 

 Plasencia, which passed the Straight, reports to have sayled 

 alwayes within sight of land; the like Hernando Lamero a 

 Pilot doth affirme, who, forced by foule weather, passed two 

 or three degrees above the sayd Straight. So as there is no 

 reason or experience that doth contradict my conceit and 

 opinion, which is, that the whole earth is vnited and ioyned 

 in some part, or at the least the one approcheth neere vnto 

 the other. If this be true, as in effect there is some likely- 

 hood, the answere is easie to the doubt we have pro 

 pounded, how the first Inhabitants could passe to the Indies. 

 1 Newfoundland. 2 Cape Mendocino, in California. 



