66 PLINY ON ATLAS AND ATLANTIS. 



LlB - * than Asia and Affrike, and that it was made by enchant 

 ment. It is in like sort all one to say that the ruines of this 

 so great an Hand are seene in the bottome of the sea, and 

 that the Mariners which see them cannot saile that way. 

 Then he addes : &quot; For this cause vnto this day that Sea is 

 not navigable, by reason of the bancke, which by little and 

 little has growne in that drowned Hand.&quot; I would willingly 

 demand what Sea could swallow vp so infinite a continent 

 of land, greater then Asia and Affrike, whose confines 

 stretched vnto the Indies, and to swallow it vp in such sort 

 as there should at this day remaine no signes nor markes 

 thereof whatsoever, seeing it is well kuowne by experience 

 that the Mariners finde no bottomo in the Sea where they 

 say this Hand was. Notwithstanding, it may seeme indis- 

 creete and farre from reason to dispute seriously of those 

 things which are reported at pleasure, or if we shall give 

 that respect to the authoritie of Plato (as it is reason) wo 

 must rather vnderstand them to signifie simply, as in a 

 picture, the prosperitie of a Citie, and withall the ruine 

 thereof. For the argument they make to prove that this 

 Atlantis Hand hath been really and indeede, saying that 

 the sea in those parts doth at this day beare the name of 

 Atlantike is of small importance, for that wee knowe Mount 

 piin.,iib. Atla . whereof Plinie says this sea tooke the name, is vpon 



V, cap. 1 ; J 



ca l si* vl&amp;gt; the confines of the Mediterranean Sea. And the same Plinie 

 reportes that joyning to the said Mount there is an Hand 

 called Atlantis, which he reports to be little and of small 

 accompt. 



CHAP. xxni. That the opinion of many which holdc that the. 

 first race of the Indians comes from the lewes is not true. 



Now that wee have shewed how vnlikely it is that the 

 first Indians passed to the Indies by the Atlantis Hand, 

 there aro others holde opinion that they tooke the way, 



