THE SECOND BOOKE 



Of the Naturall and Morall Historic of the 



Indies. 



CHAP. i. That it is not out of purpose, but necessarie, to 

 trcate of the nature of the Equinoctiall. 1 



FOR the well conceiving of things at the Indies, it is neces- LIB. 

 sai ie to know the nature and disposition of that Region, &quot;~ 

 which the Ancients did call the burning Zone, the which 

 they held uninhabitable, seeing the greatest part of this 

 new world, which hath bin of late discovered, lies and 

 is scituate vnder this region. And it seemes to me 

 greatly to purpose which some do say, that the knowledge 

 of things at the Indies depends on the well vnderstand- 

 ing the nature of the Equinoctiall ; for that the difference 

 which is betwixt the one and the other world proceeds 

 in a manner from the qualities of this Equinoctiall. And 

 we must note that all the space betwixt the two Tropickes 

 must be properly taken and held for this middle line, which 

 is the Equinoctiall ; so called, for that the Sunne running 

 his course therein, makes the daies and nights even through 

 out the world ; yea, they that dwell vnder this line, inioy, 

 throughout the yeare, the same equalitie of daies and nights. 

 In this Equinoctiall line we finde so many admirable quali 

 ties, that with great reason man s vnderstanding doth studio 

 and labour to search out the causes, not moved therevnto 

 so much by the doctrine of ancient Philosophers, as by 

 reason and certaine experience. 



1 &quot; Quo se lia de tratar do la naturalcza de la Equiiiocial.&quot; 



