The^aturallanctMoratt 



lands , Befides thefe two meanes, I fee it is not poflible 

 to ,find out any other , if wee will follow the courfe of 

 humane things , and not devife fabulous and poetical! 

 fidions 5 for no man may thinke to finde another Eagle 

 as that otGanimede, or a flying Horfe,like vnto Perfettf, 

 thatfhouldcarie the Indians through theaire^ or that 

 perad venture thefe firft men haue vfed filhes , as Mir. 

 maides,or the fifh called a Nicholas, to pafle them thi 

 ther. But laying afide thefe imaginations and fopperies, 

 let vs examine thefe two meanes , the which will bee 

 ^^,both pleafant and profitable . Firft in my iudgement,it 

 were not iarre from reafon to fty, that the firft and aun- 

 cient people of thefe Indies , have difcovered and peo 

 pled after the fame fort as wee do at this day, that is, by 

 the Arte of Navigation and aide of Pilots, the which 

 guide themfelves by the heigth and knowledge of the 

 heavens ,. and by their induftrie in handling and chan 

 ging of their failes according to the feafbn.Why might 

 not this wellbe? Muft webeleeve,that wealone,ancTin 

 this our age, have onely the Arte and knowledge to 

 faile through the Oceans Wee fee even now, thanhey 

 cut through the Ocean to ciifcover new lands , as not 

 long fince Alvaro Mendana and his companions did, 

 who parting from the Port ofLtma , came alongft the 

 Weft, to difcover the land which lieth Eaftward from 

 Pm*-andattheendofthreemoneths, they difcovered 

 the Hands, which they call the Hands <zi Salomon^ which 

 are many and very great , and by all likclchood,they lie 

 adioy ning to new Guinnit&i elfe are very neere to feme 

 Other firmeland . And even now by commandement 

 from the King and his Counfell , they are refolved to 

 prepare a new fleete for thefe Hands . Seeing it is thus, 

 -why may we notfuppofe 3 that the Ancients had the 



courage 



