yz The y^aturatt and Moral/ 



ther, vntill they came to the maine land of the todies? 

 for that Critic of Plato in his time difcourfeth in this 

 maner: if the Attantike Hand wereas great as all Afta^ 

 and Affrikt together, or greater as Plate faies, it (hould 

 of neceflitie containe all the Atlantike Ocean 7 and 

 ftretch evenvnto the Hands of the new world. And 

 P/rf^faicrh moreover, that by a great and ftrangede- 

 luge, the AtlatJtikc Hand was drowned , and by that 

 meanes the feawas made vnnavigable, through the 

 aboundanceof banckes, rockes,and roughnefle of the 

 waves, which wereyet in his time. Butin theend,the 

 ruines of this drowned Hand werefetled , which made 

 this fea navigable. This hath been curtoufly handled 

 and difeourfed of by fomc learned men of good 

 iudgement - and yet (to fpeake the truth) being well 

 confidered, they are ridiculous things, refembling ra 

 ther to ovids tales 7 then a Hiftorie or Philofophie^wor- 

 thy of accoumpt. The greateft part ofF/atocs Inter 

 preters, affirme, that it is a true Hiftorie, whatrfoever 

 Critias reports of the ftrange beginning of the Atlantike 

 Hand, of the greatnes thereof, ofthevvarresthey had 

 againft them of Eitrepe^vritli many other things. That 

 which gives it the more credite of a true Hiftorie, be 

 the wordes of Critic , (whom Plato brings in in his 

 time,} faying, that the fubiecfthe meanes to treate of^_ 

 is of ftrangethings, but yet true. The other difciples 

 of P/4^,"confidering that this difcourfe hath more 

 fheiv of a fable.then ofa true Hiftorie,fay,thxit wemuft 

 take it as an a!legorie,and that fuch was the intention of 

 their divine Philofopher. Of this opinion & Frocks, 

 and Porfhire , yea, and Origcne, who fo much regardes 

 the writings of/Y/?tt,as when they fpeake thereof, they 

 feeme to bee the bookes QfMofes> or offfdraf : and 



whereas 



