'664 



A. D. 1447. 



^t Rome and other foreign markets, where they were dilUnguifhed by 

 the name of Flemijh herrings. The herring trade, together with other 

 branches of Flemifli induilry, pafTed afterwards into the hands of the 

 Hollanders, who have been wonderfully enriched by it. 



According to Galvano, the crew of a Portuguefe fhip reported, that 

 they had been driven by a ftorm to the weftward, and had arrived at an 

 illand, wherein there were feven cities inhabited by people fpeaking 

 Portuguefe, who faid, their anceftors had fled from Spain on the death 

 of King Roderigo (about the year 700), and afked, if Spain was ftill 

 troubled by the Moors. Some land, brought from the illand, produced 

 a good quantity of gold. Galvano adds, that this ifland was fuppofed 

 to be the Antiles, or New Spain*. \Galvano, copied in Furchas, B. x, c. 



1-3 



1448, July 24'" — From King Henry's appointment of commiflioners 

 to fettle all difputes with the grand mafter of Pruflia and the people of 

 the Hanfe towns, and to confirm or renew theantient treaties with them. 



* Thefe feven cities, which afterwards became 

 golden cities, and filled the heads of the Spanifli 

 difcoverers, and alfo that of Sir Walter Raleigh, 

 with golden dreams, perhaps grew out of Zeno's 

 report of a nation poflefling gold and filver, cities 

 and temples, in an unknown weftern part of the 

 world, (probably Mexico, y^^ ahoy e, p. 563) incor- 

 porated with fome obfcure tradition of an antient 

 migration from Spain. That the (lory was not in- 

 vented after the difcovery of the weftern lands by 

 Clniftopher Colon, is evident from a letter written 

 by Paolo (Tofcanelli) a phyfician of Florence, 

 25'° June 1474, to Fernando Martinez, who, at 

 the defire of the king of Portugal, had confulted 

 him on the (horteft courfe by fea to India. He 

 fent him a chart of tne weftern coafts of Europe 

 and Africa from Ireland to Guinea, exhibiting all 

 the known iflands, and alfo containing the coall of 

 India and the fpice iflands in the luejlern part of the 

 chart: and, after a pompo.is defcription of Catai 

 «nd Mango (north and fouth parts of China) he 

 obferved in his letter, that ' from the ifland of An- 

 ' tilia, which you call the ifland af the feven cities ; 



* and of which you have the knowlege, to the 



• mod noble ifland of Cipango, there are ten fpaccs, 



* making 2,500 miles, which ifland abounds with 



• gold, filver, and pretious flones.' — He afterwards 

 fent a copy of the fame letter, and alfo of the chart, 

 to Chrillopher Colon, and added defcriptions and 

 arguments, tending to inflame his ambition of being 

 the firft European to accomplifli a weftern paflage 

 io thofe regions of riches. \_HiJl. de Don Chrijl, 

 ■Colon, par fu hijo Fernando, c. 8.] Tofcanelli was 

 the arlift, who about the year 1460 conllrufltd 

 the celebrated gnomon at Florence, which is ef- 

 ■tcemcd one of the nobleft aftronomical inftrumcnts 

 in the world. 



Somewhat fimilar to Galvano's ftory, but 

 ■^\\\ more improbable, is tjje fol'owing, which I 



have therefor thought proper to place in a note. 

 — In the year 1450 Phranza went as anibaflador 

 from the laft emperor of Conftantinople to the king 

 of Iberia, and was told by Ephrem, a native of 

 that country of about 100 years of age, that he 

 had been carried off when a boy by barbarians, 

 and fold in Perfia to one of a company of merch' 

 ants traveling to India. In India he found an op- 

 portunity of leaving his mailer, and, after long 

 traveling through deferts, at laft arrived at iflands 

 inhabited by people who geneially lived 150 years, 

 and enjoyed a perpetual fpring and harvcli of aro- 

 matici and large nuts. Their country alfo pro- 

 duced the magnet ; the animals in it were of a 

 ftupendous magnitude ; and the fprings of the Nile 

 were in it. (How could the Nile rife in an ifland?) 

 After living among thofe happy people long enough 

 to be mafter of their language, he wiflicd to return 

 home, and was conduced to a place, whence vef- 

 fels from the farther India failed with aromatics. 

 He embarked in one of them, and afterwards found 

 a great Iberian flilp, \y\uch carried him to Portugal, 

 •whence he failed to the Britifli iflands, and from them 

 to Iberia. [Phranxn, L.W'u c. I. J Phranza wrote 

 in the year 1477, [L. iii, c. 30] and therefor this 

 ftory ' is fpurious or ivonderfui.^ \^Gibbon, V. xii, 

 p. 178.] Of Phranza's work we poflefs only a 

 Latin tranflation, made by Pontanns, who lias fup- 

 preffed fuch parts as he thought ufelefs digreflions. 

 Quere, If he has taken the further liberty of in- 

 troducing (ome improvements ? If Ephrem ever was 

 in Britain, he might fail for Gem a, and thence to 

 the Black fea, and fo travel by land to Iberia, which 

 is an in/and country between that fea and the Caf- 

 pian. But that Iberia fliould have any fliips (if in 

 the ftrange confufion llcrian docs not mean Span- 

 ifh^ is as incomprehenlible, a', that a voyage from 

 the Indian ocean to Poilugal fliould be invented 

 by any Iberian or Cicck before the year J 498. 



