EARLY VOYAGES 251 



though the narration and description which is made by 

 a great man with you, that the descendants of Neptune 

 planted there, and of the magnificent temple, palace, 

 city, and hill ; and the manifold streams of goodly 

 navigable rivers (which as so many chains environed 

 the same site and temple) ; and the several degrees of 

 ascent, whereby men did climb up to the same, as if it 

 had been a Scala Caeli; be all poetical and fabulous; 

 yet so much is true, that the said country of Atlantis, 

 as well that of Peru, then called Coya, as that of Mexico, 

 then named Tyrambel, were mighty and proud king- 

 doms, in arms, shipping, and riches : so mighty as at 

 one time (or at least within the space of ten years), 

 they both made two great expeditions ; they of Ty- 

 rambel through the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea ; 

 and they of Coya, through the South Sea upon this our 

 island ; and for the former of these, which was into 

 Europe, the same author amongst you (as it seemeth) 

 had some relation from the Egyptian priest, whom he 

 citeth. For assuredly such a thing there was. But 

 whether it were the ancient Athenians that had the 

 glory of the repulse and resistance of those forces, I can 

 say nothing ; but certain it is there never came back 

 either ship or man from that voyage. Neither had the 

 other voyage of those of Coya upon us had better for- 

 tune, if they had not met with enemies of greater 

 clemency. For the king of this island, by name Altabin, 

 a wise man and a great warrior, knowing well both his 

 own strength and that of his enemies, handled the 

 matter so, as he cut off their land forces from their 

 ships, and entoiled both their navy and their camp, 

 with a greater power than theirs, both by sea and land, 

 and compelled them to render themselves without 

 striking stroke ; and after they were at his mercy, con- 

 tenting himself only with their oath, that they should no 

 more bear arms against him, dismissed them all in safety. 

 But the divine revenge overtook not long after those 

 proud enterprises. For within less than the space of 

 one hundred years the Great Atlantis was utterly lost 

 and destroyed ; not by a great earthquake, as your 



