OVALLE S HISTORICAL RELATION OF CHILE. > 13! 



though little worth, are generally applauded by the vulgar,) feigned he had found it 

 in the mines ; or it might fall from him, and be found by another, who carried it 

 as a rarity to the bifhop, who is faid to have fent it to the pope. I am not ignorant 

 that there are many arguments and conjeftures, and thofe not contemptible, of fome 

 knowledge that the antients had of this fo principal a part of our globe, which are 

 related by Abraham Ortelius, Goropius, father Acofta of our company, in his firfl book 

 of the Hiftory of the Indies, chap, ii, 12, and 13. Thomas Bofms, book XX. chap. 

 3. Malvenda, Friar Gregory Garcia, in the firfl book of the Origin of the Indians, 

 taking their hints from Plato, Seneca, Lucian, Arrian, Clemens Romanus, Origen, 

 St. Jerome, and others, who feem to have had fome knowledge of this new world. 

 There may be feen in Father Pineda, of our fociety, in the fourth book about Solo- 

 mon's Court, chap. 16. the words of Abraham Ortelius, which make very much 

 to this purpofe. 



CHAP. III. — What light may be had from Scripture about this new region. 



THERE is another queftion which feems to be better founded than the firfl ; and 

 that is, what light may be had from fcripture about tnefe remote regions ? becaufe 

 there are many authors, who from thefe words of the fecond of Chronicles, chap. iv. 

 " The fervants of Hiram brought, with the fervants of Solomon, gold from Ophir, " 

 infer, that the fcripture here fpeaks of the Weft-Indies, and interpret Ophir to be 

 Peru, or all America j and as the moll famous Chriftopher Columbus was the firfl 

 who difcovered it, fo he feems to have been the firft that ufed that expreffion j for 

 they fay, that when he was in the ifland of Hifpaniola, he often faid, that at laft he 

 was come to the defired land of Ophir, as is related by Peter Martyr, in his firft book 

 of the Decade of the Ocean. But he who firft fet out this opinion in form, was 

 Francis Vatable, who upon the third book of Kings, in the ninth chapter, and fo on, 

 makes Ophir to be the ifland of Hifpaniola, and the continents of Peru and Mexico. 

 He was feconded in his opinion by Poftel, Goropius, Arias Montano, Antonio Poffevino, 

 Rodrigo Yepes, Bofms, Manuel de Sa, and other authors, reported by Pineda, in 

 his treatife De rebus Solomonis ; which makes iFather Martin del Rio, of the company 

 of Jesus, fay, that this opinion is not without good grounds ; but he who defends it 

 moft vigoroufly, is Father Gregory Garcia, of the order of St. Dominick, in his book 

 De Indorum Occidentaliuni Origine, where he ftrives mightily to clear this opinion from 

 all objedions and oppofition. 



The things faid by thefe authors are not of fmall weight, though thofe who would 

 make an inference from the word Peru's having a nearnefs to Pharvim, which is ufed 

 by the Septuagint in 2 Chron. iii. where, fpeafing of the gold with which Solomon 

 adorned his temple, they fay, that it was of gold of Pharvim, which in the vulgate is 

 tranflated Aurum probatijfimum^ or moft pure gold, have againft them a powerful 

 adverfary, to wit, GarcilafTo de la Vega, who affirms, that the name Peru is not ij^^'u- 

 the name of the land, but that the Spaniards, endeavouring to inform themfelves of 

 the country, took an Indian, whofe name was Beru ; and that afking him what 

 country they were in, and he imagining they afked him his name, he anfwered Beru ; 

 and the Spaniards thought he had faid Peru, and that that was the name of the 

 country, which ever after was called fo. That which, in my opinion, confirms moft 

 the belief of Ophir, is, that which Solomon fays of himfelf in the book of Wifdom, 

 that he " knew the difpofition of the earth ; " with which it feems that ignorance was 



s 2 incompatible; 



