THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 95 



Prince Henrf, from his early years, had been paflion- 

 ately addicted to the ftudy of what is generally known by 

 the name of ?iwthetnatics y that is, geometry, ailronomy, and 

 confequently arithmetic. He was of a liberal turn of mind, 

 devoid of fuperftition, haughtinefs, or paffion ; the Arab 

 and the Jew were admitted to him with great freedom, as 

 the only mailers who were capable of inftructing him in 

 thofe fciences. It was in vain to attempt to rival Venice in 

 poflemon of the Mediterranean trade : no other way re- 

 mained but to open the commerce to India by the Atlantic 

 Ocean, by failing round the point of Africa to the market 

 of fpices in India. Full of this thought, he retired to a 

 country palace, and there dedicated the whole of his time 

 to deliberate inquiry. The ignorance and prejudices of the~ 

 age were altogether againft him. The only geography then 

 known was that of the poets. It was the opinion of the 

 Portuguefe, that the regions within the tropics were totally 

 uninhabited, fcorched by eternal fun-beams, while boiling 

 oceans walhed thefe burning coafts ; and, therefore, they- 

 concluded, that every attempt to explore them was little 

 better than downright madnefs, and a braving, or tempting, 

 of Providence. 



But, on the other hand, he foundgreatmaterials to com- 

 fort him, and to make him perfift in his refolution. For 

 Greek hiftory, to which he then had accefs, had: recorded: 

 two inftances, which fhewed that the voyage was not only 

 pomble,butthatit had been actually performed, firfl by the 

 Phoenicians, under Necho king of Egypt, then by Eiidoxus, 

 during the time of Ptolemy Lathyrus, who, after doubling. 

 the fouthern Cape of Africa* arrived in fafety at Cadiz. Han- 

 no, too, had failed from Carthage through the Straits, 'and! 



1. reached- 



