-^^ Tlid tl^irdBdoke of 



Heithef ami i|tibrartt,t&t it might be thought and that judly, ^ poih^t^oiF an im&«fuli G 

 mind and idle withall, if briefly in this fortj and asit were by the way, that liind tould be fpokeii 

 of which is the nmiice of all M Sheealfois the mother, chofeii by tlic powerful] grace of 

 the godsjCo mdke even heaved it felfc triott glorious ; to gather into one thefcatcered empires^ 

 to fotten and maikeciviktheriklcfartiionsotoher countries and w>hcreas thVlanguagesoffd 

 many natioiis Vi?c't<rtfepilgnaiiti,wild^and ravage,to draw thetii together by commerce oHjDecch, 

 conterencej andparley- to endue man with huraaniticj and briefly, that of all nations in the 

 worldj there fliouldbe^^rie'ti'nelycountrey. But here, what Should I doe? So noble atd allthc 

 places that a man' fllalicomeiintd, foexcellent is every thingyand each State fo famous and rc- 

 iiowmed, that I am fully poflTeCed with them all^ and to feeke w^iat to fay. Rome citie , the onely 

 faireface therein, worthy to ftsind upon fo ftately a nccke ^ncl paire of ftoulders , what wbrke H 

 wouldicaskethinkeyoUitobc fecout asit ought? The very tifa<a of CampSinc byit felfe^ ib 

 pieafant and goodlyj To rich and happy,in what fort (hould it be defcribed ? So as it is plairic and 

 cvidentjthac in this one place there- is the workmanfhip of Nature wherein fbe jdyeth and taketh 

 delight. Now bcfidesall this^, the whole temperature of the aire, is evermdr^ fb vitally healthie, 

 and holefomc, the fields fo fertile^ the hills fo open to the funne, the forrefts fo harmelclTe, the 

 grovesfocooleand fhadie^thewoddsof allfdrrsfo bounteous and fruitful!, the mount^nes 

 yeclding fo many breathingblafts of wind ; the eorn,the vines,the olives foplentifull; the fheep 

 lb enriched with fleeces of the b«ft wooll,the bulls and oxen fo fat and well fed in the neckej fo^ 

 many lakes and pooles, fuch ftore of rivers and fprings watering it throughour ;fo many feas 

 andhavenSithatit is the very bofome lying open and ready to receive the commerce of ail lands I 

 fi-om all parts: and yet it felfe full willingly defireth to lye farre into the fea to helpe all mankind. 

 Neither doe I fpeake now of the natures, wits, and fafbionsof themen; nC yet of thenationsa- 

 broad fubdued with their cloqucnttongue, and flronghand . Even the Greekes (a nation'^ 

 'Al other molt given to praife themfelves beyond all meafiire) have given their judgement of 

 Iier^ in that they called fome finall part thereof. Great Greece. But in good faith,that which wee 

 did in the mention of the heaven^ namely ,to touch fbme knownc Planets and a few ftarres, the 

 lame muft we likewife doe in this one part : only 1 would pray the readers to remember and carry 

 this away,That I haften to rehearfe every particular thing through the whole round globe of the 

 earth. • 



Well then, to begin, Italy is fafhioned like for all the world to an Oke leafe^ and much larger K 

 in length than breadth : to the Idtfidc bending with the top, and ending in the figure and fa- 

 iliion of an i\mazonian (liicld : and where that trad" of Calabria lyeth which is called Cocin- 

 thos,icputteth foorth into thofe two promontories or capes like the moones two homes 3 the 

 one, Leucope tra on the right hand ; the other,Lacinium on the left. In length it reachcth from 

 the foot of the Alpes,through Oftia or Pra?toria Augufta, diredly to the eitie of RomCj andfo 

 forward to Capua, with a dired courfe leading to Rhegium a towne fituate upon the (boulder 

 thereofrfrom which beginncth the bending as itwereof thenecke^ and beareth 1000 and 20 

 myics. And this meafure would growe to be farre more, if it went as farre as Lacinium, but that 

 iiich an obliquitie and winding might feeme to decline and beare out too much unto one fide. 

 The breadth thereof is diverfly taken, narnelyj4i o miles betweene the two feas, the higher and ^ 

 the Iowcr,and the rivers Varus and Arfia. Themiddes of which breadth j (and that is miKha- 

 bout the cicie of Rome) from the mouth of the river Aternus running into the Adriaticke lea, 

 unto the mouthesof Tiberis, 136 miles, and fomcwhatlelfc-from Novum Caftrum by the 

 Adriaticke fc3jto Alfium and fo to the Tufcane fea:and in noplace exceedeth itin breadth 300 

 miles. But the full compaffe of the whole from Varus to Arfia, is 2004^ miles. Difiant it is by 

 fea from the lands round about, to wit, from Iftria and Libumia in fome places loomiksjfrom 

 Epirus and Illyricum 50 miles ;from Africke leffe than 200, as Farro affirmeth jfrom Sardinia^ 

 an hundred and 20 miles 5 from Sicilie, a mile and a halfe : from Corcyra lefle than 705 from 

 lfra,fifcie. It goeth along tIiefeas,to.the Meridionall line verily of the heaven ;but if a man exa- 

 mine it exadly indeed, it lyeth betweene the Sunne rifing in mid-winter^ and the point of the M 

 Hoone-fleed. . . - 



Now will we defcribc thecompaffe and circuit thereof, and recken the cities : wherein,! mufi 

 needs protcfl by way of Preface, that I will follow for mine AmhomAugtt/lm the Emperour 

 of famous raemoric, and the defcription by him made of allltalie, which be dcvided into 11 



Regions 



