Plinies Natural! Fiiftorie. 



A 750 miles: and that from it Weftward^thelflesPIiivialia and CapraiiajarG as much. Alfo that 

 in the Hand Pkivialia there is no frefli vvaterjbuc onely that which they have by (ho wres ofraitn 

 He faith moreover, that from them to the For tunate Iflands are 2 50 miles 5 which Jye 8 myies 

 from the coaft of Mauritania to the left handj called The coalf of the funnc, or Valley of the 

 lunne^ for that it is like a valley or hollow levell floorc of catth, whereupon alfo it is called Plana- 

 ria^rcfembling an even plaine. And in very truth, this valley containeth in circuit 300 miles; 

 i-vherein are trees to be fefene that grow up in height to 144 foot. As for the Iflands named For- 

 tunatse, luki learned thus much by diligent inquifition^that they lie from the South neeic to the 

 Weft ^25 milesfron? the Hands Purpurari2^5whcre they die purple:fo as to come thither, a man 

 muflfaile 250 miles above the Weft, and then for 75 miles more bend his couricEaft ward. He 



B faith moreover, that the iirfl o£ thcie Iflands is called Ombrion, wherein arc to be fcene no token 

 or fhew at all of houfes. Alfo that among the mountains, it hath a lake or meere : and trees re- 

 femblingtheplantFerula,outof which they prefle water; that which ifllicthout of the blacke 

 trees of that kind^is bitter 5 but out of the whiter fort, fweet and potable. As for afecond, he wri- 

 teth that it is named Iunonia,whcrin there is one little houie or chappel made of ttonc : beyond 

 it,but neereby, there is a third of the fame name, but Icffe than the other : and then you come to 

 a fourth called Capraria, full of great Lizards. Within a kenning from thcfe, lyeththe Ifiand 

 Nivaria. which tooke this name of the fhow that lieth tiiere continually ; and befides, it is full of 

 mifts and fogges.Thencxttoit and thelali of all5isCanaria,fb called by reafon of anumber of 

 dogges of mighrie bigneffe , of which king lA'ha brought away two : and in this Ifland there are 



Q fomcmarkes remaining of buildings which give teftimoniethat fomctimc it was inhabited and 

 peopled. And as allthefe Hands generally doe abound plentifully in fhiftfull trees^ and flying 

 foaies of all forts : fo this above the reft named Canaria, is replenil"hed with rowes of date trees 

 that beareabouodance of dates, and likewifc with pine trees that yeeldfloreof pine nuts. Fur- 

 thermore he affirmeth^that there is great plentie of honey in it: that the rivers therein srewsll 

 ftored with fillijand the Sturgeon cfpecially : in which thetc growcth the red Papyrus as ordina- 

 rily asin Nilus.Howbeitinconcluflon he faith, that thefe Hands are much annoyed with great 

 whales andfuch monilers ofthefea, that daily are caflupon the (liore, which lye above ground 

 and putrifie like carrion.Th us having at large goi'ie through the defer iption of the globe of the 

 earth, as well without as vmthin, itremaineth now to knit up briefly with the raeafure and coiii-; 



J) paffe of the ieas. 



Chap, xxxiii, 

 A [immxrie of the etn hydigefisd according to the dimt^fions thereof, 



Poljhtm faithjthat from the flrcights of Gilbrakar, unto the very mouth and firth of Moeo-^ 

 tisjit is found by a dire(5i and ftreigbt courle ro be 3437 miles and an halfe. Begin there a- 

 gaine,and hold on a right courfc Eallwacd to Sicilie , it is i z6o miles and an halfe. From 

 thence forward- to the Hand Creta.375 miles :forward toRhodeSjiij 6 miles and an halfe : to the 

 Chelidonias Hands asmuchjandfo to Cyprus 3 2f miles ;from whence to Seleucia Pieria in Sy- 

 E ria,! 1 5 miles. Which particulars beinglaid togither, make by computation the grofle fumme 

 of 2340 miles. Howbeir, yif/^ppd counteth 344omi!esfor all this diflance above rehcarfed.be-- 

 ginning ai the flrcighis of Gilbrakar abovelaid, and carrying the length flreigbt forward to the 

 gulfcof Ifla. In which reckoning of his, I v;ot not whether there be an errour in the number^ 

 iorafmuch as thefame writer hath fet downe from the ftreight of Meiflne in Sicilie to Alexan- 

 dria in ^Egypt, 1 250 miles. As for the whole circuit that maybe comprehending therein, all 

 the gulfes and creekes before-named, from the fame point where ws lirfl began,as far as to the 

 lake Moeotis,is 1 5 ^00 xwihs.Artemidorii'S addeth thereto 756 miles. And the lame Geographer 

 writethjthat take the lake Mosotis to the tt%d\\ commeth to 1 73^0 miles. Lo, \vhat the meafure 

 is of the feas taken by Philofophers and learned men, without armour and weapon in hand , of 

 p meni fay, who have not feared to hazard themfelves boldly and provoke Fortune, in traveriing 

 the ieas lo £irre off. Now are we to compare reipe6tively the greatnes of ech part of the vflorld in 

 leverali : notwithflandingthat I fhall And much adoe and diflScultie enough therinjconfidering 

 the difagreement of authors in that behalfe. But moi\ fitly and eafily fhall this appeare which we 

 feek for,if we joinlongitudc & latitude togither* According to which prefcript rule to begin with 



O iij Eurppej 



