a - 
3 66 The V O Y 
Uppines : And from hence it very clearly appears, that the 
Palfage to the Eaft Indies by the South Seas is ffiorter than 
that by the Cape of Good Hope \ of which the Reader will be 
convinced, by confidering the following Particulars : Cap- 
tain Woods Rogers , in the Duke, failed from the Coaft of 
Ireland , and doubled Cape Horne in four Months, that is, 
from September to January \ and le Maire palled from the 
Iflands of Juan Fernandez to New Guiney and the Molucas 
in three Months •, fo that this Voyage takes up but leven in 
the Whole : * Whereas the Dutch , while the chief of their 
Colonies was fixed at Amboyna , thought it a good PafTage 
thither from Holland , if performed in ten or eleven Months. 
It is by comparing thefe Routes, as laid down in the ge- 
neral Map of the two Hemifpheres, that we learn how far 
the. W orld is already difcovered, and how much of it re- 
mains yet to be difcovered ; what we owe to the Spirit and 
Induftry of thofe great Men, whole Hiftory we have re- 
corded, and what remains yet to exercife the Spirit and In- 
dullry of our own and of fucceeding Times. We fee, by 
comparing the old World with the new, how many and 
how great Countries this Scheme of Circum-navigation has 
adtually brought to Light, and that too in a very fhort 
Space ; that is, in the Compafs of two hundred and twenty- 
two Tears , which is the Diftance between the Return of 
Magellan’s Ship, andourlaft Circum-navigator Anfon. All 
that has been difcovered within that Space of Time lay hid, 
not from the Vulgar only, but from the wifeft and moll 
knowing Part of Mankind, for five thoufand five hundred 
Years. This is the faireft and fulleft Proof that can be given 
of the Importance of thefe Voyages, not to this or that 
Country, but to the whole human Species. 
We may likewife obferve, that the Attempts that have 
been made to difcover a North-eaft and a North-well Paf- 
fage are, in effedl, no other than Attempts to difcover a 
new Route of furrounding the Globe, either of thofe Paf- 
fages anfwering the fame End as that by the Way of Cape 
Horne , the very Probability of any fuch Palfages depending 
on there being fuch a Palfage already difcovered towards the 
South ; and, without doubt, if ever any fuch Palfages 
ffiould be found out, they would open a new Field of Dif- 
covery, and new Chanels of Trade, exceedingly conveni- 
ent for the trading Nations in the North of Europe. 
It is for this Reafon, that, as Sir William Monfon long 
ago obferved, the Spaniards have always been extremely 
jealous of their finding out fuch Palfages, becaufe the Na- 
vigation that would be eftablilhed by them, mull be fatal 
to their Empire in America , or to their Polfelfions in the 
the Eajl Indies : For, if there Ihould be a Palfage found into 
the South Seas by the North- well, it would afford a very 
ihort and eafy Cut to our Squadrons into the very Heart of 
the moll valuable of their Polfelfions in North America , I 
mean the Kingdom of New Mexico, which might be then 
attacked both by Land and Sea. On the other hand, if a 
Palfage ihould ever be found to the North-eall, it is impof- 
fible they Ihould long continue Mailers of the Philippines. 
It is true, that very great, and, as they are now thought, 
inform oiintable Difficulties have been meafured in attempt- 
ing Circum-navigations by either of thofe Palfages ; but, 
when it is confidered, that the Palfage to the South was 
for fo many Ages concealed, difcovered at lalt with fo much 
Difficulty, and fo few Voyages made thereby, as this Chap- 
ter ffiews there have been, there feem to be no juft Grounds 
for concluding, that no fuch Palfage ever will be found, 
efpeciafly if it be confidered, that it is not now the Interelt 
of the Spaniards only, but of fome other Nations, to pre- 
vent the Difcovery of fuch Palfages, as far as it lies in their 
Power. 
But at the fame time we ought to reflect, that the Ruf- 
m s. Swedes , and Danes , who formerly carried on little or 
no Trade, are, at prefenf, exceedingly bent on extending 
their Commerce, and have each of them an Interelt in dif- 
ebvering fuch Palfages, if any fuch there be : If, I fay, we 
reflect upon this, it is impoffible for us to imagine, that 
there is lefs Hope at prefent, than there was formerly, of 
fucceeding in fome fuch Attempt. This, if ever it Ihould 
Be brought about, would afford Room for a new Hiftory 
-of Circum-navigators, as ufefui and as curious, as that deli- 
vered in this Chapter. But even this Difcovery, inflead of 
diminlffiing, would add to, the Glory and Reputation of 
AGE 
of 
J 
& 
thofe great Men, of whom we have been fpeaking *, becaufe 
they mull be Hill regarded as thofe who firft led the Way, 
who firft Ihewed fuch a Railage round the Globe to be pof- 
fible and practicable, tho’ by another Courfe. This is what, 
in Juftice, Pofterity mull acknowledge, even if it Ihould 
fo fall out, that, by the Facility or Conveniency of thofe 
new-found Palfages, the Navigation by Cape Horne Ihould 
hereafter fall into Difufe. 
It is from thefe ftupendoys Voyages, that not only the 
greateft Difcoveries have been made in general Geography, 
but from which ail future Difcoveries mull be expected ; 
and therefore this ought to be confidered as one of the 
ftrongefi Arguments for enforcing and encouraging Voy- 
ages. It was from their being confined to Ihort Trips by 
Sea, I mean in point of Space, though, from their Want 
of Skill, the Antients made them long enough in point of 
Time, that they fell into thofe grofs Errors, which were 
fo unworthy of their Science and Penetration in other re- 
fpeCls -, fo that it may be well affirmed, that if we com- 
pare what is now known, with what the greateft Men had 
before defcribed, we ffiall find more than a new World 
has been, in two Centuries, difcovered : By which Difco- 
very fuch capital Truths have been fet in fo clear a Light, 
as to make even the common People wifer than the moll 
Learned in former Ages. 
For Inllance, almoft every one has right Notions now of 
the true Figure and Magnitude of the Earth, whereas there 
was a time when both were unknown to fuch a Degree, 
that the Belief of the Antipodes was accounted and puniffied 
as an Herefy. Every one then conceived his own Country 
to be the Middle of the Plain of the Earth, and that the 
utmoft Limits cf it, which touched the Vault of Heaven, 
were the Sea, into which the Sun, Moon, and Stars, defcend- 
ed, when they fet •, and out of which they afcended again, 
when they rofe *, and hence it was, that the utmoft Ex- 
tent of Land feemed to be no more than what an adlive 
and vigorous Conqueror might, in a little time, be able 
to over-run and vanquifh. How wild and ridiculous fo- 
ever this may feem, it was, however, the Principle upon 
which all great Heroes adled : As for Inftance, Alexander 
imagined he had penetrated to the utmoft Bounds of the 
Earth, when he had but touched the Borders of the Indies : 
Fie fanfied, from fome Circumftances relating to the River 
Indus , which refembled thofe of the Nile, that he had found, 
the Source of that River in the Indies and actually fitted 
out a Fleet on the Indus , which he fanfied might have 
proceeded to Egypt ; and when he difcovered his Error in 
this refpedl, by his Fleet’s falling into the Perjian Gulph, 
he fell into another and ftill greater Error ; which was, 
that all mull be Sea beyond *, and that, confequently, he 
had reached the very Limits of the World. As wife and 
knowing a People as the Romans were, they fell into the 
fame Error, with relpedt to the Northern Ocean ; and fan- 
fied that beyond the Extremity of Scotland lay that bound- 
lefs Sea, which terminated the World. 
Thefe were the Confequences of being confined to Ihort 
and limited Navigations *, and, though it is fimply impof- 
fible, that Mankind Ihould ever fall into the fame Er- 
rors again, yet it is highly probable, that if this known 
Route of Circum-navigation be not frequently purfued, and 
all Attempts for finding new Routes Ihould ceafe, we ffiall 
again relapfe into Errors of as dark and dangerous a Na- 
ture. As it is, we have, from thefe Difcoveries that have 
been already made, a much nobler, as well as a much 
wider Field opened for the Exercife of enterprifing Spirits * 
and though there are now no Hopes left for any Conqueror, 
how daring, how ambitious, how potent foever, to make 
himfelf Mailer of the whole Globe, which, perhaps, is no 
fmall Benefit to Mankind *, yet we have better, and more 
elevated Hopes, of difcovering and fettling a Correfpond- 
ence with every Part of the Univerfe •, a Scheme more 
extenfive, as well as more rational, at the fame time that it 
is as conducive to the general Good of the human Species, 
as the other was to their Mifery. This is a Point that I 
once or twice touched before, referving, however, the 
more full Explanation of it for the Conclufion of this Hifto- 
ry. Add to all this, that, from Circum-navigations only, we 
can expedt the abfolute Solution of thofe great Difficulties 
that yet remain in the Science of Navigation ■, fuch, rot 
Inftance,. 
w 
