TO THE READER. 
IVctanln one of his 
Dialogues intituled 
C.’7Tl(rH.0V0tWTt{ J or 
Surueyerspmiteth of 
Charon the old Eer- 
rie-Man of Hell, that 
vpon a great defire 
which he had conceiuedtoview this 
world and the i^Afiions of men there¬ 
in , hee begged leaue of Pluto , that hee 
might haue a playing day, and bee ab- 
fent from his boat,to the end he might 
fatisfie his thirfty humor,that troubled 
him fo eagerly . Meeting with CMcr- 
curie his fellow Boatfrayne , (for he alfo 
condu&eth Soules in Charons Barge) 
they two concluded together, like the 
two Sonnes of Alo'eusjLQ clap the Moun- 
taine Pelius vpon Mount 0 (fa, and when 
they found that they were not high i- 
noughtotake thefurueigh , they ad¬ 
ded CMount OEta vnto them, and Par- 
naffus ouet them all . Vpon the toppe 
wherof 3 hauing fetled themfelues,they 
did atleylure and pleafure take a view 
not onelyof the Seas^ and Mount aims ^ 
and Cities of the world: but alfo of the 
Inhabitants therof,together with their 
Speeches, Anions and Manners. The 
fameo^a^nn another Dialogue cal¬ 
led Icaro-Menippus difeourfeth of the 
Cinike Menippus , who being troubled 
with the fame humor tooke vnto him 
the right wing ofan Eagle , and the left 
wing of a Vulture^ nd hailing faftened 
them to his body with ftrong and ftur- 
die thongs, mounted vp firft to the A- 
cropolis or Capitol of ^Athens } and then 
from Hymettusby the Gerama to Aero- 
Corinthus, and fo to Pholoe> and Eryman* 
thus , & T aygetus, and at laft to Olympus : 
where he grew* fomewhatmore bragg 
and audacious,then before he was,and 
foared higher vpwards till he had rea¬ 
ched the Moone, and then the b unne, 
and from thence the Habitation of /#- 
pttcr and the reft of the Godsra fufticL 
ent flightfas he laithjfor a well truffed 
Eagle to performe in a day . There he 
refted himfelfe, and difeouered all the 
world and euery particularity thereof 
to the end he might the more freely & 
like a Scoggan taunt & fcoffe at the Ath¬ 
ens of men in their feueralikinds.But to 
leaue thefe Poeticall Fictions^ and vaine 
Fables,which doo but declare the Na¬ 
ture of Man to bee defirous of Nouel- 
ties ,and curious to know thofe things 
whereofhe is ignorant 5 let vs come to 
thofe that being neither coniuredout 
of hell, nor raptinto the heauens, but 
of their owne honourable difpofition 
and inftin#: ofNature, haue not onely 
compafted Sea and Land in their own 
pertons to lcarne and beholde Nations , 
Realmes,Peoples & Countries vnknowne, 
for the augmentation of their owne 
priuate skill and cunning,but alfo haue 
committed their knowledge and la¬ 
bours to writing for the propagation 
oftheleruiceandglorieof GodinP^- 
gan and Heat hen places, and the great 
pleafure,profit & commodity of their 
Countrymen . Of this kinde and fort of 
famous men , there hath beene great 
ftore in al ages,but fpecially at the firft, 
Homer ^Anaximandt r, HecaUus , Demo¬ 
critus,Eudoxus >Tim&us ^Eratosthenes,Po- 
lyhius , Posfidonius,Dionyfius,Strabo, Soli- 
nus , Pomponius Mela^ CMaximus Tyrtus % 
Ptolomee ,& an infinite number of other 
ancient ^Authors } that haue imployed 
their 
