passage to Cathaya, by the Northwest, vnder the conduct of Martin
Frobisher Generall: Before which as a necessary Preface is prefixed a
twofolde discourse, conteining certaine reasons to proue all partes of
the World habitable. Penned by Master George Best, a Gentleman employed
in the same voyages.
What commodities and instructions may be reaped by diligent reading this
Discourse.
1 First, by example may be gathered, how a Discouerer of new Countries is
to proceede in his first attempt of any Discouerie.
2 Item, how he should be prouided of shipping, victuals, munition, and
choice of men.
3 How to proceede and deale with strange people, be they neuer so
barbarous, cruell and fierce, either by lenitie or otherwise.
4 How trade of Merchandize may be made without money.
5 How a Pilot may deale, being inuironed with mountaines of yce in the
frozen sea.
6 How length of dayes, change of seasons, Summers and Winters doe differ in
sundry regions.
7 How dangerous it is to attempt new Discoueries, either for the length of
the voyage, or the ignorance of the language, the want of Interpreters, new
and vnaccustomed Elements and ayres, strange and vnsauoury meates, danger
of theeues and robbers, fiercenesse of wilde beastes and fishes, hugenesse
of woods, dangerousnesse of Seas, dread of tempestes, feare of hidden
rockes, steepnesse of mountaines, darknesse of sudden falling fogges,
continuall paines taking without any rest, and infinite others.
8. How pleasant and profitable it is to attempt new Discoueries, either for
the sundry sights and shapes of strange beastes and fishes, the wonderfull
workes of nature, the different maners and fashions of diuers nations, the
sundry sortes of gouernment, the sight of strange trees, fruite, foules,
and beasts, the infinite treasure of Pearle, Golde and Siluer, the newes of
newe found landes, the sundry positions of the Sphere, and many others.
9. How valiant Captaines vse to deale vpon extremitie, and otherwise.
10 How trustie souldiers dutifully vse to serue.
11 Also here may bee seene a good example to be obserued of any priuate
person, in taking notes, and making obseruations of all such things as are
requisite for a Discouerer of newe Countries.
12 Lastly, the Reader here may see a good paterne of a well gouerned
seruice, sundry instructions of matters of Cosmographie, Geographie, and
Nauigation, as in reading more at large may be seene.
Experiences and reasons of the Sphere, to prooue all partes of the worlde
habitable, and thereby to confute the position of the fiue Zones.
[Sidenote: Experience to proue that Torrida Zone is habitable.] First, it
may be gathered by experience of our Englishmen in Anno 1553. For Captaine
Windam made a Voyage with Merchandise to Guinea, and entred so farre within
the Torrida Zona, that he was within three or foure degrees of the
Equinoctiall, and his company abiding there certaine Moneths, returned,
with gaine.
Also the Englishmen made another Voyage very prosperous and gainefull, An.
1554. to the coasts of Guinea, within 3. degrees of the Equinoctiall. And
yet it is reported of a trueth, that all the tract from Cape de las Palmas
trending by C. de tres puntas alongst by Benin, vnto the Ile of S. Thomas
(which is perpendiculer under the Equinoctial)[58] all that whole Bay is
more subiect to many blooming and smoothering heates, with infectious and
contagious ayres, then any other place in all Torrida Zona: and the cause
thereof is some accidents in the land. For it is most certaine, that
mountains, Seas, woods and lakes, &c, may cause through their sundry kinde
of situation, sundry strange and extraordinary effects, which the reason of
the clyme otherwise would not giue. I mention these Voyages of our
Englishmen, not so much to prooue that Torrida Zona may bee, and is
inhabited, as to shew their readinesse in attempting long and dangerous
Nauigations. Wee also among vs in England, haue blacke Moores, Æthiopians,
out of all partes of Torrida Zona, which after a small continuance, can
well endure the colde of our Countrey, and why should not we as well abide
the heate of their Countrey? But what should I name any more experiences,
seeing that all the coastes of Guinea and Benin are inhabited of Portugals,
Spanyardes, French, and some Englishmen, who there haue built Castles and
Townes. [Sidenote: Marochus more hote then about the Equinoctiall.] Onely
this I will say to the Merchants of London, that trade yeerely to Marochus,
it is very certaine, that the greatest part of the burning Zone is farre
more temperate and coole in Iune, then the Countrey of Marochus, as shall
appeare by these reasons and experiences following. For let vs first
consider the bignesse of this burning Zone (which as euery man knoweth, is
47. degrees) each Tropicke, which are the bounders thereof, being 28.
degrees and a halfe distant from the Equinoctiall. Imagine againe two other
Parallels, on each side the Equinoctiall about 20. degrees, which Paralels
may be described either of them twice a yeere by the Sunne, being in the
first degrees of Gemini the 11. of May, and in Leo the 13. of Iuly, hauing
North Latitude. And againe, the Sunne being in the first degrees of
Sagittarius, the 12. of Nouember, and in Aquarius the 9. of Ianuary, hauing
South latitude, I am to prooue by experience and reason that all that
distance included betweene these two Paralels last named (conteyning 40.
degrees in latitude, going round about the earth, according to longitude)
is not onely habitable, but the same most fruitfull and delectable, and
that if any extremitie of heate bee, the same not to be within the space of
twenty degrees of the Equinoctiall on either side, but onely vnder and
about the two Tropickes, and so proportionally the nearer you doe approch
to eyther Tropicke, the more you are subiect to extremitie of heate (if any
such be) and so Marochus being situate but sixe or seuen degrees from the
Tropicke of Cancer, shall be more subiect to heate, then any place vnder or
neere the Equinoctiall line.[59]
[Sidenote: Marueilous fruitfull soile vnder the Equinoctiall.] And first by
the experience of sundry men, yea thousands, Trauailers and Merchants, to
the East and West Indies in many places, both directly vnder, and hard by
the Equinoctiall, they with one consent affirme, that it aboundeth in the
middest of Torrida Zona with all manner of Graine, Hearbes, grasse, fruite,
wood and cattell, that we haue heere, and thousandes other sortes, farre
more wholesome, delectable and precious, then any wee haue in these
Northerne climates, as very well shall appeare to him that will reade the
Histories and Nauigations of such as haue traueiled Arabia, India intra and
extra Gangem, the Islands Moluccæ, America, &c. which all lye about the
middle of the burning Zone, where it is truely reported, that the great
hearbes, as are Radish, Lettuce, Colewortes, Borage, and such like, doe
waxe ripe, greater, more sauourie and delectable in taste then ours, within
sixteene dayes after the seede is sowen. Wheate being sowed the first of
Februarie, was found ripe the first of May, and generally, where it is
lesse fruitfull, the wheate will be ripe the fourth moneth after the seed
is sowne, and in some places will bring foorth an eare as bigge as the
wrist of a mans arme containing 1000. graines; Beanes, peace, &c. are there
ripe twice a yeere. Also grasse being cut downe, will grow vp in sixe dayes
aboue one foote high. If our cattell be transported thither, within a small
time their young ones become of bigger stature, and more fat than euer they
would haue bene in these countreys. [Sidenote: Great trees.] There are
found in euery wood in great numbers, such timber trees as twelue men
holding handes together are not able to fathome. [Sidenote: Commodities and
pleasures vnder the Equinoctiall.] And to be short, all they that haue bene
there with one consent affirme, that there are the goodliest greene medowes
and plaines, the fairest mountaines couered with all sorts of trees and
fruites, the fairest valleys, the goodliest pleasant fresh riuers, stored
with infinite kinde of fishes, the thickest woods, green and bearing fruite
all the whole yeere, that are in all the world. And as for gold, siluer,
and all other kinde of Metals, all kinde of spices and delectable fruites,
both for delicacie and health, are there in such abundance, as hitherto
they haue bene thought to haue beene bred no where else but there. And in
conclusion, it is nowe thought that no where else but vnder the
Equinoctiall, or not farre from thence, is the earthly Paradise, and the
onely place of perfection in this worlde. And that these things may seeme
the lesse strange, because it hath bene accompted of the olde Philosophers,
that there coulde nothing prosper for the extreme heat of the Sunne
continually going ouer their heades in the Zodiacke, I thought good here to
alleadge such naturall causes as to me seeme very substantiall and sure
reasons.
[Sidenote: Heat is caused by two meanes that is by his maner of Angle and
by his continuance.] First you are to vnderstand that the Sunne doeth worke
his more or lesse heat in these lower parts by two meanes, the one is by
the kinde of Angle that the Sunne beames doe make with the earth, as in all
Torrida Zona it maketh perpendicularly right Angles in some place or other
at noone, and towards the two Poles very oblique and vneuen Angles. And the
other meane is the longer or shorter continuance of the Sunne aboue the
Horizon. So that wheresoeuer these two causes do most concurre, there is
most excesse of heat: and when the one is wanting, the rigor of the heat is
lesse. For though the Sunne beames do beat perpendicularly vpon any region
subiect vnto it, if it hath no continuance or abode aboue the Horizon, to
worke his operation in, there can no hote effect proceed. For nothing can
be done in a moment. [Sidenote: Note this reason.] And this second cause
mora Solis supra Horizontem, the time of the sunnes abiding aboue the
Horizon, the old Philosophers neuer remembred, but regarded onely the maner
of Angles that the Sunne beames made with the Horizon, which if they were
equall and right, the heat was the greater, as in Torrida Zona: if they
were vnequall and oblique, the heat was the lesse, as towards both Poles,
which reason is very good and substantiall: for the perpendicular beames
reflect and reuerberate in themselues, so that the heat is doubled, euery
beame striking twice, and by vniting are multiplied, and continue strong in
forme of a Columne. But in our latitude of 50. and 60. degrees, the Sunne
beames descend oblique and slanting wise, and so strike but once and
depart, and therefore our heat is the lesse for any effect that the Angle
of the Sunne beames make. Yet because wee haue a longer continuance of the
Sunnes presence aboue our Horizon then they haue vnder the Equinoctial; by
this continuance the heat is increased, for it shineth to vs 16. or 18.
houres sometime, when it continueth with them but twelue houres alwayes.
And againe, our night is very short, wherein cold vapours vse to abound,
being but sixe or eight houres long, whereas theirs is alwayes twelue
houres long, by which two aduantages of long, dayes and short nights,
though we want the equalitie of Angle, it commeth to passe that in Sommer
our heat here is as great as theirs is there, as hath bene proued by
experience, and is nothing dissonant from good reason. Therefore whosoeuer
will rightly way the force of colde and heat in any region, must not onely
consider the Angle that the Sunne beames make, but also the continuance of
the same aboue the Horizon. As first to them vnder the Equinoctiall the
Sunne is twice a yeere at noone in their Zenith perpendicular ouer their
heads, and therefore during the two houres of those two dayes the heat is
very vrgent, and so perhaps it will be in foure or fiue dayes more an houre
euery day, vntill the Sunne in his proper motion haue crossed the
Equinoctiall; so that this extreme heat caused by the perpendicular Angle
of the Sunne beames, endureth but two houres of two dayes in a yeere. But
if any man say the Sunne may scalde a good while before and after it come
to the Meridian, so farre foorth as reason leadeth, I am content to allow
it, and therefore I will measure and proportion the Sunnes heat, by
comparing the Angles there, with the Angles made here in England, because
this temperature is best knowen vnto vs. As for example, the 11. day of
March, when vnder the Equinoctiall it is halfe houre past eight of the
clocke in the morning, the Sunne will he in the East about 38. degrees
aboue the Horizon, because there it riseth alwayes at six of the clocke,
and moueth euery houre 15. degrees, and so high very neere will it be with
vs at London the said eleuenth day of March at noone. And therefore looke
what force the Sunne hath with vs at noone, the eleventh of March, the same
force it seemeth to haue vnder the Equinoctial at half an houre past eight
in the morning, or rather lesse force vnder the Equinoctiall, For with vs
the Sunne had bene already sixe houres aboue the horizon, and so had
purified and clensed all the vapours, and thereby his force encreased at
noone; but vnder the Equinoctiall, the Sunne hauing bene vp but two houres
and an halfe, had sufficient to doe, to purge and consume the cold and
moyst vapours of the long night past, and as yet had wrought no effect of
heate. And therefore I may boldly pronounce, that there is much lesse heate
at halfe an houre past eight vnder the Equinoctiall, then is with vs at
noone: à fortiori. But in March we are not onely contented to haue the
Sunne shining, but we greatly desire the same. Likewise the 11. of Iune,
the Sunne in our Meridian is 62 degrees high at London: and vnder the
Equinoctiall it is so high after 10 of the clocke, and seeing then it is
beneficial with vs; à fortiori it is beneficiall to them after 10 of the
clocke.
And thus haue wee measured the force of the Sunnes greatest heate, the
hottest dayes in the yeere, vnder the Equinoctiall, that is in March and
September, from sixe till after tenne of the clocke in the morning, and
from two vntill Sunne set. And this is concluded, by respecting onely the
first cause of heate, which is the consideration of the Angle of the Sunne
beames, by a certaine similitude, that whereas the Sunne shineth neuer
aboue twelue houres, more then eight of them would bee coole and pleasant
euen to vs, much more to them that are acquainted alwayes with such warme
places. So there remaineth lesse then foure houres of excessiue heate, and
that onely in the two Sommer dayes of the yeere, that is the eleueuth day
of March, and the fourteenth of September: for vnder the Equinoctiall they
haue two Sommers, the one in March, and the other in September, which are
our Spring and Autumne: and likewise two Winters, in Iune and December,
which are our Sommer and Winter, as may well appeare to him that hath onely
tasted the principles of the Sphere. But if the Sunne bee in either
Tropicke, or approaching neere thereunto, then may wee more easily measure
the force of his Meridian altitude, that it striketh vpon the Equinoctiall.
As for example, the twelfth of Iune the Sunne will be in the first degree
of Cancer. Then look what force the heate of the Sunne hath vnder the
Equinoctiall, the same force and greater it hath in all that Parallel,
where the Pole is eleuated betweene fourtie and seuen, and fourtie and
eight degrees. [Sidenote: Paris in France is as hote as vnder the
Equinoctiall in Iune.] And therefore Paris in France the twelfth day of
Iune sustaineth more heate of the Sunne, then Saint Thomas Iland lying
neere the same Meridian doeth likewise at noone, or the Ilands Traprobana,
Molluccæ, or the firme lande of Peru in America, which all lye vnderneath
the Equinoctiall. For vpon the twelfth day of Iune aforesaide, the Sunne
beames at noone doe make an Isoscheles Triangle, whose Vertex is the Center
of the Sunne, the Basis a line extended from Saint Thomas Iland vnder the
Equinoctiall, vnto Paris in France neere the same Meridian: therefore the
two Angles of the Base must needs be equal per 5. primi,[60] Ergo the force
of the heat equal, if there were no other cause then the reason of the
Angle, as the olde Philosophers haue appointed. [Sidenote: In Iune is
greater heat at Paris then vnder the Equinoctiall.] But because at Paris
the Sunne riseth two houres before it riseth to them vnder the
Equinoctiall, and setteth likewise two houres after them, by meanes of the
obliquitie of the Horizon, in which time of the Sunnes presence foure
houres in one place more then the other, it worketh some effect more in one
place then in the other, and being of equall height at noone, it must then
needs follow to be more hote in the Parallel of Paris, then it is vnder the
Equinoctiall.
[Sidenote: The twilights are shorter, and the nights darker vnder the
Equinoctiall then at Paris.] Also this is an other reason, that when the
Sunne setteth to them vnder the Equinoctiall, it goeth very deepe and lowe
vnder their Horizon, almost euen to their Antipodes, whereby their
twilights are very short, and their nights are made very extreeme darke and
long, and so the moysture and coldnesse of the long nights wonderfully
encreaseth, so that at length the Sunne rising can hardly in many houres
consume and driue away the colde humours and moyst vapours of the night
past, which is cleane contrary in the Parallel of Paris: for the Sunne
goeth vnder their Horizon but very little, after a sloping sort, whereby
their nights, are not very darke, but lightsome, as looking into the North
in a cleare night without cloudes it doeth manifestly appeare, their
twilights are long: for the Parallel of Cancer cutteth not the Horizon of
Paris at right Angles, but at Angles very vneuen, and vnlike as it doeth
the Horizon of the Equinoctiall. Also the Sommer day at Paris is sixteene
houres long, and the night but eight: where contrarywise vnder the
Equinoctiall the day is but twelue houres long, and so long is also the
night, in whatsoeuer Parallel the Sunne be: and therefore looke what oddes
and difference of proportion there is betweene the Sunnes abode aboue the
Horizon in Paris, and the abode it hath vnder the Equinoctiall, (it being
in Cancer) the same proportion would seeme to be betweene the heate of the
one place, and heate of the other: for other things (as the Angle of the
whole arke of the Sunnes progresse that day in both places) are equall.
But vnder the Equinoctiall the presence and abode of the Sunne aboue the
Horizon is equall to his absence, and abode vnder the Horizon, eche being
twelue houres. And at Paris the continuance and abode of the Sunne is aboue
the Horizon sixteene houres long, and but eight houres absence, which
proportion is double, from which if the proportion of the equalitie be
subtracted to finde the difference, there will remaine still a double
proportion, whereby it seemeth to follow, that in Iune the heate of Paris
were double to the heate vnder the equinoctiall. For (as I haue said) the
Angles of the Sunne beames are in all points equall, and the cause of
difference is, Mora Solis supra Horizontem, the stay of the Sunne in the
one Horizon more then in the other. [Sidenote: In what proportion the Angle
of the Sun beames heateth.] Therefore, whosoeuer could finde out in what
proportion the Angle of the Sunne beames heateth, and what encrease the
Sunnes continuance doeth adde thereunto, it might expresly be set downe,
what force of heat and cold is in all regions.
Thus you partly see by comparing a Climate to vs well knowen and familiarly
acquainted by like height of the Sunne in both places, that vnder the
Equinoctiall in Iune is no excessiue heat, but a temperate aire rather
tendering to cold. [Sidenote: They vse and haue neede of fire vnder the
Equinoctiall.] For as they haue there for the most part a continuall
moderate heat, so yet sometime they are a little pinched with colde, and
vse the benefite of fire as well as we, especially in the euening when they
goe to bed, for as they lye in hanging beds tied fast in the vpper part of
the house, so will they haue fires made on both sides their bed, of which
two fires, the one they deuise superstitiously to driue away spirits, and
the other to keepe away from them the coldnesse of the nights.
[Sidenote: Colde intermingled with heate vnder the Equinoctiall.] Also in
many places of Torrida Zona, especially in the higher landes somewhat
mountainous, the people a little shrincke at the colde, and are often
forced to prouide themselues clothing, so that the Spaniards haue found in
the West Indies many people clothed, especially in Winter, whereby
appeareth, that with their heat there is colde intermingled, else would
they neuer prouide this remedy of clothing, which to them is rather a
griefe and trouble then otherwise. For when they goe to warres, they will
put off all their apparel, thinking it to be cumbersome, and will alwayes
goe naked, that they thereby might be more nimble in their fight.
Some there be that thinke the middle Zone extremely hot, because the people
of the countrey can, and doe liue without clothing, wherein they childishly
are deceiued: for our Clime rather tendeth to extremitie of colde, because
wee cannot liue without clothing: for this our double lining, furring, and
wearing so many clothes, is a remedy against extremetie, and argueth not
the goodnesse of the habitation, but inconuenience and iniury of colde: and
that is rather the moderate, temperate, and delectable habitation, where
none of these troublesome things are required, but that we may liue naked
and bare, as nature bringeth vs foorth.
[Sidenote: Ethiopians blacke, with curled haire.] Others againe imagine the
middle Zone to be extreme hot, because the people of Africa, especially the
Ethiopians, are so cole blacke, and their haire like wooll curled short,
which blacknesse and curled haire they suppose to come onely by the
parching heat of the Sunne, which how it should be possible I cannot see:
for euen vnder the Equinoctiall in America, and in the East Indies; and in
the Ilands Moluccæ the people are not blacke, but tauney and white, with
long haire vncurled as wee haue, so that if the Ethiopians blacknesse came
by the heate of the Sunne, why should not those Americans and Indians also
be as blacke as they, seeing the Sunne is equally distant from them both,
they abiding in one Parallel: for the concaue and conuexe Superficies of
the Orb of the Sunne is concentrike, and equidistant to the earth; except
any man should imagine somewhat of Aux Solis, and Oppositum, which
indifferently may be applied aswel to the one place as to the other.
[Sidenote: The Sunne heateth not by his neerenesse, but onely by
reflection.] But the Sunne is thought to giue no otherwise heat, but by way
of Angle in reflection, and not by his neerenesse to the earth: for
throughout all Africa, yea in the middest of the middle Zone, and in all
other places vpon the tops of mountaines there lyeth continuall snow, which
is nearer to the Orbe of the sunne, then the people are in the valley, by
so much as the height of these moantaines amount vnto, and yet the Sunne
notwithstanding his neerenesse, can not the melt snow for want of
conuenient place of reflections. Also the middle region of the aire where
all the haile, frost, and snow is engendred, is neerer vnto the Sunne then
the earth is, and yet there continueth perpetuall cold, because there is
nothing that the Sunne beames may reflect against, whereby appeareth that
the neerenesse of the body of the Sunne worketh nothing.