[Sidenote: Noah first diuided the earth among his sonnes.]
We read that the earth hath beene diuided into thrée parts, euen
sithens the generall floud. And the common opinion is, that Noah
limited and bestowed it vpon his three sons, Japhet, Cham, and Sem,
preserued with him in the Arke, giuing vnto each of them such portions
thereof as to him séemed good, and neuerthelesse reteining the
souereigntie of the whole still vnto himselfe: albeit as yet it be
left vncertaine how those seuerall parts were bounded, and from whome
they tooke such names as in our times are attributed to each of them.
Certes the words, Asia, Europa, and Africa, are denominations giuen
but of late (to speake of) vnto them, and it is to be doubted, whether
sithens the time of Noah, the sea hath in sundrie places wonne or
lost, added or diminished to and from each of them; or whether Europa,
and Lybia were but one portion; and the same westerlie regions of late
discouered (and now called America,) was the third part (counting Asia
for the second) or the selfe region of the Atlantides, which Plato and
others, for want of traffike thither in their times, supposed to be
dissolued and sunke into the sea: as by their writings appeereth.
[Sidenote: The diuision of the earth not yet certeinlie knowne.]
Not long before my time, we reckoned Asia, Europa, and Africa, for a
full and perfect diuision of the whole earth, which are parcels onelie
of that huge Iland that lieth east of the Atlantike sea, and whereof
the first is diuided from the second by Tanais (which riseth in the
rocks of Caucasus, and hideth it selfe in the Meotine moores) and the
Ocean sea; and the last from them both by the Mediterrane and red sea,
otherwise called Mare Erythræum. But now all men, especially the
learned, begin to doubt of the soundnes of that partition; bicause a
no lesse part than the greatest of the thrée ioined with those Ilands
and maine which lie vnder the north and Southpoles, if not double in
quantitie vnto the same, are found out and discouered by the diligence
of our trauellers. Hereby it appeereth, that either the earth was not
exactlie diuided in time past by antiquitie; or els, that the true
diuision thereof came not to the hands and notice of their posteritie,
so that our ancestors haue hitherto as it were laboured in the
Cimmerian darkenesse, and were vtterlie ignorant of the truth of that
whereabout they indeuoured to shew their trauels and knowledge in
their writings. Some peece of this confusion also is to be found
amongst the ancient and Romane writers, who (notwithstanding their
large conquests) did sticke in the same mire with their successors,
not being able (as appeereth by their treatises) to deliuer and set
[Sidenote: Variance among the writers
about the diuision of the earth.]
downe the veritie. For Salust in his booke De bello Iugurthino cannot
tell whether Africa be parcell of Asia or not. And with the same
scruple Varro in his booke De lingua Lat. is not a litle incumbred,
who in the end concludeth, that the whole earth is diuided into Asia
and Europa: so that Africa is excluded and driuen out of his place.
Silius also writeth of Africa, (as one not yet resolued wherevnto to
leane,) that it is;
Aut ingens Asiæ latus, aut pars tertia rerum.
Wherein Lucane lib. 9. sheweth himselfe to be far of another
iudgement, in that he ascribeth it to Europa, saieng after this maner:
Tertia pars rerum Lybia: si credere famæ
Cuncta velis, si ventos c[oe]lúmque sequaris,
Pars erit Europæ, nec enim plus littora Nili
Quàm Scythicus Tanais primis à gradibus absunt.
Whereby (I saie) we may well vnderstand, that in the time of Augustus
Tiberius, Claudius & Nero, the Romanes were not yet resolued of the
diuision of the earth. For my part, as I indeuour not to remooue the
credit of that which antiquitie hath deliuered (and yet loth to
continue and maintaine any corruption that may be redressed) so I
[Sidenote: The earth diuided into fiue parts, whereas _Belforest_
hath but foure, in _Prefat. lib._ 4.]
thinke good to giue foorth a new diuision more probable, & better
agreeing with a truth. And therefore I diuide the whole into fiue
seuerall parcels, reteining the common diuision in the first three, as
before; and vnto the fourth allowing not onelie all that portion that
lieth by north of the Magellan streicts, and those Hyperborean Ilands
which lie west of the line of longitude, of late discouered by
Frobisher, and called by hir Maiestie Meta incognita: but likewise so
manie Ilands as are within 180. degrees Westwards from our beginning
or common line of longitude, whereby they are parted from those, which
by this diuision are allotted vnto Asia, and the portion it selfe made
equipollent with the same for greatnes, and far excéeding either
Europa or Africa, if it be not fullie so much in quantitie as they
both vnited and laid togither. The fift & last part is the Antartike
portion with hir Ilands annexed, that region (I meane) which lieth
vnder the South pole, cut off from America, or the fourth part by the
Magellan streicts; & from Africa by the sea which passeth by the Cape
[Sidenote: Cape di bona Speranza.]
of good hope; a countrie no lesse large for limits and bounds than
Africa or America, and therefore right worthie to be called the fift:
howsoeuer it shall please the curious to mislike of this diuision.
This also I will adde, that albeit the continent hereof doo not extend
[Sidenote: The forme of the fift part.]
it selfe vnto the verie Antartike point, but lieth as it were a long
table betwéene two seas, of which the later is vnder the South poole,
and as I may call it a maine sea vnder the aforesaid pricke, yet is it
not without sundrie Ilands also adjoining vnto it, and the inner most
sea not destitute of manie, as by experience hath béene of late
confirmed. Furthermore, whereas our describers of the earth haue made
it such in their descriptions, as hath reached litle or nothing into
the peaceable sea without the Antartike circle: it is now found by
Theuet and others, that it extendeth it selfe northwards into that
trace, by no small number of leagues, euen in maner to the Equator, in
so much that the westerlie part thereof from America, is supposed to
reach northward so far from the Antartike article, as Africa dooth
southwards from the tropike of Cancer, which is no small portion of
ground; & I maruell why not obserued by such as heretofore haue
written of the same. But they excuse themselues by the ingratitude of
the Portingals and Spaniards, who haue of purpose concealed manie
things found out in their trauell, least they should séeme to open a
gap by dooing otherwise, for strangers to enter into their conquests.
As for those Ilands also which lie in the peaceable sea, scattered
here and there, as Iaua the greater, the lesser Sumatra, Iapan,
Burneo, &c: with a number of other, I refer them still unto Asia, as
before, so as they be without the compasse of 90. degrees eastward
from the line of longitude, & not aboue 180. as I doo the Ile of S.
Laurence, and a number of other vnto Africa within the said
proportion, wishing so little alteration as I may: and yet not
yeelding vnto any confusion, whereby the truth of the diuision should
hereafter be impeached.
And whereas by Virgil (speaking of our Iland) saith;
Et penitùs toto diuisos orbe Britannos,
[Sidenote: Unto what portion Britaine is referred.]
And some other authors not vnworthie to be read and perused, it is not
certeine vnto which portion of the earth our Ilands, and Thule, with
sundrie the like scattered in the north seas should be ascribed,
bicause they excluded them (as you sée) from the rest of the whole
earth: I have thought good, for facilitie sake of diuision, to refer
them all which lie within the first minute of longitude, set downe by
Ptolome, to Europa, and that as reason requireth: so that the
aforesaid line shall henceforth be their Meta & partition from such as
are to be ascribed to America; albeit they come verie neere vnto the
aforesaid portion, & may otherwise (without prejudice) be numbred with
the same. It may be that some will thinke this my dealing either to be
superfluous, or to procéed from (I wot not what) foolish curiositie:
for the world is now growne to be very apt and readie to iudge the
hardest of euerie attempt. But forsomuch as my purpose is to leaue a
plaine report of such matter as I doo write of, and deliuer such
things as I intreat of in distinct and vpright order; though method
now and then doo faile, I will go forward with my indeuour, referring
the examination of my dooings to the indifferent and learned eare,
without regard what the other doo conceiue and imagine of me. In the
meane season therefore it shall suffice to say at this time, that
Albion as the mother, and the rest of the Ilands as hir daughters,
lieng east of the line of longitude, be still ascribed vnto Europa:
wherevnto some good authours heretofore in their writings, & their
owne proper or naturall situations also haue not amisse referred them.