the moneths of May Iune and Iuly and reape within six weeks after Concerning this region reade the booke of Iaques Morguez le moine GVASTECAN THis also is a region of North America and part of New Spaine The inhabitants are poore Along the sea-coasts and the bancks of riuers they liue for the most part of fish but in the inland with Guinie-wheat which they call Maiz. Otherwise they are a people gentle enough The Spaniards haue planted two colonies here the one is called Panuco of the riuer that runneth by it and the other S. Iames of the vallies Not farre from Panuco neere the towne called Tamatao stands an hill with two fountaines vpon it one whereof disgorgeth blacke pitch and the other red which is scalding hot The BRITTISH Iles. THE EMPIRE OF GREAT BRITAIN included within the parallels 49. and 63. and the Meridians or longitudes 9. and 26. bounded vpon the South by France vpon the East by Germany vpon the North West by the Vast Ocean disioined from the rest of the maine land as High Admirall of the seas comprehendeth that Iland which at this day conteineth the kingdomes of England Scotland together with Ireland ouer against it Westward the circumiacent iles the Orchades Hebrides Man Anglesey Wight the Sorlings many others of lesse note and were generally of the old writers with one consent called BRITANNICAE INSVLAE The Brittish Ilands taking their denomination as seemeth from the greatest of them commander of the rest which indeed is properly called BRITANNIA Brittaine So named not of that fained Brutus the bloody parricide as the fabulous historian Geffrey of Monmouth against all reason authority truth of storie hath hitherto made the world beleeue nor of the Welch word Prydain or Prydcain as the learned Britaine Humfrey Lhoyd hath thought but of Brit a Celticke word which signifieth Painted For these people as Caesar and other old writers report vsed to paint their bodies and therefore were called of the Gaules their next neighbours BRITONES as those people of the same nation who to auoid the slauery and seruitude of the Romanes and withdrew themselues into the North parts from whom they continually molested their colonies heere were of them for the same reason in their language called PICTI The Greekes called it also ALBION not of Albion Neptunes sonne which sometime sweied the scepter heere as some haue most fabulously taught but of Alphiων the white cliffes vpon the sea coast which first offer themselues to the eie of those which to this our land saile hither from France and indeed the Welch poets call it Inis win that is as Orphaeus the most ancient poet of the Greeks doth interpret it Nesos leu caessa and Leucaios Chersos The white I le or The whiteland The first Inhabitants which seated themselues heere not long after the vniuersall Flood and Confusion of Babel came hither from France as by Neerenesse of place Likenesse of language Maners Gouernment Customes Name is by the learned Clarencieux Camden the onely light of our histories in that his thrise renowned Britannia euidently demonstrated For to this day the ancient Britans the Welchmen do call themselues CVMRI not Cambri as come from Gomer the sonne of Iapheth called of the Latines Cimber from whom are descended the Celtae or Gaules The Romanes a second nation vnder the conduct of Iulius Caesar about the yeare before the birth of CHRIST 54. entered Brittaine and planted their colonies in diuers and sundry places of this Iland The Scottes obseruing the Roman legions to grow weake and their Empire to decline thereupon tooke occasion first to seise vpon Ireland then about the yeare of CHRIST 446. great trouble arising in France the Emperours were constrained wholly to withdraw their forces from hence and to leaue the Brittaines naked and open to the furie of the Pictes their enemies From hence ensued a double mischiefe for first the vnquiet and turbulent Pictes thinking that now the onely opportunitie was offered them to accomplish their desires thought to make sure worke called in the Scottes out of Ireland combined themselues together against the poore disarmed Britans whereupon the Britans were constrained for safegard of their liues and liberties to call in about the yeare of CHRIST 440. the Angles Saxons and Iuites a warlike people inhabiting along the sea coast of Germany from the riuer of Rhein vnto Denmarke to aid them against their violent enemies The Normanes lead by William the Bastard their Duke tooke possession of Great Brittaine in the yeare 1066. The Vandalles Norweis and Danes who by their piracies and robberies a long time and oft greeuously vexed these Iles neuer seated their Colonies heere and therefore I passe them ouer with silence The forme of Brittaine is triangular like vnto that figure which the Geometers call Scalenum or as Nubiensis the Arabian saith to the head and necke of Alnaama the ostrich and therefore it may aswell as Sicilia be called TRINACRIA The three-cornered I le The ancient Geographers did hold it and that deseruedly to be the greatest Iland of the Maine Ocean wherefore Solinus saith it may well deserue the name of ANOTHER WORLD and Matthew Paris for the same cause calleth it THE QVEEN or Empresse of the Isles of the Ocean In respect of which large compasse it hath been in former ages diuided into many seuerall iurisdictions and kingdomes in the time of the Saxons England the South-east part into seuen and Wales into three Great Egbert in the yeare 800. reduced the Saxon heptarchy into a Monarchy The Irish Princes Nobles and Commons after the incarnation 1172. vnited their Pentarchy to the crowne of Egbert and swore alleageance to Henry the second King of England Edward the first to these did knit in the yeare after the birth of Christ 1282. the triple crowne of the Pety Kings of Wales In these our daies the eternall wisedome of the Great King of Heauen and Earth hath cast all these together with the crowne of Scotland into one massie Emperiall Diademe and placed it vpon the head of our dread soueraigne IAMES lineally descended from those mighty Monarches and shall we doubt not in time adde to these whatsoeuer from them vnto his Highnesse do belong BRITANNICAE INSVLAE or the Empire of Great Brittaine conteineth Ilands Greater and often mentioned in histories BRITANNIA diuided by the Romans into Superior the Higher conteining ANGLIA England CVMERIA Wales Inferior the Neather now called SCOTIA Scotland HIBERNIA Ireland vpon the West of Britaine Lesser yet famous belonging to England from it South Close to the shore of Brittaine VECTA Wight Vpon the coast of France CAESARIA Gersey SARNIA Gernsey And many other lesser West From the point of Cornwall SILLINAE Silly anno 145. In the middest betweene England Ireland and Scotland MONOEDA Man Wales MONA called of the English Anglesey of the Welch Tirmôn Scotland lying from it West HEBRIDES The West isles in number foure and fortie North ORCHADES Orkney-iles about
of euery Mappe in the same maner and order as we said we obserued in the Mappes themselues omitting nor concealing any mans name that we had occasion to vse Moreouer to these also we haue added a Table of the names of all the Authours that euer wee knew or had out of which those that are so disposed may fetch a more ample and larger discourse and description of the seuerall Countreys handled by them Wherefore the students of Geography shall haue here in the Authours thus named in order and in the Catalogue of the Authours of the Geographicall Tables or Mappes which we haue set before this our worke and lastly in these Tables themselues a certaine shoppe as it were furnished with all kinde of instruments necessarily required in such like businesse out of which if peraduenture there may seeme any thing wanting in his iudgement either to the finishing of any Booke of that argument or more fuller descriptions of any Countreys whatsoeuer very easily or in deed without any labour at all he may see from whence it may by and by be fetched These things they are which I thought good to admonish the Reader of It remaineth now that wee doe entreate euery man to take this our labour and entertaine it with no other minde then it was by vs both begunne and finished and at length set out and Imprinted Farewell and wish well to Francis Hogenberg Ferdinand and Ambrose Arsen by whose skilfull hands and extraordinary great paines and diligence almost all these Mappes were engrauen and cut From Antwerp this present yeere 1570. ¶ THE FIRST TABLE A. ASia fol. 3 Africa fol. 4 America fol. 5 The Azores fol. 15 Aniow fol. 25 Artois fol. 41 Austria fol. 63 Austrich fol. 63 Aprutium fol. 84 Abruzzo fol. 84 Apulia fol. 86 Asia the lesser fol. 112 Aegypt fol. 112 Aethiopia fol. 113 The Abassinnes countrey fol. 113 B. BRitannicae insulae fol. 10 The Brittish Iles. fol. 10 Bretaigne fol. 22 Berry fol. 24 Bituriges fol. 24 Blasois fol. 25. ¶ ¶ ¶ Blois fol. 25. ¶ ¶ ¶ Boulogne fol. 26 Burgundy the county fol. 31 Burgūdy the dukedom fol. 32 Brabant fol. 38 Brandenburgh fol. 56 Buchauia fol. 57 Buchonia fol. 57 Brunswick fol. 58 Bohemia fol. 60 Bauaria fol. 65 Bayern fol. 65 Basell fol. 68 Brescia fol. 76 Barbary fol. 1 4 Belid'ulgerid fol. 114. C. CAmbria fol. 13 Cumry fol. 13 Culiacan fol. 8 Cuba fol. 8 Cadiz fol. 20 Caliz fol. 20 Calis-malis fol. 20 Carpetania fol. 20 Cenomani fol. 22 Calais fol. 26 Cimbrica Chersonesus fol. 51 Chaczeola fol. 70 Carniola fol. 70 Cremona fol. 57 Crema fol. 75 Como lake fol. 79 Corsica fol. 83 Calabria fol. 86 Corcyra fol. 87 Corfu fol. 87 Candia fol. 89 Creta fol. 89 Cyprus fol. 90 Carinthia fol. 94 China fol. 106 The Cham of Tartary fol. 105 Carthage hauen fol. 112 Congl fol. 115 D. DEscription of the world fol. 1 Dutchland fol. 33 Dania fol. 51 Denmarke fol. 51 Dietmarsh fol. 53 Duringen fol. 55. ¶ ¶ ¶ E. EVrope fol. 2 England fol. 12 East Friesland fol. 50 Elba fol. 87 Egypt fol. 112 Ethiopia fol. 113. F. FAyal fol. 15 France fol. 21 Flanders fol. 42 Friesland fol. 48 Franklandt fol. 59 Forum Iulij fol. 72 Foruly fol. 72 Friuly fol. 72 Florence fol. 81 Fesse fol. 115. G. GAdes fol. 20 Guipusco fol. 20 Gallia fol. 21 Germany fol. 33 Germany on this side the Rhein fol. 34 Guelderland fol. 36 Goercz fol. 70 Grecia fol. 91 Greece fol. 91 Gorcz fol. 94 H. HIspaniola fol. 8. Heinalt fol. 40 Holland fol. 47 Holsatia fol. 52 Holstein fol. 52 Hennenbergh fol. 55. ¶ ¶ Hassia fol. 55 ¶ ¶ Heluetia fol. 69 Histria fol. 70 Histria fol. 94 Hungary fol. 95. 96. The Holy-land fol. 111 The Hauen of Carthage fol. 112 I. IReland fol. 14 The I le of France fol. 25. ¶ Iuitland fol. 51 Italy fol. 71 Ilua fol. 87 Ischia fol. 88 Ilands in the Archipelago fol. 89 Illyricum fol. 92 Illyris fol. 92 Istereick fol. 94. 95 Island fol. 103 Iapan fol. 107 Iaponia fol. 107 India in the East fol. 108 K. KArst fol. 70 Karnten fol. 94 L. LA Mans. fol. 22 Limaigne fol. 24 Lemosni fol. 25. ¶ ¶ ¶ Lorrain fol. 30 The Low-countreys fol. 34 Lutzenburgh fol. 35 Liege the bishoprick fol. 37 The Landtgrauy of Hessen fol. 55. ¶ ¶ Lunenburgh fol. 58 Lacus Larius fol. 79 Lotophagitis fol. 87 Lemnos fol. 90 Liuonia fol. 100 M. MArdel Sur. fol. 6 La Mans. fol. 22 Mansfield fol. 55. ¶ Misnia fol. 55 ¶ ¶ ¶ The Marquesate of Brandenburgh fol. 56 Munster Bishoprick fol. 59 Morauia fol. 62 Milaine fol. 74 Marca Ancona fol. 83 Malta fol. 87 Melita fol. 87 Moscouy fol. 104 Marocco fol. 115 N. THe New world fol. 5 New Spaine fol. 7 Normandy fol. 22 Narbone fol. 29 The Neatherlands fol. 34 Namur fol. 39 Nurembergh fol. 58 Nortgoia fol. 66 Naples fol. 85 Natolia fol. 112 O. OLdenburgh fol. 53 Ozwieczin fol. 100 P. THe Peaceable sea fo 6 Peru. fo 9 Pico fo 15 Portugall fo 17 Poitou fo 23 Paris fo 25. ¶ Picardy fo 27 Prouence fo 28 Piemont fo 77 Padua fo 78 Perugia fo 82 Puglia fo 86 Polonia fo 98 Poland fo 98 Prussia fo 99 Pomerania fo 100 Pomerland fo 100 Persia fo 109 Palestina fo 111 Presters Iohns empire fo 113 R. ROme fol. 79 Romania fol. 101 Russia fol. 104. S. THe South-sea fol. 6 Scotland fol. 11 Spaine fol. 16 Siuill fol. 18 Sauoie fol. 29 Saxony fol. 55 Silena fol. 61 Salczburgh bishop fol. 64 Strasburgh fol. 66 Switzerland fol. 68. 69 Siena fol. 83 Sicilia fol. 87 Sardinia fol. 87 Stalamine fol. 90 Sebenico fol. 94 Spruse fol. 99 Scandia fol. 102 The Sophies empire fol. 109. T. TErçera fol. 15 Tourain fol. 25. ¶ ¶ Thietmarsia fol. 53 Thuringia fol. 55. ¶ ¶ ¶ Tirol fol. 70 Treuiso fol. 78 Tuscia fol. 80 Tuscane fol. 80 Terra di Otranto fol. 86 Transsyluania fol. 97 Thracia fol. 101 Tartaria fol. 105 The Turkes empire fol. 110 V. VAlentia fol. 19 Vermandois fol. 26 Venacin fol. 29 Verona fol. 73. W. The West Indies fol. 5 Wales fol. 13 West Friesland fol. 49 The Wandalls Iles. fol. 52 Westphalia fol. 54 Westphalen fol. 54 Waldeck fol. 57 Wirtembergh fol. 67 Windesmarck fol. 70 Z. ZEland fol. 46 Zerbi fol. 87 Zara. fol. 94 Zator fol. 100. ¶ THE SECOND TABLE A. THe Ancient Geography fol. vj. Anglesey fol. ix Africa propria fol. xxx Africa properly so call'd fol. xxx Aegypt fol. xxxj Argonautica fol. xxxv B. The British iles fol. ix C. COnwey fol. ix Circaeus mons fol. xxij Cyprus fol. xxviij Chios fol. xxviij Cia fol. xxviij Creta fol. xxviiij Candy fol. xxix Corsica fol. xxix D. DIomedes iles fol. xxij Dacia fol. xxiiij Delos fol. xxviij Daphne fol. xxxvij E. EVrope fol. viij The Empire of great Britaine fol. ix Etruria fol. xx Euboea fol. xxviij Egypt fol. xxxj England fol. xlij F.
called S. Iohns-toun is the onely towne in Scotland that is walled about Of the wood Caledon whereof Ptolemey and other ancient writers haue recorded There is scarcely any mention to be found onely about the towne of Sterling there remaineth some shew of the name Thus farre of the kingdome of Scotland now it will not be amisse to speake somewhat of the ilands that lie round about the same and do belong vnto that crowne The HEBRIDES commonly called the West-iles both for bignesse and number do excell the rest Hector Boëthus saith that they be in number 43. But heere he reckoneth vp the I le of Man as one of them which is not subiect to the kingdome of Scotland but is vnder the allegeance of the King of England neither do I thinke that it was euer accounted of the ancients among the Hebrides The first of the Hebrides is Aran otherwise called Boëth then Hellaw and Rothes Not farre from these is Alize where are great plenty of Barnacles which they call Soland-geese The greatest of all and the most famous is Ile a fertile soile for corne and rich for veines of mettall Then Cumber and Mule Neere vnto these is Ione memorable for the tombs of Kings long since buried there Next vnto this is Lewis last of all is Hirth situate in the 43. degree of latitude Thus Boethus calleth them But Iohn Maior the Scot nameth them thus Argila Aranea Awyna Butha or Rothsaya and Leuisora In these ilands are those geese which they call Clakes Gyraldus calleth them Bernacles which Boëthus affirmeth to breed of the sea and of rotten wood and not to grow vpon trees as the common sort beleeue and haue published in their writings For if you shall cast saith he a peece of wood into that sea in continuance of time first wormes do breed within the wood which by little and little become to haue heads feet wings at the last being fledge and growen to their full growth to the bignes of a goose they attempt to flie and do somtimes swim and sometimes vse their wings as other Sea-foule do Beyond the Hebrides are the ORCHADES or the Orkeney iles of which the best is Pomona famous for the Bishops-sea a goodly Church and two strong castles One of these Iohn Maior calleth Zeland which is 50. miles in length In these grow no manner of trees nor any wheat and yet otherwise of all other sorts of graine they are very fertile It breedeth no serpent or venimous beast In Scotland they buy the barrell'd butter the inhabitants hauing abundance of Barley whereof they make a most strong kind of drinke and are very great drinkers yet as Boëthus saith you shall neuer see a drunken-man or madde man one bestraught or a naturall foole amongst them The same authour affirmeth the like of the inhabitants of the iles of Scetland but this is no wonder amongst them that drinke nought but water All the wealth and commodities of these Scetland-men consist in Stockfish and hides of beastes In the Hebrides they vse the Irish tongue in the iles of Orkeney they speake the Gottish language M. Iordanus in his mappe of Denmarke saith that the Orchades are subiect to the kingdome of Denmarke yet we know them to belong to Scotland vnder the title of a Dukedome But se what we haue written of this in the discourse to the mappe of Denmarke Of Scotland and of the ilands adioining thou maist read more at large in Hector Boëthus Iohn Maior and Iohn Lisley Scottish-men which haue written the histories of this their country SCOTIAE TABVLA Miliaria Scotica Cum Priuilegio Of ENGLAND THe South part of the Iland of Britaine is as we haue said before diuided into two parts That part which is toward the East abutting vpon the German Ocean is of the Angles a people of the Saxons which seated themselues there in their language called ANGLIA or England that is the Angles land The West part which is seuered from that other by the riuers Seuern and Dee and doth vse the ancient Brittish tongue is of the same Angles or Englishmen called WALLIA or Wales yet the Brittan or Welshman calleth himselfe Cumro and his country Cumria the English Saissons and their country Lhoëgria neither do they know or at least they will not acknowledge what England or an Englishman doth meane So great difference there is betweene the languages of the seuerall nations of this Iland All this South part England I meane and Wales hath their proper king vnto whom many Dukes Marquesses Earles Barons and great Noblemen are subiect and obedient It is a countrie at all times of the yeare most kind and temperate The Aire is thicke and so it is much subiect to windes clowdes and raine and therefore in regard of thicknesse of the aire it is neither opprest with too much heat or too much cold For it is found true by experience that although it be more Northerly than Brabant Flanders and other forrein countries yet heere the winter is neuer so bitter nor the frost so eger as in those parts It hath euerie where many hilles without wood and water which notwithstanding do bring forth very small and short grasse an excellent feed for sheepe and therefore infinite flockes of sheepe do bespread them which either by reason of the kindnesse of the aire or goodnesse of the soile do yeeld most soft wooll farre finer than those of other countries And for that this country breedeth neither woolues nor any rauenous beast you shall see in diuers places flocks of sheepe vpon the hilles and dales greene pastures commons fallowes and corne fields into which after the crop is off euery man by a certaine ancient custome doth put in his cattell in common to wander heere and there without a shepheard This indeed is that Golden fleece in which especially the riches of the inhabitants doth consist for an huge masse of gold and siluer is by Merchants which thither flocke from all quarters for such like wares yearly brought into the Iland and there doth continually rest for that it is by proclamation forbidden that no man may carry any money out of the Realme It aboundeth also with all sorts of cattell except asses mules camels and elephants There is in no place of the world greater and larger dogges nor better The soile is very fatte and fertile and naturally bringeth foorth beside all sorts of corne and pulse all maner of things onely the firre-tree and as Caesar saith the beech tree although that now it hath in diuerse places plenty of beeches The ay-green Bay tree doth in these Northren countries no where thriue better Such abundance of Rosemary heere doth grow in all places and that so high that they oft times do fence their gardens therewith Wine they haue none for the grapes seldome heere do ripen and is amongst them planted rather for shade and pleasure then for his fruit and profit There is in no country in Christendome more
of them called SCOTLAND Syluester Gyraldus Cambrensis about 400. yeares since described this Iland in a seuerall treatise But because that this booke as yet is not set forth and therefore not common and euery where to be gotten we will out of it gather so much as this narrow roome may conteine not doubting but we shall worthily deserue great thankes at the readers hand for the same Listen therefore to his words Ireland next after England the greatest Iland of the knowne world hath the greater Britaine vpon his East side vpon the West only lieth the vast and wide Ocean on the North three daies saile from the coast of Ireland lieth Island of all the Northren iles by far the greatest Britaine is almost twice as great as Ireland for seeing that the length of both runneth the same way from South to North that is about 800. miles long and about 200. miles broad this from Brendam hilles to the iles Columbine otherwise called Thorach is about eight daies iourney that is 400. miles long at the least Ireland conteineth in all 176. Canweds The word Canwed is a compound word vsed aswell of the Welch as Irish and signifieth a circuite of ground conteining within it 100. villages The soile of Ireland is vneuen full of hilles and dales soft and squally full of woods bogges and fennes Vpon the toppes of the highest and steepest hilles you shall oft find great ponds and bogges yet it hath in some places most goodly plaines and champion but in respect of the woods they are very little The ground is very fatte and fertile for Corne. The mountaines abound with sheepe the woods are full of Deere and the whole I le generally is better for pasture then for eareable ground much better I meane for grasse then corne For the kernelles of wheat are heere so dwined and small that they may hardly be dressed with any manner of fanne That which the Spring-time doth bring forth and flourisheth for a while in Summer the dripping and watery Autumne will hardly suffer kindly to ripen or tidily to be inn'd For this Iland is more subiect to blustering winds outragious stormes of raine and floods then any other country vnder the cope of heauen It is very rich of honie and milke Solinus and Isidore affirme that it hath no Bees but by their leaue if they had more diligently examined the matter they might haue on the contrarie written that it wanteth vines but is not altogether void of Bees For this Iland neither now hath nor euer had any vines But of Bees it hath as any other country great plenty which notwithstanding would heere as I thinke swarme in farre greater number if it were not for the venemous and sowre ewgh-trees which in all places of the Iland do grow in great abundance The Iland is euery where crossed and watered with many goodly riuers of which the principall are these Auenliss runneth by Dublin Boand or Boine through Methe Banna through Vlster Linne by Connagh Moad by Kenelcunill Slechey and Samayr Modarn and Furne by Keneleon There are also very many other riuers whereof some issuing forth of the bowels of the earth and from their cleare fountaines other immediatly rushing forth of lakes and fennes wandring heere and there diuide and part the Iland into many goodly prouinces and shires For vnder the foot of Bladina hill now called Bliew Blemy three famous riuers do arise commonly called The three Sisters for they beare the names of three sisters Berne Birgus now Barrow which runneth by Lechlin Eoyr Neorus they call it Nore by Ossire and Swyre by Archfine and Trebagh neere Waterford they kindly salute one another and so falling into one channell they quietlie toward the sea Slane runneth by Wexford Boand by Meath Auenmore by Lismore and Simen by Limiricke And indeed amongst all the riuers of Ireland Sinnen bear'th the bell not only for his goodly greatnesse long and diuers wandrings through the country but also his great plenty of dainty fish For it ariseth out of a very large and goodly lake which diuideth Connagh from Munster and spreadeth it selfe into two branches running two contrary waies one of them tending toward the South passeth by the city Kelleloe and then enclosinge round the citie Limiricke with a direct course and large streame for an hundred miles and vpward running between the two mountaines emptieth it selfe into the Brendan sea The other not much lesse then the former diuiding Meath and the farther parts of Vlster from Connagh running with a crooked course turning this way and that way at last hideth it selfe in the Northren ocean So that this riuer doth separate the fourth and West part of the Iland from the other three like a midland streame running from sea to sea For this Iland in former ages was diuided almost into fiue equall parts namely into North Mounster South Mounster Leinster and Connagh This country hath diuers goodly Lakes The sea coast aboundeth plentifully with all maner of sea-fish on all sides the Riuers and Lakes are stored with great variety of fresh-fishes especially with these three sorts Salmons Trouts and Eeles The riuer Shynen swarmeth with Lampreyes But there are wanting many other sorts of good fresh-fish of other countries as Pikes Perches Gogeons and almost such fish as come not from the sea or salt waters On the contrary the Lakes of this Iland haue three kinds of fish which are no where els to be found For they are somewhat longer and rounder then Trouts very white fleshed passing sauery and pleasant very like vnto the Hallibut Vmbra our authour calleth it but that they are much bigger headed There is another kind very like to herrings aswell for proportion and bignesse as also for colour and tast There are a third sort in all points like trouts but that they are not spotted Yet these sorts of fish are only seen in the Summer in the Winter they neuer appeare In Meath neere Foner are three Lakes not farre distant one from another ech of which hath certaine fish proper to it selfe not found in any of the other two neither do they I meane euer come one at another although there be most conuenient passages by reason of the riuer which runneth from one to another nay if it shall chance that the fish of one lake be caried to another either it dieth within a while after or returneth vnto his own lake againe Eryn HIBERNIAE BRITANNICAE INSVLAE NOVA DESCRIPTIO Irlandt Cum Priuilegio From these naturall things let vs passe vnto those strange wonders which nature worketh in these out-countries of the world In North Mounster there is a lake wherein are two Ilands a greater and a lesse the greater hath a Church the lesser a Chappell Into the Greater neuer any woman or liuing creature of the female kind might euer come but it would die by and by This was often proued by bitches cattes and other creatures of that sex In the lesser no man did
and vnder-homage so that hitherto the Princes on both sides haue vsed this custom namely that Boulogne no more acknowledgeth Artois nor S. Paul Boulogne Howbeit about this point in the latter treaty of peace 1559. there was some variance wherefore the matter being referred to Commissioners remaines as yet vndecided the King of Spaine holding still possession It is commonly supposed that Calais the next port of the continent vnto England was by Caesar called Portus Iccius from whence he sailed out of France thither But if we more thorowly consider the matter we shall finde it to haue beene another Port namely the towne of Saint Omer which that it was of old an hauen and a most large inlet of the Ocean sea euen the high cliffes which in a maner enuironing the citie do plainly demonstrate besides infinit other arguments and reliques of antiquitie which though no man should affirme it do most euidently conuince that the territorie adiacent was in times past couered with sea the trueth whereof is till this day also confirmed by common and constant report Yea Sithieu the ancient name of the citie for who knowes not that the name of S. Omer is but new manifesteth the same As if it were deriued of Sinus Itthius or Iccius Also that the said haue was in the prouince of the Morini which Virgil and Lucan doe call the farthest people And that this is most true an attentiue Reader may by many arguments easily gather both out of Caesar his entrance and returne from England Neither can the space of thirtie miles or thereabout which he sayth the island is there distant from the maine hinder my beliefe in this point whenas the violence of the sea especially in so narrow a place may easily either adde or diminish Nor doth the distance of the sea there from the maine to the continent much differ Sufficeth thus much to haue beene said concerning Portus Iccius Whether we haue hit the trueth or no let others iudge Moreouer this Prouince hath three Bishopricks to wit Arras S. Omer and Boulogne one and twentie Abbeys and seuen Nunries besides many Couents and Hospitals It hath many riuers also the principall whereof are Lys Scarpe Aa Canche and Authy besides others that are nauigable Great is the number of villages and hamlets thorowout the whole prouince The soile is most fertile and abundant of all corne and especially of wheat Wherefore in the ancient French tongue some write it was called Atrech that is to say The land of bread Nor is it destitute of woods and groues especially towards the South and West The garments of the Atrebates or Artesians S. Ierome in his second booke against Iouinian noteth for precious Also the Artesian mantles Vopiscus celebrateth in the life of the Emperour Carinus Likewise the same Ierome and other authours affirme that in his time it rained wooll in this prouince This region as others also adioyning Guicciardin hath most notably described Artois ATREBATVM REGIONIS VERA DESCRIPTIO Johanne Surhonio Monteusi auctore Illustri ac amplissimo viro Domino Christophoro ab Assonleuille equiti aurato Domino ab Alteuilla R. M t s consiliario primario Ab. Ortelius in hanc formam compraehendebat et dedicabat Cum priuilegio Imp. et Regiea Maitis FLANDERS THe extreme part of Europe opposite to England and Scotland enuironed by France Germanie and the Ocean is called by the inhabitants The low countries or lower Germanie but the French and all strangers in a maner call it by the name of Flanders But in very deed Flanders hath not so great extension For albeit Flanders properly so called was larger in times past yet at this present it is bounded by Brabant Henault Artois and the Ocean sea This they diuide into three parts namely Flanders the Dutch the French and the Imperiall which last part because it neuer acknowledged any superior besides the Prince of Flanders they name also Flanders proprietarie The Dutch Flanders hath these cities Gant Bruges Yperen Cortrijck Oudenard with Pammele Newport Furnas Bergen Sluise Damme Bierflet Dixmud Cassel Dunkerke Greueling Burburch and Hulst The French Flanders L'isle Doway and Orchies And Flanders Imperiall or Proprietary Aelst Dendermond Geertsberg and Ninouen The principall riuers are Scheld Lys and Dender Most part of the region is pasture-ground especially towards the West it breedeth faire oxen and most excellent and warlike horses It abounds with butter and cheese and yeeldeth wheat in abundance The inhabitants are most of them merchants and of flax wherof they haue in Flanders great plenty excellent good and wooll which is brought them out of Spaine and England they make great quantity of linnen and woollen cloth which they disperse farre and wide This Prouince of Flanders hath 28. walled cities 1154 villages besides fortresses castles and noble mens houses Among which Gaunt is the greatest citie Whereof Erasmus of Roterdam in his Epistles writeth in maner following I am of opinion saith he if you looke all Christendome ouer you shall not finde a citie comparable to this either for largenesse and strength or for the ciuill gouernment and towardlinesse of the people So far Erasmus It containeth in compasse three Dutch miles It is watered by three riuers which diuide it into twenty inhabited isles For multitude and beauty of houses Bruges excelleth almost all the cities of the Netherlands so famous a mart in times past as saith Iacobus Marchantius by that meanes the name of Flanders obscured all the regions round about Yperen stands vpon the riuer of Yperlee very commodious for Fullers By clothing it grew in times past to an huge bignesse till the English and men of Gaunt besieging it cast downe the large suburbs and greatly diminished the same As it is sayd in a common prouerbe that Millan for a Dukedome excelles all Christendome so doth Flanders for an Earledome It hath certaine prerogatiues for the Prince thereof writes himselfe Earle of Flanders by the grace of God which clause is proper to the stile of Kings For it is giuen saith Meierus to no Duke Marques or Earle in Christendome but only to him of Flanders whenas all others vsually adde By the clemency or By the assistance of God c. He had in times past sundry officers peculiar to a King as namely his Chancellour his Master of the horse his Chamberlain and his Cupbearer also two Marshals and ten Peeres as in France The armes of this region in times past were a scutcheon Azure diuided by fiue Crosse-barres of golde with another small red scutcheon in the midst Now it is a blacke lion in a golden field which some are of opinion he tooke for his armes together with the other Netherlandish Princes when they set forth on their expedition towards Syria in the company of Philip of Elsas for at that time the princes of Flanders Louaine Holland Lutzenburg Limburg Brabant Zeland Frisland Henault c. changing their ancient armes assumed to themselues lions of diuers colours
fifth Section of the third Climate of his Geographicall garden imprinted in the Arabicke language at Rome in the yeare of our Lord 1592. The place saith he where Lot with his family dwelt the stinking sea and Zegor euen vp as high as Basan and Tiberias was called the Vale for that it was a plaine or bottome between two hils so low that all the other waters of this part of Soria do fall into it and are gathered thither And a little beneath in the same place he addeth All the brookes and springs do meet and stay in the lake of Zegor otherwise called the lake of Sodom and Gomorrha two cities where Lot and his family dwelt which God did cause to sinke and conuerted their place into a stinking lake otherwise named The Dead lake for that there is in it nothing that hath breath or life neither fish nor worme or any such thing as vsually is wont to liue or keepe in standing or running waters the water of this lake is hot and of a filthy stinking sauour yet vpon it are little boates in which they passe from place to place in these quarters and carry their prouision The length of this lake is 60. miles the breadth not aboue 12. miles Moreouer Aben Isaac who in like maner wrote in the Arabicke tongue a treatise of Geography certaine fragments of which I haue by me for which I am beholding as also for many other fauours to Master Edward Wright that learned Mathematician and singular louer of all maner literature thus speaketh of this place The sea Alzengie saith he is a very bad and dangerous sea for there is no liuing creature can liue in it by reason of the vnwholesomnesse and thicknesse of his waters which happeneth by reason that the sunne when it commeth ouer this sea draweth vp vnto it by the force of his heat the thinner and more subtill parts of the water which is in it and so doth leaue the thicke and more grosse parts behind which by that meanes also become very hot and salt so that no man may saile vpon this sea nor any beast or liuing creature liue neere it Item the sea Sauk as Aristotle speaketh of it which also is in these parts and doth reach vp as high as India and the parched Zone so I thinke the word Mantakah that is a girdle or belt which heere he vseth doth signifie that there is not in it any liuing creature at all of any sort whatsoeuer and therefore this sea is called The Dead sea because that whensoeuer any worme or such like falleth into it it mooueth no longer but swimmeth vpon the toppe of the water and when it is dead it putrifieth and then sinketh and falleth to the bottome yet when there falleth into it any stinking and corrupt thing it sinketh immediatly and swimmeth not vpon the water at all Thus farre out of Aben Isaac This sea is of Ptolemey called ASPHALTITES the lake Ashaltites of others Asphaltes of the bitumen which it doth yeeld in great plenty of the Iewes MARE PALAESTINORVM ORIENTALE SOLITVDINIS siue DESERTI the Sea of Palaestina the East Sea the Sea of the desert or wildernesse of the situation and position of it vnto the land of Iewry Item MARE SALIS the Salt-sea of the hot and fitish saltnesse of the same aboue other salt-waters which the Arabian iustifieth to be true Pausanias that ancient and famous historian of the Greekes and Iustine the abridger of the large volume of Trogus Pompeius call it MARE MORTVVM the Dead sea of the effect there is saith Iustine a lake in that country which by reason of his greatnesse and vnmoueablenesse of his waters is called the Dead sea for it is neither mooued with the wind the heauy and lumpish bitumen which swimmeth vpon the toppe of the water all the lake ouer resisting the violence of the greatest blasts neither is it saileable for that all things that are void of life do sinke to the bottome neither doth it sustaine any thing that is not besmered with bitumen to these both my Arabians do subscribe of Galen the Prince of Physitions it is called LACVS SODOMAEVS the Lake of Sodome for him Nubiensis doth stand who neuer nameth it Bahri a sea but Bahira a lake or standing poole yet contrariwise Isaac termeth it Bahri not Bahira and by this name it is generally knowen to all the Europeans Solinus calleth it TRISTEM SINVM the Sad-bay like as the gulfe of Milinde is of some named ASPERVM MARE the rough or boisterous sea like as Isaac my authour calleth this same lake Tzahhib the churlish and dangerous sea Iosephus in the tenth chapter of his first booke of the Antiquities of the Iewes saith that this place where now is the Dead-sea was before named the Vale of bitumen pits Strabo otherwise a most excellent Geographer and curious searcher out of the truth in these discourses falsly confoundeth this lake as I touched before with the Sirbon lake Why the Arabian should call it Zengie and Sawke I know not This we haue heere added partly out of the Geographicall treasury of Ortelius for the ease and benefite of the Reader least the diuersity of names might make him mistake the thing Hauing thus finished the Mappes of HOLY write It now remaineth that we do in like maner begin and go on forward with those of PROPHANE histories A draught and shadow of the ancient GEOGRAPHY THou hast gentle and curtuous Reader in this Mappe a draught a plot or patterne I might call it of the whole world but according to the description ruder Geography of the more ancient authours of those of middle age For this our globe of the earth was not then further knowen a wonderfull strange thing vntill in the daies of our fathers in the yeare 1492. Christofer Columbus a Genoway by the commandement of the king of Castile first discouered that part of the West which vnto this day had lien hid vnknowen After that the South part hitherto not heard of togther with the East part of Asia much spoken of but neuer before this time entered was descried by the Portugals That part which lieth toward the North we haue seen in this our age to haue been first found out by the English merchants and nauigatours a particular view and proofe of which thou maist see at large in that worthy worke of the English Nauigations composed with great industrie diligence and charge by my singular good friend Master Richard Hacluyt By him England still shall liue and the name of braue Englishmen shall neuer die The other countries which as yet do lie obscured within the frozen Zones and vnder both the Poles are left for succeding ages to find out Peraduenture ancient writers that liued many hundred yeares since haue named some country or some one place or other out of this our continent but they haue not written ought of the situation of the same as being indeed altogether vnknowen vnto them In
make cheese others are wholly ignorant of sowing planting grafting and of such other points of husbandrie In their cariage and conuersation they are as Diodorus Siculus speaketh of them plaine simple and vpright farre remote from the wily subtillies and crafty deuices of our men which liue more neere the Court. They fare basely and feed vpon grosse meats and are wholly estranged from wealth and gorgeous life and maintetenance and as Mela saith of them they are only rich in cattell and great lands and compasse of ground For they do not hold it lawfull to eat either hare henne or goose notwithstanding they keepe them as Caesar writeth for game and pastime Yet they haue a kind of geese heere which they call chenerotes bernacles which they esteeme for great dainties so that in England they haue not a daintier dish as Pliny testifieth They feed vpon milke and flesh meat as the same authour saith They lay their corne vp in their barnes in the eare of sheaffe vnthrashed from whence they fetch and thrash as much as shall serue them from day to day Of their temperate and sparing diet together with their patience in aduersity and affliction Dion in the life of Nero will teach thee That they did make their drinke which they called Curmi or as now they pronounce it Courow ale of barley Dioscorides that famous physition or industrious and painfull student and searcher out of the true nature of medicinall simples so many hundred yeeres hath left recorded Zonaras writeth that they did vse to make a kind of meat of which if any man should take but the quantity of a beane he should neither be an hungred or a thirst for a great time Beleeue him that list Of the same Britaines Herodian thus writeth they weare no kind of garment onely about their neckes they claspe a piece of iron thinking that to bee as great a iewell and signe of wealth as other barbarous nations do by gold Caesar saith that they be clad in skins and leather They vsed to haue tenne or twelue wiues common amongst a certaine company of them especially brothers with brothers and fathers with their sonnes were thus co-partners but if any of them were gotten with child whosoeuer got it it was accounted to be his who first maried her when she was a maide Thus Caesar in his time wrote of them That many of them had but one wife onely Eusebius in his seuenth booke de Praepar euangel hath giuen vs to vnderstand which also Clemens Alexandrinus in his 9 booke Recognitionum doth auerre Plutarch saith that they do ordinarily liue till they be an hundred and twenty yeares old They vse brasen money or iron rings made of a certaine weight and poise in steed of gold or siluer coines Pliny saith that they vsed to weare rings vpon their middle finger In Caesar I read that their houses did stand thicke and close together but as Strabo writeth they were for the most part made of reeds or timber They dwell in woodes like as we do in cities For they call that a towne when they haue with a banke or ditch enclosed or fortified a combersome wood whither they may flocke and resort to auoid the inuasion and assault of their enemies as Caesar in his commentaries doth giue vs to vnderstand and there as Strabo saith they make cabbines or cottages for themselues and stables for cattle such as may serue them for that present necessity Herodian calleth them a very warlike and bloudy nation They fight not only on horsebacke and foote but also with coches and waggons armed after the maner of the Gauls Couinos they call them whose axeltrees or linces were armed with hookes made somewhat like to the Welch bils now adaies vsed as Pomponius Mela affirmeth they vse likewise in their warres a great multitude of waines as Caesar Strabo and Diodorus do tell vs. They fight with huge great swords as Tacitus signifieth these swords Herodian saith hang close downe by their bare skinne only sheathed in a streight peece of leather Pomponius Mela writeth that they vsed to adorne the pommels of their swords with the teeth of certaine sea fish They know not what a brigandine iacke or head-peece meane these peeces of armour they neuer vse accounting them to be but a trouble and hinderance to them when they are to passe ouer any bogges or fennes For they vse to swimme runne through or to wade vp to the twist ouer those fennes and marishes and many times being bare-legged they spare neither thicke nor thinne yet afterward we learne out of Dion by the oration of Bunduica their queen that they were wont to arme themselues for defence with helmets habergions and greaus when they gaue the on-set vpon their enemies the same authour teacheth vs they vsed to make a great noise and to sing terrible and threatning songs They make warre manie times vpon small occasions and for wantonnesse and very often they inuade and annoy one another of set purpose especiallie for a desire of further command and couetousnesse of enlarging their possessions Tacitus moreouer affirmeth that they also go in the field vnder the leading and conduct of women for a manifest proofe of which he bringeth in in the foureteenth booke of his Annals Boudicea with her daughters Dion affirmeth the same but he calleth her Bunduica item Tacitus in the life of Iulius Agricola writeth her name Voadica Corpora inficiunt vltrò they purposedly staine and paint their bodies there is a very learned man who thinketh that for vltrò heere should be read nitro with saltpeter but wherefore or to what end they did it that is vncertaine Mela and Iornandes do thinke they did it for ornament and to set out themselues or that they might seeme more terrible vnto their enemies in time of sight as Caesar saith who ouermore addeth that they thus paint their bodies with wood Luteum he calleth it which will make a blew or skie-colour Others heere for Luteum do read Glastum on whose side Pliny seemeth to speake but that he affirmeth this only of the women where he writeth that the Britans wiues and women did vse to besmere all their body ouer with glastum woad an hearb like plantaine and to go starke naked to some certaine solemnities when they were to performe some rites and ceremonies in this imitating the Blackamoores But why I should not reteine the ancient reading which in Caesar was glasto for that which now they would haue luteo I see no reason seeing that out of a fr gment of a description of Britaine done by my good friend M. Humfrey Lhoyd I vnderstand that amongst the West Britans in the ancient Brittish tongue which they still speake euen to this very day by the word glas they vnderstand the blew or skie-colour as also by the same they signifie the hearb Isatis th t is woad which is very like the plantaine And that the men also did not onlie staine their bodies with some kind
the maine land was a monastery erected by S Columba where diuers of the kings of Scotland haue been buried beside the bishops sea in the village Sodore in whose diocesses all the rest were and therefore were of it called Insulae Sodorenses All the other beside Hirth are of small account as being nothing but rocks stones and craggie knols in which you shall scarce all the yere long finde a greene turffe The people in maners behauiour apparell and language do much resemble the Irish as those in the Orkney doe the Goths and Norweyans More of these see in Solinus and M. Camdens Britannia to whom we are beholding for this The I LE of MAN which Pliny calleth Monabia Orosius and Bede Menauia Gildas Eubonia the Welch Menaw they themselues Maning Caesar Mona and Ptolemey Monoëda that is as who say Mon-eitha Mon the father for a distinction from Anglesey which is also called Mon is midway between England and Ireland as Caesar in his fifth booke of the warres of France and Gyraldus Cambrensis report yet the people are more like in language and maners vnto the Irish men It is in length from South to North about 30. miles in breadth in some places it is 15. in other places where it is narrowest not aboue 7 or 8 miles ouer In Bedaes time it had but 300. families or housholds now it conteineth 17. parishes very populous and well inhabited It beareth great plenty of Hempe and Flax. The soile is reasonably fertile either for Corne or Grasse and therefore it yeerely yeeldeth both great plenty of Barly Wheat and Rie but especially of Oats whereof they for the most part make their bread maintaineth great store of cattel and many flocks of sheepe but that aswell the one as the other are lesse than they be in England They burne Seacole insteed of wood of which they haue none or very little Vpon the South coast lieth a small ile which they call The calfe of Man where there is such wonderfull plenty of sea fowles which they call Puffins and of those geese which we call Bernacles Clakes or Soland geese as none which haue not seene them will easily beleeue Thus farre of Mona described by Caesar the other Mona which Tacitus and Dion do speake of now followeth That which we now call ANGLESEY that is The English I le Tacitus and Dion as I said called Mona the Welchmen Mon Tir-mon Inis Dowyl that is The darke ile the Saxons Monege a very goodly and fruitfull iland the ancient seat of the Druides was brought in subiection vnder the Romane Empire by Paullinus Suetonius and Iulius Agricola about 46. yeeres after the birth of Christ It is very neere the coast of Britaine as Dion saith yea so neere that from the main by swimming ouer the flattes and shallow places Iulius Agricola as Tacitus witnesseth conueied in thither both horsemen and footmen to suppresse certaine rebels that held it against the Romans But of this iland there is in this our Theater a whole discourse written by Humfrey Lloyd a learned gentleman painfull student in the British stories Vpon the coast of Wales also lieth BERDSEY that is The birds Ile called of the Britans Enhly of Ptolemey Edry of Pliny Andros or Adros a plaine and champion country toward the West but in the East very hillie and mountainous Then GRESHOLME and STOCHOLME excellent pastorage passing pleasant by reason of the sweet smell of the wild Tyme which heere groweth euery where in great abundance Next to these is SCALMEY as fertile as any called of Pliny Silimnus of Ptolemey Limi and in the catalogue of Martyrs Lemeneia Insula In the mouth of Seuern lie the Holmes or as the Welchmen call them the Echni FLATHOLME and STEEPHOLME Reoric in Welch Item BARREY SILEY CALDEY and LONDEY small Ilands but very fertile Thirty or forty miles off West from the Cape of Cornewall which the seamen commonly call The lands end lie the SORLINGS or the SYLLY called by Sulpitius Seuerus Sillinae of Antonine Sigdeles of Solinus Silurae or Silurum Insulae the Grecians of their situation named them Hesperides the West iles and of their rich commoditie of Tinne Cassiteros which they yeeld Cassiterides the Stanneries but why Festus Auianus should name them Ostrimnides I know not They are in all 145. beside craggie rockes which are innumerable There are 10. of them which also Eustathius doth testifie S. Mary Annoth Agnes Sampson Silly Brefer Rusco or Triscraw S. Hellen S. Martine and Arthur with Minanwitham and Minuisisand greater and more famous then the rest for their rich veines of Tinne from whence as Pliny saith Medacritus first brought Lead or Tinne into Greece Many of them are good corne ground all of them infinite store of Conies Cranes Swannes Herons and other Sea-fowle These are those ilands as Solinus writeth which a tempestuous frith of two or three houres saile ouer doth part from the outmost end of Cornwall Danmoniorum ora whose inhabitants doe still obserue the ancient customes they keepe no faires or markets they care not for mony they giue and receiue such as one another haue neede of they rather regard more to get necessary things for exchange than those of high price and great valew they are very deuout in their religious seruices to their Gods and both women and men in like manner do hold themselues to be very skilfull in foretelling of things to come Vpon the coast of France ouer against Normandy are GERSEY Caesarea Antoninus calleth it a fertile soile good corne ground and reasonable pastorage it hath 12. parishes wel inhabited and very populous Item GARNSEY SERKE ALDERNEY ARME the QVASQVETS and others which although the ancients did neuer reckon amongst the number of the Brittish iles yet we know that they are now subiect to the crowne of England and euer haue beene since the yere of our Lord 1108. at what time they were by Henry the first annexed to this kingdome They are all in the diocesse and iurisdiction of the Bishop of Winchester Close to the shore of England is the I le of WIGHT Ptolemey calleth it Wictesis Pliny Suetonius Vectis the Panegyricus Eutropius Vecta Diodorus Icta all deriued from the Brittish word Guith which signifieth a deuision or separation for that it was once ioined as then they vulgarly held vnto the maine land like as Sicilia was to Italy It is 20. miles long 12. miles broad Vespasian first brought it vnder the obedience of the Romans in the raigne of the emperor Claudius as Suetonius writeth in the fourth chapter of his Vespasianus yet Eutropius affirmeth it to be done by Maximianus the emperor It is by the sea which entreth vp high within the land diuided into two prouinces Fresh-water ile and Binbridge I le In Bedaes time it conteined but 1200. families now it hath 36. parishes villages castles which do belong all to Hantshire and are of the diocesse Winchester The soile is
go Eastward looke by how much the aire is more subtile pure and thinne so much is it more fierce sharpe and piercing On the contrary the farther you go toward the South and West parts of the world by how much the aire is more thicke cloudy and foggy by so much it is more temperate kinde and healthfull For this countrey lying in the midst indifferently seated betweene frozen Island and parched Spaine and by that meanes getting a meane temperature betweene hot and cold aswell in respect of that temperature and holesomnesse of the aire is a most goodly fertile iland The champion fields do yeeld great store of corne the mountaines do feed many heards of cattell the woods affoord many Deere and other kind of wild beasts the lakes and riuers great variety and plenty of good fish Yet the soile of this iland is better for Pastorage than Arable-ground for Grasse than Corne. Multam fruges in Hibernia saith he plurimam in culmis minorem in granis spem promittunt Abundè satis campi vestiuntur horrea farciuntur sola verò granaria destituuntur Here their corne as long as it is in the grasse for Hibernia I read herba is maruellous good but much better it seemeth to be when it is shot vp and spindled only it faileth when it commeth to the threshing then it is seldome found to be casty In the field it maketh a goodly shew yea ordinarily it is as thicke as may stand vpon the ground their barnes are crammed full and mowed vp to the top only their garners are empty Thus farre Giraldus and because we haue handled the generall description of this iland in another place of this our worke we will conclude this discourse with a briefe description of some few of their cities and principall townes as we haue learned of that worthy gentleman Richard Stanihurst this countreyman bredde and borne DVBLIN situate vpon the riuer Liffe in the countie of Dublin the Metropolitan and chiefe citie not only of Leynster but also of all Ireland for goodly faire buildings multitude of people ciuility for sweet aire and situation doth as farre excell all the other cities of this I le as the lofty cypresse doth the lowest shrubs The Cathedrall church of S. Patricks was first founded by Iohn Cinim Archbishop of Dublin in the yere of our Lord God 1197. That great and goodly strong Castle was built by Henry Loundres Archbishop also of Dublin about the yere of our Lord 1220. This city is very ancient and was in Ptolemeys time as learned men thinke called Ciuitas Eblana The city Eblan The next city in order and dignity is WATERFORD a well gouerned towne and one that hath been alwaies faithfull to England It is very populous and ciuill and for that the hauen here is far better and more safe than that of Dublin much resorted vnto for trade and trafficke by merchants of forren countreys The streets of it are very narrow and darke Here no cutthroat-Iewish vsurer is permitted to vse his diuellish occupation that is as Cato sayd to kill men or to liue by the sweat of other mens browes The third is LIMMERICK which in regard of the goodly riuer Shenyn whereupon it is seated and standeth as also for the commodious situation of the same might iustly challenge the first place For this riuer is the greatest and goodliest of all Ireland whose depth and channell is such that notwithstanding the city standeth at the least threescore miles from the maine sea yet ships of great burden doe come vp euen to the towne walles besides that it is woonderfully stored with great variety of fresh fish King Iohn did like the situation of this city so well that he caused there a goodly castle and faire bridge to be built The last and least is CORCK situate vpon the riuer Leigh This hauen is one of the best in all Ireland and therefore the citizens are very wealthy and great merchants These three latter are all within the prouince of Mounster But if thou desirest a larger discourse of these particulars I wish thee to repaire to the foresayd authour Richard Stanihurst he shall satisfie thee to the full IRLANDIAE ACCVRATA DESCRIPTIO Auctore Baptista Boazio SERENISSIMO INVICTISSIMOQVE IACOBO MAGNAE BRITANNIAE FRANCIAE ET HIBERNIAE REGI IOANNES BAPTISTA VRINTS ANTVERPIANVS D. DEDICAT Ioannes Baptista Vrints Geographicarum tabularum calcographus excud Antuerpiae EXPOSITIO VERBORVM HIBERNICORVM Glyn Nemus Can Promontorium Caric Rupes Knoc Collis Slew Mons. B. vel Bale Vicus Kill Pagus Lough Lacus Enis Insula Mo. Monasterum Mc. Territorium filij Satrapae O Caput familiae ENGLAND OR The I le of GREAT BRITAIN as it stood about the time of the entrance of the Normans described by a Nubiensis the Arabian The second section of the seuenth Climate IN this second part of the seuenth Climate we comprehend a part of the b Ocean sea where c ENGLAND which is a very great iland in forme and fashion not much vnlike to a d Storkes head standeth apart from the rest of the world In this Iland there are many e populous Cities well inhabited steepe Hilles running Waters and goodly Champion grounds f Heere it is alwaies Winter The neerest of maine land vnto it is g Wady-shant in the prouince of Flanders Betweene this Iland and the Continent the passage is about h twelue miles ouer Amongst the cities of this I le which are in the outmost borders of it Westward and in the entrance of the narrowest place thereof is the citie i SIHSETER which is distant from the k sea twelue miles From this citie vnto the citie l GORHAM by the sea shore are threescore miles Item from the citie Sihseter vnto the outmost border of the iland Westward are m three hundred and fourescore miles From it also vnto the hauen n DARTERMOVTH are fourescore miles Then from thence vnto the o LANDS END called Cornwallia are an hundred miles From the citie Sihseter vnto the citie p SALEBVRES within the land Northward are threescore miles Item from the citie Gorham vnto the liberties of the citie q HANTONA which standeth vpon a Creeke that falleth into the sea are fiue and twentie miles off into this creeke there runneth from the East part thereof the riuer of r Wynseter From s WYNSETER vnto Salebures Westward are fortie miles From Hantona vnto the citie t SHORHAM are threescore miles This citie is neere the sea From it along by the sea coast vnto the city u HASTINGES are fifty miles From it following the shore Eastward vnto the citie w DVBRIS are seuenty miles This city is at the head of the x passage whereby they passe from England vnto the maine Continent on the other side ouer against it From the citie Dubris vnto the citie y LVNDRES vpland are forty miles This city standeth vpon a great riuer which falleth into the sea betweene the city Dubris and the city z GIARNMOVTH From which city Giarnmouth vnto the
city a TARGHIN are fourescore and ten miles This city Targhin riseth vp higher into the countrey about the space of ten miles From the city Targhin vnto the city b AGRIMES vpon the sea coast are fourescore miles From the city Giarnmouth aforesayd the sea bendeth all at once Northward in maner of a circle And from the citie Agrimes afore-named vnto the citie c EPHRADIK are fourescore miles This city is farre from the ocean sea hard vpon the borders of the iland of SCOTIA which is notwithstanding ioyned to the I le England From the citie Ephradik vnto the fall of the riuer of d VVyska are an hundred and forty miles e This WYSKA is a fortification vpon that riuer vp higher into the countrey from the sea twelue miles From the citie Agrimes before-mentioned vnto the city f NICOLA vpland are an hundred miles A g riuer diuideth this citie in the middest and runneth from it vnto the citie Agrimes and so vpon the South side of it falleth into the sea as we haue sayd before From Nicola an vpland citie vnto the city Ephradik are likewise fourescore and ten miles From thence vnto the citie h DVNELMA are fourescore miles Northward vpland and farre from the sea Betweene the coast of the Wild of Scotia vnto the coast of the I le i IRELAND are two dayes saile Westward From the coast of the I le England vnto the iland k DANAS but one dayes saile From the coast of Scotia Northward vnto the iland l ROSLANDA are three dayes saile From the coast of the I le Roslanda Eastward to the I le m ZANBAGA are twelue miles The length of the I le Roslanda is n foure hundred miles the bredth of it where it is broadest is but an hundred and fifty miles ANNOTATIONS by the Translatour vpon some particulars for the better helpe and direction of the Reader a THe Arabicke Geography imprinted at Rome in the yeere of our Lord 1592 set out by Baptist Raymund at the cost and charges of the most illustrious Prince Ferdinand Medices Graund Duke of Tuscane in Italie is but an Abridgement of a greater worke intitled _____ Nazahti'lmoshtak that is The pleasant garden as the authour himselfe in his Preface to that his worke doth plainly confesse which Abbreuiatour as he himselfe in the beginning of the fourth section of the first Climate testifieth was an African borne in Nubia For he there saith that in this Parallel there be two riuers called Nilus whereof the one which is vulgarly knowen by that name and is for difference sake called Nilus of Egypt runneth along by our countrey _____ Ardiana from South to North vpon whose banks almost all the cities both of Egypt and of the Iland are built and situate By many places of this his worke it is manifest that he was a Mussulman that is by profession a Mahometane He liued as I gather aboue fiue hundred yeeres since presently after the entrance of the Normans into England For at the second section of the fourth climate he writeth that when he wrote this his worke Roger was King of Sicilia but whether this Roger were Roger the father sonne of Tanchred the Norman who draue the Saracens from thence or Roger his sonne who in the yeere after Christs incarnation 1103 tooke vpon him the gouernment of that kingdome it is vncertaine and for ought I know not to be learned out of his words ANGLIAE REGNI FLORENTISSIMI NOVA DESCRIPTIO AVCTORE HVMFREDO LHVYD DENBYGIENSE Cum Priuilegio c _____ Alinkalaterra as the Spaniards Italians and French do call it that is England or The Angles land so named by Egbert king of the West-Saxons about the yere of our Lord 800 is of the three the greatest most fertile flourishing kingdome of this whole ile and therfore it is hereby this our authour in this place by a figure put for Great Britaine the part for the whole Neither is this any strange thing not vsed by any other for Raymundus Marlianus that adioyned those Alphabeticall descriptions of Cities Places Mountaines and Riuers to Caesars Commentaries doth put Angliam Insulam and Angliae Insulam The Ile England and The I le of England for Britanniam Britaine Such is the maruellous greatnesse of this Iland that when it was first descried by the Romans they thought it almost well woorthy the name of ALTERIVS ORBIS Another world And he that made the Panegyricke oration to Constantius writeth that Iulius Caesar who first discouered it to the Romans ALIVM se ORBEM TERRARVM scripserit reperisse tantae magnitudinis arbitratus vt non circumfusa Oceano sed complexa Oceanum videretur did write vnto his friends that he had found Another World supposing it to be of that wonderfull greatnesse that it could nor possibly be inuironed round on all sides of the sea but rather that it contrariwise did enclose the sea And for that it lieth so farre remote from the South like as Thule it was by poets and other ancient writers intituled Vltima Britannia Great Britaine the farthest part of the world Northward d _____ Alnaama In Auicen is a fowle called of the Latines Struthium an Ostrich as Gerardus Cremonensis his interpretour vnderstandeth the word and indeed the South part of the I le the sea falling in betweene Wales and Cornwall doth represent the necke and head of such a like fowle with the mouth gaping wide open Liuy and Fabius Rusticus did liken it Oblongae scutulae vel bipennt To aswingling stocke or sword which those vse that dresse hempe and flax to a twall or twibill a kinde of warlike weapon vsed in fight by some nations And indeed the whole iland being triangular triquetra they call it but of vnequall sides which kinde of figure the Geometers call Scalenum may also aswell as Sicilia be named TRINACRIA For from Taruisium a promontory or forland in Scotland now called Howburne all along by the shore vnto Belerium the cape of Cornwall are 812. miles from whence to Cantium The Forland of Kent are 320 miles from thence againe to Howburne in Scotland 704 miles So that by this account the circuit and compasse of Britaine is 1836 miles which commeth much short of that account of Pliny and is somewhat lesse than that of Caesar e The first inhabitants which seated themselues heere presently after the vniuersall floud in the dayes of Noe came hither from France as Necrenesse of place Likenesse of maners Gouernment Customes Name and Language doe very demonstratiuely prooue and euince And thereupon they call themselues Cumro as come from Gomer the sonne of Iapheth called of Historiographers Cimber from whom are descended the Celiae or ancient Gauls the inhabitants not only of France but generally of all the Northwest parts of Europe What thinke you then of that story of Brute Mary I thinke he wanted honesty that first inuented that fable and he wit that beleeueth it But Iohn Wheathamsted sometime Abbat of S. Albans a graue learned man and of good
iudgement shall speake for me Totus iste processus saith he de Bruto poëticus est potius quà m historicus opinatiuusque magis propter varias causas quà m realis That whole discourse of Brute is rather to be accounted as a fable and fiction forged in poets braine then a true history done and acted indeed Item William of Newbury a writer of good credit and one that liued at the same time with this Geffrey of Munmouth did accuse him to his face of forgery and challenged him for the same For first for the name of Britons they neuer knew what it meant vntill the entrance of the Romans and was then as harsh vnto these Cumbri as the name of Welchman is to them at this day which it is certeine diuers of the vpland people do not acknowledge nor vnderstand what it should meane Againe Ludouicus Vines Hadrianus Iunius Buchanan Polydore Virgil Bodine and other great men do all iointly confesse that there was neuer in the world any such man as this Brutus Moreouer That presently after the confusion at Babell in the infancy of the world when the iles of the Gentiles were diuided into their lands as the Scripture speaketh euery man after his tongue after their families in their nations that is That such men as by reason of difference and diuersity of language did separate themselues from such as they vnderstood not and therefore could not conuerse withall into their seuerall companies and hords did beare the name and denomination of their father and prince of that family it is very plaine and manifest but that any nation was named or called after the name of the chiefe leader and conductour of a colony I yet find not auouched by any good authour It is most certaine and without all controuersie true That diuers countries haue beene called by sundry names by forreners and strangers neuer knowen nor acknowledged of the nations themselues Do you thinke that the ancient inhabitants of Spaine did euer know what Hesperia meant None surely euer called that countrey by this name but the Graecians only Albion and Britannia doubtlesse were names as barbarous vnto these our Cumbri and neuer heard of before the entrance of the Romans There is no Colony although neuer so small and few but will reteine much of their owne countrey language either wholly vncorrupt or els manifestly to be distinguished by the phrase and proprietie of speech Those few Flemmings who their countrey being by the breaking in of the sea ouerflowen and drowned obteined of King Henrie the first a part of Penbrooke shire in Wales which the Welchmen call Rosse lying betweene two riuers not farre off from Milford hauen are they not to this day distinguished from their neighbours round about them by their speech and language And because their speech doth much resemble the English is not their countrey commonly called of those which inhabit neere vnto them Little England beyond Wales The like you shall obserue by the British colony which aboue eleuen hundred yeeres since tooke possession of that part of France which of them euer since hath beene knowen by the name of Britaine Of the colony of the Scots in Ireland and of the Irish in Scotland If any man will say that there is the like resemblance betweene the Welch tongue and the Greeke or Latine I will iustifie it that there is as great affinitie betweene the Welch and Arabicke and againe that these are as like the one to other as an apple is to an oister Moreouer this entrance of Brute was an absolute conquest the giants if there were euer any such being vtterly destroyed or quite chaced out of the land and therefore there is no reason to the contrary but they should haue for the space of seuen hundred yeeres kept their language from corruption as well as they haue done since being since the entrance of the Romans sixteene hundred yeeres and more The Latines or Greeks so prodigall alwayes in their owne commendation would doubtlesse not haue forgotten to record the setting forth of such a famous colony Could this affinity haue beene hid from Caesar would they not thinke you haue claimed kindred of the Romans Constans and Constantius Emperours of Rome were the first by the testimony of Iulius Firmicus that euer durst venture thorow these seas How then did this Brutus so many hundred yeeres before in such small barks so slightly built passe the same Aeneas they report of his many ships lost all but one before he could get home in the Midland sea which is nothing so dangerous and troublesome Can it be thought credible that such a warlike nation as these Troians hauing so lately got footing and seated themselues in so goodly a countrey as Italy would so suddenly remoue so farre off to a place vnknowen The Romans hauing such dangerous warres and such occasion to vse men and braue commanders would neuer haue suffered them in such troopes to passe out of their countrey If it had tooke the name of Brutus it should doubtlesse haue been called Brutania not Britannia as Caesar nameth it nor Bretania Pretanice or Pretanis as the Greeks do write it But list what Caesar sayth of this matter Britania pars interior sayth he ab ijs incolitur quos natos in insula ipsi memoria proditum dicunt Maritima pars ab ijs qui praedae ac belli inferendi causa ex Belgio transierant The inner part of the ile is inhabited of such people as were bred and borne there as they themselues do report from their ancestours The sea coast is possessed of such as haue come thither from Flanders and thereabout to robbe and spoile the countrey If this were all that was then knowen and that Gildas Sapiens and Venerabilis Beda knew nothing to the contrary how came this our authour so many hundred yeeres after them to the knowledge of this so absolute an history where not only persons places and actions are so distinctly set downe with their precise difference of time as if they had beene done but yesterday The historian for things done in his owne time or not long before is beleeued vpon his owne word but for such things as were done many ages before he was borne he must bring his author to iustifie his assertion If there had beene any such tradition commonly deliuered from man to man it would questionlesse haue beene intimated to Caesar Records can not be preserued but by writing and that knowledge came in with the Romans But if it be a question whether there were euer any such city as that Troy so much renowmed by meanes of that learned poëme of the famous Poët Homer what will become of the stories of Aeneas which if I mistake him not the great Historiographer Titus Liuius doth make a doubt of and of this our Brutus neuer patronaged by any great learned wise man I know that is improued by some and I thinke it may be demonstrated For further satisfaction I referre
whereby they were sometime called before the entrance of the Saxons But let vs come againe to Mona Our countreymen and the inhabitants of this ile speaking now at this day the ancient British tongue doe know no other name of it than MON for so they all generally call it Polydore Virgil calleth it ANGLESEA that is The English ile I grant that this iland being subdued by the English men was beautified and graced with their name and that the English men do so call it I do not denie But I pray thee did the English men first descrie this iland was it neuer seene before or had it no name at all before their comming Hearest thou Polydore bethinke thy selfe thou mayest aswell say that England is not that land which was sometime called Britannia nor that was not Gallia which now we call France Nay which is a greater matter than this and more strange the inhabitants of this ile notwithstanding they be subiect to the crowne of England do neither know what England or an English man doth meane For an English man they call Sais but in the plurall number speaking of more than one Saisson and this their natiue countrey they name Mon. Moreouer that faire citie built vpon that arme of the sea or frith aboue mentioned on the other side ouer against the West part of this iland is called Caeraruon that is The citie vpon Mon For Caer in our language signifieth a walled towne Kir in Hebrew is a wall and Kartha in those Easterne tongues is a walled citie Ar is as much to say as Vpon and as for the v in the last syllable for m that is the proprietie of the language in some cases for in all words beginning with m in consequence of speech that letter after some certeine consonants is changed into v for which our nation doth alwayes vse f because that v with them is euermore a vowell So we call Wednesday Diem Mercurij Die Mercher but Wednesday night Nos Fercher Mary we call Mair but for our Ladies church we write and pronounce Lhanuair Neither is this citie only thus named but euen that whole tract of the continent of Britaine that runneth along by it is called Aruon that is Opposite or ouer against Mon. But let it be that this iland was not that Mona so oft mentioned by the ancients then ought Polydore for his credits sake haue found another name for it and not to haue left it wholly namelesse Now let vs come vnto the other which our countreymen do call MENAW and which all the inhabitants generall as also the English and Scots reteining the Welsh name but cutting it somewhat shorter MAN Therefore there is no man for ought I know beside this proud Italian and one Hector Boëthius a loud liar that euer called this iland by the name of Mona But leauing these demonstrable arguments which indeed do make this matter more cleere than the noone day let vs come vnto authorities and testimonies of learned men which in some cases are rather beleeued than any other arguments whatsoeuer by these I doubt not but the true and proper name shall be giuen to ech of these ilands and the controuersie decided without any maner of contradiction There is a piece of Gildas Britannus that ancient writer a man euery kinde of way learned at this day remaining in the Librarie of the illustrious Earle of Arundell the only learned Noble man of his time in which he hath these wordes England hath three ilands belonging to it Wight ouer against the Armoricanes or Bretaigne in France The second lieth in the middest of the sea betweene Ireland and England The Latine Historians doe call it Eubonia but vulgarly in our mother tongue we call it MANAW Thou hearest gentle Reader a naturall Welsh man speaking in the Welsh tongue For thus we call Polydore Virgils Mona in our natiue language euen at this day Moreouer the reuerend Beda that worthy Englishman famous thorow all Christendome in his dayes for all maner of literature and good learning in the ninth chapter of the second booke of his Historie writeth thus At which time also the people of Northumberland Nordan Humbri that is all that nation of the Angles which did inhabit vpon the North side of the riuer Humber with Edwin their king by the preaching of Paulinus of whom we haue spoken a little before was conuerted vnto the faith of Christ This king in taking of good successe for his enterteinment of the Gospel did grow so mightie in Christianitie and the kingdome of heauen and also had that command vpon the earth that he ruled which neuer any king of the English did before him from one end of Britaine to the other and was king not only of the English but also of all the shires and prouinces of the Britons Yea and he brought vnder his subiection as I haue shewed before the iles of Man insulae Menaniae Here I do thinke that for Menauiae it ought to be written Menauiae seeing that there is such small difference betweene an n and a u that they may easily be mistaken and one put for another Moreouer Henry Archdeacon of Huntingdon a worthy Historiographer who wrote about the yeere of our Lord 1140 one that followed Beda in many things almost foot for foot doth seeme also to correct this fault and cleere the doubt For he setting forth the great command and conquests of this Edwine King of the Northumbers brusteth out into these words Eduwyn the king of the Northumbers ruled ouer all Britaine not only ouer that part which was inhabited of the English but ouer that also which was possessed of the Britons Kent only excepted Moreouer he brought the I le Menauia which lieth between Ireland and Britaine and is commonly called MAN vnder the obedience of the Kings of England Here obserue that this English man did giue also to this iland which Polydore Virgil falsly calleth Mona the English name for it is commonly sayth he called Man by which name it is knowen called at this day of all the English Besides this also Ranulph of Chester in the foure and fortieth chapter of the first booke of his Polychronicon doth thus speake of those ilands which are neere neighbours vnto Britaine Britaine sayth he hath three ilands lying not farre off from it beside the Orkney iles which doe seeme to answer vnto the three principall parts of the same For WIGHT lieth hard vpon the coast of Loëgria which now is called England Anglia MONA which the English call Anglisea perteineth vnto Cambria that is to Wales But the I le EVBONIA which hath two other names Menauia and Mania lieth oueragainst Scotland These three Wight Man and Anglisea Vecta Mania Mona are almost all of one bignesse and conteining the like quantitie of ground Thus farre Ranulph of Chester The reason why Gildas and others haue called this iland Eubonia I take to be this because it was first inhabited of the same nation
is likely therefore that the etymology and reason of the deriuation of the word Europe which was vnknowen vnto the old writers is to be sought and fetched from no other language else but from that which was most vsuall in this part of the world For that the inhabitants of any country should take the name of their natiue soile from strangers it is so absurd and hard to be beleeued that there cannot any thing more foolish or contrary to truth be inuented or deuised Wherefore I thinke it good concerning this matter heere to lay downe the iudgement of Goropius Becanus our countryman who thinketh it to be so named not of a woman which it is probable either neuer was or neuer came heere but à latitudine videndi of the largenesse of his prospect as he speaketh namely because I do cite his owne words out of the 9. booke of his Origines it doth not only looke toward Asia on the East and South Africa on the South and West but also the New-found-world beyond the Hyperborei on the West and North. Neither shall any man perswade me that Europe had the name from Greece or the Greeke language seeing that it was first inhabited of the Cimbers Cimmerij descended from Gomer the elder brother before it was possessed of the Greeks Iones come from Iawan a yonger brother but the 4. son of Yapheth we make a dipthong by setting the 5. vowel of the Latins before the 2. which neither the Latins nor Greeks do admit Therefore if so be at any time they would change the words in which this did light for We they put Eu turning it backward Therefore our men do term it Verop not Europ whereby they vnderstand a worthy company of men for Wer a mono-syllable pronounced like a dipthong signifieth losty great excellent that which is best in euery kind of thing which notwithstanding some do write ur without a dipthong yet with a long vowell Therefore as of Terues they formed Tereus so of Werop the Latines Greeks haue made Europe so named of the excellency of the Nation which doth farre surpasse all other men of the World For Hop as I haue shewed before signifieth a company or multitude of men More of this word thou maist see in his 8. booke Thus farre out of his workes which are foorth in print that which followeth is taken out of a booke of his which he also hath set foorth yet not imprinted but such as he vsed priuatly and hath many additions in sundrie places in the margin written with his owne hand which he had prepared against the second edition But I waighing saith he and comparing this name with that which I haue read in holy Scripture another reason farre more excellent and better commeth into my mind We see that to Yaphet was promised enlargement or a farre spreading of his posterity or as some other interpret the word ioy and gladnesse which then he truly had enioied when as Christ had redeemed vs by his death and pretious bloud which blessing doth agree to this part of the world rather than to any other vnder heauen beside and therefore all other countries generall do call Europe THE KINGDOME OF THE CHRISTIANS and the Europeans are called of the Turkes and Arabians GIAVVR that is Christians E therefore doth signifie a lawfull contract and mariage VR excellent and HOP hope whereupon it commeth to passe that Europe signifieth The excellent hope of a lawfull mariage which is proper to this portion of the world which Noah gaue to Iapheth his sonne to inhabite For although that the posterity of Sem was by Abraham for many ages wedded to God yet at length he put her away and diuorced her from him But the wedlocke whereby God by Christ is wedded to Europe his Church shall neuer be dissolued so that Europe may most properly be said to be Iaphets portion But of this word we will speake more in our Francica Thus farre Goropius Which I haue very willingly communicated to the curtuous Reader leauing it to the censure of the learned to be iudged Yet I know that these things haue been very bitterly skoffed at already by a certaine learned man but one wholly ignorant of this tongue and therefore of lesse iudgement in this argument There are some which do thinke that this Europe was in the holy Scripture called IAPETIA Thus farre of Europe to which before I do altogether leaue I will ad out of Herodotus in his Polymnia the words of Mardonius to Darius spoken of this country That it is a country most goodly and beautifull bearing all maner of excellent fruitefull trees and those in their kind the best and to be such that it were pity that any man but a king only should possesse The BRITISH ILES Now THE EMPIRE OF Great Britaine PLiny saith that in the Atlanticke ocean there be many ilands named BRITANNICAE INSVLAE The British ilands but the two greater ALBION and HIBERNIA Ireland are properly so called Of these ALBION in regard that it is both the greatest and as it were commander of the rest is most properly called BRITANNIA And I might easily be drawen to beleeue that all these ilands were recorded in the ancient monuments of the Greekes before they were once named or knowen to the Romanes and to haue generally been called CASSITERIDES as who say The Stannaries and that properly CASSITERA which the Romans call Britannia And although I am not ignorant that Cassitera is held of Dionysius and Stephanus to be Indica Insula an Indian an iland or an iland belonging or neere adioining to India yet I am not a whitte moued from that my opinion For I do verily thinke that this was deliuered by them rather of ignorance than of sound knowledge grounded vpon the skill of Geography and we know that this is also a common errour in these our daies to call all countries and ilands vnknowen or farre remote and distant from vs Indian iles by which name not without a manifest ignorance of the truth they call all that whole continent of the New world together with the circumiacent ilands first discouered and found out in the daies of our grandfathers and such also as daily are descried they call by that name On my side is Pomponius Mela a man out of all doubt of good iudgement and credit who calleth them CELTICAS Celtickeiles as if they were neere neighbours to the Celtae I do know that these Cassiterides are of others otherwise described as of Diodorus Siculus a little aboue Lusitania Portugall of Pliny oueragainst Celtiberia Valentia neere Artabrum promontorium cabo de finis terrae by Strabo and Ptolemey where now there are no ilands at all and therefore not these nor euer were any whereupon it is apparant that these ilands were rather known to the ancients by name than true situation Now all men do iointly commend these ilands for the great abundance of Tinne and Lead which they yearely did
yeeld Strabo also maketh these ilands rich in Hides or Leather Do not then these three whose plentifull store hath made ENGLAND at this day so famous all the world ouer manifestly proue that they all pointed and aimed at Britaine For what country or prouince is there in the whole globe of the Earth that is so rich in Pelts and Leather or hath such plenty of fine wooll as ENGLAND hath The same Strabo affirmeth that in the Cassiterides they digge not very deep for mettals Pliny saith that they are found in the very sourd of the earth That these do speake both of the same thing who doth not see By these I gather That the Phoenicians in times past and Spaniards did for trafficke saile through the straights of Gibraltar vnto this iland and for Tinne Lead and Pelts bring in for exchange Brasen vessels and Salt like as afterward the Romanes when Caesar had subdued it vsed to do the next way ouer land by France Therefore it was then first knowen to the Romanes by the name of Britannia which before that certaine ages passed was very famous amongst the Phoenicians by the name of Cassitera Appianus a reuerend authour who liued about the time of Hadrian the Emperour writeth that the Spaniards did forbeare to trauell vpon the West and North ocean but when they were forced into Britaine by the violence of the tide That heere he nameth Britaine Cassitera I make no question but that name was then worne out of vse and this as I thinke it very likely was growen in request and better knowne Let the learned see and at their better leisure consider whether that Sextus Rufus Auienus doth not describe these ilands vnder the name of OESTRYMNIDVM Surely I am of that opinion he doth For he saith that these Oestrymniades are very rich of lead and tinne and that the country people do make shippes of Leather in which they saile vpon the maine sea What is this else then that which Pliny reporteth That the Britanes do go to sea in shippes made of wickers and couered ouer with raw hides and doth not Caesar in his first booke de Bello ciuili affirme that the Britans did vse to make the keele and ribbes of their ships of some light wood the other part being radled with osiers or roddes was couered with leather This iland the Romanes as Dion and Xiphiline do testifie diuided into the HIGHER containing all that part which is toward the South and the LOVVER toward the North. In the Almagest of Ptolemey this is called MINOR The Lesser and that MAIOR The Greater and that about the time of Seuerus Emperour of Rome But in the raigne of Valentinian the Emperour I find in Sextus Rufus that it was distinguished by these names BRITANNIA PRIMA The First BRITANNIA SECVNDA The Second BRITANNIA MAXIMA The Greater CAESARIENSIS and FLAVIA The booke of Remembrances Notiar and Ammianus do adde VALENTIA which others as Orosius Claudian and Hegesippus call SCOTIA Scotland Xiphilinus in Seuerus referreth the people generally to these two nations MAEATAI and CALEDONII for the names of the rest may as he saith welnigh be reduced to these two Yet this must needes be false except he meane it particularly of Valentia the later part He that desireth to know the seuerall Nations of this iland as then it was inhabited let him haue recourse to Ptolemeys Geography and this our Mappe into which we haue packed those things which we haue gathered heere and there dispersed in Caesars Commentaries Tacitus Pausanias and Ammianus and he shal be satisfied to the full But wilt not thou be deceiued take the learned M. Camden for thy guide and then I will warrant thy safe conduct Thus farre of the names of these ilands now let vs speake in like manner of the iles themselues and first of the greatest of them which we said was called Britannia BRITANNICARVM INSVLARVM TYPVS Ex conatibus Geographicis Abrah Ortelij Cum privileg decen 1595. NATALIBVS INGENIO ET DOCTRINA ILLVSTRI REVERENDOQVE DOMINO D. GEORGIO AB AVSTRIA PRAEPOSITO HARLEBECENSI AC SERENISS PRINCIPI CARDINALI ARCHIDVCI A CVBICVLIS Abrah Ortelius R. M. Geog. L. M. dedicab Caesar and Diodorus Siculus do giue out that it is wonderfull populous But from whence the people and first inhabitants came whether they were home-borne indigenae or come from other countries it is not knowen as Tacitus hath written The inner partes higher within the land are inhabited of those which they say were borne and bred there the sea coasts are possessed of those which came thither from Belgium the Low countries all of them almost are called by the names of those cities and prouinces from whence they came and where they were bred as Caesar reporteth This his opinion Ptolemey doth confirme who in this I le also doth name and describe the Belgae and Attrebates Tacitus auoucheth that in that the Caledonij a people in Scotland are red haired and bigge limmed it is a manifest argument that they are come of the stocke of the Germaines Their well coloured complections curled heads and country opposite to the coast of Spaine do proue that the ancient Iberi in former times had crossed the sea and seated themselues heere That the Galli or Gauls did enter vpon those coasts neere to their country it is very probable by their ceremonies superstitious opinions and similitude of languages Zozimus in his first booke writeth that the Emperour Probus sent into this iland all the Burgundians and Vandals that he could suppresse and take aliue that heere they might dwell and seat themselues The Saxons and other nations which entered this land I do of purpose omit because these were of later times and but the other day we only determined to touch those things that were of greater antiquity Generally the inhabitants of this I le in those daies were all vnciuill and rude and as they were more farther remote from the maine continent so they had lesse knowledge of forren wealth and were lesse desirous of the same That the Britans were more valiant and hardy than the Gauls we learne out of Tacitus that they were more taller of stature than they Strabo doth affirme That they vsed strangers discurteously Horace reporteth Claudianus the poet nameth this ile saeua Britannia tyrannous Britaine And the same authour in his Panegyricus for the Consulship of Honorius calleth the people saeuos Britannos cruell Britans Quid in his second book of Loue nameth them virides Britannos the green Britans in the fifteenth booke of his Metamorphosis Aequoreos Britannos the Britans of the sea They weare their haire long all their body in what part soeuer being shauen beside their head and vpper lippe The same authour saith that for nature and quality they are for the most part all alike yet some are more plaine and simply minded others more rude and barbarous so that although they haue great store of milke yet they know not how to