spirit that * Esd. 6.42 an other tale of the same author doth touching the collection of all the waters into a seuenth part of the earth the other sixe beeing left vncouered or * Cap. eod vers 50. a third of the Elephant and the Whale Behemoth and Leuiathan namely that God appointed the sea to one of them and the land to the other because they were so great that the Sea could not hold them both for else belike if the Sea had bene large enough we might haue gone a fishing for Elephants For how is the sea gathered into a seauenth part of the earth whose expansion is not only by the most skilfull Philosophers esteemed but found by experieÌ„ce of nauigations hitherto made to ouerspred as neerly as may be discerned about halfe the compasse of the Earth Or being of that bredth and withall of the depth that it is knowne to be how should it not bee spatious enough to receiue Elephants and Whales together The dimensions of the Elephant euen of the greatest sort of Indian Elephants and the earth breedeth none so large as those of India are Aelian de Animalib l. 12. c. 8. saith Aelianus nine cubits of heigth the length in that beast is equall to the height and fiue of bredth the greatest that haue bene seene in Europe being * Vid. GilliuÌ„ in Descript 6 Elephant c. 6. et Gorop l. 2. Origin Antuerptan obserued to be far lesse The dimension of the Whale indeed is far greater fiue times saith * Aelian l. 16. ca. 12. Rondelet de Piscib l. 16. c. 11. ArriaÌ„ de Reb. Indicis longe ante finem Aelianus then the largest sort of Elephants But yet his ordinary dimensioÌ„ is but 36. cubits long and 8. cubits high as Rondeletius hath obserued But admit notwithstanding some of them to bee 50. cubits of which length Nearchus in Arrianus is saide to haue measured one in the East Ocean nay to be 600. foot long and 360. foote thicke as * Ap. Plin. l. 32. c. 1. Iuba in Plinie related to bee found in the Bay of Arabia where yet as it is well knowne by the foundings of nauigators that sea is not by a good deale 360. foote deepe Or let them be more yet Plin. l 9. c. 3. euen foure Acres long that is 960. foote as Plinie hath related of some in the sea of India For although the two last reports bee in truth no better then fancies and fables Basil. in Hexaemer Homil. 7 which the impudence of some hath made the ignorance of others to beleeue yet I will exclude none but onely Basil as intolerably hyperbolical affirming namely that whales are equal to the greatest mountaines their backs wheÌ„ they shew aboue the water like to Islands But admitting all the rest I say what proportion haue those dimensions of the Whale the Elephant to the huge bredth depth of the OceaÌ„ For if I may without offence intersert a short Philosophicall speculaton the depth of the Sea to speake nothing of the bredth which euery common mappe doth represent is determined by Fabianus in Plinie Fabian apud Plin. l. 2. c. 102 Cleomed Meteot l. 1. c. 10. and by Cleomedes to be 15 furlongs that is one mile and seuen eight parts Or else equall to the height of the greatest mountaines to whose height and the deepenesse of the Sea the Geometricians as Plutarch hath recorded anciently assigned equall dimensions Plutarch in Vita Aemilij Pauli Or yet rather if you will any thing respect my opinion it is a great deale more Scalig. de Subtilitate Exercit. 38. For as for the shallow speculation of Scaliger and * And. Baccius de Thermis l. 1. c. 4. Alij others of the shallownesse of the Sea determining the height of Hilles farre to surpasse the deepenesse of the sea And that in very few places it attaineth 100 passes of depth is indeed true in the narrow Channels and Straits of the Sea But in the free and large Ocean it is by the experience of Nauigators knowen to bee as false as the Gospell is true Indeed touching the height of mountaines I finde it pronounced by the great Mathematician Eratosthenes in Theon Theon in Comment Magnae Construction Ptolom l. 1. that the highest sort of them passe not in perpendicular erectnesse 10 furlongs that is one mile and one fourth part of which height also it is obserued in Plinie Plin. l. 2. c. 63. Plutarch loc supra citato that Dicaearchus by Dioptricall Instruments found the Hill Pelius in Thessalie to bee and in Plutarch that Xenagoras another Mathematician obserued the height of Olympus in the same Region sauing that in this later there is an addition of 20 passes for the whole number of passes is 1270. Neither do I find any greater perpendicular height attributed to Mountaines by any ancient writer Cleomedes excepted Cleomed l. 1. Meteor c. 10. who assigneth to the height of Hils as he doth also to the depth of the Sea 15 furlongs For Alhazen I omit because he onely restraineth the height of hilles Alhazen de Crepuscul propos 1. as namely not to exceed 8 miles without determining what their height should be But yet all these are to bee vnderstood I take it with relation to the Mountaines in and about Greece with which themselues were acquainted which may in no sort compare with the huge Mountaines of vast Continents such as are the Alpes in Europe Atlas in Afrique Caucasus in India the Andes in Peru and such other But whatsoeuer the height of Hilles may bee aboue the common superficies of the Earth it seemeth to me after good consideration that the depth of the Sea is a great deale more For declaration of which point I require to be supposed first that the Earth at the first forming of it was in the superficies regular and sphericall which the Holy Scripture directs vs to beleeue because the water couered and compassed all the face of the Earth And secondly that the face of the Land is in largenesse and expansion at least equall to that of the sea And thirdly that the vneuennesse and irregularity which is now seene in the superficies of the Earth was caused as is noted in Damascen either Damascen l. 1. de fide Orthodoxa c. 10. by taking of some parts out of the vpper face of the Earth in sundry places to make it more hollow and laying them in other places to make it more conueâ—e Or else which in effect is equiualent to that by raysing vp some and depressing others to make roome and receite for the sea that mutation being wrought by the power of that word Genes 1.9 Let the waters be gathered into one place that the dry land may appeare For as for the fancy of Aquinas Dionysius Aquin. in Sum pa. 1. q. 69. a. 1. Dionys. Carth Catharin Alij in Comment cap. 1. Genes Catharinus
and some other Diuines namely that that gathering of waters and discouerie of the Earth was made not by any mutation in the Earth but by a violent accumulation of the waters or heaping them vp on high it is too vnreasonable Because it is vtterly against the nature of water being a flexible and ponderous body so to consist and stay it selfe and not fall to the lower parts about it where in nature there is nothing at all to hinder it Or if it be hindered and restrayned supernaturally by the hand and bridle of the almighty lest it should ouerwhelme and drowne the Land it must follow thereof that God in the very institution of nature imposed a perpetuall violence vpon nature And this withall that at the Deluge there had beene no necessitie at all to break vp the springs of the deepe and to open the Cataracts of Heauen and powre downe water continually so many dayes and nights together vpon the Earth seeing the only withdrawing of that hand or letting goe of that bridle which restrayned the water would presently haue ouerwhelmed all But to come to the Point It seemeth vpon the former suppositions of which the holy scripture establisheth the first Experience of Trauailers and Nauigators the second and Reason the third that in making estimation of the depth of the Sea wee are not to reckon and consider onely the height of the Hilles aboue the common superficies of the Earth vnto which the extraordinary depthes or whirlpooles that are found in the Sea doe properly answere descending beneath the ordinary bottome of the Sea as the Hilles ascend aboue the ordinary face of the Land but the aduantage or height of all the dry Land aboue the superficies of the Sea Because the whole Masse of the Earth that now appeareth aboue the waters being taken as it were out of the place which the waters now possesse must bee equall to the place out of which it was taken and consequently it seemeth that the height or eleuation of the one should answere the depth or descending of the other And therefore as I sayd in estimating the deepenesse of the Sea wee are not to consider onely the erection of the Hilles aboue the ordinary land but the aduantage of all the dry land aboue the sea Which later I meane the height of the ordinary maine Land euen excluding the hilles is in my opinion more in large Continents aboue the Sea then that of the Hilles is aboue the Land For first that the plaine and common face of the drie Land is not leuell or equally distant from the Center but hath great decliuity and descent toward the Sea and accliuitie or rising toward the Midland parts although it appeare not so to the common view of the Eye is to reason notwithstanding manifest Because as it is found in that part of the Earth which the Sea couereth that it descendeth lower and lower toward the middest of the sea for the Sea which touching the vpper face of it is knowen to beleuell by nature and euenly distant from the Center is withall obserued to waxe deeper and deeper the farther one sayleth from the shore toward the Maine Euen so in that part which is vncouered the coursings and streamings of Riuers on all sides from the midland parts toward the Sea * By which rule of the proceeding of Riuers by the decliuity of the earth and euer sliding from the higher ground to the lower till they come to the Sea is euident to bee discerned that in Continents those Regions are the higher Land froÌ„ which Riuers streame those the lower ground to which they proceed and consequently that of all those are the highest which receiuing no forrain Riuers to which they giue passage through them do send forth the longest Riuers on all sides to the regions round about theÌ„ By which obseruation is to be discerned that Heluetia and Rhetia sending forth the longest Riuers of Europe which on all sides descend from them and their confines Danubius toward the East Rhene North Rhodanus West beside Ticinus Addua and others that fall into Padus South are the highest land of Europe As the Region of Pamer and Kirgessi with some other neere the crossing of the great mountaines Taurus and Imaus aboue India wheÌ„ce are directed the greatest and longest Riuers of Asia Indus and Ganges toward the South Oxus and Iaxartus toward the West Oechardes North Cantan East is proued by the same reason to be the heighest part of Afrique Asia and in my opinion of all the Earth And as the region also about the springs of Nilus from which beside Nilus that runneth towards the North are sent forth the riuer of Magnice towards the South of Zaire West of Coauo Zuama East being Niger excepted the greatest riuers of Afrique is by the same reason proued to be the heighest part of that continent whose propertie wee know is to slide from the higher to the lower euidently declare so much And although I am not able precisely to determine what the ordinary decliuity of the earth may be yet if that be conuenient in the workes of nature which is required in the workes of Art that imitateth Nature it will bee found true that before I sayd Namely that in great Continents through which Riuers haue long Courses some of 1000 or 2000 miles the height of the ordinary Midland aboue the face of the Sea is more then of the Hilles aboue the common face of the Earth for Plinie in the deriuation of water 〈◊〉 31. â—6 requireth one cubit of declining in 240 foot of proceeding for he saith vnum cubitum in binos Actus Actus as may Colâ—mell de Re Rustica l. 5. câ— bee obserued in Columella and others is a dimension of 120 foote long Vitruuius and Palladius in their conduction of waters Vitrum Archirectur l. 8 〈◊〉 Pallad 〈◊〉 Ruâ—â—â—ca l. 5. Tic. II. require indeede somewhat lesse namely that in proceeding of 200 foote forward there should bee allowed one foote of descending downeward which yet in the course of 1000 miles as Danubius or Wolgha or Indus c. haue so much or more will make fiue miles of descent in perpendicular account And in the course of 2000 or more as Nilus and Niger and the Riuer of Amazons haue 10 mile or more of like descent And although I know well enough that water being as it is heauy and flexible will slide away at any inequalitie and therefore am altogether perswaded that this rule of Vitruuius touching conueiance of waters is not to be taken as a rule of necessitie to be obserued in the deriuing of them as if water could not runne without that aduantage for in that respect the Conueiers of waters of these times conteÌ„t themselues euen with one inch in 600 foote as Philander also on Vitruuius Philand in Vitruu l. 8. c. 7. hath obserued but is rather to bee vnderstood as a rule of commodity namely
the water for which equalitie it hath obtained the name of Aequer Aqua * Varro l. â— de Ling. Latina Isidor Origiâ— l. 3. c. 12 Alij as Grammarians say And touching the second if the earth were vnequallie poysed on opposite sides of the center then must it follow that the least and lighter masse of the earth should presse downe as forciblie as the greater and weightier because it attaineth the center as well as it But if it be graunted which reason doth inforce that the weightier part of the earth should presse downeward with greater force and with more right challenge the center then the lighter part it must follow that the lighter masse or side of the earth must yeelde and giue place to the weightier so farre till the center of that whole masse of the earth take possession of the center of the world for till then one side will be still heauier then the other and so the opposite halfes of the earth in respect of heauinesse be brought on all sides about the center vnto a perfect equilibration And secondly by the Philosophers knowne rule that the earth is equally poised on both sides of her owne center And the third may be established by manifest demonstration Because a clod of earth suffered to fall from any point of the aire wheresoeuer on the face of the sea the same doth water falling on euen plaine land when all is calme and the aire not troubled with windes nor the sea with waues will descend by a perpendicular line on the face of the water In such sort I say that the line by which it falleth maketh exactly equall and right angles on all sides with the face of the water whereon it falleth Therefore it is manifest that the earth so falling teÌ„deth directly to the center of the water Because no straight line insisteth perpendicularly on the face or circumference of any special body as the water is except only those that proceede directly to the center of the sphaire But certaine it is that the earth is withal directly carried toward it own center therefore there is but one common center of the water and of the earth And thirdly that the center of the earth of the water are all one both of theÌ„ being indeede no other theÌ„ the center of the world which though some phantastical heads haue called into question yet no sound philosopher euer doubted of It followeth thereupon that the earth should in answerable measure and proportion lift it selfe and appeare aboue the face of the sea on the south side of the line as it doth on the north And consequently that what is wanting in the South parts of the two foresaid continents towards the counteruailing of the North parts which is about three fiue parts of both the other continents laied together must of necessitie be supplied in the continents of the South And yet I omit all the land that may be about the Arctique Pole beyond the Scythian or Sarmatian sea which must be also counterpoysed in that Antarchtique continent for nothing comes within the compasse of my vnderstanding to bee hereto replied except any would perhaps imagine that either the sea on the South side of the equator is verie shallow or that the land of that coÌ„tineÌ„t may be much higher aboue the face of the sea theÌ„ the land of the other two so equal in masse though lesse in circuit or that the earth on the south side of the Equator should be of a more ponderous disposition theÌ„ on the North in which cases some coÌ„pensation of weightines may be made for the want of extention But of these three the experience of sailers euidently refelleth the first who in equall distance from the land obserue an equall deepenesse of the sea in both South and North latitude And neither is there any experience nor good reason that can be alleadged to establish either of the later which but that I haue alreadie too much offended by digressions I could prooue I doubt not against all exception But this for a conclusion to this discourse I dare pronounce touching that South coÌ„tinent that it wil certainely be fouÌ„d in the after times when it shall be better discouered much larger then any globe or map hitherto extant hath represented it Such therfore as I haue declared is the general state of Christianity at this present in the world the proportion of it to other religions But because you require yet further to be specially informed of the diuers sorts and sects of Christians that are abroad in the world and withall of their diuers regions and religions at least of those principall characters of their religion wherin they specially differ each from other I will here set downe my second period touching the generall differences of religions and of the seuerall parts of the world where they are maintained and will now proceed to that particular consideration touching the sects of Christianity and indeuour to giue you the best satisfaction that my poore reading and obseruation may inable me to performe Of the dinerse sorts or sects of Christians in the world and of their seuerall regions And first of the Grecians CHAP. XV. THE sects therefore of Christians that carrie name report at this present in the World beside the Protestants and Romans in the West of whom I will bee silent because you know their condition better then my selfe are 1 the Grecians 2 Melchites or Syrians 3 Georgians 4 Moscouites Russians 5 Nestorians 6 Indians termed the Christians of S t. Thomas 7 Iacobites 8 Cophites 9 Armenians 10 Habassines and 11 Maronites Of which eleuen sects there be three Principall namely the Grecians Iacobites and Nestorians with which the rest haue for the most part either some dependance and deriuation or neerer conuenience and agreement The Grecians acknowledge obedience to the Patriarch of Constantinople vnder whose Iurisdiction are in Asia Bellon Obseruation l. 1. c. 35. the Christians of Natolia excepting Armenia the lesse and Cilicia of Circassia of Mengrelia and of Russia As in Europe also the Christians of Greece Macedon Epirus Thrace Bulgaria Rascia Seruia Bosina Walachia Moldauia Podolia and Moscouia together with all the Islands of the Aegean sea and others about Greece as farre as Corfu beside a good part of the large dominion of Polonia and those parts of Dalmatia and of Croatia that are subiect to the Turkish dominion Of which great extendment of the Greeke Patriarchs iurisdiction if you demand the reason I haue obserued sundry occasions from whence it hath proceeded For first his originall or Primitiue authority assigned or rather confirmed to him as Bishop of the Jmperiall citie by the couÌ„cell of Chalcedon contained all the Prouinces of Thrace Concil Chalcedoneâ—s can 23. and of Anatolia Isauria and Cilicia onelie excepted which belonged to the Patriarch of Antiochia and they were in all no lesse then 28. Romane Prouinces Secondly
with relation to the expedition and holesomenesse of the water so conueied lest resting too long in the pipes it should contract from them some vnholesome qualitie or else through the slacknesse of motion or long closenesse or banishment from the aire it might gather some aptnesse and disposition to putrefie Although I say such excesse of aduantage as in the artificiall conueance of waters the forenamed authors require be not of necessitie exacted in the naturall deriuation of theÌ„ yet neuerthelesse certaine it is that the descent of riuers being as it is continuall and the course of some of them verie long and in many places swift and here and there headlong furious the difference of height or aduantage can not but be great betwixt the springs of riuers and their outlets betwixt their first rising out of the earth and their falling into the sea Vnto which decliuitie of the land seeing the deepenesse of the sea doth in proportion answer as I before declared not onely to the height of hils It remaineth that we esteeme and determine that deepenesse to be a great deale more then it hath beene hetherto by Philosophers commonly reputed And although the deepenesse of the Sardinian sea which indeede Aristotle acknowledgeth for the deepest part of the mediterrane bee specially recorded by Posidonius in Strabo Arist. Meteor l. 2. c. 1. Strabo l. 1. longe post medium to haue beene found but 1000 fadomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is but a mile and one fift part yet what may the depth in that narrow sea bee compared to the hollow deepenesse of the vast Ocean Or rather to turne this Instance to our aduantage if in so narrow a sea as the mediterraine is whose bredth attayneth not where it is largest 600 miles the depth bee so great what may wee esteeme the deepenesse of the huge Ocean to be that is in many places aboue fiue times as broade especially seeing that the broader that seas are if they be withall entire and free from Islands they are answerablie obserued to be the deeper But whether haue I beene carried by these Elephants and Whales to what heights and depths of Mountaines and Seas I pray you pardon mee for I see I haue digressed that is transgressed now I returne into the way againe Of the Quantitie and proportion of the parts of the earth possessed by the seueral sorts of the abou mentioned religions CHAP. XIIII NOw if out of the former long discourse I should collect a short somme and estimate the proportion with respect to the whole earth that each one of the forementioned religions haue to the other It being first supposed which vpon exact consideration and calcalation will bee found to swarue very little from the truth that the proportions of Europe Afrique Asia and America are as 1.3.4 7. And that the professors of the forementioned religions possesse the seuerall portions and proportions of each of them which is before set downe It will be found I say vpon these suppositions which the best Gographie and histories doe perswade mee to bee true that Christians possesse neere about a fixt part of the knowne inhabited earth Mahumetans a fift part not as * Posâ—el in pâ—aefat Grammat Arabic Ludouic Regâ—us de Vicissitud Rerum l 〈◊〉 â—ue some haue exceedingly ouerlashed halfe the world or more and Idolaters two thirds or but little lesse So that if we diuide the knowne regions of the world into 30 equall parts The Christians part is as fiue the Mahumetans as sixe and the Idolaters as nineteene for the poore dispersed and distressed Christians which are found in Asia and Afrique mingled among Mahumetans and Idolaters I receaue not into this account both because they are but thinne dispersed in respect of the multitudes of Mahumetans and Idolaters in those regions among whom they liue being withall vnder their dominion and because also many Mahumetans are found mingled among Christians in Europe to recompence and counteruaile a great part of that number Such therefore may be the generall proportion of Christians to Mahumetans and Idolaters in the continents of the earth hetherto discouered namely in this our neighbour continent of the East comprehending Europe Afrique and Asia and in that other continent of the West called America and in the Islands belonging to them both But if the South or Antarctique continent be so large as I am verily perswaded it is euen no lesse then that of the East before mentioned which containeth Europe Afrique and Asia together then will the Idolaters be found to surpasse all the other religions in exceeding great proportion for that the Inhabitants of that South continent are Idolaters there is no question at all as I take it to bee made both because in the parts hitherto known as namely in the region of * Varro l. 6. de Ling. Latina Beach ouer against Iaua they were found to be so And also because they are knowne to be no other then Idolaters that inhabite all those parts of the other continents that neighbour most towards them from whom it is likely they should haue receaued the change of their religion if any were for first in Asia both India and the Islands of the Indian sea whereof some lie close on the South continent Secondly in Afrique the regions about the Cape of Buona Speranza And Thirdly in America the Countries that border on Magaglians Straite which are the neerest neighbours to the foresaid continent of the South are knowne to bee all ouerspred with Idolaters Now that the South continent is no lesse then I before esteemed it namely then that of Asia Afrique and Europe altogether although I might be probablie induced to beleeue so because it is well knowne both touching latitude to approach in some parts neere the equator and touching longitude to runne along in a continuall circuite about the earth fronting both the other continents Yet haue I also another reason of more certaine importance to perswade me Namely because it is well knowne that the land to the North side of the line in the other continents the old and new world yet altogether is at least foure times as large as that part of them which lieth to the South Now forasmuch as it is certaine For touching the first of these suppositions It is the propertie of water euer to fall that way where it findeth decliuitie Wherefore if the water in the vpper face of it were higher in one place then in another it would necessarily fall from the heigher position to the lower because it is heauie and flexible hath nothing in the open and free Sea to let or hinder it And consequently would neuer rest setled and stable till the face of it were leuelled in an euen distance from the ceÌ„ter first by Archimedes his rule Archimed de Insidentib Aquae l. 1. Propos 2. that the face of the sea is in all parts naturally leuell or equally distant from the center of