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