FATA MIHI TOTUM MEA sunt agitanda per Orbem.  
Imprinted at London by W. W. for john Barnes. 1611.   

THough our particular opinion of the pro●…abilitie, that after the unblessed endeavours of so many of our Countrymen, sought for the Northwest passage, were reason good enough for our Adventures, to merit (at the worst) by making known th'impossibility, the thanks of future Ages: Yet now, when persons of more e●…inence are interested in the prosecutio●… of that Action; least after good success, as in like cases, the envy of the world, commend the Fortune rather than the judgement of the Undertakers: we are advised to show some such as you, a little of our Reason; by the sufficience whereof, you (as we wis●…) will judge us, and our Enterprise, though an unlooked for ill e●…ent, should furnish other men with stronger Arguments than yet they have against us.  
For yet (setting aside some one▪ It may be, and that fortified especially with this) the main Objection is▪ that all our modern Globes and Maps do either show no pa●…sage▪ or else foe high into the North, and long into the West, that Cold and Ice, and Fogs, and so forth, will make it of no use.  
To which we justly might reply; that it hath ever been, the Custom of Describers of the Wo●…ld in remote parts, to set down Land or Sea out of their own imagination, with Gian●…s, Pigmies, Monsters, and miraculous reports of fabulous Authors. O●… if we list, to let them see how poor it is to trust in Pictures: could tell them of those Globes that make America and Asia all one Continent, even under the Tropic: Or of those Maps that sever them by a small Fretum only; that since is found to be a vast and spacious Sea: Or of those that join America and Grond-land, between which Dau●…s, and other of our Countrymen, discovered a large Passage: Or of those that force the Back of Brasill by the straits of Mag●…llan, to trend so strangely Westward, when M. Cavendish found that Coast to turn immediately up to the North, inclining to the East: Or of other as gross errors, which later Voyages have mended.  
By which, those men might be persuaded from ours, because it is a new Discovery to rectify their Cards, that make no mention of our straits found in () a Latitude free from fear of danger, cutting through the body of America 200. or 300. Leagues, unto an open Sea, that showed a great and hollow Billow, and brought a Flood that rose 5. Faddome. The rather, for that it agreeth justly with the Portugal Card, taken in the late Queen's time out of a Carrack And with the intelligence which Sir Mar●…in Furbisher had long since from a Portugal in Gwinie, that said, he had passed it: And with the general confession of Pilots now at L●…shbon, yielding to the news: And with unpartial Stories, telling that the Admiral of D. Garcia G●…offroy Loaysa of u●…-Real, in the time of Cha●…les the fifth, by the Coast of Bacalaos and 〈◊〉, went to the Moluccas.  
But because some (that hold the place, at least of) good Seamen, and Masters in the study of cosmography, deliver their opinion without reasons, that there yet remain, on the North of America, many hundred leagues for us to pass: We hold it not amiss to show you why (besides our late experience) we think not so, in this succeeding short discourse.   

OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE of the Earth.  
Unlearned men are now at length assured by the renowned Voyages of Sir Francis Drake and M. Cavendish, and other worthy Persons, that in the last age compassed the World: As anciently Mathematicians were by the roundness of the shadow in the Eclipse of the Moon. That the form or figure which God gave unto the Sea and Earth, when his Wisdom set the Waters and dry Land apart, was Gloabe-like or Sp●…aricall.  
Wherein it is agreed there are two Points, correspondent to the North and South Poles of the Heavens, of ea●…ie Creation in a solid of that Nature, from which Centres by describing several Circles, we derive our Parallels, whereof the largest in extent, must of necessity fall just in the midst; the rest infallibly growing dat and lesser, as they draw nearer and nearer to those Poles.  
Whereas our Meridian's being Circles that do ever meet in both those points of North and South, and so divide the Orb into just 〈◊〉, though they be not aequidistant, yet are ever of one equal Circuit to the greatest Parallel, which we call the equinoctial.  
In which Line, all men observing that the S●…nne in four and twenty hours was carried round; and the most Learned, that one hour took up 300. Leagues, or 900. Miles. It was concluded, that the suns whole course was 24. times so much: so that the common best opinion of the greatest Compass of the World, became 7200. L or 21600. M.  
According to which Computation, Seamen and travelers that go directly North or South, do find their Elevation to alter one Degree of the 360. for 20. L. of way, and ha●…ing sure means to tell how many Degrees or Parts of their M●…ridian they are gone N. or S. They can proportion well enough their Distance in Latitude, to be so many L. or Miles.  
But in their course of Longitude, (which is from East to West) for want of Fixed helps, they are constrained to turn backward, and by reckoning their L. or M. of way, to make account of so many parts or Degrees of their Parallel: But having not had due consideration of the above said lessening of Parale●…s, to distribute consequently fewer Miles or Leagues to eac●… Degree, besides the too uncertain ground; it hath fallen out that Lands set forth in Gloabes or Maps, from such erroneous Cards or Computations, as touching Longitude or Distance East and West, are most extremely false, especially in new discovered Northern & Southern Countries.  
For which cause (setting by the authority of Handy-workes) the 〈◊〉 C●…erence of the Earth is to be looked for in the Histories of such as traveled to describe the World: Among the which in ancient time, the men that laid the firmest and most Artificial grounds, and nearest to the best of Modern●…, were 〈◊〉 Alexandrinus: And he whom 〈◊〉 confutes Marinus Tyrius, the one of them by a Heavenly way of Eclips●…s, most exact (if well observed) thus argued. Such an Eclipse happened at M. Hora 8. and at N. at 9 therefore M. and N. differ in Longitude one hour, that is, the 24. part of the equinoctial, that is, 15. Degrees, containing every one some 60. Miles. But on th●… contrary, Marinus Tyrius proceeded thus: Such a man went from M. to N. Versus occasum, or from N. to M. Versus exortum 7500. Stadi●…, whereof 500 are about 60. Miles, or one Degree of the equinoctial; from which experience he concluded, therefore M. and N. did differ 15. Degrees, that is one Hour in Longitude. Which course how ever Mechanical as we say; and seldom or never exact: Yet on firm Land, by small helps given to a Man of ordinary understanding, may easily be freed from a gross error: Whereas we must confess Ptolomey his learned Method is of such difficile observing, that error soon creeps in, and every small one breeds a great mistaking.  
And therefore seeing (either way) Geographye depends on the reports of travellers (which Ptolomey calls Historiam Peregrinationis) and travellers be seldom Math●…maticians, but Merchants, sailors, Soldiers, men that may use common Rules and Instruments, not subtleties of nice and curious practice. There are that do profess, they hold P●…olomey his way much fitter, from the relations of Learned men, & Countries where good Arts are flourishing, to rectify precedent observations, then to delineate or set down by hearsay, the distances from East to West, of far remote newly discovered Countries. Nay, that confess (under correction of the Learned World tha●… hath received it) they are not yet so fully well persuaded of 〈◊〉 his bounding the old World of Europe, Africa, and Asia, between a Meridian of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, and 12. hours or 180. Degrees, but rather do approve Marinus Tyrius his extending Asia into the East, as far as 15. Hours, and that for these reasons.  
If those men conceive a right, that 
First.  guess that 〈◊〉 for his abode in 〈◊〉, did Style himself Alexandrinus, in emulation of Mari●…, called Tyri●…, from the Town of Tyr●…. It cannot be denied but the Merchants of that Port were fellows unto Princes, and had in those days greater Trade than any; so that Marinus living there, was like to have much better information than an other in an other corner; especially being more ancient, and nearer to the Ass●…ian and Persian Monarchies, to the journeys of Alexander, Hercu●…, and Bacchus, and the business than most into the East. He could not but have better helps than Ptolomey, that lived when all went Westward.  
The merchants then traveling over firm Land, through plain and 
2. lie.  open Countries by directions of the Heavens, wherein the men of those Times and Territories were best read; they were the better able to make perfect journals of their way, and consequently Marinus truer Computation of the Longitude of Plac●…s.  
Since 〈◊〉 himself confesseth, that the Lands from the F●…tunate 
3. lie.  Islands, to the passage of the River Euphra●…es through H●…apolis, were rightly laid by Tyri●…s, being gathered from men's voyages Westward over Seas, and through the woody, Mountainous, barren & then Barbarous parts of Europ●…: why should we not think his information was as good, and more frequent from the Eastern richest Countries of the world; and so believe as well of his account Ad Turr●● Lapideam, and thence Ad Sinar●…m Metropolim? Nothing doubting what ever Ptolomey conjecture, his care to examine men's Relations, ere he gave them ●…redite, since though his work unhappily appear not; yet out of his Confuters mouth, we hear he did reject Phil●…rs forged tale of 〈◊〉 greatness.  
How confidently soever Ptolomey, 
Fourthly.  with stronger Arguments than those against his Longitude, condemn Marinus Tyrius for forcing Africa, as touching Latitude to reach beyond the Tropick●… of Capricorn▪ whereas he will allow it to extend to not full 17. parts: Yet now infallible experience hath taught us, that Marinus in that then most difficult point, was much the better informed, a fair occasion to doubt P●…olomey, and trust him in the other.  
5ly. That Ptolomey was strangely abused in his understanding of those parts, appeareth plainly, by his making Asia to turn down to the South, and winding round to join with Africa, conceiving our great Sea of Zur, for that he heard but of a piece to be a Bay or Sinus, which indeed he termed Magnus; but reported to be less than either 〈◊〉 or Persicus.  
Last of all, seeing that although 〈◊〉 Mela, & other of the Ancient, besides the late discovered Truth itself, make A●…ia to reach unto the Sea; yet Pt●…mey doth bound it Eastward Terra incognita: Why might not Marinus proportion more Degrees or Hours, were it but for that Land unknown▪ sure we are, P●…olomey his farthest Meridia●… doth leave a great part of China East, his Sinus Magnus being but a piece of our South Sea, between Malacca and the Moluccas, and his Aurea Chersonesus, in truth no other than the Modern Sumatra, though by some Learned men mistaken for his Taprobane: and thus unhappily we fall upon another Paradox; yet for the truths sake, can not but deliver our opinion, that, that which he called Taproban●…, was our now Ce●…lam. Not because Barrius, or Corsalus, or Varrerius, or at last Or●…elius conceived so; nor yet for the plenty of Elephants, and other Riches which Ptolomey gave to his Tapro●…ane, and are in truth in our C●…lam: Nor for the nee●…nesse of the sound or name of the ancient Inhabitants of Taprobane, called by him Salaj, and his opposite Promontory in Jndia termed C●…ry, to our Ceilam, and the neighbour C. 〈◊〉: but for these, as we think unanswerable reaso●…s.  
The Latitude (wherein as 〈◊〉 
First.  and other, rightly judge 〈◊〉 erred least) of our C●…ilam being about 10. degrees Northerly, agreeth much better with Ptolomey his Tapro●…ane, than Sumatra, that like his Aurea Chersonesus, lieth under the Line.  
2ly. The Shoals & drowned Lands about our Ceilam show that perhaps it hath been greater, if any should too strictly urge Pliny his Magnitude of Ta●…robane, which Ptolomey placeth but a few degrees Eastward from his River Indus, over against that part of Jndia where the Bracmanoj Magoj lived: and so is our Ce●…lam now situate, from that River, and opposite to the Jndians; whose Priests are called Bachmenes.  
3ly. Before his Taprobane, Ptolom●… placeth. 1300. little Islands an unusual Seamarke, no where in the world but before our Ceil●…m, to wit the Isles of Mald●…uar.  
4ly. Ptolomey his Tabrobane lay between the Mouths of the Rivers Jndus, and Ganges, almost indifferently, as our C●…lam now doth, whereas Su●…atra not only is beyond the River Ganges, but our Go●…pho de Bengala, his Sinus 〈◊〉.  
I but the Learned Merca●…or was of other mind, whose sentence Maginus & other Geographers approve: He take●… Su●…tra to be Taprobane, and our japan for Au●…ea Chersonesus, etc.  
The truth is, in his Universal Map, a●… in the quarter Cards which Ho●…dius drew from thence, the labour is so great to fit the new discovered Countries in those Seas, to P●…olomeys old names: That he that will but read judiciously Ptolomey himself, be it of Merc●…tors own edition, shall soon perceive the errors which we wish that learned Man had not committed: For, for a taste, what can be weaker, then to deny Sumatra to be Chersonesus, because it is not a Peninsal●…, although the broken Grounds about it, and the neere●…esse to the Main witness perhaps it was: And although the Latitude and other circumst●…nces accord; when the same hand doth make J●…pan that hath no colour, no resemblance of an Jstmos, lying far ●…rom the Continent, in 36. Degrees, of N. Elevation to be Ptolomey his C●…rise o●… Cherso●…sus that wa●… under the equinoctial.  
I but according to Ptolomey Cherso●…sus, must lie beyond the River Ganges, as Taproban●… on this side: and therefore Mercator finding the River Cantam to be Ganges, had reason to reconcile P●…olomey unto himself, etc.  
Surely Mercator had small reason, b●…sides will, so worse and worse to lime himself: The particular Narrations of Soli●…s, and other describers of those parts, from the Persi●…us sinus and Island of the Sun to Carmani●…, so to Jndus, then Jn●…ia intra Gangem, than 〈◊〉 extra Gang●…m, and so ad Ser●…s, as well as 〈◊〉 his enumeration of the Rivers, Mountains, Towns, and Head-landes, with their distances, show plainly, that his River Ganges was nothing near so far from Indus: and if that mighty Continent between In●…s and Can●… were but India intra Gangem, China itself must then be India extra Gang●…m; and so unless the Sea have eat it up, we cannot guess what is become of Sin●…rum Regio, that P●…olomey so often mentions to lie Eastward from India extra Gange●…. And surely if the River of Bengala (which Linschot says the Indians do call Gueng●…) be not Ga●…ges, falli●…g out into a Sea so well known, and being of that breadth & depth and length that the Indians superstitiously conceive it comes from Par●…dise, it had ill luck to scape the mention of our M. Ptolomey.  
In a word, the several Mouths of Ptolo●…y his G●…nges, especially the most distant, lay in the same Latitude, which is impossible for Cantam falling Eastward, and not full South into the Sea. Neither hath Ca●…am a Bay like Golpho de B●…ngala to answer Sinus Gangeticus; neither can there be, if Cantam were G●…ges, beyond it Eastward any trending of Land (as Ptolomey writes) so far to the South, that there were Aethiopes: Neither is there beyond Cantam any Town within the Tropic, whereas Ptolomey in his 8. Book of Celestial Observations, or Rectifications, reckons all the Cities of India extra Gang●…m, and some of Sinarum Regio too, to have Sole●… in vertice bis in anno: All which, do well agree with our opinion. But why do we pursue Mercator any further, whose first mistaking, notwithstanding all his wit and labour, brought him at last to place Cattigara si●… arum statio, in 60. degrees of Northerly Latitude, which Ptolomey expressly lays beyond the equinoctial.  
The clearer truth is, that the River Indus, of Ptolomey, by the universal consent, falls into the Ocean near Camb●…, from whence proceeding Eastward, you come to his Promontory Cory our Cape Comorj, over against which lay his Taprobane our Ce●…lam, from thence to his Sinus Gangeticus our Golpho de Bengala▪ so to his River Ganges the Indian Guenga▪ then to our 〈◊〉 his Chrise or Chersonesu●…, and last of all to his Sinus Magnus, a piece of our South Sea between Peg●… or Si●…m & the Islands of Spices, into some Port whereof, the coming of some Sinae to trade, occasioned his conceit of Ca●…gara Sinarum St●…o: All which against Mag●…nus, and such as so easily swallow Mercators Conjectures, may be much better justified then their Positions.  
Now then, by this that hath been said, it may appear, that P●…lomeys Hem●…sphere reached little beyond Sumatra and Siam; so that not only China, which by them that know it best, is ●…ayd to trend from 2●…. Degrees of Nor: Latitude 700. League's north-east ward, but a good part of Cauchin-China too, remains for P●…olomey his Terra incognita, to make up the 3. Hours, or 45. Degrees more of Marinus Ty●…ius: upon whose Computation, Columbus especially did found his so happy and renownedent erprize.  
ay, but how cometh it to pass, that all our modern Maps contract even Ptolemy's Hem●…sphere, and make Sum●…tra to extend to little above 150. Degrees?  
Why surely by the general mistaking of his Ta●…robane; and in particular, by a trick of the Portinga●…es, the first and chief frequenters of those parts, they having by the Pope's authority, fixed a Merd●…an at the Islands of Cape V●…rde, from which Westward the Castilia●…s should have all to 180. Degrees as themselves, the other Moiety Fastward: It fell out that the riches o●… the 〈◊〉 called the Islands of Spices, set them both at odds, and the 〈◊〉 finding a short and easy passage from America thither, not only challenged those Islands, but some part of India too, to ●…al within their limits: for prevention whereof, to bring the 〈◊〉 within their Hem●…sphere, the Portin●…ales in probability shortened their Cards: For at the meeting at Ba●…os and Yelbes, between them, there was lost a 7.th parth of the world, and the 〈◊〉 were they that shunned the trial: But the emperors occasions compelling him to yield to them, that else, (as the r●…cordes declare) had little right: the World hath since received the d●…lineation of those parts from P●…rtingal account.  
But there is reason to imagine, that ere long, our skilful frequenters of the East Ind●…es, by observation of some on●… Eclipse, will teach the truth; mean time, let us agree with the Spaniards the Masters of those parts, and the Computation of our Masters the old Geographers.  
If therefore from the Meridian of the Fortunate Islands, in the Parallel of 37. (which is chosen as most eminent and fit to reckon on) we may account to the farthest parts of C●…ina, over against 〈◊〉, lying in the same height 225. Degrees, or 15. hours, according to the Additions unto Gemma Frisius Tables: there then remain but 9 hours, or 135. Degrees, to make up ●…he Complement; which being over Seas, we know both difficult and uncertain: But the best experience, from the coast of China to the most Eastern part of 〈◊〉, sets down 200. L. From thence to the Back of America in 37½. where Sir 〈◊〉 Drake his Nova Albion should be; you have, by the estimate of Fran: 〈◊〉 900. more: in all 1100. L. whereof by the Dutch Computation 12: by the Spanish 14: by the Engl●…sh 16: in that Parallel make one Degree, which last as surest, though worst for us, we follow, and do find from China unto Nova 〈◊〉 69. Degrees.  
Now from the Meridian of the 〈◊〉 Westward to 〈◊〉, or to keep our Parallel to Uirginia by several Eclipses, observed by several men, there hath been found a difference of near 60. Degrees or 4. Hours: so that the Remainder of the 135. is about 6 Degrees, or 300. English Miles between Virginia and Nova Albion.  
For Co●…firmation whereof, let us remember that the India●…s in 〈◊〉 continually assure our people, that 12. days journey westward from the Fa●…s, they have a Sea, where they have sometimes seen such Ships as ours. Let us remember how Uasques de Coronado, sent to discover the North of Ameri●…a by the Viceroy; A●…onio d●… M●…ndoza, labouring in his letters to persuade the Emperor what a large and ample Continent there was to inhabit, writeth, that at C●…bola, he was 150. L. from the South Sea, and a little more from the North. Let us remember how plainly Sir Francis Drake his jornal, proves that his N●…a A●…bion can be very little further Westward then 〈◊〉; whereby see but how great a part of the Back of America, is clean wiped away?  
But if any yet do doubt, let him look into the Spanish Voyages, or Coll●…cttions of Antonio de Herrera the Coronist●… 〈◊〉 for the King, and Contraction house, in whose description of those parts the particular distances & bounds of Guadalaiara, Zacat●…cas, Nueu●…, Viscania, Cinaloa, Cibola, and the rest, from Compostela, Purification, S. Sebastian, on the South Sea, as from Mexico, and from 〈◊〉 on the North, too long to set down here do plainly show, that Continent is nothing broad, how ever it be painted.  
Now if any judge we have not altogether proved Asia to extend as far as 15. Hours, let him consider for a supplement, of what may want thereof, that the Spaniards reckon 20. Degrees more than we have done here, to the West-Indies; and on the other side, from Nova Spagna, to the Philippinas 1700. L. as our Sir Francis Drake and Master Cavendish do above 2000 far beyond ours of Francis Gu●…lle.  
If therefore our straits had been discovered about Virginia, to run Westward, 200. or 300. L. unto a flowing Sea, we think it might have probably been judged the Mar deal zur: But lying in a Parallel more Northerly, (whereby those Leagues will take up more Degrees) the Northern back of America, by the Card of Antonio de 〈◊〉; by the Voyage of Juan de Fuca, a Pilot that lived ●…ourtie years in those Countries; and by the relation of some Dutehm●…n; besides the Map of Gemma Frisius, appearing to trend North Eastward.  
And for any thing we yet can hear, no one Voyage to the contrary, we see not but we may conclude, that the Flood our People met, came from the Southern Sea, and till we hear more Authentical reasons then of fear, gronnded on false Cards; bele●…ue that our Industry, by God's grace, may this next Voyage manifest the prophesy of Ba●…ista Ra●…usius, touching the Northwest Passage.  
FINIS.