THE FIRST LECTURE, OF GEOGRAPHY, (Which is a description of the Terrestrial Globe) Read publicly at Sr. Balthasar Gerbier His ACADEMY, AT Bednall-Greene.  
LONDON, Printed by Gartrude Dawson, and are to be sold by Hanna Allen at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley. 1649.   

The public Lecture of an Introduction to Geographie (which is a description of the Terrestrial Globe) read publicly at Sr. Balthasar Gerbier his Academy at bednal Green.  
AS Plato did refuse the entry into his Academy, to those that had not studied Geometry; which finds the contents of all sort of quantity: It may justly be said, that Fathers of Families ought not to suffer their Sons to engage themselves to travel until they have first studied, not only their own home, but made themselves acquainted with those parts they are bound for; and to have pitched on the best of that study: not as some Germans, over curious to note Steeples, and bare names of Towns (besides those of Hosts, and the places where the best wines are) but the constitution of Empires, States, and Nations: As it is an approved prudence to inquire after the qualities and ends of men, before we treat with them.  
Now as the Academy thought it most fit to begin the opening of Lectures with an Introduction to cosmography (which is a description of the whole world, and consequently, that great looking-glass declaring the marvellous works of God) To proceed with Geography is also thought convenient, for that it proves as the Eye of History, representing unto us in a moment that accomplished master piece, in English, the description of the Earth. This art comprehends first the chorography, which describes some part of the Earth, or some Kingdom.  
Secondly, the topography, which describes a City, or some other place, with the adjacent neighbourhood.  
And thirdly, hydrography, which describes particularly the water, and its parts.  
We must not make any scruple to say that to contract under our senses the diversity of so many Monarchies that are on the Earth, and with a cast of an Ey of ones imagination, to represent to ones self all what the life, of number of men, and their great journeys could not so truly perform, must needs be termed a kind of borrowing from the all knowledge of God, in whose sight all things appear.  
And as he hath put in man a mind full of knowledge; that there is nothing which fits him better than those objects, which may administer unto him a more perfect knowledge of things created; for that he seethe thereby the works of the maker, and reciprocally the maker by his works, Domine, Dominus noster quam admirabile est nomen tuum in universa Terra? And thereby man seeing such great wonders frames his mind: For as from Infants, we become men; of Ignocents', reasonable; so by study, we become from ignorant, intelligent.  
And to this, Geographie serves for easy steps, to those that have their natural sense of sight; for that by those conducts or Chanals our mind is filled with a true discernment of all what appears on the superficie of the Earth; the division of Nations, and Shires; the situations whereof would otherwise be confused unto us, and consequently would not prove of that use it is to a good Christian Traveller.  

Geographie is divided in two principal parts, in Geometrical and Historical.  
THE Geometrical, distinguishes and describes all the surface of the Terrestrial Globe, by certain imaginary circles and lineaments, which do mark the longitude and latitude; and the principal parts in the which it can be divided, to discourse of it in order and clearly.  
The Historical Geography, describes the proprieties of every Region, its situation, its Mountains, Forrest, and Rivers; the temperature of the Air, the nature of the Soil; what Metals, and what Plants it produceth, what Fruits, what Animals; of what complexion the inhabitants are, what their Religion is, the form of their Politic State, their means, their forces, what Towns, and what Castles there are, etc.  
On the surface of the Terrestrial Globe, there are Poles, Hemisphears, Circles, Zones, Climates, Parallels, Degrees, Inhabitants, Regions, Winds, and Measures.  
Poles are the extremity of an imagenary strait line passing through the Centre of the Earth; the one is Arctic, and the other Antarctick.  
The Arctic Pole is that which appeareth always in our Hemisphere, and is named in divers manners, as Borealis, or Boreus, and Aquilonaris of the Northern Wind, which blows from that part. It is also called Septentrionalis, of the seven stars, by the Latins called Triones, and by us vulgarly the Chariot.  
The Antarck Pole is that which is Diametraly opposed to the Article Pole, it is also by the Latins called Australis, and Austrinus, and Notius, of the wind Auster, Notus, and Meridionalis, which is the South wind, its that which is never seen in our Hemisphere, But hidden under the Horizon.  
Hemispheres are half Spheres.  
The Circles are divided into great, and little.  
The great Circles have their centre equal with that of the Earth, which they divide in two equal Parts, there are six, The Equinoctial, the Zodiac, the Meridien, the Horizon, and the two imperfect Circles.  
The little Circles have their Centre different to that of the Earth, which they divide in two unequal Parts, they are four, the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn; The two Pole Circles, Arctic, and the Antarctic.   

Of the Equinoctial.  
THE Equinoctial is a great Circle, equally distant from the two Poles of the world.  
It is called Equinoctial, because that the Sun making his course under it, makes the days equal to the nights through all the universal earth, which happens when the Sun is at the first point of Aries, and Libra.  
The Equinoctial serves to show the Latitude of the Towns, which is their distance from the Equinoctial Line.  
It serves to show the Septentrional, and Meridional part.  
It is divided into 360 parts, which are degrees of longitude, And the Inhabitants which are under this Circle are esteemed to be in the middle of the world; as fare from the Arctic Pole, as from the Antarctic, having the Sphere strait, and all the Days equal to the Nights.   

Of the Zodiac.  
THE Zodiac is a great Circle, divided by the Equinoctial in two parts equally; The part which declines towards the Septentrion is called Septentrional; and the six figures Septentrionals; which are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo.  
The part which declines towards South is called Meridional, and the Meridionals signs are Libra, Scorpius, Sagitarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces.  
The Line which is in the middle of the Circle is called Ecliptic, because that the Eclipses are made under it.  
It hath in breadth 12 degrees, and 360. degrees in length; Each degree is divided in 60. minutes, every miniute into 60 seconds, and every second into 60 thirds, and so forth.   

Of the Meridien.  
THE Meridien is a great Circle, which passes by the Poles of the world; and by the Zenith of the Region of the which its said Meridien.  
It is called Meridien because that the Sun making its course under it, it is Midday in the Region of the which its said Meridien.  
Zenith is the point which is directly over our heads: It is evident that the Zeniths being infinite, the Meridiens will be also infinite, if they do not meet many Zeniths under a same Meridien: But the Geographers sets but one by every Town or Province.  
It showeth also the difference of the Longitudes, which is the difference from one Meridien to another.   

Of the Horizon.  
THe Horizon is a great changeable Circle, which hath the same Centre as the Earth, which it divides into two equal parts, Superior and Inferior: The Superior part is called hemisphere of the day, and the Inferior hemisphere of the night.  
The highest point in the Horizon is called seemeth in the Arabian tongue, or Pole of the Horizon.  
It's opposite is said nathir: It is evident that the seemeth being infinite, the Orisons will be also infinite.  
But the Geographers do put but one for every Town and Province.   

Of the two imperfect Circles.  
THe two imperfect Circles, are two great Circles, cutting one another in strait Angles, at the Poles of the World.  
The one is called Circle of Solstice, and the other Circle of Equinox.  
The Circle of Solstice, is the Circle which passes by the Poles of the World, and by the Solsticall points, which are Cancer and Capricorn.  
Circle of the Equinox, is the Circle which passes by the Poles of the World, and by the Equinoctial Poles, which are Aries and Libra.  
They serve to cut the Sphere in four equal parts, and the year in four seasons.   

Of the four little Circles.  
THe four little Circles of the Sphere, are the two Tropics of Cancer, and of Capricorn. The two Circles of the Pole Arctic, and Antarctic;  
The Trophick of Cancer is the Circle which the Sun marks when it is in the first point of Capricorn.  
These Circles are distant 23 degrees, 30 minutes from the Equinoctial; which is the greatest declining of the Sun.  
The Circle of the Arctic Pole, is the Circle which is mark: by the Pole of the Zodiac about the Pole of the world Arctic.  
The Circle of the Pole Antarctic, is the Circle which the Pole of the Zodiac marks about the pole of the world Antarctic.  
These Circles are 23 degrees, 30 minutes distant from the Poles of the World.  
These Circles divide the Earth into five Zones.  
That which is between the Tropic is called Torride, because of the continual presence of the Sun, and hath of breath 47 degrees.  
Those which are between the two Circles of the Poles, are called cold, by the farnes of the Sun, and are of 47 degrees.  
Those which are between the Pole Circle and the Tropic, are called temperate, because they participate of the two others, and have each one 43 degrees of breadth.   

Of the Climates.  
A Climate is the space of the Earth, in the which the days vary of a half hour.  
The Climates begin at the Equinoctial, and finish at the Circle of the Pole; therefore it is that there are 24 Climates, because that under the Equinoctial the longest days are of twelve hours, and under the Circle of the Pole the greatest day is of 24 hours, which are 24 half hours, and therefore 24 Climates.  
Those that have set but 7 or 8 Climates have put but those of the earth which they knew.  
Ptolomee hath put 48. but he hath made them of quarters of hours, which are named Parallels.  
Others have put 36, 24. to the Circle of the Pole, and 12. from the said Circle to the Pole, but they have made the Climates of 15. to 15. days.  
The Ancients named the Climates by the places where they did pass, as by Meroes', Syene, Alexandria, Rhodes, Roma, Boristhenes and the Montagnes of Riphaes.  
The Degrees are of two sorts; of Longitude and of Latitude:  
The degrees of Longitude are innumber of 360.  
The degrees of Latitude in the same number.  
The Inhabitants of the Earth are considered according to their shadows, or according to their positions and sears; The Inhabitants (according to their shadows) are Amphisciens in the Torrid Zone, Heterosciens in the temperate Zone, and Perisciens in the cold Zone; all these names come from the Greek tongue.  
The Amphisciens have two sorts of shadows.  
The Heterosciens have only the one, or the other.  
And the Perisciens have it round about them.  
The considerations of the Inhabitants according, the Positions are of three Sorts; Periecians or cohabitants in a same Parallel, and Meriden; But at the points of the same opposed Paralled, Anticiens, and Contr' habitants in a same half of Meridien, and in divers Parallels equally distant of the Equator. And Antipodes, in the parts of the Earth diametrally opposed.  
The Regions or Quarters of the world are four principal, Septentrio, Meridies, Oriens, and Occidens.  
The principal Winds are North, South, Est, and West; correspondent to the aforesaid Regions.   

The Measures.  

THE Point is the least party.  
The Line consists in many continued points.  
The Line properly, or according, the Mathimaticiens hath no breadth.  
The Surface consists in many Lines.  
The Body or Solid in many Surfaces.  
The Inch comprehends twelve Lines: these Lines have the breadth of a grain of Corn.  
The Foot twelve Inches.  
The Cubit a Foot and a half.  
The Fathom six Foot.  
The Perch 18 or 20 Foot.  
The Common Pace two Foot and a half.  
The Geometrical Pace five Foot.  
The Roman Mile is a thousand Geometrical Paces.  
The Grecian Stade a hundred and five and twenty Paces.  
The Persian Parasangne, three thousand seven hundred and fifty!  
The Egyptian Schene is of three different sorts, two thousand five hundred, five thousand, and of seven thousand five hundred.  
The Spanish league three thousand four hundred.  
The common French league, two thousand five hundred.  
The Swissers league, five thousand.  
The Italian mile, a thousand.  
The Germane league four thousand.  
The Swedish league, five thousand.  
The Hungarian league, six thousand.  
The English mile, a thousand two hundred.  
The degree of latitude, threescore thousand.  
The degree of Longitude (under the Equator) threescore thousand.  
The circumference of the Terrestrial Globe, one and twenty millions, six hundred thousand.  
The Diameter of the Terrestrial Globe, seven millions one hundred seven an fifty thousand five hundred, or there about.  
The Surface is, one hundred seventy four thousand millions, of millions, two and forty thousand millions.  
The solidity is the surface multiplied by the third of the Diameter.  
For every degree of Latitude, or of Longitude, under the Equator, is taken most commonly 60 minutes, 60 thousand Geometrical Paces.  
Threescore Roman miles.  
Four hundred and fourscore Grecian stades.  
Sixteen Persian Parasangues.  
Fifty ancient French leagues.  
Seventeen Spanish leagues and a half.  
Four and twenty, or five and twenty common French leagues  
Twelve leagues of Switzerland.  
Threescore miles of Italy.  
Fifteen Germane miles or leagues.  
Twelve Swedish leagues.  
Ten Hungarian leagues.  
Five and fifty miles of England.  
Fifty miles of Scotland.    

The proper terms belonging to Geography, are  
THe Sea, Gulf, Straight, Isle, Peninsula, Isthmus, Continent, Promontory or Cape.  
The Sea is the Infinite concourse of Water which covers an infinite space of the surface of the Earth, which is divided into many parts, and receives divers names, according to the lands and people which joins it (as we shall show hereafter.  
Gulf, is a great overture in the Earth, longer then broader where the Sea enters.  
Straight (which is called in Latin fretum) is a forced Sea between two Lands, which maketh great noise, by reason of its agitation.  
Isle, is a Portion of Earth environed on all sides by the Sea.  
Peninsula is a portion of Earth environed by the Sea, saving that by some little part, it is fastened to another Land.  
Isthmus, is the little part of Earth which fastens the Peninsula to the firm Land.  
Continent, is the firm Land, which is neither Isle nor Peninsula, nor Isthmus.  
Promontory, is the highest part of the point of the Earth, which advances in the Sea, and which is discovered far off; it's that which is commonly called Cape.   
The next Lecture of Geographie shall be the description of all the parts of the Terrestrial Globe.