Volume 1

A collection of voyages and travels, some now first printed from original manuscripts, others now first published in English. To which is prefixed, an introductory discourse (supposed to be written by the celebrated Mr. Locke) intitled, the whole history of navigation from its original to this time / Illustrated with maps and cuts, curiously engraved.

  • Churchill, Awnsham, -1728.
Date:
1744-1746
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A collection of voyages and travels, some now first printed from original manuscripts, others now first published in English. To which is prefixed, an introductory discourse (supposed to be written by the celebrated Mr. Locke) intitled, the whole history of navigation from its original to this time / Illustrated with maps and cuts, curiously engraved. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/778
    Introductory Difcourfc, C O N T A The whole Hiftory of Original to OF all the inventions and improve¬ ments the wit and induftry of man has difcovered and brought to perfection, none feems to be fo univerfally ufeful, profitable and necef- Pancir. Cary, as the art of navigation. There are Part. 2. thofe that will not allow it to be called the Tit. io. invention of man, but rather the execution P- z33- of the direction given by Almighty God, fince the firft veffel we read of in the world? was the ark Noah built by the immediate command and appointment of the Al¬ mighty. But this is not a place to enter upon fuch a controverfy, where fome will Schefferus why h fhould be believed there were not de Mil. fhips before the flood as well as after, fince Nav. vet. doubtlefs thofe firft men extending their P- !9- lives to eight or nine hundred years, were more capable of improving the world than we whole days are reduced to fourfcore years, and all beyond them only mifery or dotage ? It is impertinent to fpend time upon luch frivolous arguments, which only depend on opinion or fancy. If then we give any credit to hiftory, on which all our knowledge of what is paft depends, we lball find that navigation had but a mean and obfcure original, that it was gradually and but very leifurely improved, fince in many ages it fcarce ventured out of fight of land *, and that it did not receive its final perfection till thefe latter times, if we may be allowed to call that perfeCt which is ftill doubtlefs capable of a further improve¬ ment : but I give it that epithet only, with regard to the infinite advancement it has received fince its firft appearance in the world. Noah’s The firft veffel ever known to have float- Ark. ed on the waters, was the Ark made by God’s appointment, in which Noah and VOL. I. I N I N G Navigation from its this time. his three fons were faved from the univef- fal deluge. But this ark, lliip, or what¬ ever elfe it may be called, had neither oars, fails, mails, yards, rudder, or any fort of rigging whatfoever, being only guided by Divine Providence, and having no partial-* lar port, or coaft to fleer to, only to float upon the waters, till thofe being dried up, it refled on the mountains of Ararat, as we read in Gen. viii. 4. From this time till Gen. viil after the confufion of tongues there was 4- no ufe of navigation, there being as yet no fufficient multitude to people the earth, and thofe men there were, having under¬ taken to build the tower of Babel, from ^ower 0f thence were difperfed into all other parts of Babel, the known world. Thefe firft travellers doubtlefs met with many rivers before they came to the fea, as plainly appears by the fituation of Babel, generally agreed upon by all that treat of fcriptural geography ; and thofe rivers they palfed in a hollowed piece of timber, no better than a trough, or a fort of bafkets covered over with raw hides, being the eafiefl that occurred to in¬ vention, and fufficient for their prefent pur- pofe, which was only to pafs on in their way to other parts, without the profpedt of trade or commerce, which cannot be fup- pofed to have then entered into their thoughts. What vefiels they built when they came to the fea no hiftory deferibes, and therefore it would be a rafhnefs to pre¬ tend to any knowledge of them. That they were final], ill rigged, and only durft creep along the fhores, is out of all dilpute ; if we confider that many fucceeding ages- were no better furniflied, though they never failed from time to time to correct the de¬ feats they found in their fliipping, and in- duftrioufly laboured to improve the art of c navigation.