Volume 3

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.

  • Awnsham Churchill
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.

    94/940 (page 86)
    Ovalle. LaHIy, we know, that his fleets came to Syria, Phitnida, Africa, and Europa-, and Th^qun'e to thofe coafts, ’cis certian, that of Solo-, if they fet out at the Red-Sea, it was necef- nion’^ firy for them to fail fcutliward to double fleets. Hope, and then north, and pafs the equinoftial line a fccond time, ■as the Portugiiefes do now in their voyages from India to Portugal. This being fup- j)ofed, and that Solomon had the knowledge ^of America, ’cis probable he was not unac¬ quainted with the communication of the Plorlh and South-Seas by the ftraights of ■ALigellan. and St. Vincent ■, for Solomon being lb powerful, both by fea and find and fo ,well inftrubfed in all things, ’tis probable he caufed thofe fiiores to be fearched, to find the communication of both feas, as it >vas fince done by men much inferior to him in every thing, which were Alagellan, and Ja¬ cob le Maine •, or, it might be difeovered by fome fhips driven by ftorms into thole parts, as fome fay it befel the firft difeo- verers of America. This once fuppofed, thofe who under- ftand any thing of navigation, and the art of the fea, cannot but know how much more eafily a fleet, being placed at the cape of Good Hope in thirty-fix, may fail fouth to the fifty-fourth degree, where the ftraights of Alagellan lie, than to fail to the north above feventy-tvvo degrees, wdiich it muft do from the cape to Europe: P'rom whence may be inferred what I fay, that if it was true that his fleet xame to Africa and Eu¬ rope, and enter’d the Mediterranean fea, it was much eaficr to go to Chile and Peru ; for from the ftraights it might run before the wind all along that coaft and having taken in the gold, precious woods, filver, and other commodities, it might return by the fame ftraights, as Pedro Sarmiento, and others, have done to the North-Sea, and fo to the cape of Good Hope and the Red-Sea •, or, the fleet being in the South-Sea, might fail weft to the Philippine iflands ; and from thence coafting along thofe parts we call the Eaft-Indies, it might take in all the caftern commodities ; and fo having gone round the world, return loaden with all the riches of eaft and weft, with pearls, diamonds, rubies, and other fine ftoncs, as allb mufk, amber, ivory, and other va¬ luable eaftern commodities and from the weft, with gold, filver, odoriferous woods, pearls, emeralds, fine dyes, rich and fine wools, amber, and other riches, which were wanting to make up the opulency of Solomon. Neither ought this to be thought imprac¬ ticable, fince ’tis made out already in thefe books, how eafy the navigation would be from Ciile to (ht Philippine iflands in two or thi ee months: The conveniencies of which 2 navigation have been fet out in the fourth .chapter of the fecond book and ive do know how the fhip Victory did return that w'ay, and fo have many others fince •, by all which the poflibility of Solomon's naviga¬ tion is made out, and that within the com- pafs of the three years, in which they ulcd to return to their port, in the Red-Seaand if it did not do this, jt can hardly be ima¬ gined, how it could employ fuch a fpace of time. For thefe, and many more reafons of this nature, our moft learned Pineda retradls the contrary opinion, which he had publiftied in his. commentaries upon Job-, becaufe, when he writ them, he had not fo well ex¬ amined the grounds of the laft opinion, nor weighed all the authprity and ftrength of conjectures .that jittend it and, indeed, fo far every prudent man would go, as not to defpife and cpntemn an opipipn of which he believed the contrary, if it were maintained with probability, and by per- fons worthy to be hearkned to. Though, Reafons a- to fay truth, if I muft fpeak what I think, that one reafon which I gave above againft the Ronians having had knowledge of thofe difcovc.ieti parts, [which is, That it appears incredible, Awerka. that having once made the difeoyery, and enjoy’d thofe mines, not only the commu¬ nication with them, but the very memory of them fhould be loft,] feems, in my opi¬ nion, to be as ftrong an argurrient againft Solomon's fleet; for if that did once over¬ come all the difficulties of that pavigadon, what caufe could interrupt that commerce in fuch a manner, as that the total Re¬ membrance of it fliould be aboliflied.? ’Tis true, that as to the Jews, they were a peo¬ ple who did not care to live in foreign parts, nor fettle among other narion.s, nor inhabit the fea-coafts; for God Almighty was un¬ willing, that by the communication with the gentiles, they fliould contra(ft: any of their cuftoms; and therefore we do not know, that of all the race of their kings, any more than three went about any fuch thing, which were Solomon, who compaf- Icd it, and JoJophat and Ochoftas, whofe un¬ dertakings had no fuccefs. By which it may be inferr’d, that when Solomon died, and the temple was finiflied, this naviga¬ tion was negleCled, till at laft it was quite forgot; belides, that it appears from the Chronicles, and other places of feripture, that in thofe times filver and gold were but little valued, the covetoufnefs of mankind not being arrived to the height it is at now a-days: 7'hey did not think it worth leaving their houfes, to endure labour in the learch of them, and run all thofe hazards which the voyagers to thofe parts do un¬ dergo. This therefore might take off the edge and defire which we fee in the Euro¬ peans,