Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/48

xxxviii Africa, and Asia altogether. His reasons are that, touching Latitude, it is known to approach neere (if not on this side) the Æquator; and touching Longitude, to runne along in a continuall circuit about the Earth, fronting both the other Continents.

Another reason, which he deemeth of more certain importance, is this, that the Land to the North side of the Line in the other Continents of the Old and New World is at least four times as large as that part of them which lyeth to the South. Now for as much of the face of the Sea is level (so hee argueth) being therefore called Æquor and Aqua; and, secondly, the Earth being equally poised on both sides of her own Centre ; and, thirdly, this Centre being but one to the Water and the Earth, even no other than the Centre of the World : it followeth thereupon that the Earth should in answerable measure and proportion lift itselfe, and appear above the face of the Sea, on the South side of the Line, as it doth on the North ; and consequently what is wanting in the South parts of the other Continents towards the countervailing of the North parts (which is about three parts of both the other Continents layed together) must of necessitie be sup- plyed in this Continent of the South.

Master Brerewood was a contemporary of Bacon and Raleigh, and it is not unlikely that he discussed this subject with them; but unfortunately we have no indication of their ideas about it. All we know is that the ponderous reasoning which satisfied the learned professor seemed to satisfy his great contemporaries as well as the little ones, for there was no division of opinion among them. The theory maintained its vitality until it was exploded by Captain Cook — who, by the way, thought that de Quiros was "the first who had any idea of the existence of a southern continent." That was a mistake. The idea had been floating about in the minds of men for ages before the Spaniard became possessed of it; as he said in his eighth petition to the King of Spain, it had grown up with him from his cradle. Probably he heard of it as soon as he began to take any interest in nautical matters. He lived in a time when men of all maritime countries were full of specula- tions — mercantile as well as theoretical — with respect to undiscovered lands beyond their own seas; and he seems to have been