Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/296

 *panies of carriers vpon camels, asses, and mules, vnto the Leuant sea vnto a city called Cassou, standing on the coast in 32 degrees of latitude, yeelding vnto euery degree 17. leagues and an halfe, as the maner is. And there are by account from the one sea to the other 35. leagues, or 105. miles. These carriers, by reason of the heate of the countrey, trauailed in the night onely, directing themselues by stars and by marks of postes and canes, which they vsed to sticke in the ground as they went. But after that, because this course and iourney had many inconueniences, they changed and altered the same twise, to finde out the most commodious way.

900. yeeres or there about after the flood, and before the destruction of Troy, there was a king in Egypt called Sesostris, who perceiuing that the former courses and passages for the carrying of marchandises by men and beasts, were chargeable to the one and most painfull to the other, prouided to haue a way or streame cut out of the land from the Red sea vnto an arme of the riuer Nilus which runneth vnto the Citie Heroum; that by the meanes thereof ships might passe and repasse with their marchandises from India into Europe, and not be discharged till they came into Italie. So that this Sesostris was the first king, which built great caracks to trauaile this way. But this enterprise for all that tooke little effect. For if it had, Africa had then been made as an Island all compassed with water, being no more ground betweene sea and sea, then the space of 20. leagues or 60. miles.

About this time the Græcians gathered an army or fleete, which now is called Argonautica, whereof Iason and Alceus were captains general. Some say they went from the Isle of Creta, others from Græcia. But whence soeuer they departed they sailed through the Proponticke sea, and Saint Georges Sleeue vnto the Euxine sea, where some perished, and Iason thereupon returned backe into Greece.

Alceus reported that he was driuen with a tempest to the lake Mæotis, where he was forsaken of al his company, and they which escaped with great trauaile, passed through by land vnto the Ocean sea of Almaine, where they tooke shipping, passing the coasts of Saxonie, Frisland, Holland,