Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/304

 manifest by this, that Caius Cæsar the sonne of Augustus going into Arabia did finde in the Red sea certaine peeces of those ships, which came thither out of Spaine. It was a vse also along after those daies to passe to India by land. For so did the kings of the Soldans, and the princes of Bactria, and other famous captaines, who trauailing thither and into Scythia by land, had the view of those prouinces and countreys, so farre till they came that way vnto the West, and to the seas thereof on the north part, whereunto many marchants then did trauaile.

Marcus Paulus Venetus writeth much hereof. And although at the first his booke was taken for a fabulous thing, yet now there is better credit giuen vnto it, for that by the late experiences of the trauailers and marchants of these daies into those parts, the names of the countreyes, cities and townes, with their situations, latitudes and commodities are now found true, as he and other historiographers of that time haue reported.

In the 200. yeere before the incarnation it is written, that the Romanes sent an armie by sea into India against the great Can of Cathaia, which passing through the straight of Gibraltar, and running to the northwest, found right ouer against the Cape Finisterre ten Islands, wherein was much tinne:

And they may be those which were called the Cassiterides, and being come to 50. degrees of latitude they found a Straight;

and passing through it towards the west, they arriued in the Empire of India, and fought with the king of Cathay, and so came backe againe vnto the citie of Rome.

Which thing howsoeuer it may seeme either possible, true or not true, yet so I finde it left to vs recorded in the histories of that time.

In the 100. yeere after the incarnation of Christ the Emperour Traiane prepared an armie by sea vpon the riuers Euphrates and Tigris, and departed from them, and sailed to the Islands of Zyzara, and passing the straight of Persia entered into the Ocean sea and sailed towards India all along the coast till he came to that place where Alexander had been, and there he tooke certaine ships which came from Bengala, of whom he learned the state of the countrey. But because he was then in the yeeres and wearie with his trauaile, but especially because he found there small reliefe for his armie, he returned backe.