ABSTRACT
T h e 4 ships aforesaid being returned home about harvesttime, in anno 1594, they were in good hope that the voiage aforesaid would be done, by passing along through the Straights of Weygates, and specially by the report made by the 2 ships of Zelandt and Enck-huysen, wherein John Huyghen of Linschoten was committed,1 who declared the manner of their trauell in such sort,8 that the Generali States and Prince Maurice resolued, in the beginning of the next yeare, to prepare certaine ships, not only (as they went before) to discouer the passage, but to send certaine wares and merchandises thither, wherein the marchants might lade what wares they would, with certaine factors to sell the saide wares, in such places as they should arriue, neither
paying fraight nor custome. Peter Planting,1 a learned cosmographer, being a great furtherer and setter forward of this uoiage, and was their chiefe instructer therein, setting downe the scituation of the coasts of Tartaria, Cathaia, and China; but how they lye it is not yet sufficiently discouered, for that the courses and rules by him set downe were not fully effected, by meanes of some inconueniences that fell out, which by reason of the shortnesse of time could not be holpen. The reasons that some men (not greatly affected to this uoyage) vse to propound, to affinne it not possible to be done, are taken (as they say) out of some old and auncient writers: which is, y* 350 miles8 at the least of the North Pole on both sides are not to be sailed, which appeareth not to be true, for that the White Sea, and farther north-ward, is now sayled and daily fisht in, cleane contrary to the writings and opinions of auncient writers; yea, and how many places hath bin discouered that were not knowne in times past ? It is also no marueile (as in the beginning of the first description of this uoyage I haue sayd),3 that vnder the North Pole for 23 degrees, it is as cold on both sides, one as the other, although it hath not beene fully discouered. Who would beleeue that in the Periudan mountaines,4 and the Alpes, that lye betweene Spaine, Italie, Germanie, and France, there is so great cold, that the snow thereon neuer jnelteth, and yet lye a great deale nearer the sunne, then the
countries lying on the North Seas doe, being low countries.1 By what meanes then is it so cold in those hilles ? onely by meanes of the deepe uallies, wherein the snow lyes so deepe, that the sunne cannot 6hine vpon the ground, by reason that the high hilles keepe the sunne from shining on them. So it is (as I iudge) with the ice in the Tartarian Seas;; which is also called the Ice Sea, about Noua Zembla, where the ice that commeth into those seas out of the riuers that are in Tartaria and Cathaia* can not melt, by reason of the great quantitie thereof, and for that the sun sheweth not high aboue those places, and therefore casteth not so great a heat, as it can easily melt: Which is the cause that the ice lyeth there still, as the snowe doth in the hilles of Spaine aforesayd, and that the sayd ice maketh it farre colder there, then it is a greate deal neerer the Pole in the large seas and although those places that are not discouered, cannot bee so well described as if they were discouered, yet I thought good to say thus much for a memoriāli; and now I will proceed to the declaration of the second uoyage made into the North Seas.8
