A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 10 | Page 3

earth being a flat surface, infinitely extending downwards;
grounding this false notion upon a mistaken interpretation of the holy
scriptures, or rather seeking assistance from them in support of their
own unphilosophical conceptions. So strongly had this false opinion
taken possession of the minds of men, in our European world, even
after the revival of learning in the west, that Galileo was imprisoned by
the holy inquisitors at Rome for asserting the sphericity of the earth,
and the doctrine of antipodes, and had to redeem his liberty and life, by
writing a refutation of that heretical doctrine, which satisfied the
inquisitors, yet convinced the world of its truth.
Columbus assuredly grounded his grand discovery of America upon the
knowledge of the earth being a sphere; and had not the new western
world intervened, his voyage had probably been the first
circumnavigation. In modern times, an idea has been advanced that
Columbus only retraced the steps of some former navigator, having
seen certain parts of the grand division of the world which he
discovered, already delineated on a globe. It were improper to enter
upon a refutation of this idle calumny on the present occasion; yet it is
easy to conceive, that the possessor of that globe, may have rudely
added the reported discoveries of Columbus, to the more ancient
delineations. At all events, Columbus was the first person who
conceived the bold idea that it was practicable to sail round the globe.
From the spherical figure of the earth, then universally believed by
astronomers and cosmographers, in spite of the church, he inferred that
the ancient hemisphere or continent then known, must of necessity be
balanced by an equiponderant and opposite continent. And, as the
Portuguese had discovered an extensive track by sailing to the
eastwards, he concluded that the opposite or most easterly coast of that
country might certainly be attained, and by a nearer path, by crossing
the Atlantic to the westwards. The result of this profound conception,
by the discovery of America, has been already detailed in the Second
Book of this collection; and we now proceed in this Fourth Book to
detail the various steps of other navigators, in prosecution of this grand
design of surrounding the globe, in which many curious and interesting
discoveries have been made, and by which geographical knowledge
and practical navigation have been brought to great degrees of

perfection.
Before commencing the narrative appropriated for this division of our
arrangement, it is proper to give the following complete table of all the
circumnavigators, within the period assigned to the present portion of
this collection; with the names of the ports from which they sailed, and
the dates of their respective voyages, and returns.--Ed.
|_Sailed from_| |Returned. 1. Ferdinand, | Seville, | Aug. 10, 1519. |
Sept. 8, 1522. Magellan, | in Spain, | | 2. Sir Francis | Plymouth Sound, |
Dec. 30, 1577. | Sept. 16, 1580. Drake, | | | 3. Sir Thomas | Plymouth, |
July 25, 1586. | Sept. 9, 1588. Candish, | | | 4. Oliver van | Goeree, |
Sept. 13, 1598. | Aug. 26, 1601. Noord, | | | 5. George | Texel, | Aug. 8,
1614. | July 1, 1617. Spilbergeny,| | | 6. Shouten and | Texel, | June 24,
1615. | July 1, 1617. LeMair, | | | 7. Nassau | Goeree, | April 29, 1623. |
Jan. 21, 1626. fleet, | | | 8. Cowley,[A] | Achamack, in | Aug. 23, 1683. |
Oct. 12, 1686. | Virginia, | | 9. William | Achamack, | Aug. 28, 1683. |
Sept. 16, 1691. Dampier,[A] | | | 10. Dampier and | the Downs, | Aug. 9,
1703. | Aug. 1706. Funnel, | | | ll. Wood Rogers,| Bristol, | June 15,
1708. | Oct. 1, 1711. and Courtney,| | | 12. John | Plymouth, | Feb. 15,
1719. | June, 1722. Clapperton, | | | 13. George | Plymouth, | Feb. 15,
1719. | Aug. 1, 1722. Shelvocke | | | 14. Roggewein, | Texel, | July 17,
1721. | July 11, 1723. 15. George | St Helens, | Sept. 18, 1740. | June 15,
1744. Anson, | | |
[Footnote A: These two are conjoined in Chap. VIII. of this book, for
reasons which will appear there sufficiently obvious.--E.]
* * * * *

CHAPTER I.
VOYAGE OF FERDINAND MAGELLAN ROUND THE WORLD,
IN 1519--1522.[1]
SECTION I.

_Some Account of Magellan, precious to the Commencement of his
Voyage._
Owing to the discoveries made under the authority of the sovereign of
Castile, the Portuguese were excessively jealous of the safety of their
possessions in the East Indies. At length, after various negociations, the
authority of the pope was interposed, then considered as supreme
among the princes of Europe who were in communion