A Brief Description of the Whole World, Part 29
Of the Islands in the Indian Sea.
THe Islands are very many that do lye in the Sea adjoining to the East Indies▪ but the most famous among them shall onelyonly be touched. Among old writers, as especially appeareth by Solinus, was well known that which was then called T…probana, which lieth neer the Equinoctiall Line. It was in that time a Monarchy, where the Kings reigned not by succession, but by election: and if any of them did grow intolerable, he was deposed and enforced to dye, by withdrawing fromThe Island of Sumatra him all things necessary. This is now called Sumatra, and hath in it divers Kings.
Not far from thence l…e EastwardTwo Ilands Iava major and Iava minor. the two Islands called Java major and Java minor; which were also known to the old Writers, as in general may be noted, that all the East part, either in the Continent, or in the Ilands have very many smal Kings and Kingdomes.
From whence yet more East liethThe Islands of Molucco's a great number of …les, which are now called the Molucco's, which are places as rich for their quantityThe great richs which the King of Spaine receives from hence yearly as any in the World: from these it is that the Spaniards have yearly so great quantity of all kinds of spice; neither is there any place of all the East-Indies, that doth more richly furnish home their Carracts, than do these Molucco's.
The Islands which are called by that name, are by some of our writers accounted to be at least four & twenty or five and twenty; and some of them which are the bigger, have in them two or three Kings apiece▪ and some of them which are lesse, are either the several Dominions of several Kings, or else two or three of them do belong to some one Prince. When Sir Francis Drake didNote. compasse the whole World, he came near unto these, but did not touch at any of them; but Master Candish taking as large a journey, was in one or more of them, where he found the people to be intelligent and subtill, and the Kings of the Country to take upon them as great state as might be convenient for such petty Princes.
Some of these Islands the Spaniards in right of the Portugals have got into their own possession; with the Kings of some other they have leagued; and a third sort utterly detest them. More Northward, over against China, lyeth a Country consisting of a great many IslandsThe Island of Iapan. called Japona, of Japan; the people whereof are much of the same nature with the men of China: This Country was first discovered by the …esuites, who in a blind zeale have travelled into the farthest parts of the world, to win men to their Religion. This Island is thought to be very rich.
About the parts of Japan there are di…ers people, whose most ordinary habitation is at the Sea, and do never come into the Land, but only for their necessities, or to furnish themselves with new vessels, wherein they may abide, but lying not farre from the Land they have ducks, and other fowls swimming about them, which sometimes they take into their Boats and Ships, & in such sort do breed them, to the maintenance of them and their Children.
Into this Iapan of late daies have our English also sail'd, as into other parts of the East Indies, and there erected a Factory.
The rest that be either neer unto Asia or Africa, because there is little written of them, we passe over, onelyonly naming them: as the Philipin…, Borneo, Banda…a: as also on the side of Africke, the Island of Saint Laurence, called by theDiverssmal Ilands onelyonly named. inhabitants Madagas…ar, … and others of lesse note: And yet we do find in Solinus and Pliny, but especially in Pomponius Mela, that it was known in old time that there were many Islands neer unto the East-Indies, which as it might be first discovered by the trafficking of the Islanders into the continent; so no doubt that Navy which Alexander sent out to India, to des…ry and coast thorow the Eastern seas, did give much light thereunto, partly by that which themselves did see, and partly by those things which they heard in such places, and of such persons as they met with in their travell.