Book 1III.

The original and courfe of
the Rhein.
Com- L>
the place called Z eland, is joyning and next to Holland, and is an Appendix) and part of that Country. But the Rhein runs forth from that part of the Jd.lps where the Lepontii dwell, and is carried fwiftly a long way, and when it comes near to the Sea, tt breaks into many parts and making many great iflands, it runs into the Sea, the greateft part whereof is inhabited by wild and barbarow people, who are fuppofed to live on fijh and Birds Eggs, from which the Rhein with many heads falls .into the Sea, In which words he feems to me to defcribe exactly the Hollanders that are neareft to the North -Sea, as alfothe Mates or Z elanders that are joyned near unto them 5 the Iflands of them, and of thole in Yd Holland, who are in the fame ^ature, and
the fame condition with them, he defcribes a little after in thefe words u Part ran into the woods, fome into the Lakes hard by ; they that were next the Sea, they hid themf elves in iflands, which are ufually made by the inundation of the Sea ; and thefe really .are no other but the Iflands of Zeland, for all the Iflands round as many as are in theBel- gickSea, are made thus, and heaped together, fo that they are firft by Nature, and then they are fenced by art, and by degrees by cultivation and by mans induftry they are made fruitful fields * for grade, and for arable alfo. But there is fuch a change of things amongftus, that in few years this country is much enlarged,- and in few years it may be as much diminifhed and run to Ioffe 5 nor doth any thing better fhew the vieiffitudes and inconftancy ofhumane affairs, than the Iflands of Z eland, whofe profperity, z*i*nd futjett and goodfuccefle by.the jnundations of the Sea, are tolled here te alteration, and there. There is no corn in any Nation, or more plentifull harveft, even of the choifefl: Wheat, than in Z eland 5 fo that two Acres, in Zeland {hall yeild the husbandman more profit than four Acres in Brabant , onely our poffeffion is not fo faft and firm : fince every moment, efpecially in Winter, when a Northweft or vehe¬ ment South wind blows, we ftand in danger of the Seas inunda¬ tion. Whence came the Proverb, from thofethat would wifh The Hollanders the befl to their own affairs, and would fain enjoy them fafely, ■proverb of t^at t^ey wfll commend the good calm Ayreof Brabant, and firm z7uTd\and land , but they would have the good fruitfull land of Z eland, which
they fpeak commonly thus. Brabant fche Lucht , Zeeufche renten . For in our, and our Grandfathers memory, above ai 00000. Acres that were an Ifland, and were fenced in with mounds, all thefe mighty fences bing broken down and fcattered, by the inundation of the Sea, are fwallowed up in it, not without a great deftru&ion of the Inhabitants. Again the Inhabitants making new Iflands as they often do, when grafly fields prefent themfelves, and they diligently employ themfelves in husbandry, and manuring and lowing the ground 5 fo that in a few years, they abound with all things, fo much that one would hardly believe it. Yet thofe in Z eland that are al waies expofed to the violence of the Sea, have nothing firm and conftant, and on which they may fafely relye, for £ the havens where fhips rode formerly in fafety, are now become
(hallow fords, and are fo full of Sand or mud, that the leaft fhips v cannot
.2.
Of the Iflands in Zeland.
23 9
cannot come into them*. Again, thole fhorcs where' no havens were, are by the waters waiting in, become harbours, for (hips to ride in, and are very convenient for great veflels to Sail out and in, and to be frequented by merchants : whence it falls out that the negotiation and concourfe of people is not alwaies tied to one place. Bucfometimes for conveniency of the haven, and feicua- tionof it, it is carried and changed to another place. So Z irizea in our memory had a very great number of fhips, not onely for burden and Merchandife, but great fhips, which Homer calls,
Holcades , a word ufed frequently by the Dutch for Hulcks, where- a Hulk i with they failed into the borders of Spain, and Mauritania , and fre- ire * quented countries lying far North, as? Norway Denmark , Rtvalia , Hoimja Kiga^ Gedan , commonly Dmic , Stockholm , now famous by the illu- 1 * ftrious King Srim King of Sweden • which navigation, as the vi- ciffitudes of humane affairs are, is now tranflated to e Amsterdam.
Yet the City of Lirizea , abounds exceedingly well with all things which arc ufelull and commodious for mans life, and no Idle than when it was famous, for negotiations with Grangers, and frequen¬ ted with goers and commers, of all (ides : For the concourfe and merchandife of foreigners, and celebrity of a place may fomc- times be loft fuddenly, either by the rifing of fome war from with¬ out, or (editions at home, or popular tumults,; for prefently all ft rangers withdraw themfelvcs, and take care for cheir own fafety.
But chat negotiation that is performed amongft the Citizens and Inhabitants, (hurting out allufury and traffique, in a compendious way made with ftrangers or the Inhabitants, and is a liberal sain, h liable, firm, folid, and not fo much fubjedl: to envy. But if c a- .q lam icy come from fome other place, then the Citizens and na- Mediocrity of tives, ftand firm and undaunted, and do not eafily forfake their ^lfffldcom"a Country, their Cnurches, their houfes, wives and dear children, a le' .. nor do they go away and yeild what they have to ftrangers to en¬ joy. Yet the men of Zirizeayin fo great mutation of humane things are things, and change from one to another, which is all wrought by £overned b di- Gods providence, feem wifely to have confulced for their own pro- vm^‘ovlAinH* fit, and to have exchanged uncertain things for certain. For their people being mbft skilfuil Marriners, when their trading at Sea did not fuccccd very wellin' forriigu commodities, they altered their courfe of Trade, and begaa to fall to fifhing, which is' a very great gain, and hurts nobody, and here they fear no fhipwratk, nor loiieoftraffique, no difgrace for ufury, or increafe upon mo¬ ney; and the reft of the Citizens follow laving wayes of gain, fuch as are honeft, and envied by none, out of thofe things that the earth yeilds abundantly for mans ufe, wherewith they recreate themlelves liberally, befides a laudable education, they provide a very large patrimony for their children, and leave them an inheri¬ tance to preferve their Parents names by.
. But that ftrangers may uivderftand in what part of the earth and under whar climate the City Z irizea is, and under what elevati¬ on of the Pole : I took fhe height of the Pole-artick, or North-Pole
above
24°
why Old men beget melancholy children.
Touth Is full juyce.
Old men are. dry.
Efdras 4.
Why feme are notfo ftrong.
Why feme are de jetted in mind.
Book HIT,
above Zirtzeas Horizon , and 1 found the elevation to be 51. degrees, 47. Minutes, and that was the altitude of that vertical! point 5 the longitude is 2 5. degrees : whence it comes, that fince the Sun is not far from them, and departs not very far from the Ifland, but doth moderately fhine upon them in the two Equino¬ ctials and two Solftices : the Inhabitants by the benefirof the Sun havenodull and ftupid wits, but they are witty, civill, merry, yet many of them by die reafon of the Sea that hath its influence upon them, will fpeak very fcurrilous, crabbed and brinifh lan¬ guage, fometimes : of which fubjcCt I lately held a pleafant dif- coutfe, with Job Nicolais , a difereet man, and induftrious, who carefully labours for the publick good, and doth what he can to promote it, and defireth that the Citizens fhould be men of found and good manners ; and if they have contracted any fault by the Salt vapours of the Sea that are fo near to them, that it might be mended with good education.
CHAP. III.
Now comes it that fuch OS are old men or far in years , do beget children not fo flrong, and oft times fuch as a/e [reward, and of a fad andfowre Countenance , and fuch as are feldome merry.
T Hey that marry when their age declines, and their youthly heat is abated, forthemoft part beget forrowfull children, and fuch as are Iroward, fad, not amiable, filent, and of a fowre and frowning countenance : becaufe they are not fo hot in the aCt of venery, or fo luftyasyoung peoplethat are full of juice. For the heat of our age is fitteft for to aCt this Comedy. Old men be¬ ing feeble, their lpirits fmall, and their body dry and exhaufted of bloody humours, the natural faculties are weak, and that force that comes from them to beget a child is uneffeduall and invalid, having very fmall ability : To that they cannot perform the mar¬ riage duty fo manfully, and there wants many things in chofe they, do beget. Which is intimated in that difpute that the Angel is laid to have had with Efdras. Ask, faith he , thy Mother , and (he will t tell thee , why thofe foe bears now , are not like thofe [he bore before thee , hut are lejlein fature ; and foe will fay unto thee , that the reft were con¬ ceived and born when \he was young-, but thefe when the Womb decayed • hence it is that fuch as are born in old age, are flender, fmall, weak, feeble, not tall, and have not fo much ftrengtb, becaufe natures forces are decayed with age, and the natural and vitall fpirits arediminifhed .- whence alfo the mind is more dcjeCted, is notfo nimble, lively, merry and jocant, becaufe thefe have obtained all things fparingly, and not fo largely, unlefle perhaps their Parents were pleafmg and merry, and moderately heated with wine when they were begot.
For fometimes old people wil fhew themfelves young and lafcivi- ous togethe?7& to be fo wel pleafed,tbat in the fpring they wil one
embrace
why old men get melancholy Children.
Chap., 3.
241'
embrace the other 5 for that time of the year ierves for AVroverbfrdm Horfes alfo chat are decaid, and worn out , as the Proverb faith , for to make them neigh j whereby the Hollanders mean, thkcil ere are none fo old , but at that pleafant time of the year , when na7 ture puts forth all her forces , but they will fhevtf fome tokens of a suits'. "" 2 mindraifed alfo 5 whereby it falls out, that if a woman thus chance to conceive when they are merry , after nine months flic ^ °f . will bring forth a mild beautiful!, pleafant, flour ifhing, lively, ge the chiXelf.
. nerous a&ivc Child. And if their Parents in their young years , were of a dowdy and impleafing difpofition , (as many fro ward people be)when they get their Childrcn>all falls to theworft,& all ihofe affections , and tumults that ufe to arife amongft married people and all their diftempers will be derived totheir Children , lo that neither the conception , nor time the woman goes with Child, nor her delivery, not nutrition , can be performed decent¬ ly and according to Natures order, and the Children contract ma¬ ny ertours and faults of bodies and mindcs from the diflur bed mo¬ tions of their minds, of all which the fault is to be im puted to the parents, who were the caufe and feed plot of all thefe imperfecti¬ ons of nature. Wherefore fuch as would take the belt care for The faults ef their Childrens good , and would have them traCtable , and plea- f biidren to be fant and fweet of behaviour : muft take efpeciall care for this, that p^rf/d tbt in matrimoniall embracements, all things may be moderately per¬ formed, that nothing happen that may raife diftempers, quarrels . or iroubles between them , for all thefe things fall upon the Child that is then begot, and inform it with the like manners , and the child. parents conditions are imprinted upon it. I referr that to the like ™blch a.re th°l£ caufes , that Children , which they call naturall , ( that is fuch natuuUOiU that are illegitimate, and born without lawfull matrimony) are of Aw. different nature, condition and manners, from the other Children: whereof, fuch as were begot by noble parents and gentlemen , are oft of an high and lofty behaviour, and are adorned with many great and rich endowments, with rare wits, Angular prudence, ex¬ act judgements, especially if the parents are a help to their liberal education, fo that fomtimes they become the pillar of the family , and are an Ornament and glory to all that are of their kin, and blood. The reafon feems to me to be, becaufe they have received why illegitimate all things abundantly from their fathers loynes and bowells, and in ^ittythart that fecret copulation obtaind by Health , they received nor fpa- other*. riogly and flcnderly but abundantly the guifes of Nature. From when both greedily defire to fatisfte their Lufts, and arc prodigal! in their embracements , and ufc all the might they have to propa¬ gate and beget a Child , it comes to pade that all things ncccflary for conception are afforded plentifully, and there is no want in this bufmeffe, and fo it falls out, that fince Children reprefent their pa- whence earner# rents manners, and have obtain’d much from them, there is an in- ^y’nchiidust credible love and profeniion on both parts , and they love one the and mtmiiyl other exceedingly. From which force alfo there arifeth cheerfull- nefle and readinefle of mind in the Child, and a generous inciina-
L 1 tion,
242
Of the growing of the Bay-Tree in Zealand.