early australian voyages-第14部分

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It　was　from　this　plan；　as　it　had　been　communicated　to　the　Portuguese　court；　that　the　famous　Magellan　came　to　have　so　just　notions　of　the　possibility　of　sailing　by　the　West　to　the　East　Indies；　and　there　was　a　great　deal　of　theory　in　the　proposal　made　by　that　great　man　to　the　Emperor　Charles　V。　　Sir　Francis　Drake　was　a　person　of　the　same　genius；　and　of　a　like　general　knowledge；　and　it　is　very　remarkable　that　these　three　great　seamen　met　also　with　the　same　fate；　by　which　I　mean；　that　they　were　constantly　pursued　by　envy　while　they　lived；　which　hindered　so　much　notice　being　taken　of　their　discourses　and　discoveries　as　they　deserved。　　But　when　the　experience　of　succeeding　times　had　verified　many　of　their　sayings；　which　had　been　considered　as　vain　and　empty　boastings　in　their　lifetimes；　then　prosperity　began　to　pay　a　superstitious　regard　to　whatever　could　be　collected　concerning　them；　and　to　admire　all　they　delivered　as　oraculous。　　Our　other　discoverer；　Candish；　was　likewise　a　man　of　great　parts　and　great　penetration；　as　well　as　of　great　spirit；　he　had；　undoubtedly；　a　mighty　genius　for　discoveries；　but　the　prevailing　notion　of　those　times；　that　the　only　way　to　serve　the　nation　was　plundering　the　Spaniards；　seems　to　have　got　the　better　of　his　desire　to　find　out　unknown　countries；　and　made　him　choose　to　be　known　to　posterity　rather　as　a　gallant　privateer　than　as　an　able　seaman；　though　in　truth　he　was　both。

After　these　follow　Schovten　and　Le　Maire；　who　were　fitted　out　to　make　discoveries；　and　executed　their　commission　with　equal　capacity　and　success。　　If　Le　Maire　had　lived　to　return　to　Holland；　and　to　have　digested　into　proper　order　his　own　accounts；　we　should；　without　question；　have　received　a　much　fuller　and　clearer；　as　well　as　a　much　more　correct　and　satisfactory　detail　of　them　than　we　have　at　present：　　though　the　voyage；　as　it　is　now　published；　is　in　all　respects　the　best；　and　the　most　curious　of　all　the　circumnavigators。　This　was；　very　probably；　owing　to　the　ill…usage　he　met　with　from　the　Dutch　East　India　Company；　which　put　Captain　Schovten；　and　the　relations　of　Le　Maire；　upon　giving　the　world　the　best　information　they　could　of　what　had　been　in　that　voyage　performed。　　Yet　the　fate　of　Le　Maire　had　a　much　greater　effect　in　discouraging；　than　the　fame　of　his　discoveries　had　in　exciting；　a　spirit　of　emulation；　so　that　we　may　safely　say；　the　severity　of　the　East　India　Company　in　Holland　extinguished　that　generous　desire　of　exploring　unknown　lands；　which　might　otherwise　have　raised　the　reputation　and　extended　the　commerce　of　the　republic　much　beyond　what　they　have　hitherto　reached。　　This　is　so　true　that　for　upwards　of　one　hundred　years　we　hear　of　no　Dutch　voyage　in　pursuit　of　Le　Maire's　discoveries；　and　we　see；　when　Commodore　Roggewein；　in　our　own　time；　revived　that　noble　design；　it　was　again　cramped　by　the　same　power　that　stifled　it　before；　and　though　the　States　did　justice　to　the　West　India　Company；　and　to　the　parties　injured；　yet　the　hardships　they　suffered；　and　the　plain　proof　they　gave　of　the　difficulties　that　must　be　met　with　in　the　prosecution　of　such　a　design；　seem　to　have　done　the　business　of　the　East　India　Company；　and　damped　the　spirit　of　discovery；　for　perhaps　another　century；　in　Holland。

It　is　very　observable　that　all　the　mighty　discoveries　that　have　been　made　arose　from　these　great　men；　who　joined　reasoning　with　practice；　and　were　men　of　genius　and　learning；　as　well　as　seamen。　　To　Columbus　we　owe　the　finding　America；　to　Magellan　the　passing　by　the　straits　which　bear　his　name；　by　a　new　route　to　the　East　Indies；　to　Le　Maire　a　more　commodious　passage　round　Cape　Horn；　and　without　running　up　to　California；　Sir　Francis　Drake；　too；　hinted　the　advantages　that　might　arise　by　examining　the　north…west　side　of　America；　and　Candish　had　some　notions　of　discovering　a　passage　between　China　and　Japan。　　As　to　the　history　we　have　of　Roggewein's　voyage；　it　affords　such　lights　as　nothing　but　our　own　negligence　can　render　useless。　　But　in　the　other　voyages；　whatever　discoveries　we　meet　with　are　purely　accidental；　except　it　be　Dampier's　voyage　to　the　coasts　of　New　Holland　and　New　Guinea；　which　was　expressly　made　for　discoveries；　and　in　which；　if　an　abler　man　had　been　employed　in　conjunction　with　Dampier；　we　cannot　doubt　that　the　interior　and　exterior　of　those　countries　would　have　been　much　better　known　than　they　are　at　present；　because　such　a　person　would　rather　have　chosen　to　have　refreshed　in　the　island　of　New　Britain；　or　some　other　country　not　visited　before；　than　at　that　of　Timer；　already　settled　both　by　the　Portuguese　and　the　Dutch。

In　all　attempts；　therefore；　of　this　sort；　those　men　are　fittest　to　be　employed　who；　with　competent　abilities　as　seamen；　have　likewise　general　capacities；　are　at　least　tolerably　acquainted　with　other　sciences；　and　have　settled　judgments　and　solid　understandings。　These　are　the　men　from　whom　we　are　to　expect　the　finishing　that　great　work　which　former　circumnavigators　have　begun；　I　mean　the　discovering　every　part　and　parcel　of　the　globe；　and　the　carrying　to　its　utmost　perfection　the　admirable　and　useful　science　of　navigation。


It　is；　however；　a　piece　of　justice　due　to　the　memory　of　these　great　men；　to　acknowledge　that　we　are　equally　encouraged　by　their　examples　and　guided　by　their　discoveries。　　We　owe　to　them　the　being　freed；　not　only　from　the　errors；　but　from　the　doubts　and　difficulties　with　which　former　ages　were　oppressed；　to　them　we　stand　indebted　for　the　discovery　of　the　best　part　of　the　world；　which　was　entirely　unknown　to　the　ancients；　particularly　some　part　of　the　eastern；　most　of　the　southern；　and　all　the　western　hemisphere；　from　them　we　have　learned　that　the　earth　is　surrounded　by　the　ocean；　and　that　all　the　countries　under　the　torrid　zone　are　inhabited；　and　that；　quite　contrary　to　the　notions　that　were　formerly　entertained；　they　are　very　far　from　being　the　most　sultry　climate　in　the　world；　those　within　a　few　degrees　of　the　tropics；　though　habitable；　being　much　more　hot；　for　reasons　which　have　been　elsewhere　explained。　　By　their　voyages；　and　especially　by　the　observations　of　Columbus；　we　have　been　taught　the　general　motion　of　the　sea；　the　reason　of　it；　and　the　cause　and　difference　of　currents　in　particular　places；　to　which　we　may　add　the　doctrine　of　tides；　which　were　very　imperfectly　known；　even　by　the　greatest　men　in　former　times；　whose　accounts　have　been　found　equally　repugnant　to　reason　and　experience。

By　their　observations　we　have　acquired　a　great　knowledge　as　to　the　nature　and　variation　of　winds；　particularly　the　monsoons；　or　trade　winds；　and　other　periodical　winds；　of　which　the　ancients　had　not　the　least　conception；　and　by　these　helps　we　not　only　have　it　in　our　power　to　proceed　much　farther　in　our　discoveries；　but　we　are　likewise　delivered　from　a　multitude　of　groundless　apprehensions；　that　frightened　them　from　prosecuting　discoveries。　　We　give　no　credit　now　to　the　fables　that　not　only　amused　antiquity；　but　even　obtained　credit　within　a　few　generations。　　The　authority　of　Pliny　will　not　persuade　us　that　there　are　any　nations　without　heads；　whose　eyes　and　mouths　are　in　their　breasts；　or　that　the　Arimaspi　have　only　one　eye；　fixed　in　their　forehead；　and　that　they　are　perpetually　at　war　with　the　Griffins；　who　guard　hidden　treasures；　or　that　there　are　nations　that　have　long　hairy　tales；　and　grin　like　monkeys。　　No　traveller　can　make　us　believe　that；　under　the　torrid　zone；　there　are　a　nation　every　man　of　which　has　one　large　flat　foot；　with　which；　lying　upon　his　back；　he　covers　himself　from　the　sun。　　In　this　respect　we　have　the　same　advantage　over　the　ancients　that　men　have　over　children；　and　we　cannot　reflect　without　amazement　on　men's　having　so　much　knowledge　and　learning　in　other　respects；　with　such　childish　understandings　in　these。

By　the　labours　of　these　great　men　in　the　two　last　centuries　we　are　taught　to　know　what　we　seek；　and　how　it　is　to　be　sought。　　We　know；　for　example；　what　parts　of　the　north　are　yet　undiscovered；　and　also　what　parts　of　the　south。　　We　can　form　a　very　certain　judgment　of　the　climate　of　countries　undiscovered；　and　can　foresee　the　advantages　that　will　result　from　discoveries　before　they　are　made；　all　which　are　prodigious　advantages；　and　ought　certainly　to　animate　us　in　our　searches。　　I　might　add　to　this　the　great　benefits　we　receive　from　our　more　perfect　acquaintance　with　the　properties　of　the　loadstone；　and　from　the　surprising　accuracy　of　astronomical　observations；　to　which　I　may　add　the　physical　discoveries　made　of　late　years　in　relation　to　the　figure　of　the　earth；　all　of　which　are　the　result　of　the　lights　which　these　great　men　have　given　us。

It　is　true　that　some　of　the　zealous　defenders　of　the　ancients；　and　some　of　the　great　admirers　of　the　Eastern　nations；　dispute　these　facts；　and　would　have　us　believe　that　almost　everything　was　known　to　the　old　philosophers；　and　not　only　known　but　practised　by　the　Chinese　long　before　the　time　of　the　great　men　to　whom　we　ascribe　them。　　But　the　difference　between　their　assertions　and　ours　is；　that　we　fully　prove　the　facts　we　allege；　whereas　they　produce　no　evidence　at　all；　for　instance；　Albertus　Magnus　says　that　Aristotle　wrote　an　express　treatise　on　the　direction　of　the　loadstone；　but　nobody　ever　saw　that　treatise；　nor　was　it　ever　heard　of　by　any　of　the　rest　of　his　commentators。　　We　have　in　our　hands　some　of　the　best　performances　of　antiquity　in　regard　to　geography；　and　any　man　who　has　eyes；　and　is　at　all　acquainted　with　that　science；　can　very　easily　discern　how　far　they　fall　short　of　maps　that　were　made　even　a　hundred　years　ago。　　The　celebrated　Vossius；　and　the　rest　of　the　admirers　of　the　Chinese；　who；　by　the　way；　derived　all　their　knowledge　from　hearsay；　may　testify；　in　as　strong　terms　as　they　think　fit；　their　contempt　for　the　Western　sages　and　their　high　opinion　of　those　in　the　East；　but　till　they　prove　to　us　that　their　favourite　Chinese　made　any　voyages　comparable　to　the　Europeans；　before　the　discovery　of　a　passage　to　China　by　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　they　will　excuse　us　from　believing　them。　　Besides；　if　the　ancients　had　all　this　knowledge；　how　came　it　not　to　display　itself　in　their　performances？　　How　came　they　to　make　such　difficulties　of　what　are　now　esteemed　trifles？　　And　how　came　they　never　to　make　any　voyages；　by　choice　at　least；　tha