I haue disposed and digested the whole worke into 3. partes, or as it were
Classes, not without my reasons. In the first I haue martialled all our
voyages of any moment that haue bene performed to the South and Southeast
parts of the world, by which I chiefly meane that part of Asia which is
neerest, and of the rest hithermost towards vs: For I find that the oldest
trauels as well of the ancient Britains, as of the English, were ordinarie
to Iudea which is in Asia, termed by them the Holy land, principally for
deuotions sake according to the time, although I read in Ioseph Bengorion a
very authenticall Hebrew author, a testimonie of the passing of 20000.
Britains valiant souldiours, to the siege and fearefull sacking of
Ierusalem vnder the conduct of Vespasian and Titus the Romane Emperour, a
thing in deed of all the rest most ancient. But of latter dayes I see our
men haue pierced further into the East, haue passed downe the mightie riuer
Euphrates, haue sayled from Balsara through the Persian gulfe to the Citie
of Ormuz, and from thence to Chaul and Goa in the East India, which
passages written by the parties themselues are herein to be read. To these
I haue added the Nauigations of the English made for the parts of Africa,
and either within or without the streights of Gibraltar: within to
Constantinople in Romania, to Alexandria, and Cayro in Egypt, to Tunez, to
Goletta, to Malta, to Algier, and to Tripolis in Barbary: without, to Santa
Cruz, to Asafi, to the Citie of Marocco, to the riuer of Senega, to the
Isles of Cape Verde, to Guynea, to Benyn, and round about the dreadfull
Cape of Bona Speranza, as farre as Goa.

The north, and Northeasterne voyages of our nation I haue produced in the
second place, because our accesse to those quarters of the world is later
and not so auncient as the former: and yet some of our trauailes that way
be of more antiquitie by many hundred yeeres, then those that haue bene
made to the westerne coastes of America. Vnder this title thou shalt first
finde the old northerne Nauigations of our Brittish Kings as of Arthur, of