two moneths, during the time of the sommer solstitium, and that without intermingling of any colde night: so that if the heate of the sunne at noone coulde be well measured in London (which is verye harde to do, bycause of the long nights, whiche engender greate moysture and colde), then woulde manifestlye appeare by expresse numbers the maner of the heate under the poles, which certainly must needes be to the inhabitants verye commodious and profitable, if it inclyne not to over much heate, and if moysture do not want.

For as in October in England we find temperate aire, and have in our gardens hearbes and floures notwithstanding our colde nights, how much more shoulde they have ye same good ayre, being continual without night. This heate of ours continueth but one houre while the sunne is in ye meridian, but theirs continueth a long time in one height. This our heate is weake, and by the coolenesse of the night vanisheth; that heate is strong, and by continual accesse is still increased and strengthened. And thus by a similitude of the equal height of the sunne in both places, appeareth the commodious and moderate heate of the regions under the poles.

And surely I can not thinke that the divine providence hath made any thing uncommunicable, but to have given such order to all things that one way or other the same shoulde be emploied, and that every thing and place should be tollerable to the next. But especiallye all things in this lower world be given to man to have dominion and use thereof. Therefore wee neede no longer to doubt of the temperate and commodious habitation under the poles during the tyme of sommer.

And al the controversie consisteth in the winter, for then the sun leaveth those regions, and is no more seene for the space of other sixe months, in the which time al the sunnes course is under their horizon for the space of halfe a yeare, and then those regions (saye some) muste needs be deformed with horible darkenesse and continuall nyghte, whiche maye be the cause that beastes can not seeke theyr foode, and that also the cold should then be intollerable. By which double evils al living creatures should be constrayned to die, and were not able to indure the extremitie and injurie of winter and famine ensuing thereof, but that all things shoulde perish before the sommer folowing, when they should bring forth their broode and yong, and that for these causes ye said clime about the pole shold be desolate and not habitable. To al which objections may be

answered in this manner: first, that thoughe the sun be absent from them those five months, yet it followeth not there should be such extreame darkenesse, for as the sunne is departed under their horizon, so is it not farre from them. And not so soone as the sunne falleth, so sodainely commeth the darke night, but the evening doth substitute and prolong the daye a good while after by twilight. After which time the residue of ye night receiveth light of the moone and starres untill the breake of the day, which giveth also a certaine light before the sunnes rising, so that by these means the nights are seldom dark, which is verified in all parts of the world, but least in the middle zone under the equinoctiall, where the twylights are short and the nights darker than in any other place, bycause the sun goeth under their horizon so deepe, even to their antipodes. Wee see in Englande in the sommer nights, when the sun goeth not far under the horizon, that by the light of the moone and stars wee may travel al night, and if occasion were do some other labour also. And there is no man that doubteth whether our cattel can see to feede in ye nights, seeing wee are so well certified thereof by our experience: and by reason of the sphere, our nights should be darker than any time under the poles.

The astronomers consent that the sun, descending from our upper hemisphere at the 18 paralell under the horizon, maketh an end of twylight, so that at length the darke night ensueth, and that afterward in the morning, the sun approaching againe within as many paralels, doth drive away ye night by accesse of ye twylight. Againe, by the position of the sphere under ye pole, the horizon and the equinoctiall are al one. These revolutions therefore that are paralell to the equinoctiall are also paralel to the horizon, so that the sun descending under ye horizon, and there describing certain paralels not farre distant, doeth not bringe darke nights to those regions until it come to the paralels distant 18 degrees from ye equinoctiall, that is, about ye 21 degree of Scorpio, which wil be about ye 4 day of our November and after the winter solstitium, ye sun retourning backe againe to ye 9 degree of Aquarius, whiche wil be aboute ye 19 of January, during which time only, that is from ye 4 of November untill the xix day of January, which is about six weeks space, those regions do want ye commoditie of twylights. Therefore, during ye time of these said six moneths of darknesse under ye poles, ye night is destitute of ye benefit of ye sun, and ye said twilights, only for ye space of six weeks or thereabout.

And yet neither this time of six weeks is without remedy fro heaven. For ye moone with hir encreased light hathe accesse at that time and illuminateth the moneths, lacking light every one of themselves severally halfe the course of ye moneth, by whose benefite it commeth to passe yt ye night named extreame dark possesseth those regions no longer than one moneth, neither that continually or al at one time, but this also divided into two sorts of shorter nights, of ye which either of them endureth for ye space of 15 dayes, and are illuminate of ye moone accordingly. And this reason is gathered out of the sphere, whereby we may testifie yt the sommers are warme and fruitful, and the winters nights under the pole are tollerable to living creatures. And if it be so that the winter and time of darknes there be very cold, yet hath not nature left them unprovided therefore. For there ye beasts are covered with haire so muche the thicker in how much the vehemencie of cold is greater, by reason whereof the best and richest furres are broughte out of the coldest regions. Also the foules of these cold countries have thicker skins, thicker feathers, and more stored of down than in other hot places. Our Englishmen that travel to S. Nicholas, and go a fishing to Wardhouse, enter far within the circle artike, and so are in the frozen zone; and yet there, as well as in Iseland, and all along those northern seas, they finde the greatest store of the greatest fishes that are, as whales, etc., and also abundance of meane fishes, as herings, coddes, haddockes, brettes, etc., whiche argueth, that the sea as well as the land, maye bee and is well frequented and inhabited in the colde countries.

But some, perhaps, will marvel there should be such temperate places in ye regions aboute ye poles, when at under degrees in latitude, our Captaine Frobisher and his companye were troubled wyth so manye and so great mountaines of fleeting ise, with so great stormes of colde, with such continuall snow on toppes of mountaines, and with such barren soyle, there being neither woodde or trees, but lowe shrubbes, and suche like. To al which objections may be answered thus: - First, those infinite ilandes of ise were engendered and congealed in time of winter, and now by the gret heate of sommer were thawed, and then by ebbes, floudes, windes, and currants, were driven to and fro, and troubled the fleete, so that this is an argument to prove the heat in sommer there to be great, that was able to thaw so monstrous mountaines of ise. As for continuall snow on

tops of mountains, it is ther no otherwise than is in the hottest parte of the middle zone, where also lyeth great snowe al the sommer long uppon toppes of mountaines, bycause there is not sufficient space for the sunnes reflection wherby the snowe should be molten. Touching the colde stormy windes, and the barrennesse of the country, it is there, as it is in Cornwall and Devonshire in England, which parts, thoughe we know to be fruitful and fertile, yet on the north side therof al alongst the coast within seaven or eight myles off the sea, there can neither hedge nor tree grow, although they be diligently by art husbanded and seene unto; and the cause therof are the northerne driving windes, whiche, coming from the sea, are so bitter and sharp, that they kill al ye yong and tender plants, and suffer scarce anything to grow, and so is it in ye ilands of Meta Incognita, which are subject most to east and northerne winds, which ye last were choked up ye passage so with ise, that the fleet could hardly recover their port; yet, notwithstanding all the objections that may be, the countrey is habitable, for there are men, women, children, and sundrie kind of beastes in great plentie, as beares, dere, hares, foxes, and dogges: all kind of flying fowles, as duckes, seamews, wilmots, partriches, larkes, crowes, hawkes, and such like, as in the thirde booke you shall understand more at large. Then it appeareth, that not only the middle zone, but also the zones about the poles are habitable, which thing being well considered, and familiarly known to our generall Captaine Frobisher, as well for that he is thoroughly furnished of the knowledge of the sphere, and all other skilles apperteyning to the art of navigation, as also for the confirmation he hath of the same by many yeares experience, both by sea and land, and being persuaded of a new and neerer passage to Cataya, than by Capo d'buona Speranza, which the Portugalles yeerly use. He began first with himselfe to devise, and then with his friendes to conferre, and layde a playne platte unto them, that that voyage was not onely possible by the north-weast, but also, as he coulde prove, easie to bee performed. And further, he determined and resolved wyth himselfe, to go make full proofe thereof, and to accomplishe, or bring true certificate of the truth, or else never to retourne againe, knowing this to be the onely thing of the worlde that was left yet undone, whereby a notable mind mighte be made famous and fortunate. But although his will were great to performe this notable voyage, whereof hee had conceyved in

his mind a great hope, by sundry sure reasons and secret intelligence, whiche heere, for sundry causes, I leave untouched – yet he wanted altogither meanes and abilitie to set forward and performe the same. Long tyme he conferred with his private friendes of these secretes, and made also manye 'offers for the performing of the same in effect unto sundry merchants of our countrey, above fifteen yeares before he attempted the same, as by good witnesse shall well appeare (albeit some evill willers whiche challenge to themselves the frutes of other mens laboures, have greately injured him in the reportes of the same, saying that they have bin the first authors of that action, and that they have learned him the way, which themselves, as yet, have never gone). But perceyving that hardly he was hearkened unto of the merchants, whiche never regarde vertue withoute sure, certayne, and present gaynes, hee repayred to the courte (from whence, as from the fountaine of oure commonwealth, all good causes have theyr chiefe encrease and mayntenance), and there layde open to manye great estates and learned men, the plot and summe of hys devise. And amongst maney honourable myndes whyche favoured hys honest and commendable enterprise, he was specially bounde and beholdyng to the ryghte honourable Ambrose Dudley, Earle of Warwicke, whose favourable mynde and good disposition, hath alwayes bin readye to countenance and advance all honest actions wyth the authors and executors of the same; and so by meanes of my lorde hys honourable countenance, hee recyved some comforte of hys cause, and by little and little, with no small expense and payne, brought hys cause to some perfection, and hadde drawen togither so many adventurers and suche summes of money as myghte well defray a reasonable charge, to furnishe hymselfe to sea withall.

He prepared two small barkes of twentie and fyve and twentie tunne a peece, wherein hee intended to accomplish his pretended voyage. Wherefore, beeying furnished wyth the forsayde two barkes and one small pinnesse of tenne tunne burthen, havyng therein victuals and other necessaries for twelve monethes provision, he departed uppon the sayde voyage from Blackewall the fiftenth of June, Anno Domini 1576.

One of the barkes wherein he wente, was named the Gabriell and the other the Michaell, and sayling north-weast from Englande uppon the firste of July, at length he hadde sighte of a highe and ragged lande, whiche he judged Freeselande (whereof