The natural and moral history of the Indies. Volume I, The natural history (books I, II, III, and IV) / by Father Joseph de Acosta ; reprinted from the English translated ed. of Edward Grimeston, 1604 ; edited by Clements R. Markham.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Acosta, José de, 1540-1600.

Contributor:

Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir, 1830-1916.

Series:

Works issued by the Hakluyt Society ; no. 60.

Works issued by the Hakluyt Society ; no. 60

The natural and moral history of the Indies ; v. 1

Standardized Title:

Historia natural y moral de las Indias. English

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indians of Mexico--Early works to 1800.

Indians of Mexico.

Indians of South America--Early works to 1800.

Indians of South America.

Physical Description:

xlv, 295 p. : ill.

Place of Publication:

Farnham [England] ; Burlington, Vt. : Ashgate, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Concerned chiefly with Mexico and Peru. With introduction and notes. The main pagination of this and the following volume (First Series 61) is continuous. This is a new print-on-demand hardback edition of the volume first published in 1880.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME

INTRODUCTION

DEDICATION TO THE INFANTA ISABELLA

TRANSLATOR'S DEDICATION TO SIR ROBERT CECIL

ADDRESS TO THE READER

ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

THIS NATURAL HISTORY. First Book

NATURAL HISTORY. BOOK I

CHAPTER 1.-Of the opinions of some authors which supposed that the Heavens did not extend to the new found land

View of St. Chrysostom

Opinions of Theodoret and Lactantius

„ St. Jerome and St. Augustine

Fathers of the Church may err

CHAPTER 2.-That the Heaven is round, on all parts moving in his course of itself

Opinion of Aristotle correct

The Author's own experience

Proofs that the earth is round

Motions of the stars

Void places in the Heavens

CHAPTER 3.-How the Holy Scripture teacheth us that the earth is in the middest of the world

Roundness of the Heavens

The waters

The earth rests upon nothing

Wisdom of the Creator

CHAPTER 4.-Containing an answere to that which is objected out of the Holy Scripture against the roundness of the earth

Explanation of St. Paul's words

The letter kills

the spirit quickeneth

CHAPTER 5.- Of the fashion and forme of Heaven at the new found land

Comparison of stars in North and South

The Southern Cross

Art of navigation

Milky Way

CHAPTER 6.-That there is Land and Sea under the two Poles

Men as near Heaven in Peru as in Spain

The Pole Antarticke

Distribution of land and sea

Land and sea at the Poles

Question of a North West Passage

CHAPTER 7.-To confute the opinion of Lactantius, who holdes there be no Antipodes

Lactantius and St. Augustine on the Antipodes

Reason corrects imagination

The use of imagination

CHAPTER 8.-The reason why St. Augustine denied the Antipodes

Opinions of St. Augustine.

His difficulty in the greatness of the ocean

Concurrence of St. Gregory Nazianzen

The Scriptures speak ouly of the then known world

CHAPTER 9.-Of Aristotle's opinion touching the new Worlde, and what abused him to make him deny it

Opinions of the ancients as to heat of the burning Zone

Aristotle's opinion

Want of knowledge among the Ancients

Extreme cold and heat of Arctic and Torrid Zones

The southern Zones

CHAPTER 10.-That Plinie and the auncients held the same opinion with Aristotle

Pliny thought the tropics uninhabitable

Arguments of the ancients

CHAPTER 11.-That in ancient Bookes we finde some knowledge of this newe world

Voyage of Hanno

Voyage of Eudoxus

Ancient knowledge of the East Indies

Sumatra and Malacca

Prophecy of Seneca

CHAPTER 12.-Of the opinions which Plato held of the West Indies

Timseus and Critias

Interpretation of sayings of Plato

CHAPTER 13.-That some have held opinion that in places of Holy Scripture, whereas they spedke of Ophir, is to be understood of our Peru

Hispaniola said to be Ophir

Whether Peru be Ophir

Fancied resemblance of names

Ophir was in the East Indies

CHAPTER 14.-What Tharsis and Ophir signify in the Holy Scriptures

Identification of Tarshish

Tarshish has divers meanings

A general term

CHAPTER 15.-Of the Prophecie of Abdias, which some doe interpret to be the Indies

The discovery of America said to have been foretold in Scripture

Prophecy of Obadiah

Sepbarad (Zarephath) supposed to be Spain

Cities of the South may be the Indies

Prophecy of Isaiah

Many nations to whom Christ has not yet been preached

CHAPTER 16.-By what meanes the first men might come to the Indies, the which was not willingly nor of set purpose

The New World not peopled by a miracle

Opinion of the Author.

Passage in ships considered

New World not reached in ships

The ancients were ignorant of the compass

CHAPTER 17.-Of the properties and admirable virtue of the Adamante stone for navigation, whereof the Ancients had no knowledge

Use of the compass in navigation

Virtues of the load stone

Time of its discovery uncertain

Variation of the compass

Four points of no variation

CHAPTER 18.- Wherein an answere is made to them that say that in times passed they have sailed through the Ocean as at this day

Long voyages not proved by Scripture

Tn ancient books no proof of long voyages

The ancients only coasted along the shore

CHAPTER 19.-That we may conjecture how the first inhabitants of the Indies came thither by force of weather and not willingly

Story of the discovery of America by a nameless pilot

Most new countries discovered by chance

Wonderful voyage recorded by Cornelius Nepos

Ship of Carthage driven to the New World

Giants said to have landed in Peru

People of Yea and Arica sailed in South Sea

Most discoveries due to chance

CHAPTER 20.-Notwithstanding all that hath bene said, it is more likely that the first inhabitants of the Indies came by land

The beasts could not have come by sea

No new creation in America

Beasts could not have swum to the New World

Belief of the Author in a narrow strait

CHAPTER 21.-By what means tame beasts passed to the Indies

The Indians could only make short voyages

No beasts on the West Indian Islands

Animals reach islands by swimming

CHAPTER 22.-That the lineage of the Indians hath not passed by the Atlantis Island as some do imagine

The Atlantis of Plato

Atlantis a fable

Pliny on Mount Atlas and Atlantis

CHAPTER 23.-That the opinion of many which hold that the first race of the Indians comes from the Jews is not true.

A text of Esdras applied to the Indies

Resemblance between dress of Jews and Indians

Points of difference

The opinion confuted

CHAPTER 24.-The reason why we can find no beginning of the Indians

The peopling of the Indies was gradual

The first arrivals savage and hunters

CHAPTER 25.-What the Indians report of their beginning

Tradition of a deluge

Origin of the Yncas

Origin of American civilizations

Second Book

BOOK II

CHAPTER 1.-That it is not out of purpose, but necessarie to treate of the nature of the Equinoctiall

The Equinoctial defined

CHAPTER 2.-For what reasons the ancients held that the burning Zone was not inhabitable

Effect of Sun's motion on temperature

The further a country is from the Son's course the colder

The hottest near the Zodiacs

Dryness and moisture caused by the Sun

Hence Aristotle's opinion of the Southern heat

CHAPTER 3.-That the burning Zone is very moist, contrary to the opinion of the Ancients

Yet the burning Zone is inhabited

The seasons occur, but at different times

Seasons of greatest moisture

CHAPTER 4.-That in the Regions which be without the Tropicks there is greatest store of waters whenas the Sunne is farthest off, contrary to that under the burning Zone

Climate of Chile

Cause of inundation of the Nile

Inundation of the Paraguay or river Plate

CHAPTER 5.- That betwixt the two Tropicks the greatest aboundance of raine is in Summer, with a discourse of Winter and Summer

Winter and Summer in the Tropics

Seasons in Peru

CHAPTER 6.-That the burning Zone abounds with waters and pastures, against the opinion of Aristotle who holds the contrarie

Abundance of Water in the Tropics

The great river Amazons

Lake Titicaca

Question of drainage of Titicaca.

CHAPTER 7.-Shewing the reason why the Sunne without the Tropicks causeth greatest quantitie of waters when it is farthest off

and contrariwise within them it breedeth most wheu, it is nearest

Rain caused by heat of the Sun

Effect of the Sun on vapour

Effect of heat on moisture

Dry regions in the tropics

CHAPTER 8.-How wee should understand that which hath been formerly spoken of the burning Zone

Dry region on the coast of Peru

Exceptions to natural rules

CHAPTER 9.-That the Burning Zone is not violently hotte, but moderate

Moderate beat in the tropics

The Author's experience

CHAPTER 10.-That the heat of the burning Zone is temperate, by reason of the rayne and the shortness of tlie dayes

Heat tempered by rain

Length of days and nights

Causes for moderate heat in the tropics

CHAPTER 11.-That there be other reasons besides the former men- tioned, which shew that the burning Zone is temperate, especially alongst the Ocean

Causes for temperate climate in the tropics

The sea tempers the heat

CHAPTER 12.-That the highest lands are the coldest, and the reason thereof

The middle region of the air the coldest

Nature of the elements

CHAPTER 13.-That the colde windes be the principall cause to make the burning Zone temperate

Coolness of the night not sufficient to moderate Sun's heat

Effect of winds in the tropics

Land and Sea Breezes

CHAPTER 14.- That they which inhabite under tfie Equinoctiall live a sweete and pleasant life

Importance of healthy air

A healthy life possible in the tropics

These two books written in the Indies. The five following in Europe

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER

THE NATURAL HISTORY. Third Book

BOOK III

CHAPTER 1.-That the naturall Historie of the Indies is pleasant and agreeable.

He that takes delight in the works of nature shall taste the true pleasure of Histories.

Notes:

Reprint. Originally published: London, 1880.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1-282-88068-3

9786612880681

1-4094-1566-X

OCLC:

929147392