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Excerpt from A Plaine Description of the Barmudas, Now Called Sommer Ilands: With the Manner of Their Discouerie Anno 1609, by the Shipwrack and Admirable Deliverance of Sir Thomas Gates, and Sir George Sommers, Wherein Are Truly Set Forth the Commodities and Profits of That Rich, Pleasant, and Healthfull Countrie It is yet but a hundreth yeares agoe, that (after the world had scarce dreamed of any other habitable place of the earth, more then Asia, Africke, and Europe) God discouered to vulgar knowledge another, and as it were the new world of America, which if it had beene foretold in the elder ages, millions of men would neuer haue beleeued it. And that we in this present and peruerse age may also knowe, that Times and Sea Act; 1. Sons are in Gods hand, He hath vouchsafed amongst the many excellent inuentions and wonderful] discoueries of these times, to make knpwne to vs of the poore Virginian plantation, and by vs to the world, the hidden and long concealed truth, touching the state of the Bormuda Ilands. Who did not thinke till within these foure yeares, but that those Ilands had beene rather a habitation of Diuells, then fit for men to dwell in? Who did not hate the name when hee was on Land, and shunne the place when he was on the Seas? But behold the misprision and misconceits of the world! For true and large experience hath now told vs, it is one of the sweetest Paradises that be Vpon the earth. Let them hearken to this and make vse of it, that mislike all new inuentions, and suspect all new discoueries, and hold it for a rule, That whatsoeuer is new is nought. If any had said seuen yeares agoe, the Bormuda Ilands are not only accessible and habitable, but also fertile, fruitful], plentiful], and a safe, secure, temperate, rich, sweet, and healthfull habitation for Man, and especially for English bodies; oh how loudly would he haue beene laught at, and hist out of most mens companies! And yet no more then He would haue beene, who foure hundred yeares agoe should haue told the world, that by the vse and helpe of a stone a man should more safely saile vpon the Ocean, round aboutthe earth, then formerly in the narrow Seas: Or then He who two hun dred yeares agoe should haue said, there was an Art by which all writing of bockes should be saned, and that two men should Print more in a day, then two hundred can write: Or then He who 100. Yeares agoe did tell vs, there was another world, as it were vnder our feote, wherein men lined like vs, and a richer part of the world then ours. And yet all these are now prou cd true before our eyes, and all the world can witnesse it; and who is he that feeles not the benefit of these three blessings? Now therefore let the iealous and suspitious world ueare his due reproofe, and let God haue his due glorie and praise, who brings to light things that lie hidde in darkenesse, and reueiles his meruailous works in his due time. And let the Planters and Patrons of the Virginia Colonies take heart and comfort. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
