The Geography

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[Page 4]

...in the same state, they are not all entirely explored, and a longer time always makes knowledge of them more certain. Regarding cosmography, this seems to be noted: since it is granted, from traditions published at various times, that not all parts of our continent have yet come to our knowledge on account of the excess of their magnitude; others indeed are not as they are held to be because of the negligence of travelers, being handed down to us less diligently; while others are such that they are now different than they have been hitherto, whether on account of corruptions or changes in which they are known to have perished in part. It is necessary for us to attend more to the new traditions of our time. Nevertheless, in the exposition of those things which are now treated, and in the selection of those which have been published hitherto, one must weigh what is and what is not to be believed.

[Term: On the edition of the cosmography of Marinus.]

[Initial M]
MARINUS the Tyrian, therefore, the last of the cosmographers of our time, seems to have applied himself to this matter with the greatest zeal. For he is known to have explored more things than were hitherto known. Then, having the most diligent knowledge of almost all historians who preceded him, he not only corrected whatever had been erred by others, but even those things which he himself had previously handled poorly, as can be perceived in the editions of his illustrated cosmography, which he refined in many ways. But if we were to look at his last work, nothing is lacking for it to be sufficient for him and for us, from those commentaries of his alone, to describe our habitable world without the investigation of others.

But since he himself seems to assent to certain observations not sufficiently worthy of faith, and furthermore is known often not to take due care for timely ease regarding the mode of designation, we were moved, not unworthily, to think it would be more convenient for the work to confer and provide [corrections] to the reasoning and use. This indeed we shall strive to do without insolence of words, as much as can be done, briefly touching upon both kinds of error as reason itself dictates. First, let us seek that which pertains to history, from which he himself opines: toward a greater longitude toward the rising of the sun, and toward a greater latitude in the south than is right for the earth known to us to be extended. We do not, however, unfairly call the distance of the surface tending from the setting to the rising of the sun "longitude," and the distance from the north to the south "latitude," since in celestial motions we call the parallels similarly. Furthermore, that which we call the greatest distance is longitude. It is indeed clearly granted by all that the distance of our habitable world which is extended from the rising of the sun to the setting is much greater than that which tends from the north to the south.

[Term: Emendation of the latitude of Marinus.]

[Initial P]
FIRST, therefore, he places the term of latitude at the island of Thyle [Thule], under the parallel which divides the most northern region of the earth known to us, which he shows to be as much as can be given: to be distant from the equinoctial by sixty-three degrees, of which the meridian circle is three hundred and sixty. He notes that latitude, however, as thirty-one thousand and five hundred stadia, as it is established that any degree consists of five hundred stadia.

After these things, he places the region of the Ethiopians named Agisymba and the promontory of Prasum under the parallel which limits the most southern region known to us, which parallel he places under the winter tropic [Tropic of Capricorn]. Wherefore the entire latitude between the equinoctial and the winter tropic, and between Thyle and the equinoctial, joined into one, completes almost eighty-seven degrees; truly forty-three thousand and five hundred stadia. He attempts, moreover, to show the reasoning for the southern limit through certain observations of the fixed stars, as he thinks, and through certain journeys made by land and sea, each of which we shall touch upon briefly. In the observation of the fixed stars, indeed, in the third volume of his work, he mentions under these words: "The Zodiac...

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