IO. ANTONIUS

MAGINUS TO THE STUDENTS OF GEOGRAPHY

PREFACE.

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Decorative drop cap 'G' at the start of the text, with the letter form intertwined with foliate patterns and a human face.

The utility and necessity of the knowledge of GEOGRAPHY is more conspicuous and evident than to require demonstration. For without this, in public assemblies, in discussing affairs, and in conducting serious matters which encompass the salvation and safety of the human race, the life of men would be imperfect; and poorly accommodated to political affairs and, generally, to the actions of the whole life to be instituted and governed publicly and privately. I omit to relate how much the discipline itself brings light and convenience to other disciplines and arts, and how much it is related to every state of men, since we have fully performed that in the commentary of this first book: I shall say this one thing only, that nothing can seem more excellent, or more pleasant, or more delectable, or more useful, and indeed more necessary to man, than to obtain knowledge of this earthly world, which the highest God granted us to inhabit in the first place, if not perfect and absolute; at least such, and as much, as can suffice for a political man. Whence that most wise saying should not seem more true: "Know thyself," than this, "Know what is around you": if indeed it is shameful to be ignorant of those things, the knowledge of which is most necessary for leading a life uprightly, namely the boundaries of regions and provinces, the sites, magnitudes, and positions of cities, towns, rivers, springs, lakes, groves, mountains, valleys, islands, reefs, and promontories hanging over the sea: the motions of the seas, their breadths, and depths: convenient or inconvenient ports; the curves of bays, and many other things of this kind. Then also what is the quality of the various parts of the earth, the temper of the sky, the diversity of things born from the earth, the customs, rites, and laws of men, and many other things. Moreover, this Geographical discipline is to be embraced and pursued especially by Prince men, since they need it more than the gathering of other men: but Geography itself no less demands the patronage and help of Princes themselves, so that it can be increased, perfected, and preserved. To whom indeed the care of these disciplines, which serve the public use of the whole human race, is divinely commanded and commended: for they themselves will hardly be able to merit more brilliantly from the human race by any other benefit than if they apply themselves, so that through the work and industry of craftsmen, a whole and absolute description of the earth may be handed down to posterity for individual ages; which indeed cannot be performed at the expense of private men.

Nor is it sufficient if the description of the universal world has been completed once; for that will indeed serve only one age, and not perpetually. It is certain that notable variations occur continuously in parts of the earth, on account of the incursions of wars; inundations of waters; the bursting forth and retreats of the seas; the instability of empires, kingdoms, and dominions. For not only do regions, cities, towns, rivers, and other things of this kind change their names according to the time, having completely lost the former ones; but also the boundaries of those very regions vary, and cities and towns are destroyed by old age, overturned by the calamity of wars, and others are founded anew, and the sea in one place dilates the continent of the earth, in another it narrows it, and rivers sometimes grow, sometimes diminish, sometimes change their courses, sometimes even fail completely. Thus also springs, ponds, and marshes are dried up elsewhere, but created elsewhere, so that nothing can certainly be judged more labile than the human condition. Therefore, the picture and face of the whole earth and of individual regions of this century is different than it was in the age of Ptolemaeus and the ancients. Whence a modern Geographical description of the earth should seem no less necessary for present times than Ptolemaeus's Geographical maps are for past ones. For who will understand histories perfectly without the inspection of ancient maps? Indeed, the certainty and light of histories cannot be drawn entirely from Ptolemaeus's Geographical maps, since they do not correspond to all the ages of the ancients: For not all cities, towns, mountains, rivers, and peoples, which are mentioned by writers of diverse times, can be detected in them, so that ASCANIUS SFORCIA, a most ample Cardinal, and a most kind Prince, and most adorned with every kind of virtue, can provide faith before others, who indeed, having followed the best and most certain method, combined this Geographical discipline with the assiduous reading of ancient historiographers, not without the continuous inspection of Ptolemaeus's maps. Whence he is so versed in the knowledge of ancient histories, and the description of the ancient geographers, especially Ptolemaeus and Strabo, that he not only equals any one of this age skilled in these disciplines, but even surpasses them by far. While I was staying with him last summer, so that he might understand the foundations of Geography from the sources of Geometry, Arithmetic, and Astronomy from us, and be instructed in other Mathematical disciplines as well, I put the final hand to this Geographical volume, but especially at that time I wrote this entire commentary on the first book of Ptolemaeus's Geographical enarration, which indeed I would have presented as more ample,