[Sidenote: A blacke Moores sonne borne in England.] Therefore to returne
againe to the blacke Moores. I myself haue seen an Ethiopian as blacke as a
cole brought into England, who taking a faire English woman to wife, begat
a sonne in all respects as blacke as the father was, although England were
his natiue countrey; and an English woman his mother: whereby it seemeth
this blacknes proceedeth rather of some natural infection of that man which
was so strong, that neither the nature of the Clime, neither the good
complexion of the mother concurring, coulde any thing alter, and therefore
wee cannot impute it to the natureof the Clime. [Sidenote: The colour of
the people in Meta Incognita. The complexion of the people of Meta
incognita.] And for a more fresh example, our people of Meta Incognita (of
whom and for whom this discourse is taken in hande) that were brought this
last yeere into England, were all generally of the same colour that many
nations be, lying in the middest of the middle Zone. And this their colour
was not onely in the face which was subiect to Sunne and aire, but also in
their bodies, which were still couered with garments as ours are, yea the
very sucking childe of twelue moneths age had his sonne of the very same
colour that most haue vnder the equinoctiall, which thing cannot proceed by
reason of the Clime, for that they are at least ten degrees more towardes
the North then wee in England are, No, the Sunne neuer commeth neere their
Zenith by fourtie degrees: for in effect, they are within three or foure
degrees of that which they call the frozen Zone, and as I saide, fourtie
degrees from the burning Zone, whereby it followeth, that there is some
other cause then the Climate or the Sonnes perpendicular reflexion, that
should cause the Ethiopians great blacknesse. And the most probable cause
to my judgement is, that this blackenesse proceedeth of some naturall
infection of the first inhabitants of that Countrey, and so all the whole
progenie of them descended, are still polluted with the same blot of
infection. Therefore it shall not bee farre from our purpose, to examine
the first originall of these blacke men, and howe by a lineall discent they