America, and the Northern parts thereof, and thereupon have gone about
to entitle the Queen of England (Elizabeth) to be the Soveraigne of
these Provinces by right of Descent from King Arthur. But the Wisdom
of our State has been such as to neglect that Opinion, imagining
it to be grounded upon fabulous Foundations, as many things are,
that are asserted of King Arthur. Only this doth convey some Shew
with it, that, now some Hundred Years, there was a Knight of Wales
who with Shipping, and some pretty Company did go to discover these
parts, whereof, as there is some record of reasonable Credit amongst
the Monuments of Wales, so there is nothing which giveth pregnant
Shew thereunto, that in the late Navigations of some of our Menta
Norumbega, and some other northern parts of America they found
some tokens of Civility and Christian Religion; but especially
they do meet with some Words of the Welsh Language, as that a Bird
with a white Head should be called Penguinn, and other such like;
yet because we have now invincible certainty thereof, and if any
thing were done, it was only in the Northern and worse part, and
the Intercourse between Wales and those parts in the space of 700
Years, was not continued, but quite silenced, we may go forward
with that opinion that these Western Indies were no way known to
former ages."

From this Extract we learn that in the Days of Queen Elizabeth a
Tradition prevailed, that at some former Period, Britons went to
America. But that this happened in the Days of King Arthur, and
that he had knowledge of Foreign Countries, or any Dominion in
them, is altogether in-incredible. The Knight of Wales, mentioned
by our Author certainly was Prince Madog; but his Emigration is
placed too early by about 400 years; for all Writers agree, that
if he sailed at all, it was in 1169, or 1170. The above Book was