to a narowe poincte. Asmuche as is enhabited therof, is a plentuous soile,
but the great parte of it lieth waste, voide of enhabitauntes, either to
whote [Footnote: Too hot.] for menne to abide, or full of noisome and
venemous vermine, and beastes, or elles so whelmed in sande and grauell,
that there is nothing but mere barreinesse. The sea that lieth on the
Northe parte, is called Libicum, that on the Southe Aethiopicum, and the
other on the West Atlanticum.

At the first the whole was possest by fower sondrie peoples. Of the whiche,
twaine (as Herodotus writeth) ware founde there, tyme out of minde, and the
other twaine ware alienes and incommes. The two of continuance, ware the
Poeni, and Ethiopes, whiche dwelte, the one at the Northe of the lande, the
other at the South. The Alienes, the Phoenices, the Grekes, the old
Ethiopians, and the Aegipcienes, if it be true that thei report of
themselues. At the beginnyng thei were sterne, and vnruly, and bruteshely
liued, with herbes and with fleshe of wilde beastes, without lawe or rule,
or facion of life, roilyng and rowmyng vpon heade, heather and thether
without place of abode, where night came vpon them, there laiyng their
bodies to reste. Afterwarde (as thei saie) Hercules passyng the seas out of
Spaine, into Libie (a countrie on the Northe shore of Afrike) and bringyng
an ouerplus of people thence with hym, somewhat bettre facioned and manered
then thei, trained them to muche more humanitie. And of the troughes
[Footnote: Ships.] thei came ouer in, made themselues cotages, and began to
plante in plompes [Footnote: Clumps, bodies.] one by another. But of these
thinges we shall speake here aftre more at large.

Afrike is not euery place a like enhabited. For toward the Southe it lieth
for the moste part waste, and vnpeopled, for the broilyng heate of that
quatre. But the part that lieth ouer against Europe, is verie well
enhabited. The frutefulnesse of the soile is excedyng, and to muche