“Etym. Espagn. et ital. barga. Diez ne veut pas qu’ il soit d’origine germanique, et il en rapproche le kymri bargodi, surplomber, bargod, bord. Cependant le bas-latin berga, garde, défense (qui vient de l’allemand bergen, défendre, protéger), n’ aurait-il pas pu donner, par une série de sens, défense, fortification, meule, et finalement bord escarpé?”—Dictionnaire de la langue Française. Littré.
[446] “On appelle aussi en tèrme de Mèr, bèrges, ou barges, les grands rochers, âpres & rélevez à pic; c’est-à-dire, droitement & à plomb, comme les bèrges ou barges d’Olone: telles sont Sylla & Carybde vers Messine.”—Dictionnaire Trevoux.
[447] Gerard Mercator was born at Rupelmonde, in East Flanders, on the fifth of March, 1512. Mercator is the Latinized form of his German name, Kremer, a tradesman, merchant. After studying at Bois-le-Duc, in Brabant, he entered the university of Louvain. He selected for his profession the manufacture of mathematical instruments and the art of drawing and engraving. His cartographic fame began with the engraving of a map of Palestine, in 1537. Next followed a map of Flanders, in 1540. Then in 1541, a large terrestrial globe, which he dedicated to the “Illustriss Dno Nicolao Perrenoto, Domino à Granuella”; the original drawings of which are preserved in the Royal library of Belgium, in Brussels. In 1552, Mercator removed from Louvain to Duisburg, where, in 1569, he made his famous map of the world. He died in December, 1594.
[448] The original map is now in the possession of the count of Crawford and Balcarres, Scotland.
[449] The edict of Francis I., appointing his mother, Louise of Savoy, regent, is dated October, 17, 1524, but before this time she had virtually assumed in part the direction of the government.
[450] The large gulf is that which is now called the Gulf of Mexico.
“A discourse of a great French sea-captain of the town of Dieppe concerning the voyages made to the New World of the West Indies called New France, from the fortieth to the forty-seventh parallel under the arctic pole, and concerning the country of Brazil, Guinea, Isle of St. Lawrence and that of Sumatra as far as the French caravels and ships have sailed.”—Discorso d’vn gran capitano di mare Francese del Lvogno di Dieppa. Raccolta di navigationi et viaggi. Ramusio. vol. iii. fol. 353.
[451] Les voyages auantureaux dv capitaine Ian Alfonce, Sainctongeois. Auec Priuilege du Roy. A Poitiers, au Pelican par Ian de Marnef.
Jean Alphonse died about the year 1548.
[452] The two first leaves of the manuscript are lost and with them the title of the work. Inasmuch as the subject of the work is defined in what may be said is the preface, and as the manuscript at the beginning and at the end bears the names of “Jehan Allefonsce” and “Raulin Secalart, cosemographe de Honnefleur, 1545,” the title of the work maybe reconstructed and written: Cosmographie de Jehan Allefonsce et Raulin Secalart. 1545. The manuscript is a folio of one hundred and ninety-four leaves. It is designated MS. No. 676.