Ultima Thule, suppos’d by some to be Ireland. Vide Georgic.

The Voyage of Hanno.

Of Eudoxus, Strab. l. 2.

The Sacred Scripture testifies, That the Kings of Judea, Solomon, Jehosaphat, Ozias, and others, prepar’d several Fleets that Sail’d through remote Seas, freighting themselves with Gold from Ophir, and other Rarities, which were Imported to supply and enrich the Holy-Land. And Strabo also tells us, That King Solomon being contemporary with Homer, then discover’d India. And Pliny relates, That the Romans, in the Reign of Augustus, passing the Straights of Gibraltar, and sleighting the Ne plus ultra, Coasted Spain, France, and Belgium, leaving not at the Promontory of the Cimbrians (now call’d Shager-Riff) but also ventur’d into the Northern Ocean, which washes Norwey and Lapland: But long before this, as Athenæus relates, Phileas Taurominites, a Grecian Captain, and several others pass’d the Herculean-Pillars, penetrating the Northern Seas as far as Britain, and adventuring, made the first Discovery of Thule: And to the Southward the African Coasts without Gibraltar, and beyond Atlas, were now and then explor’d by several expert Captains. But more remarkable is the Voyage of Hanno a Carthaginian, who out-sail’d these, and inspected the Coasts of Africa, as far as the Gorgades: And Eudoxus Cyzicenus, flying from King Lathyrus, set Sail from the Arabian Gulph, and passing the Great-Cape, came to an Anchor at last in the Mouth of Gibraltar, having discover’d all the Eastern, Southern, and Western parts of Africa.

Strange Voyage of some Indians.

Of Menelaus.

Moreover, it deserves special observation, That an antient Swedish King, as Cornelius Nepos relates, sent as a Rarity and great Present to the Roman Consul Metellus Celer, some Indians, who loosing their course, hatter’d up and down with perpetual Storms and stress of Weather, were at last driven into the Northern Ocean, where they suffer’d Shipwrack; yet saving themselves, Landed on his Coast: Aristonicus Gramaticus relates, That Menelaus Sailing from the Sack of Troy, became so great a Voyager, that leaving the Straights, he surrounded Africa, and discovering India, after eight years re-measuring the same way he went, return’d with great Riches in safety to his own Kingdom: Which is consentaneous to Homer, who saith, Odyss. l. 4.

——None must compare
Mansions with Jove, his Seats Celestial are:
But with me any may, who eight years tost
Through Worlds of Miseries from Coast to Coast,
’Mongst unknown Seas, of my Return small hope,
Cyprus, Phœnicia, Ægypt,[[1]] Æthiope,
Sidon, Erembos found, and Lybia, where
Their Lambs are horn’d, their Ews teem thrice a year.
 ——Ἤτοι ζηνὶ βροτῶν οὐκ ἄντις ἐρίζοι.
Ἀθάνατοι γὰρ τοῦ γε δόμοι καὶ κτήματ ἔασιν.
Ἀνδρῶν δ’ ἤκεν τίς μοί ἐρίζεται ἠὲ, καὶ οὐκὶ
Κτήμασιν; ἠ~ γὰρ πολλὰ παθὼν, καὶ πόλλ’ ἐπαληθεὶς
Ἠγαγόμην ἐν νηυσὶ, καὶ ὀγδοάτω ἔτει ἦλθον
Κύπρον, φοίνικην τε καὶ ἀιγυπτίους ἐπαληθεὶς,
Ἀιθιοπάς θ’ ἱκόμην, καὶ σιδονίους καὶ ἐρεμβοὺς
Καὶ Λιβύην, ἵνα τ’ ἄρνευ ἄφαρ κεραοὶ τελετ/ὁυσι,
Τρὶς γὰρ τίκτει μῆλα τελευφόρον εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν.

[1]. The Commentators on Homer have been very inquisitive to find out Menelaus Voyage into Æthiopia. Crates suppos’d that he pass’d out at the Straights, doubled the Southern Cape, and so arriv’d thither. Eratosthenes conjectures, that in the time of Homer the Straights Mouth was an Isthmus, and the Ægyptian Isthmus overflow’d by the Sea, which afforded him a shorter passage. But that is most probable which Strabo delivers, that he then went to the borders of Æthiopia, when he pass’d up Ægypt to the City of Thebes; the Borders of Æthiopia being not far distant from thence in Strabo’s time, probably very near it in Homer’s.

Remarkable Voyage of an Indian into Egypt,