ther main or island be found or
judged to be parcel of this Atlantis than those western islands, which
now bear the name of America; countervailing thereby the name of Atlantis
in the knowledge of our age.

Then, if when no part of the said Atlantis was oppressed by water and
earthquake, the coasts round about the same were navigable, a far greater
hope now remaineth of the same by the north-west, seeing the most part of
it was since that time swallowed up with water, which could not utterly
take away the old deeps and channels, but, rather, be many occasion of
the enlarging of the old, and also an enforcing of a great many new; why
then should we now doubt of our North-West Passage and navigation from
England to India, etc., seeing that Atlantis, now called America, was
ever known to be an island, and in those days navigable round about,
which by access of more water could not be diminished?

Also Aristotle in his book _De Mundo_, and the learned German, Simon
Gryneus, in his annotations upon the same, saith that the whole earth
(meaning thereby, as manifestly doth appear, Asia, Africa, and Europe,
being all the countries then known) to be but one island, compassed about
with the reach of the Atlantic sea; which likewise approveth America to
be an island, and in no part adjoining to Asia or the rest.

Also many ancient writers, as Strabo and others, called both the ocean
sea (which lieth east of India) Atlanticum Pelagus, and that sea also on
the west coasts of Spain and Africa, Mare Atlanticum; the distance
between the two coasts is almost half the compass of the earth.

So that it is incredible, as by Plato appeareth manifestly, that the East
Indian Sea had the name of Atlanticum Pelagus, of the mountain Atlas in
Africa, or yet the sea adjoining to Africa had name Oceanus Atlanticus,
of the same mountain; but that those seas and the mountain Atlas were so
called of this great island Atlantis, and that the one and the other had
their names for a memorial of the mighty Prince Atlas, sometime king
thereof, who was Japhet, youngest son to Noah, in whose time the whole
earth was divided between the three brethren, Shem, Ham, and Japhet.

Wherefore I am of opinion that America by the north-west will be found
favourable to this our enterprise, and am the rather emboldened to
believe the same, for that I find it not only confirmed by Plato,
Aristotle, and other ancient philosophers, but also by the best modern
geographer