one towne or
forte in actuall possession in all Nova Hispania to the northe of the
Tropick of Cancer, which standeth in 23. degrees and an halfe, excepte the
towne of St. Helen and one or twoo small fortes in Florida; ffor as it is
in the mappe of Culiacan, sett oute twoo yeres paste with all diligence by
Ortelius, Saincte Michael ys the furthest towne nothwarde on the backside
of America; and Panuco and Villa Sancti Jacobi are the moste northerly
colonies upon the Bay of Mexico that the Spaniardes inhabite; as the
aforesaide Ortelius witnesseth in his mapp of those partes sett oute this
presente yere, 1584; which three townes above named are under or within
the Tropicke of Cancer. And so the Kinge of Spaine hath no footinge
beyonde the said tropicke; which is contrary to the opinion of the vulgar
sorte, which ymagine, and by some are borne in hande, that all is his from
the equinoctiall as farr as the lande stretcheth towardes the pooles.

Againe, that parte from the equinoctiall to the southe ys not inhabited by
the Spaniarde any further then unto the Tropicke of Capricorne, as ys to
be seene by the mappe of Peru this presente yere, 1584. published by
Ortelius; neither is it peopled by the Spaniardes to any purpose savinge
onely alonge the sea coaste. And howe weake they are there, and what
simple shippinge they have, and howe dayly they be afflicted by the
inhabitauntes, Sir Fraunces Drake can tell, and the letters by him
intercepted doe declare. One Peter Benzo de Millano, which was fourtene
yeres in those partes, writeth, that they holde greate townes, some with
tenne, some with sixe, some with foure, and some with twoo souldiers, and
that they commaunded that all the Italians, whome they called Levantines
in contempte, shoulde departe those contries, fearinge they shoulde
reveale their nakednes to the worlde, and encourage others to sett in
footinge there.

Seinge then they suffer no people of Europe to inhabite there savinge
onely Spaniardes, any reasonable man that knoweth the barenes, desolation,
and wante of men in Spaine, together with these eightene yeres civill
warres that hath wasted so many thousandes of them in the Lowe Contries,
must nedes confesse that they have very simple forces there. The provinces
which he holdeth are indeede many, yet more denuded than ever was any
empire since the creation of the worlde. Some of his contries are
dispeopled, some barren, some so far asonder, also held by tyrannie