Note 405 — THE THIRD VOYAGE NORTH-WARD TO THE KINGDOMES OF CATHAIA and China, in Anno 1596.

Which we striuing and contending about it amongst our selues, we could not be satisfied, but wondred thereat, and amongst vs were of oppinion that we had mistaken our selues, which neuerthelesse we could [not] be persuaded vnto, for that euery day without faile we noted what had past, and also had vsed our clocke continually, and when that was frosen we vsed our houre-glasse of 12 houres long. Whereupon we argued with our selues in diuers wise, to know how we should finde out that difference, and learne405 the truth of the time; which to trie we agreed to looke into the Ephemerides made by Josephus Schala,406 printed in Venice, for the yeeres of our Lord 1589 till A. 1600, and we found therein that vpon the 24 day of January, (when the sunne first appeared vnto vs) that at Venice, the clocke being one in the night time,407 the moone and Jupiter were in coniunction.408 Whereupon we sought to knowe when the same coniunction should be ouer or about the house where we then were; and at last we found, yt the 24 day of January was the same day whereon the coniunction aforesaid happened in Venice, at one of the clocke in the night, and with vs in the morning when ye sun was in the east:409 for we saw manifestly that the two planets aforesaid aproached neere vnto each other,410 vntill such time as the moone and Jupiter stood iust ouer the other,411 both in the signe of Taurus,412 and that was at six of the clocke in the morning;413 at which time the moone and Jupiter were found by our compas to be in coniunction, ouer our house, in the north and by east point, and the south part of the compass was south-south-west, and there we had it right south,414 the moone being eight daies old; whereby it appeareth that the sunne and the moone were eight points different,415 and this was about sixe of the clocke in the morning:416 this place differeth from Venice fiue houres in longitude, whereby we maye gesse417 how much we were nearer east418 then the citie of Venice, which was fiue houres, each houre being 15 degrees, which is in all 75 degrees that we were more easterly then Venice. By all which it is manifestly to be seene that we had not failed in our account, and that also we had found our right longitude by the two planets aforesaid; for the towne of Venice lieth vnder 37 degrees and 25 minutes in longitude, and her declination419 is 46 degrees and 5 minutes;420 whereby it followeth that our place of Noua Zembla lieth vnder 112 degrees and 25 minutes in longitude, and the high of the Pole 76 degrees; and so you haue the right longitude and latitude. But from the vttermost [east] point of Noua Zembla to ye point of Cape de Tabin,421 the vttermost point of Tartaria, where it windeth southward, the longitude differeth 60 degrees.422 But you must vnderstand that the degrees are not so great as they are vnder the equinoxial line; for right vnder the line a degree is fifteene [60] miles; but when you leaue the line, either northward or southward, then the degrees in longitude do lessen, so that the neerer that a man is to the north or south Pole, so much the degrees are lesse: so that vnder the 76 degrees northward, where wee wintered, the degrees are but 3 miles and ⅔ parts [14⅔ miles],423 whereby it is to be marked424 that we had but 60 degrees to saile to the said Cape de Tabin, which is 220 [880] miles, so425 the said cape lieth in 172 degrees in longitude as it is thought: and being aboue it,426 it seemeth that we should be in the straight of Anian,427 where we may saile bouldlie into the south, as the land reacheth. Now what further instructions are to be had to know where we lost the sun428 vnder ye said 76 degrees upon the fourth of Nouember, and saw it again vpon the 24 of January, I leaue that to be described429 by such as make profession thereof: it suffiseth vs to haue shewed that it failed vs not to appeare at the ordinary time.430