The natural and moral history of the Indies . Volume I The natural history (books I, II, III, and IV) [[electronic resource] /] / by Father Joseph de Acosta ; reprinted from the English translated ed. of Edward Grimeston, 1604 ; edited by Clements R. Markham

• Autore: Acosta José de <1540-1600.>
• Pubblicazione: Farnham [England] ; ; Burlington, Vt., : Ashgate, 2010
• Descrizione fisica: xlv, 295 p. : ill
• Disciplina: 918
• Soggetto topico: Indians of Mexico; Indians of South America
• Altri autori: MarkhamClements R, Sir, <1830-1916.> (Clements Robert)
• Note generali: Reprint. Originally published: London, 1880.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME -- INTRODUCTION -- DEDICATION TO THE INFANTA ISABELLA -- TRANSLATOR'S DEDICATION TO SIR ROBERT CECIL -- ADDRESS TO THE READER -- ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS -- THIS NATURAL HISTORY. First Book -- NATURAL HISTORY. BOOK I -- CHAPTER 1.-Of the opinions of some authors which supposed that the Heavens did not extend to the new found land -- View of St. Chrysostom -- Opinions of Theodoret and Lactantius -- „ St. Jerome and St. Augustine -- Fathers of the Church may err -- CHAPTER 2.-That the Heaven is round, on all parts moving in his course of itself -- Opinion of Aristotle correct -- The Author's own experience -- Proofs that the earth is round -- Motions of the stars -- Void places in the Heavens -- CHAPTER 3.-How the Holy Scripture teacheth us that the earth is in the middest of the world -- Roundness of the Heavens -- The waters -- The earth rests upon nothing -- Wisdom of the Creator -- CHAPTER 4.-Containing an answere to that which is objected out of the Holy Scripture against the roundness of the earth -- Explanation of St. Paul's words -- The letter kills -- the spirit quickeneth -- CHAPTER 5.- Of the fashion and forme of Heaven at the new found land -- Comparison of stars in North and South -- The Southern Cross -- Art of navigation -- Milky Way -- CHAPTER 6.-That there is Land and Sea under the two Poles -- Men as near Heaven in Peru as in Spain -- The Pole Antarticke -- Distribution of land and sea -- Land and sea at the Poles -- Question of a North West Passage -- CHAPTER 7.-To confute the opinion of Lactantius, who holdes there be no Antipodes -- Lactantius and St. Augustine on the Antipodes -- Reason corrects imagination -- The use of imagination -- CHAPTER 8.-The reason why St. Augustine denied the Antipodes -- Opinions of St. Augustine. ; His difficulty in the greatness of the ocean -- Concurrence of St. Gregory Nazianzen -- The Scriptures speak ouly of the then known world -- CHAPTER 9.-Of Aristotle's opinion touching the new Worlde, and what abused him to make him deny it -- Opinions of the ancients as to heat of the burning Zone -- Aristotle's opinion -- Want of knowledge among the Ancients -- Extreme cold and heat of Arctic and Torrid Zones -- The southern Zones -- CHAPTER 10.-That Plinie and the auncients held the same opinion with Aristotle -- Pliny thought the tropics uninhabitable -- Arguments of the ancients -- CHAPTER 11.-That in ancient Bookes we finde some knowledge of this newe world -- Voyage of Hanno -- Voyage of Eudoxus -- Ancient knowledge of the East Indies -- Sumatra and Malacca -- Prophecy of Seneca -- CHAPTER 12.-Of the opinions which Plato held of the West Indies -- Timseus and Critias -- Interpretation of sayings of Plato -- CHAPTER 13.-That some have held opinion that in places of Holy Scripture, whereas they spedke of Ophir, is to be understood of our Peru -- Hispaniola said to be Ophir -- Whether Peru be Ophir -- Fancied resemblance of names -- Ophir was in the East Indies -- CHAPTER 14.-What Tharsis and Ophir signify in the Holy Scriptures -- Identification of Tarshish -- Tarshish has divers meanings -- A general term -- CHAPTER 15.-Of the Prophecie of Abdias, which some doe interpret to be the Indies -- The discovery of America said to have been foretold in Scripture -- Prophecy of Obadiah -- Sepbarad (Zarephath) supposed to be Spain -- Cities of the South may be the Indies -- Prophecy of Isaiah -- Many nations to whom Christ has not yet been preached -- CHAPTER 16.-By what meanes the first men might come to the Indies, the which was not willingly nor of set purpose -- The New World not peopled by a miracle -- Opinion of the Author. ; Passage in ships considered -- New World not reached in ships -- The ancients were ignorant of the compass -- CHAPTER 17.-Of the properties and admirable virtue of the Adamante stone for navigation, whereof the Ancients had no knowledge -- Use of the compass in navigation -- Virtues of the load stone -- Time of its discovery uncertain -- Variation of the compass -- Four points of no variation -- CHAPTER 18.- Wherein an answere is made to them that say that in times passed they have sailed through the Ocean as at this day -- Long voyages not proved by Scripture -- Tn ancient books no proof of long voyages -- The ancients only coasted along the shore -- CHAPTER 19.-That we may conjecture how the first inhabitants of the Indies came thither by force of weather and not willingly -- Story of the discovery of America by a nameless pilot -- Most new countries discovered by chance -- Wonderful voyage recorded by Cornelius Nepos -- Ship of Carthage driven to the New World -- Giants said to have landed in Peru -- People of Yea and Arica sailed in South Sea -- Most discoveries due to chance -- CHAPTER 20.-Notwithstanding all that hath bene said, it is more likely that the first inhabitants of the Indies came by land -- The beasts could not have come by sea -- No new creation in America -- Beasts could not have swum to the New World -- Belief of the Author in a narrow strait -- CHAPTER 21.-By what means tame beasts passed to the Indies -- The Indians could only make short voyages -- No beasts on the West Indian Islands -- Animals reach islands by swimming -- CHAPTER 22.-That the lineage of the Indians hath not passed by the Atlantis Island as some do imagine -- The Atlantis of Plato -- Atlantis a fable -- Pliny on Mount Atlas and Atlantis -- CHAPTER 23.-That the opinion of many which hold that the first race of the Indians comes from the Jews is not true. ; A text of Esdras applied to the Indies -- Resemblance between dress of Jews and Indians -- Points of difference -- The opinion confuted -- CHAPTER 24.-The reason why we can find no beginning of the Indians -- The peopling of the Indies was gradual -- The first arrivals savage and hunters -- CHAPTER 25.-What the Indians report of their beginning -- Tradition of a deluge -- Origin of the Yncas -- Origin of American civilizations -- Second Book -- BOOK II -- CHAPTER 1.-That it is not out of purpose, but necessarie to treate of the nature of the Equinoctiall -- The Equinoctial defined -- CHAPTER 2.-For what reasons the ancients held that the burning Zone was not inhabitable -- Effect of Sun's motion on temperature -- The further a country is from the Son's course the colder -- The hottest near the Zodiacs -- Dryness and moisture caused by the Sun -- Hence Aristotle's opinion of the Southern heat -- CHAPTER 3.-That the burning Zone is very moist, contrary to the opinion of the Ancients -- Yet the burning Zone is inhabited -- The seasons occur, but at different times -- Seasons of greatest moisture -- CHAPTER 4.-That in the Regions which be without the Tropicks there is greatest store of waters whenas the Sunne is farthest off, contrary to that under the burning Zone -- Climate of Chile -- Cause of inundation of the Nile -- Inundation of the Paraguay or river Plate -- CHAPTER 5.- That betwixt the two Tropicks the greatest aboundance of raine is in Summer, with a discourse of Winter and Summer -- Winter and Summer in the Tropics -- Seasons in Peru -- CHAPTER 6.-That the burning Zone abounds with waters and pastures, against the opinion of Aristotle who holds the contrarie -- Abundance of Water in the Tropics -- The great river Amazons -- Lake Titicaca -- Question of drainage of Titicaca. ; CHAPTER 7.-Shewing the reason why the Sunne without the Tropicks causeth greatest quantitie of waters when it is farthest off -- and contrariwise within them it breedeth most wheu, it is nearest -- Rain caused by heat of the Sun -- Effect of the Sun on vapour -- Effect of heat on moisture -- Dry regions in the tropics -- CHAPTER 8.-How wee should understand that which hath been formerly spoken of the burning Zone -- Dry region on the coast of Peru -- Exceptions to natural rules -- CHAPTER 9.-That the Burning Zone is not violently hotte, but moderate -- Moderate beat in the tropics -- The Author's experience -- CHAPTER 10.-That the heat of the burning Zone is temperate, by reason of the rayne and the shortness of tlie dayes -- Heat tempered by rain -- Length of days and nights -- Causes for moderate heat in the tropics -- CHAPTER 11.-That there be other reasons besides the former men- tioned, which shew that the burning Zone is temperate, especially alongst the Ocean -- Causes for temperate climate in the tropics -- The sea tempers the heat -- CHAPTER 12.-That the highest lands are the coldest, and the reason thereof -- The middle region of the air the coldest -- Nature of the elements -- CHAPTER 13.-That the colde windes be the principall cause to make the burning Zone temperate -- Coolness of the night not sufficient to moderate Sun's heat -- Effect of winds in the tropics -- Land and Sea Breezes -- CHAPTER 14.- That they which inhabite under tfie Equinoctiall live a sweete and pleasant life -- Importance of healthy air -- A healthy life possible in the tropics -- These two books written in the Indies. The five following in Europe -- ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER -- THE NATURAL HISTORY. Third Book -- BOOK III -- CHAPTER 1.-That the naturall Historie of the Indies is pleasant and agreeable. ; He that takes delight in the works of nature shall taste the true pleasure of Histories.
• Titolo autorizzato: The natural and moral history of the Indies
• ISBN: 1-282-88068-3; 9786612880681; 1-4094-1566-X
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910809414103321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II
• Serie: Works issued by the Hakluyt Society ; ; no. 60.