( 6'3 )

fame Course, proceed fartber, he will find the Passage sliorter; for', is wedraw a Line to prfs fromour Seas througb the 78 tb. or -jtyth. DegreeofLa-tttude to th eStreigbt of Jezzo, ir will be very near a'Straight Line; But ifany would from the fame Degrte o ( Latttude (having passed Nova Tembla}Chuse to Decline toward the Coast of Tartary , and Coast along by it till hemeet with some Streigbr, he would find his Course somewhat Longer,but perad*venture tätet and better; fmcemanyStreigbtj would Seasonably prcsent them-sclves to bim; and he might fafcly neglect the Meastire of Lovgttude, which inOpen Seas (and elpecially thosc that are near the Pole) is iound Difficult to beobserved. Neither ought thisto be any hindrance, but that the other may befrequented ; for, though in Places near the Pole-, the Moments of Longitude havegreat Variety in a Little Space; yet there ariseth not any great Difhculty fromthence ; fincc the Fault may more easily be RectiFy’d in Leflere Circles: Forthe Errour cannot be very Great, which falls out in Longitudts so much con-tracted.

Asto theTiiwe of the Year, wherein this Navigation ought to begin; itmay be consider’d Two ways. In the beginning of the Spring, viz. inthe Month of Marcb, it is Confefs’d by most Men, that the Winds andSeas are favourable to those that Sail to Spitzberg, and the Places near thePole, and that they may Run all that Course from these Parts in 12, or 13Days space : but when they have Pasi’d so far, if any Man would design toSail to the Streigbts of Jezzo, he must Steer his Course towards the South :But then these Motions of the Winds and Seas, which were Favourable tothosc who Sail’d Northward, will be Contrary to those who stand South--ward, and they may long enough expect Northern Gales, which scldomBlow till towards the latter end of Summer, viz, in the Month of August.If therefore any Man would contriveto difpatch his Voyagein thefhortestTime, it were his (äsest Rule to make choice of that Time of the Year , whereinhe might Soonest make to Spitzberg to and again, which I conceive wouldbe in the Beginning of Summer ; yet ic would be Laser to sct out Sooner, itthe Wind ptrmit. And although this Course' (hould Happily Lucceed»it follows not, that I should advisc them to observe the tarne in their re-tucn homeward; for, things of that Nature must be lest to the Prudenceand Conductos discreet Pilotsand Mariners; who are yet to beadvertised,that, fince thegreatest part of this Navigation is to be sought througb un-known Seas, they thun, as much as in them lyeth, all near Approacb totheCoastsand Istands which they {hall encounter, forfeärof the Ice ; andthat they may always make choice of the most Open Seas, which are ieastInfested with it, and in which the Colds are most Moderate. For, Expe-rier.ce bath sufficiently taught, that whole large Seas are never known tobeFrozen, but the Borders of the Seas near Land.only, and these by reafonof the Pier.ly of Freßi Waters that run into the Ocean, or the Snows Melred-in it. And the scme Experience hath taughr, that there is not that Dangerfrom the Fluctua ting Ice, as is vulgarly apprehended, especially in Seas notfubject to violent Storms, and within the 6 tb or rather tfic 8 tb Month ofthe Year.

When