Nor can this opinion seem altogether frivolous unto any one that diligently peruseth our cosmographers' doings.

Josephus Moletius is of that mind, not only in his plain hemispheres of the world, but also in his sea-card.

The French geographers in like manner be of the same opinion, as by their map cut out in form of a heart you may perceive as though the West Indies were part of Asia, which sentence well agreeth with that old conclusion in the schools, _Quid-quid praeter Africum et Europam est_, _Asia est_, "Whatsoever land doth neither appertain unto Africa nor to Europe is part of Asia." Furthermore, it were to small purpose to make so long, so painful, so doubtful a voyage by such a new found way, if in Cathay you should neither be suffered to land for silks and silver, nor able to fetch the Molucca spices and pearl for piracy in those seas.

Of a law denying all aliens to enter into China, and forbidding all the inhabiters under a great penalty to let in any stranger into those countries, shall you read in the report of Galeotto Petera, there imprisoned with other Portuguese, as also in the Japanese letters, how for that cause the worthy traveller Xavierus bargained with a barbarian merchant for a great sum of pepper to be brought into Canton, a port in Cathay.

The great and dangerous piracy used in those seas no man can be ignorant of that listeth to read the Japanese and Indian history.
Finally, all this great labour would be lost, all these charges spent in vain, if in the end our travellers might not be able to return again, and bring safely home into their own native country that wealth and riches they in foreign regions with adventure of goods and danger of their lives have sought for.