ly within two points of west to the south
or to the north; whereby the course thither falleth out to be long and
tedious after June, which in March, April, and May, hath been performed
out of England in 22 days and less. We had wind always so scant from the
west-north-west, and from west-south-west again, that our traverse was
great, running south unto 41 degrees almost, and afterwards north into
51 degrees. Also we were encumbered with much fog and mists in manner
palpable, in which we could not keep so well together, but were
discovered, losing the company of the _Swallow_ and the _Squirrel_
upon the 20 day of July, whom we met again at several places upon
the Newfoundland coast the 3 of August, as shall be declared in place
convenient. Saturday, the 27 July, we might descry, not far from us, as
it were mountains of ice driven upon the sea, being then in 50 degrees,
which were carried southward to the weather of us; whereby may be
conjectured that some current doth set that way from the north.

Before we came to Newfoundland, about 50 leagues on this side, we pass
the bank, which are high grounds rising within the sea and under water,
yet deep enough and without danger, being commonly not less than 25 and
30 fathom water upon them; the same, as it were some vein of mountains
within the sea, do run along and form the Newfoundland, beginning
northward about 52 or 53 degrees of latitude, and do extend into the
south infinitely. The breadth of this bank is somewhere more, and
somewhere less; but we found the same about ten leagues over, having
sounded both on this side thereof, and the other toward Newfoundland,
but found no ground with almost 200 fathom of line, both before and
after we had passed the bank. The Portugals, and French chiefly, have a
notable trade of fishing upon this bank, where are sometimes an hundred
or more sails of ships, who commonly begin the fishing in April, and
have ended by July. That fish is large, always wet, having no land near
to dry, and is called cod fish. During the time of fishing, a man
shall know without sounding when he is upon the bank, by the incredible
multitude of sea-fowl hovering over the same, to prey upon the offals
and garbage of fish thrown out by fishermen, and floating upon the sea.

Upon Tuesday, the 11 of June we forsook the coast of England. So again
on Tuesday, the 30 of July, seven weeks after, we got sight of land,
being immediately embayed in the Grand Bay, or some