Royal MS 20 E IX

The manuscript contains the Boke of Idrography (also known as the Rotz Atlas) by Jean Rotz, hydrographer and navigtor of Dieppe, who probably took part in the expedition from Dieppe to Sumatra under the command of Jean Parmentier in 1529–30, and in 1539 travelled to Guinea and Brazil. The atlas is composed of 12 maps in colours and gold with partial borders, and prefatory texts accompanied by diagrams in colours and gold.

Contents:

1. The royal coat of arms of Henry VIII supported by the red dragon and white greyhound, with an inscription reading: 'This boke of Idrography is made be me Johne Rotz, sarvant to the Kingis mooste excellent Majeste. Gode save his Majeste' (f. 1v).

2. Dedication to Henry VIII, in French, in which he mentions his original intention to dedicate it to the King of France, who was then his 'Sovereign and Natural Lord' (f. 2r).

3. Introduction: 'The Introduction of the thingis, the quhitche are conteint in this booke. For to know the thingis conteint in this booke, it is to be wnderstand, that in the first thair is one figure for to know the maner of the poinctes or routtis of all the wyndes of the Sey compas; and efter thair is one uther figur, that doys teche the maner for to tak the eslevation of the poll in every region, and this be the Norht Starr. Item more efter is declarit in one other leff the maner for to take the latitude in every region be the moyens of the sonne, and of one tabil of his declination from the equinoctial. Than cummis nixt efter in the leffes following the landes and sey costes of the Worlde, in so furr as be marinares and other saillarres it is knowin; the quhitche descripsion of landis is set be ordorr, so that every leffe doys begynne thair quhair the precedent of it did leif, and so dois proceid quhil all the knowin partes of the sey costes be shawin in partiallitez. Quhair than thair doys cum in one leff the hoole description of the sey carte, made in rondnes efter the maner of cosmography, for in it al the costes ar ordaint wnder the meridiens and degrez of latitud, that be experiens ar fonde corresponding to thame. Item in the bordorres of the leffes of the booke or set the tabilles, quhar the leigges or merkit and writin with cyfres be thair nombres, efter the proportion of xvij legges and one halfe for every degre of latitud, as be al saillars it is acoustumit. Item longes the bordorres of the said lef fes ar markit the degrez of latitud efter thair proportiouns and distances, be soche maner, that those that be benorth the equinoctial ar writtin in thair nombres with blak lectrez of cyfre, and those that be be the southe partes of the said equinoctial ar writtin with reid lectrez of cyfre. So that be this lytil introduction may be al thinges clerly wnderstond.' (f. 2r).

4. 'The maner for to knowe the wyndis of all the pointes of the sey compas', with a diagram of the rose of the winds (f. 3v).

5. 'The maner for to knowe the elevacyon of the polle be the Northe Starr', with a diagram (f. 4r).

6. A calendar (f. 5v).

7. 'Tabil of the nombir of the degrez of the equinox, that every paralele of latitud doth contene of thame' (f. 6r).

8. 'The extration of radices' (f. 6r).

9. Eleven charts drawn on a plane scale (ff. 7v-30r):

• Chart of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, from 34ł north to 11ł south (ff. 7v-8r).
• Chart of the Indian Ocean, from Cape Comorin on the west to Aimoey Bay in China on the east, and from 25ł north to 19ł south, including 'Lytil Java.' [See the extract from Malte-Brun] (ff. 9v-10r).
• Chart of the coasts of Asia and Africa from Cape Comorin to Cape Delgado, including the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea (ff. 11v-12r).
• Chart of the eastern coast of Africa, from the Line to the Cape, with Madagascar and the Ethiopian Archipelago (ff. 13v-14r).
• Chart of South Africa from 15ł south on the east coast to 6ł north on the west coast (ff. 15v-16r).
• Chart of the western coast of Africa from the Gulf of Guinea to the Straits, with the adjacent isles, and a small part of the coast of South America (ff. 17v-18r).
• General chart of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and the coasts of Europe, with the North Sea and the Baltic (ff. 19v-20r).
• Chart of the western coast of Europe, with the opposite coast of North America, from 74ł to 29ł north (ff. 21v-22r).
• Chart of the eastern coast of America from 51ł to 6ł north, the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico (ff. 23v-24r).
• Chart of the Atlantic Ocean, with the western coast of Africa from 27ł to 9ł north, and the opposite coast of South America from 9ł north to 10ł south (ff. 25v-26r).
• Chart of the eastern coast of South America from 6ł south to the Straits of Magellan (ff. 27v-28r).
• The Eastern and Western Hemispheres (ff. 29v-30r).

10. The motto and Henry VIII's badge of the Tudor Rose surmounted by a crown (f. 31v).

11. Inscription: 'Heir endeth this booke of Idrography, made be me Johne Rotz, sarvant to the Kingis mooste exellent Majeste, in the yer of owr Lord Gode jm. vc. xlij. and of his mooste triumphant regne the xxxiiij. yere. Excludit. Gode save his majeste' (f. 32r).