Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654
| Name: | Blaeu, Joan, 1596-1673 |
| Title: | Ionnes Blaev Lectori Salvtem (cont.) |
| Pagination: | [2v] |
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added some of their own, and in addition descriptions, some done by themselves, some by others. An Orcadian, whom I had appointed to correct the errors of my printers, on request described the Orkneys and Shetlands, and others were taken from Buchanan and Camden; those of Camden were much corrected in many places by Scotstarvit.
Here you have, kind reader, the list of authors who have contributed to this work. Hence I have made the banquet now offered to you. A richer one I could not so far provide with great labour and expense; if you enjoy what meets your taste, if you have anything better, send it to me, send it please, I shall accept gratefully, and with a grateful mention of your name, if so decided, I shall publish it. Continue now, look at Scotland, and enjoy a feast for the eyes.
But I fear there is something I wish to mention before you settle down. The cities and monuments of Italy are to a great extent ready and I shall prepare them for you as a dessert, while you are going through Scotland. The maritime world you will also wait for, if you are not vexed at waiting, until it appears for your convenience and with my labour; for it must not be touched, as a certain person has now done, by unwashed hands, and it would be better to stay silent than thus hurriedly in writing much to write nothing and sell smoke. You will, I hope, reader, understand later, that nothing has hitherto been achieved, when you have perceived our attempts in that area. For I shall disrupt to some extent the order which I had decided to follow, forced by the rivalry of others. This will make Ptolemy and the remaining works of ancient geography, and in addition Greece and some other parts, appear rather later than I had thought. Sufficiently fast, if sufficiently well: I shall be seen to have succeeded if these labours of ours are not displeasing to you. For a man who hurries to have pleased gains nothing from it. You know how I hurry: see, while you have this part in your hands, returned from India the Rev. Father Martino Martini, bringing with him maps of the Chinese Empire together with descriptions of it (1). He is urging me to print them; and, putting everything else aside, I am pressing on with this work, so that I may as quickly as possible satisfy, refined reader, both his wish and your pleasure, with no other work interposed. Good-bye and enjoy our labours.