On The Identity of Weelkes’ ‘Fogo’

Recently I found myself again singing Weelkes' “Thule, the period of cosmography” from the Madrigals of Six Parts published in 1600 and, not for the first time, wondered where Fogo is:- “The Andalusian merchant, that returns Laden with cochineal and China dishes, Reports in Spain how strangely...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:R.M.A Research Chronicle
Main Author: Milne, J. G. C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1972
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14723808.1972.10540856
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0080446000000630
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Summary:Recently I found myself again singing Weelkes' “Thule, the period of cosmography” from the Madrigals of Six Parts published in 1600 and, not for the first time, wondered where Fogo is:- “The Andalusian merchant, that returns Laden with cochineal and China dishes, Reports in Spain how strangely Fogo burns Amidst an ocean full of flying fishes.” The first part of the madrigal refers to Hekla and Etna, both well-known volcanoes of the present day, but the location of Fogo is much less certain. E.H. Fellowes stated that it was a volcano in Tierra del Fuego but gave no evidence to support such an identification. It seems that everyone nowadays merely repeats Fellowes’ opinion, and it is quoted unchanged in the latest edition of English Madrigal Verse.