World: There still remains the representation of the third world, of which you would have no knowledge other than that nothing is known about it except that it is a land extending towards the South, or Midi, from thirty degrees beyond the Equator, of much greater extent than the whole of America, only discovered by Magellan when he passed through the strait that is the passage between the Austral land and the southern quarter of America to go to the Moluccas... We know nothing of so fine, so great a country, which can have no less of wealth nor other properties than the Old and New Worlds. Regarding the situation and extent of this third world, it is impossible that there would not be marvelous things and delights, riches and other benefits of life there. Even if there be found there nothing worthy of record, the curiosity of the prince who visits it will always be praiseworthy. La Popelinière joined a number of his contemporaries in this conception: Guillaume Le Testu, Jean Alfonse, Guillaume Postel, André Thevet. According to him, if France discovered and colonized this third part of the world, the Terra Australis, an unknown and immense land, she would be able to efface the grave fault of not having set foot on the New World since the time of Christopher Columbus. Les Trois Mondes is an invitation to exploration, to adventure, and an appeal to those Frenchmen who would wish to go in the footsteps of Columbus, of Magellan, of Cortes and of Drake. La Popelinière said: “there remain more countries to know than we moderns have discovered”. He even set out the means in explaining that it would not require the finances of a monarch but those of a simple gentleman of means. In fact, La Popelinière had had before his eyes a memoir which developed the hypothesis of an Austral continent. Its author, André d’Albaigne (or D’Albagno), had continued the project of his brother Francesque and of a Portuguese pilot, Bartolomeu Velho, in 1571. The cosmographer André d’Albaigne claimed to possess: “the secrets, charts and necessary instruments for conquering and reducing to the obedience of His Majesty great extent of lands and realms abundant and rich in gold, silver, precious stones, drugs and spiceries”. Italo-Portuguese work on a hypothetical continent Francisque and André d'Albaigne were merchants from the Italian city of Lucca. Their name was “Dalbagnio”,