speaketh euyll of the poure resisteth and speaketh euyll of god Thou shalt not speake euyll of the prince or ruler of thy people saith saint Paule But wheras nowe by the poure of Neptunus I wot nere with what wynde I haue byn dryuen thus farre from my nauigations The nauigations of the Spanyardes I haue thoughâ— good to turne my sayles and to folowe the ordinarie course which I beganne and by thexemple of this woorthy capitayne kynge Ferdinando encourage al other to theyr poure to attempte the lyke vyages As touchynge the which in fewe woordes to declare my opynyon if any man sâ—ulde asâ—e me what I thynke these thinges wyll growe to in tyme I wyll answere as dooth the autoure of this booke that when I consyder howe farre owre posteritie shall see the Christian religion enlarged I am not able with tounge or penne to expresse what I conceaue hereof in my mynd Yet one thyng I see which enforceth me to speake lament that the haruest is so great the workemen so few The Spanyardes haue shewed a good exemple to all Chrystian nations to folowe But as god is great and woonderfull in all his woorkes so besyde the portion of lande perteynyng to the Spanyardes beinge eyght tymes bygger then Italye as yowe maye reade in the laste booke of the seconde Decade and beside that which perteineth to the Portugales Itali is 〈◊〉 myles in lengthe and 126. in breadthe there yet remayneth an other portion of that mayne lande reachynge towarde the northeast thought to be as large as the other and not yet knowen but only by the sea coastes neyther inhabyted by any Christian men whereas neuerthelesse as wryteâ—h Gemma Phrisius in this lande there are many fayre and frutefull regions hygh mountaynes and fayre ryuers with abundaunce of golde and dyuers kyndes of beastes Also cities and towres so wel buylded and people of such ciuilitie that this parte of the worlde seemeth lyttle inferiour to owre Europe if thinhabitauntes had receaued owre religion They are wyttâ—e people and refuse not barterynge with straungers These regioÌ„s are cauled Terra Florida and Regio Baccalearum or Bacchallaos of the which yow may reade sumwhat in this booke in the vyage of the woorthy owlde man yet lyuing Sebastiane Cabote The lande cauled Terra florida regio baccalearum in the .vi. booke of the thyrde Decade Looke the last booke thirde decade But Cabote touched only in the north corner and most barbarous parte hereof This region is now cauled Noua Hispania Sâ—m thinke that this câ—tie is Quinsaâ— of marcus Pâ—ulus from whense he was repulsed with Ise in the moneth of Iuly Neuerthelesse the west and south partes of these regions haue sence byn better searched by other and founde to bee as we haue sayde before The chiefe citie in the southwest partes of these regions is cauled Temixtetan or Mexico in maner vnder the circle cauled Tropicus Cancri and sâ—rongely defended by the nature of the place Looke the last booke of the 3. decade and the beâ—â—nâ—ing of the booke of â—he landâ—s lately â—ound For it standeth in a very great lake hauynge abowt it innumerable bridges and buyldynges to be compared to the woorkes of Dedalus Thâ—nhabitaunâ—es also can wryte and reade Summe wryters connecte thâ—s lande to the firme lande of Asia But the truth hereof is not yet knowen And althoughe the Spanyardes haue certeyne colonies in that part of this lande that is nowe cauled Noua Hispania yet are the people for the moste parte Idolatours Howe much therfore is it to be lamented and howe greatly dooth it sounde to the reproche of all Christendome and especially to such as dwell nerest to these landes as we doo beinge muche nearer vnto the same then are the Spanyardes as within .xxv. dayes saylinge and lesse howe muche I saye shall this sounde vnto owre reproche and inexcusable slothfulnesse and negligence bothe before god and the worlde that so large dominions of such tractable people and pure gentiles not beinge hytherto corrupted with any other false religion and therefore the easyer to bee allured to embrase owres are nowe knowen vnto vs and that we hauâ— no respecte neyther for goddes cause nor for owre owne commoditie to attempte summe vyages into these coastes to doo for owr partes as the Spaniardes haue doone for theyrs and not euer lyke sheepe to haunte one trade and to doo nothynge woorthy memorie amonge men or thankes before god who maye herein woorthely accuse vs for the slackenesse of owre dewtie towarde hym Saynt Paule the doctoure of the gentiles to whose Apostelshippe also these newe gentiles doo perteine was of such zeale toward the Iewes whom god had reiected The godlye zeale of S. Paule that he wysshed hym selfe to bee accursed of god for theyr sakes He went from Damascus to Arabie preached the gospell in Grecia came prisoner to Rome was scourged and stoned and suffered thryse shypwracke what then thinke yow he wold do if he were now aliue Is it to be thought that he wolde not aduenture .xxv. dayes saylynge to come to such a marte of soules in such redinesse to bee easely obteyned I beleue verely that neyther death nor the deuyll nor Leuiathan nor the worlde shulde let hym but that he wolde geue thonset ageynst them all in hope of victorie by hym by whom he sayth he can doo all thynges He was not negligent in his office nor ignorant of his rewarde but trusted to the promesse of him that sayde by the mouth of the prophet Isai Isai. 66. Of them that shal be saued I wyl sende sum to the gentyles in the sea into Aphrike and Libia Italie and Grecia and into the Ilandes a farre of to theÌ„ that haue not harde of me and haue not seene my glorie The like zeale that Paule had and proceadynge of the same spirite hath euer sence Chrystes tyme moued not only the Apostles but also many other famous and godly men as superuisours of his testamente to sende owte preachers into dyuers partes of the worlde to shewe furth the gladde tydynge of the gospell By this zeale dyd Gregorye bysshoppe of Rome and fyrste of that name Gregorie thâ— First when he sawe Englysshe mens chyldren in Rome and asked what nation they were when answere was made hym in the laten tounge that they were Angli that is Englysshe men he sayd alludyng to the similitude of the worde that they myght wel be cauled Angeli that is Angels Thoffice of byshoppes Meanyng therby that lyke as god had done his part in geuyng them bodies of natural bewtie and comelynesse so it apperteyned to his office beinge the cheefe pastoure of goddes flocke to prouyde that theyr soules might be made woorthy to inhabite such bodies and the hole nation consecrated vnto god by baptisme For he sayde furthermore It is meete that vnto these also the gospell of life bee preached And hereuppon immediatly sent preachers into
frankensence as could bee coniectured by their signes and poyntinges For owre men vnderstoode not one woorde of theyr language And for the better proofe that they desired peace they presented owre men with three thousand of those weights of gold that the Spanyardes caule Casâ—ellanum Aureum which they commonly caule Pesum Olibanum Also a greate barell of woodde full of moste excellente masculine frankensence weighing about two thousande and syxe hundreth poundes weight after eight ounces to the pounde Whereby they knewe that that lande browght furthe greate plentie of frankensence Sabea â—is a contrey in Arabie which bringeth forth frankensence For there is noo entercourse of marchaundies betwene thinhabitantes of Paria and the sabeans beinge soo farre distante wheras also the of Paria knowe nothynge with owte theyr owne coastes Paria With the golde and frankensence whiche the presented to owre men they gaue them also a greate multitude of theyr peacockes Peacockes which wee cauâ—e Turkye cockes bothe cockes and hennes deade and alyue aswell to satisfie theyr present necessitie as also to cary with theym into Spayne for encrease Lykewyse certeyne carpettes coouerlettes table clothes and hanginges made of gossampine silke fynelye wrought after a straunge diuise with plesante variable colours â—arpets and couerlettâ—s fynely wrought hauing golden belles suche other spangles and pendauntes as the Italians caule Sonaglios and the Spanyardes Cascaueles hanging at the purfles therof They gaue theym furthermore speakinge popingiais of sundry colours as many as they woolde aske Popyngayes For in Paria there is no lesse plentie of popingiais then with vs of dooues or sparous Thinhabitantes of these Regions both men and women are appareled with vestures made of gossampine cotton Thapparell of the â—â—hâ—bittants oâ— paria the men to the knees and the women too the calfe of the legge The fasshion of theyr apparell is symple and playne muche like vnto the Turkes But the mens is double and quilted like that whiche the Turkes vse in the warres The princes of Paria are rulers but for one yeare Ruleâ—s for one yeare But their autoritie is noo lesse emonge the people both in peace and warre then is thautoritie of other kynges in those Regions Theyr villages are buylded in coompasse 〈◊〉 greate goulfe of Paria along by the bankes of all that greate goulfe Fyue of theyr princes came to owre men wyth theyr presentes whose names I thowght worthy to bee put in this historie in remembrance of soo notable a thinge Chiaconus Chiauaccha that is the prince of Chiauaccha for they caule princes or kinges Chiaconos Chiaconus Pintiguanus Chiaconus Chamailaba Chiaconus Polomus and Chiaconus Potto The goulfe beinge fyrste founde of the admirall Colonus they caule Baia Natiuitatis Baia Natiuitatis the gret goulfe of Paâ—ia bycause he entered into the same in the day of the natiuitie of Christe But at that tyme he only passed by it withowte anye further searching and Baia in the Spanysshe tong signifieth a goulfe When Vincentius had thus made a league with these Princes folowinge his appoynted course he founde many regions towarde the East Uincentuis maketh a league with v. princes of Paria desolate by reason of diuers finddes and ouer flowynges of waters also many standynge pooles in dyuers places and those of excedynge largenes He ceased not to folowe this tracte vntyll he came to the poynte or cape of that moste longe lande This poynte semethe as though it woolde inuade the monte Atlas in Aphrica Mount Atlas in aphrike For it prospectethe towarde that parte of Aphrike whiche the portugales caule Caput Bonoe Sperantiae The poyntes or capes of the mount Atlas are rough and saluage nere vnto the sea The cape of Bona Speranza gatherethe thirtie and foure degrees of the Southe pole cauled the pole antartike But that poynte onely seuen degrees I suppose this lande to bee that which I fynde in owlde wryters of Cosmographie to bee cauled the greate Iland Atlantike The great Iland atlantike withowt any further declaringe eyther of the sytuation or of the nature therof ¶ The eight booke of the seconde decade of the supposed continente WHen Iohan the king of portugale lyued which was predicessoure to hym that nowe reigneth Contention betwene the Castilians Portugaleâ— for the newe landes there arose a great contention betwene the Castilians and Portugales as concerninge the dominion of these newe founde landes The Portugales bycause they were the firste that durst attempte to searche the Ocan sea sence the memorie of man affirmed that all the nauigations of the Ocean owght to perteyne to theym onely The Castilians argued on the contrarie parte that what so euer god by the ministratioÌ„ of nature hath created on the earth was at the begynnynge common emong men And that it is therfore lawfull to euery man to possese suche landes as are voyd of Christian inhabitours Whyle the matter was thus vncerteynly debated bothe parties agreed that the controuersie shulde bee decerned by the bysshope of Rome and plighted faithe to stande to his arbitrimente The kyngedome of Castile was at that tyme gouerned by that great Queene Helisabeth with her husbande for the roialme of Castile was her dowerye The bysshop of Rome diuideth the land Shee also and the kynge of Portugale were cosyn germaynes of two systers by reason wherof the dissention was more easely pacified By thassent therfore of both parties Alexander the bysshop Rome the .vi. of that name by thautorite of his leaden bull drewe a right line from the North to the South a hundreth leaques westwarde withowte the paralelles of those Ilandes whiche are cauled Caput Viride or Cabouerde Cabouerde loke decade i. lib. iii Within the compase of this lyne althowgh soomme denye it faulethe the poynte of this lande wherof we haue spoken which they caule Caput Sancti Augustini otherwyse cauled Promontorium Sancti Augustini that is saynt Augustines cape or poynte And therfore it is not lawful for the Castilians to fasten foote in the beginnynge of that lande Vincentius Annez therfore departed from thense beinge aduertised of thinhabitantes that on the other syde of the hyghe mountaynes towarde the South lyinge before his eyes there was a Region cauled Ciamba The goldeâ— region of Ciamba which browght foorth greate plentie of golde Of certeyne captiues whiche he tooâ—e in the goulfe of Paria which certenly perteyneth to the dominion of Castile he browght sume with hym to Hispaniola and lefte them with the younge Admirall to lerne owre language But he hym selfe repayred to the courte to make ernest sute to the kynge that by his fauoure he myght bee gouernour of the Iland of Sancti Iohannis otherwyse cauled Burichena The Iland of S. Iohannes beinge distante from Hispaniola onely .xxv. leaques bycause he was the fyrst fynder of golde in that Ilande Before Vincentius made sute for this
by chaunce in an other place where the colour of the grounde with certayne shyninge stones seemed to bee a tooken of golde where causynge a smaule â—itte to bee dygged lyttell beneath thupper cruste of the eaâ—the he founde somuche golde as weyghed that pyece of golde whiche the Spaniardes caule Castellanum aureum and is commonly cauled Pesus Tokens of great plentie of goâ—de but not in one grayne Reioysynge at theâ—e tookens in hope of great riches he badde Tumanama to be of good coomforte promysynge hym that he woolde bee his frende and defender soo that he troubeled not any of the kynges whiche were frendes to the Christians He also perswaded hym to gather plentye of golde Suâ—me saye that he ledde awaye all Tumanamâ— his women and â—pâ—yled him leaste he shuld rebell Yet he delyuered his soonne to Vaschus to bee broughte vppe with owre men to learne their language and relygyon that he myght therafter the better vse his helpe aswell in all thynges that he shulde haue to doo with owre men as also more polytykely rule and obtayne the loue of his owne subiectes Vaschus at this tyme fell into a vehement feuer by reason of excesse of labour Uaâ—chus fauleth â—icke immoderate watchyng and hunger In somuche that departynge from thense he was fayne too bee borne vppon mennes backes in shietes of gossampyne cotton Feeblenes of hunger and watchinge Lykewyse also many of his souldiers whiche were soo weake that they coulde nother go nor stonde To this purpose they vsed the helpe of thinhabytantes who shewed theÌ„selues in althynges wyllynge and obedyente Also summe of thâ—m whiche were suâ—what feeble and not able to trauayle although not greuously sycke were ledde by the armes vntyll they came to the domynion of kynge Commogrus a greate frende to the Christyans kynge Comogâ—us frendeâ— to the Chrisâ—ians of whom wee haue largely made mention before At Vaschus commynge thether he founde that the owlde kynge was deade and his soonne whome we so prayâ—ed for his wisedome to raygne in his steade And that he was baptiâ—eâ— bâ— the name of Charles The palayce of this Comogrus is situate at the foote of a stâ—epe hyll well cultured Hâ—uynge towarde the southe a playne of twelue leages in bâ—eadth and veary frutefull The large â—â—â—teful plain oâ—â—auana This playne they caule Zauana Beyonde his are the great and hyghe montaynes whiche â—eâ—ydâ— thâ— two seas wherof we haue spoken before Owte of the styepe hylles spryngeth the ryuer Comogrus Tho ryuer Comogruâ— whiche runneth throwgh the sayde playne to the hyghe montaynes receauynge into his chanell by their valleys all the other ryuers so fauleth into the south sea It is distante from Dariena aboute threscore and tenne leages towarde the weste As owre men therfore came to these parties kynge Comogrus otherwyse cauled Charles by his christian name mette theÌ„ ioyfully and entertayned them honorably gyuynge them their fyll of pleasaunte meates and drynkes He gaue also to Vaschus twenty pounde weyght of wrought golde xx pounde weyght of wrought gold Vaschus recompensed him with thinges which he esteemed muche more As axes and sundry kyndes of carpenters tooles Also a souldiours cloke and a faire sherte wrought with needle woorke By these gyftes Comogrus thought hym selfe to bee halfe a god amonge his bortherers Vaschus at his departynge from hense ernestly charged Comogrus and the other kynges to remayne faithfull and obedient to the christian king of Castile if they desyred to lyue in peace and quietnesse And that they shulde hereafter more diligently applye them seluâ—s to the gatheringe of golde to bee sente to the great christian Tiba that is kyng Declaryng furâ—her that by this meanes thâ—y shuld bothe gette them and their posterity a patrone and defender ageinst their enemyes and also obtayne great abundaunâ—e of owre thinges These affayres thus happely achiuâ—d he went forwarde on his vyage to the palaice of kyng Poncha where he founde foure younge men whiche were come from Dariena to certify hym that there were certayne shyppes coomme from Hispaniola laden with vyttayles and other necessaries Uaschus reâ—uâ—neth to Dariena Wherfore takyng with him twentie of his moste lusty souldiers he made haste to Dariena with longe iorneys leauinge the resydue behynd him to folow at their leasure He writeth that he came to Dariena the .xiiii. Cal. of Fe An. 1514. The date of his letter is From Dariena the .iiii. day of march The good fortune of Uaschus He writeth in the same letter that he had many sore conflictes that he was yet neyther wounded or loste any of his men in the battaile And therfore in al his large letter there is not one leafe without thankes geuynge to almyghty god for his delyuery and preseruation from so many imminent pecels He attempted no enterprise or tooke in hande any viage withowt thinuocation of god and his holy saintes Thus was Vaschus Balboa of a vyolenâ—e Goliath tourned into Helsâ—as Uaschus waâ— turned from Gâ—â—â—â—th to â—â—â—â—eus And frome Anteus too Hercules the conquerour of monsters Beynge therefore thus tourned from a rasshe royster to a polytykâ— and discreate capitayne he was iudged woorthy to bee aduaunced to greate honoure By reason whereof he was bothe receaued into the kynges fauour and therevppon created the generall or Lieuetenaunt of the kynges army in those Regions O flaterynge fortune looke his death in the booke of the Ilande lately founde Thus much haue I gathered bothe by the letters of certeyne my faythefull frendes beinge in Dariena and also by woorde of mouth of suche as came lately frome thense If yowre holynes desyre to knowe what I thynke herein Suerly as by suche thynges as I haue seene I beleue these thynges to bee trewe euen so thorder and agreinge of Vaschus and his coompanions warrelyke letters seeme to confirme the same The earth is owre general mother The Spanyarde therfore shall not neede hereafter with vndermynynge the earth with intollerable laboure to breake the bones of owre mother and enter many myles into her bowels and with innumerable daungers cut in sunder hole mountaynes to make a waye to the courte of infernall Pluto The courte of infernall Pluto to brynge from thense wycked golde the seede of innumerable mischeues withowte the whiche notwithstandynge we may nowe scarsely leade a happy lyfe sithe iniquitie hath so preuayled and made vs slaues to that wherof we are lords by nature The Spanyarde I say shall not neede with such trauayles difficultie to dygge farre into the earth for gold but shal fynde it plentifully in maner in the vpper crust of the earth or in the sandes of ryuers dryded vppe by the heate of sommer onely wasshynge the earth softely frome the same And shall with lyke facilite gather plentie of pearles There iâ— a better waye then this Certenly the reuerent antiquitie by al the Cosmographers assent obteyned not soo greate a benefyte of nature
amonge the Latines it often tymes soo chaunceth that onely the accent or aspiration chaungeth the signification of the woorde howe the aspiration changeth the signification of wordes as hora for an houre and ora for the plurale number of this woorde os which signifieth the mouth Also ora which signifieth regions or coastes The lyke also chaunceth in the diuersitie of the accente as occido I kyll and occiâ—o I faule Euen so in the language of these simple men there are many thynges to bee obserued But let vs nowe returne to the description In the prouince of Hubabo are these regions Xamana Canabacoa Cuhabo with many other the names wherof I haue not yet learned The prouince of Caibabo conteyneth these regions Magua and Cacacubana Thinhabitantes of this region haue a peculyar language much differinge from the common language of the Iland Dyuers languages in the Ilande and are cauled Macoryxes There is also an other region cauled Cubana whose language differeth from the other Lykewyse the region of Baiohaigua hath a dyuers toonge There are also other regions as Dahabon Cybaho and Manabaho Catoy is in the myddle of the Ilande By this runnethe the ryuer Nizaus And the montaynes cauled Mahaitin Hazua and Neibaymao confine with the same In the prouince of Bainoa are the regions of Maguana Iagohaiucho Bauruco Dabaiagua and Attibuni so named of the ryuer Also Caunoa Buiaici Dahabonici Maiaguariti Atiei Maccazina Guahabba Anniuici Marien Guaricco Amaguei Xaragua Yaguana Azzuei Iacchi Honorucco Diaguo Camaie and Neibaimao In Guaccaierima the last prouince these regions are conteyned Mauicarao Guabagua Taquenazabo Nimaca Bainoa the lesse Cabaymi Iamaizi Manabazao Zauana Habacoa and Ayqueroa But let vs entreate sumwhat of the particulars of the regions In the prouince of Caizcimu with in the great goulfe of the beginnynge there is a greate caue in a hollowe rocke vnder the roote of a hygh mountayne A greate caue in the rocke of a mountayne about twoo furlonges from the sea The enterie of this caue is not much vnlyke the doores of a great temple beinge very large and turnynge many wayes Andreas Moralis the shyp master A daungerus enterprise at the commaundement of the gouernoure tempted to searche the caue with the smaulest vessels He sayth that by certeyne priuie wayes manye ryuers haue concourse to this caue as it were to a sinke or chanell Riuers deuoured of caues After thexperience here of they ceased to maruaile whither other ryuers ranne whiche commynge fourescore and tenne myles were swalowed vp so that they appeared no more nor yet fell into the sea by any knowen wayes Nowe therfore they suppose that ryuers swalowed vp by the holowe places of that stony mountayne faule into this caue As the shipmaster entered into the caue his shippe was almost swalowed For he saith that there are many whyrlepooles and rysinges or boylinges of the water which make a violent conflicte and horrible rorynge one encounteryng the other Also many huge holes holowe places So that what on the one syde with the whirle pooles whirlepooles and conflictâ— of waters on the other side with the boyling of the water his shyp was long in maner tossed vp and downe lyke a baule It greatly repented hym that he had entered yet knewe he no way how to come forth He now wandered in darkenesse as wel for the obscurenesse of the caue into the which he was farre entered Clowdes in the caue as also that in it were thicke cloudes engendered of the moist vapours proceading of the conflicte of the waters whiche coÌ„tinually faule with great violence into the caue on euery side He compareth the noyse of these waters to the faule of the famous ryuer of Nilus from the montaines of Ethyope The Cataractes of Nilus They were al so deafe that one could not here what an other said But at the length with great daunger feare he came foorth of the caue as it had byn owte of hel Aboute three score miles distante from the chiefe citie of saincte Dominicke there are certeyne hyghe montaynes vppon the toppes wherof is a lake or standynge poole inaccessible A standynge poole in the tâ—ppe of a hygh mountayne neuer yet seene of them whiche came latelye to the Ilande bothe by reason of the roughnesse of the montaines and also for that there is noo pathe or open waye to the toppes of the same But at the length the shyppe maister beinge condâ—cted thether by one of kynges ascended to the toppes of the montaines and came to the poole Hee saith that the coulde is there of sum force And in token of wynter hee founde ferne and bramble busshes whiche two growe only in coulde regions Ferne and bramble busshes growe only in coulde regions These montaynes they caule Ymizui Hibabaino This poole is of freshe water three myles in compasse and wel replenysshed with diuerse kindes of fysshes Many smaule riuers or brookes faule into it It hath no passage owte bycause it is on euery syde enclosed with the toppes of mountaynes But lette vs nowe speake of an other poole whiche maye well bee cauled a sea in the mydlande and bee coompared to the Caspian or Hircanian sea in the fyrme land of Asia The Caspiaâ— and hircanian sea with certeyne other lakes and pooles of fresshe water ¶ The eyghte booke of the thirde decade THe prouynce of Bainoa beynge thrise as bygge as the three fyrst that is Caizcimu Vhabo and Caihabo includeth a valley named Caiouani in the whiche there is a lake of salte soure and bytter water as wee reade of the sea cauled Caspium A great lake of soure and salte water lyinge in the firme lande betwene Sarmatia and Hircania Wee haue therfore named it Caspium althoughe it bee not in the region of Hircania It hath manye swalowinge goulfes Swalowinge goulfes by the whiche bothe the water of the sea springeth into it and also suche as faule into it from the montaines Sea fysshes in lakes of the midlande are swalowed vppe They thyncke that the caues therof are so large and deepe that great fysshes of the sea passe by the same into the lake Emonge these fysshes there is one cauled Tiburonus whiche cutteth a man in sunder by the myddest at one snappe with his teethe The deuourynge fysshe cauled Tâ—buronus and deuoureth hym In the ryuer Hozama runnynge by the chiefe citie of sayncte Dominicke these Tiburoni do sumtymes coome from the sea and deuoure manye of thinhabitauntes Especially suche as do dayly ploonge them selues in the water to thintent to keepe their bodyes verye cleane The ryuers whiche faule into the lake The ryuers that fauâ—e into the lake Caspium are these From the Northe syde Guaninicabon From the Southe Xaccoei from the Easte Guannabo And from the West Occoa They saye that these ryuers are great and continuall And that besyde these there are .xx. other smaule ryuers whiche
from the Ilandes Of the Ilandes of Galanta or Galana and Guadalupea and of the trees which beare that kynde of cotton whiche the Italians caule Bombasine and the Spanyardes Algadon Of dyuers kyndes of popingiayes And of the Iland of Matinino or Madanino being inhabited only with women Also of dyuers other frutefull Ilandes And of a conflicte which the Spanyardes had with the Canibales Of certeyne Ilandes in the which are seene the mynes of metals and precious stones and of the frutefull and peopulous Ilande cauled Burichena or Boriquen or Insula S. Iohanuis Howe all the Admirals men whiche at his fyrst vyage he lefte in Hispaniola were slayne in his absence by the rebellion of Guaccanarillus kynge of the Region of Xamana and of the free kynde of lyfe which they leade that haue not the vse of money Of the .vii. maydens which swamme .iii. myles in the sea And of the maner of gatheryng of gold in the sands of riuers ¶ The Contentes of the thyrde booke Fol. 10. ¶ A particular description of the Ilande of Hispaniola whiche Colonus thynketh to be Ophir from whense kynge Salomon had his great ryches of golde Of the maruelous frutefulnes of Hispaniola and of the suger canes growynge there Of the golden regions of Cipanga or Cibaua and of the ryuers in whose sandes is founde great plentie of golde Of certeyne graines of gold of exceadyng great quantitie Of wylde vines of pleasaunt taste and of grasse which in foure dayes groweth as hygh as wheate Of the Ilande of Iohanna or Cuba beinge the ende of the East and the West And of the frutefull and peopulous Ilande of Iamaica Howe the Admirall thought that he had sayled abowte the lowest hemispherie or halfe circle of the earth and of a secreate of Astronomie touchynge the same matter Howe the Admirall gaue names to .vii. hundreth Ilandes and passed by three thousande unnamed Of certeyne serpentes lyke vnto Crocodiles of .viii. foote longe whose flesshe is delicate to be eaten and of certeyne trees which beare gourdes Of the ryuer whose water is very hotte and of the huntynge fysshe which taketh other fysshes Of great abundaunce of Tortoyses as bygge as targets and of a frutefull mountayne well inhabited Of dogges of deformed shape and dum And of whyte and thicke water Of wooddes of date trees and pynepaple trees and of certeyne people appareled like white friers Of certeyne trees whiche beare spices and of cranes of exceadynge bignes Of stocke doues of more pleasaunte taste then partriches An oration of a barbarous gouernoure as touchinge the immortalitie of the sowle Also of the rewarde of vertue and punysshmente of vice A similitude of the golden worlde and of prouision with owte care Howe the admirall fell sicke by reason of to much watchynge And of a sedition which rose among the Spaniardes in the Ilande of Hispaniola ¶ The Contentes of the fourth booke Fol. 18. Howe the Kynges of the Ilande of Hispaniola were by the Spaniardes mysbehauoure prouoked to Rebellion And howe the admirall sent for them Howe kinge Caunaboa the Lorde of the house of golde that is of the mountaynes of Cibaua conspired the Admirals death and how he with his familie were takeÌ„ prisoners Of a greate famine that chaunced in the Iland of Hispaniola and howe the Admiral builded certeyne fortresses Of a piece of rude golde waighinge .xx. vnces and of the myne of the riche metall cauled Electrum Of the mountayne in the whyche is founde greate plentye of Amber and orpemente And of the wooddes of brasile trees Howe thinhabitauntes are put to they re tribute And howe the nature of the Region disposethe the maners of the people Howe the brother of kinge Caunaboa came ageynste the Admiral with an army of fiue thowsand naked men and how he was taken and his amry put to flyght Of the frutfull vale Magona in the sandes of whose ryuers is founde great plentie of golde and of certeyne whirlewyndes and tempestes Howe the Admirall sente foorthe his brother Bartholomeus Colonus with an army of meÌ„ to search the gold mines of the fosses which he found to haue bin digged in old tyme ¶ The Contentes of the .v. booke Fol. 22. Howe the Lieuetenaunt builded a fortresse in the golde mynes And prepared instrumentes for the pourginge and fyninge of the golde Howe certeyne shyppes laden with vyttayles came frome Spayne And howe the Lieuetenaunt sent the kynges which rebelled with three hundreth captiues into Spayne Howe the Liefetenaunte remoued his habytacion And buylded a fortresse which he cauled saynt Dominickes towre Also howe he passed ouer the ryuer Naiba and entered into the wooddes of brasyle trees Howe the great kynge Beuchius Anacauchoa frendely enterteyned the Lieuetenaunt and browght hym to his pallayce where the kynges wyues and concubines receaued him honorably with pompes and triumphes Of the fortresses which were erected in Hispaniola And howe the Lieuetenaunt exacted tribute of the kynges whiche rebelled ageyne Howe the Lieuetenaunt sette vppon the kynges vnwares in the nyght season and tooke .xiiii. of them prysoners Howe kynge Guarionexius capitayne of the conspiracie was pardoned howe he persuaded the people to obedience Howe kynge Beuchius Anacauchoa sente messingers to the Lieuetenaunt to repayre to his pallayce where he founde xxxii kinges redy with theyr tributes And howe the queene Anacaona entysed hym to eate of the serpentes flesshe Howe the serpentes flesshe is prepared to be eaten And how delicate meate theyr egges are yf they be sodden Howe queene Anacaona syster to kynge Beuchius Aâ—acauchoa enterteyned the Liefetenaunt and gaue hym muche housholde stuffe and many vessels of Hebene woodde artificially wrought and carued Howe kynge Anacauchoa and the queene his syster went aboorde the Liefetenaunt his shyppe and howe greately they were amased to beholde the furniture therof Howe Roldanus Xeminus a Spaniarde rebelled in the Lieuetenauntes absence by whose mysdemeanour also kinge Guarionexius was prouoked to a newe conspiracie with hym Maiobanexius the kynge of the mountaynes ☞ The contentes of the syxte boke Foli 28. ¶ The thyâ—de vyage of Colonus and howe he diuerted from his accustomed rase by the Ilandes of Canarie to the Ilande of Madera for feare of certayne frenche pirates and rouers Of the .xiii. Ilandes which in olde tyme were cauled Hesperides and are nowe cauled the Ilandes of Caput Uiride or Cabouerde Also of the Tortoyses of the Ilande of Bonauista wherwith the leaper is healed Howe the Admirall founde contagious ayre and extreme heate nere the Equinoctial where the north pole was eleuate onely fyue degrees And how sailyng from thence westward he founde the starres placed in other order and the sea rysynge as it were the backe of a mountayne Howe the Admyrall saylynge westwarde and neuer passyng owte of the clyme or paraleles of Ethiope founde a temperate Region and people of goodly corporature And what difference is betwene the natures of Regions beyng vnder one paralele and one eleuation of the pole
thinhabitauntes of the goulfe of Uraba and put them to flyght Also howe he founde greate plentâ—e of wrought golde and housholde stuffe in a thycket of reedes ¶ The contentes of the seconde booke Fol. 58. ¶ Howe Nicuesa loste his felowes in the darke nyght and went past the mouth of the ryuer Beragua which he sought And howe the capitaynes of the other shyppes consulted how to fynde hym Also of the ryuer Lagartos in the which great Lysartes are founde much lyke vnto the Crocodiles of Nilus Howe the capitaynes forsooke theyr shyppes that the souldyers myght bee without hope of departure And of the miserable chaunce of Petrus de Umbria and his felowes By what chaunce Nicuesa was founde and of the calamities which he and his coompany susteyned Also of the region of Gracia Dei or Cerabaro and of the ryuer of Sancti Matthei Howe Nicuesa caused them to remoue theyr habitacion from Beragua to poynte Marmor where he bylded a fortresse And howe his men by warre and famyn were consumed from seuen hundreth and odde to scarsely one hundreth Howe one Uaschus Nunnez vsurped thautoritie of the Lieuetenaunte shyppe of Uraba in thabsence of Fogeda And of the nauigation of Rodericus Colmenatis from Hispaniola to Uraba Of the ryuer Gaira descendynge from the toppe of a hygh mountayne couered with snowe And howe Rodericus Colmâ—naris in a conflicte ageynst the barbarians loste .xlvii. of his men by reason of theyr inuenemed arrowes Of the force of the poyson wherewith the barbarians infecte theyr arrowes and a remedie for the same Also howe Colmenaris by gunneshot and kyndelynge fyers on the hyghe toppes of the rockes came to the Spanyardes lefte desolate in Dariena ¶ The contentes of the thyrde booke Fol. 61. ¶ Howe Nicuesa was sought foorth to acquiete the contentions of Uraba And howe he was ageyne reiected Howe Uaschus Nunnez inuaded tooke prysoners and spoyled the kynges bortherynge abowt the region of Uraba And howe Ancisus Lieuetenaunt for Fogeda was cast in pryson and afterwarde set at libertie Howe Ancisus tooke his vyage from Uraba to Spayne to accuse Uaschus who also at the same tyme sent Ualdiuia aswell to speake in his defence as also to certifie the kynge of theyr doynges Howe kynge Careta conspired with the Spanyardes ageynst kynge Poncha whom they put to flyght and spoyled his vyllage Howe kynge Comogrus frendely enterteyned the Spanyardes and brought them to his pallaice where he shewed them the dryed Carkases of his auncestours reserued and sumptuously apparelled And howe the kynges elder sonne gaue Uaschus and Colmenaris foure thousand vnces of wrought gold and fiftie slaues Also a wyttie oration which he made to the Spanyardes wherein he certifyed theym of a countrey exceadynge ryche in golde c. ¶ The contentes of the fourth booke Fol. 66. ¶ Of horryble thunder and lyghtnynge in the mooneth of Nouember and of grayne which waxeth rype thryse a yeare Also how digestion is strengthened by owtwarde coulde Howe Ualdiuia is sent ageyne into Hispaniola to mouâ— the gouernour and counsayle there to sende into Spayne to the kynge for a supplie of a thousand souldyers to make way to the golden mouÌ„taynes And howe he caryed with hym the kynges portion that is the fyfte parte of golde and other thynges Howe Uaschus inuaded the kynges inhabytynge the regions about the goulfe of Uraba and howe he put kyng Dabaiba to flyght in whose vyllage he founde wrought goldâ— amountynge to the weyght of seuen thousande Castellans Of battes as bygge as turtle dooues which sumtyme bytâ— men in the nyght in theyr sleepe whose bytynge is also venemous but is healed with water of the sea or by cauterization as are also the woundes of venemous arrowes Of the Ilande of Cannafistula and a towne of fyue hundreth houses whose kynge Abenamachei was taken and his arme cutte of in the fyght Of trees of exceadynge bygnesse and heyght And howe kynge Abibeiba had his pallaice in the toppe of a tree frome the which he was inforced to descende and entreate of peace ¶ The contentes of the fyfth booke Fol. 69. ¶ Howe kynge Abraiba slewe a capitayne of the Spanyards and caused the kynges to rebell Also howe they were put to flyght and many of theyr men slayne Of fyue kinges which attempted a newe conspiracie with a hundreth great Canoas and fiue thousand men And howe theyr intent was bewrayed by a woman and preuented Also howe Rodericus Colmenaris sacked the vyllage of Tichiri and honge the kynge therof with foure of his chiefe rulers and commaunded them to be shotte through with arrowes ¶ The contentes of the syxte booke Fol. 72. ¶ Howe Uaschus with his confetherates sente Iohannes Quicedus and Colmenaris from Dariena to Hispaniola and from theÌ„se to Spayne to the kyng for a thousand men to passe ouer the mountaynes to the golden regions And what miseries they susteyned in that vyage Also of the death of Ualuia Zamudius and Fogeda Of the prosperous vyage of Ancisus And howe godde wrought miracles by the simple fayth of a mariner Also hoâ— god respecteth thinfancie of fayth for zeles sake And howe one religion turned into another holdeth styll many thinges of the fyrste Howe many of the barbarians were baptised by reason of the miracles And howe they rewarded the prestes by whome they were baptised Howe Ancisus shortly after his arryuall in Spayne resorted to the courte and made his complaynt to the kinge of thinsolencie of Uaschus wheruppon the kynge gaue sentence ageynst hym And howe apte the barbarous nations are to embrase the Christian fayth ¶ The contentes of the seuenth booke Fol. 79. ¶ Howe Quicedus and Colmenaris the procuratours of Dariena were honorably enterteyned at the courte and brought to the kynges presence And howe theyr complexion was chaunged by alteration of the ayer Howe Petrus Arias a noble man was elected gouernouâ— and Lieuetenaunt of Dariena And howe other of the court laboured for the same office Also howe the bysshop of Burges spake to the kynge in his behalfe Howe Petrus Arias had a thousande and two hundrethe souldyers appoynted hym at the kynges charges And of thâ— kynges custome houâ—e in the citie of Ciuile cauled the house of the contractes of India Howe a great number of Spanyardes profered theÌ„ selues to go at theyr owne charges And of a restraâ—nt made that no straunger myght passe without the kynges licence Also howe the autour reproueth Aloisius Cadamustus a wryter of the Portugales vyages Howe Petrus Arias shortely after his departure frome Ciuile lost two of his shyppes and was dryuen backe agâ—yne by tempest And howe beinge newly furnysshed hee paâ—sed the Oâ—ean with more prosperous wyndes The thyrde vyage of Uincentius Pinzonus and howe he came to the regions of Paria where encounterynge with thinhabitauntes he put them fyrst to flyght but after faulyng to entreatie of peace they gaue hym greate plentie of golde and abundaunce of masculine frankensence with dyuers other princely presentes Of the greate multitude of
popingiayes which are in thâ— region of Paria and howe thinhabitours are apparelled Also of the fyue kynges that made a league of frendeshyppe with Uincentius Howe Uincentius sayled Eastwarde by the tracte of the regions of Paria vntyll he came to the poynte of that longe lande which the autour supposeth to be the greate Ilande Atlantike wherof the owlde wryters make mention Cap. S. Aâ—gustini ¶ The contentes of the .viii. booke Fol. 80. ¶ A contention betwene the Castilians and Portugales as concernynge the diuision of the newe founde landes And howe the controuersie was fynysshed by the byshop of Rome Howe Don Chrystopher the gouernoure of the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis was slayne by the Canibales and the bysshop put to flyght Also of the other bysshops of the Ilandes Howe the Canibales of the Iland of Sancta Crux slew and eate a kynge with certeyne of his men beinge frendes to the Chrystians and made faggottes of theyr bones And how querelynge with owre men they put them to silence ¶ The contentes of the .ix. booke Fol. 81. ¶ Of the maruelous frutefulnes of the regions of Beragua Uraba and Dariena And of the dyuers kyndes of trees and frutes Also of the pleasaunt taste of swynes flesshe beinge fedde with the frutes of Mirobalane trees Of Lions and Tygers and other wylde beastes And of a beaste of straunge forme Of the ryuers of the goulfe of Uraba as the ryuer of Dariena and Rio Grandis And howe the great serpentes cauled Crocodiles are founde in other ryuers bysyde Nilus in Egypte Also howe thautour of this booke was sent Ambassadour to the Soldane of Alcayr in Egipte Of the Portugales nauigations and of the ryuer Senega founde by them to bee a chanel of Nilus Also of the multitude of byrdes foules beinge in the marysshes of Dariena A phylosophicall discourse of thoriginall and generatioâ— of sprynges and ryuers And of the breadth of the lande diuydynge the north and south Ocean Of the great ryuer Maragnonus and of the earthly Paradyse And howe sprynges are engendered by conuercion of ayer into water Of the often faule of rayne vnder the Equinoctiall line and of the pores of the sea opened by the South wyndes Of the great ryuers of Tanais Ganges Danubius and Eridanus famous to the owlde wryters And howe certeine ryuers runnynge throughe the caues of the earthe breake furth into sprynges afarre of ¶ The contentes of the .x. booke Fol. 86. ¶ Howe the newe founde landes discouered by the Spanyardes in the West Ocean are eyght tymes bygger then Italie besyde that which the Portugales possesse And of the cardes of the sea drawen by Colonus and Americus Uesputius The order of measurynge the lande And howe a league conteyneth foure myles by sea and but three by lande The Nauâ—gation of Iohannes Dias and of the sundrye eleuations of the pole starre Of the Ilande of Boiuca or Agnaneo and of the springe whose water being dronke causeth owld men to loke yonge Howe Nicuesa and his souldiers were so oppreâ—sed with famin that they were dryuen to eate mangie dogges toades and deade men And howe a brothe made of a dogges skinne was soulde for many pieces of golde ¶ The contentes of the bookes of the thyrde Decade ¶ The contentes of the fyrst booke Fol. 88. ¶ Of the desperate aduenture and good fortune of Uaschus And how with a hundreth fourscore and ten men he brought that to passe for the whâ—ch Petrus Arias was sente with a thousande and two hundreth fresshe souldyers Howe iren serueth for more necessary vses then gold and howe superfluities hynder libertie Howe Uaschus in one conflicte slewe syxe hundreth barbaryans with theyr kynges And howe he founde the house of kyng Quarequa infected with vnnatural lechery commaundynge that the kynge and fortie suche as he kepte for that purpose shulde be gyuen for a pray to his dogges whiche he vsed to serue in the warres ageynst these naked people Of a region of blacke Moores And howe Uaschus came to the toppes of the mountaynes where geuynge thankes to god he behelde the newe south Ocean neuer before sene nor knowen to men of owre worlde Howe Uaschus put kynge Chiapes to flyght and after made a league of frendeshyppe with hym And howe the king gaue hym .iiii. hundreth poundes weyght of wrought golde Howe kynge Coquera was putte to fâ—yght who also beinge receaued to frendeshyppe gaue Uaschus syxe hundreth and fiftie poundes weyght of wrought golde Of the goulfe cauled Sinus S. Michaelis beinge full of inhabited Ilandes And of the manly corage and godly zeale of Uaschus Also of the rysynge and faulyng of the south sea Howe kynge Tumaccus beinge dryuen to flyght and afterwarde reconciled gaue Uaschus .vi. hundreth and .xiiii. pesos of golde and two hundreth and fortie of the greatest and fayrest pearles And howe the kynge caused his men to fyshe for pearles Of the Ilande cauled Margaritea Diues And of the abundaunce of fayre and great pearles founde therin Of habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall line And of the Portugales nauigations to the Antipodes inhabytynge the fyue and fiftie degree of the south pole Also a declaration of Antipodes and of the starres about the south pole ¶ The contentes of the seconde booke Fol. 95. ¶ Of the maner of fysshynge for pearles and of the three kyndes therof Also dyuers other questions coÌ„cernyng perles Of the multitude of the shell fysshes wherin perles are ingendered and founde in maner in all places in the south sea And of abundaunce of golde founde almoste in euery house Also howe the treasurie of nature is in those coastes And of the golde mynes of Dariena Howe kynge Teaocha gaue Uaschus .xx. poundes weight of wrought golde and two hundreth perles Also of desertes full of wylde beastes and howe Uaschus was troubled with greate heate in the moneth of Nouember Howe a dogge Tyger was taken and his whelpes tyed in cheynes and torne in pieces Also howe Uaschus gaue .iiii kynges to his dogges to be deuoured Of the vse of dogges in theyr warres and of the fiercenesse of the Canibales Howe kynge Bononians fauoured the Chrystians and gaue Uaschus .xx. pounde weyght of wrought golde Also his oration to Uaschus A similitude prouynge greate plentie of golde in the regions of the south sea and of the trauayles which owlde souldyers are able to susteyne ¶ The contentes of the thyrde booke Fol. 99 ¶ Howe kynge Buchibuea submytted hym selfe to Uaschus and sent hym certeyne vesselles of golde Also howe kyngâ— Chiorisus sente hym .xxx. dysshes of pure golde Howe iren serueth for more necessary vses then gold Also an exemple of the lyfe of owr fyrste parentes Howe kynge Pocchorrosa submytted hym selfe and gaue Uaschus .xv. pounde weyght of wrought golde Also howe Tumanama the great kynge of the golden regions towardâ— the south sea is taken prisoner Lykewyse howe he gaue Uaschus .xxx. pounde weyght of pure and wrought golde and his noble men .lx. poundes weyght of golde Of the cause
Maria Antiqua in Dariena and howe the Spanyardes were of necessitie inforced to plant theyr fyrst colonie and habitacion there The cause of the varietie of regions lyinge all vnder one degree or paralelle and by what meanes the soonne beames are cause of feruent heate Of toades and flees engendered of droppes of water and of a house set on fyre with lyghtnynge Tanquaâ—m canis â— Nilo Of a dogge deuoured of a Crocodyle and of the venemus bytynge of great battes Also of Lions and Tygers and other wylde beastes Howe in these regions all foure footed beastes growe to a bygger quantitie then they whiche were of the fyrste bâ—oode Also of certeyne trees of whose planckes if ships be made they are safe frome the woormes cauled Broma or Byssas Of a tre whose wod is present poyson yf it be only borne about And of an herbe that is a preseruatiue ageinst the same Of the ryche Ilandes of the south sea and of certeyne expeditions ageynst the Canibales ¶ The contentes of the .vii. booke Fol. 124. ¶ The particular description of the Ilande of Hispaniola and of the ryche Ilande cauled Margaritea Diues lyinge in the South sea Also of the greate abundaunce of bigge pearles founde in the same Howe the autoure compareth Hispaniola to the earthely Paradyse And howe it farre excelleth Italy in fertilitie and temperate ayre Of the fyrste inhabitours of Hispaniola of the Ilandes of Canarie Howe the inhabitauntes of Hispaniola in theyr songes rhymes had certeyne prophesies that appareled men shulde coome to theyr contrey and brynge them into seruitude And of theyr familiaritie with spirites Also howe those spirites haue no more appered to them sence they were baptised Of theyr expertenesse in swymmynge And of theyr delycate serpentes byrdes foules and popingiais Of the forme and situation of Hispaniola nere the Equinoctiall And howe coulde is in sum place thereof accidentall and not by the situation of the region Of oxen and swyne of exceadinge bygnesse And of eares of wheate as bygge as a mans arme in the braun Also howe the swyne are fedde with myrobalanes c. Of plenty of golde brasyle mastix gossampyne Electrum c And of thincommodities of intemperate regions Of dyuers languages in the Ilande And howe the prouynces are deuided into regions Howe Andreas Moralis sayled into a daungerous and darke caue within the rocke of a mountayne And of hole ryuers deuoured of suche caues Also of the conflycte of the waters Of a standynge poole in the tope of an hygh mountayne And howe ferne and bramble busshes growe only in coulde regyons The contents of the .viii booke Fol. 130 ¶ Of a greate lake or standyng poole of sowre and salte water and of the sea fysshes in the same in the myddelande of the Ilande Also of deuourynge fysshes cauled Tiburoni Of the ryuers fauling into the lakes and of CC. springes in the space of a furlonge Ameruelous hystory of a kynge stryken dumme and lame by a myracle And of the Indian language Howe suche as are drowned in the lake are neuer caste vp ageyne And of the Ilande Guarizacca in the myddeste of a standynge lake Also of a lake of fresshe water and an other of salte and fresshe water Of a large playne of two hundreth myles in length And an other of hundrethe and twentie Of the meruelous fysshe or monster of the sea cauled Manati or Matum fedde with mans hande and howe she caryeth men ouer the lake Of the mountaynes vales hylles playnes and ryuers of Hispaniola And howe golde is founde in all mountaines and golde and fysshe in all ryuers Of salte bayes and howe the ryuers haue theyr increase from the caues of the mountaynes Also howe there is no hurtefull beaste in the Ilande Of the pleasures of Hispaniola And of the region of Cotohi well inhabyted and situate in a playne in the toppes of mountaynes reachynge to the clowdes Of moderate coulde in the mountaynes and of ferne of merueylous bygnesse Howe pure and massie gold is founde in the region of Cotoy or Cotohy And that the veyne of golde is a lyuynge tree Also of the rootes braunches and floures of the same and howe certeyne caues are susteyned with pyllers of golde What golde is broughte yearely frome Hispaniola into Spayne And of the salte of the mountaynes beinge as hard as stones and cleare as crystall Also sprynges of salte fressh and sower water Of certeyne wylde men lyuynge in caues and deunes with out any certeyne language And of theyr merueylous swiftnesse a foote Of pytche of the rocke and twoo kyndes of trees And of the leafe of a tree vsed in the steede of paper Also howe thinhabitantes thinke that the Christians can make those leaues speake and disclose all secreates Of a stronge coloure made of the iuse of a certeyn apple And of the herbe whose smoke is poyson The contentes of the .ix. booke Fol. 136. Of the kyndes of frutes wherwith thinhabitauntes of Hispaniola lyued fyrste and howe they came to the knoweledge of Iucca Also howe Ceres fyrst found wheate and barley in Egypte Why theyr kinges are cauled by dyuers names by what names they salute the kynges chyldren when they are borne Howe they make theyr testamentes and howe certeyne of the kynges wyues and concubines are buryed with them Of the variable motions of the elementes in Hispaniola And where it rayneth but lyttle and where much Of the colonies and vyllages that the Spanyardes haue buylded in Hispaniola of the other Ilands about the same Of a sprynge which runnyng vnder the sea from Hispaniola breaketh furth in the Iland of Arethusa Also of habitable regions vnder the Equinoctial and of the ryche golde mynes of the Ilande of Cuba Of the gumme cauled Animae Album And of the Canibale Also whereby it was thought that there were Ilandes of women Of hony founde in trees and rockes And of the generall on of greate Tortoyses and of theyr egges ¶ The contentes of the .x. booke Fol. 140. ¶ Of the expedition ageynste the kynge of the Ilande Dites in the south sea And howe after foure conflictes submyttynge hym selfe he gaue our men a hundreth and ten pounde weyght of greate pearles Also howe he agreed to pay yearely a hundreth pounde weyght of pearles for a tribute Howe axes and hatchettes are more esteemed then golde or perles And of greate plentie of hartes and cunnyes Also howe the kynge of Dites and his famelie were baptised Of perles of great pryce And howe Paule the bysshop of Rome bowght a perle for foure and fortie thousand ducades Dyuers opinions of the generation of perles And of a hundreth perles founde in one shel fysshe Also of the byrth of pearles Of the regions of the Easte syde of the goulfe of Uraba And of the originall of the Canibales Of certeyne circumcised people which haue the knowledge â—f letters and vse â—ookes And what chaunced of the capitaynes which Petrus Arias sente furth dyuers wayes
foelicissimo vestro matrimonio orationae satis fusa tractauit in qua nihil pretermisit ê™ ad Celsitudinis vestrae et progenitorum vestrorum gloriam virtute partam pertineat CaeteruÌ„ cum regiae vestre virtutes nominisque spleÌ„dor ac regnorum amplitudo alias per vniuersa Christiani orbis imperia satis nota sint nisi forte ibi minime vbi maxime nota esse debereÌ„t nempe in hoc Angliae regno ideo operepraecium et rem omnibus bonis gratam quodque mei est officij erga Celsitudines vestras me facturum existimaui si haec nostris vt dixi hominibus nostraque lingua ob oculos contemplanda proposuero Quod quam foeliciter aut dextre a me factum sit aliorum esto iudicium Quam vero fideliter syncere ac animo in Maiestatis vestras propenso hoc idem aggressus sum testis est mihi conscientia mea in conspectu illius qui hominum corda et renes scrutatur Macteigitur virtutis istius animi vestri estote Serenissimi Principes atque Diuino auxilio freti pergite ea qua coepistis fiducia huius deploratae ac collapsae reipub â–ª nostrae statum pristino decori restituere id ê™ omnes a vobis expectant atque effâ—agitant pollicentes insuper vobis in eo negotio suam operam in nullo defuturam Ne terreat vos quoruÌ„dam canum latratus qui bonis omnibus oblatrant et tunc desinent latrare cum desinent viuere Vulgatissimum semper fuit improbos homines viris probis vel propter inuidiam vel propter dissimilitudinem solere latrare Et tamen ille pro bus semper habitus est quem peruersi maxime improbauerint Non est igitur curandum quid de nobis homunculi sed quid viri boni loquantur Cogitat Serenissimi Principes ê™ magnanimitate ac ma iorum insignijs aquilis et leonibus similes estis Aquilae natura est alta petere et aduersus solis radios in altum volare Leonis proprium est parcere subiectis et debellare superbos Generosus equus per plateas incedens canes vt animalcula imbella praeterit non perturbatus â–ª Virtus non exercita inquit Seneca ad Neronem paruam laudem meretur Non admodum magnificum fuerit mediocrem fortunam probe administrare Sed tanta rerum omnium licentia non abuti hoc vero admirabile est Multo autem admirabilius in iuuenili ac lubrica aetate cui accedat aetas magistra hijs praesertim qui contumelia lacescuntur quae alioqui homines vel placidissimos solet de gradu deijcere Sed vt supra dixi non est hic meâ—propositi Serenissimi Principes vestras laudes pro meritis decantare aut exprimere quo modo in summo rerum fastigio vos humiles praebuistis de quare fuâ—ius in praefacione ad lectores tractaui Iam itaque vt huic epistolae dedicatoriae finem imponam rogo Serenissimas Maiestates vestras vt has meas lucubrationes in hijs autoribus vertendis quas vestro nomini consecraui ea humanitate ac fauore suscipiatis quibus omnes beneuolo animo ad vos accedentes facile admittitis ac neminem reijcitis QueÌ„admodum enim qui pomarium aut vineam plantauit ac maturos inde fructus collegit illi merito primitias soluit a quo prima semina primasque arborum insitiones habuit ita et ego qui a maiorum vestrorum rebus gestis primis sumptis seminibus hos qualescumqueâ—tuctus aedidi videor profecto mihi debito vestro honore vos defraudasse nisi eosdeÌ„ vestro nomini ac numini obtulissem Deus Opt. Max. Celsitudines vestras perpetuo seruat incolumes faxitque vt foecunda sobolis propagine summaque pace ac traÌ„quillitate huius regni habenas ad Diuini nominis gloriam diu gubernetis FINIS ¶ The table of the contentes of this booke Besyde the Decades the table of whose contentes yow may reade in the ende of the booke are conteyned furthermore in this boooke these thynges folowynge ¶ Of the landes and Ilandes latâ—ly founde Folio 149. The popes bulle and donation 167. and. 171. The hystorie of the Weste Indies wrytten by Gonzalus Ferdinandus 174. The ordinarie nauigation from Spayne to the Weste Indies 175. Of two notable thynges as touchynge the West Indies and of the greate ryches brought from thense into Spaine 176 Of the golde mines and maner of woorkynge in them 177. The maner of fysshynge for pearles 180. The familiaritie that the Indians haue with the deuyl 181. Of temperate and habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall line c. 184. Of dyuers particular thynges as woormes serpentes beastes foules c. 185. Of trees fruites and plantes c. 194. Of the venemous apples wherwith the Canibales inueneme theyr arrowes 199. Of fysshes and theyr maner of fysshynge 201. Of the rysynge and faulynge of owre Ocean sea and the south sea cauled the sea of Sur. 204. Of the streight of lande beinge betwene the north and south sea 205. Howe thynges of one kynde dyffer by the nature of the place and of the beastes cauled Tygers 206. Of the maners and customes of the Indians of the firme lande and of theyr women 208. Of the Ilandes Hispaniola and Cuba 210. Of the Ilande of Cuba and other 213. Of the lande of Baccallaos 213. Other notable thynges gathered owt of dyuers autours and of the vniuersall carde and newe worlde 214. A discourse of the maruelous vyage made by the Spanyardes rounde about the worlde 215. The order of the starres abowt the pole Antartike 222. The prices of precious stones and spâ—ces with their weightes and measures as they are soulde bothe of the Moores and Gentyles 233. Of the weightes of Portugale and India and howe they agree 239. Of the dooues of the Ilande of Madera 239. Of the Ilande of saynt Thomas vnder the Equinoctial line 240. The debate and strife betwene the Spanyardes and Portugales for the diuision of the Indies and the trade of spyces 240. Of the pole Antartike and the starres about the same and of the qualitie of the regions and disposition of the elementes abowt the Equinoctiall line Also of certeyne secreates touchynge the arte of saylynge 245. A discourse of dyuers vyages and wayes by the which spices precious stones and golde were brought in owlde tyme from India into Europe and other partes of the worlde Also of the vyage to Cathay and Easte India by the northe sea And of the viages of Sebastian Cabot 249. Of the vyages to Moscouia and Cathay 249. A breefe description of Moscouia 259. The description of the north regions and how they are habitable contrary to thopinion of the owlde wryters 264. Scondia 267. Gronlande 268. Islande 269. Laponia 270. Norway 273. Suetia or Suethlande 275. Gothia or Gothlande 276. Finlande and Eningia 276. Bothnia 275. The dyâ—ference of regions and causes of great cities 277. The hystorie of Paulus Iouius of the ambassade
of great Basilius Prince of Moscouia to pope Clement the seuenth 278. Other notable thynges as concernynge Moscouia gathered owt of the bookes of Sigismundus Liberus 289. The description of the regions and people lyinge North and Easte from Moscouia to the ryuer Petzora and the prouince of Iugaria and the ryuer Obi. c. 294. Of the famous ryuer of Tanais 297. More directly from Moscouia to â—athay 298. Of the Tartars 299. The nauigation by the frosen seâ— â–ª 303. The letters missiue which kynge Edwarde the .vi. sent to the kynges princes and other potentates inhabitynge the north east partes of the worlde towarde the Empire of Cathay 306. and. 308. The letters of the prince of Moscouia sente to kynge Edwarde 319. Other notable thynges as touchynge the Indies and of the foreknowleage that the poet Seneca had of the fyndynge of the newe worlde other regions not then knowen 310 Of the greate Ilande whiche Plato cauled Atlantica or Atlantide 310. Of the coloure of the Indians 311. Why they were cauled Indians 311. The fyrst discouerynge of the West Indies 312. What maner of man Christopher Colon was and howe he came fyrst to the knowleage of the Indies 313. What laboure and trauaile he tooke in attemptynge his firste vyage to the Indies 313. Of newe Spayne cauled Noua Hispania or Mexico 315. Of Peru. 316. Of the great ryuer cauled Rio de la Plata 316. Of the hygher or superior India cauled India Tercera or Terciera 317. Ageyne of the landes of Laborador and Baccalaos 318. The discouerynge of the lande of Florida 319. An opinion that Europe Africa and Asia are Ilandes and of certeyne Nauigations abowt the same 320. That the Spanyardes haue sayled to the Antipodes whiche inhabite the vndermost halfe of the baule of the earth contrary to thopinions of the owlde wryters 321. Who fyrst founde the nedle of the compasse and the vse therof 322. The situation and byggenesse of the earth 323. What degrees are 324. A demonstration of the roundenesse of the earth 324. What credit owght to be gyuen to wryters as touchynge the woorkes of nature 325. The preface to the booke of metals 326. Of the generation of metalles and theyr mines with the maner of fyndynge the same 327. Of the mine of golde and the qualitie therof 334. Of the myne of syluer 340. The maner of woorkynge in the golde mines of Egypte in oulde tyme. 342. The discription of the two vyages made owt of Englande to Guinea in Afrike 343. A briefe description of Afrike 344. The fyrste vyage to Guinea 345. The seconde vyage to guynea 350. The maner of fyndynge the Longitude of regions by dyuers wayes 360. A newe maner of fyndynge the Longitudes of regions 361 â–ª A briefe rehearsall of the contentes of the bookes of the Decades c. FINIS ¶ The interpretacion of certeyne Woordes ¶ Continente that is the firme lande not inclosed with water or no Ilande A Carauel or Caruel a kynde of shyppes Hemispherium the halfe globe of the earth and water Pesus a ducate and a halfe Equinoctial the line that diuideth the heauen and the earthe in the myddest betwene the two poles in the which when the sonne commeth the days nyghtes are of equal length Clime is a portion of the worlde betwene north and south Paralleles are lines whereby the sonne passynge causeth variation of tyme. Gatti Mammoni Monkeys Schoenus is a space of .xl. furlonges Werst is an Italian mile Colonie an habitacion The Indian language ¶ Canoa a boate or barke Caciqui kynges or gouernours Zemes an Idole Tuyra the deuyll Machana a sworde Areitos songes or balades Tona the moone Tonatico the soonne Quines prestes Chiuy a man Ira a woman Boa a house Cauni golde Mayani nothynge c. ¶ Note that the Ilande of Hispaniola is nowe cauled San Domingo by reason of the chiefe citie so named Also saynte Iohns Ilande cauled sancti Iohannis or Burichena is otherwyse cauled Boriquen Rycharde Eden to the reader THe moste famous oratoure and learned Phylosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero wryteth that in all consultations as touchynge owre behauoure and order of lyuynge amonge men it behoueth vs euer to beare in mynde howe farre the dignitie of mans nature excelleth the condition of brute beastes For they beinge ruled altogether by sence delyte in nothynge but beastely appetites whereunto they runne headlonge as to theyr onely felicitie But the mynde of man beinge of more noble nature is nurysshed with knowleage and taketh pleasure in diuisynge or excogitatynge sume honest thynge whereby it not onely leaueth amonge men a memorie of his immortall nature but also engendereth the lyke affection in other that delyte to see and heare such thinges as are commendable in theyr predicessours And this surely thynke I to bee the cause that eyther the famous factes of woorthy men Commendation of noble factes or ingenious inuentions of experte artificers haue not onely nobilitate the autours and diuisers of the same or such to whom they haue byn dedicate but also that parte of theyr commendations haue redounded to all suche as haue spente theyr tyme and taken peynes in illustratynge and settynge furthe theyr doynges For who shulde at this daye haue knowen Mausolus the kynge of Caria Mausolus with his wyfe Artemisia or these famous artificers Cunnynge artificers Scopa Bryaces Timotheus Leochares or Pythis if the wonderfull and sumptuous woorke of the sepulcher whiche Artemisia made for kynge Mausolus her husband beinge of such woorkemanshyppe that it was accompted for one of the marueyls of the worlde had not geuen vnto all these immortall fame whereas neuerthelesse it coulde not defende it selfe ageynst thiniurie of tyme consumynge all thynges There remayneth at this daye no token of the laborious Tabernacle whiche Moises buylded The Tabernacle of Moises or of the renoumed and maruâ—â—lous Temple that was buylded in Hierusalem by Salomon and renewed by Esdras The Temple of Salomon Yet shall the name of the excellente artificers Ooliab and Beselchel and Hyram the kynge of Tyrus Hyram lyue for euer in the memory of men Furthermore also Salomon hym selfe although he were many other wayes famous yet gaue he a greate parte of his glory to that princely buyldynge But certeynely the most trewe and permanent glory Trewe glory procedeth of such monumentes as brynge sume great and notable coÌ„moditie profite to the lyfe of men rather then of the hugious heapes of stones of the Pyramides of Egypt wherin is nought els to see but the fonde barbarous ostentation of superfluous riches Great and suÌ„ptuous works Or of the Mazes cauled Labyrinthi or of horryble great Images cauled Colossi of knottes inexplicable of brasen caudrons of monstrous byggenesse of hauens with echo seuen tymes reboundynge and dyuers suche other portentous inuentions the which as they do delite vs in considerynge the maruelous arte and witte of suche artificers as diuised and made the same so are they otherwyse
downewarde thynke the worlde to be in maner no bygger then theyr owne dungehylles or cagies lyttle passynge whether the Chrystian fayth do spreade through the worlde or bee dryuen to one corner Euen so al good wyttes and honest natures I doubte not wyl not onely reioyce to see the kyngedome of God to bee so farre enlarged vppon the face of the earthe to the confusion of the deuyll and the Turkysshe Antichryste The Christian Empire enlarged but also do the vttermost of theyr poure to further the same For surely as Gonsalus Ouiedus wryteth to the Emperours maiestie in his hystorie of the Weste Indies that he thynketh hym no trewe Spanyarde whiche reioyceth not in the good fortune of theyr kynges by whose ayde and godly zeale this myghtie portion of the worlde hath byn added to the flocke of Chrystes congregation The conuertion of the gentyles Euen so do I thinke them no trewe Chrystian men that do not reioyce with the Angels of heauen for the deliuerie of these owre brootherne owre flesshe and owre bones from the handes of owre commune enemie the oulde serpente who hath so longe had them in hys possession vntyll the fulnesse of the gentyles be accomplysshed accordynge to the time prefinite by hym who vnto the yeare after his incarnation M. CCCC.lxxxxii hath suffered the greate serpente of the sea Leuiathan Leuiathan to haue suche dominion in the Ocean and to caste such mystes in the eyes of men that sence the creation of the worlde vntyll the yeare before named there hath byn no passage from owr knowen partes of the world to these newe landes wheras nowe the same are moste certeynely knowen to be not past .xxx. dayes saylynge from Spayne Neyther yet had the church of Europe any knowleage of the myghtie Chrystian Empire of Preciosus Iohannes otherwyse cauled Presbyter Iohannes Emperour of many Chrystian nations in Ethiope Prester Iohn the Christian Emperour of Ethiope vntyll the yeare of Chryste M. CCCC.xxxiii as largely appeareth in the nauigations of the Portugales and especially in the booke of Damianus a Goes wrytten to the bysshop of Rome Paule the thyrde of that name of the fayth and religion of the Ethiopians which they haue hadde sence the tyme of the Apostles A thynge certes most woonderfull and suche that yf the same were not hydde hetherto by gods vnsercheable prouidence I can not but thynke much negligence or ignorance in owr forefathers and predicessours vntyll the dayes of the ryght noble prudent and Catholike kynge of Aragon Don Ferdinando grandfather to Themperours maiestie by his eldest dowghter Don Ferdinando kynge of Aragon to the queenes hyghnesse by his seconde dowghter the most vertuous lady queene Catherine her graces moother A prince doubtelesse of suche nobilitie prowes magnificence and all other vertues commendable in a prince that who so shall indifferentely way all his doinges and good successe in all his affayres comparinge the same to thenterpryses and doinges atchyued by suche famous princes in whome the Greekes and Romans haue so greately gloryed maye with one eye perceaue not onely howe farre his noble factes do surmount theyrs but also wel consyder what noble braunches of isshewe were lyke to sprynge owt of so woorthy a stocke And suerly if sence the begynning of the worlde the fauour of god toward men hath byn knowen by such benefites and blessynges as he hath geuen to men The fauour of god knowen by his benefites it seemeth to me that in maner onely Chryste excepted there neuer lyued man to whom god hath geuen greater benefites and shewed more fauoure Great doubtlesse was the fauour and mercie that god shewed vnto Noe Noe. by whom he saued the remanent of mankynde beinge but fewe in number But much greater was the grace which he shewed to kynge Ferdinando vnder whom and by whose meanes he saued not onely the bodies but also the soules of innumerable millions of men inhabytynge a great part of the worlde heretofore vnknowen and drowned in the deluge of erroure What god hath wrought by kynge Ferdinando What shulde I here speake of Abraham the father of fayth whose promyses were great Abraham and he cauled the frende of god Dyd he or his posteritie see Israell increase to such multitudes and nations as kyng Ferdinandos posteritie may see thincrease of this spirituall Israell vnto whome as a seconde Abraham he was the father of fayth Spirituall Israell Moises was so great in the syght of god that he disclosed vnto hym his secreate name Moises and miraculously caused a corner of the sea to open at his prayer But howe greater a myracle was it that he opened vnto the nauie of Don Ferdinando the greate Ocean thowght before that tyme to bee without ende where neuerthelesse he and his posteritie the kynges of Spayne haue nowe planted a newe Israell muche greater then that whiche Moises ledde throughe the red sea It were here superfluous to speake of Dauid whom Godde founde a man accordynge to his hartes desyre Dauid and yet maye it be doubted whether his plages and scourges were greater then his benefites His sonne Salomon for al his inconstant and wauerynge wysedome and his great ryches obteyned by his nauigations to Ophir Salomon Ophir yet was there at this tyme no knowleage of Antipodes Antipodes neyther dydde any of his shyppes sayle abowt the hole worlde perce the Ocean The nauigation rounde about the worlde and trauerse the Equinoctial line to thinferiour hemispherie or halfe globe of the earthe and sea as dyd the famous shyppe Uictoria sent furth by Themperours maiestie A thyng doubtlesse so strange and marueylous that as the lyke was neuer done before so is it perhaps neuer lyke to be done ageyne so farre haue the nauigations of the Spanyardes excelled the vyage of Iason and the ' Argonautae to the region of Colchos or all that euer were before And although in the booke of kynges and Paralipomenon it bee hyperborically wrytten that in the daâ—es of Salomon golde syluer were in HierusaleÌ„ in maner as plentiful as stones that his seruantes brought from Ophir foure hundreth fiftie talentes of gold yet do we not reade that any of his shyppes were so laden with golde that they soonke as dyd a shyppe of kynge Ferdinandos as yow maye reade in the last booke of the fyrste Decade Neyther was the dominion of Salomon extended from the ryuer of Euphrates to the lande of the Philistians and thextreme confines of Egypte to be compared with the large Empire whiche the kynges of Spayne haue in the west Indies The dominion of Salomon Paral 9. The Indies Nor his ryches of golde to be thought much in respect of that which hath byn browght from thense into Spayne as shall playnely appere to al suche as wyll seeke to knowe the truth hereof But to let passe to speake any further of the myracles which god hath wrought
the Iberians in subiection The Carthaginenses inriched by the syluer of Spain which was the cause that theyr poure afterwarde increased For with monye hyringe the best and moste expert◠souldiers they kepte greuous warres ageynst theyr enemies And not vsynge the ayde eyther of theyr owne souldiers or theyr associates they were a terrour to the Romanes Sicilians and Libyans whom they browght into great daungiour by reason they passed them al in abundaunce of golde and syluer With better fortune therefore and greater hope of gayne are ryche metals sought in Spayne the goodnesse of whose soyle yeldeth cloddes of earth conteynynge much golde and syluer And these be the very wordes of Diodorus Siculus which the later wryters doo also confirme For Iulius Solinus in his Polyhistor compareth Spayne to the best contreys in plentie of grayne vyttayles oyle syluer golde and Iron Likewyse Strabo Statius and Claudius do no lesse commende it It were to longe here to speake of the greate plentie of fine woolles lyttle inferiour vnto owrs also abundaunce of sugar The commodities of Spain vines pome granates limondes and orangies in such plentie that they suffice not only Spayne but also in maner all Europe whereas the apples and crabbes of Englande are scarsely able to serue it selfe And althowghe here summe wyll obiecte that they lacke corne woodde and certeyne other thynges yet are theyr commodities so greate otherwyse that al such thynges are browght them owt of other countreys for theyr wares and that in such plentie that they are there better chepe then euer they were in Englande sence the signe of the steeple the poore mans Inne was pulled downe in all places The sygne of the steeple Summe for lacke of other matter fynde greate faute that in trauaylynge in Spayne men shal be serued with halfe a henne and go to the cookes for theyr meate and to the tauerne for theyr drynke And what then I praye yow What inconuenience enseweth hereof Is it not better so to doo then to pay thryse for one thinge as is the maner to doo in summe of owre Innes and in tauernes where all that eate roste meate are beaten with the spitte as where they that of late in Barthelmewe fayre payde fortie pense for a pygge where the good man of the house was not a shamed to make his vaunte that he had made foure shyllynges of a pygge and had in one day taken foure pounde for pygges But if I shuld here particularly and at large declare howe Englande is in fewe yeares decayed and impouerysshed England impouerisshed Spayne inriched and howe on the contrary parte Spayne is inryched I shulde perhappes displease more in descrybyng the myserie of the one then please other in expressynge the florysshynge state of the other which by all reason is lyke dayly to increase aswell for the great rychesse that are yearely browght thyther from the Indies as also for the ryche syluer mynes that are founde of late in Spayne in the countrey of Asturia as I was credably informed by the woorthy and lerned gentelman Augustinus de Ceratta Siluer mines founde of late in Spayne Contador that is the auditour of the kynges myntes who had longe before byn surueyoure of the golde mynes of Peru Syluer brought frome Peru into Englande and browght from thense and from Rio de Plata .xiii. thousand pounde weyght of syluer which was coyned to the kinges vse in the towre of London where neuer so much hath byn seene at once as suche as haue byn owlde officers in the mynte doo affirme What shulde I heare speake of the golde which themperours maiestie receaueth frome all the Indies Thēperours reuenues from the Indies wheras onely in the two meltynge shoppes of the gold mines of the Ilande of Hispaniola is molten yearely three hundreth thousande pounde weyght of .viii. vnces to the pound wherof the fyfte parte is dewe vnto hym whiche amounteth to three score thousande weyght yearely Yet doo I not here speake of the golde mines of the other Ilandes and the firme lande reachynge .viii. thousande myles from the north to the south Neyther of the ryche Ilandes of the south sea cauled Mare del Sur The Ilandes of the South-sea where the kynge of one lyttle Ilande named Tararequl Margaritea or de las Perlas lying in the goulfe of Saynt Michael payeth yearely for his tribute a hundreth pounde weight of perles Neyther yet of the fyfte parte of other thynges as precious stones brasile gossampine cotton spices and dyuers other thynges wheras also the ryche Ilandes caused the Maluchas perteyne to the inheritaunce of Castile The Ilandes of Maluca althowgh the kynge of Portugale enioy them for certeyne yeares by composition But the Indies haue rebelled say they and there commeth no more golde from thense But what if summe of them haue rebelled dooth it therby folowe that there commeth no more gold from the other that lyue vnder obedience But if thou wylte say that they haue al rebelled at once thou must proue that thou sayest eyther by hystorie or wytnesse of such as know the truth herof as I hauing made diligent searche for the same am able to proue the contrarie and that suche talke is onely imagined by busie headdes Ageyne what if they haue rebelled in summe prouinces dooth it folowe that they maye not ageyne be browght vnder subiection as were oftentymes the prouinces of the Romanes and as were in owre dayes dyuers countreys of Englande whiche haue byn sore afflicted with that plage But whether the sandes of the ryuers and the mountaynes of the Indies bee so emptied with golde that no more can be founde there I thinke it here superfluous to answere to this obiection forasmuch as it is hereafter confuted in the booke of metals where yow shall fynde by experience that metals growe and increase and that after certeyne yeares suche owlde caues of the mynes as haue byn dygged are ageyne replenysshed with vre Also that the sprynges of suche mountaynes turnynge theyr course and breakynge furth in other places brynge with them greate plentie of such golden sande as is founde in the ryuers into the which they faule What impudencie is it therfore with woordes of reproche to caule hym poore whose poure is so greate his treasure so infinite and his doinges so chargeable that I beleeue that when so euer it please almyghtie God to caule hym frome this lyfe to the greate domage of all Chrystendome it shal be harde to fynde an other that shall in all poyntes bee so well able to supplye that roome and maynteyne thimperiall dignitie Let al honest natures therfore learne to speake well of princes accordynge to the sentence De Principibus nil nisi bonum forasmuch as they are the ministers of god who hath theyr hartes in his hande and ruleth the same as seemeth beste vnto hym For there is no poure neyther good nor badde but of god and he that resysteth or
Englande whereby the hole nation was in shorte tyme conuerted to Christes faith England converted to the faith of christ although sum had receaued the gospell longe before euen from Chrystes tyme by the preachyng of Ioseph of Arimathia who asked the body of Chryste of Pilote and buryed it reuerently I wolde to god that there were now many mo such Gregories in the worlde And that there might lyke zeale and gentelnesse bee founde in vs Englysshe men towarde other nations as we haue founde in other towarde vs. Owre predicessoures were not vtterlye vnmyndefull of these benefites but applyed them selues lykewise to spreade the gospell in other nations For Uadianus in his booke De tribus terrae partibus wryteth that more then seuen hundrethe yeares after the death of Chryste one Unefride an Englysshe man and bysshoppe of Mogunce nowe cauled Mense was the fyrste that tawght the fayth of Chryste amonge the Germaynes This vnifridâ— was afterwarde named Boneface at such tyme as the Frankes and Almaynes had passed ouer the ryuers of Rhene and Danubius and by puttynge the garrysons of the Romans to flight had possessed a great parte of theyr moste noâ—able prouinces For albeit that these rude and barbarous nations then accustomed onely to warre and robberie did hardly admitte that holsome doctrine at the beginning Yet by the pollicâ—e and wisedome of the Frankes it came so to passe that in maner through owt all Germanie greate increase of the Christian religion folowed there moste ample victories as the lyke successe is also seene in these barbarous nations subdued by the Spanyardes Whereby it is apparent that although sum holde opinion that none owght to bee compelled to the faythe Whether any may bee compâ—llâ—d to the faythe yet we see by experience that withowt disputynge of opinions leste the pacientes shulde dye before the phisitians agree of the remedie these enterprises haue taken good effect to the great glory of god who cauleth men vnto hym by dyuers meanes and at dyuers ages of the declinynge worlde otherwyse nowe then in the tyme of Chryste and his Apostles when the poure of miracles was giuen vnto men to confirme the newe fayth which had yet preuailed no where in the worlde The tyme of miracles Albeit I beleue verely that if we wolde take the matter in hande accordyngly god wolde not forget to ayde vs with miracles if it shuld so be requâ—site as yowe may reade in this booke howe he wrought miracles by the fayth of a simple mariner euen in thinfancie of faythe Miracles of lâ—te dayes And suerlye lyke as there is no cause why we shulde anye thynge doubte of goddes goodnesse in this behalfe if the faue be not in owre selues Euen so if we wolde fyrste sette owre handes to the plowe we ought to hope that he wolde giue encrease and woorke with vs as he hath doone with other by whose prosperous successe we may plainely see that it was his wyll that suche thynges shulde go forwarde For euen Israell to whom promesse was made by signes and miracles that they shulde possesse the lande to thinheritaunce wherof Howe Israell possessed the lande of promesse the sea opened it selfe to giue them free passage yet were they commaunded by the poure of the swoorde to make way with greate losse and slaughter of men and by force of armes to obteyne the lande promysed to theyr fathers whiche neuerthelesse fewe of them possessed that first fought for the same but lefte theyr carkeses in the wildernesse Is it not also written of the Iuwes which repayred the walles of the citie of Hierusalem after theyr captiuitie in Babilon â—â—dra 2. cap. 4. that Nehemias theyr capitaine set the people in order with swoordes speares and bowes to defende the woorkemen And that also euen the Princes of Iuda wrought vppon the walles and caried burdens lykewyse that they wrought with one hande and held theyr swoordes in the other And if it were lawful for Israell accordynge to the flesshe to vse all meanes and pollicies to buylde vp the walles of earthly Hierusalem howe muche more then ought the spirituall Israelites to vse all possible meanes to buylde vp the walles and temples of spirituall Hierusalem The buylding of spirituall Hierusalem whose fundation is Christe wyllynge all the nations of the worlde to bee buylded vppon the same It is the propertie of a wyse buylder to vse such tooles as the woorke requireth And not at all tymes or in all woorkes to vse one toole For that that serueth in softe tymber wyll not serue in knottie pieces nor yet for stones Thexpert phisitian vseth vâ—hement remedies for desperate diseases And cunninge surgians vse burnynge and cuttynge if the case so require as in cuttynge of the fynger to saue the hande or in cuttyng of the hande to saue the hole body Ye it hath sumtymes so chaunsed that wheras men haue enteÌ„ded hurt there hath good proceaded therof in fine As he that wolde haue slaine Prometheus wounded his wenne with his swoorde whereby he was healed of that disease So is god able to turne euyll into good and to make thynges that are not as thynges that are Euen so although summe wyll obiecte that the desyre of golde was the chiefe cause that moued the Spanyardâ—s and Portugales to searche the newe founde landes trewly albeit we shulde admitte it to bee the chiefe cause yet dooth it not folowe that it was the only cause forasmuch as nothyng letteth but that a man may bee a warrier or a marchaunte and also a Christian. Therefore what so euer owre chiefe intente bee eyther to obteyne worldely fame or rychesse althoughe the zeale to encrease Christian religion ought châ—efly to moue vs I wolde to god we wolde fyrst attempte the matter And then I doubte not but that it wolde so comme to passe with vs as it dyd with them who of longe time after the beginning of the worlde before menne were accustomed to eate flesshe thought it first sufficient so to vse them selues amonge beastes that they were not hurâ—e of them but shortly after vsed them for theyr commoditie Then begunne to weare theyr skinnes And in fine fell to eatynge of theyr flesshe and to vse certeine partes of theÌ„ for remedies ageinst diseases Euen so may these barbarians by the only conuersation with the Christians although they were enforced therto be brought to such familiaritie with ciuilitie and vertue that not onely we maye take greate commoditie thereby but they may also herewith imbibe trewe religion as a thing accidental although neyther they nor we shulde seeke the same For lyke as they that goo much in the soonne are coloured therewith although they go not for that purpose So may the conuersation of the Christians with the gentyles induce theym to owre religion The conuersion of the gentiles where there is no greater cause of contrarye to resyste as is in the Iuwes and Turkes who are alredy drowned in
foules as well apte to bee eaten as also to delite the eares of menne with pleasaunt noyse But owre Spanyardes bycause they are ignorant in foulynge take but fewe Also innumerable popingayes of sundry kindes are found chattering in the groues of those fenny places Of these there are sume equall to Capons in byggenes and sume as lyttle as sparowes But of the diuersitie of popingayes Popingayes we haue spoken sufficientely in the fyrst Decade For in the rase of this large lande Colonus hym selfe browght and sent to the courte a greate number of euery kynde A philosophical discourse as cuÌ„cerning thoriginal of springes and ryuers the which it was lawfull for all the people to beholde and are yet dayly browght in lyke maner There remayneth yet one thynge moste woorthy to bee put in hystorye The which I had rather to haue chaunced into the handes of Cicero or Liuie then into myne For the thynge is soo marueylous in my estimation that I fynde my wytte more entangeled in the description hereof then is sayde of the henne when shee seeth her younge chekyn inwrapped in towe or â—laxe The breadth of that lande from the North Ocean to the south sea is only syxe dayes iourney by relation of thinhabitantes The breadth of the â—ande at Uraba froÌ„ the North Ocean to the South sea The multitude therfore and greaâ—nes of the ryuers on the one side and on the other syde the narowenes of the lande brynge me into suche doubte howe it can coome to passe that in soo little a space of three dayes iourney measurynge from the hygh toppes of those mountaynes I doo not vnderstande howe soo many and soo great ryuers may haue recourse into this north sea For it is to bee thought that as many doo flowe towarde thinhabitantes of the southe These ryuers of Vraba are but smaule in comparison of many other in those coastes For the Spanyardes say that in the tyme of Colonus they founde and passed by an other ryuer after this A ryuer of maruelous byggenes loke the first decade the ix boke whose goulfe faulynge in to the sea they affirme to bee lyttle lesse then a hundreth myles in the fyrste coastes of Paria as wee haue sayde elsewhere For they saye that it fauleth from the toppes of hyghe mountaynes with soo swyfte and furious a course that by the violence and greatnes therof it dryueth backe the sea althowgh it bee rowghe and enforced with a contrary wynde They all affirme lykewyse that in all the large tracte therof they felt noo sower or salte water but that all the water was fresshe sweete and apte to bee droonke Thinhabitantes caule this ryuer Maragnonum The great ryuer Maragnonus lâ—ber iâ— decade i. And the regions adiacent to the same Mariatambal Mariatambal Camamorus Camamorus and Paricora Paricora Besyde those ryuers whiche I haue named before as Darien Grandis Dabaiba Beragua Sancti Mathei Boius gaâ—ti Delagartos Gaira they which of late haue searched those coastes haue founde many other Deliberatinge therefore with my selfe from whense these mountaynes beinge soo narowe and nere vnto the sea on bothe sydes haue such great holowe caues or dennes of suche capacitie and from whense they are fylled to cast foorth such abundance of water hereof also askynge them the opinions of the inhabitantes they affirme them to bee of dyuers iudgementes herein Alleagynge fyrst the greatnes of the mountaynes to bee the cause whiche they say to bee very hygh which thynge also Colonus the first fynder therof affirmeth to bee trewe Adding there vnto that the Paradise of pleasure is in the toppes of those mountaines whiche appeare from the goulfe of Paria and Os Draconis Paradice Loke .vi â—oke fyrst decade as he is fully persuaded They agree therfore that there is greate caues within these mountaynes but it resteth to consyâ—er froÌ„ whense they are fylled The sea If therefore all the ryuers of fresshe waters by thoppinion of manye do soo flowe owte of the sea as dryuen and compelled throwghe the paâ—sages or pores of the earth by the ponderous weyght of the sea it selfe as wee see them breake furth of the sprynges and directe their course to the sea ageyne The land enclosed with two seas then the thynge is lesse to bee marueyled at here then in other places For wee haue not redde that in any other place twoo such seas haue enuironed any lande with soo narowe lymittes For it hath on the right syde the great Ocean where the sonne goeth downe on the lefte hande And an other on the other syde where the sonne ryseth nothynge inferioure to the fyrst in greatenes for they suppose it to bee myxte and ioyned as all one with the sea of East India This lande therefore being burdened with so great a weight on the one syde and on the other yf this opinion bee of anye value is enforced to swalowe vp such deuoured waters and ageyne to cast foorth the same in open springes and streames But if wee shall denye that the earth draweth humours of the sea and agree that all fountaynes or sprynges are engendered of the conuersion or turnynge of ayer into water distilling within the halowe places of the montaynes as the most part thinke we wyll gyue place rather to thautoritie of them whiche stycke to those reasons then that owre sense is satisfyed of the full truth therof Yet doo I not repugne that in sume caues of mountaynes water is turned into ayer Conursion of ayer into water in the caues of mountaynâ—s For I my selfe haue seene howe in the caues of manye mountaynes in Spayne in maner showers of rayne doo faule continually And that the water gathered by this meanes doth send furth certeyne ryuers by the sydes of the mountaynes wherwith al suche trees as are planted on the sâ—iepe or foote of the mountaynes as vines Oliue trees and suche other are watered And this especially in one place As the ryght honorable Lodouike the Cardinall of Aragonie moste obsequious to yowre holynes and twoo other byshoppes of Italy wherof the one is Siluius Pandonus and the other an Archebysshop whose name and tytle I doo not remember can beare me wytnes For wheÌ„ wee were togyther at Granata lately delyuered from the dominion of the Moores and walked for owre pastyme to certeine pleasaunte hylles by the whiche there ranne a fayre ryuer Whyle Cardinall Lodouike occupied hym selfe in shutynge at byrdes whiche were in the bushes nere vnto the ryuer I and the other twoo bysshops determined to clime the mountaynes to searche thoriginall and springe of the ryuer for wee were not farre from the toppes thereof Folowynge therefore the course of the ryuer wee founde a greate caue in which was a continuall faule of water as it had byn a â—houre of rayne Showers of rayne in the caues of montaynes the water wherof faulyng into a trenche made with mans hand encreaseth to a ryuer
nor yet aspired to the knowleage hereof bycause there came neuer man before owte of owre knowen worlde to these vnknowen nations The Spâ—niardes conquestes At the leaste with a poure of men by force of armes in maner of conquest wheras otherwise nothyng can be gotten here forasmuch as these nations are for the most part seuere defenders of theyr patrimonies and cruell to straungers in no condition admittinge them otherwyse then by conquest especially the fierce Canibales or Caribes For these wylye hunters of men Manhunters gyue them selues to none other kynde of exercyse but onely to manhuntynge and tyllage after theyr maner At the commynge therfore of owre men into theyr regions they loke as suerly to haue them faule into their snares as if they were hartes or wylde bores The fiersenesse of the Canâ—bales and with no lesse confydence licke their lippes secreately in hope of their praye If they gette the vpper hande they eate them greedely If they mystruste them selues to bee the weaker parte they truste to theyr feete and flye swyfter then the wynde Ageyne yf the matter bee tryed on the water aswell the women as men can dyue and swymme as though they had byn euer brought vp and fedde in the water It is noo maruayle therefore yf the large tracte of these regions haue byn hytherto vnknowen But nowe sithe it hath pleased God to discouer the same in owre tyme Owre duty to god and naturall loue to mankynde it shall becoome vs to shewe owre naturall loue to mankynde and dewtie to God to endeuoure owre selues to brynge them to ciuilitie and trewe religion to thincrease of Christes flocke to the confusion of Infidels and the Deuyll theyr father who delytethe in owre destruction as he hathe doone frome the begynnynge By the good successe of these fyrst frutes owre hope is that the Christian regilion shall streache foorth her armes very farre Which thyng shulde the sooner coome to passe yf all menne to theyr poure especially Christian Princes to whom it chiefely perteyneth wolde put theyr handes to the plowe of the lordes vineyarde Thoffyce of Chrystian prynces The haruest is great c. The haruest suerly is greate but the woorkemen are but fewe As we haue sayde at the begynnynge yowre holynes shall hereafter nooryshe many myriades of broodes of chekins vnder yowre wynges But let vs nowe returne to speake of Beragua beinge the weste syde of Vraba Beragua and fyrst founde by Colonus the Admirall then vnfortunately gouerned by Diego Nicuesa Nicuesa and nowe lefte in maner desolate with the other large regions of those prouinces brought from theyr wylde and beastly rudenes to ciuilitie and trewe religion ¶ The fourth booke of the thyrde Decade I Was determyned moste holy father to haue proceded no further herein but that onâ— fierye sparke yet remaynynge in my mynde woolde not suffer me to cease Wheras I haue therfore declared howe Beragua was fyrste fownde by Colonus my thincke I shulde commytte a heynous cryme if I shuld defraude the man of the due commendations of his trauayles The fourth nauigation of Colonus the Admirall of his cares and troubles and fynally of the daungeours and perels whiche he susteyned in that nauigation Therfore in the yeare of Christe .1502 in the .vi. daye of the Ides of Maye he hoysed vppe his sayles and departed from the Ilandes of Gades with .iiii. shyppes of fyftie or .iii. score tunne a piece with a hundreth threscore and tenne meÌ„ and came with prosperous wynde to the Ilandes of Canariâ— within fiue daies folowinge from thense arryuinge the .xvi. day at the Ilande of Dominica beinge the chiefe habitation of the Canibales he sayled from Dominica to Hispaniola in fyue other daies Thus within the space of .xxvi. daies with prosperous wynde and by the swyfte faule of the Ocean from the Easte to the west he sayled from Spaine to Hispaniola Which course is counted of the mariners to bee no lesse then a thousande and twoo hundreth leagues From Spaine to hispanâ—ola a thouâ—ande and two hundreth leagues He taryed but a whyle in Hispaniola whether it were wyllingly or that he were so admonisshed of the viceroye Directing therfore his vyage from thense towarde the weste leauyng the Ilandes of Cuba and Iamaica on his ryght hande towarde the northe he wryteth that he chaunsed vppon an Ilande more southewarde then Iamaica whiche thinhabitantes caule Guanassa so florysshinge and frutefull that it myghte seeme an earthlye Paradyse The floryâ—shyng Ilande of Guanassa Coastynge alonge by the shores of this Ilande he mette two of the Canoas or boates of those prouinces whiche were drawne with two naked slaues ageynst the streame In these boates was caryed a ruler of the Ilande with his wyfe and chyldren all naâ—ed The slaues seeynge owre men a lande made signes to them with proude countenaunce in their maisters name to stande owte of the waye and threatned them if they woolde not gyue place Simple people Their sympelnes is suche that they nother feared the multitude or poure of owre men or the greatnes and straungenes of owre shippes They thought that owre men woolde haue honoured their maister with like reuerence as they did Owre men had intelligeÌ„ce at the length that this ruler was a greate marchaunte whiche came to the marte from other coastes of the Ilande A greate marchaunt For they exercyse byinge and sellynge by exchaunge with their confinies He had also with him good stoore of suche ware as they stande in neede of or take pleasure in as laton belles rasers knyues and hatchettes made of a certeyne sharpe yelowe bryght stone with handles of a stronge kynd of woodde Also many other necessary instrumentes with kychen stuffe and vesselles for all necessary vses Lykewise sheetes of gossampine cotton wrought of sundrye colours Owre men tooke hym prysoner with all his famely But Colonus commaunded hym to bee losed shortely after and the greatest parte of his goodes to bee restored to wynne his fryndeshippe Beinge here instructed of a lande lyinge further towarde the southe he tooke his vyage thether Therfore lytle more then tenne myles distant froÌ„ hense he founde a large lande whiche thinhabitantes cauled Quiriquetana But he named it Ciamba The regyon of Queriquetana or Ciamba When he wente a lande and commaunded his chaplaine to saye maâ—se on the sea bankes a great confluence of the naked inhabitantes flocked thither symplye and without feare brinkynge with them plenty of meate and freshe water marueylynge at owre men as they had byn summe straunge miracle Gentle people When they had presented their giftes they went sumwhat backewarde and made lowe curtesy after their maner bowinge their heades and bodyes reuerently He recompensed their gentylnes rewardinge them with other of owre thynges as counters braslettes and garlandes of glasse and counterfecte stoones lookynge glasses nedelles and pynnes with suche other trashe whiche seemed vnto them precious marchaundies
brymme of the water And saye therfore that the greatest do not wander but that they are created nourysshed and increase in the deepest places of the sea whether fewe dyuers and that but seeldome dare aduenture to diue so deepe to gather them aswel for feare of the sea crabbes whiche wander emonge these perle fyshes to feede of them Sea crabbes and for feare of other monsters of the sea as also leste their brethe shuld fayle them into long remayninge in the water And this they saye to bee the cause why the owldest and therfore byggest sea muscles The sea muscles wherin perles are engendred inhabyte the deepest places from whense they are not lyghtly moued by tempestes Furthermore howe muche the bygger and oulder these fyshes are they say that in their larger matrices the greater number and bygger pearles are founde And that for this cause there are fewer founde of the byggest sorte They thyncke also that when they fyrste faule from their fysshes in the deepe places they are deuoured of other fysshes bycause they are not yet harde Ageyne the smaulest differ from the byggest in a certayne swellynge or impostumation whiche the Spaniardes caule a tympane For they denye that to be a pearle which in oulde muscles cleaueth fast to the shel But that it is a warte whiche beynge rased from the shell with a fyle is rounde and bryght but onely of one syde and not precious beynge rather of the nature of the fyshe it selfe then of a pearle They confesse that they haue seene certayne of these muscles cleauynge on rockes Yet these but fewe and nothynge woorthe It is also to bee thought that the pearle fysshes or sea muscles whiche are founde in India Arabie the redde sea or Taprobana are ruled in suche order as the afore named famous autours haue written For their opinion herein is not vtterly to bee reiected forasmuche as they were learned men and trauayled longe in the serchynge of these thynges But wee haue nowe spoken suffyciently of these sea fysshes and of their egges which the fonde nysenes and wantonnesse of men haue made dearer then the egges of hennes or geese Lette vs therfore entreate sumwhat of other particular thynges whiche are coome to owre knowledge of late We haue elles where largely described the mouthes of the goulfe of Vraba with sundrye and variable regions diuided with the manyfolde goulfes of that sea But asconcernynge the West coastes in the whiche owre men haue buylded houses and planted their habitations on the bankes of Dariena I haue no newe matter to write Yet as touching the East partes of the goulfe The regions of the â—ast syde of the goulfe of Uraba I haue learned as foloweth They saye that the vnyuersal lande of the East region of the goulfe from the corner therof farre reachynge into the sea and from the extreame or vtter moste mouthe of the same receauynge the waters of the sea whiche faule into it euen vnto Os Draconis and Paria is by one generall name cauled Caribana The region of Caribana of the Caribes or Canibales whiche are founde in euery regyon in this tracte But from whense they had their particular originall The original of the Canibales and howe leauynge their natiue soyle they haue spredde their generation so farre lyke a pestiferous contagion wee wyll nowe declare Therfore from the fyrste fronte reachynge foorth into the sea in whose tracte we said that Fogeda fastened his foote toward the corner about nyne myles distant there lyeth a vyllage of Caribana named Fuâ—craca The vylages of Caribana Three myles distant from this is the vyllage of Vraba of the whiche it is thoughte that the hole goulfe tooke his name because this vyllage was once the heade of the kyngedome Aboute syxe myles from this is Feâ—i Nyne myles from Fetiâ— is Zerema Manhunâ—ers And about twelue myles from this Sorache Owre men founde all these vyllages full of people all the whiche gyue them selues onely to manhuntynge In so muche that if they lacke enemyes ageynst whom they maye keepe warre they exercise crueltie ageynst them selues and eyther sleye the one the other or elles dryue the vanquysshed to flyghte Whereby it is apparante that by these their continuall warres and dryuynge the one the other owte of their countreis this infection hath gonne so farre not onelye on the fyrme lande but also into the Ilandes I was also aduertised of an other thynge the whiche to my iudgement seemeth woorthye to bee putte in memorye One Corrales a iudge in causes of lawe amonge the Spanyardes of Dariena sayth that on a tyme walkyng abrode with his booke in his hande he met by the waye with a fugityue which had stedde from the great landes lyinge farre toward the weste and remayned here wyth a Kynge wyth whom he was enterteyned When this man perceaued the lawier lookynge on his booke marueylynge thereat he came runninge vnto him and by interpretours of the kynge whom he serued spake thus vnto him Haue yowe also bookes wherin yowe may reserue thynges in perpetual memorye Bookes Loke in the begynnyng of the booke of the landes lately founde And letters wherby yowe may declare yowre mynde to suche as are absent And herewith desyred that the booke might bee opened vnto hym supposyng that he shulde therein haue founde the letters of his owne countrey But when he sawe theim vnlyke he sayde further that in his countrey there were cities fortified with waules and gouerned by lawes and that the people also vsed apparell But of what religion they were I dyd not learne Yet had owre men knowleage both by the woordes and signes of this fugitiue that they were circumcised Circumcised people What nowe thinke yowe hereby most holy father Or what do yowe diuine may come hereof when tyme shall subdue al these vnder yowre throne what chaunced to the Capitaines whiche the gouernour sent dyuers wayes Let vs nowe entermyngle certeyne smaule thynges amonge these great matters I haue not thought good to pretermitte that which chaunced to Iohannes Solysius who to searche the South syde of the supposed continent departed with three shippes from porte Ioppa not farre distante from the Ilandes of Gades or Cales in the Ocean the fourth day of the Ides of September in the yeare M D. xv Or what successe Iohannes Pontius had whom the newe gouernour Petrus Arias appoynted to vanquishe and destroy the Caribes or Canibales deuourers of mans fleshe Looke decade iii. liber .vi. Also to what ende the vyages of the other capitaynes came whiche were sent foorth dyuers wayes at the same tyme As Gonzalus Badaâ—ocius Franciscus Bezerra and Valleius Iohannes Solicius tooke the matter in hande in an euyll houre The vyage of Iohannes Solisius He sayled beyonde the poynt of saynt Augustine which they caule Cabo S. Augustini toward the South syde of the supposed continent beyonde the Equinoctiall lyne Cap. S. Augustiâ—i â–ª For as
the arbitriment of the chooser so that it bee not grounde already occupied or lefte of other The portion of grounde beinge thus chosen as it were assygned of the augures to buylde a temple they inclose their slaues within the same whose helpe the Christians vse in tyllynge of their grounde and gatherynge of golde as we haue saide These places appointed vnto them they keepe as long as them lyue And if they perceaue tookens of lyttle golde they requyre an other plotte of ground of twelue pases to be assigned them leauyng the first in commen Owre inclosiers woolde leaue no such commens And this is thorder which the Spaniardes inhabitinge Dariena obserue in gatheryng of golde I suppose also that they vse the lyke order in other places How be it I haue not yet enquired so farre It hath byn proued that these twelue pases of grounde haue yelded to their choosers the summe of fourescore Castellans of gold Aurisacra Famâ—e And thus leade they theyr lyues in fulfyllynge the holy hunger of golde But the more they fyll their handes with fyndynge The broosie of couetousnes the more increaseth their couetous desyre The more woodde is layde to the fyer the more furiously rageth the flame Unsaciable couetousnesse is no more diminisshed with increase of rychesse then is the drinesse of the dropsye satisfyed with drinke I lette passe manye thynges wherof I intende to write more largely in tyme conuenient if I shall in the meane season vnderstande these to be acceptable vnto yowre holynesse my dewtie and obseruaunce to whose autoritie hath caused me the gladlier to take this labour in hande The prouidence of the eternall creatour of all thynges graunt yowre holynesse many prosperous yeares ¶ The laste booke of Peter Martyr of Angleria of the Landes and Ilandes lately founde and of the maners of the inhabitauntes of the same I Haue partli declared before in mi decades how certeine fugitâ—ues which came owt of the large West landes arriued in the confynes of Dariena Loke Decade â—ii Liber x. And howe that marueylinge at the bookes of owre men they declared that they sumtyme dwelte in regions whose inhabitauntes vsed suche instrumentes and were ruled by politike lawes Also that they had cities fortified with waules Cities fortifyed with waules and faire pallaces with streates well paued and common places whyther marchauntes resort as to the burse or streate These landes owre men haue nowe founde Therfore who were thautours hereof or what successe they had herein who so desireth to know with the conditions of straunge regions and the maners of the people let hym giue diligent attendance to such thynges as folowe Of the Iland of Cuba nowe cauled Fernandina The Iland of Cuba or Fernandâ—na lyynge nexte vnto Hispaniola on the west syde and yet sumwhat so bendynge towarde the Northe that the circle cauled Tropicus Caneri deuideth it in the myddeste wher as Hispaniola is distante from the Tropike and declinynge certen degrees toward the Equinoctial line we haue spoken sumwhat before In this Iland of Fernandina there are nowe syxe townes â—rected Wherof the chiefe is named Sanctiago of saynt Iames the patrone of the Spanyardes In this there is natiue golde found both in the mountaynes and ryuers By reason wherof they are daylye occupied in gathering digging the same But shortely after that I had finished my sayde bookes thre Spanyardes that were the most auncient citizens of Cuba The Spaniards of Cuba attempt new vyages as Francâ—scus Fernandes of Corduba Lupus Ocho Christophorus Morantes determined to seeke newe landes as the myndes of the Spanyardes are euer vnquiet and geuen to attempte great enterprises They furnyshed at their owne charges three of those shyppes whiche they caule Carauels And hauynge fyrste lycence of Diegus Velasquen the gouernour of the Ilande they departed with a hundreth and ten men from the West angle of Cuba The west angle of â—uba For this angle is moste commodious to relieue shyppes and to make prouision for freshe water and fuell Thus they sayled continually syxe dayes and a halfe betwene the West and the South contented onely with the syght of the heauen and the water durynge whiche tyme they suppose that they sayled not past threescore and syxe myles Note For they ley at anker all nyght where so euer the faulynge of the soonne tooke the day light from them leaste by wanderynge in vnknowen seas they myght chaunce to be cast vppon rockes or sandes But at the length they chaunced vppon a great Ilande named Iucatana The Iland of Iucatana whose beginnyng thinhabitauntes caule Eccampi A great citie well buylded Owre men went to the citie stondynge on the sea syde the whiche for the bygnes therof they named Eâ—yrus or Alcair Thinhabitauntes enterteined them very frendly When they were entered into the citie they marueyled to behold the houses buylded lyke towres magnifycall temples Temples streates well paued and great excercise of bying and sellyng by exchaunge of ware for ware humane people Their houses are eyther bylte of stone or of bricke and lyme and artifycially wrought To the fyrste porches of their houses and fyrst habitations they ascend by ten or twelue steares They are couered eyther with tyles Cunnyng artifycers slates reades or stalkes of certeyne herbes They gratified the one the other with mutuall gyftes The barbarians gaue owre men many brooches and iewelles of golde verye fayre and of cunnyng woorkmanshyppe Owre men recompensed them with vestures of sylke and woolle counterfecte stones of coloured glasse and christall haukes belles of laton and suche other rewardes whiche they greatly esteemed for the straungenes of the same They sette nowght by lookynge glasses bycause they haue certeyne stoones muche brighter Appareled people This nation is appareled after a thousande fasshyons with vestures made of gossampyne cotten or bombage of dyuers coloures The women are couered from the girdle to the heele hauynge dyuers fasshions of veles aboute their heades and brestes with great cautele least any parte of their legges or feete bee seene They resorte muche to their temples vnto the which the chiefe rulers haue the wayes paued from their owne houses They are Idolatours and circumcised Circumciâ—ed Idâ—laters They occupie their maner of exchaunginge with muche fydelitie They vse to adourne the heares of their heades being demanded by thinterpretours of whom they receaued their circumcisyon they answered that there once passed an exceadynge fayre man by their costes who lefte them that in tooken to remember hym Other saye that a manne brighter thâ—n the soone went emonge them and executed that offyce But there is no certentie hereof When owre men had remayned there certeyne dayes they seemed to bee molestous to thinhabitantes accordynge to the common sayinge The longer a geste tarieth the woorse is his enterteynement The whiche thynge owre men perceauyng they made the more hâ—st awaye Beynge therfore prouided of all
drowned and partly slayne with the swoorde And but fewe of the Spanyardes These thynges thus pacified the resydue of the Barbarians were caryed to the towne of Sanctiago and condemned to laboure in the golde mynes Shortly after they made owte a newe vyage to an other of the Ilandes An other vyage whiche lye there about so thicke that they commonly caule the number of them Archipelagus Archipelagus as they in owre sea of Ionicum are cauled Symplegades A multitude of Ilandes Here owre men were cruelly handeled and as many of them as came alande eyther slayne or wounded This Ilande they named Florida bycause they arryued there on Easter day whiche the Spanyardes caule the floryshynge day of the resurrection They say also that in this tracte they sawe .xxvi. Ilandes which Colonus had ouerpassed xxvi Ilandes about hispaniola Cuba And the same so to lye aboute Hispaniola Cuba as though they warded them from the furie of the Ocean In many of these they founde natiue golde of lyke goodnes to that which is founde in Granatum Thinhabitantes also weare many iewels and haue many Images of theyr domesticall goddes made both of golde artificially wrought and also of woodde gylted Images of golde Francis Cheregatus browght one of theyr Idoles with hym wherby may bee considered of what wytte and aptenes they are It is a maruelous thynge to see what maner of rasers they haue Rasers of stone made of certeyne yelowe stones cleare transparent lyke vnto Crystal With these they shaue and carue as though they were made of fine steele WheÌ„ the edges are blunte with longe exercise they sharpen them not with a whetstone or powder or any other stone but temper them onely with water They haue also a thousande kindes of instrumentes or tooles and such other thynges of fyne deuise Instrumentes and tooles which were to longe to rehearse Let vs therefore returne from whense we haue digressed as to Cozumella Iucatana Colluacana or Olloa beinge al landes lately founde and so rich fruteful and pleasaunt that they may in maner be compared to the earthly Paradyse Landes lyke vnto the earthly Paradyse Therfore after that it was knowen to owre men of howe greate momente these trattes were the Spanyardes which inhabited the Ilande of Cuba Anunctus beinge the gouernour of the Ilande furnyshed a newe nauie of ten Carauelles and fyue hundreth menne An other vyage of .x. Carauels and a. hundreth meÌ„ with twoo smaule brigantines as it weare in the steade of lyght horsemen or forerunners whose ayde they myght vse as scoutes to searche the wayes for daunger of rockes and shalow sandes or shelfes They shipte also certeyne horses horses and mares as fyue stoned horses and .xvi. mares apte for the warres For their generall gouernour and Admiral of the nauy they elected Fernando Cortesius who at that tyme was the chiefe ruler of the citie of Sanctiago Fernando Cortesius For vnder capitaines they appointed Alfons Portucarerius Francis Montegius Alfons Auila Aluerado Spatense Iohn Velasquen Diegus Ordassus They styll folowed the same wynde from the last angle of Cuba toward the west As soone as Frauncis Fernandes of Corduba and then Iohn Grisalua came within prospecte of the Ilande of Sacrifyces wherof we haue made mention before soodenly a tempest of contrary wynde prohibited theym to take lande and drowe them backewarde to Cozumella lyinge on the East syde of Iucatana The Iland of Cozumella This Ilande hath onely one hauen named sainte Iohns porte And hath in it onely syxe townes Also none other water then in welles and cesterns bycause it lacketh riuers and springes by reason it is plaine conteynynge onely .xlv. myles in circuite At the coommynge of owre men thinhabitauntes fledde to the thicke woods forsoke their townes for feare Owre men entered into their houses where they founde plentie of vyttayles and many ornamentes perteynynge to the furnyshynge of their houses as hanginges and carpettes of dyuers colours sheetes also of gossampine cotton whiche they caule Amaccas and muche apparell Carpets and sheetes They haue furthermore innumerable bookes Innumerable bokes of the whiche with many other thinges sent to owre newe Emperour we wyll speake more largely hereafter The souldiers wandered about the Iland viewe althynges diligently kepyng them selues styll in battell raye least they myght be sodenly inuaded They founde but a fewe of thinhabitauntes and onely one woman in their coompanie By thinterpretours of Cuba and other whiche the Spaniardes tooke fyrst from Iucatana they perswaded the woman to caule the kynges that were absente They came gladly made a leage of frendshyp with owre men wherby they were restored to their houses and a great parte of their stuffe They are circumcised Idolatours Circumcised Idolaters and sacrifyce children of bothe kyndes to their Zemes which are the Images of their familiar and domesticall spirites whiche they honour as goddes When I enquired of Alaminus the pilote also of Frances Montegius and Portucarerius from whense they had the children they offered in sacrifyce They Sacrifice Chyldren they answered that they bowght them in the Ilandes theraboute by exchaunge for golde and other of their trafycke For in al this so large a space of land the deuelyshe anxietie for the desyre of wicked money hath not yet oppressed thinhabitantes They saye the same also of the Ilandes lately founde wherof two are named Destam and Sestam The Ilandes of Disâ—am Sestam whose inhabitauntes go naked and for scarenesse of children sacrifice dogges whiche they nourishe aswell for that purpose as also to eate as wee do connies These dogges are dumme and can not barke Sacrifice of dogges hauynge snowtes lyke vnto foxes Suche as they destinate to eate they geld while they are whelpes wherby they waxe very fat in the space of foure monethes They reserue al the bytches for increase and but fewe dogges Owre men disswaded them from these superstitions declarynge how they were abhominable and detested of god They were soone perswaded and desyred a law whiche they myght folowe They are soone persuaded to owre religion Owre men therfore declared vnto them that there was onely one god which made heauen earth the geuer of al good thynges beyng of one incomprehensyble substaunce vnder triplicitie of person As soone as they harde these woordes they broke their Zemes and pared scraped and washed the pauementes and waules of their temples Owre men gaue them a painted picture of the blessed vyrgine whiche they placed reuerently in their temple The picture of the blessed virgine and aboue it a crosse to be honored in the remembraunce of god and man and the saluation of mankynde They erected also an other great crosse of wod in the toppe of the temple whyâ—her they oftentymes resorte togither to honour the Image of the vyrgine Thinhabitantes signified by thinterpretours that in the Iland of Iucatana
Amonge the whiche certes those are esteemed moste trewe and autentyke which haue byn wrytten by wyttie and expert men well trauayled in the worlde as faythfull wytnesses of suche thynges as they haue partely seene and byn partely informed by credible persons Of this mynde and opinion was Plinie who better then any other autoure hathe wrytten in xxxvii bookes al that perteyneth to the naturall historie conteyned al in one volume dedicated to Uespasian Themperour Wherein as a prudente historiographer he declareth suche thynges as he had harde Attributynge the seconde autoritie to suche as he had redde in autoures that wrote before hym And thyrdely ioyned to the same hystorie such thynges as he hym selfe had seene as moste certeyne testimonie Whose exemple I folowynge wyl in this my breefe summarie reduce and represent to yowr maiesties memorie such thynges as I haue seene in yowre Empyre of the West Indies aswell in the Ilandes as in the firme lande of the Ocean sea where I haue serued nowe more then twelue yeares in the place of suruoyer of the golde mynes by the commaundemente of the Catholyke kynge Don Fernando the fyfte of that name and graundfather vnto yowre maiestie to whom god gaue great fame and glorie Sense whose death also I haue lykewies serued and trust whyle the rest of my lyfe yet remayneth to serue yowre maiestie as shall please yowe to commaunde As touchynge which thinges and such other lyke I haue more largely written in a hystorie begunne as sone as my age was rype to take suche matters in hande Wherein furthermore I haue made mention of suche thynges as haue chaunced in Spaine from the yeare .1494 vnto this tyme. Addynge also thereunto suche thynges woorthy memorie as I haue obserued in other realmes and prouinces where I haue trauayled And haue likewise particulerly wrytten the lyues and woorthy actes of the catholyke Princes of famous memorie Don Ferdinando and lady Elizabeth his wyfe to theyr last dayes After whose fruition of heauenly Paradyse I haue noted suche thynges as haue chaunced in yowre most fortunate succession Not omittynge particularly to wryte a large booke of such thynges as haue seemed moste woorthy to bee noted as touchynge yowre maiesties Indies But for asmuche as that volume remaineth in the citie of San. Dominico in the Ilande of Hispaniola where I dwell and am placed in housholde with wyfe chyldren and famelie I haue brought no more with me of that my writynge then I beare in memorie Determynynge notwithstandynge for yowre maiesties recreation to make a breefe rehearsall of certeyne notable thynges wherof I haue more largely entreated in my sayde general historie and such as may seeme moste woorthy to bee redde of yowre maiestie Of the which although a great parte haue byn wrytten by other who haue also seene the same yet perhappes they are not so exactly and particularly described as of me forasmuche as in maner all that trauayle into these Indies haue greater respecte to luker and gaynes then diligently to searche the woorkes of nature wherunto I haue byn euer naturally inclyned and haue therfore with all possible endeuour applyed myne eyes and intelligence to fynde the same And this presente Summarie shall not bee contrary or dyuers from my larger historie wherin as I haue sayde I haue more amplye declared these thynges but shal onely more breefely expresse theffect therof vntyl such tyme as Godde shal restore me to myne owne house where I may accomplyshe and fynishe my sayd general hystorie Where vnto to gyue the fyrst principle I say that Don Christopher Colonus as it is well knowen beinge the fyrste Admyrall of this India discouered the same in the dayes of the Catholyke kynge Don Ferdinando and the ladye Elyzabeth his wyfe graundfather and graundmother vnto yowre maiestie In the yeare .1491 And came to Barzalona in the yeare 1492. with the fyrst Indians and other shewes and profes of the great ryches and notice of this west Empire The whiche gyfte and benefyte was suche that it is vnto this daye one of the greatest that euer any subiect or seruant hath done for his prince or countrey as is manifeste to the hole worlde And to saye the trewth this shall doubtlesse bee so commodious and profytable vnto the hole realme of Spayne that I repute hym no good Castilian or Spanyarde that doothe not recognise the same And as I haue sayde before forasmuch as in my sayde generall historie I haue more largely intreated of these thynges I intend at this present only briefely to rehearse certeyne especiall thynges the whiche suerly are verye fewe in respecte of the thousandes that myght bee sayde in this behalfe Fyrst therfore I wyl speake sumwhat of the nauigation into these parties Then of the generation of the nations whiche are founde in the same with their rytes customes and cerimonies Also of beastes foules byrdes woormes fysshes seas ryuers sprynges trees plantes herbes and dyuers other thinges which are engendered boothe on the lande and in the water And forasmuche as I am one of thorder and company of them that are appointed to returne into these regions to serue yowre maiestie yf therfore the thynges conteyned in this booke shall not bee distincte in such order as I promised to performe in my greater woorke I desyre yowre maiestie to haue no respecte herevnto but rather to consyder the noueltie of suche straunge thynges as I haue herein declared whiche is the chiefe ende that moued me to write Protestyng that in this Summarie I haue written the trewth of suche thynges as coome to my remembraunce wherof not onely I my selfe can testifye but also diuers other woorthy and credible men which haue bin in those regions and are nowe presente in yowre maiesties courte And thus it shal suffyce to haue saide thus much vnto yowre maiestie in maner of a proheme vnto this present worke which I most humbly desyre yowre maiesticas thankfully taccept as I haue written it faythfully ¶ Of the ordinary nauygation from Spayne to the Weste Indies THe nauygation whiche is commonly made from Spayne to the Weste India is from Siuile where yowre maiestie haue yowre house of contractation for those partes with also yowre offycers thervnto perteynynge of whom the capitaines take their passeporte and lycence The patrones of suche shyppes as are appoynted to these vyages imbarke theym selues at san Luca di Barameda where the ryuer Cuadalchiber entereth into the Ocean sea And from hense they folowe their course toward the Ilandes of Canarie Of these seuen Ilandes they commonly touche two that is eyther Grancanaria or Gomera ▪ And here the shyppes are furnysshed with freshe water fuell cheese biefe and suche other thynges whiche may seeme requisyte to be added to suche as they brynge with them owte of Spayne From Spayne to these Ilandes is coommonly eyght dayes saylinge or lyttle more or lesse And when they are arryued there they haue sayled two hundereth and fyftie leaques whiche make a thousande myles accomptyng foure
contrary parte of the sayde lande discouered The sayde master Antonie wrote furthermore that by the opinion of men well practised there was discouered so greate a space of that countrey vnto the sayd sea that it passed .950 leaques The sea from new Fraunce or Terra Britonum to Cathay which make .2850 myles And doubtlesse yf the Frenche men in this theyr newe Fraunce wolde haue passed by lande towarde the sayd northwest and by north they shuld also haue founde the sea wherby they myght haue sayled to Cathay But aboue all thynges this seemed vnto me moste woorthy of commendation A notable booke that the sayde master Antonie wrote in his letter that he had made a booke of al the natural and marueylous thynges whiche they founde in searchynge those countreys with also the measures of landes and altytudes of degrees A worke doubtlesse which sheweth a princely and magnificall mynde wherby wee may conceaue that yf god had gyuen hym the charge of the other hemispherie he wolde or nowe haue made it better knowen to vs. The which thynge I suppose no man doth greatly esteeme at this time beinge neuerthelesse the greatest and most glorious enterprise that may bee imagined A great and glorious enterprise And here makynge a certeyne pause and turnynge hym selfe towarde vs he sayde Doo yow not vnderstande to this purpose howe to passe to India toward the northwest wind as dyd of late a citizen of Uenese so valiente a man and so well practysed in all thynges perteynynge to nauigations and the science of Cosmographie that at this present he hath not his lyke in Spayne in so much that for his vertues he is preferred aboue all other pylottes that sayle to the west Indies Sebastian Cabote the graÌ„d pylot of the west Indies who may not passe thyther withowt his licence and is therfore cauled Piloto Maggiore that is the graunde pylote And when wee sayde that wee knewe him not he proceaded sayinge that beinge certeyne yeares in the citie of Siuile Commendation of Sebastian Cabote and desyrous to haue sum knowleage of the nauigations of the Spanyardes it was toulde hym that there was in the citie a valient man a Uenecian borne named Sebastian Cabote Sebastian Cabote tould me that he was borne in Brystowe that at .iiii. yeare owld he was caried with his father to Uenice and so returned ageyne into England with his father after certeyne yeares Wher by he was thought to haue bin born in Uenice who had the charge of those thynges being an expert man in that science and one that coulde make cardes for the sea with his owne hande And that by this reporte seekynge his acquaintaunce he founde hym a very gentell person who enterteyned hym frendly and shewed him many thynges and amonge other a large mappe of the worlde with certeine particular nauigations aswell of the Portugales as of the Spanyardes And that he spake further vnto hym in this effecte When my father departed from Uenese many yeares sence to dwell in Englande to folowe the trade of marchaundies he tooke me with him to the citie of London whyle I was very yonge yet hauynge neuerthelesse sum knowleage of letters of humanitie and of the sphere And when my father dyed in that tyme when newes were browght that Don Christopher Colonus Genuese had discouered the coastes of India whereof was great talke in all the courte of kynge Henry the seuenth who then reigned In so much that all men with great admiration affirmed it to bee a thynge more diuine then humane to sayle by the Weste into the East where spices growe by a way that was neuer knowen before By which fame and reporte there increased in my harte a greate flame of desyre to attempte sum notable thynge And vnderstandyng by reason of the sphere that if I shulde sayle by the way of the northwest wynde I shulde by a shorter tracte coomme to India I thereuppon caused the kynge to bee aduertised of my diuise who immediatly commaunded two carauels to bee furnysshed with all thynges apperteynynge to the vyage The fyrst vyage of Sebastian Cabote which was as farre as I remember in the yeare .1496 in the begynnynge of sommer Begynnyng therfore to saile towarde Northwest not thynkyng to fynde any other lande then that of CATHAY and from thense to turne towarde India But after certeine dayes I founde that the lande ranne towarde the Northe which was to me a great displeasure Neuerthelesse sayling alonge by the coast to see if I could fynde any goulfe that turned I founde the lande styll continent to the .56 degree vnder owre pole And seinge that there the coast turned toward the East dispayringe to fynd the passage I turned backe ageyne and sayled downe by the coast of that lande towarde the Equinoctiall euer with intent to fynde the sayde passage to India and came to that parte of this firme lande whiche is nowe cauled FLORIDA The landâ— of Floridâ— Where my vyttayles fayling I departed from thense and returned into England where I founde great tumultes amonge the people and preparaunce for warres in Scotlande by reason whereof there was no more consideration had to this vyage Wheruppon I wente into Spayne to the Catholyke kynge The seconde vyage of Cabote to the land of Brasile and Rio â—ella Plata and queene Elizabeth who beinge aduertised what I had doone interteyned me and at theyr charges furnysshed certeyne shyppes wherwith they caused me to sayle to discouer the coastes of Brasile where I founde an exceadynge great and large ryuer named at this present Rio della Plata that is the ryuer of syluer into the which I sayled Cabote tould me that in a region within this ryuer â—e sowed l. â—raynes of weate in September and gathered therof l. thousand in December as wryteth also Francisco Lopes and folowed it into the firme lande more then syxe hundrethe leaques fyndynge it euery where veryâ— fayre and inhabited with infinite people which with admyration came runnynge dayly to owre shyppes Into this ryuer runne so many other riuers that it is in maner incredible After this I made many other vyages which I now pretermitte And wexynge owlde I gyue my selfe to rest from such trauayles bycause there are nowe many younge and lusty pylotes and mariners of good experience by whose forwardenesse I doo reioyse in the frutes of my labours and rest with the charge of this office as yowe see And this is as much as I haue vnderstoode of master Sebastian Cabote as I haue gathered owte of dyuers nauigations wrytten in the Italian toonge And whereas I haue before made mention howe Moscouia was in owr tyme discouered by Richard Chanceler in his viage toward Cathai by the direction and information of the sayde master Sebastian who longe before had this secreate in his mynde The vyage to Moscouia I shall not neede here to describe that viage forasmuche as
be noted One quent is .x hundreth thousand◠wherof the one is that for so smaule charges they haue increased the reuenues of the crowne of Castyle as much as the Indies are in value The other is that endynge the conquest of the Moores who possessed the kyngdome of Granada eyght hundreth yeares they immediately beganne the conquest of the Indies as though the nation of the Spanyardes were euer appoynted to feyght ageynst infidels and enemies of the fayth of Iesu Chryst. By this trauayle of Colonus in so noble an enterpryse and so harde successe dooth the sayinge of Plinie appere to be most trew wher in the preface of his natural hystory wryttē to thēprour Uespasiā he writeth ī this maner Res ardus vetustis novitatem dare Nouis autori tatem absoletis nitorem obseuris lucem sastiditis gratiam dubiis fidem omnibus vero naturam et naturae fuatl omnia Itaque etiam non assecutis voluisse abund◠pulchrum atque magnificum est That is to say It is a dyfficulte thynge to gyue newenes to owlde thynges autoritie to newe thynges bewtie to thynges owt of vse fame to the obscure fauoure to the hatefull credite to the doubtefull nature to all and all to nature To such neuerthelesse as can not attayne to all these it is greately commendable and magnificall to haue attempted the same In the scuchen of armes gyuen to Colon by Don Ferdinando and queene Elizabeth Catholike princes so cauled for theyr warres ageynst the infidels these verses were wrytten Por Castilla y por Leon Nueuo mundo hallo Colon. That is For Castile and for Leon The newe worlde founde Colon. ¶ Of newe Spayne cauled Noua Hispania or Mexico NEwe Spayne is that parte of the continent or firme lande that lyeth West and South frome the lande of Floryda This was subdued to thempire of Castile by the ryght noble gentelman Ferdinando Cortese the marquesse of the vale of Quaxaca In this lande are many provinces cōteynyng in thē in maner innumerable cities amonge whichthat is the chiefe which the Indiās caule Mexico or Temixtitan The citie of Mexico or Temixtitan cōsystyng of more thē fiue hundreth thousand inhabitauntes It standeth in the myddest of a lake of salte water as doth Uenece in the sea The lake conteyneth fortie Persian myles cauled Parasange euery one consystynge of .xxx. furlons and more as sum say In these regions is founde great plentie of golde syluer Golde and syluer and precious stones with innumerable other thynges both necessary for the lyfe of man and pleasaunt as sylke Sylke bombasine cotton Cotton alame Alam Safferne Woade woade with dyuers other thynges wherwith clothe sylke is dyed There is also such abundance of suger Sugar that certeyne Spanysshe shippes are yearely fraighted therwith and brynge the same into Siuile from whense it is caryed in maner to all partes of Chrystendome Thinhabitauntes of Mexico are subtyle people and vse much craft in theyr bargening They haue not the vse of golde and syluer monye Shelles for money but vse in the steade therof the halfe shelles of almonds whiche kynde of Barbarous money they caule Cacao or Cacanguate In maner al kyndes of corne are there very good cheape Corne Beastes especially barly and wheate They haue great plentie of hartes wylde bores Lyons Leopardes and Tygers which beastes wander in maner in euery place The region is moste commodious for haukynge and huntynge for the great abundaunce it hath of beastes and foules haukyng and huntynge But the people exercise all theyr cunnynge in makynge the images of theyr Idolatry and in paintyng Paintynge Theyr women are valiant and sumptuous in theyr apparell and other tyrementes For they so vychely frynge and byset the same with perles women sumptuously appareled precious stones and golde that nothynge can be more excellent They haue a kynde of paper greatly differyng from owrs In this they expresse theyr mindes by certeyn figures For they haue nor otherwise thuse ofletters The nation is desyrous of warre and dooth not longe keepe the condicions of peace vnuiolated A warlike nation But delyteth rather in ciuile and most cruell battayle amonge them selues then to lyue in peace and quietnesse Suche as in the warres faule by any meanes into the handes of theyr enemies eyther by submission or otherwyse are partely sacrificed to the Idoles Captiues sacrificed to Idoles and the residue gyuen to the souldiers to bee eaten in lyke maner as wee rewarde dogges and haukes with parte of theyr pray They haue innumerable Idoles which euery one maketh for his particular god after the phantasie of his own brayne and gyueth therto diuine honour Albeit at this day they doo by lyttle and lyttle leaue of theyr barbarous fiercenesse and with owre religion embrase better maners For they nowe professe the fayth of Chryst and in his name pray vnto God the father Vnderstande here that as touchynge these regions cauled new Spayne yow may reade at large in the booke here before entiteled of the landes and Ilandes lately founde This booke foloweth immediatly after the Decades althowgh the printer haue also wrytten the thyrde decade ouer the head of that booke which intreateth principally of the regions nowe cauld newe Spayne Of the conquest of this Mexico Francisco Lopez hath written a large booke in the Spanysshe tounge ¶ Of Peru. The prouince cauled Peru was also named noua Cathilia by them that fyrste founde it This region is the west parte of America and is situate in the longitude of .290 degrees proceadynge from the West to the East And southwarde begynneth fiue degrees beyonde the Equinoctial line and is extended very farre into the south This is taken to bee the rychest lande in golde syluer Peru is the rychest lande that is knowen perles precious stones and spyces that euer was founde yet to this day For golde is there in such plentie that they make pyspots therof and other vessels applyed to fylthy vses But this is more to bee marueyled at that in a citie cauled Collao was founde a house all couered with massie plates of golde A house couered withgold In theyr warres also theyr harnesse was of golde and syluer harnes of golde Theyr weapons are bowes arrowes flynges dartes and pikes Thinhabitantes are warlyke people and of great agilitie They haue cities defended with lawes and armes The region is exceadyng frutefull A frutful region and yeldeth corne twyse in the yeare It is so florysshynge with many fayze wooddes mountaynes ryuers and other both pleasaunt and necessary commodities that it seemeth in maner an earthly Paradyse It hath dyuers kyndes of beastes and yet none hurtfull or of rauenynge kynde There are sheepe of such heyght that they vse them in the steade of horses Great sheepe Sume wryte that they are as bygge as the younge foles of camels and that theyr woolle is very softe and fine Also that the
doubtfull reason In sume regions the coulde is so extreme that greate ryuers are so frosen Extreme colde that laden cartes and armies of men passe ouer the immouable I se Wine also and other moist thynges are so conieled that they may bee cutte with knyues But this is more marueylous that thextreeme partes of suche apparell as menne weare are so bytten with coulde that they faule of Mens eyes are also dymmed the fyre gyueth not his natural bryghtnesse and brasen vesselles and images are broken Sumtime by reason of thicke cloudes thunders and lyghtnynges are neyther seene or harde in such regions Many other thinges more marueylous theÌ„ these hath nature wrought which may seeme incredible to the ignorant but easy to such as haue experience In the furthest partes of Egypt and Trogloditica the heate of the soonne is so extreme abowt noone Extreme heate that noo man can se hym that standeth by hym by reason of the thicke ayer caused by the vapoures and exhalations raysed by the heate None can go withowt shoos but haue theyr fiete suddeynly blystered and exulcerate Such as are a thyrst dye immediatly except they haue drynke at hande the heate so faste consumeth the moysture of theyr bodyes Meate put in brasen vesselles is sodde in short space by the heate of the soonne withowt other fyre The force of education Yet they that are borne and browght vp in such regions had rather wyllyngely susteyne these incommodities then bee inforced to lyue otherwyse such a loue of theyr natiue countrey hath nature gyuen to all men custome of continuance from younge yeares being also of force to ouer comme the maliciousnesse of the ayer Neuerehelesse Extreme heate colde in A smale distance these places of such contrary natures wherby suche strange effectes are caused are not farre in sunder or diuided by any great distance For from the marysshes of Meotis or Meotides where certeyne Scythians dwell in extreme coulde Frome Scythia to Ethiopia many haue sayled with shyps of burden to Rodes in the space of ten dayes and from thense to Alexandria in foure dayes From whense passynge throwgh Egypte by the ryuer of Nilus they haue arryued in Ethiopia in other tenne dayes So that the nauigation from the couldest partes of the worlde to the hottest râ—gions is no more then .xxiiii. continuall dayes Where as thâ—refore the varietie of the ayer is such in places of so smaul distance it is no marueyle that the customes and maners of lyuynge of the people of those regions with the complexions of theyr bodyes and such thynges as are engendered there do greatly dyffer from owres ¶ The preface to the bookâ— of Metals TO this booke of the Indies and nauigations I haue thowght good to adde the booke of metals for three causes especially me mouynge whereoâ— the fyrst is that it seemeth to me a thynge vndecent to reade so much of golde and syluer and to knowe lyttle or nothynge of the naturall generation thereof beinge neuerthelesse thynges not onely most desyred but also such withowt the which at this age the lyfe of man can not bee passed ouer withowt many aduersities forasmuch as pouertie is hatefull to all men and vertue no further esteemed then it is supported by ryches syth nowe that lady that reigned in Saturns dayes is becomme the slaue to hym that was then her bondeman in that golden worlde so named not for the desyre that men had to golde but for thinnocencie of lyuynge in those dayes when Mars was of no poure and men thought it crueltie by breakynge the bones of owre mother the earth to open a way to the courte of infernal Pluto from thence to get golde and syluer the seedes of al mischiefes and angels of such a god whom the antiquitie not without good consyderation paynted blynde affirmynge also that of hym golde and syluer haue receaued the propertie to blynde the eyes of men But syth it is nowe so that we shal be inforced to seke ayde by that which was sumtymes a myschefe it resteth to vse the matter as doo cunnynge phisitians that can mynister poyson in proportion with other thynges in such sort qualyfyinge the maliciousnesse therof that none shall therby bee intoxicate Forasmuch therfore as golde and syluer haue obteyned this prerogatiue that they are suche necessarie euyls which the lyfe of man can not lacke withowt detriment not only they but other metals also perhappes more necessarie althowgh not so precious are thynges woorthy to bee better knowen then only by name syth they are thinstrumentes of â—ll artes the prices of all thynges the ornamentes of al dignities and not the least portion of nature wherby the conteÌ„plation of them is no lesse pleasaunte then necessary But forasmuch as it is not here my intent to intreate much of metals I wyll speake of the seconde cause which is that if in trauaylyng strang and vnknowen countreys any mans chaunce shal be to arryue in such regions where he may knowe by thinformation of thinhabitauntes or otherwyse that suche regions are frutefull of riche metals he may not bee without sum iudgement to make further searche for the same The thyrde cause is that althowgh this owre realme of Englande be ful of metals not to bee contemned and much rycher then men suppose yet is there fewe or none in Englande that haue anye greate skyll thereof or any thynge wrytten in owr tounge whereby men maye bee well instructed of the generation and fyndyng of the same as the lyke ignorance hath byn amonge vs as touchynge Cosmographie and nauigations vntyll I attempted accordinge to the portion of my talent and simple lernynge to open the â—yrst dore to the enteraunce of this knoweleage into owre language wherin I wolde wyshe that other of greater lernynge wolde take sume peynes to accomplysshe and bringe to further perfection that I haue rudely begunne not as an autour but a translatoure leaste I bee iniurious to any man in ascrybyng to my selfe the trauayles of other And wheras as concernynge the knowleage of metals I was once mynded to haue translated into Englyshe the hole woorke of Pyrotechnia wherof I fynysshed .xxii. chapitures nowe more then three yeares sence and lefte the copie therof in the handes of one of whom I coulde neuer get it ageyne omyttynge to speake of other ingratitudes I was therby discouraged to proceade any further in that woorke Neuerthelesse sythe this hystory of the Indies hath ministred occasion to intreate sumwhat of metals I haue ageyne translated three of the fyrst chapitures of that booke which seeme most necessary to bee knowen in this case And hereof to haue sayde thus much in maner of a preface it may suffice Of the generation of metalles and their mynes with the maner of fyndinge the same written in the Italien tounge by Vannuccius Biringuczius in his booke cauled Pyrotechnia To his louynge frende Master Bernardino Moncellese greeting WHereas I promysed yow to wrytte of
To conclude therfore I thinke that in owr partes of Italie The golde of Italie pure golde is none other wayes founde excepte that which is currant amonge the marchauntes then after twoo sortes wherof the one is that which is founde in the sandes of ryuers And the other that whiche is gotten by the industrious subtyle art of partyng gold froÌ„ new syluer or froÌ„ giltyng syluer or other metals which hold gold Golde coÌ„tayned in other metals as there are in maner but fewe which hold not suÌ„ smaul portion therof more or lesse according to the mixtioÌ„ permanencie of theyr substances or accordynge to the qualitie and force of the planettes which expresse theyr influence in the generation of them And in fine this is the golde that which is founde in owre partes of Italie Nowe therfore to returne to the matter whereof is owre chiefe intente to intreate hauynge before spoken sufficiently of the generation and inuention of the myne of golde I wyll further declare vnto yowe howe it owght to be pourged from earthly superfluitie The maner of pourginge of golde and especially that whiche is founde lyinge in the forme of veynes And although I haue not seene the edifies and engens wherwith the myners are accustomed to get it owt yet wyll I shewe yow howe â—y other practises I haue learned to pourge it that yow may not bee without sum knowleage yf your fortune shal be so good as to fynde any in Italy When yow haue therfore dygged owt the myne and placed it in order yow owght to consider in what kynde of stone it is engendered And if it bee in that which is cauled Lapis Lazuli Lapis lazuli then muste yow so drawe owte the golde that yowe also saue the stone bycause perfecte Asure is made therof Asure and such as the paynters caule Azuâ—ro Oltramarino that is Asure of beyonde the sea which they greatly esteme bye it deare And to do this it is necessary that yowe fyrst beate it into fine pouder and then put it in a trey or brode treene dysshe and wasshe it fayre and cleane with water This done amalgame or rubbe it well with quickesyâ—uer vntyll it haue lycked vppe and drawne al the golde into it and left the stone pure of it selfe howe golde is drawen frome Lapis lazuli with quicke syluer Then strayne the quickesyluer from the golde through a bagge of lether or vapour it away in a styllatorie of glasse And thus shal yowe fynde the golde in the bottome of the vessell in maner pure without quickesyluer as I haue sayde before And if yow haue no respecte to saue the stone it shall suffice to vse the common experience meltynge it in a fornace in a bayne or teste of leade The baine or test of leade But in my opinion the best maner to brynge it to purenesse is fyrst to burne the mine with a gentell fyre in an open fornace and to suffer it to euaporate well if it bee not in such stone as yowe desyre to saue Then grynde it in a mylle or beate it with pestelles adapted with a wheele vntyll it be browght to fine pouder And when yow haue wel wasshed it and so much wasted the superfluous earthynesse therof then put it in a teste made accordynge to the quantitie of the same and melt it therin with leade whiche yowe shall consume partely by vapoure and partely with drawynge it owt by the syde of the teste as is the maner vntyll yowe come to the pure golde whiche yowe shall in fine brynge to perfecte purenesse in vtterly consumynge the remanent of the leade with vehement fire increased by the helpe of stronge bellowes And this is the vniuersal maner which yow may vse not only in pourgynge the myne of golde The maner of pourginge golâ—e with leade but also the mynes of all other metals ☞ Of the myne of siluer and the qualitie therof THere are as I vnderstande diuers opinions emonge the practitionars of the mynes whether syluer haue a proper myne by it selfe or no. whether sylver haue A mine by hiâ— selfe or no. The reasons of suche as writte of the naturs of mineralles and thautoritie of the most persuade me to assent to the affirmatiue Not only to see the naturall matter distincte as is to perceaue in the mynes of golde copper leade and other metals whiche in theyr mynes are found pure by them selues without mixtion but also that I vnderstand that there hath bin fouÌ„d likewyse certeyne pieces as well of this metall of siluer as of gold and copper browght to his laste fynesse by thonly worke of nature And this dooth Georgius Agricola a lerned man of Germany confirme in his booke of minerals where he writteth that in Saxonie there was fouÌ„d in a caue a piece of mineral siluer of such bignes Georgius Agricola A table of miâ—eral syluer â–ª that the duke the prince paâ—rone of that place caused a chayre and square dyninge table after the maner of Almanye to be made therof withowte any further woorke of mans hande Gloryinge often tymes that in this thynge he surmounted the greatnesse and magnificence of the Emperoure But in deede excepte copper I haue seene no metall taken owte of the caue pure withowt his vre Yet doo I beleeue it a thynge possible consydering the greate force and poure of nature The workes of nature th ende of whose woorkynge euer intendeth to bringe all thynges to perfection as farre as it is not otherwyse hyndered Yet as I haue sayde of the moste parte of those mynes whiche I haue seene none of theym haue byn withowt mixture Mixte metales not only of the earthe of their owne proper myne but haue byn also mixte with other metals And especially this of syluer more then any other excepte onlye that which was digged in Schio in Vicentina And therefore not withowt sum shâ—dow of apparent reason haue suche doubtes risin amonge the practitionars of the mynes And yet as I haue sayd I beleue that siluer may haue and hath his proper mine forasmuche as euery substaunce that maye be conuerted into metall may aswell stande by it selfe pure in his owne kynde as eyther seperate or mixte with other as is often times seene in one masse in the whiche diuers metals are conteyned and engendered by nature Diuers metals in one masse And by this meanes it often chaunceth that he that speaketh of the mine of siluer may with the same brethe and withowt distinction speake also of all other metales forasmuche as there are but fewe mynes which are not mixte with other But bycause the moste noble and riche metals haue obteyned the prerogatiue to be estemed aboue other therfore the name of the myne is gyuen to them wher they are mixte with other as the mynes which holde copper leade or iren In the indies golde founde in greate quaÌ„titie pure and
the East to the Weste can not be perfectely knowen I haue thowght good for the better satisfying of such as desire to haue sum knowleage hereof to interprete such demonstrations as I haue redde of the declarynge of the same in Gemma Phrysius who as touchynge this matter hath added to thinuentions of other a more certeyne way of his owr diuise wherby as he sayth he can fynde the longitude of regions although he were dryuen owt of the way a thousande myles into places vnto hym vtterlye vnknowen and of vnknowen distance He wryteth therfore as foloweth When yow haue founde the place of the mone By the mone yow ought to consyder the houre when she occupyed that place Then eyther by the Ephimerides or by the tables of Alphonsus yowe owght to knowe in what houre the moone entereth into the same signe of the Zodiake in an other region or towne whose longitude is well knowen Then reducynge the houres to xxiiii the lesse number of houres is to be deducted out of the greater number Then the remanent of the houres mynutes is to be brought to degres in this maner Multiplie the hours by .xv. and diuide the minutes of the houres by foure so shall appere the degrees of the Equinoctial conteyned betwene two meridians And if after this diuision there râ—mayne any minutes multiplie them also by .xv. and therby shal be knowâ—n the minutes of degrees Adde thâ—s diâ—ference of longituâ—e founde to the longitude of the region knowen if the houres of that place bee more in number or take awaye from the same longitude if they be lesse So shall yowe in finâ— gather the longitude of the place vnknowen from the Ilandes of Canarie The Ilandes of Canarie But the same is more easely and redely found geometrically by the globes by this meanes Set directly vnder the meridian the place whose longitude is knowen in the globe howe to fynd the longitude by the globe Then directe the poynte or style that moueth abowt the pole to the houre in the whiche the moone occupyeth the place assigned in that region Then turne the globe vntyll the style that sheweth the houre be coomme to the houre in the whiche yowesowght the vnknowen place of the moone And so shall the degrees of the Equinoctiall distaunte or diuyded frome the moueable meridian declare the longitude of the region which yow seeke Neuerthelesse the more certeine way wherby the differences of longitudes may bee founde is by sum one thynge that in one moment appeareth in all regions as by the eclypses of the moone The Eclipses of the moone For the dyuers houres beinge knowen in the whiche the sayd eclypses chaunce in dyuers regions the longitudo maye thus aswell be knowen by geometrie and arithmetike as it is founde by the rule here before But forasmuch as this doth neyther appere at al tymes nor to all men and the other way is sumwhat difficult neyther at al tymes redy by reason of the coÌ„iunctions of the mone and furthermore also sumtymes vncerteyne and varying sum what from the truth for the dyuers aspectes and lâ—titudâ—s of the mone it so chaunceth hereby that wee haue eyther no longitudes or the same very vncerteyne of many regions and especially of those which the Spanyardes haue of late discouered For no certentie doubtlesse can be knowen by such commensurations as are made in the wanderynge turnynges and wyndynges of such vyages as Ptolome affirmeth in the first booke of his Cosmographie I wyll therfore adde herevnto sum thynge of myne owne inuention whereby by an easy way and at all tymes the longitudes of regions may bee founde in all vyages and nauigations ¶ A newe maner of fyndynge the Longitudes of regions WEe see that in these owre dayes certeyne lyttle clockes are verye artificially made the whiche for theyr smaule quantitie are not comberous to be caryed abowt in all vyages Little clockeâ— These often tymes moue continually for the space of .xxiiii. houres and may with helpe continewe theyr mouynge in maner perpetually By the helpe therfore of these the longitude may bee founde after this maner Before wee enter into any vyage wee muste fyrste foresee that the sayde clocke exactly obserue the houres of the place from whense we departe And ageyne that in the way it neuer cease Accomplysshynge therfore .xv. or .xx. myles of the vyage if wee desyre to knowe howe much in longitude we are dystant frome the place of owre departure we must tary vntyll the poynt or style of the clocke do exactly come to the poynt of sum houre and at the same moment by owr Astrolabie or globe By the Astrolabie and globe owght wee to seeke the houre of the place where we bee The which yf it agree in minute with the houres which the Horoscopium or ascendent dooth shewe horoscopus or the Ascendent then is it certeyne that wee are yet vnder the same Meridian or the same Longitude and that owre course hath byn towarde the south or north But if it dyffer one hour or any mynute theÌ„ are the same to bee reduced to degrees or minutes of degrees as we haue tought in the chapiture here before And so shall the longitude bee founde And by this arte can I fynde the longitude of regions althowgh I were a thousand myles owt of my attempted course in an vnknowen distance but the latitude must fyrste bee perfectely knowen The latitude FINIS ¶ A bryefe rehersal of the contentes of the bookes of the fyrst Decade and so folowynge of all the other Decades Folio .i. IN the fyrst booke is declared howe Christophorus Colonus otherwyse cauled Columbus persuaded Fernando and Elizabeth prynces of Spayne to foorther his attempte in searching newe and vnknowen landes in the West Ocean Also of the .vii. Ilandes of Canarie by whom they were founde and conquered Howe Colonus founde the Ilandes of Hispaniola and Cuba And of the fierce people cauled Canibales or Caribes which are accustomed to eate mans flesshe Of the rootes cauled Ages Iucca and the grayne Maizium wherof the people of the Ilandes make theyr breade Of the golde found in the sandes of ryuers and of the serpentes which are without hurte Also of turtle doues duckes and popyngiayes Of Mastix and Aloe with dyuers frutes and trees vnknowen to vs and of the frutefulnes of the Iland of Hispaniola which the Spanyardes caule Spagnuola Of the seconde vyage of Colonus into these regions and howe he was furnysshed with .xvii. shyppes and a thousande and two hundreth souldyers with all kynde of artiliarye artificers and grayne to sowe And of the tree frome the which water droppeth continually into a trenche made by mans hande ☞ The contentes of the seconde booke Fol. 4. ¶ Howe Colonus departynge from the Ilandes of Canarie sayled .viii. hundreth and .xx. leagues in .xxi. dayes and came to Dominica an Ilande of the Canibales And of the fragrant sauour of spices which proceded
Of the Ilandes of Puta and Margarita and of the swift course or faule of the Ocean from the East to the weste Of the goulfes cauled Os Draconis And of the conflicte betwene the freshe water and the salte Of a sea of freshe water And a mountayne inhabited onely with monkeys and marmasettes Of the fayre riche and large region of Paria And howe frendly thinhabitantes entreated the Admyrall and his men Also of pleasaunte wyne made of dyuerse fruites And of greate abundaunce of perles and golde Of the regions of Cumana Manacapana and Curiana beynge regions of the large prouynce of Paria And of the â—ea of herbes or weedes A certeyn secreate as touchynge the pole starre and the eleuation of the same Also of the roundnesse of the earthe Of the mountaynes of Paria in the toppes wherof Colonus ernestly affirmeth the earthly Paradise to be situate And whether Paria be part of the firme land or coÌ„tinent of India ¶ The contentes of the .vii. booke Fol. 33. ¶ Howe Roldanus Xeminus with his confetherates accused the Admirall to the kynge And howe he pourged hym selfe and accused them Howe kynge Guarionexius rebelled ageyne And with him kyng Maiobanexius Also howe they with other kinges came ageynst the Lieuetenaunte with an armye of .viii. thousande naked and paynted Ciguauians Also twoo rare exemples of frendshyppe and faythfulnes in barbarous princes Howe Colonus the Admirall and the Lieuetenaunte hys brother were sent bounde into Spayne And newe officers appoynted in theyr places The contentes of the .viii. booke Fol. 37 ¶ The Nauigation of Petrus Alphonsus frome Spayne to Paria where in the region of Curiana he had in shorte space .xv. vnces of pearles greate plenty of vytailes for haukes bellees pynnes lokinge glasses and suche other tryfelles Of certeyn coniectures wherby Paria is thought to bee parte of the firme lande And of the golden region of Cauchieta where in the moneth of Nouember the ayre is temperate and not coulde Howe Alphonsus had a conflicte with the Canibals and howe they are acustomed to inuade other contreys Of greate abundaunce of salte in the region of Haraia howe the dead bodyes of theyr prynces are dryed reserued and relygiously honoured Howe Alphonsus at his returne to Spayne frome Curiana brought with hym threescore and .xvi. pounde weight of pearles which he bought for owre tryfells amountinge only to the value of fiue shillyngs The contentes of the .ix. booke Fol. 40. ¶ The Nauigation of Uincentius Pinzonus and Aries Pinzonus and howe they sayled beyonde the Equinoctiall lyne losse the syght of the northe starre and founde the starres in other order Howe Uincentius passynge the equinoctiall towarde the southe pole founde fierce and warlike people of great stature And of the sea of freshe water Howe Uincentius directing his course towarde the north weste from the equinoctiall recouered the syght of the northe pole and by the regions of Mariatamball Camomorus and Pericora came to the fayre and ryche prouince of Paria and to the regyons of Os Draconis Cumana Manacapana Curiana c. A coniecture that Paria wherby is ment that mayne land now cauled America shulde be parte of the fyrme lande or continent of India beyonde the ryuer of Ganges and no ilande And of the excedynge great riuer Maragnonus replenished with Ilandes Of Boriostomea and Spiriostomea the mouthes of the famous ryuer of Danubius cauled in olde tyme Ister And of the commodities of the regions and Ilandes about Paria Also of the woodes of brasile trees Of many frutfull Ilandes wasted and lefte desolate by reson of the Canâ—balles crueltie And of the trees of Cassia Fistula Also of other trees of excedyng bygnesse The description of a certayne monstruous beaste And how Uincentius loste two of his shyppes by tempeste Howe Uincentius at his returne to Spayne brought with hym cinamome gynger and certayne precious stoones cauled Topases And of the nauigations of certayne other inhabitantes of the towne of Palos Of the precious medicine cauled Anime Album And of the diuerse superstitions of the inhabitauntes of Hispaniola Also of their Idolatry and howe they honour the ymages of deuylles whiche they caule Zemes. ¶ The Contentes of the .x. booke Fol. 48. Of great glentie of golde perles and frankenâ—ence found in the regions of Paria And of innumerable beastes in shape dyfferynge from owres Howe the Spaniardes profered them selues to conquere the newe founde landes beynge in largenesse thryse as great as Europe besyde the southe landes parteynynge to the Portugales And howe the nature of the place altereth the formes and qualities of thynges Of the Ilande of Cuba and of the golde mynes of the Iland of Sancti Iohannis otherwise cauled Burichena or Buchena Also of the ryche golde mynes of Hispaniola and of the order of workynge in the same Of the two chiefe golde mynes of Hispaniola And of a pece of golde weyinge thre thousande thre hundreth and tenne pounde weyght Howe the golde is fyned and distrybuted And howe that only in the meltynge shops of the two golden mynes of Hispaniola is molten yearely aboue three hundreth thousande pounde weyght of golde Howe thenterpryses of the Spanyardes are not inferior to thactes of Saturnus or Hercules And howe the Admyrall discouered the lande ouer ageynst the west corner of Cuba and the Ilande or Guanassa ¶ The Contentes of the bookes of the seconde Decade ¶ The contentes of the fyrst booke Fol. 51. ¶ Howe after the death of Colonus the Admirall the kyngâ— gaue free lycence to all suche as wolde attempte any vyages And of the nauigatioÌ„s of Diego Nicuesa AlphoÌ„sus Fogeda Of the Ilande Codego and the region of Caramairi And of certeyne sweete apples whiche turne into woormes when they are eaten whose trees are also contagious Howe Alfonsus Fogeda the Lieuetenaunt of Uraba encounterynge with the barbarians had the ouerthrowe And howe in this conflicte fyftie of his men were slayne with Iohannes de la Cossa theyr capytayne Howe Fogeda and Nicuesa the Lieuetenaunte of Beragua reuenged the death of theyr coompanyons And howe Fogeda came to the Ilande Fortis and the region of Caribana where he was repulsed from the golde mynes by the fiercenesse of the barbarians vsyng arrowes infected with poyson Howe Fogeda was wounded in the thygh with a venemous arrowe and his men almost consumed with famyn Howe a brigantine was drowned with the stroke of a fysshe And of the nauigation of Ancisus from Hispaniola to Uraba Of the Lamentable shyppewracke of Ancisus And of the date trees and wytde bores which he founde Of the frutes or apples of the trees cauled Ceders of Libane which beare owlde frutes and newe all the yeare Howe onely three of the Canibales with theyr bowes and inuenemed arrowes assayled Ancisus with a hundreth of his men In which conflicte they wounded and slewe many Also of theyr swyftnesse of foote Of the great ryuer of Dariena And how Ancisus encountered with fyue hundreth of