of the habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall and of the ryche golde mynes of the Ilande of Cuba Of the Gumme called Animae Album and of the Canibales also wherby it was thought that there were Ilandes of women Of hony founde in trees and rockes and of the generation of great Tortoyses and of theyr egges The contentes of the tenth booke Fol. 146. OF the expedition agaynst the kyng of the Ilande Dites in the South sea and howe after foure conflictes submitting hym selfe he gaue our men an hundred ten pounde weyght of great pearles also howe he agreed to paye yeerely a hundred pounde weyght of pearles for a tribute Howe axes and hatchettes are more esteemed then golde or pearles and of great plentie of Hartes and Cunnies also howe the kyng of Dites and his familie were baptised Of pearles of great pryse and howe Paule the Bishop of Rome bought a pearle for foure and fortie thousand ducades Diuers opinions of the generation of pearles and of a hundred pearles founde in one shel fyshe also of the birth of pearles Of the regions of the East syde of the gulfe of Vraba and of the originall of the Canibales Of certayne circumcised people which haue the knoweledge of letters and vse of bookes and what chaunced of the captaynes which Petrus Arias sent foorth diuers wayes also howe Iohn Solisius was slayne of the Canibales and of theyr fiercenesse Howe Iohn Pontius was repulsed of the Canibales and of the lewde behauiour of Iohn Aiora Of the variable fortune of Gonsalus Badaiocius and howe after he had geathered great ryches of gold he had the ouerthrow and was spoyled of all Of the golden region of Coiba Dites and how theyr slaues are marked in the face Of the Ilandes of the South sea and of the regions from whence the Portingales fetche theyr spyces Of a straunge kynde of fowlyng and of the trees that beare Gourdes Of the later opinions as touching the swift course of the Ocean towarde the West and of the continent or fyrme lande also of the viage from the newe landes to Spayne Of the golde mynes of Dariena and of the maner of geatheryng of golde in the same also of the dropsie of couetousnesse which is not satisfied with ryches For the contentes of the booke of the Ilandes of the West Indies seas reade the margent notes of the same FINIS ⧠Gonzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus of the west Indies R. E. To the Reader ALthough among dyuers which haue written of the Ocean and VVest Indies there is none to be compared to Peter Martyr of Angleria in declaryng by philosophicall discourses the secrete causes of naturall affectes both as touchyng the lande the sea the starres and other straunge workes of nature yet forasmuch as of later dayes those countreys haue been better knowne and searched and dyuers such particuler and notable thinges founde as are conteyned in the histories of later writers among the number of whom Conzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus whom learned Cardanus compareth to the ancient writers is doubtlesse the chiefe I haue therefore thought good to ioyne to the Decades of Peter Martyr certayne notable thinges which I haue geathered out of his booke intituled the Summarie or abridgement of his generall hystorie of the west Indies written in the firme lande of the same in the citie of Sancti Maria Antiqua in Dariena where he dwelt was gouernor many yeeres and dedicated to Themperours maiestie as may appeare by the Epistle folowyng To the most hygh and myghtie prince Charles the fyft o◠that name Emperor of Rome Kyng of Spaine of the two Cicilies of both the sydes of the streyght of Faro Kyng of Hierusalem and Hungarie Duke of Burgonie and Earle of Flaunders Lord and inheritour of the firme lande and Ilandes of the VVest Ocean c. Gonzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus his most humble seruaunt wysheth health and perpetuall felicitie THe thinges which principally preserue and mayntayne the workes of nature in the memories of men are hystories and bookes composed of the same among the whiche certes those are esteemed most true and autentyke which haue been wrytten by wyttie and expert men well traueyled in the world as faythfull witnesses of such thinges as they haue partly seene and been partly informed by credible persons Of this mynde and opinion was Plinie who better then any other aucthor hath written in .xxxvii. bookes all that parteyneth to the naturall historie conteyned all in one volume dedicated to Vespasian Themperour Wherin as a prudent historiographer he declareth such thinges as hee had heard attributing the second authoritie to such as he had redde in aucthours that wrote before him And thyrdly ioyned to the same hystorie such thinges as he him selfe had seene as most certayne testimonie Whose example I folowyng will in this my breefe summarie reduce and represent to your maiesties memorie such thinges as I haue seene in your Empyre of the West Indies aswell in the Ilandes as in the firme lande of the Ocean sea where I haue serued now more then twelue yeeres in the place of surueyer of the golde mynes by the commaundement of the Catholyke kyng Don Fernando the fyft of that name and graundfather vnto your maiestie to whom God gaue great fame and glorie Since whose death also I haue lykewyse serued and trust whyle the rest of my lyfe yet remayneth to serue your maiestie as shall please you to commaunde As touchyng whiche thinges and suche other lyke I haue more largely written in an hystorie begun assoone as my age was rype to take such matters in hande Wherein furthermore I haue made mention of suche thinges as haue chaunced in Spayne from the yeere .1494 vnto this tyme addyng also therevnto suche thinges woorthy memorie as I haue obserued in other realmes and prouinces where I haue trauayled and haue lykewyse particulerly wrytten the lyues and worthy 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 such thinges as haue chaunced in your most fortunate succession not omittyng particulerly to wryte a large booke of suche thinges as haue seemed most woorthy to bee noted as touchyng your maiesties Indies But forasmuch as that volume remayneth in the citie of San. Dominico in the Ilande of Hispaniola where I dwell and am placed in housholde with wyfe chyldren and famylie I haue brought no more with me of that my writyng then I beare in memorie determynyng notwithstandyng for your maiesties recreation to make a breefe rehearsall of certayne notable thinges wherof I haue more largely entreated in my sayd generall historie and such as may seeme most woorthy to be redde of your maiestie Of the which although a great parte haue been written by other who haue also seene the same yet perhappes they are not so exactly and particulerly described as of mee forasmuche as in maner all that trauayle into these Indies haue
maner rounde It is of largenesse from syde to syde .lx. Italian myles that is to say one degree The horizontall line of the Ilande passeth by the two poles Artike and Antartike and hath euer the day equall with the nyght without any sensible difference whether the Sunne be in Cancer or in Capricorne The starre of the pole Artike is there inuisible but the wardens are seene somewhat to moue about the starres called the Crosse are seene very hygh Of this Ilande with the other landes and Ilandes lying betweene Portugale and the same a certeyne pylotte of Portugale hath written a goodly vyage to Conte Rimondo FINIS The Nauigation and vyages of Lewes Vertomannus Gentelman of the citie of Rome to the regions of Arabia Egypte Persia Syria Ethiopia and East India both within and without the ryuer of Ganges c. In the yeere of our Lorde .1503 Conteynyng many notable and straunge thinges both hystoricall and naturall Translated out of Latine into Englyshe by Richarde Eden In the yeere of our Lord .1576 The Preface of the Authour THere haue ben many before me who to know the miracles of the worlde haue with diligent studie read dyuers Authours which haue written of such thinges But other giuing more credite to the lyuely voyce haue been more desirous to know the same by relation of such as haue traueyled in those countreys seene such thinges whereof they make relation for that in many bookes geathered of vncertaine aucthoritie are myxt false thinges with true Other there are so greatly desirous to know the trueth of these thinges that they can in no wyse be satisfied vntyll by theyr owne experience they haue founde the trueth by voyages and peregrinations into straunge countreys and people to know theyr maners fashions and customes with dyuers thinges there to be seene wherein the only readyng of bookes could not satisfie their thirst of suche knowledge but rather increased the same in so much that they feared not with losse of goods and daunger of lyfe to attempte great vyages to dyuers countreys with witnesse of theyr eyes to see that they so greatly desired to knowe The whiche thyng among other chaunced vnto me also For as often as in the bookes of hystories and Cosmographie I read of such marueylous thinges whereof they make mention especially of thinges in the East partes of the world there was nothyng that coulde pacifie my vnquiet mynde vntyll I had with myne eyes seene the trueth thereof I knowe that some there are indued with hygh knowledge mountyng vnto the heauens whiche will contempne these our writinges as base and humble bycause we doe not here after their maner with high and subtile inquisition intreate of the motions and dispositions of the starres and gyue reason of theyr woorkyng on the earth with their motions retrogradations directions mutations epicicles reuolutions inclinations diuinations reflexions and suche other parteynyng to the science of Astrologie which certeynely we doe not condempne but greatly prayse But measuryng vs with our owne foote we will leaue that heauie burden of heauen to the strong shoulders of Atlas and Hercules and only creepyng vppon the earth in our owne person beholde the situations of landes and regions with the maners and customes of men and variable fourmes shapes natures and propriettes of beastes fruites and trees especially suche as are among the Arabians Persians Indians and Ethiopians And whereas in the searchyng of these thinges we haue thanked be God satisfied our desire we thinke neuerthelesse that we haue done little excepte we should communicate to other such thinges as we haue seene and had experience of that they lykewyse by the readyng thereof may take pleasure for whose sakes we haue written this long and dangerous discourse of thinges which we haue seene in dyuers regions and sectes of men desiryng nothyng more then that the trueth may be knowen to them that desyre the same But what incommodities and troubles chaunced vnto me in these viages as hunger thirst colde heate warres captiuitie terrours and dyuers other suche daungers I will declare by the way in theyr due places The first Chapter of the nauigation from Venice to Alexandria in Egypte IF any man shall demaunde of me the cause of this my vyage certeynely I can shewe no better reason then is the ardent desire of knowledge which hath moued many other to see the worlde and miracles of God therin And forasmuch as other knowen partes of the world haue heretofore ben sufficiently traueyled of other I was determyned to visite and describe suche partes as here before haue not been sufficiently knowen and therefore with the grace of God and callyng vppon his holy name to prosper our enterprise departyng from Uenice with prosperous wyndes in fewe dayes we arryued at the citie of Alexandria in Egypte where the desyre we had to knowe thinges more straunge and further of would not permit vs to tarrie long And therefore departyng from thence and saylyng vp the ryuer of Nilus we came to the citie of new Babylon commonly called Cayrus or Alcayr Of the citie named Babylon or Alcayr a citie of Nilus in Egypt Cap. 2. WHen we arryued there I marueyled more then I am able to say yet when I approched so neare the citie that I myght wel see into it it seemed to me much inferior to the reporte and fame that was thereof for the greatnesse thereof seemed nothyng agreeable to the bruite and appeared no more in circuite then the citie of Rome although muche more peopled and better inhabited But the large fieldes of the suburbes haue deceyued many beyng dispersed with in maner innumerable villages whiche some haue thought to haue been part of the citie whiche is nothyng so For those villages and dispersed houses are two or three myles from the citie and round about it on euery syde Neyther is it here needefull to spende muche tyme in declaryng of theyr maners or religion forasmuch as it is well knowen that all the inhabitantes of those regions are Mahumetans and Mamalukes whiche are suche Christians as haue forsaken theyr fayth to serue the Mahumetans and Turkes Although commonly they that serued the Soltan of Babylon in tyme past before the Soltan was ouercome by the Turke were called Mamaluchi as they that serue the Turke are called Ienetzari But these Mamaluke Mahumetans are subiecte to the Soltan of Syria Of the cities of Berynto Tripoli and Antioch Cap. 3. THe riches fayrenesse and magnificence of Babylon aforesayde and the straunge souldiers Mamalukes as things knowen we will now pretermit Therfore departyng from Babylon and returnyng to Alexandria where we agayne entered into our sea we came to Berynto a citie on the sea coast of Syria Phoenicia where we spent many dayes This is inhabited of Mahumetans and plentifull of all thinges The sea beateth on the walles of the towne it is not compassed with walles but on the West syde towarde the sea Here founde we nothyng
as sayled behynd the Sunne towarde the West dyd greatly lengthen the daye And albeit that the sayde booke of Peter Martyr is peryshed yet hath not fortune permytted that the memorie of so woorthy and marueylous an enterpryse shoulde vtterly be extincte forasmuche as a certayne noble gentelman of the citie of Vincenza in Italie called master Antonie Pigafetta who beyng one of the companie of that voyage and after his returne into Spayne in the shyppe Victoria was made knyght of the Rhodes wrote a particular and large booke thereof whiche he gaue to Themperours Maiestie and sent a copie of the same into Fraunce to the lady Regent mother vnto the French king who committed it to an excellent philosopher called master Iacobus Faber hauing long studied in Italy wyllyng hym to translate it into the Frenche tongue This booke therefore was printed fyrst in the Frenche tongue and then in the Italian with also an epistle to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as touchyng the same voyage written by Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to Themperours Maiestie in the yeere 1522. And doubtlesse among all the cities of Italie the citie of Vincenza may herein muche glorie that besyde the auncient nobilitie and many excellent and rare wyttes whiche it hath brought foorth aswell in learnyng as discipline of warre it hath also had so woorthy and valiaunt a gentleman as was the sayde master Antonie Pigafetta who hauyng compassed about the ball or globe of the worlde hath lykewyse described that voyage particularly For the whiche his so noble and wonderfull an enterprise so happily atchiued if the same had ben done in the olde tyme when Th empyre of the Greekes and Romans floryshed he shoulde doubtlesse haue ben rewarded with an Image of marble or gold erected in a place of honour in perpetuall memorie and for a singular example of his vertue to the posteritie In fine this may we boldly affyrme that the antiquitie had neuer such knowledge of the worlde whiche the Sunne compasseth about in .xxiiii. houres as we haue at this present by the industrie of men of this our age But before I speake any thyng of the vyage I haue thought it good fyrst to adde hereunto the Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane which he wrote to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as a preface to his sayde booke ¶ The Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to the Emperours Maiestie written to the ryght honorable and reuerende lorde the lord Cardinal of Salepurge of the marueylous and woonderfull nauigation made by the Spanyardes rounde about the worlde in the yeere of Christ M.D.xix. IN these dayes my most honorable and reuerend lord returned one of those fiue ships whiche the yeere before Themperours beyng at Saragosa in Spaine were at his maiesties commaundement sent to the newe worlde heretofore vnknowen vnto vs to seeke the Ilandes of spices For albeit the Portugales bryng vs great quantitie of Spyces from that part of East India whiche in olde tyme was called Aurea Chersonesus where is nowe thought to be the great rych citie of Malaccha yet in East India growe none of those Spyces except Pepper For other Spyces as Sinamome Cloues Nuttemegs and Mase whiche is the huske that couereth the shell of the Nut are brought from other farre countreys and from Ilandes scarsely knowen by theyr names from the whiche Ilandes they are brought in shyppes or barkes made without any Iron tooles and tyed togeather with cordes of Date trees with rounde sayles lykewyse made of the small twigges of the branches of Date trees weaued togeather These barkes they call Giuâ—che with the whiche barkes and sayles they make theyr viage with only one wynde in the stearne or contrarywyse Neyther yet is it a thyng greatly to be marueiled at that these Ilands where the Spices growe haue ben vnknowen so many worlde 's past vnto our tyme forasmuch as all suche thynges as vnto this daye haue ben wrytten of old autours of the places where spices growe are all fabulous and false Insomuch that the countreys where they affyrme them to growe are nowe certaynely founde to be further from the place where they growe in deede then we are from them For lettyng passe many other thynges that are wrytten I wyll speake more of this which Herodotus otherwise a famous auctoure affirmeth that Sinamome is founde in the toppes of the nestes of certayne byrdes and foules that bryng it from farre countreys and especially the Phenyx the whiche I knowe no man that euer hath seene But Plinie who might more certaynely affyrme thinges by reason that before his tyme many thynges were knowen and discouered by the nauigations of great Alexander and other sayth that Sinamome groweth in that part of Ethiope which the people inhabit called Trogloditi Neuerthelesse it is now found that Sinamome groweth very far from all Ethiope now much further from the Trogloditi which dwel in caues vnder the ground But to our men which are now returned from those partes and the Ilandes of spices hauyng also good knowledge of Ethiope it was necessarie to passe far beyond Ethiope before they come to these Ilands and to compasse about the whole worlde and many tymes vnder the greatest circumference of heauen The which nauigations made by them beyng the most marueylous thyng that euer was done by man vppon the earth sence the fyrst creation of the worlde and neuer founde before or knowen or attempted by any other I haue deliberated faythfully to wryte to your honorable lordeshyppe and to declare the whole successe thereof As touchyng which matter I haue with all diligence made inquisition to knowe the trueth aswell by relation of the Captayne of that shyppe as also by conference with euery of the maryners that returned with hym All whiche gaue the seâ—fe same information both to Themperours Maiestie and diuers other And this with such faythfulnesse and sinceritie that not onely they are iudged of all men to haue declared the trueth in all thynges but haue thereby also geuen vs certaine knowledge that al that hath hitherto ben sayd or wrytten of olde autours as touchyng these thynges are false and fabulous For who wyl beleeue that men are founde with onely one legge Or with suche feete whose shadowe couereth theyr bodyes Or men of a cubite heyght and other suche lyke beyng rather monsters then men Of the whiche neyther the Spanyardes who in our tyme saylyng by the Ocean sea haue discouered all the costes of the lande towarde the West both vnder and aboue the Equinoctiall nor the Portugales who compassyng about all Affryke hath passed by all the East and lykewyse discouered all those costes vnto the great gulfe called Sinus Magnus nor yet the Spaniardes in this theyr last nauigation in the which they compassed about the whole earth dyd neuer in any of theyr viages wryte of such monsters which doubtlesse they would not haue omytted if they myght haue had certayne
knowledge thereof But nowe intendyng to speake of the whole worlde I wyll not be long in my preface but begyn my narration as foloweth ¶ A briefe declaration of the viage or nauigation made about the worlde Geathered out of a large booke written hereof by master Antoni Pigafetta Vincentine knyght of the Rhodes and one of the companie of that vyage in the which Ferdinando Magalianes a Portugale whom some call Magellanus was generall captayne of the nauie ALthough Sebastian Munster in his vniuersall Cosmographie in the fyfth booke of the landes of the greater Asia which I translated into Englyshe about .24 yeeres sence hath wrytten of the vyage of Magellanus declaryng therein how the Spanyardes by the West and the Portugales by the East sayling to the Ilandes of Molucca compassed the whole globe of the worlde betweene them yet haue I heere thought it good to make a breefe repeticion of this vyage addyng hereunto dyuers notable thynges which were not touched of Munster as I haue geathered them out of the bookes of Antoni Pigafetta and Transiluanus wrytyng of the same vyage For albeit in deede it was a strange and woonderfull thyng that the Spanyardes and Portugales compassed the whole circumference of the worlde betweene them yet is it more marueylous that the same was done with one ship one companie of men as did the Spanyardes in this viage who keeping their continual course by the west returned into Spaine by the east a thing doubtlesse so much more woonderful and strange then if they had returned from the halfe circumference by the same way they went in how muche they were ignorant in the vyage neuer attempted before besyde the thousande daungers and perylles whiche they were daylye lyke to fal into aswell by wandryng in vnknowen coastes as also by fallyng into the handes of the Portugales by whose dominions in the East they shoulde needes passe of necessitie not trustyng to their gentlenesse for the controuersie whiche had been long betweene them for the Ilandes of Molucca I wyl therfore as I haue sayde make a briefe rehearsal of this viage from the begynnyng to the endyng omittyng neuerthelesse many notable thynges whiche are more largely described in the bookes of Maximilianus Transiluanus and Antonius Pigafetta The tenth day of August in the yeere of our Lord .1519 Ferdinando Magalianes ▪ departed from the port of Siuile in Spayne with a nauie of fyue shippes and 237. men wel furnished with all thynges necessary And saylyng first downe by the ryuer of Guadalchiber which runneth from the sayd port into the sea they came first to a place named Giouan Dulpharaz where are many villages of the Moores and from thence arryued at a castle of the duke of Medina Sidonia where is the port from whiche they enter into the sea to the cape saint Vincent beyng distant from the Equinoctial .37 degrees and from the sayd port .10 leagues and is from thence to Siuile betweene 17. and 20. leagues Heere they remayned certayne dayes to make newe prouision of such thinges as they lacked Departyng from hence the 20. day of September they arryued the 26. day of the same moneth at one of the Ilandes of Canarie called Tenerife beyng 25. degrees aboue the Equinostial In one of these Ilandes is none other water but that is continually engendred of a cloude which appeareth dayly at noone tyde as though it descended from heauen and compasseth about a certayne great tree from whose branches distylleth great aboundaunce of water and falleth in streames from the roote of the same into certaine trenches and cesternes made and placed to receyue it This water serueth sufficiently all the inhabitauntes and cattayle of the Iland The lyke thyng is also seene in the Ilande of saint Thomas lying directly vnder the Equinoctial line The thirde day of October about mydnyght the captayne commaunded them to lyght fyre brandes and to hoyse vp theyr sayles directyng theyr course towarde the South saylyng saylyng betwene Capo Verde of Affrike and the Ilandes lying about the same beyng from the Equinoctial fourteene degrees a halfe They sayled thus many dayes in the syght of the coast of Guinea of Ethiope where is the mountayne called Serra Liona being eyght degrees aboue the Equinoctial In this coast they had no maner of contrary wynde but a great calme and fayre weather for the space of threescore and ten dayes in the whiche they came vnder the Equinoctial line In this viage they sawe many strange Fyshes monsters of the Sea besyde another strange thyng whiche appeared vnto them For there appeared in their shippes certayne flames of fyre burnyng very cleare whiche they cal saint Helen saint Nicholas these appeared as though they had been vpon the mast of the shippes in suche clearenesse that they tooke away theyr syght for the space of a quarter of an houre by reason wherof they so wandred out of theyr course and were dispearsed in sunder that they in maner dispayred to meete agayne but as God would the sea and tempest beyng quieted they came safely to their determined course And before I speake any further of the viage I haue heere thought good to say somewhat of these strange fyers whiche some ignorant folke thynke to be spirites or suche other phantasies wheras they are but naturall thynges proceedyng of naturall causes and engendred of certayne exhalations Of these therfore the great Philosopher of our tyme Hieronimus Cardanus in his second booke De Subtilitate wryteth in this maner There are two maner of fyers engendred of exhalations wherof the one is hurtful the other without hurt That which is hurtfull is fyre in deede engendred of malicious and venemous vapours whiche in successe of tyme take fyre as apt matters to be kyndled The other kynde is no true fyre but lyke the matter that is in such olde putrified wood as geueth the shynyng of fyre without the substaunce or qualitie therof Of the kynde of true fyre is the Fyreball or Starre commonly called saint Helen which is sometyme seene about the mastes of shippes beyng of such fyerie nature that it sometyme melteth brasen vessels and is a token of drownyng forasmuch as this chaunceth only in great tempestes for the vapour or exhalation wherof this fyre is engendred can not be dryuen togeather or compact in fourme of fyre but of a grosse vapour and by a great power of wynde and is therefore a token of imminent perill As on the contrary parte the lyke fyres called in olde tyme Castor and Pollux and nowe named the two lightes of Sainct Peter and Sainct Nicolas which for the most parte fall on the cables of the shyppes leapyng from one to an other with a certayne flutteryng noyse lyke byrdes are a token of securitie and of the tempest ouerpassed For they are but vapours cleauyng to the cables which in successe of tyme the fyre
by Vasques Gama and other traueylers aduentures Consider the fruites the drugges the pearle the treasure the millions of golde and siluer the Spanyardes haue brought out of the VVest Indies since the first viage of Columbus The great commodities our nation reapeth by the traueyle of our countreymen into Barbary Guiny and Moscouia wil be a sufficient testimony vnto all vs Englishmen what it is to be a skilful traueyler what to bee a paineful Geographer and learned Desire of rule breedeth victories victories come by cōquestes conquestes are furthered by traueyle traueyle can not bee maynteyned without great wealth wealth maketh all traueyle pleasant The Northwesterne vyage be it neuer so full of difficulties will become as plausible as any other iourney if our passengers may returne with plentie of siluer silkes and pearle Let Columbus Americus Cortesius be wel set foorth againe and bountefully rewarded you shal heare of other newe found landes yet altogeather vnknowen Let Gama be set in place and Gama will tell you the situation the maners the force and wealth of forreyne nations ▪ for Gama his endeuor was not onely by his friend Coelius to descrye the countrey whersoeuer he came but also to learne him selfe the riches strength and conditions of the people Honour maynteyneth arte and the skill in Geography as all other sciences hath but a tyme of preferment the whiche than chiefly myght bee looked for whan it is most esteemed This in the noble mynde of Cadamust bred that earnest desire after Don Henrico his example to traueyle to pen his owne aduentures into the Southeast and East partes to make the nauigation of Gama and his companions knowen vnto the worlde The occasions the good successe the great commodities wherof Barros a counseller of the Portugale Kyng paynted out long agoe in manye bookes Osorius of late historically hath written the same in fewe This made Marcus Paulus Venetus a courtier in Tartary Hayton the Armenian to become a Frenchman Lewes Vartomanne a traueyler in Ethiopia Brocardus an inhabiter of Iury eche one of them to leaue his painful iorney with posteritie in wrytyng This enflamed the Spanyardes to take vppon them the discouery of the VVest and Southwesterne landes done and written by Columbus Pinzonus Alfonsus Cortesius and Americus of whom that region America hath name VVhose long letters and tedious reportes of thinges there brought to passe in the conquest of that halfe worlde the straunge beastes the sundry sortes of fruites the ioyes and riches the whiche that countrey yeeldeth the manners and fashions of the people their cities and princely palaces theyr nobilitie their maner of gouernement their warres theyr seruile estate vnder the kynges of Spayne their conuersion vnto the Christian fayth P. Martyr a learned and graue man borne at Angleria in the duchy of Milane then President of the Spanish kinges counsell for the west Indies gathered into one volume and leauing a side all superfluous narrations made thereof as it were one briefe and continuall historie This volume deuided he into eyght Decades after the Greeke worde so calling the sundry parcels thereof for that eche one conteyneth in it ten particuler bookes or chapters R. Eden our countreyman dyd into English whan K. Philippe was in Englande the three first Decades and the fourth also though vnder a wrong title according to the Dutche Printers edition wherin the fifte sixte seuenth and eight Decades were lefte out He translated moreouer Gonzales Ferdinandus Ouiedus breuiary of the west Indies geathered togeather out of many myghty and huge workes some other prety pamflettes concernyng the Spanyardes and Portugalles voiages into the late discouered lands adding thereto certeine discourses of the north partes These his aforesayde doinges as fewe mennes workes at the first come exactly abrode this paynefull translatour mynded if not to amende at the least to augment by puttyng thereunto in English Lewes Vartomannus Nauigation into Aegypte Arabia Siria Persia and India with our Merchantes Moscouian and Persian trauelles but death preuented his purpose not suffryng him to accomplish his desire Christian charitie therefore vnto the party departed caused me to helpe his workes forwarde Nature moued me to take some paynes in placing orderly that whiche he had confusely gyuen out the better to direct and the more to profit the reader My profession enforced me to cut of some superfluous translations and to fill vp the rest of his doinges with P. Martyrs other writinges and finally to furnishe his want with my owne store Hoping and perswading with my selfe that if God likewise call me from these worldly Nauigations and earthly descriptions before my other trauell in this facultye taken long since in hande be ended some other professor of Cosmography wil so rewarde me after my death as presently of this dead man I doe deserue Other credite seeke I none therefore I loke for no prayse I hope not for honor I gape for no gayne by this kind of studie I knowe this day no place no preferment no publike chayre no ordinarie lecture no commune stipende no special reward due vnto the studentes in Geography no not at this time when this faculty was neuer more set by no not in this realme where yt neuer more florished The honorable name of a Christian and the infallible fruites thereof euer inclined me euen from my tender yeeres for the smal portion of learning that god hath lent me to do good if I could vnto many and specially to make those my friendes and wel doers knowen vnto the worlde by whose beneuolence fauour I doe liue and am mainteined In the smal number whereof for amongst many wel willers I finde but few well doers your Honor right noble Lady my Lorde you his noble children and yours since my first returne from beyond the seas must I confesse to haue stoode me chiefly in steede humbly acknowledge the first yeerely pension I euer was assured of in England to haue ben by your Ladiship bestowed on me VVherefore as I will most willingly yeelde vnto many other of your Honors gētlemē to come of great houses to haue welthier friendes larger possessions reuenues than I to be more actiue more comely more wyse politike learned to haue seene more so in hūble duety loyal seruice sincere affection good wil to your Honor I may I can I wyl contende with any of them all euen to the vttermust force and power of my hart head body life blood mynd soule In testimony wherof and full assurance of my seruice vnto you for euer these last doings of R. Eden newly encreased my first labours in our language his history mine of trauel in the west East Indies altogeather in one volume duetifully do I present vnto your Honour with al humility praying most earnestly requesting your good Ladiship that you will vouchsafe it by leysure in this iourney the whiche my Lorde and you haue determined into the west countrey to let your page
reade them ouer to your Honours recreation as one of the principall causes wherefore at this tyme they were set foorth If varietie of matter occurrents out of forraigne countryes newes of newe founde landes the sundry sortes of gouernement the different manners fashions of diuers nations the wonderfull workes of nature the sightes of straunge trees fruites foule and beastes the infinite treasure of Pearle Golde Siluer ioyes may recreate and delight a mynde trauelled in weighty matters weeried with great affayres credit me good Madam in listning vnto this worke shall you haue recreation you shall finde delight in reading ouer these relations wherein so newe so straunge so diuers so many recreations and delightes of the mynd are expressed Your Honours good lykyng thereof wyll be to me no small contentation for this worke paynefully doone a good occasion spedyly to finish the rest of my owne labours concerning this faculty a great encouragement and comfort to bestow my whole time hereafter only in that study wherewith all my former knowledge in Philosophy and Geography may ende The whiche conueniently now I am in good hope to perfourme with my Lorde and your Ladyshyps good leaue and continuance of my duety and effectuall desire to doe your Honours the better seruice At London the 4. day of Iuly 1577. Your Honors seruaunt humbly at commaundement Richarde VVilles R. VVilles Preface vnto the Reader wherein is set downe a generall summe as it were of the whole worke THis greate and large bolume consisteth principally of foure partes agreeable vnto those foure corners of the worlde whereunto the skilfull seamen and merchauntes aduenturers of late yeeres haue chiefely traueiled and yet specially are wont to resorte The first part conteyneth foure Decades written by P. Martyr a learned graue counseller of Charles the Emperour fifte of that name concernyng the Spanyardes voyages Southwestwarde theyr famous exploites doone in these newly discouered partes of the worlde the whiche vsually wee now call the west Indies Hereunto haue we added Gonzalus Eerdinandus Ouiedus breefe historie touching the same matter so that the first part of our volume hath fiue particular bookes In the first whereof cap 1.2.3 4 and 5. P. Martir describeth Columbus first and second nauigations and discoueries of certaine Ilandes made by hym specially and his brother In the 6. chapter or booke thereof for both names we finde is set foorth Columbus third voiage and the discouery of Peru in the maigne west Indish lande In the seuenth his troubles both in the west Indies and retourne into Spaigne with his brother being both prisoners The 8. is of P. Alfonsus voyages that same way In the 9. are declared the trauailes of Vincent and Peter Pinzoni and other Spaniards likewise thither from Palos The 10. is a conclusion of the whole Decade with particuler mention of some special nouelties Colūbus fourth voiage beganne So that in the first Decade you haue historically set downe the discouerye of the west Indies taken in hande about the yeere of our Lorde .1492 by Columbus and his companions vntill the yeere 1510. as P. Martir witnesseth fol. 8. 43 47. and 54. This worthy trauayler and skilfull seaman died at Validolid in Spaigne An. dom 1506. as Lopez reporteth cap. 25. in his generall historie de las Indias The second Decade conteyneth Peru matters entituled by P. Martir Creditus Cortinens that is a continent or maigne lande as in deede it is of it selfe with the rest of America in lyke maner as Europe Affryk Asia be one continent or maigne lande vnited togeather In the fyrst and seconde chapters of this Decade shall you reade the voyages of Fogeda and Nicuesa to Dariena In the thyrd Colmenaris trauayles Nicuesa his death and the Indishe kyng Comogrus beneuolence In the fourth Vasquez Nunnez doynges in Vraba gulfe His conquest of rebellious Barbarian kyngs in the fifte In the syxt Quicedus Colmenaris ambassage out of Dariena to Hispaniola and the religion of king Commendator in Cuba The seuenth booke conteineth Petrus Arias iorney to Paria in Peru. The .8 the dissention betwixt the Spaniardes and Portugales for theyr boundes and makyng of fyue Bishops in these newely founde partes of the worlde In the 9 are shewed the ryuers of Darien and philosophically the causes of so great waters there That countrey is described in the .10 and the extreme hunger abydden by the companions of Nicuesa set forth In the fyrst second and thyrd chapters of the thyrde Decade is conteyned an abridgement of Vascus Nunnez relations concerning his voyage to the south sea for it lyeth south from Darien vsually termed nowe a dayes Mar del zur and may also be called the wyde east Indyshe Ocean The discouery thereof made by Nunnez the kyng subdued by hym especially kyng Commogrus christenyng by the name of Charles and the wynnyng of kyng Tumanama or Tubanama and his countrey In the fourth chapter shal you fynd Columbus fourth vyage began An. do 1502 to the mayne west Indyshe lande with the description of some part therof lying betwyxt our Atlantike or westerne Ocean and the aforesayde Mar del zur as Vraba and Beragua In respecte of the history and course of yeeres this booke myght haue been placed before the seconde Decade but it shoulde seeme that these reportes came no sooner to P. Martyr his handes wherefore he began this fourth booke ryght well thus I was determined c. The fyfth booke conteyneth P. Arias iorney mentioned dec 2 lib. 7. to the north syde of Peru wherein Carthagena and S. Martha two famous hauens do stande with a description of the countrey and people thereof In the syxt you haue a disputation touchyng the Leuant streame or easterne surge of the sea the discouery of Baccalaos done by Cabot P. Arias arriuall in Darien the buildyng of S. Maria antiqua there with other fortresses finally the commodities and vnwholesomnesse of Darien In the .7 8. .9 bookes shal you haue a description of Hispaniola Cuba and other Ilandes thereabout done by Andreas Moralis And in the .10 shall you reade of the Ilande Diues in Mar del zur of the kyng therof subdued by Andreas Moralis of Pearles the finding therof of Petrus Arias Captaynes doinges agaynst the Caniballes of the Barbares fowlyng the manner of the geatheryng of gold in Dariena The fourth Decade for so was it named in the Spanyards edition of P. Martyr his woorkes set forth at Alcala in Spayne An. do 1530. though the Basile and Cullen printers haue entituled it De insulis nuper inuentis that is of Ilandes lately found out to wyt after Columbus voyages this booke I say was by P. Mar. culled out of the Indian registers conteynyng speciall notes that seemed vnto hym most meete to be publyshed as the discouery of certayne Ilandes and creekes namely Iucatan done by Fernandes of Corduba his companions Cozumella the Ilands of Sacrifice the Ilandes of women the prouince Coluacan
Cuba by the same way whiche he came Here a multitude of thinhabitantes as well women as men resorted to hym with cheerefull countenances and with feare bringyng with them popingayes bread water and cunnyes but especially stocke doues much bygger then ours which he affirmeth in sauour and taste to be muche more pleasaunt then our partryches Wherefore where as in eating of them he perceiued a certayne sauoure of spyce to proceede from them he commaunded the croppe to be opened of suche as were newely kylled and founde the same full of sweete spyces whiche he argued to be the cause of theyr strange taste For it standeth with good reason that the fleshe of beastes shoulde drawe the nature and qualitie of theyr accustomed nouryshment As the Admirall harde masse on the shore there came towarde hym a certayne gouernoure a man of foure score yeeres of age and of great grauitie although he were naked sauing his pryuie partes He had a great trayne of men wayting on hym All the whyle the prieste was at masse he shewed him selfe very humble and gaue reuerent attendance with graue and demure countenaunce When the masse was ended he presented to the Admirall a baskette of the fruites of his countrey delyuering the same with his owne handes When the Admirall had gentelly entertayned him desyring leaue to speake he made an oration in the presence of Didacus the interpreter to this effect I haue byn aduertised most mighty prince that you haue of late with great power subdued many lands and Regions hytherto vnknowen to you and haue brought no litle feare vppon all the people and inhabitauntes of the same the whiche your good fortune you shal beare with lesse insolencie if you remember that the soules of men haue two iourneyes after they are departed from this body The one foule and darke prepared for suche as are iniurious and cruell to mankynde the other pleasaunt and delectable ordeyned for them which in theyr lyfe tyme loued peace and quietnes If therfore you acknowledge your selfe to be mortall and consider that euery man shal receiue condigne rewarde or punyshement for suche thynges as he hath done in this life you wyl wrongfully hurte no man When he had saide these wordes and other lyke which were declared to the Admirall by the interpreter he marueyling at the iudgement of the naked olde man answeared that he was gladde to heare his opinion as touching the sundry iourneys and rewardes of soules departed from theyr bodyes supposing that nother he or any other of thinhabitantes of those Regions had had any knowledge thereof declaring further that the chiefe cause of his comming thither was to instruct them in such godly knowledge and true religion and that he was sent into those countreyes by the Christian kyng of Spayne his lord and maister for the same purpose and specially to subdue and punyshe the Canibales and suche other mischeuous people and to defend innocentes against the violence of euyl dooers wyllyng hym and al other suche as imbraced vertue in no case to be afrayde but rather to open his mynde vnto hym yf eyther he or any other suche quiet men as he was had susteyned any wrong of theyr neyghbours and that he woulde see the same reuenged These comfortable words of the Admirall so pleased the olde man that notwithstandyng his extreme age he woulde gladly haue gone with the Admiral as he had done in deede yf his wyfe and chyldren had not hyndered hym of his purpose but he marueyled not a lytle that the Admiral was vnder the dominion of another and much more when the interpretour tolde hym of the glorye magnificence pompe great power and furnimentes of warre of our kinges and of the multitudes of cities and townes whiche were vnder theyr dominions Intendyng therefore to haue gone with the Admirall his wyfe and chyldren fell prostrate at his feete with teares desyring him not to forsake them and leaue them desolate at whose pitiful requestes the woorthy olde man beyng mooâ—ed remayned at home to the comfort of his people and familie satisfiyng rather them then hym selfe for not yet ceassyng to woonder and of heauie countenance because he myght not depart he demaunded oftentymes yf that lande were not heauen whiche brought foorth suche a kynde of men For it is certaine that among them the lande is as common as the sunne and water and that Myne and Thyne the seedes of all myscheefe haue no place with them They are content with so lytle that in so large a countrey they haue rather superfluitie then scarcenesse so that as we haue sayde before they seeme to lyue in the golden worlde without toyle lyuyng in open gardens not intrenched with dyches diuided with hedges or defended with walles they deale truely one with another without lawes without bookes and without iudges they take hym for an euyl and myscheuous man whiche taketh pleasure in dooyng hurt to other And albeit that they delyte not in superfluities yet make they prouision for the increase of suche rootes whereof they make theyr bread as Maizium Iucca and Ages contented with suche symple dyet whereby health is preserued and diseases auoyded The Amirall therefore departyng from thence and myndyng to returne agayne shortly after chaunced to come agayne to the Ilande of Iamaica beyng on the south syde thereof and coasted all along by the shore of the same from the West to the East from whose last corner on the East syde when he sawe towarde the North syde on his left hande certayne hygh mountaynes he knewe at the length that it was the south syde of the Ilande of Hispaniola whiche he had not yet passed by Wherefore at the Calendes of September entryng into the hauen of the same Ilande called saint Nicholas hauen he repayred his shyppes to the intent that he might agayne waste and spoyle the Ilandes of the Canibales and burne all theyr Canoas that those rauenyng wolues might no longer persecute and deuoure the innocent sheepe but he was at this tyme hyndered of his purpose by reason of a disease which he had gotten by to much watching Thus beyng feeblâ— aâ—d weake he was ledde of the Maryners to the citie of Isâ—â—ella where with his two brethren whiche were there and other of his familiars he recouered his health in shorte space yet coulde he not at this tyme assayle the Canibales by reason of sedition that was risen of late among the Spanyardes whiche he had left in Hispaniola whereof we wyll speake more hereafter Thus fare ye well The fourth booke of the first Decade to Lodouike Cardinal of Aragonie COlonus the Admiral of the Ocean returning as he supposed from the continent or fyrme lande of East India had aduertisment that his brother Boilus and one Peter Margarita an olde familiar of the kynges and a noble man with diuers other of those to whom he had left the gouernment of the Ilande were of corrupted
Ilande not yet knowyng what his aduersaries and accusers had layde to his charge before the kyng of Spaine who being disquieted with theyr quarelinges and accusations and especially for that by reason of theyr discention of so greate abundance of golde and other thynges there was as yet but lyttle brought into Spayne appoynted a newe gouernour which shoulde see a redresse in these thynges and eyther to punyshe such as were fautie or els to sende them to him What was founde agaynst the Admirall and his brother or agaynst his aduersaries which accused hym I do not well knowe But this I am sure of that both the brethren are taken brought and caste in prison with theyr goodes confiscate But as soone as the king vnderstode that they were brought bounde to Cales he sent messengers in poste with commaundement that they should be loosed and come freely to his presence wherby he declared that he toke their troubles greeuously It is also said that the new gouernour sent letters to the kyng written with the Admiralles hand in straunge and vnknowen sypheringes to his brother the Lieuetenaunt being absent wyllyng hym to be in a redynes with a power of armed men to come and ayd hym if the Gouernoure should proffer hym any violence Wherof the gouernour hauing knowledge as he sayth beyng also aduertised that the Lieuetenaunt was gone to his brother before the men whiche he had prepared were in a redines apprehended them both vnwares before the multitude came togeather What wyl folowe tyme the most true and prudent Iudge wyll declare Thus fare ye well ¶ The eygth booke of the fyrst Decade to Cardinall Lodouike THe great ryche and plentifull Ocean sea heretofore vnknowen and nowe founde by Christophorus Colonus the Admiral by thautoritie furtherance of the Catholyke king I haue presented vnto your honour ryght noble Prince like a golden chayne vnworkmanly wrought but you shal now receiue a pretious iewell to be appendaunt therto Therefore among such as were pylottes or gouernours vnder the admyrall and had dyligently marked the courses dyfferences of the windes many had lycences graunted them of the kyng to seeke further at theyr owne charges vpon condition to pay hym faythfully his portion which is the fyfte part But because amonge all other one Petrus Alphonsus called Nignus by his surname sayled towarde the south with more prosperous fortune then any of the other I thinke it best first to speake somewhat of his voyage He therfore with only one shyp well furnished at his owne charges after that he had his passeporte with commaundement in no case to cast anker past fyftye leagues distant from anye place where the Admirall had touched sayled fyrst to Paria where the Admiral founde both the men and women so laden with cheines garlandes and braselettes of pearles as we haue sayde before Coastyng therfore along by the same shore accordyng to the kings commaundement yet leauing behynd hym the regions of Cumana and Manacapana he came to the regions which thinhabitantes therof cal Curiana where he found a hauen as he saith much lyke the port of Gades or Cales into the which enteryng he sawe a farre of certayne houses one the shore and perceyued when he drewe neere that it was a village of only eyght houses Proceading yet further for the space of three myles he espied an other village well replenyshed with people where there met hym fyftye naked men on a company hauing with them a certayne ruler who desyred Alphonsus to come to theyr coastes He brought with hym at thys tyme many haukes belles pynnes nedels braselettes cheynes garlandes and rynges with counterfet stones and glasses and such other tryfelles the which within the moment of an houre he had exchaunged for fyfteene ounces of theyr pearles which they wore aboute theyr neckes and armes Then they yet more ernestly desyred hym to sayle to theyr coastes promysyng hym that he shoulde there haue as many pearles as he woulde desyre He condiscended to theyr request and the day folowing came to the place where they appoynted hym Lying there at anker a great multitude of people resorted to hym instantly requyring hym to come alande But when he consydered the innumerable multitude of people which was there assembled and he had only .xxxiii. men in his company he durst not commit hym selfe to theyr handes but gaue them to vnderstand by sygnes and tokens that they shoulde come to the shyp with their Canoas for their boates which the men of the iland cal Canoas are made only of one whole peece of wood as in the Ilandes yet more rude and not so artificially as theyrs are these they call Gallitas These swarmed therfore to the shyp as faste as they might bringyng with them greate plenty of pearles which they cal Tenoras exchanging the same for our marchaundies He founde this people to be of gentyll nature simple and innocent being conuersant with them in theyr houses for the space of xx dayes Theyr houses are made of wood couered with the leaues of date trees Their meate for the moste parte is the shelfyshes in the which the pearles are engendered wherof their sea costes are full They haue also greate plenty of wyld beastes as hartes wyld bores and connies like vnto hares both in coloure and bignesse stocke doues also and turtle doues lykewyse geese and duckes which they norishe in theyr houses as we doo Peacockes flee aboute in maner in euery wood and groue but they are not distinct with sundry colours as ours are for the cockes are like vnto the hennes These people of Curiana are craftie hunters and exceding cunning archers so that they will not lyghtly misse any beaste or byrde that they shoote at Our men consumed certayne dayes heare very plesauntely duryng which time whosoeuer brought them a peacocke had for the same foure pinnes he that brought a pheasaunte had two and for a stocke doue or turtle doue one and for a goose a smale looking glasse or a litle stone of glasse Thus they bought and solde with profering and bydding denying and refusing as it had byn in a greate market When pinnes were profered them they asked what they shoulde do with them being naked But our men satisfied them with a craftie answere declaring by tokens that they were very necessary to picke theyr teeth and to pull thornes out of theyr fleshe But aboue al thynges haukes belles were most esteemed among them for theyr sound faire colour and woulde therfore geue much for one of them Our men lodging in their houses heard in the nyght season horrible noyses rorynges of wild beastes in the wooddes whiche are full of exceding great and hygh trees of sundrye kindes but the beastes of these woodes are not noysome to men for the people of the countrey goo daylye a huntyng naked with theyr bowes and arrowes yet hath it not ben harde of that any man hath ben
syluer and precious stones set and wrought after a marueylous straunge deuice and with no lesse cunnyng woorkemanshyp Heere they determined to sende messengers to our newe Emperour to knowe his pleasure that they myght in this prouince plant a newe colonie or habitation and this dyd they without the aduise of Diegus Velasquen the gouernour of the Iland of Cuba or Fernandina who fyrst sent them foorth with commaundement to returne agayne after they had searched these regions and obtayned plentie of golde While they consulted herof they were of diuers opinions but the most part alleaged that in this case it was not requisite to make the gouernour of theyr counsayle forasmuch as y e matter shoulde be referred to a higher Iudge as to the king of Spaine hym self When they were thus agreed they receyued vittayles of the gentle king of the prouince and assigned the place of their colonie twelue myles from the saide towne in a fruiteful holsome soile For theyr generall gouernoure they elected Cortesius the gouernour of the nauie agaynst his wyll as some saye For other magistrates to gouerne the citie which they intended to builde he chose Portucarerius and Montegius of whom we haue made mention before They chose also certayne messengers to send to the kyng by the conduction of Alaminus the pilot Furthermore foure of the princes of this prouince offered them selues wyllyngly to go with our men into Spayne to thintent to see our landes and that kyng whose power is so great and whose auctoritie reacheth so farre They brought lykewyse two women with them whiche serued and obeyed them in all thinges after the maner of their countrey The people of this nation is of browne or yelowyshe colour Both the men and the women haue pendauntes of gold pretious stones hanging at their eares The men also bore theyr neather lippes full of holes from the vppermost part of the lippe euen vnto the neathermost part of the gumme At these they hang certayne rynges and plates of golde and syluer fastned to a smal and thynne plate lying within betwene the lip the gumme At the biggest hole in the middest of the lippe there hangeth a rounde plate of syluer as brode as the coyne called a Carolyne as thicke as a mans finger I do not remember that euer I sawe any thyng that seemed more fylthy in myne eye Yet do they thynke that there is nothyng more comly vnder the circle of the moone whereby we may see howe vainely mankynde wandereth in his owne blyndnesse The Ethiopian thincketh the blacke colour to be fayrer then the white and the white man thinketh otherwise They that are powled thynke that more decent then to weare a bushe and they that weare beardes iudge it a deformitie to be shauen As appetite therfore moueth and not as reason perswadeth men runne after vanities and euery prouince is ruled by theyr owne sense as writeth saint Ierome From whence they haue their gold we haue spoken sufficiently before But as our men marueyled where they had theyr syluer they shewed them certayne high mountaines which are continually couered w t snowe sauing that at certaine times of the yeere the only toppes are seene bare bicause the snow is there molten by reason of y e thicke and warme cloudes The plaines therfore or milde softe pleasaunt mountaines seeme to bring foorth golde and the rough craggie mountaynes with theyr colde valleyes are the places where syluer is engendred They haue also Laton whereof they make such Mases and Hammers as are vsed in the warres dygging Mattockes also and Spades for they haue neyther Iron nor steele But let vs nowe speake of the presentes sent into Spayne to the kyng and fyrst of the bookes These procuratours therefore of the newe colonie of the prouince of Coluacana among other their presentes brought also a great number of bookes the leaues whereof are made of the inner ryndes or barkes of trees thinner then eyther that of the Elme or of y e Salowe these they smeere or anoynt with the pitche of molten Bitumem and whyle they be soft extend them to what fourme them lysteth When they bee cold and harde they rubbe them ouer with a certayne playster It is to be thought that they beate the playster into fyne floure and so temperyng it with some byndyng moysture to make a crust therewith vppon the leaues whereon they wryte with anye sharpe instrument and blot the same agayne with a spunge or some suche other thyng as marchaunt men and noble mens stewards are accustomed to do with their wryting tables made of the woodde of figge trees The leaues of theyr bookes are not set in order after the maner of ours but are extended many cubittes in length The matters whiche they write are conteyned in square tables not lose but so bound togeather with the tough flexible clay called Bitumem that they seeme lyke woodden tables whiche had been vnder the handes of cunnyng Bookbynders Which way so euer the booke lieth open there are two leaues seene and two sydes wrytten with as many lying vnder them except the booke be vnfoulded in length For vnder one leafe there are many leaues ioyned togeather The fourmes of theyr letters are nothyng lyke vnto ours but are muche more crooked and entangled lyke vnto fyshhookes knottes snares starres fyles dyse and suche other muche lyke vnto the Egyptian letters and wrytten in lines lyke vnto ours Heere and there betweene the lines are pictured the shapes of men and diuers beastes and especyally the Images of kynges and other noble men Whereby it is to be thought that in such bookes the factes of theyr kinges are conteined as we see the lyke among vs how our printers expresse the summe of histories in pictures that men may therby be the more allured to bye suche bookes The coueringes of theyr bookes are also artificially wrought and paynted When they are shut they seeme to differ nothing from ours in fourme In these bookes are furthermore comprehended theyr lawes rytes of ceremonies and sacrifyces annotations of Astronomie accomptes computations of tymes with the maner of graffyng sowing and other thynges parteynyng to husbandry They begyn the yeere from the goyng downe of the seauen starres called Vergiliae or Pleiades and count theyr monethes accordyng to the mones They name a moneth Tona of the Moone for in theyr language they call the Moone Tona They recken the dayes by the sonnes therefore as many dayes as they name they saye so manye sonnes the Sonne in theyr tongue is called Tonatico They distribute the yeere without any reason why into twentie monethes and the moneth into as many dayes The temples whiche they frequent they adourne with golden hangynges and other ornamentes of golde and syluer with precious stones intermyxt At the spryng of the day they perfume theyr temples with frankensence and make theyr prayers before they take in hand any other busynesse
the recordation of such pleasaunt thynges And yet do not such thinges as are sauerie engender tediousnesse so that a pretious matter be adiourned with a pretious vesture A breefe rehearsal of the contentes of the bookes of the fyrst Decade and so folowyng of all the other Decades Folio 8. IN the fyrst booke is declared howe Christophorus Colonus otherwyse called Columbus persuaded Fernando and Elizabeth princes of Spayne to further his attempt in searchyng newe and vnknowen landes in the West Ocean Also of the .vii. Ilandes of Canaria by whom they were found and conquered Howe Colonus founde the Ilandes of Hispaniola and Cuba and of the fierce people called Canibales or Caribes which are accustomed to eate mans fleshe Of the rootes called Ages Iucca and the grayne Maizìum whereof the people of the Ilandes made theyr bread Of the golde found in the sandes of ryuers of the Serpents which are without hurt also of turtle doues ducks popingaies Of Mastix and Aloe with dyuers fruites and trees vnknowen to vs and of the fruitefulnesse of the Ilande of Hispaniola which the Spanyardes call Spagnuola Of the seconde viage of Colonus into these regions and howe he was furnished with .xvii. shyppes and a thousande and two hundred souldiers with all kynde of artillarie artificers and grayne to sowe and of the tree from the which water droppeth continually into a trenche made by mans hande The contentes of the seconde booke Fol. 12. HOwe Colonus departing from the Ilandes of Canarie sayled viii hundred twentie leagues in .xxi. daies came to Dominica an Iland of the Canibales of the fragrant sauoure of spices whiche proceded from the Ilandes Of the Ilandes of Galanta or Galana and Guadalupea and of the trees which beare that kynd of cotton which the Italians call Bombasine and the Spanyardes Algadon Of dyuers kyndes of Popingiayes and of the Ilande of Matinino or Madanino beyng inhabited onely with women also of dyuers other fruitefull Ilandes and of a conflicte whiche the Spanyardes had with the Canibales Of certayne Ilandes in the whiche are seene the mynes of metals and precious stones and of the fruitfull and populous Iland called Burichena or Boriquen or Insula S. Iohannis Howe all the Admirals men whiche at his fyrst viage he left in Hispaniola were slaine in his absence by the rebellion of Guaccanarillus kyng of the region of Xamana and of the free kynde of lyfe whiche they leade that haue not the vse of money Of the seuen maydens which swam three miles in the sea and of the maner of geathering of gold in the sands of riuers The contentes of the thyrd booke Fol. 17. A Particuler discription of the Iland of Hispaniola whiche Colonus thynketh to be Ophir from whence kyng Salomon had his great ryches of golde Of the marueylous fruitfulnesse of Hispaniola and of the suger canes growyng there Of the golden regions of Cipanga or Cibaua of the ryuers in whose sandes is founde great plentie of golde Of certayne graynes of gold of exceeding great quantitie Of wilde vines of plesaunt taste and of grasse which in foure dayes groweth as hygh as wheate Of the Ilande of Iohanna or Cuba being the end of the East and the West and of the fruitfull populous Iland of Iamaica How the Admirall thought that he had sayled about the lowest Hemisphere or half circle of the earth and of a secrete of Astronomie touching the same matter Howe the Admirall gaue names to seuen hundred Ilandes and passed by three thousand vnnamed Of certaine serpentes like vnto Crocodiles of eight foote long whose flesh is delicate to be eaten and of certayne trees whiche beare Gourdes Of the riuer whose water is very hotte and of the huntyng fyshe which taketh other fyshes Of great abundaunce of Tortoyses as bygge as targets and of a fruitfull mountayne well inhabited Of dogges of deformed shape and dumbe and of white and thicke water Of woods of Date trees and Pyneapple trees and of certayne people apparelled lyke whyte fryers Of certaine trees which beare spices and of Cranes of exceedyng bygnesse Of stocke doues of more pleasaunt taste then partriches An oration of a barbarous gouernour as touching the immortalitie of the soule Also of the rewarde of vertue and punishment of vice A similitude of the golden worlde and of prouision without care Howe the Admirall fell sicke by reason of to muche watcheyng and of a sediâ—ion whiche rose among the Spaniardes in the Ilande of Hispaniola The Contentes of the fourth booke Fol. 25. HOw the Kynges of the Ilande of Hispaniola were by the Spaniardes mysbehauiour prouoked to rebellion and howe the Admirall sent for them Howe kyng Counaboa the Lorde of the house of gold that is of the mountaines of Cibaua conspired the Admirals death and how he with his familie were taken prisoners Of a great famine that chaunced in the Ilande of Hispaniola and howe the Admirall builded certayne fortresses Of a peece of rude gold wayghing twentie vnces and of the myne of the rich metall called Elestrum Of the mountayne in the whiche is founde great plentie of Amber and Orpement and of the woodes of Brasyle trees Howe the inhabitantes are put to theyr tribute and how the nature of y e Region disposeth the maners of the people How the brother of kyng Caunaboa came agaynst the Admirall with an armie of fyue thousand naked men and howe he was taken and his armie put to flyght Of the fruitfull vale Magona in the sandes of whose ryuers is founde great plentie of golde and of certayne whirlewindes and tempests How the Admirall sent foorth his brother Bartholomeus Colonus with an armie of men to searche the golde mynes and of the Fosses which he founde to haue been dygged in old tyme. The Contentes of the .v. booke Fol. 27. for 29. HOwe the Lieuetenaunt builded a fortresse in the golde mines and prepared instrumentes for the purging and finyng of the golde Howe certayne shyppes laden with vittayles came from Spayne And howe the Lieuetenaunt sent the kynges whiche rebelled with three hundred captiues into Spayne Howe the Liefetenaunt remoued his habitation and buylded a fortresse whiche he called saint Dominickes towre also howe he passed ouer the ryuer Naiba and entred into the wooddes of Brasyle trees Howe the great kyng Beuchius Anacauchoa frendelye entertayned the Lieuetenaunt and brought hym to his pallace where the kynges wyues and concubines receyued hym honorably with pompes and triumphes Of the fortresses whiche were erected in Hispaniola and howe the Lieuetenaunt exacted tribute of the kynges whiche rebelled agayne Howe the Lieuetenaunt set vppon the kynges vnwares in the nyght season and tooke .xiiii. of them prysoners Howe kyng Guarionexius captayne of the conspiracie was pardoned and howe he persuaded the people to obedience Howe kyng Beuchius Anacauchoa sent messengers to the Lieuetenaunt to repayre to his pallace where he founde .xxxii. kyngs redy with theyr tributes And howe the queene Anacaona entysed hym
magnanimitte to sende to the sayde fyrme landes and Ilandes honest vertuous and learned men suche as feare GOD and are able to instruct thinhabitantes in the Catholyke fayth and good maners applying all theyr possible deligence in the premisses We furthermore streightly inhibite all maner of persons of what state degree order or condition soeuer they be although of Imperiall and regall dignitie vnder the payne of the sentence of excommunicatiō which they shal incurre if they do to the contrary that they in no case presume without speciall lycence of you your heyres and successours to trauayle for merchaundies or for any other cause to the sayde landes or Ilandes founde or to be founde discouered or to be discouered towarde the West and South drawyng a lyne from the pole Artyke to the pole Antartike whether the firme landes and Ilandes founde and to be founde be situate toward India or toward any other part beyng distant from the line drawen a hundred leagues toward the west from any of the Ilands commonly called De los Azores and Capo Verde Notwithstandyng constitutions decrees and Apostolycall ordinaunces whatsoeuer they are to the contrary In hym from whom Empyres dominions and all good thynges do proceede Trustyng that almyghtie GOD directyng your enterprices if you folowe your Godly and laudable attemptes your labours and trauayles herein shall in shorte tyme obtayne a happie ende with felicitie and glory of all Christian people But forasmuche as it shoulde be a thyng of great difficultie these letlers to be caryed to all suche places as shoulde be expedient we wyll and of lyke motion and knowledge do decree that whyther so euer the same shal be sent or wheresoeuer they shal be receiued with the subscription of a common notarie thereunto requyred with the seale of any person constitute in ecclesiasticall dignitie or suche as are aucthorised by the Eclesiasticall court the same fayth and credite to be geuen thereunto in iudgement ▪ or els where as shoulde be exhibyted to these presentes It shal therefore be lawefull for no man to infrynge or rashly to contrary this letter of our commendation exhortation request donation graunt assignation constitution deputation decreee commaundement inhibition and determination And if any shall presume to attempte the same he ought to know that he shal therby incurre the indignation of almyghty God and his holy Apostles Peter and Paule Geuen at Rome at saint Peters In the yeere of thincarnation of our lorde M. CCCC.lxxxxiii The fourth day of the nones of Maye the fyrst yeere of our seate An Abridgement of P. Martyr his .5.6.7 and .8 Decades and particulerly of Ferd. Cortesius conquest of Mexico by R. VV. THe fyrst foure Decades of P. Martyr you haue already seene done into Englyshe by R. Eden as also certayne parcelles of the foure last P. Martir made eight decades of the west Indish newes in lesse labour these may be run ouer speciall regarde being had vnto that Decade wherein the more principall matter is expressed I meane the fyrst and that chiefly for the famous conquest of the citie Themistitan in Mexico prouince yea of all that great region we doe nowe vsually call newe Spaine As for the sixte Decade it conteyneth very little matter woorth the rehearsal except it be certeine reportes of the Spaniards how they found where they traueyled in the West Indies plough stuffe of gold that the prince of Nicoragua with his family became christian that certaine beardles Indians greatly feare suche men as haue beardes that they vse to sacrifice lyue men vnto their Idolles eyther taken in the warres or fatted vp at home bountefully for that purpose that Nicoragua Mere for the greatnesse and vnknowen length thereof for the ebbes and fluddes and many Ilandes therin myght woorthely be called a freshe water sea This freshet hath ben thought to run into the Northwesterne streicte rather of ignorance the course therof being not throughly knowen than that it so falleth out in deede as P. Martyr wryteth Finally in the .9 .10 bookes of the sixt Decade newes is sent to Rome of the controuersie betwixt the Spaniardes Portugales concernyng the Moluccaes handled more effectually in more ample maner by R. Eden Fol. 448. than P. Martyr in this place penned it Wherfore it were a needlesse woorke and actum agere in deede to trouble the reader therewith any further especially whereas in this volume mention hath ben made therof euen by P. Martyr him selfe as you haue already seene The lyke opinion am I also of touching the .vii. .viii. decades some parcels wherof the Aucthour doth repeate out of his former writinges as Dec. 7. c. 2. the ruine of the Ilandes Iucaies out of his fourth Dec. c. 3. Item out of the second Decade c. 10. the nature of that spring in the Ilande Boiuca otherwyse called Agnaneo the water whereof who so drinketh by reporte of an old man becommeth young agayne is in many woordes repeated by P. Martyr Dec. 7. c. 7. the whole summe of whose seconde discourse thereof is expressed in the former place by R. Edens addition of this clause Perhappes with some diet the which woordes are not in P. Martyr his texte to be shorte the two kindes of breade the Indians doe make of the rootes Iucca and a kynd of graine called Maiz suffitiently declared Dec. 1. lib. 1. Dec. 3. lib. 5. lib. 9. Dec. 3. be repeated againe Dec. 8. c. 3. Other parcelles of these aforesayd Decades wherein the subtelties of theyr Magicians and Coniurers Peaces or Pages are discribed their Tigres crueltie their sundry kindes of wylde beastes foule Serpents their diuers sortes of trees and fruites partly may you reade of in the breuiarie of Gonzal Ferd. Ouiedus historie as of the fountayne of pytch the stone pellets naturally made for Gunnes Fol. 224. out of the .7 Decade c. 7. and the Glowoormes out of the same c. 9. partly in R. Eden his notes of newe Spayne Peru Rio de la Plata Baccaleos and Florida set downe in this volume Fol. 225. as particulerly of the Nutshelles vsed in steede of money taken out of P. Mart. Dec. 8. c. 4. Partly in Theuetus woorkes of the newe founde worlde Englished long since and finally in those bookes which sundry learned Simplicistes haue lately written principally to ayde the Phisitians of our tyme. Some other curiosities there be conteyned in P. Martyr his two last Decades namely the Iucaien women to be so fayre that for theyr loue other countrey Barbares seeke to inhabite those Ilandes Dec. 7. c. 1. The Spanyardes well vsed of the Iucaiens contrary to all curtesie to haue carried away many of those Ilanders into slauery and misery Agayne certayne traueylers to haue ben seene there that had tayles lyke fyshe Dec. 7. c. 2. Fonde fantasies of mens soules departed Dec. 7. c. 3. wandring first North and than South about the worlde afterwarde to growe young agayne in iolitie Agayne other to imagine that the departed