from the sea néere vnto a lake called Laguna wherin are two faire Parish Churches there dwelleth the gouernour who ruleth al that Iland with iustice There are also Aldermen for the publike weale who buy their offices of the king the most of the whole inhabitants of this Citie are Gentlemen Merchants and husband men There are other foure Townes called Sancta Crux Larotaua Rialeio and Gara-chico In this Iland before the conquest dwelt seauen kinges who with all their people dwelt in caues and were cloathed in goat skinnes as the Canaria people were and with such like order of dyet as they had Their order of buriall was that when anie died he was carried naked to a greate caue where he was propped vp against the wall standing on his féete But if he were of anie authoritie among them then had hée a staffe in his hand a vessell of milke standing by him I haue séene caues of 300. of these corps together the flesh béeing dryed vp the bodie remained as light as parchment These people were called Guāches by naturall name they spake another language cleane contrarie to the Canarians and so consequētly euerie Iland spake a seuerall language Note gentle Reader that the Ilande of Canaria the I le of Tenerif and the I le of Palme appertaine to the King of Spaine vnto whome they rent fiftie thousand Duckets yéerely for custome other profits All these Ilandes ioyntly are one Bishoprick which rent to the Bishop is 12. thousand duckets yéerly and this I conclude of the I le of Tenerif which standeth 27. degrées and a halfe as I haue before declared Gomera THe Iland of Gomera standeth Westward from Tenerif in distaunce sixe leagues this is but a smal Iland containing 8. leagues in length It is an Earledome and the Lord thereof is called the Earle of Gomera But in case of anie controuersie the vassalls may appeale to the kings superiour Iudges which reside in Canaria This Iland hath one proper towne called Gomera which hath an excellent good port or harbor for ships where oftentimes the India Fléete take refreshing for their voyage There is also sufficient graine and fruit for the maintenaunce of themselues There is one Iugenio or Sugar house with great plentie of wine and other sorts of fruits as Canaria and Tenerif hath This Iland yéeldeth no other commoditie but onely Orchell it standeth in 27. degrées distant from the Equator toward the pole Articke The I le of Palma THe I le of Palma standeth 12. leagues distaunt from thy Ile Gomera Norwestward This Iland is fruitfull of wine and Sugar it hath a proper Citie called the Citie of Palma where is great contraction for wines which are laden for the West India other places This citie hath one faire Church and a gouernour Aldermen to mainetaine and execute iustice It hath also another pretie Towne called S. Andrewes It hath also foure Ingenios which make excellent sugar two of the which are called Zauzes and the other two Tassacort This Iland gathereth but little bread corne but rather is thereof prouided from Tenerif and other places Their best wines grow in a soile called the Brenia where yéerely is gathered 12. thousand Buts of wine like vnto maulmsies This Iland standeth round and containeth in circuit néere 25. leagues It hath plentie of all sorts of fruits as Canaria Tenerif hath it standeth in twentie seauen degrées and a halfe The Iland of Yron called Hierro THis Iland standeth 10. leagues distant from the Iland of Palma Weastward it is but a little Ilande which containeth sixe leagues in circuite and hath but small peroblation It appertayneth to the Earle of Gomera The chiefest commoditie of this Ilande is Goates flesh and Orchell There is no Wine in all that Iland but onely one vineard that an English man of Taunton in the West Countrie planted among rockes his name was Iohn Hill This Iland hath no kinde of fresh water but onely in the middle of the Ilande groweth a great trée with leaues lyke an Oliue trée which hath a great sesterne at the foote of the said trée This Trée continually is couered with clowdes and by meane thereof the leaues of the sayde Trée dooeth still droppe Water verye swéete into the sayd Sesterne which commeth to the sayd trée from the clowdes by attraction And this water sufficeth the Iland for all necessitie as well the Cattell as for the inhabitants It standeth in 27. degrées The Iland of Lanzerot THe Ilande of Lanzerot standeth xviij leagues distaunt from Gran Canaria Southeastward the onely commoditie of this Iland is Goats flesh and Orchell It is an Earldome doth appertaine to Don Augustine de Herrera with title of Earle of Fortauentura Lanzerot But the vassalls of these Earledomes may in any cause of wrong appeale to the Kings Iudges which reside in Canaria as I haue sayd before because although the King hath reserued to himselfe but onely the thrée fruitfull Ilands called Canaria Tenerif Palma yet hée also reserued the rod of iustice to himselfe because otherwise the vassals might bée euill intreated of their Lords From this Iland is wéekly brought to Canaria Tenerif Palma boates laden with dried Goates flesh called Tussinetta which serueth in stéed of bacon and is very good meate This Iland standeth in 26. degrées and is in length 12. leagues The I le of Fortauentura THE I le of Fortauentura standeth 50. leagues distant from the Promontorie of Cabo de Guer in the firme land of Affrica and 24. leagues distant from Canana Eastward This Iland doth appertaine to the Senior of Lanzerot It is reasonable fruitfull of Wheate and Barly and also of Kine Goats and Orchell this I le is 15. leagues long and 10. leagues broad on the North side It hath a little Ilande about one league distant frō the maine Iland betwéene both of the which it is nauegable for anie ships and is called Graciosa Both Fortauentura and Lanzerot haue verie little wine of the growth of those Ilands It standeth in 27. degrées Thus much haue I written of these 7. Ilands by experiēce because I was a dweller there as I haue sayd before the space of seauen yeares in the affaires of Master Thomas Lock Master Anthonie Hikman and Master Casthin who in those dayes were worthie Merchants and of great credit in the citie of London A description of the Iland of Madera THE Iland of Madera standeth in 33. degrées distant from the equinoctinall line and 70. leagues from the I le of Tenerif Northeastward Southwest from Hercules pillers This Iland was discouered conquered inhabited by the Portingall nation it was first called the Iland of Madera by reason of the great wildernesse of sundrie sorts of trées that there did grow and yet dooth as Ceder Cipers Vinatico Barbuzano Pine trées and diuers others and therefore the sayd Iland continueth still with the same name Howbeit they hold opinion that betwéene the said Iland and the I le of Palma is an Iland not yet discouered which is the true Iland Madera called S. Brandon This Iland renteth a great sum of money to the king of Portingal yéerely it hath one faire citie called Fouchall which hath a faire port or harbour for ships and a strong Bulwarke a faire Cathedrall Church with a Bishop other dignities therevnto appertaining There is also iustice and gouernment according to the Portingal vse But causes of appellation are remitted to the citie of Lisborne in Portingal to the kings superiour Iudges there This Iland hath another towne called Machico which hath likewise a good rode for ships There is also 16 Sugar houses called Ingenios which make excellent good Sugar There is besides the gooly timber before declared greate store of diuers sortes of fruites as peares apples plummes wilde dates peaches of diuerse sortes Mellons Batatas Oringes Lemons pomgranads Cidrons Figs and all manner of garden hearbs Ther are many Dragon trees such as grow in the Canaria Ilands But chiefly this land produceth great quantitie of singular good wines which are laden for manie places On the North side of this land thrée leagues distant from the maine Iland standeth another little Iland called Porto santo the people therof liueth by husbandrie for the Iland of Madera gathereth but little corne but rather is thereof prouided out of Fraunce and from the Iland of Tenerif On the East side of the I le of Madera sixe leagues distant standeth another little Iland called the Desart which produceth onely Orchell and nourisheth a great number of Goates For the prouision of the maine Iland which may be 30. leagues in circuit and the land is of great height where those trées grow It is wonder to sée the conueiance of the water to the Ingenios by mines through the mountaines In the midde waie betwéene Tenerif and the Iland of Madera standeth a little solitarie Iland called the Saluages which may be about one league in compasse which hath neither trée nor fruit but onely foode for Goates FINIS
who haue a counsell house by themselues The Citie is not onely beautifull but the citizens curious and gallant in apparell And after anie raine or foule weather a man maye goe cleane in Veluet slippers because the ground is sandie the aire verie temperate without extreame heat or colde They reape wheate in Februarie and againe in Maie which is excellent good maketh bread as white as snow This Iland hath in it other thrée faire townes the one called Telde and the second Galder the third Guia. It hath also 12. Sugar houses called Iugenios in which they make great quantitie of good sugar The manner of the growth of Sugar is in this sort a good ground giueth soorth fruit nine times in 18. yéere That is to saie the first is called Planta which is laid a long in a vorrowe so that the water of a sluce may come ouer euerie roote being couered with earth this roote bringeth forth sundrie canes and so consequently all the rest It groweth two yeares before the yéelding of profit and not sixe monethes as Andrew Theuet the French man writeth Then are they cut euen with the ground and the tops and leaues called Coholia cut off and the canes bound into bundels like faggets so are carried to the sugar house called Iugenio where they are ground in a mill and the iuyce thereof conuayed by conduct to a great vessell made for the purpose where it is boyled till it waxe thicke and then is it put into a fornaice or earthen pots of the moulde of a Sugar loafe then is it carryed to another house called a purging house where it is placed to purge the blacknes with a certain clay that is laid thereon Of the remainder in the cauldron is made a second sort called Escumas and of the purging liquor that droppeth from the white Sugar is made a third sort and the remainder is called Panela or Netas the refuse of all the purging is called Remiel or Mallasses and therof is made another sort called Refinnado When this first fruit is in this sorte gathered called Planta then the Cane field where it grew is burned ouer with Sugar straw to the stumps of the first canes and being husbanded watred trimmed at the end of other two yeres it yéeldeth the second fruite called Zoca The third fruite is called Tercia Zoca the fourth Quarta Zoca and so orderly the rest till age causeth the olde Canes to be planted againe This Iland hath singular good wine especially in the towne of Telde and sundrie sortes of good frutes as Batata Mellons peares Apples Orenges Lemmons Pomegranads Figs Peaches of diuerse sortes and many other fruites but especiallye the Plantano which groweth néere brooke sides it is a trée that hath no Timber in it but groweth directly vpward with the bodie hauing maruailous thick leaues euery leafe at the toppe of two yeardes long and almost halfe a yearde broade The Trée neuer yéeldeth fruite but once and then is cut down in whose place springeth another and so still continueth The fruit groweth on a braunch and euerie trée yéeldeth two or thrée of those branches which beareth some more and some lesse as some 40. and some 30. the fruit is like a Cowcumber and when it is ripe it is blacke and in eating more delicate then anye conserue This Ilande is sufficientlye prouided of Oxen Kine Camelles Goates shéepe Capons Hens Ducks and Pidgeons and great Partridges Woode is the thing that most wanteth and because I haue perticularly to deale of the other sixe Ilands I leaue further inlarging of Canaria which standeth in 27. degrées distant from the Aequator The I le of Tenerif THE Iland of Tenerif standeth in 27. degrées a halfe from the equator is distāt frō Canaria 12. leagues Northward This Ilande conteineth 17. leagues in length and the land lyeth high in forme of a ridge of sowen lande in some parte of England and in the middest of the sayde place standeth a round hill called Pico Deteythe scituated of this sort The toppe of this pike conteineth of height directly vpward 15. leagues and more which is 45. English miles out of the which oftentimes procéedeth fire and brimstone may be about halfe a mile compasse the sayde toppe is in forme or likenesse of a caldron But within two miles of the top is nothing but ashes and pomish stones yet beneath that two miles is the colde region couered all the yeare with Snowe and somewhat lower are mightie huge trées growing called Vinatico which is excéeding heauie and will not rot in anie water although it lye a thousand yéeres therein Also there is a wood called Barbusano of like vertue with many Sauine trées and Pine trées And beneath this sorts of trées are woods of Baie trées of x. 12. miles long which is a pleasant thing to trauaile through among the which are great numbers of small birdes which sing excéeding swéete but especially one sort that are verie little and of coulour in all respects like a Swallow sauing he hath a little blacke spot on his breast as broade as a pennie He singeth more swéeter then all the rest but if he be taken and imprisoned in a cage he liueth but a small while This Iland bringeth forth all sortes of fruites as Canaria doth and also all the other Ilands in generall bringeth forth shrubbes or brushes out of the which issueth a iuyce as white as milke which after a while that it hath come out waxeth thicke and is excéeding good Birdlime the bush is called Taybayba This Iland also bringeth forth another trée called Drago which groweth on high among rockes and by incission at the foote of the trée issueth out a liquor like bloud is a common drugge among Apothecaries Of the wood of this trée are made targets greatly estéemed because if anie sword or dagger hit thereon they sticke so fast that it is hard plucking them out This is the most fruitfullest Iland of all the rest for corne and in that respect is a mother or nurse to al the others in time of néed There groweth also a certaine mosse vpon the high rockes called Orchel which is bought for Diars to die withall There are 12. Ingenios called sugar houses which make great quantitie of Sugar There is also one league of grounde which stādeth betwéene two towns the one called Larotaua the other Rialeio which is thought that the like plot of ground is not in all the world The reason is that this one league of ground produceth swéet water out of the cliffes or rockie mountaines corne of all sortes fruites of all sortes and excellent good silke flaxe waxe and honnie and verie good wines in abundance with great store of Sugar and fire woode Out of this Iland is laden greate quantitie of wines for the west India and other Countries The best groweth on a hill side called the Ramble There is in that Iland a faire Citie standing thrée leagues
A PLEASANT description of the fortunate Ilandes called the Ilands of CANARIA vvith their straunge fruits and commodities VERIE DELECTAble to read to the praise of God Composed by the poore Pilgrime ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East 1583. ¶ TO THE RIGHT WORshipfull Master Ihon Woolley Esquire one of the Secretaries to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie POre Pilgrimes vse Right worshipfull sir that after their wearie iournies returne into their natiue soile to communicate the troth of anie thing worthie to be knowen and of them seene among their especiall friends which are learned and also louers of such kinde of vocation The holy scripture sheweth vs that when the wise men called Magi being led by a straunge starre to the place where Christ our Sauior was borne at which place the starre did not only staie but also gaue a wonderful brightnes with shining beams to assure them that there the Sauiour was Vndoubtedly these men letted not to declare these maruailous things visions at their returne as appeareth at this present that in Aethiopia the East Countries are an infinite number of Christians Likewise the Eunuch messenger to the Queene of Candace letted not to manifest in his Countrie the miraculous things that he had seene in Ierusalem when Christ our Redeemer suffered the most bitter death of the crosse Nor yet the Queene of Sabba kept in secret the wisdome of Salomon But the cause Right worshipfull that I tooke this little Pamphlet in hand was thorough the writing of Andrewe Theuet a Frenchman who wrote of the Fortunate Ilandes by hearesay But I poore Pilgrime maie call those Ilands infortunate for there was I apprehended for an heretike and an open enimie to the Romish Churche and there deteyned in that bloudie Inquisition the space of fiue yeares now come home to offer this little worke to your worship because your helping hand is alwaies ready to fauor and further anie vertuous or good attempt Beseeching your worship to accept it to consider that poore Pilgrimes haue not any other thing to giue the Almightie graunt your hearts desire At commaundement The P.P. ¶ A DESCRIPTIon of the fortunate Ilandes now called the Ilandes of Canaria with their perticular Commodities PLATO in his Thimeo writeth that about 750. yeres past ther was a great Ilande lieng in the Ocean Sea in Front of Hercules Pillers which stood at that time in the Iland of Cadez this Ilande was called Atlantica which lande by Gods permission sonke sauing certaine Ilands which yet remaine called the Ilands of Cabo Verde the Ilands of Canaria and the Ilands of Azores and others The opinion of Plato séemeth to be true because the Coast of Grunea hath sands shallowes lying out a great way into the maine Ocean which agréeth as parcell appertayning to the other Ilandes before rehearsed Some of the Canaria Ilands as the I le of Fortauentura by name lyeth 50. leagues distaunt from the continent land of Africa and the Ilands of Azores néere 300. leagues The opinion of Plato shall serue for this purpose to the which I remit me Because mine intēt is particularly to speak of the Canaria Ilands which are seuen in number wherein I dwelt the space of vij yeares and more because I finde such varietie in sundry writers especially great vntrothes in a booke called the new found worlde Antartike set out by a French man called Andrew Theuet the which his booke he dedicated to the Cardinall of Sens keeper of the gteat seale of Fraunce It appeareth by the said booke that hée had read the works of sundrie philosophers Astronomers Cosmographers whose opinions he gathered together But touching his owne trauaile which hée affirmeth I referre to the iudgement of the experient in our daies and therefore for mine owne part I write of these Canaria Ilandes as time hath taught me in manie yeares The Iland of Canaria THE Iland of Canaria is almost comparable in length to breadth conteyning 12. leagues in length touching the which as principall the residue the Spaniards hold opinion that they discouered it in their nauigation toward America but the Portingals say that their nation first found the said Ilandes in their Nauigation toward Aethiopia and East India But truth it is that the Spaniards first conquered these Ilands with diuers English Gentlemen in their companie whose descendents this present daie inioyeth thē Some write that this Iland was named Canaria by meane of the number of dogs which there were found As for example Andrew Theuet saith the one Iuba carryed two dogges from thence but that opinion could I neuer learne by anie of the naturall people of the Countrie although I haue talked with many in my time with many of their children For truth it is that there were dogges but such as are in all the Norwest lands and some parte of the West India which serued the people in stéed of shéepe for victuall But of some of the conquerours of those Ilandes I haue heard say that the reason why they were called Canaria Ilands is there groweth generally in them all a foure square cane in great multitude together which in touching them wil cast out a liquor as white as milke which liquor is ranke poyson and at the first entrie into these Ilandes some of the discouerers were therewith poysoned for many yeares after that conquest the inhabitants began to plant both wine and Sugar so that Canaria was not so called by Sugar canes The people which first inhabited this lande were called Canaries by the conquerours they were clothed in goate skinnes made like vnto a loose cassocke they dwelt in caues in the Rockes in great amitie brotherly loue They spake all one language their chiefe féeding was gelt dogs goates and goates milke their bread was made of Barlie meale and Goats milke called Gofia which they vse at this daie and thereof I haue eaten diuerse times for it is accounted excéeding wholesome Touching the originall of these people some holde opinion that the Romanes which dwelt in Africa exiled them thether as well men as women their tongues béeing cutte out of their heades for blasphemie against the Romane Gods But howsoeuer it were their language was speciall and not mixed with Romane spéech or Arabian This Iland is now the principallest of all the rest not in fertilitie but by reason it is the seate of Iustice and gouernment of all the residue This Ilande hath a speciall Gouernor for the Iland onely yet notwithstanding there are thrée Iudges called Auditours who are superiour Iudges and all in one iointly procéede as the Lord Chanceller of anie realme To this Citie from all the other Ilands come al such by appeale as haue sustained any wrong and these good Iudges doo remedie the same The Citie is called Ciuitas Palmarum it hath a beautifull Cathedrall Church with all dignities therevnto pertaining For the publike weale of the Iland ther are sundrie Aldermen of great authoritie