pases yet lesse by one quarter then an English mile If the whole dominion of the Russe Emperour were all habitable and peopled in all places as it is in some he would either hardly holde it all within one regiment or be ouer mightie for all his neighbour Princes Of the Soile and Climate THe soyle of the Countrey for the most part is of a sleight sandie moulde yet very much different one place from another for the yeeld of such things as grow out of the earth The Countrey Northwards towards the parts of S. Nicholas and Cola and Northeast towards Siberia is all very barren and full of desert woods by reason of the Climate and extremitie of the colde in Winter time So likewise along the Riuer Volgha betwixt the Countreys of Cazan and Astracan where notwithstanding the soyle is very fruitfull it is all vnhabited sauing that vpon the riuer Volgha on the Westside the Emperour hath some fewe Castels with garisons in them This happeneth by meanes of the Crimme Tartar that will neither himselfe plant Townes to dwel there liuing a wild and vagrant life nor suffer the Russe that is farre off with the strength of his Countrey to people those parts From Vologda which lyeth almost 1700. verst from the port of S. Nicholas downe towards Mosco and so towards the South part that bordereth vpon the Crimme which conteineth the like space of 1700. verst or there abouts is a very fruitfull and pleasant Countrey yeelding pasture and corne with woods and waters in very great plentie The like is betwixt Rezan that lyeth Southeast from Mosco to Nouogrod and Vobsko that reach farthest towards the Northwest So betwixt Mosco and Smolensko that lyeth Southwest towards Lituania is a very fruitfull and pleasant soile The whole Countrey differeth very much from it selfe by reason of the yeere so that a man would marueile to see the great alteration and difference betwixt the Winter and the Summer Russia The whole Countrey in the Winter lieth vnder snow which falleth continually and is sometime of a yard or two thicke but greater towards the North. The Riuers and other waters are all frosen vp a yard or more thicke how swift or broade so euer they bee And this continueth commonly fiue moneths viz. from the beginning of Nouember till towardes the ende of March what time the snow beginneth to melâ—â— So that it would breede a frost in a man to looke abroad at that time and see the Winter face of that Countrey The sharpenesse of the aire you may iudge of by this for that water dropped downe or cast vp into the aire congealeth into yce before it come to the ground In the extremitie of Winter if you holde a pewter dish or pot in your hand or any other mettall except in some chamber where their warme stoaues bee your fingers will friese fast vnto it and drawe off the skinne at the pâ—rting When you passe out of a warme roome into a colde you shall sensibly feele your breath to waxe starke and euen sâ—ifeling with the colde as you drawe it in and out Diuers not onely that trauell abroad but in the very markets and streetes of their Townes are mortally pinched and killed withall so that you shall see many drop downe in the streetes many trauellers brought into the Townes sitting dead and stiffe in their Sleds Diuers lose their noses the tips of their eares and the bals of their cheekes their toes feâ—te c. Many times when the Winter is very hard and extreeme the beares and woolfes issue by troupes out of the woods driuen by hunger and enter the villages tearing and rauening all they can finde so that the inhabitants are faine to flie for safegard of their liuesâ— And yet in the Sommer time you shal see such a new hiew and face of a Countrey the woods for the most part wâ—ich are all of firre and birch so fresh and so sweete the pastures and medowes so greene and well growen and that vpon the sudden such varietie of flowers such noyse of birâ—es specially of Nightingales that seeme to be more lowde and of a more variable noâ—e then in other Couâ—treys that a man shall not lightly trauell in a more pleasant Countrey And this fresh and speedy growth of the Spring there seemeth to proceede from the benefite of the snow which all the Winter time being spread ouer the whole Countrey as a white robe and keeping it warme from the rigour of the froft in the Spring time when the Sunne waxeth warme and dissolueth it into water doeth so throughly drench and soake the ground that is somewhat of a sleight and sandie mould and then shineth so hâ—tely vpon it againe that it draweth the hearbes and plants foorth in great plentie and varietie in a very short time As the Winter exceedeth in colde so the Sommer inclineth to ouer much heat specially in the moneths of Iune Iuly and August being much warmer then the Sommer aire in England The Countrey throughout is very well watred with springs riuers and Ozeraes or lakes Wherein the prouidence of God is to be noted for that much of the Countrey being so farre inland as that some part lieth a thousand miles and more euery way from any Sea yet it is serued with faire Riuâ—rs and that in very great number that emptying themselues one into another runne all into the Sea Their lakes are many and large some of 60. 80. 100. and 200 miles long with breadth proportionate The chiefe Riuers are these First Volgha that hath his head or spring at the roote of an Aldeâ—tree about 200. verst aboue Yaruslaue and groweth so bigge by the encrease of other Riuers by that time it commeth thither that it is broad an English nule and more and so runnesh into the Caspian sea about 2800. verst or miles of length The next is Boristhenes now called Neper that diuideth the Countrey from Lituania and falleth into the Euxin sea The third Tanais or Don the ancient bounder betwixt Europe and Asia that taketh his head out of Rezan Ozera and so running through the Countrey of the Chrim Tartar falleth into the great Sea lake or meare called Maeotis by the Citie of Azou By this Riuer as the Russe reporteth you may passe from their Citie Mosco to Constantinople and so into all those parts of the world by water drawing your boate as their maner is ouer a little Isthmus or narrowe slip of land a few versts ouerthwart Which was proued not long since by an Ambassadour sent to Constantinople who passed the Riuer of Moscua and so into another called Ocka whence hee drew his boat ouer into Tanais and thence passed the whole way by water The fourth is called Duyâ—a many hundred miles long that falleth Northward into the bay of S. Nicholas and hath great Alabaster rockes on the bankes towards the sea side The fifth Duna that emptieth into the Baltick sea by the towne Riga The sixt Onega that
which by report haue lien there since Noes flood And thus proceeding forward the nineteenth day in the morning I came into a town called Yemps an hundred verstes from Colmogro All this way along they make much tarre pitch and ashes of Aspen trees From thence I came to a place called Vstiug an ancient citie the last day of August At this citie meete two riuers the one called Iug and the other Sucana both which fall into the aforesaid riuer of Dwina The riuer Iug hath his spring in the land of the Tartars called Cheremizzi ioining to the countrey of Permia and Succana hath his head from a lake not farre from the citie of Vologda Thus departing from Vstiug and passing by the riuer Succana we came to a towne called Totma About this place the water is verie shallow and stonie and troublesome for Barkes and boats of that countrey which they call Nassades and Dosneckes to passe that way wherein marchandise are transported from the aforesayd Colmogro to the citie of Vologhda These vessels called Nassades are very long builded broade made and close aboue flatte bottomed and draw not aboue foure foote water and will carrie two hundred tunnes they haue none iron appertaining to them but all of timber and when the winde serueth they are made to sayle Otherwise they haue many men some to hale and drawe by the neckes with long small ropes made fast to the sayd boats and some set with long poles There are many of thâ—se barks vpon the riuer of Dwina And the most part of them belongeth vnto the citie of Vologhda for there dwell many marchants and they occupie the said boates with carying of salte from the sea side vnto the sayd Vologhda The twentieth of September I came vnto Vologhda which is a great citie and the riuer passeth through the midst of the same The houses are builded with wood of Firretrees ioyned one with another and round without the houses are foure square without any iron or stone worke couered with birch barkes and wood ouer the same Their Churches are all of wood two for euery parish one to be heated for Winter and the other for Summer On the toppes of their houses they laye much earth for feare of burning for they are sore plagued with fire This Vologhda is in 59 degrees eleuen minutes and is from Colmogro 1000 verstes All the way I neuer came in house but lodged in the wildernesse by the riuers side and caried prouision for the way And he that will trauell those wayes must carie with him an hatchet a tinder bore and a kettle to make fire and seethe meate when he hath it for there is small succour in those parts vnlesse it be in townes The first day of December I departed from Vologhda in posse in a sled as the maner is in Winter And the way to Moscua is as followeth From Vologhda to Commelski 27 verstes so to Olmor 25 verstes so to Teloytske 20 verstes so to Vre 30 verstes so to Voshansko 30 verstes then to Yeraslaue 30 verstes which standeth vpon the great riuer Volga so to Rostoue 50 verstes then to Rogarin 30 verstes so to Peraslaue 10 verstes which is a great towne standing hard by a faire lake From thence to Dowbnay 30 versâ—es so to Godoroke 30 verstes so to Owchay 30 verstes and last to the Mosco 25 verstes where I arriued the sixt day of December There are 14 postes called Yannes betweene Vologhda and Mosco which are accompted 500 verstes asunder The 10 day of December I was sent for to the Emperors Castle by the sayd Emperour and deliuered my letters vnto the Secretary who talked with me of diuers matters by the commandement of the Emperour And after that my letters were translated I was answered that I was welcome and that the Emperour would giue me that I desired The 25 day being the day of the natiuitie I came into the Emperors presence and kissed his hand who sate aloft in a goodly chaire of estate hauing on his heade a crowne most richly decked and a staffe of gold in his hand all apparelled with golde and garnished with precious stones There sate distant from him about two yardes his brother and next vnto him a boy of twelue yeares of age who was inheritor to y e Emperor of Casan conquered by this Emperor 8 yeares past Then sate his nobilitie round about him richly apparelled with gold and stone And after I had done obeisance to the Emperour he with his own mouth calling me by my name bade me to dinner and so I departed to my lodging till dinner time which was at sixe of the clocke by candle light The Emperour dined in a fayre great hall in the midst whereof was a pillar foure square very artificially made about which were diuers tables set and at the vppermost part of the hall sate the Emperour himselfe at his table sate his brother his Uncles sonne the Metropolitane the young Emperour of Casan and diuers of his noble men all of one side There were diuers Ambassadors other strangers as well Christians as heathens diuersly apparelled to the number of 600 men which dined in the sayd hall besides 2000 Tartars men of warre which were newly come to render themselues to the Emperour were appointed to serue him in his wars against the Lieflanders but they dined in other hals I was set at a litle table hauing no stranger with me directly before the Emperors face Being thus set and placed the Emperour sent me diuers bowles of wine and meade many dishes of meat from his own hand which were brought me by a Duke and my table serued all in gold and siluer and so likewise on other tables there were set bowles of gold set with stone worth by estimation 400 pounds sterling one cup besides the plate which serued the tables There was also a Cupbord of plate most sumptuous and rich which was not vsed among the which was a piece of golde of two yardes long wrought in the toppe with towers and dragons heads also diuers barrels of gold and siluer with Castles on the bungs richly and artificially made The Emperour and all the hall throughout was serued with Dukes and when dinner was ended the Emperour called me by name gaue me drinke with his own hand so I departed to my lodging Note that when the Emperour drinketh all the company stand vp and at euery time he drinketh or tasteth of a dish of meate he blesseth himselfe Many other things I sawe that day not here noted The 4 of Ianuary which was Twelftide with them the Emperour with his brother and all his nobles all most richly apparelled with gold pearles precious stones and costly furres with a crowne vpon his head of the Tartarian fashion went to the Church in procession with the Metropolitan and diuers bishops and priests That day I was before the Emperour again
who conquered them not many yeâ—res passed for their diuersity in religion and caused not onely all the nobility gentlemen of that countrey to be put to death but also ouer and besides rased the walles of the cities townes and castles of the said realme to the intent that there should be no rebellion and for their great terror caused a turret of free stone and flints to be erected in the sayd city called Shamaki and in a ranke of flints of the sayd turret did set the heads of the sayd nobility and gentlemen then executed This city is distant from the sea side with camels seuen dayes iourney but now the same being much decayed chiefly inhabited with Armenians another city called Arrash bordering vpon the Georgians is the chiefest and most opulent in the trade of merchandise thereabouts is nourished the most abundant growth of raw silke and thither the Turks Syrians and other strangers do resort and trafficke There be also diuers good and necessary commodities to be prouided had in this sayd realme viz. galles rough and smooth cotton wooll allome and raw silke of the naturall growth of that countrey besides nere all kinde of spices and drugges and some other commodities which are brought thither from out of East India but in the lesse quantity for that they be not assured to haue vent or vtterance of the same but the chiefest commodities be there raw silks of all sorts whereof there is great plenty Not farre from the sayd city of Shamaki there was an olde castle called Gullistone now beaten downe by this Sophy which was esteemed to be one of the strongest castles in the world and was besieged by Alexander the great long time before he could win it And not farre from the sayd castle was a Nunry of sumptuous building wherein was buried a kings daughter named Ameleck Channa who slew herselfe with a knife for that her father would haue forced her she professing chastity to haue married with a king of Tartarie vpon which occasion the maidens of that countrey do resort thither once euery yere to lament her death Also in the sayd countrey there is an high hill called Quiquifs vpon the toppe whereof as it is commonly reported did dwell a great Giant named Arneoste hauing vpon his head two great hornes and eares and eyes like a Horse and a taile like a Cow It is further sayd that this monster kept a passage thereby vntill there came an holy man termed Haucoir Hamshe a kinseman to one of the Sophies who mounted the sayd hill and combating with the sayd Giant did binde not onely him in chaines but also his woman called Lamisache with his sonne named After for which victory they of that countrey haue this holy man in great reputation and the hill at this day as it is bruited sauoureth so ill that no person may come nigh vnto it but whether it be true or not I referre it to further knowledge Now to returne to the discourse of the proceeding in my voyage towards the great Sophie The 6 of October in the yeere aforesayd I with my company departed from Shamachi aforesaid and hauing iourneyed threescore miles came to a towne called Yauate wherein the king hath a faire house with orchards and gardens well replenished with fruits of all sorts By this towne passeth a great riuer called Cor which springeth in the mountaines of the Georgians passing thorow the countrey of Hircania aforesayd falleth into the Caspian or Hircan sea at a place betweene two ancient townes called Shabran and Bachu situate within the realme of Hircane and from thence issueth further passing thorow a fruitfull countrey inhabited with pasturing people which dwâ—ll in the Summer season vpon mountaines and in Winter they remooue into the valleyes without resorting to townes or any other habitation and when they remooue they doe iourney in carrauans or troops of people and cattell carrying all their wiues children and baggage vpon bullocks Now passing this wilde people ten dayes iourney comming into no towne or house the sixteenth day of October we arriued at a citie called Ardouill where we were lodged in an hospitall builded with faire stone and erected by this Sophies father named Ismael onely for the succour and lodging of strangers and other trauellers wherein all men haue victuals and feeding for man and horse for three dayes and no longer This foresayd late prince Ismael lieth buried in a faire Meskit with a sumptuous sepulchre in the same which he caused to be made in his life time This towne Ardouill is in the latitude of eight and thirtie degrees an ancient citie in the prouince of Aderraugan wherein the Princes of Persia are commonly buried and there Alexander the great did keepe his Court when he inuaded the Persians Foure dayes iourney to the Westward is the citie Tebris in olde time called Tauris the greatest citie in Persia but not of such trade of merchandise as it hath bene or as others be at this time by meane of the great inuasion of the Turke who hath conquered from the Sophie almost to the sayd citie of Tauris which the sayd Turke once sacked and thereby caused the Sophie to forsake the same and to keepe his court ten dayes iourney from thence at the sayd citie of Casbin The 21 day we departed from Ordowil aforesayd trauelling for the most part ouer mountaines all in the night season and resting in the day being destitute of wood and therefore were forced to vse for fewell the dung of horses camels which we bought deare of the pasturing people Thus passing ten dayes iourney the yere aforesayd the second day of Nouember we arriued at the foresayd citie of Casbin where the sayd Sophie keepeth his court and were appointed to a lodging not farre from the kings pallace and within two dayes after the Sophie commanded a prince called Shalli Murzey sonne to Obdolowcan king of Shiruan aforesayd to send for me to his house who asked me in the name of the said Sophy how I did and whether I were in health and after did welcome me and inuited me to dinner whereat I had great enterteinment and so from thence I returned to my lodging The next day after I sent my interpreter vnto the Sophies Secretarie declaring that I had letters directed from our most gracious Souereigne ladie the Queenes most excellent Maiestie of the Realme of England vnto the sayd Sophy and that the cause of my comming was expressed in the same letters desiring that at conuenient time I might come into his Maiesties presence who aduertising the Sophy thereof shortly after answered me that there were great affaires in hand which being finished I should come before his presence willing me in the meane time to make ready my present if I had any to deliuer At this time the great Turkes Ambassadour arriued foure dayes before my comming who was sent thither to conclude a
drummes maketh a confused and horrible noyse So they set on first discharging their arrowes then dealing with their swordes which they vse in a brauerie to shake and brandish ouer their heads before they come to strokes Their footmen because otherwise they want order in leading are commonly placed in some ambush or place of aduantage where they may most annoy the enemie with least hurt to themselues If it be a set battell or if any great inuasion be made vpon the Russe borders by the Tartar they are set within y e running or mouing Castle called Beza or Gulaygorod which is caried about with them by the Voiauoda gulauoy or the walking General whom I spake of beforâ— This walking or moouing Castle is so framed that it may be set vp in length as occasion doeth require the space of one two three foure fiue sixe or seuen miles for so long it will reach It is nothing els but a double wall of wood to defend them on both sides behinde and before with a space of three yards or thereabouts betwixt the two sides so that they may stand within it and haue roome enough to charge and discharge their pieces and to vse their other weapons It is closed at both ends and made with loope holes on either side to lay out the nose of their piece or to push foorth any other weapon It is caried with the armie wheresoeuer it goeth being taken into pieces and so layde on cartes sparred together and drawen by horse that are not seene by reason that they are couered with their cariage as with a shelfe or penthouse When it is brought to the place where it is to be vsed which is deuised and chosen out before by the walking Voiauod it is planted so much as the present vse requireth sometime a mile long sometimes two sometimes three or more Which is soone done without the helpe of any Carpenter or instrument because the timber is so framed to claspe together one piece with in another as is easily vnderstoode by those that know the maner of the Russe building In this Castle standeth their shot wel fenced for aduantage specially against the Tartar that bringeth no ordinance nor other weapon into the field with him saue his sword and bow and arrowes They haue also within it diuers field pieces which they vse as occasion doth require Of pieces for the field they carie no great store when they warre against the Tartar but when they deale with the Polonian of whose forces they make more account they go better furnished with all kind of munition and other necessarie prouisions It is thought that no Prince of Christendome hath better store of munition then the Russe Emperour And it may partly appeare by the Artillery house at Mosco where are of all sortes of great Ordinance all brasse pieces very faire to an exceeding great number The Russe souldier is thought to be better at his defence within some castle or towne then he is abroad at a set pitched field Which is euer noted in the practise of his warres and namely at â—ho siege of Vobsco about eight yeres since where he repulsed the Polonian king Stepan Batoro with his whole armie of 100000 men and forced him in the end to giue ouer his siege with the losse of many of his best Captaines and souldiers But in a set field the Russe is noted to haue euer the worse of the Polonian and Sweden If any behaue himselfe more valiantly then the rest or do any special piece of seruice the Emperor sendeth him a piece of golde stamped with the Image of Saint George on horsebacke Which they hang on their sleeues set in their caps And this is accounted the greatest honour they can receiue for any seruice they doe Of their Colonies and maintaining of their conquests or purchases by force THe Russe Emperors of late yeres haue very much enlarged their dominions territories Their first conquest after the Dukedome of Mosco for before that time they were but Dukes of Volodomer as before was said was the citie Dukedome of Nouogrod on y e West and Northwest side which was no smal enlargement of their dominion strengthening to them for the winning of the rest This was done by Iuan great grandfather to Theodor now Emperor about the yere 1480. The same began likewise to encroach vpon the countries of Lituania and Liuonia but the conquest only intended attempted by him vpon some part of those countries was pursued performed by his sonne Basileus who first wan the citie dukedom of Plesko afterwards the citie dukedome of Smolensco many other faire towns with a large territory belonging vnto them about the yere 1514. These victories against the Lettoes or Lituanians in the time of Alexander their duke he atchieued rather by aduantage of ciuil dissentions treasons among theÌ„selues then by any great policie or force 〈◊〉 his own But al this was lost againe by his son Iuan Vasillwich about 8 or 9 yeres past vpon coÌ„position with y e Polonian king Stephan Batore wherunto he was forced by the aduantages which the Pole had then of him by reason of the foile he had giuen him before and the disquietnes of his own state at home Onely the Russe Emperor at this time hath left him on that side his countery the cities of Smolensco Vobsco Chernigo Bealagorod in Lituania In Liuonia not a towne nor one foot of ground When Basilius first conquered those countries he suffered then the natiues to keepe their possessions and to inhabite all their townes onely paying him a tribute vnder the gouernement of his Russe Captaines But by their conspiracies attempts not long after he was taught to deale more surely with them And so comming vpon them the second time he killed and caried away with him three parts of foure which he gaue or sold to the Tartars that serued him in those wars and in stead of them placed there his Russes so many as might ouermatch the rest with certaine garisons of strength besides Wherein notwithstanding this ouersight was committed for that taking away with him the vpland or countrey people that should haue tilled the ground might easily haue bene kept in order without any danger by other good policies he was driuen afterwards many yeres together to vitaile the countrey specially the great townes out of his owne countrey of Russia the soile lying there in the meane while wast and vntilled The like fell out at the port of Narue in Liefland where his sonne Iuan Vasiliwich deuised to build a towne and a castle on the other side the riuer called Iuangorod to keepe the towne and countrey in subiection The castle he caused to be so built and forcified that it was thought to be inuincible And when it was furnished for reward to the Architect that was a Polonian he put out both his eyes to make him vnable to build the
were brought abroad into the City somewhat wil I say of such things as I did see therein being a gallant City and chiefe in one of the 13. shires aforesaid The City Fuquieo is very great mightily walled with square stone both within and without and as it may seeme by the breadth therof filled vp in the middle with earth layd ouer with brick couered with tyle after the maner of porches or galleries that one might dwel therein The staires they vse are so easily made that one may go them vp and downe a hors-backe as eftsoones they do the streets are paued as already it hath bin said there be a great number of Marchants euery one hath written in a great table at his doore such things as he hath to sel. In like maner euery artisane painteth out his craft the market places be large great abundance of al things there be to be sold. The city standeth vpoÌ„ water many streames run through it the banks pitched so broad that they serue for streets to the cities vse Ouer the streams are sundry bridges both of timber stone which being made leuel with the streets hinder not the passage of the barges too and fro the chanels are so deepe Where the streames come in and go out of the city be certaine arches in the wal there go in and out their Parai that is a kind of barges they haue that in the day time only at night these arches are closed vp with gates so do they shut vp al the gates of the City These streames and barges do ennoblish very much the City and make it as it were to seeme another Venice The buildings are euen wel made high not lofted except it be some wherein marchandize is laid It is a world to see how great these cities are and the cause is for that the houses are built euen as I haue said do take a great deale of roome One thing we saw in this city that made vs al to wonder and is worthy to be noted namely ouer a porch at the comming in to one of the aforesaid 4. houses which the king hath in euery shire for his gouernors as I haue erst saidâ— standeth a tower built vpon 40. pillers ech one whereof is but one stone ech one 40. handfuls or spans long in bredth or compasse 12 as many of vs did measure them Besides thisâ— their greatnesse is such in one piece that it might seeme impossible to worke them they be moreouer cornered and in colour length and breadth so like that the one nothing differeth from the other This thing made vs all to wonder very much We are wont to cal this country China and the people Chineans but as long as we were prisoners not hearing amongst them at any time that name I determined to learne how they were called and asked sometimes by them thereof for that they vnderstood vs not when we called them Chineans I answered them that al the inhabitants of India named them Chineans wherefore I praied them that they would tel me for what occasioÌ„ they are so called whether peraduenture any city of theirs bare that name Hereunto they alwayes answered me y t they haue no such name nor euer had Then did I aske them what name the whole Country beareth what they would answere being asked of other nations what countrymen they were It was told me that of ancient time in this country had bin many kings though presently it were al vnder one ech kingdom neuertheles enioyed that name it first had these kingdomes are the prouinces I spake of before In conclusion they said that the whole country is called Tamen the inhabitants Tamegines so that this name China or Chineans is not heard of in y t country I thinke that the neernesse of another prouince therabout called Cochinchina the inhabitants therof Cochinesses first discouered before China was lying not far from Malacca did giue occasion to ech of the nations of that name Chineans as also the whole country to be named China But their proper name is that aforesaid I haue heard moreouer that in the City of Nanquim reâ—aineth a table of gold and in it written a kings name as a memory of that residence the kings were wont to keepe there This table standeth in a great pallace couered alwayes except it be on some of their festiuall dayes at what time they are wont to let it be seene couered neuerthelesse as it is all the nobilitie of the City going of duetie to doe it euery day reuerence The like is done in the head Cities of all the other shires in the pallaces of the Ponchiassini wherein these aforesaid tables doe stand with the kings name written in them although no reuerence be done thereunto but in solemne feastes I haue likewise vnderstood that the City Pachin where the king maketh his abode is so great that to go from one side to the other besides the Suburbs the which are greater then the City it selfe it requireth one whole day a horseback going hackney pase In the suburbs be many wealthy marchants of all sorts They told me furthermore that it was moted about and in the motes great store of fish whereof the king maketh great gaines It was also told me that the king of China had no king to wage battel withall besides the Tartars with whom he had concluded a peace more then 80. yeres ago Neuerthelesse their friendship was not so great that the one nation might marry with the other And demanding with whom they married they said that in olde time the Chinish kings when they would marry their daughters accustomed to make a solemne feast whereunto came all sorts of men The daughter that was to be married stood in a place where she might see them all and looke whom she liked best him did she chuse to husband and if happely he were of a base condition hee became by and by a gentleman but this custome hath bene left long since Now a dayes the king marrieth his daughters at his owne pleasure with great men of the kingdome the like order he obserueth in the marriage of his sonnes They haue moreouer one thing very good and that which made vs all to marueile at them being Gentiles namely that there be hospitals in all their Cities alwayes full of people we neuer saw any poore body begge We therefore asked the cause of this answered it was that in euery City there is a great circuit wherein be many houses for poore people for blinde lame old folke not able to trauaile for age nor hauing any other meanes to liue These folke haue in the aforesaid houses euer plentie of rice during their liues but nothing else Such as be receiued into these houses come in after this maner When one is sicke blinde or lame he maketh a supplication to the Ponchiassi and prouing that to be true he writeth he remaineth in the
Spirituall consistorie before the Tundi Rebelles are executed in this manner especially if they be noble men or officers The king looke what day he giueth sentence against any one the same day the partie wheresoeuer he be is aduertised thereofâ— and the day told him of his execution The condemned person asketh of the messenger whether it may bee lawfull for him to kill himselfe the which thing when the king doeth graunt the partie taking it for an honour putteth on his best apparell and launcing his body a crosse from the breast downe all the belly murthereth himselfe This kind of death they take to be without infamie neither doe their children for their fathers crime so punished loose their goods But if the king reserue them to be executed by the hangman then flocketh be together his children his seruants and friends home to his house to preserue his life by force The king committeth the fetching of him out vnto his chiefe Judge who first setteth vpon him with bow and arrowes and afterward with pikes and swords vntill the rebell and all his family be slaine to their perpetuall ignominie and shame The Indie-writers make mention of sundry great cities in this Iland as Cangoxima a hauen towne in the South part thereof and Meaco distant from thence three hundred leagues northward the royall seat of the king and most wealthy of all other townes in that Iland The people thereabout are very noble and their language the best Iaponish In Meaco are sayd to be ninetie thousande houses inhabited and vpward a famous Uniuersitie and in it fiue principall Colleges besides closes cloysters of Bonzi Leguixil and Hamacata that is Priests Monks and Nunnes Other fiue notable Uniuersities there be in Iapan namely Coia Negur Homi Frenoi and Bandu The first foure haue in them at the least three thousand fiue hundred schollers in the fift are many mo For Bandu prouince is very great and possessed with sixe princes fiue whereof are vassals vnto the sixt yet he himselfe subiect vnto the Iaponish king vsually called the great king of Meaco lesser scholes there be many in diuers places of this Ilande And thus much specially concerning this glorious Iland among so many barbarous nations and rude regions haue I gathered together in one summe out of sundry letters written from thence into Europe by no lesse faithfull reporters than famous trauellers For confirmation whereof as also for the knowledge of other things not conteyned in the primisses the curious readers may peruse these 4 volumes of Indian matters written long ago in Italian and of late compendiously made latine by Petrus Maffeius my olde acquainted friend entituling the same De rebus Iaponicis One whole letter out of the fift booke thereof specially intreating of that countrey I haue done into English word for word in such wise as followeth Aloisius Froes to his companions in Iesus Christ that remaine in China and India THe last yeere deare brethren I wrote vnto you from Firando how Cosmus Turrianus had appointed me to trauaile to Meaco to helpe Gaspar Vilela for that there the haruest was great the labourers few and that I should haue for my companion in that iourney Aloisius Almeida It seemeth now my part hauing by the helpe of God ended so long a voiage to signifie vnto you by letter such things specially as I might thinke you would most delight to know And because at the beginning Almeida and I so parted the whole labour of writing letters betwixt vs. that he should speake of our voyage and such things as happened therein I should make relation of the Meachians estate write what I could well learne of the Iapans maners and conditions setting aside all discourses of our voyage that which standeth me vpon â— will discharge in this Epistle that you considering how artificially how cunningly vnder the pretext of religion that craftie aduersary of mankind leadeth and draweth vnto perdition the Iapanish mindes blinded with many superstitions and ceremonies may the more pitie this Nation The inhabiters of Iapan as men that neuer had greatly to doe with other Nations in their Geography diuided the whole world into three parts Iapan Sian and China And albeit the Iapans receiued out of Sian and China their superstitions and cermonies yet do they neuerthelesse contemne all other nations in comparison of themselues and standing in their owne conceite doe far preferre themselues before all other sorts of people in wisedome and policie Touching the situation of the countrey and nature of the soyle vnto the things estsooneserst written this one thing I wil adde in these Ilands the sommer to be most hot the winter extreme cold In the kingdome of Canga as we call it falleth so much snow that the houses being buried in it the inhabitants keepe within doores certaine moneths of the yeere hauing no way to come foorth except they breake vp the tiles Whirlewindes most vehement earthquakes so common that the Iapans dread such kind of feares litle or nothing at all The countrey is ful of siluer mines otherwise barren not so much by fault of nature as through the slouthfulnesse of the inhabitants howbeit Oxen they keepe and that for tillage sake onely The ayre is holesome the waters good the people very faire and well bodied bate headed commonly they goe procuring baldnesse with sorrow and teares eft soones rooting vp with pinsars all the haire of their heads as it groweth except it be a litle behind the which they knot and keepe with all diligence Euen from their childhood they weare daggers and swords the which they vse to lay vnder their pillowes when they goe to bed in shew courteous and affable in deede haughtie and proud They delight most in warlike affaires and their greatest studie is armes Mens apparell diuersely colouered is worne downe halfe the legges and to the elbowes womens attyre made hansomely like vnto a vaile is somewhat longer all manner of dicing and these they doe eschue The machant although he be wealthy is not accounted of Gentlemen be they neuer so poore retaine their place most precisely they stande vpon their honour and woorthinesse ceremoniously striuing among themselues in courtesies and faire speeches Wherein if any one happily be lesse carefull than he should be euen for a trifle many times he getteth euill will Want though it trouble most of them so much they doe detest that poore men cruelly taking pittie of their infantes newly home especially girles do many times with their owne feete strangle them Noble men and other likewise of meaner calling generally haue but one wife a peece by whom although they haue issue yet for a trifle they diuorse themselues from their wiues and the wiues also sometimes from their husbands to marry with others After the second degree cousins may there lawfully marry Adoption of other mens children is much vsed among them In great townes most men and women can write and reade This Nation feedeth sparingly their vsuall
Lord God 1170. arriued and there planted himselfe and his Colonies and afterward returned himselfe into England leauing certaine of his people there as appeareth in an ancient Welsh Chronicle where he then gaue to certaine Ilands beastes and foules sundry Welsh names as the Iland of Pengwin which yet to this day beareth the same There is likewise a foule in the saide countreys called by the same name at this day and is as much to say in English as Whitehead and in trueth the said foules haue white heads There is also in those countreis a fruit called Gwynethes which is likewise a Welsh word Moreouer there are diuers other Welsh wordes at this day in vse as Dauid Ingram aforesaid reporteth in his relations All which most strongly argueth the sayd prince with his people to haue inhabiteâ— there And the same in effect is confirmed by Mutezuma that mightie Emperour of Mexico who in an Oration vnto his subiects the better pacifying of them made in the presence of Hernando Cortes vsed these speeches following MY kinsmen friends and seruants you doe well know that eighteene yeres I haue bene your King as my fathers and grandfathers were and alwayes I haue bene vnto you a louing Prince and you vnto me good and obedient subiects and so I hope you will remaine vnto mee all the dayes of my life You ought to haue in remembrance that either you haue heard of your fathers or else our diuines haue instructed you that wee are not naturally of this countrey nor yet our kingdome is durable because our sorefathers came from a farre countrey and their King and Captaine who brought them hither returned againe to his naturall Countrey saying that he would send such as should rule and gouerne vs if by chance he himselfe returned not câ— These be the very wordes of Mutezuma set downe in the Spanish Chronicles the which being throughly considered because they haue relation to some strange noble person who long before had possessed those countreys doe all sufficiently argue the vndoubted title of her Maiestie forasmuch as no other Nation can truely by any Chronicles they can finde make prescription of time for themselues before the time of this Prince Madoc Besides all this for further proofe of her highnesse title sithence the arriuall of this noble Briton into those parts that is to say in the time of the Queenes grandfather of worthy memory King Henry the seuenth Letters patents were by his Maiestie granted to Ioha Cabota an Italiau to Lewis Sebastian and Sancius his three sonnes to discouer remote barbarous and heathen Countreys which discouery was afterwardes executed to the vse of the Crowne of England in the sayde Kings time by Sebastian and Sancius his sonnes who were borne here in England in true testimony whereof there is a faire hauen in Newfoundland knowen and called vntill this day by the name of Sancius hauen which proueth that they first discouered vpon that coast from the height of 63 vnto the cape of Florida as appeareth in the Decades And this may stand for another title to her Maiesty but any of the foresayd titles is as much or more then any other Christian Prince can pretend to the Indies before such time as they had actuall possession thereof obtained by the discouery of Christopher Columbus and the conquest of Vasques Nunnes de Balboa Hernando Cortes Francisco Pizarro and others And therefore I thinke it needlesse to write any more touching the lawfulnesse of her Maiesties title The fourth chapter sheweth how that the trade traffike and planting in those countreys is likely to proue very profitable to the whole realme in generall NOw to shew how the same is likely to prooue very profitable and beneficiall generally to the whole realme it is very certaine that the greatest iewell of this realme and the chiefest strength and force of the same for defence or offence in marshall matter and maner is the multitude of ships masters and mariners ready to assist the most stately and royall nauy of her Maiesty which by reason of this voyage shall haue both increase and maintenance And it is well knowen that in sundry places of this realme ships haue beene built and set forth of late dayes for the trade of fishing onely yet notwâ—thstanding the fish which is taken and brought into England by the English nauy of fishermen will not suffice for the expense of this realme foure moneths if there were none els brought of strangers And the chiefest cause why our English men doe not goe so farre Westerly as the especiall fishing places doe lie both for plenty and greatnesse of fish is for that they haue no succour and knowen safe harbour in those parts But if our nation were once planted there or neere there abouts whereas they now fish but for two moneths in the yeere they might then fish so long as pleased themselues or rather at their comming finde such plenty of fish ready taken salted and dried as might be sufficient to fraught them home without long delay God granting that salt may be found there whereof Dauid Ingram who trauelled in those countreys as aforesayd sayth that there is great plenty and withall the climate doth giue great hope that though there were none naturally growing yet it might as well be made there by art as it is both at Rochel and Bayon or elsewhere Which being brought to passe shall increase the number of our shippes and mariners were it but in respect of fishing onely but much more in regard of the sundry merchandizes and commodities which are there found and had in great abundance Moreouer it is well knowen that all Sauages as well chose that dwell in the South as those that dwell in the North so soone as they shall begin but a little to taste of ciuility will take maruelous delight in any garment be it neuer so simple as a shirt a blew yellow red or greene cotten cassocke a cap or such like and will take incredible paines for such a trifle For I my selfe haue heard this report made sundry times by diuers of our countreymen who haue dwelt in the Southerly parts of the West Indies some twelue yeeres together and some of lesse time that the people in those parts are easily reduced to ciuility both in maners and garments Which being so what vent for our English clothes will thereby ensue and how great benefit to all such persons and artificers whose names are quoted in the margent I do leaue to the iudgement of such as are discreet And questionlesse heereby it will also come to passe that all such townes and villages as both haue beene and now are vtterly decayed and ruinated the poore people there of being not set on worke by reason of the transportation of raw wooll of late dayes more excessiuely then in times past shal by this meanes be restored to their pristinate wealth and estate all which doe likewise tend to the inlargement
lesse to the glorie of God then that action of the Spanyardes For as you may read in the very last wordes of the relation of Newe Mezico extant nowe in English the maine land where your last Colonie meane to seate themselues is replenished with many thousands of Indians Which are of better wittes then those of Mexico and Peru as hath bene found by those that haue had some triall of them whereby it may bee gathered that they will easily embrace the Gospell forsaking their idolatrie wherein as this present for the most part they are wrapped and intangled A wise Philosopher noting the sundry desires of diuers men writeth that if an oxe bee put into a medowe hee will seeke to fill his bellie with grasse if a Storke bee cast in shee will seeke for Snakes if you turne in a Hound he will seeke to start an Hare So sundry men entring into these discoueries propose vnto themselues seuerall endes Some seeke authoritie and places of commandement others experience by seeing of the worlde the most part worldly and transitorie gaine and that often times by dishonest and vnlawfull meanes the fewest number the glorie of God and the sauing of the soules of the poore and blinded infidels Yet because diuers honest and well disposed persons are entred already into this your businesse and that I know you meane hereafter to sende some such good Churchmen thither as may truely say with the Apostle to the Sauages Wee seeke not yours but you I conceiue great comfort of the successe of this your action hoping that the Lorde whose power is wont to bee perfected in weakenesse will blesse the feeble foundations of your building Onely bee you of a valiant courage and faint not as the Lorde sayd vnto Iosue exhorting him to proceede on forward in the conquest of the land of promise and remember that priuate men haue happily wielded and waded through as great enterprises as this with lesser meanes then those which God in his mercie hath bountifully bestowed vpon you to the singuler good as I assure my selfe of this our Common wealth wherein you liue Hereof we haue examples domesticall and forreine Remember I pray you what you find in the beginning of the Chronicle of the conquest of Ireland newly dedicated vnto your selfe Read you not that Richard Strangbow the decayed earle of Chepstow in Monmuthshire being in no great fauour of his soueraigne passed ouer into that Island in the yere 1171. and accompanied only with certain of his priuate friends had in short space such prosperous successe that he opened the way for king Henry the second to the speedy subiection of all that warlike nation to this crowne of England The like conquest of Brasilia and annexing the same to the kingdome of Portugall was first begun by meane and priuate men as Don Antonio de Castillio Ambassadour here for that realme and by office keeper of all the records and monuments of their discoueries assured me in this city in the yere 1581. Now if the greatnes of the maine of Virginia and the large extension therof especially to the West should make you thinke that the subduing of it were a matter of more difficulty then the conquest of Ireland first I answere that as the late experience of that skilfull pilote and Captaine M. Iohn Dauis to the Northwest toward which his discouery your selfe haue thrise contributed with the forwardest hath shewed a great part to be maine sea where before was thought to be maine land so for my part I am fully perswaded by Ortelius late reformation of Culuacan and the gulfe of California that the land on the backe part of Virginia extendeth nothing so far westward as is put downe in the Maps of those parts Moreouer it is not to be denied but that one hundred men will do more now among the naked and vnarmed people in Virginia then one thousand were able then to do in Ireland against that armed and warlike nation in those daies I say further that these two yeres last experience hath plainly shewed that we may spare 10000. able men without any misse And these are as many as the kingdome of Portugal had euer in all their garrisons of the Açores Madera Arguin Cape verde Guinea Brasill Mozambique Melinde Zocotora Ormus Diu Goa Malaca the Malucos and Macao vpon the coast of China Yea this I say by the cōfession of singuler expert men of their own nation whose names I suppresse for certain causes which haue bene personally in the East Indies haue assured me that their kings had neuer aboue ten thousand natural borne Portugals their slaues excepted out of their kingdome remaining in all the aforesaid territories Which also this present yeere I saw confirmed in a secrete extract of the particular estate of that kingdome and of euery gouernement and office subiect to the same with the seueral pensions thereunto belonging Seeing therefore we are so farre from want of people that retyring daily home out of the Lowe Countreys they go idle vp and down in swarms for lack of honest intertainment I see no fitter place to employ some part of the better sort of them trained vp thus long in seruice then in the inward partes of the firme of Virginia against such stubborne Sauages as shal refuse obedience to her Maiestie And doubtlesse many of our men will bee glad and faine to accept this condition when as by the reading of this present treatie they shal vnderstand the fertilitie and riches of the regions confining so neere vpon yours the great commodities and goodnesse wherof you haue bin contented to suffer to come to light In the meane season I humbly commend my selfe and this my translation vnto you and your selfe and all those which vnder you haue taken this enterprise in hand to the grace and good blessing of the Almighty which is able to build farther and to finish the good worke which in these our dayes he hath begun by your most Christian and charitable endeuour From London the 1. of May 1587. Your L. humble at commandement R. HAKLVYT The Preface of M. Rene Laudonniere THere are two things which according to mine opinion haue bene the principall causes in consideration whereof aswell they of ancient times as those of our age haue bene induced to trauell into farre and remote regions The first hath beene the naturall desire which wee haue to search out the commodities to liue happily plentifully and at ease be it whither one abandon his naturall Countrey altogether to dwell in a better or bee it that men make voyages thither there to search out and bring from thence such things as are there to be found and are in greatest estistimation and in most request in our Countreys The second cause hath bene the multitude of people too fruitefull in generation which being no longer able to dwell in their natiue soyles haue entred vpon their neighbours limites and oftentimes passing further
haue pearced euen vnto the vttermost regions After this sort the North climate a fruitfull father of so many nations hath oftentimes sent foorth this way and that way his valiant people and by this meane hath peopled infinite Countreys so that most of the nations of Europe drawe their originall from these parts Contrariwise the more Southerne regions because they bee too barren by reason of their insupportable heate which raigneth in them neede not any such sending forth of their inhabitants and haue bene oftentimes constrained to receiue other people more often by force of armes then willingly All Africke Spaine and Italie can also testifie the same which neuer so abounded with people that they had neede to send them abroad to inhabite elsewhere as on the contrary Scythia Norway Gotland and France haue done The posterity of which nations remaineth yet not only in Italy Spaine Africke but also in fruitful and faire Asia Neuerthelesse I find that the Romans proceeding further or rather adding vnto these two chiefe causes aforesaid as being most curious to plant not onely their ensignes and victories but also their lawes customes religion in those prouinces which they had conquered by force of armes haue oftentimes by the decree of their soueraigne Senate sent forth inhabitants which they called Colonies thinking by this way to make their name immortall euen to the vnfurnishing of their own Countrey of the forces which should haue preserued the same in her perfection a thing which hindred them much more then aduanced them to the possession of the vniuersal monarchy whereunto their intention did a spire For it came to passe that their Colonies here and there being miserably sacked by strange people did vtterly ruine and ouerthrow their Empire The brinks of the riuer of Rhene are yet red those of Danubius are no lesse bloody and our France became fat with their blood which they lost These are the effects and rewards of al such as being pricked forward with this Romane and tyrannical ambition will goe about thus to subdue strange people effects I say contrary to the profit which those shall receiue which onely are affectioned to the common benefite that is to say to the generall policie of all men and endeuour to vnite them one with another aswell by trafficke and ciuill conuersations as also by military vertues and force of armes when as the Sauages will not yeeld vnto their endeuours so much tending vnto their profit For this cause princes haue sent forth out of their Dominions certaine men of good actiuity to plant themselues in strange Countreys there to make their profite to bring the Countrey to ciuilitie and if it might be to reduce the inhabitants to the true knowledge of our God an end so much more commendable as it is farre from all tyrannicall and cruell gouernement and so they haue alwayes thriued in their enterprises and by little and little gained the heartes of them which they haue conquered or wonne vnto them by any meanes Hereof wee may gather that sometimes it is good yea very expedient to send forth men to discouer the pleasure and commoditie of strange Countreys But so that the Countrey out of which these companies are to passe remaine not weakned nor depriued of her forces And againe in such sort that the company sent forth be of so iust sufficient number that it may not be defeited by strangers which euery foote endeuour nothing else but to surprise the same vpon the sudden As within these few daies past the French haue proued to my great griefe being able by no means possible to withstand the same considering that the elements men and all the fauours which might be hoped for of a faithfull and Christian alliance fought against vs which thing I purpose to discouer in this present historie with so euideut trueth that the kings Maiesty my soueraigne prince shall in part be satisfied of the diligence which I haue vsed in his seruice and mine aduersaries shall find themselues so discouered in their false reports that they shall haue no place of refuge But before I begin I will briefely set downe the situation and description of the land whereunto we haue sailed and where we haue inhabited from the yeere 1561. vnto sixty fiue to the ende that those things may the more easily be borne away which I meane to describe in this discourse The description of the VVest Indies in generall but chiefly and particularly of Florida THat part of the earth which at this day we call the fourth part of the world or America or rather the West India was vnknowen vnto our ancestours by reason of the great distance thereof In like maner all the Westerne Islands and fortunate Isles were not discouered but by those of our age Howbeit there haue bin some which haue said that they were discouerd in the time of Augustus Caesar and that Virgil hath made mention thereof in the sixt booke of his AEneidos when he saith There is a land beyond the starres and the course of the yeere and of the Sunne where Atlas the Porter of heauen sustaineth the pole vpon his shoulders neuerthelesse it is easie to iudge that hee meaneth not to speake of this land whereof no man is found to haue written before his time neither yet aboue a thousand yeeres after Christopher Colon did first light vpon this land in the yeere 1592. And fiue yeeres after Americus went thither by the commandement of the king of Castile and gaue vnto it his owne name whereupon afterward it was called America This man was very well seene in the Arte of Nauigation and in Astronomie whereby hee discouered in his time many lands vnknowen vnto the ancient Geographers This Countrey is named by some the land of Bresill and the lande of Parots It stretcheth it selfe according vnto Postell from the one Pole to the other sauing at the streight of Magelan whereunto it reacheth 53. degrees beyond the Equator I will diuide it for the better vnderstanding into three principall parts That which is toward the Pole Arcticke or the North is called new France because that in the yeere 1524. Iohn Verrazzano a Florentine was sent by King Francis the first and by Madam the Regent his mother vnto these newe Regions where he went on land and discouered all the coast which is from the Tropicke of Cancer to wit from the eight and twentieth vnto the fiftieth degree and farther vnto the North. Hee planted in this Countrey the Ensignes and Armes of the king of France so that the Spaniardes themselues which were there afterwarde haue named this Countrey Terra Francesca The same then extendeth it selfe in Latitude from the 25. degree vnto the 54. toward the North and in Longitude from 210. vnto 330. The Easterne part thereof is called by the late writers The land of Norumbega which beginneth at the Bay of Gama which separateth it from the Isle
so in the yere 1586 in the moneth of Iuly I arriued at the foresayd city of London where perusing the notes which I had taken in the time of my trauell in those yeeres I haue set downe as followeth In the yeere 1568 in the moneth of March being desirous to see the world I embarked my selfe in the bay of Cadiz in Andaluzia in a shippe bound for the Isles of the Canaries where she tooke in her lading set forth from thence for the voyage in the moneth of Iune the same yere Within a moneth after we fell with the Isle of S. Domingo and from thence directly to Noua Hispania and came into the port of S. Iohn de Vllua which is a litle Island standing in the sea about two miles from the land where the king mainteineth about 50 souldiers and captaines that keepe the forts and about 150 negroes who all the yeere long are occupied in carying of stones for building other vses and to helpe to make fast the ships that come in there with their cables There are built two bulwarkes at ech ende of a wall that standeth likewise in the sayde Island where the shippes vse to ride made fast to the sayd wall with their cables so neere that a man may leape ashore From this port I iourneyed by land to a towne called Vera Cruz standing by a riuers side where all the faccours of the Spanish merchants dwell which receiue the goods of such ships as come thither and also lade the same with such treasure and merchandize as they returne backe into Spaine They are in number about foure hundred who onely remaine there during the time that the Spanish fleet dischargeth and is soden againe which is from the end of August to the beginning of April following And then for the vnwholesomnesse of the place they depart thence sixteene leagues further vp within the countrey to a towne called Xalapa a very healthfull soile There is neuer any woman deliuered of childe in this port of Vera Cruz for so soone as they perceiue themselues conceiued with child they get them into the countrey to auoid the perill of the infected aire although they vse euery morning to driue thorow the towne aboue two thousand head of cattell to take away the ill vapours of the earth From Xalapa seuen leagues I came to another place named Perota wherein are certaine houses builded of straw called by the name of ventas the inhabitants whereof are Spaniards who accustome to harbour such trauellers as are occasioned to iourney that way vp into the land It standeth in a great wood of Pine and Cedar trees the soile being very colde by reason of store of snow which lieth on the mountaines there all the yere long There are in that place an infinite number of deere of bignesse like vnto great mules hauing also hornes of great length From Perota nine leagues I came to the Fuentes of Ozumba which suentes are springs of water issuing out of certeine rocks into the midst of the high wayes where likewise are certaine ranges and houses for the vses before mentioned Eight leagues off from this place I came to the city of the Angels so called by that name of the Spanyards which inhabit there to the number of a thousand besides a great number of Indians This city standeth in very plaine fields hauing neere adioyning to it many sumptuous cities as namely the city of Tlaxcalla a city of two hundred thousand Indians tributaries to the king although he exacteth no other tribute of them then a handfull of wheat a piece which amounteth to thirteene thousand hanueges yeerely as hath appeared by the kings books of account And the reason why he contenteth himselfe with this tribute onely for them is because they were the occasion that he tooke the city of Mexico with whom the Tlaxcallians had warre at the same time when the Spanyards came into the countrey The gouernour of this city is a Spanyard called among them The Alcalde mayor who administreth chiefest causes of iustice both vnto the Christians and Indians referring smaller and lighter vices as drunkennesse and such like to the iudgement and discretion of such of the Indians as are chosen euery yeere to rule amongst them called by the name of Alcaldes These Indians from foureteene yeeres olde vpwards pay vnto the king for their yerely tribute one ounce of siluer and an hannege of maiz which is valued among them commonly at twelue reals of plate The widowes among them pay halfe of this The Indians both of this city and of the rest lying about Mexico goe clothed with manâ—les of linnen cloth made of cotton wooll painted thorowent with works of diuers and fine colours It is distant from the city of the Angels foure leagues to the Northward foureteene from Mexico There is another city a league from it called Checula consisting of more then sixty thousand Indians tributaries and there dwell not aboue twelue Spanyards there From it about two leagues there is another called Acassingo of aboue fifty thousand Indians and about eight or twelue Spanyards which standeth at the foot of the Vulcan of Mexico on the East side There are besides these three other great cities the one named Tepiaca a very famous city Waxazingo and Tichamachalcho all these in times past belonged to the kingdome of Tlaxcalla and from these cities they bring most of their Cochinilla into Spaine The distance from the city of the Angels to the city of Mexico is twenty leagues This city of Mexico is the city of greatest fame in all the Indies hauing goodly and costly houses in it builded all of lime and stone and seuen streets in length and seuen in breadth with riuers turning thorow euery second street by which they bring their prouision in canoas It is situated at the foot of certaine hilles which conâ—eine in compasse by estimation aboue twenty leagues compassing the sâ—yd city on the one side and a lake which is fourteene leagues about on the other side Upon which lake there are built many notable and sumptuous cities as the city of Tesâ—uco where the Spanyards built sire frigats at that time when they conquered Mexico and where also Fernando Cortes made his abode fiue or six moneths in curing of the sicknesse of his people which they had taken at their comming into the countrey There dwell in this city about sixty thousand Indians which pay tribute to the king In this city the sayd Fernando built the finest church that euer was built in the Indies the name whereof is S. Peters After I had continued two yeeres in this city being desirous to see further the countreys I imployed that which I had and tooke my voyage towards the prouinces of California in the which was discouered a certeine countrey by a Biscaine whose name was Diego de Guiara and called it after the name of his countrey New
to the Ambassages Letters Traffiques and prohibition of Traffiques concluding and repealing of leagues damages reprisals arrests complaints supplications compositions and restitutions which happened in the time oâ— king Richard the 2. and king Henry the 4. between the said kings and their subiects on the one partie and Conradus de Zolner Conradus de Iungingen and Vlricus de Iungingen three of the great masters of Prussia and their subiects with the common societie of the Hans-townes on the other partie In all which discourse you may note very many memorable things as namely first the wise discreet and caâ—telous dealing of the Ambassadors and Commissioners of both parts then the wealth of the foresaid nations and their manifold and most vsuall kinds of wares vttered in those dayes as likewise the qualitie burthen and strength of their shipping the number of their Mariners the maner of their combates at sea the number and names of the English townes which traded that way with the particular places as well vpon the coast of Norway as euery where within the sound of Denmark which they frequented together with the inâ—eterate malice and craftie crueltie of the Hanse And because the name office and dignitie of the masters generall or great Masters of Prussia would otherwise haue bene vtterly darke and vnknowen to the greater part of Readers I haue set downe immediatly before the first Prussian ambassage pagina 144 a briefe and orderly Catalogue of them all contayning the first originall and institution of themselues and of their whole knightly order and brotherhood with the increase of reuenues and wealth which befell them afterward in Italy and Germany and the great conquests which they atchieued vpon the infidels of Prussia Samogitia Curland Liefland Lituania c. also their decay and finall ouerthrow partly by the reuolt of diâ—ers Townes and Castles vnder their iurisdiction and partly by the meanes of their next mightie neighbour the King of Poland After all these out of 2. branches of 2. ancient statutes is partly shewed our trade and the successe thereof with diuers forren Nations in the time of K. Henry the sixt Then followeth the true processe of English policie I meane that excellent and pithy treatise de politia conseruatiua maris which I cannot to any thing more fitly compare then to the Emperour of Russia his palace called the golden Castle and described by Richard Chanceller pag. 238. of this volume whereof albeit the outward apparance was but homely and no whit correspondent to the name yet was it within so beautified and adorned with the Emperour his maiesticall presence with the honourable and great assembly of his rich-attired Peers and Senatours with an inualuable and huge masse of gold and siluer plate with other princely magnificence that well might the eyes of the beholders be dazeled and their cogitations astonished thereat For indeed the exteriour habit of this our English politician to wit the harsh and vnaffected stile of his substantiall verses and the olde dialect of his wordeâ— is such as the first may seeme to haue bene whistled of Pans oaten pipe and the second to haue proceeded from the mother of Euander but take you off his vtmost weed and beholde the comelinesse beautie and riches which lie hid within his inward sense and sentence and you shall finde I wisse so much true and sound policy so much delightfull and pertinent history so many liuely descriptions of the shipping and wares in his time of all the nations almost in Christendome and such a subtile discouery of outlandish merchants fraud and of the sophistication of their wares that needes you must acknowledge that more matter and substance could in no wise be comprised in so little a roome And notwithstanding as I said his stile be vnpolished and his phrases somewhat out of vse yet so neere as the written copies would giue me leaue I haue most religiously without alteration obserued the same thinking it farre more conuenient that himselfe should speake then that I should bee his spokesman and that the Readers should enioy his true verses then mine or any other mans fained prose Next after the conclusion of the last mentioned discourse the Reader may in some sort take a vieu of our state of merchandise vnder K. Edward the fourth as likewise of the establishing of an English company in the Netherlands and of all the discreet prouisoes iust ordinations gratious priuileges conteined in the large Charter which was granted for the same purpose Now besides our voyages and trades of late yeeres to the North and Northeast regions of the world and our ancient traffique also to those parts I haue not bene vnmindefull so farre as the histories of England and of other Countreys would giue me direction to place in the fore-front of this booke those forren conquests exploits and trauels of our English nation which haue bene atchieued of old Where in the first place as I am credibly informed out of Galfridus Monumetensis and out of M. Lambert his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I haue published vnto the world the noble actes of Arthur and Malgo two British Kings Then followeth in the Saxons time K. Edwin his conquest of Man and Anglesey and the expedition of Bertus into Ireland Next succeedeth Octher making relation of his doings and describing the North Countreys vnto his soueraigne Lord K. Ecfrid After whom Wolstans Nauigation within the Sound of Denmark is mentioned the voyage of the yong Princes Edmund and Edward into Sweden and Hungarie is recorded as likewise the mariage of Harald his daughter vnto the Russian duke Ieruslaus Neither is that Englishman forgotten who was forced to traueile with the cruel Tartars into their Countrey and from thence to beare them company into Hungary and Poland And because those Northeasterne Regions beyond Volga by reason of the huge deserts the colde climate and the barbarous inciuilitie of the people there inhabiting were neuer yet throughly traueiled by any of our Nation nor sufficiently knowen vnto vs I haue here annexed vnto the said Englishmans traueile the rare memorable iournals of 2. Friers who were some of the first Christians that trauailed farthest that way and brought home most particular intelligence knowledge of all things which they had seene These Friers were sent as Ambassadours vnto the sâ—uage Tartars who had as then wasted and ouerrunne a great part of Asia and had pierced farre into Europe with fire and sword to mitigate their fury and to offer the glad tidings of the Gospel vnto them The former namely Iohannes de Plano â—arpini whose iourney because he road sixe moneths poste directly beyond Boristhenes did I thinke both for length and difficultie farre surpasse that of Alexander the great vnto the riuer of Indus was in the yeere 1246. sent with the authoritie and commission of a Legate from Pope Innocentius the fourth who passed through more garisons of the Tartars and wandered ouer more vast barren and cold deserts
of the said Companie the summe of 23553. markes of debt made by certaine of their factors for the said company for paiment whereof their whole stocke was in danger of arrest by publike authoritie Further also 2140. rubbles for custome and houserent he obtained a rebatement of eighteene thousand one hundred fiftie and three marks of the sayd debt The said Ambassador M. Giles Fletcher as I vnderstand hath drawen a booke intituled Of the Russe Common wealth containing First a Cosmographicall description of the countrey which hath these chapters 1 Of the length and bredth of the countrey of Russia with the names of the shires 2 Of the soile and climate 3 Of the natiue commodities of the countrey Secondly a description of their policie contained in these Chapters viz. 1 Of the constitution or state of the Russe Common wealth 2 Of their Parliaments and maner of holding them 3 Of the Russe Nobilitie and meanes whereby it is kept in an vnder proportion agreeable to that state 4 Of the maner of gouerning their prouinces or shires 5 Of the Emperours priuie counsell 6 Of the Emperors customs their reuenues with the practises for the increase of them 7 Of the Russe communaltie and their condition 8 Of their publike iustice and maner of proceeding therein 9 Of the Emperors forces for his warres with the chiefe officers and their salarie or payâ— 10 Of their maner of mustering armour and prouision for victuall 11 Of their ordering maâ—ching charging and their martiall discipline 12 Of their colonies and policie in maintaining their purchases by conquest 13 Of their borderers with whom they haue most to doe in warre and peace 14 Of their church offices and degrees 15 Of their liturgie or forme of Church seruice 16 Of their maner of administring the Sacraments 17 Of the doctrine of the Russe church 18 Of the maner of solemnizing their mariages 19 Of the other ceremonies of the Russe church Thirdly the Oeconomie or priuate behauiour of the Russe containing these chapters 1 Of the Emperors houshold officers and order of his house 2 Of the priuate behauiour and maner of the Russe people The description of the countrey of Russia with the bredth length and names of the Shires THe countrey of Russia was somtimes called Sarmatia It changed the name as some do suppose for that it was parted into diuers smal and yet absolute gouernments not depending nor being subiect the one to the other For Russe in that tongue doeth signifie as much as to part or deuide The Russe reporteth that foure brethren Trubor Rurico Sinees and Variuus deuided among them the North parts of the country Likewise that the South parts were possessed by 4. other Kio Scieko Choranus and their sister Libeda each calling his territorie after his own name Of this partition it was called Russia about the yere from Christ 860. As for the coniecture which I find in some Cosmographers that the Russe nation borowed the name of the people called Roxellani were the very same nation with them it is without all good probabilitie both in respect of the etymologie of the word which is very far fet and especially for the seat and dwelling of that people which was betwixt the two riuers of Tanais and Boristhenes as Strabo reporteth quite another way from the countrey of Russia When it bare the name of Sarmatia it was deuided into two chiefe parts the White and the Black The white Sarmatia was all that part that lieth towards the North on the side of Liefland as the prouinces now called Dwina Vagha Vstiug Vologda Cargapolia Nouogrodia c whereof Nouogrod velica was the Metropolite or chiefe citie Black Sarmatia was al that countrey that lieth Southward towards the Euxin or Black sea as the dukedome of Volodemer of Mosco Rezan c. Some haue thought that the name of Sarmatia was first taken froÌ„ one Sarmates whom Moses Iosephus cal Asarmathes sonne to Ioktan nephew to Heber of the posteritie of Sem. But this seemeth to be nothing but a coniecture takeÌ„ out of the likenes of the name Asarmathes For the dwelling of all Ioktans posteritie is described by Moses to haue bene betwixt Mescha or Masius an hil of the Ammonites Sephace nere to the riuer Euphrates which maketh it very vnlikely that Asarmathes should plant any colonies so far off in y e North northwest countries It is bounded northward by the Lappes the North Ocean On the Southside by the Tartars called Crimmes Eastward they haue the Nagaian Tartar that possesseth all the countrey on the East side of Volga towards the Caspian sea On the West and Southwest border lieth Lituania Liuonia and Polonia The whole Countrey being nowe reduced vnder the gouernment of one conteineth these chiefe Prouinces or Shires Volodemer which beareth the first place in the Emperours stile because their house came of the Dukes of that Countrey Mosco Nisnouogrod Plesko Smolensko Nouogrod velica or Nouogrod of the low Countrey Rostoue Yaruslaue Bealozera Rezan Duyna Cargapolia Meschora Vagha Vstuga Ghaletsa These are the naturall shires perteyning to Russia but farre greater and larger then the shires of England though not so well peopled The other Countreys or prouinces which the Russe Emperours haue gotten perforce added of late to their other dominion are these which followe Twerra Youghoria Permia Vadska Boulghoria Chernigo Oudoria Obdoria Condora with a great part of Siberia where the people though they be not naturall Russes yet obey the Emperour of Russia and are ruled by the Lawes of his Countrey paying customes and taxes as his owne people doe Besides these he hath vnder him the kingdomes of Cazan and Astracan gotten by conquest not long since As for all his possession in Lituania to the number of 30. great Townes and more with Narue and Dorp in Liuonia they are quite gone being surprised of late yeeres by the Kings of Poland and Sweden These Shires and Prouinces are reduced all into foure Iurisdictions which they call Chetfyrds that is Tetrarchies or Fourth parts The whole Countrey is of great length and breadth From the North to the South if you measure from Cola to Astracan which bendeth somewhat Eastward it reacheth in length about 4260. verst or miles Notwithstanding the Emperour of Russia hath more territorie Northward farre beyond Cola vnto the Riuer of Tromschua that runneth a hundred verst welnigh beyond Pechinga neere to Wardhouse but not intire nor clearely limited by reason of the kings of Sweden and Denmarke that haue diuers Townes there aswell as the Russe plotted together the one with the other euery one of them clayming the whole of those North parts as his owne right The breadth if you go from that part of his territorie that lyeth farthest Westward on the Narue side to the parts of Siberia Eastward where the Emperour hath his garrisons is 4400. verst or thereabouts A verst by their reckoning is a 1000.
like againe But hauing left the natiues all within their owne countrey without abating their number or strength the towne and castle not long after was betraied and surrendred againe to the king of Sweden On the Southeast side they haue got the kingdomes of Cazan and Astracan These were wonne from the Tartar by the late Emperour Iuan Vasiliwich the one about thirtie fiue the other about thirtie and three yeares agoe Northward out of the countrey of Siberia he hath layed vnto his realme a great breadth and length of ground from Wichida to the riuer of Obba about a 1000 miles space so that he is bolde to write himselfe now The great Commander of Siberia The countries likewise of Permia and Pechora are a diuers people and language from the Russe ouercome not long since and that rather by threatning and shaking of the sword then by any actuall force as being a weake and naked people without meanes to resist That which the Russe hath in his present possession he keepeth on this sort In his foure chief border townes of Vobsko Smolensko Astracan and Cazan he hath certaine of his counsel not of greatest nobility but of greatest trust which haue more authoritie within their precincts for the countenancing and strengthening of their gouernment there then the other Dukes that are set to gouerne in other places as was noted before in the maner of ordering their prouinces These he changeth sometime euery yere sometime euery second or third yere but exceedeth not that time except vpon very speciall trust and good liking of the party and his seruice least by enlarging of their time they might grow into some femiliaritie with the enemie as some haue done being so farre out of sight The townes besides are very strongly fenced with trenches castles store of munition and haue garisons within them to the number of two or three thousand a piece They are stored with victual if any siege should come vpon them for the space of two or three yeres before hand The foure castles of Smolensko Vobsko Cazan and Astracan he hath made very strong to beare out any siege so that it is thought that those townes are impregnable As for the countries of Pechora and Permia and that part of Siberia which he hath now vnder him they are kept by as easie meanes as they were first got vz. rather by shewing then by vsing of armes First he hath stored the countrie with as many Russes as there are natiues hath there some few souldiers in garison inough to keepe them vnder SecoÌ„dly his officers Magistrates there are of his own Russe people and he changeth them very often vz. euery yere twise or thrise notwithstanding there be no great feare of any innouation Thirdly he deuideth their into many smal gouernments like a staffe broke in many small pieces so y t they haue no strength being seuered which was but litle neither when they were al in one Fourthly he prouideth that the people of the countrie haue neither armor nor money being taxed pilled so often as he thinketh good without any meanes to shake off that yoke or to relieue themselues In Siberia where he goeth on in pursuing his conquest he hath diuers castles garisons to the number of 6000 souldiers of Russes Polonians sendeth many new supplies thither to plant and to inhabite as he winneth ground At this time besides he hath gotten the kings brother of Siberia allured by certaine of his captaines to leaue his own country by offers of great entertainment and plesanter life with the Russe Emperor then he had in Siberia He was brought in this last yere and is now with the Emperor at Mosco well entertained Of the Tartars and other borderers to the country of Russia with whom they haue most to doe in warre and peace THeir neighbors with whom they haue greatest dealings intercourse both in peace war are first the Tartar Secondly the Polonian whom the Russe calâ—eth Laches noting the first author or founder of the nation who was called Laches or Leches wherunto is added Po which signifieth People and so is made Polaches that is the People or posterity of Laches which the Latins after their maner of writing cal Polonos The third are the Swedens The Polonians Swedâ—ns are better knowen to these parts of Europe then are the Tartars that are farther off from vs as being of Asia and diuided into many tribes different in name and gouernment one from another The greatest and mightiest of them is the Chrim Tartar whom some call the Great Can that lieth South Southeastward from Russia and doth most annoy the country by often inuasions commonly once euery yere sometimes entring very farre within the inland parts In the yere 1571 he came as farre as the citie of Mosco with an armie of 200000 men without any battel or resistance at al for that the Russe Emperor then Iuan Vasiliwich leading forth his armie to encounter with him marched a wrong way The citie he tooke not but fired the suburbs which by reason of the buildings which are all of wood without any stone brick or lime saue certeine out roomes kindled so quickly and went on with such rage as that it consumed the greatest part of the citie almost within the space of foure houres being of 30 miles or more of compasse Then might you haue seene a lamentable spectacle besides the huge mighty flame of the citie all on light fire the people burning in their houses and streetes but most of all of such as laboured to passe out of the gates farthest from the enemie where meeting together in a mighty throng so pressing euery man to preuent another wedged themselues so fast within the gate and streetes neere vnto it as that three rankes walked one vpon the others head the vppermost treading downe those that were lower so that there perished at that time as was said by the fire the presse the number of 800000 people or more The principall cause of this continual quarell betwixt the Russe the Chrim is for the right of certaine border partes claimed by the Tartar but possessed by the Russe The Tartar alleageth that besides Astracan and Cazan that are the ancient possession of the East Tartar the whole countrey from his bounds North and Westward so farre as the citie of Mosko and Mosko it selfe perteineth to his right Which seemeth to haue bene true by the report of the Russes them selues that tell of a certaine homage that was done by the Russe Emperour euery yeere to the great Chrim or Can the Russe Emperour standing on foot and feeding the Chrims horse himselfe sitting on his backe with oates out of his owne cappe in stead of a bowle or manger and that within the castle of Mosko And this homage they say was done till the time of Basileus grandfather to this man Who
in either of the Bishops seats there is a free schoole founded by the liberality and pietie of that most renoumed King of Denmarke Christian the third and afterward the sonne following the godly steppes of his most Christian father the said Free schooles by Lord Friderick the second our most religious King being called vp to his heauenly countrey in the yeare 1588 haue beene encreased and furthered which at this day also doe prosper and flourish by the fauour and authoritie of the most gracious King and our Prince Christian the fourth wherein the youth of our Islande being instructed in the rudiments of liberall artes and sacred diuinitie are trained vp to knowledge and true godlinesse that from hence ministers of Churches may proceede We are come at length in the register of the Bishops of Island downe to this present day wherein the forenamed excellent men Gudbrandus Thorlacius and Otto Enerus the one at Holen and the other at Schalholt are Bishops of our Cathedrall Churches both of which men that it would please God long to preserue vnto his Church in health and life for the glorie of his most holy name we all doe earnestly and with feruent prayers beseech him The second section They inhabite for the most part in caues or hollowe places within the sides of mountaines And againe They haue many houses and Churches built with the bones of fishes and Whales Againe Many of them also to auoide the extremitie of colde doe keepe themselues close in their caues euen as the people of Africa doe to auoyde the heate of the sunne Also Munster sayth Many in Island at this day build their houses with the ribbes and bones of Whales HEre the second member taketh his beginning concerning the course of life and the manners of the inhabitants And first of all what buildings or houses they doe vse namely according to Munster Krantzius Frisius c. Holes and caues of mountaines But although in gorgeous buildings and such other worldly braueries there is very litle helpe to the attayning of a life truely happie notwithstanding wee can not in this place conceale the truth and we plainely affirme that Cosmographers and Historiographers also doe erre in this point For such habitations as they write to be common vnto the whole nation are but in verie fewe places and are either sheepe-cots for shepheards or cottages and receptacles for fishermen at that time of the yeere onely when they goe a fishing and the others stande in neede to watch their flocke But for their houses themselues and the very dwelling places of men the Islanders haue had them built from auncient time stately and sumptuously enough according to the condition of the Countrey with timber stones and turfes vntill such time as traffike and exchange of wares beganne to cease betweene them and the Noruagians who were wont to supply them with timber and for that cause nowe our houses beginne to decay whenas neither we haue woods conuenient for building nor yet there are nowe a dayes as there were in olde time trees cast vpon our shores by the benefite of the sea which may in any sort relieue vs neither doe outlandish Merchants succour our necessities whereupon many of our meanest countrey villages are much decayed from their auncient integritie some whereof be fallen to the ground and others bee very ruinous Notwithstanding there be many farmes and villages which I cannot easily reckon vp the buildings whereof doe resemble that auncient excellencie the houses being very large both in breadth and length and for the most part in height also As for example farmes or granges which conteine chambers in them more then fiftie cubites in length tenne in breadth and twentie in height And so other roomes as a parler a stoue a butterie c. answering in proportion vnto the former I could here name mâ—ny of our countrie buildings both large and wide neither ilfauoured in shewe nor base in regarde of their workemanship and costly firmenesse or strength with certaine Churches also or religious houses built of timber onely aâ—cording to auncient and artificiall seemelinesse and beautie as the Cathedrall Church of Holen hauing a bodie the fiue pillars whereof on both sides be foure elnes high and about fiue elnes thicke as also beames and weather-bourdes and the rest of the roofe proportionally answering to this lower building Our most gracious King Lord Frederick whose memory is most sacred vnto vs in the yere 1588. did most liberally bestow timber for the reedifying of this body being cast downe in the yere 1584. by an horrible tempest But the Church it selfe doth manifestly exceed the body thereof in all quantity also the inner part of the Church which is commonly called the quier is somwhat lesse both then the middle part of the Church and also then the bodie The Church of Schalholt was farre greater as I haue heard in olde time then this our Cathedrall which hauing now beene twise burnt is brought to a lesser scantling Likewise there be some other Churches of our Iland although not matching yet resembling the auncient magnificence of these But here the matter seemeth not to require that I should runne into a long description of these things For as wee doe not greatly extoll our houses and buildings so are we nothing ashamed of them because being content with our pouertie we render vnto Christ immortall prayse who despiseth not to be receiued of vs vnder a base roofe and contemneth not our temples and houses which Munster Krantzius and Frisius doe not truely affirme to be built of fishes and Whales bones more then the marble vaults the painted walles the square pauementes and such like ornamentes of Churches and houses in other countries The third section They and their cattell vse all one house all one foode or victuals all one state here Krantzius hath it lodging Also They liue onely by feeding of cattell and sometimes by taking of fishes THese be the things together with those that followe which Krantzius hath champed and put into Munsters mouth so that Munster shall not neede so much as once to chewe them which may appeare by comparing them both together For Munster as hee swallowed these reproches taking them out of Krantzius his preface vpon Norway so he casteth vp the verie same morsels vndigested and rawe against our nation in his fourth booke of Cosmographie cap. 8. Those things which haue beene hitherto although they haue sufficiently grieued vs yet will we let them seeme more tollerable but this most malitious deuise and those which follow we cannot easily brooke It is our part therefore in this place also to auouch the trueth and to turne the leasing vpon the authors owne head House c. First that which they say concerning the same common house as also liuing and state with our cattell we plainely affirme to be false and erronious not onely the truth it selfe being our witnesse if any man would make triall but
it be some fewe relations Moreouer as touching Gronland we holde this from the opinion of our auncestours that from the extreeme part of Norway which is called Biarmlandia and from whence the saide Gronland is not farre distant it fetcheth about the Northren coast of Island with an huge circuit in maner of an halfe Moone Our Chronicles likewise doe testifie that our owne countreymen in times past resorted thither for traffique and also that the very same countrey of Gronland had certaine Bishops in the dayes of Poperie More then this we cannot auouch But now it is reported that your Englishmen whom I may almost call the lordes of the Ocean sea make yeerely voyages vnto Gronland concerning which matter if you please to giue me further aduertisement you shall doe me an especial fauour Moreouer whatsoeuer newes you heare concerning the affaires of England or of other Countreys thereabout I pray you make vs acquainted therewith Thus reuerend six wishing you long life for the seruice of God for the increase of learning and the benefit of the people committed to your charge I bid you farewel From Island vpon the feast of the visitation of the blessed Uirgine Mary Anno Dom. 1595. Yours Gudbrandus Thorlacius Bishop of Hola in Island The miraculous victory atchieued by the English Fleete vnder the discreet and happy conduct of the right honourable right prudent and valiant lord the L. Charles Howard L. high Admirall of England c. Vpon the Spanish huge Armada sent in the yeere 1588. for the inuasion of England together with the wofull and miserable successe of the said Armada afterward vpon the coasts of Norway of the Scottish Westerne Isles of Ireland of Spaine of France and of England c. Recorded in Latine by Emanuel van Meteran in the 15. booke of his history of the low Countreys HAuing in part declared the strange and wonderfull euents of the yeere eightie eight which hath bene so long time foretold by ancient prophesies we will now make relation of the most notable and great enterprise of all others which were in the foresaid yeere atchieued in order as it was done Which exploit although in very deed it was not performed in any part of the low Countreys was intended for their ruine and destruction And it was the expedition which the Spanish king hauing a long time determined the same in his minde and hauing consulted thereabout with the Pope set foorth and vndertooke against England and the low Countreys To the end that he might subdue the Realme of England and reduce it vnto his catholique Religion and by that meanes might be sufficiently reuenged for the disgrace contempt and dishonour which hee hauing 34. yeeres before enforced them to the Popes obedience had endured of the English nation and for diuers other iniuries which had taken deepe impression in his thoughts And also for that hee deemed this to bee the most readie and direct course whereby hee might recouer his heredetarie possession of the lowe Countreys hauing restrained the inhabitants from sayling vpon the coast of England Which verily vpon most weighty arguments and euident reasons was thought would vndoubtly haue come to passe considering the great aboundance and store of all things necessary wherewith those men were furnished which had the managing of that action committed vnto them But now let vs describe the matter more particularly The Spanish King hauing with small fruite and commoditie for aboue twentie yeeres together waged warre against the Netherlanders after deliberation with his counsellers thereabout thought it most conuenient to assault them once againe by Sea which had bene attempted sundry times heretofore but not with forces sufficient Unto the which expedition it stoode him nowe in hand to ioyne great puissance as hauing the English people his professed enemies whose Island is so situate that it may either greatly helpe or hinder all such as saile into those parts For which cause hee thought good first of all to inuade England being perswaded by his Secretary Escouedo and by diuers other well experienced Spaniards and Dutchmen and by many English fugitiues that the conquest of that Iland was lesse difficult then the conquest of Holland and Zeland Moreouer the Spaniards were of opinion that it would bee farre more behoueful for their King to conquere England and the lowe Countreys all at once then to be constrained continually to maintaine a warlike Nauie to defend his East and West Indie Fleetes from the English Drake and from such like valiant enemies And for the same purpose the king Catholique had giuen commandement long before in Italy and Spaine that a great quantitie of timber should be felled for the building of shippes and had besides made great preparation of things and furniture requisite for such an expedition as namely in founding of brasen Ordinance in storing vp of corne and victuals in trayning of men to vse warlike weapons in leauying and mustering of souldiers insomuch that about the beginning of the yeere 1588. he had finished such a mightie Nauie and brought it into Lisbon hauen as neuer the like had before that time sailed vpon the Ocean sea A very large and particular description of this Nauie was put in print and published by the Spaniards wherein were set downe the number names and burthens of the shippes the number of Mariners and souldiers throughout the whole Fleete likewise the quantitie of their Ordinance of their armour of bullets of match of gun-poulder of victuals and of all their Nauall furniture was in the saide description particularized Unto all these were added the names of the Gouernours Captaines Noblemen and gentlemen voluntaries of whom there was so great a multitude that searce was there any family of accompt or any one principall man throughout all Spaine that had not a brother sonne or kinseman in that Fleete who all of them were in good hope to purchase vnto themselues in that Nauie as they termed it inuincible endlesse glory and renowne and to possesse themselues of great Seigniories and riches in England and in the lowe Countreys But because the said description was translated and published out of Spanish into diuers other languages we will here onely make an abridgemeut or briefe rehearsall thereof Portugal furnished and set foorth vnder the conduct of the duke of Medina Sidonia generall of the Fleete ten Galeons two Zabraes 1300. Mariners 3300. souldiers 300. great pieces with all requisite furniture Biscay vnder the conduct of Iohn Martines de Ricalde Admiral of the whole Fleete set forth tenne Galeons 4. Pataches 700. mariners 2000. souldiers 250. great pieces c. Guipusco vnder the conduct of Michael de Oquendo tenne Galeons 4. Pataches 700. mariners 2000. souldiers 310. great pieces Italy with the Leuant Islands vnder Martine de Vertendona 10. Galeons 800. mariners 2000. souldiers 310. great pieces c. Castile vnder Diego Flores de Valdez 14. Galeons two Pataches 1700. mariners 2400. souldiers and 380. great pieces
was buried by his brother after Christian maner Chap. 6. AFter the lamentable burials of these so famous Princes the King taking occasion of the death of these principall men of his armic agreed making none priuie thereto to receiue the money which was offered him for his differring off the siege of the citie of Sagiâ—ta yet dissembling to make peace with the Saracens but that he ment to go through with the worke that he had begunne Whereupon sending a message vnto Iaphet hee aduised the English souldiers to come downe to Acres with their fleete and to conferre and consult with him touching the besieging and assaulting of the citie of Sagitta which rising immediatly vpon the kings commaundement and foorthwith hoysing vp the sayles of their shippes aloft with pendants and stremers of purple and diuerse other glorious colours with their flagges of scarlet colour and silke came thither and casting their ancres rode hard by the citie The king the next day calling vnto him such as were priuie acquainted with his dealings opened his griefe vnto the chiefe Captaines of the English men and Danes touching the slaughter of Hugh and the death of his brother and what great confidence he reposed in them concerning these warres and that nowe therefore they being departed and dead he must of necessity differre the besieging of Sagitta for this time dismisse the armie assembled This resolution of the king being spred among the people the armie was dissolued and the Englishmen Danes and Flemings with sailes and oares going aboard their fleete saluted the king and returned home vnto their natiue countries The trauailes of one Athelard an Englishman recorded by master Bale Centur. 2. AThelardus Bathoniensis Coenobij monachus naturalium rerum mysteria causas omnes diligentâ—â—â tam vndecun que exquisitá perserutatus est vt cum aliquibus veteris seculi philoâ—ophis non indignè conferâ—i possit Hic olim spectatae indolis Adolescens vt virente adhuc aetate iuuenile ingenium foecundaret atque adres magnas pararet relicta dulci patria longin quas petijt regiones Cum verò AEgyptum Arabiam peragrans plura inuenisset quae eius desiderabat animus cum magno laborum ac literarum lucro in Angliam tum demùm reuertebatur Claruit anno virginei partus 1130. Henrico primo regnante The same in English AThelard a Monke of the Abbie of Bathe was so diligent a searcher of the secrets and causes of naturall things that he deserueth worthely to be compared with some of the auncient Philosophers This man although young yet being of a good wit and being desirous to increase and enrich the same with the best things and to prepare himselfe as it were for greater matters left his Countrey for a time and trauailed into forreine Regions He went through Egypt and Arabia and found out many things which he desired to his owne priuate contentment and the profite of good letters generally and so being satisfied returned againe into his Countrey he flourished in the yeere 1130. Henry the first being then king of England ¶ The life and trauailes of one VVilliam of Tyre an Englishman Centur. 13. GVlielmus Ecclesiae Dominici sepulchri Hierosolymae Regularium Canonicorum prior natione Anglicus vir vita moribus coÌ„mendabilis Anno Dom. 1128. postquam Tyrorum Ciuitas fidei Christianae restituta est a Guimundo Hierosolymorum patriarcha eidem vrbi primus Archiepiscopus praeficiebatur Est autem Tyrus ciuitas antiquissima Phoeniciae vniuersae Metropolis quae inter Syriae prouincias bonorum omnium penè commoditate incolarum frequentia primum semper obtinuit locum post conscripta quaedam opuscula Epistolas ad Domâ—num migrauit Anâ— Christi 1130. quum duobus tantum sedisset annis in Tyrensi Ecclesia sepelitur The same in English VVIlliam the Prior of the Canons Regular in the Church of Ierusalem called the Lords Sepulchre was an Englishman borne and of a vertuous and good behauiour After that the Citie of Tyre was restored againe to the Christian faith Guimunde the Patriarke of Ierusalem made him the first Archbishop of Tyre in the yeere 1128. Which Tyre is a very ancient Citie the Metropolis of all Phoenicia and hath bene accompted the chiefest Prouince of Syria both for fruitful commodities and multitude of inhabitants This William hauing in his life written many Bookes and Epistles died at last in the yeere 1130. hauing bene Archbishop the space of two yeeres and was buried in the Church of Tyre The trauailes of Robertus Ketenensis RObertus Ketenensis natione cognomine Anglus degusâ—atis primum per Anglorum gymnasia humanarum artium elementis literarijs vltramarinas statim visitare prouincias in animo constituit Peragratis ergò Gallijs Italia Dalmatia Graecia tum demum peruenit in Asiam vbi non paruo labore ac vitae suae periculo inter Saracenos truculentissimum hominum genus Arabicam linguam ad amussim didicit In Hispaniam postea nauigio traductus circa fluuium Hibetum Astrologicae artis studio cum Hermanno quodam Dalmata magni sui itineris comite se totum dedit Claruit anno seruatoris nostri 1143 Stephano regnante Pampilonaâ— sepelitur The same in English THis Robert Ketenensis was called an Englishman by surname as he was by birth who after some time spent in the foundations of humanitie and in the elements of good Artes in the Uniuersities of England determined to trauaile to the partes beyond sea and so trauailed through France Italie Dalmatia and Greece and came at last into Asia where he liued in great danger of his life among the cruell Saracens but yet learned perfectly the Arabian tongue Afterwardes he returned by sea into Spaine and there about the riuer Iberus gaue him selfe wholy to the studie of Astrologie with one Hermannus a Dalmatian who had accompanied him in his long voyage He flourished in the yeere 1143. Steuen being then King of England and was buried at Pampilona A voyage of certaine English men vnder the conduct of Lewes king of France vnto the Holy land TAntae expeditionis explicito apparatu vterque princeps iter arripuit exercitu separtito Imperator enim Conradus praecedebat itinere aliquot dierum cum Italorum Germanorum aliarúmque gentium amplissimis copijs Rex vero Lodouicus sequebatur Francorum Flandrensium Normannorum Britonum Anglorum Burgundionum Prouincialium Aquitanorum equestri simul pedestri agmine comitatus Gulielmus Neobrigensis fol. 371. The same in English BOth the princes prouision being made for so great an expedition they seuering their armies entered on their iourney For the Emperour Conradus went before certaine dayes iourney with very great power of Italians Germans and other countreys And king Lewes followed after accompanied with a band of horsemen and footmen of French men Flemmings Normans Britons English men Burgundions men of Prouence and Gascoins The voyage of Iohn Lacy to Ierusalem ANno
Towne called Taslizea The 20. we came to Nouibazar The 21. we parted froÌ„ thence trauailing stil in a countrey very ill inhabited lying in y e fields The 22. we passed within sight of Nicea The 23. we passed in sight of another towne called Circui and about those places wee began to leaue the mountaines and to enter into a very faire and fertile countrey but as euill inhabited as the other or worse The 27. we came to Sophia where wee stayed three daâ—es being our Ianizaries home and by good chance we lay in a Marchants house of Ragusa that came in company with vs from Nouibazar and also wee had in company euer since wee came from Focea a Turke which was a very good fellow and he kept company with vs till we came very neere Constantinople The first of September we came to Philippopoli which seemeth to be an ancient towne and standeth vpon the riuer of Stanuch The 4. we came to Andrinopoli a very great and ancient towne which standeth in a very large and champion countrey and there the great Turks mother doth lye being a place where the Emperous of the Turkes were wont to lye very much The 5. we lay in one of the great Cauarzaras that were built by Mahomet Bassha with so many goodly commodities The 6. we lay in another of them The 8. we came to Siliueri which by report was the last towne that remained Christian. The 9. of September wee arriued at the great and most stately Citie of Constantinople which for the situation and proude â—eate thereof for the beautifull and commodious hauen and for the great and sumptuous buildings of their Temples which they call Moschea is to be preferred before all the Cities of Europe And there the Emperour of the Turkes then liuing whose name was Amurat kept his Court and residence in a marueilous goodly place with diuers gardens and houses of pleasure which is at the least two English miles in compasse and the three parts thereof ioyne vpon the sea and on the Northeast part of the Citie on the other side of the water ouer against the Citie is the Towne of Pera where the most part of the Christians dolye And there also wee did lye And on the North part of the â—aide Towne is the Arsenal where the Galies are built and doe râ—maine And on the Southside is all the Ordinance artilerie and houses of munition Note that by the way as wee came from Ragusa to Constantinople wee left on our right hand the Countreys of Albania and Macedonia and on the left hande the countreys of Bosnia Bulgaria and the riuer of Danubius The 14. of September was the Turkes Beyram that is one of their chiefest feastes The 15. we went to the blacke Sea called Pontus Euxinus and there vpon a rocke we sawe a piller of white Marble that was set vp by Pompeius and from thence wee passed to the other side of the water vpon the shore of Asia and there we dined The 25. we departed from Constantinople The 29. we came to an ancient Towne called Cherchisea that is to say fourtie Churches which in the olde time was a very great City now full of scattered buildings The 4. of October wee came to Prouaz one dayes iourney distant from Varna vpon the Blacke Sea The 9. we came to Saxi vpon the riuer of Danubius The 10. we passed the said riuer which in that place is about a mile ouer and then we entred into the countrey of Bogdania they are Christians but subiects to the Turke The 12. we came to Palsin vpon the riuer Prut The 14. wee came to Yas the principall Towne of Bogdania where Peter the Vayuoda prince of that Countrey keepeth his residence of whom wee receiued great courtesie and of the gentlemen of his Court And he caused vs to be safe conducted through his said Countrey and conueyed without coste The 17. we came to Stepanitze The 19. we came to Zotschen which is the last towne of Bogdania vpon the riuer of Niester that parteth the said countrey from Podolia The 20. we passed the riuer of Nyester and came to Camyenetz in the countrey of Podoliâ— subiect to the king of Poland this is one of the strongest Townes by nature and situation that can be seene The 21. we came to Skala The 22. to Slothone or Sloczow The 24. to Leopolis which is in Russia alba and so is the most part of the countrey betwixt Camyenetz and it And it is a towne very well built well gouerned full of trafique and plentifull and there we stayed fiue dayes The 30. we baited at Grodecz and that night at Vilna The 31. we dined at Mostiska and that night at Rodmena The first of Nouember in the morning before day wee passed without the Towne of Iaroslaw where they say is one of the greatest faires in all Poland and chiefly of horses and that night to Rosdnoska The second to dinner at Lanczut at night to Retsboâ— The thirde to Sendxizow at night to sarnow and that night wee mette with the Palatine Laski The fourth to Vonuez and that night to Brytska The fifth to Kuhena The 6. to Cracouia the principall Citie of all Poland at which time the King was gone to Lituania for he doeth make his residence one yeere in Poland and the other in Lituania Cracouia standeth on the riuer of Vistula The 9. wee departed from Cracouia and that night wee came to a village hard by a Towne called Ilkusch where the leade Mines are The 10. wee passed by a Towne called Slawkow where there are also leade Mines and baited that day at Bendzin which is the last towne of Poland towards Silesia and there is a toll Note that all the Countreys of Poland Russia alba Podolia Bogdania and diuers other Countreys adioyning vnto them doe consume no other salt but such as is digged in Sorstyn mountaine neere to Cracouia which is as hard as any stone it is very good and goeth further then any other salt That night we lay at Bitom which is the first Towne of Silesia The 12. we passed by a great towne called Strelitz and that night we lay at Oppelen vpon the riuer of Odera The 13. we passed by Schurgasse and that night wee lay without the towne of Brigk for wee coulde not bee suffered to come in by reason of the plague which was in those partes in diuers Townes The 14. wee passed by Olaw and that night wee came to the Citie of Breslaw which is a faire towne great well built and well seated vpon the riuer of Odera The 16. we baited at Neumargâ— The 17. wee passed by Lignizt and by Hayn and that night to Buntzel The 18. wee passed by Naumburg through Gorlitz vpon the riuer of Neiss and that night lay without
destroyed whereof I neede not make any other mention The new Cairo answereth euery yeere in tribute to the grand Signior 600000 ducates of golde neat and free of all charges growing on the same which money is sent to Constantinople about the fine of September by the way of Aleppo alwayes by lande vnder the custodie of three hundred horsemen and two hundred Ianizaries footmen The citie of Cairo is adorned with many faire Mesquitas rich great anâ— of goodly and gorgeous building among which are fiue principall The first is called Morastanâ— that is to say The hospitall which hath of rent fiue hundred ducats of golde euery day left vnto it by a king of Damasco from auncient times which king hauing conquered Cairo for the space oâ— fiue dayes continually put the people thereof to the sword and in the end repenting him of so great manslaughter caused this cruelty to cease and to obtaine remission for his sinne commiâ—ted caused this hospitall to be built enriching it as is aboue said The second famous monument of Cairo is called Neffisaâ— of one Neffisa buried there who was a Dame of honour and mooued by lust yeelded her body voluntarily without rewarde to any that required the same and sayde she bestowed this almes for the loue of her Prophet Mahomet and therefore at this day they adore her reuerence her and finally haue canonized her for a Saint affirming that shee did many miracles The third is called Zauia della Innachari who was one of the foure Doctors in the law The fourth is called Imamsciafij where is buried Sciafij the second Doctor of this law Of the other two Doctors one is buried in Damasco the other in Aleppo The fift last famous monument is Giamalazar that is the house of Lazarus and this is the generall Uniuersity of the whole kingome of Egypt In this place Anno 1566 in the moneth of Ianuary by misfortune of fue were burned nine thousand bookes of great value as well for that they were written by hand as also wrought so richly with golde that they were worth 300 and 400 ducats a piece one with another And because it could neuer be knowen yet how this fire beganne they haue and doe holde the same for a most sinister augurie and an euident and mâ—nifest signe of their vtter ruine The houses of Cairo without are vâ—ry faire within the greater number richly adorned with hangings wrought with golde Euery person which resorteth to this place for traffiques sake is bound to pay halfe a duckat except the gentlâ—men Venetians Siotes and Rhaguseans because they are tributarie to the Grand Signior Cairo is distant from the riuer Nilus a mile and more being situate on a plaine saue that on the one side it hath a faire little hill on the toppe whereof stands a faire castle but not strong for that it may be battered on euery side but very rich large compassed about with faire gardens into the which they conueigh water for their necessitie out of Nilus with certaine wheeles other like engines This magnificent citie is adorned with very fruitfull gardens both pleasant and commodious with great plenty of pondes to water the same Notwithstanding the great pleasures of Cairo are in the moneth of August when by meanes of the great raine in Ethiopia the riuer Nilus ouerfloweth and watereth all the countrey and then they open the mouth of a great ditch which extendeth into the riuer and passeth through the midst of the citie and entring there are innumerable barkes rowing too and fro laden with gallant girles and beautifull dames which with singing eating drinking and feasting take their solace The women of this countrey are most beautifull and goe in rich attire bedecked with gold pretious stones and iewels of great value but chiefely perfumed with odours and are very libidinous and the men likewise but foule and hard fauoured The soile is very fertile and abundant the flesh fat which they sell without bones their candles they make of the marowe of cattell because the Moores eate the tallow They vse also certaine litle furnaces made of purpose vnder the which they make fire putting into the furnace foure or fiue hundred â—gges and the said fire they nourish by litle and litle vntill the chickens be hatched which after they be hatched and become somewhat bigger they sell them by measure in such sort as we sell and measure nuts and chestnuts and such like Of certaine notable monuments without the citie of Cairo WIthout the Citie sixe miles higher into the land are to be seene neere vnto the riuer diuerse Piramides among which are three marueilous great and very artificially wrought Out of one of these are dayly digged the bodies of auncient men not rotten but all whole the cause whereof is the qualitie of the Egyptian soile which will not consume the flesh of man but rather dry and harden the same and so alwayes conserueth it And these dead bodies are the Mummie which the Phisitians and Apothecaries doe against our willes make vs to swallow Also by digging in these Pyramides oftentimes are found certaine Idoles or Images of golde siluer and other mettall but vnder the other piramides the bodies are not taken vp so whole as in this but there are found legges and armes comparable to the limmes of giants Neare to these piramides appeareth out of the sand a great head of stone somewhat like marble which is discouered so farre as the necke ioyneth with the shoulders being all whole sauing that it wanteth a little tippe of the nose The necke of this head contayneth in circuit about sixe and thirty foot so that it may be according to the necke considered what greatnesse the head is of The riuer Nilus is a mile broad wherein are very many great Croccodiles from Cairo vpward but lower then Cairo passeth no such creature and this they say is by reason of an inchantment made long since which hindereth their passage for comming any lower then Cairo Moreouer of these creatures there are sometimes found some of an incredible bignesse that is to say of fourtie foot about The males haue their members like to a man and the females like to a woman These monsters oftentimes issue out of the water to feede and finding any small beasts as sheepe lambes goates or other like doe great harme And whiles they are foorth of the water if they happen at vnwares vpon any man woman or childe whom they can â—uercome they spare not their liues In the yeere of our Lorde one thousand fiue hundred and sixtie it happened that certaine poore Christians trauelling by Cairo towardes the countrey of Prete Ianni to rescue certaine slaues were guided by a Chaus and iourneyed alongst the banke of the said riuer The Chaus remained lingering alone behinde to make his prayers as their custome is at a place called Tana whom being busie in his double deuotion one of these Crocodiles ceazed by the shoulders and drew
coppy of your will and Testament which you must alwayes cary about you and chiefly when you go into the Indies In the countrey of the Moores and Gentiles in those voyages alwayes there goeth a Captaine to administer Iustice to all Christians of the Portugales Also this captaine hath authoritie to recouer the goods of those Marchants that by chance die in those voyages and they that haue not made their Wills and registred them in the aforesaide schooles the Captaines wil consume their goods in such wise that litle or nothing will be left for their heires and friends Also there goeth in these same voyages some marchants that are commissaries of the schoole of Sancta misericordia that if any Marchant die and haue his Wil made and hath giuen order that the schoole of Misericordia shall haue his goods and sell them then they sende the money by exchange to the schoole of Misericordia in Lisbone with that copie of his Testament then from Lisbon they giue intelligence thereof into what part of Christendome soeuer it be and the heires of such a one comming thither with testimoniall that they be heires they shall receiue there the value of his goods in such wise that they shall not loose any thing But they that die in the kingdome of Pegu loose the thirde part of their goods by ancient custome of the Countrey that if any Christian dieth in the kingdome of Pegu the king and his officers rest heires of a thirde of his goods and there hath neuer bene any deceit or fraude vsed in this matter I haue knowen many rich men that haue dwelled in Pegu and in their age they haue desired to go into their owne Countrey to die there and haue departed with al their goods and substance without let or trouble In Pegu the fashion of their apparel is all one as well the Noble man as the simple the onely difference is in the finenes of the cloth which is cloth of Bombast one finer then another and they weare their apparell in this wise First a white Bombast cloth which serueth for a shirt then they gird another painted bombast cloth of foureteene brases which they binde vp betwixt their legges and on their heads they weare a small tock of three braces made in guize of a myter and some goe without tocks and cary as it were a hiue on their heades which doeth not passe the lower part of his eare when it is lifted vp they goe all bare footed but the Noble men neuer goe on foote but are caried by men in a seate with great reputation with a hat made of the leaues of a tree to keepe him from the raine and Sunne or otherwise they ride on horsebacke with their feete bare in the stirops All sorts of women whatsoeuer they be weare a smocke downe to the girdle and from the girdle downewards to the foote they weare a cloth of three brases open before so straite that they cannot goe but they must shewe their secret as it were aloft and in their going they faine to hide it with their hand but they caÌ„not by reason of the straitnes of their cloth They say that this vse was inuented by a Queene to be an occasion that the sight thereof might remoue from men the vices against nature which they are greatly giuen vnto which sight should cause them to regard women the more Also the women goe bare footed their armes laden with hoopes of golde and Iewels And their fingers full of precious rings with their haire rolled vp about their heads Many of them weare a cloth about their shoulders in stead of a cloacke Now to finish that which I haue begunne to write I say that those parts of the Indies are very good because that a man that hath litle shall make a great deale thereof alwayes they must gouerne themselues that they be taken for honest men For why to such there shal neuer want helpe to doe wel but he that is vicious let him tary at home and not go thither because he shall alwayes be a begger and die a poore man Letters concerning the voyage of M. Iohn Newbery and M. Ralph Fitch made by the way of the Leuant Sea to Syria and ouerland to Balsara and thenâ—e into the East Indies and beyond In the yeere 1583. ¶ A letter written from the Queenes Maiestie to Zelabdim Echebar King of Cambaia and sent by Iohn Newbery In February Anno 1583. ELizabeth by the grace of God c. To the most inuincible and most mightie prince lord Zelabdim Echebar king of Cambaya Inuincible Emperor c. The great affection which our Subiects haue to visit the most distant places of the world not without good will and intention to introduce the trade of marchandize of al nations whatsoeuer they can by which meanes the mutual and friendly trafique of marchandize on both sides may come is the cause that the bearer of this letter Iohn Newbery ioyntly with those that be in his company with a curteous and honest boldnesse doe repaire to the borders and countreys of your Empire we doubt not but that your imperial Maiestie through your royal grace will fauourably and friendly accept him And that you would doe it the rather for our sake to make vs greatly beholding to your Maiestie wee should more earnestly and with more wordes require it if wee did think it needful But by the singular report that is of your imperial Maiesties humanitie in these vttermost parts of the world we are greatly eased of that burden and therefore we vse the fewer and lesse words onely we request that because they are our subiects they may be honestly intreated and receiued And that in respect of the hard iourney which they haue vndertaken to places so far distant it would please your Maiestie with some libertie and securitie of voiage to gratifie it with such priuileges as to you shall seeme good which curtesie if your Imperiall maiestie shaâ— to our subiects at our requests performe wee according to our royall honour wil recompence the same with as many deserts as we can And herewith we bid your Imperial Maiestie to farewel A letter written by her Maiestie to the King of China In Februarie 1583. ELizabeth by the grace of God Queene of England c. Most Imperial and inuincible prince our honest subiect Iohn Newbery the bringer hereof who with our fauour hath taken in hand the voyage which nowe hee pursueth to the parts and countreys of your Empire not trusting vpon any other ground then vpon the fauour of your Imperiall clemencie and humanitie is mooued to vndertake a thing of so much difficultie being perswaded that hee hauing entred into so many perils your Maiestie will not dislike the same especially if it may appeare that it be not damageable vnto your royall Maiestie and that to your people it will bring some profite of both which things he not doubting with more willing minde hath prepared himselfe
and onely libertie vse and priuiledge of trading and traffiking and vsing feate of marchandise by and through the Leuant seas otherwise called the Mediterran seas into and from the sayd dominions of the Grand Signor and dominions of the state of Venice and by and through the sayd Grand Signiors dominions to and from such other places in the East Indies discouered as aforesayd And that they the sayd Gouernour and companie of marchants of the Leuant and euery particular and seuerall person of that companie their and euery one of their seruants factors and deputies shall haue full and free authoritie libertie facultie licence and power to trade and trafficke by and through the sayd Leuant seas into and from all and euery the sayd dominions of the sayde Grand Signor and the dominions of the state of Venice and the sayde Indies and into and from all places where by occasion of the sayd trade they shall happen to arriue or come whither they be Christians Turkes Gentiles or others And by and through the sayd Leuant seas into and from all other seas riuers portes regions territories dominions coastes and places with their ships barkes pinases and other vessels and with such mariners and men as they will leade or haue with them or sende for the sayde trade as they shall thinke good at their owne proper costes and expenses And for that the shippes sayling into the sayde Countreyes must take their due and proper times to proceede in these voyages which otherwise as wee well perceiue can not be performed in the rest of the yeere following Therefore we of our speciall grace certaine knowledge and meere motion for vs our heyres and successors doe graunt to and with the sayd Gouernour and companie of Marchantes of the Leuant that foure good shippes well furnished with ordinance and other munition for their defence and two hundred marriners English men to guide and sayle in the same foure shippes at all times during the sayde twelue yeeres shall quietly bee permitted and suffered to depart and goe in the sayde voyages according to the purport of these presents without any stay or contradiction by vs our heyres and successors or by the Lorde high Admirall or any other officer or subiect of vs our heires or successours in any wise Any restraint lawe statuâ—e vsage or matter whatsoeuer to the contrarie notwithstanding Prouided neuerthelesse that if wee shall at any time within the sayde twelue yeeres haue iust cause to arme our Nauie in warrelike manner in defence of our Realme or for offence of our enemies and that it shall be founde needefull and conuenient for vs to ioyne to our Nauie the shippes of our subiects to be also armed for warres to such number as cannot bee supplied if the sayd foure shippes should be permitted to depart as aboue is mentioned then vpon knowledge giuen by vs or our Admirall to the sayde Gouernour or companie about the fifteenth day of the moneth of March or three monethes before the saide companie shall beginne to make readie the same foure shippes that we may not spare the sayd foure ships and the marriners requisite for them to be out of our Realme during the time that our Nauie shall be vpon the seas that then the sayde compâ—nie shall forbeare to send such foure shippes for their trade of marchandise vntill that we shall retake our sayd Nauie from the sayd seruice And further our will and pleasure is and wee doe by these presentes graunt that it shall be lawfull to and for the sayd Gouernour and companie of Marchantes of the Leuant to haue and vse in and about the affaires of the sayde companie a common seale for matters concerning the sayde companie and trade And that also it shall be lawfull for the Marchants Mariners and Sea-men which shall be vsed and imployed in the sayde trade and voyage to set and place in the toppes of their ships or other vessels the Armes of England with the redde-crosse in white ouer the same as heretofore they haue vsed And we of our further Royall fauour and of our especiall grace certaine knowledge and meere motion haue graunted and by these presents for vs our heyres and successors doe graunt to the sayd Gouernour and companie of Marchants of the Leuant that the sayde landes territories and dominions of the sayde Grand Signor or the dominions of the Signiorie of Venice or any of them within the sayde Leuant or Mediterran seas shall not be visited frequented or haunted by the sayde Leuant sea by way of marchandize by any other our subiects during the saide terme of twelue yeeres contrarie to the true meaning of these presentes And by vertue of our prerogatiue Royall which wee will not in that behalfe haue argued or brought in question wee straightly charge commaunde and prohibite for vs our heyres and successours all our subiects of what degree or qualitie soeuer they bee that none of them directly or indirectly doe visite haunt frequent trade trafike or aduenture by way of marchandise into or from any of the sayd dominions of the sayd Grand Signor or the dominions of the saide Segniorie of Venice by or through the sayde Leuant sea other then the sayd Gouernour and companie of marchants of the Leuant and such particular persons as be or shall be of that companie their factors agents seruants and assignes And further for that wee plainely vnderstande that the States and Gouernours of the citie and Segniorie of Venice haue of late time set and raysed a newe impost and charge ouer and besides their auncient impost custome and charge of and vpou all manner of marchandize of our Realme brought into their dominions and also of and vpon all marchandise caried or laden from their sayd Countrey or dominions by our subiects or in the ships or bottoms of any of our subiectes to the great and intollerable charge and hinderance of our sayd subiects trading thither wee therefore minding the redresse thereof doe also by these presents for vs our heires and successors further straightly prohibite and forbid not onely the subiects of the sayde State and Segniorie of Venice but also of all other Nations or Countries whatsoeuer other then the sayd Gouernour and companie of marchants of the Leuant and such onely as be or shall be of that companie their factors agents seruantes and assignes That they or any of them during the sayde terme of twelue yeeres shall bring or cause to be brought into this our Realme of Englande or any part thereof anie manner of small fruites called corrants being the raysins of Corinth or wine of Candie vnlesse it be by and with the licence consent and agreement of the sayde Gouernour and companie in writing vnder their sayd common seale first had and obteyned vpon paine vnto euery such person and persons that shall trade and traffike into any the sayde dominions of the State and Segniorie of Venice by sea or that shall bring or cause to be brought into our saide
by the name of Fuâ— other inferior cities called Cheu and of a third kind also named Hien which be indeed walled townes but are not priuileged with the dignities and prerogatiues of cities To these may be added two other kindes of lesser townes which are partly villages and partly garrisons of souldiers Of the first and principall kind is that most noble citie standing neere vnto the port of Macao called by the Chinians Coanchefu but by the Portugals commonly termed Cantam which is rather the common name of the prouince theÌ„ a word of their proper imposition Unto the third kind appertaineth a towne which is yet nigher vnto the port of Macao called by the Portugals Ansam but by the Chinians Hiansanhien Aâ— the foresayd prouinces therefore haue their greater cities named Fu their lesser cities called Cheu vnto both of which the other townes may be added Moreouer in euery prouince there is a certain principal city which is called the Metropolitane thereof wherein the chief magistrates haue their place of residence as the principal citie by me last mentioned which is the head of the whole prouince called Coantum The number of the greater cities throughout the whole kingdom is more then 150â— and there is the same or rather a greater multitude of inferiour cities Of walled townes not endued with the priuileges of cities there are mo then 1120 the villages garrisons can scarce be numbred ouer besides the which conuents it is incredible what a number of couÌ„trie farmes or granges there be for it is not easie to find any place desert or void of inhabitants in all that land Now in the sea in riuers in barks there are such abundance of people and of whole families inhabiting that euen the Europaeans themselues doe greatly wonder thereat insomuch that some albeit beyond measure haue bene perswaded that there are as many people dwelling vpon the water as vpon the land Neither were they induced so to thinke altogether without probabilitie for whereas the kingdom of China is in all parts thereof interfused with commodious riuers in many places consisteth of waters barges boats being euery-where very common it might easily bee supposed that the number of water-men was equal vnto the land-inhabitants Howbeit that is to be vnderstood by amplification whereas the cities do swarme so ful with citizens the countrie with peasants Leo. The abundance of people which you tell vs of seemeth very strange whereupon I coniecture the soile to be fertile the aire to be holesome and the whole kingdom to be at peace Michael You haue friend Leo ful iâ—dicially coniectured those three for they do all so excel y t which of the three in this kingdom be more excellent it is not easie to discerne And hence it is that this common opinion hath bene rife among the Portugals namely that the kingdom of China was neuer visâ—â—ed with those three most heauy sharpe scourges of mankind warre famine pestilence But that opinion is more common then true sithens there haue bene most terrible intestine and ciuile warres as in many and most autenticall histories it is recorded sithens also that some prouinces of the sayd kingdom euen in these our dayes haue bene afflicted with pestilence and contagious diseases and with famine Howbeit that the foresaid three benefits do mightily flourish and abound in China it cannot be denied For that I may first speake of the salubritie of the aire the fathers of the societie themselues are witnesses that scarcely in any other realme there are so many found that liue vnto decrepite and extreme old age so great a multitude is there of ancient and graue personages neither doe they vse so many confections and medicines nor so manifold and sundry wayes of curing diseases as wee saw accustomed in Europe For amongst them they haue no Phlebotomie or letting of blood but all their cures as ours also in Iapon are atchieued by fasting decoctions of herbes light or gentle potions But in this behalfe let euery nation please themselues with their owne customes Now in fruitfulnes of soile this kingdom certes doth excel far surpassing all other kingdoms of the East yet is it nothing comparable vnto the plentie and abundance of Europe as I haue declared at large in the former treatises But the kingdom of China is in this regard so highly extolled because there is not any region in the East partes that aboundeth so with marchandise and from whence so much traffique is sent abroad For whereas this kingdome is most large full of nauigable riuers so that commodities may easilie be conueyed out of one prouince into antother the Portugals doe find such abundance of wares within one and the same Citie which perhaps is the greatest Mart throughout the whole kingdome that they are verily perswaded that the same region of all others most aboundeth with marchandise which notwithstanding is to be vnderstood of the Orientall regions albeit there are some kindes of marchandise wherewith the land of China is better stored then any other kingdom This region affordeth especially sundry kinds of mettals of which the chiefe both in excellencie in abundance is gold whereof so many Pezoes are brought from China to India and to our countrey of Iapon that I heard say that in one and the same ship this present yeere 2000 such pieces consisting of massie gold as the Portugals commonly call golden loaues were brought vnto vs for marchandise and one of these loaues is worth almost 100 duckats Hence it is that in the kingdom of China so many things are adorned with gold as for example beds tables pictures images litters wherein nice and daintie dames are caried vpon their seruaunts backes Neither are these golden loaues onely bought by the Portugals but also great plentie of gold-twine and leaues of gold for the Chinians can very cunningly beate and extenuate gold into plates and leaues There is also great store of siluer whereof that I may omit other arguments it is no small demonstration that euery yeere there are brought into the citie commonly called Cantam by the Portugal marchants to buie wares at the least 400 Sestertium thereof and yet nothing in a maner is conueied out of the Chinian kingdom because the people of China abounding with all necessaries are not greatly inquisitiue or desirous of any marchandise from other kingdomes I doe here omit the Siluer minesâ— whereof there are great numbers in China albeit there is much circumspection vsed in digging the siluer thereout for the king standeth much in feare least it may bee an occasion to stirre vp the couetous and greedie humour of many Nowe their siluer which they put to vses is for the most part passing fine and purified from all drosse and therefore in trying it they vse great diligence What should I speake of their iron copper lead tinne and other mettals and also of their quick-siluer Of all which
breake or by keeping him in his townes leaue vs a spoyled field where though our prouision may bee such of our owne as we starue not yet is our weaknesse in any strange countrey such as with sicknes and miserie we shall be dissolued And let him not forget what a continual burthen we hereby lay vpon vs in that to repossesse those countreys which haue bene lately lost wil be a warre of longer continuance then we shall be able to endure In the very action whereof what should hinder the king of Spaine to bring his forces home vnto vs For it is certaine he hath long since set downe in councell that there is no way for him wholy to recouer those Low countries but by bringing the warre vpon England it selfe which hath alwayes assisted them against him and that being determined and whereunto he hath bene vehemently vrged by the last yeeres losse he sustained vpon our coasts and the great dishonor this iourney hath laid vpon him no doubt if we shall giue him respite to doe it but he will mightily aduance his purpose for he is richly able thereunto and wonderfull desirous of reuenge To encounter wherewith I wish euen in true and honest zeale to my Countrey that we were all perswaded that there is no such assured meanes for the safetie of our estate as to busy him with a well furnished armie in Spaine which hath so many goodly Bayes open as we may land without impeachment as many men as shall be needfull for such an inuasion And hauing an armie of 20000 roially furnished there we shall not need to take much care for their payment for shal not Lisbon be thought able to make so few men rich when the Suburbs thereof were found so abounding in riches as had we made enemie of them they had largely enriched vs all Which with what small losse it may be won is not here to shew but why it was not won by vs I haue herein shewed you Or is not the spoyle of Siâ—â—l sufficient to pay more then shall bee needfull to bee sent against it whose defence as that of Lisbone is onely force of men of whom how many may for the present be raised is not to be esteemed because wee haue discouered what kind of men they be euen such as will neuer abide ours in field nor dare withstand any resolute attempt of ours agaynst them for during the time we were in many places of their countrey they cannot say that euer they made 20 of our men turne their faces from them And be there not many other places of lesse difficultie to spoyle able to satisfie our forces But admit that if vpon this alarme that we haue giuen him he tendering his naturall and neerest soile before his further remmooued off gouernments do draw his forces of old souldiers out of the Low countreys for his owne defence is not the victory then won by drawing and holding them from thence for the which we should haue kept an armie there at a charge by many partes greater then this and not stirred them Admit further our armie be impeached from landing there yet by keeping the Sea and possessing his principall roades are we not in possibilitie to meet with his Indian marchants and very like to preuent him of his prouisions comming out of the East countreys without the which neither the subiect of Lisbon is long able to liue nor the king able to maintaine his Nauie For though the countrey of Portugall doe some yeeres find themselues corne yet are they neuer able to victuall the least part of that Citie And albeit the king of Spaine be the richest prince in Christendome yet can he neither draw cables hewe mastes nor make pouder out of his mettals but is to be supplied of them all from thence Of whom some will hold opinion it is no reason to make prize because they bee not our enemies and that our disagreeance with them will impeach the trade of our marchants and so impouerish our countrey Of whose mind I can hardly be drawen to be For if my enemie fighting with me doe breake his sword so as I thereby haue the aduantage against him what shall I thinke of him that putteth a new sword into his hand to kill me withall And may it not bee thought more â—itting for vs in these times to loose our trades of Cloth then by suffering these mischiefes to put in hazard whether we shall haue a countrey left to make cloth in or no And yet though neither Hamburgh Embden nor Stode doe receiue our cloth the necessary vse thereof in all places is such as they will find means to take it from vs with our sufficient commoditie And admit which were impossible that we damnifie him neither at sea nor land for vnlesse it be with a much more thightie armie then ours he shall neuer be able to withstand vs yet shall we by holding him at his home free our selues from the warre at our owne wals the benefit whereof let them consider that best can iudge and haue obserued the difference of inuading and being inuaded the one giuing courage to the souldier in that it doeth set before him commoditie and reputation the other a fearefull terror to the countrey-man who if by chance he play the man yet is he neuer the richer and who knowing many holes to hide himselfe in will trie them all before he put his life in perill by fighting whereas the Inuader casteth vp his account before hee goeth out and being abroad must fight to make himselfe way as not knowing what place or strength to trust vnto I will not say what I obserued in our countrey-men when the enemy offred to assaile vs here but I wish that all England knew what terror we gaue to the same people that frighted vs by visiting them at their owne houses Were not Alexanders fortunes great against the mightie Darius onely in that his Macedonians thirsted after the wealth of Persia and were bound to fight it out to the last man because the last man knew no safer way to saue himselfe then by fighting Whereas the Persians either trusting to continue stil masters of their wealth by yeelding to the Inuader began to practise against their owne king or hauing more inward hopes did hide themselues euen to the last to see what course the Conquerour would take in his Conquest And did not the aduise of Scipio though mightily impugned at the first prooue very sound and honourable to his countrey Who seeing the Romans wonderfully amazed at the neerenesse of their enemies Forces and the losses they daily sustained by them gaue counsell rather by way of diuersion to cary an army into Afrike and there to assaile then by a defensiue warre at home to remaine subiect to the common spoiles of an assailing enemie Which being put in execution drew the enemie from the gates of Rome and Scipio returned home with triumph albeit his beginnings at the first were not so
the North side the sea that seuereth it from Groneland thorow which Northren Seas the Passage lyeth which I take now in hand to discouer Plato in Timaeo and in the Dialogue called Critias discourseth of an incomparable great Iland then called Atlantis being greater then all Affrike and Asia which lay Westward from the Straights of Gibraltar nauigable round about affirming also that the Princes of Atlantis did aswell enioy the gouernance of all Affrike and the most part of Europe as of Atlantis it selfe Also to proue Platos opinion of this Iland and the inhabiting of it in ancient time by them of Europe to be of the more credite Marinaeus Siculus in his Chronicle of Spaine reporteth that there haue bene found by the Spaniards in the gold Mines of America certaine pieces of Money ingraued with the Image of Augustus Caesar which pieces were sent to the Pope for a testimonie of the matter by Iohn Rufus Archbishop of Consentinum Moreouer this was not only thought of Plato but by Marsilius Ficinus an excellent Florentine Philosopher Crantor the Graecian and Proclus and Philo the famous Iew as appeareth in his â—ooke De Mundo and in the Commentaries vpon Plato to be ouerflowen and swallowed vp with water by reason of a mightie earthquake and streaming downe of the heauenly Fludgates The like whereof happened vnto some part of Italy when by the forciblenes of the Sea called Superum it cut off Sicilia from the Continent of Calabria as appeareth in Iustine in the beginning of his fourth booke Also there chanced the like in Zeland a part of Flanders And also the Cities of Pyâ—rha and Antissa about Meotis palus and also the Citie Burys in the Corynthian bosome commonly called Sinus Corinthiacus haue bene swallowed vp with the Sea and are not at this day to be discerned By which accident America grew to be vnknowen of long time vnto vs of the later ages and was lately discouered againe by Americus Vespucius in the yeere of our Lord 1497. which some say to haue bene first discouered by Christophorus Columbus a Genuois Anno 1492. The same calamitie happened vnto this Isle of Atlantis 600. and odde yeres before Plato his time which some of the people of the Southeast parts of the world accompted as 9000. yeeresâ— for the maner then was to reckon the Moone her Period of the Zodiak for a yeere which is our vsuall moneth depending à Luminari minoâ—i So that in these our dayes there can no other mayne or Islande be found or iudged to bee parcell of this Atlantis then those Westerne Islands which beare now the name of America counteruailing thereby the name of Atlantis in the knowledge of our age Then if when no part of the sayd Atlantis was oppressed by water and earthquake the coasts round about the same were nauigable a farre greater hope now remaineth of the same by the Northwest seeing the most part of it was since that time swallowed vp with water which could not vtterly take away the olde deeps and chanels but rather be an occasion of the inlarging of the olde and also an inforcing of a great many new why then should we now doubt of our Northwest passage and nauigation from England to India c. seeing that Atlantis now called America was euer knowen to be an Island and in those dayes nauigable round about which by accesse of more water could not be diminished Also Aristotle in his booke De mundo and the learned Germaine Simon Gryneus in his annotations vpon the same saith that the whole earth meaning thereby as manifestly both appeare Asia Africk and Europe being all the countreys then knowen is but one Island compassed about with the reach of the sea Atlantine which likewise prooueth America to be an Island and in no part adioyning to Asia or the rest Also many ancient writers as Strabo and others called both the Ocean sea which lieth East of India Atlanticum pelagus and that sea also on the West coasts of Spaine and Africk Mare Atlanticum the distance betweene the two coasts is almost halfe the compasse of the earth So that it is incredible as by Plato appeareth manifestly that the East Indian Sea had the name Atlanticum pelagus of the mountaine Atlas in Africk or yet the sea adioyning to Africk had the name Oceanus Atlanticus of the same mountaine but that those seas and the mountaine Atlas were so called of this great Island Atlantis and that the one and the other had their names for a memorial of the mighty prince Atlas sometime king thereof who was Iaphet yongest sonne to Noah in whose time the whole earth was diuided betweene the three brethren Sem Cam and Iaphet Wherefore I am of opinion that America by the Northwest will be found fauourable to this our enterprise and am the rather imboldened to beleeue the same for that I finde it not onely confirmed by Plato Aristotle and other ancient Phylosophers but also by all the best moderne Geographers as Gemma Frisius Munsterus Appianus Hunterus Gastaldus Guyccardinus Michael Tramasinus Franciscus Demongenitus Bernardus Pureanus Andreas Vauasor Tramontanus Petrus Martyr and also Ortelius who doth coast out in his generall Mappe set out Anno 1569 all the countreys and Capes on the Northwest side of America from Hoâ—helaga to Cape de Paramanâ—ia describing likewise the sea coastes of Cataia and Gronland towards any part of America making both Gronland and America Islands disioyned by a great sea from any part of Asia All which learned men and painefull trauellers haue affirmed with one consent and voice that America was an Island and that there lyeth a great Sea betweene it Cataia and Grondland by the which any man of our countrey that will giue the attempt may with small danger passe to Cataia the Moluccae India and all other places in the East in much shorter time then either the Spaniard or Portugal doeth or may doe from the neerest parte of any of â—heir countreys within Europe What moued these learned men to affirme thus much I know not or to what ende so many and sundry trauellers of both ages haue allowed the same But I coniecture that they would neuer haue so constantly affirmed or notified their opinions therein to the world if they had not had great good cause and many probable reasons to haue lead them thereunto Now least you should make small accompt of ancient writers or of their experiences which trauelled long before our times reckoning their authority amongst fables of no importance I haue for the better assurance of those proofes set downe some part of a discourse written in the Saxon tongue and translated into English by M. Nowel seruant to Sir William Cecil lord Burleigh and lord high treasurer of England wherein there is described a Nauigation which one Ochther made in the time of king Alfred King of Westsaxe Anno 871. the words of which discourse were these Hee sailed right
it was likely to finde some of the Fleete there which being leake and sore brused with the yce were the rather thought likely to be put into an yll harborough being distressed with foule weather in the last storme then to hazard their vncertaine safeties amongst the yce for about this place they lost them and left the Fleete then doubtfully questioning of harborough It was likely also that they might finde some fitte harborough thereabouts which might bee behoouefull for them against another time It was not likewise impossible to finde some Ore or Mine thereabouts wherewithall to fraight their Shippes which would bee more commodious in this place for the neerenesse to Seaward and for a better outlet then farther within the streights being likely heere alwayes to loade in a shorter time howsoeuer the streight should be pestered with yce within so that if it might come to passe that thereby they might eyther finde the Fleete Mine or conuenient harborough any of these three would serue their present turnes and giue some hope and comfort vnto their companies which now were altogether comfortlesse But if that all fortune should fall out so contrary that they could neyther recouer their Port nor any of these aforesayde helpes that yet they would not depart the Coast as long as it was possible for them to tary there but would lye off and on at Sea athwart the place Therefore his finall conclusion was set downe thus First that the Thomas of Ipswich and the Moone should consort and keepe company together carefully with the Anne Francis as neere as they could and as true Englishmen and faithfull friends should supply one anothers want in all fortunes and dangers In the morning following euery Shippe to send off his Boate with a sufficient Pylot to search out and sound the harboroughs for the safe bringing in of their Shippes And beeing arriued in harborough where they might finde conuenient place for the purpose they resolued foorthwith to ioyne and sette together the Pinnesse wherewithall the Captaine of the Anne Francis might according to his former determination discouer vp into the streights After these determinations thus set downe the Thomas of Ipswich the night following lost company of the other Shippes and afterward shaped a contrary course homeward which fell out as it manifestly appeared very much against their Captaine Master Tanfieldes minde as by due examination before the Lordes of her Maiesties most honourable priuie Counsell it hath since bene prooued to the great discredite of the Pilot Cox who specially persuaded his company against the opinion of his sayd Captaine to returne home And as the Captaine of the Anne Francis doeth witnesse euen at their conference togither Captaine Tanfield tolde him that he did not a little suspect the sayd Pilot Cox saying that he had opinion in the man neither of honest duetie manhoode nor constancie Notwithstanding the sayde Shippes departure the Captaine of the Anne Francis being desirous to put in execution his former resolutions went with his Shippeboate being accompanied also with the Moones Skiffe to prooue amongst the Ilands which lye vnder Hattons Hedland if any conuenient harborough or any knowledge of the Fleete or any good Ore were there to be found The Shippes lying off and on at Sea the while vnder Sayle searching through many sounds they sawe them all full of many dangers and broken ground yet one there was which seemed an indifferent place to harborough in and which they did very diligently sound ouer and searched againe Here the sayde Captaine found a great blacke Iland whereunto hee had good liking and certifying the company thereof they were somewhat comforted and with the good hope of his wordes rowed cheerefully vnto the place where when they arriued they found such plentie of blacke Ore of the same sort which was brought into England this last yeere that if the goodnesse might answere the great plentie thereof it was to be thought that it might reasonably suffice all the golde-gluttons of the world This Iland the Captaine for cause of his good hap called after his owne name Bestes blessing and with these good tydings returning aboord his Ship the ninth of August about tenne of the clocke at night hee was ioyfully welcommed of his company who before were discomforted and greatly expected some better fortune at his handes The next day being the tenth of August the weather reasonably fayre they put into the foresayde Harborough hauing their Boate for their better securitie sounding before their Shippe But for all the care and diligence that could bee taken in sounding the Channell ouer and ouer againe the Anne Francis came aground vpon a suncken Rocke within the Harborough and lay thereon more then halfe drye vntill the next flood when by Gods Almighty prouidence contrary almost to all expectation they came afloat againe being forced all that time to vndersette their Shippe with their mayne Yarde which otherwise was likely to ouerset and put thereby in danger the whole company They had aboue two thousand strokes together at the Pumpe before they could make their Shippe free of the water againe so sore shee was brused by lying vpon the Rockes The Moone came safely and roade at anchor by the Anne Francis whose helpe in their necessitie they could not well haue missed Now whilest the Mariners were romaging their Shippes and mending that which was amisse the Miners followed their labour for getting together of sufficient quantitie of Ore and the Carpenters indeuoured to doe their best for the making vp of the Boate or Pinnesse which to bring to passe they wanted two speciall and most necessarie things that is certaine principall tymbers that are called Knees which are the chiefest strength of any Boate and also nayles wherewithall to ioyne the plancks together Whereupon hauing by chance a Smyth amongst them and yet vnfurnished of his necessary tooles to worke and make nayles withall they were faine of a gunne chamber to make an Anuile to worke vpon and to vse a pickare in stead of a siedge to beare withall and also to occupy two small bellowes in steade of one payre of greater Smiths bellowes And for lacke of small Yron for the easier making of the nayles they were forced to breake their tongs grydiron and fireâ—houell in pieces The eleuenth of August the Captaine of the Anne Francis taking the Master of his Shippe with him went vp to the toppe of Haâ—tons Hedland which is the highest land of all the streights to the ende to descry the situation of the Countrey vnderneath and to take a true plotte of the place whereby also to see what store of Yce was yet left in the streights as also to search what Mineral matter or fruite that soyle might yeeld And the rather for the honour the said Captaine doeth owe to that Honourable name which himselfe gaue thereunto the last yeere in the highest part of this Hedland he caused his company to make a Columne or Crosse of
also is a very great trade in the bayes of Placentia the Grand bay where is made Trane oiles of the Whale Herring the largest that haue bene heard of and exceeding the Malstrond herring of Norway but hitherto was neuer benefit taken of the herring fishing There are sundry other fish very delicate namely the Bonito Lobsters Turbut with others infinite not sought after Oysters hauing pearle but not orient in colour I tooke it by reason they were not gathered in season Concerning the inland commodities aswel to be drawen from this land as from the exceeding large countries adioyning there is nothing which our East and Northerly countries of Europe doe yeelde but the like also may be made in them as plentifully by time and industrie Namely rosen pitch tarre sopeashes dealboord mastes for ships hides furres flaxe hempe corne cables cordage linneâ—-cloth mettals and many more All which the countries will aford and the soyle is apt to yeelde The trees for the most in those South parts are Firretrees Pine and Cypresse all yeelding Gumme and Turpentâ—â—e Cherrie trees bearing fruit no bigger then a small pease Also peare trees but fruitlesse Other trees of some sorts to vs vnknowen The soyle along the coast is not deepe of earth bringing foorth abundantly peason small yet good feeding for cattel Roses passing sweet like vnâ—o our muske roses in forme raspases a berry which we call Harts good and holesome to eat The grasse and herbe doth fat sheepe in very short space proued by English marchants which haue caried sheepe thither for fresh victuall and had them raised exceeding fat in lesse then three weekes Peason which our countreymen haue sowen in the time of May haue come vp faire and bene gathered in the beginning of August of which our Generall had a present acceptable for the rarenesse being the first fruits comming vp by art and industrie in that desolate and dishabited land Lakes or pooles of fresh water both on the tops of mountaines and in the vallies In which are said to be muskles not vnlike to haue pearle which I had put in triall if by mischance falling vnto me I hâ—d not bene letted from that and other good experiments I was minded to make Foule both of water and land in great plentie and diuersitie All kind of greene foule Others as biâ—ge as Bustards yet not the same A great white foule called of some a Gaunt Upon the land diuers sorts of haukes as fauâ—cons and others by report Partridges most plentifull larger then ours gray and white of colour and rough footed like doues which our men after one flight did kill with cudgels they were so fat and vnable to flie Birds some like blackbirds linnets canary birds and other very small Beasts of sundry kindes red deare buffles or a beast as it seemeth by the tract foote very large in maner of an oxe Beares ounces or leopards some greater some lesser wolues foxes which to the Northward a litle further are black whose furre is esteemed in some Countries of Europe very rich Otters beuers marternes And in the opinion of most men that saw it the Generall had brought vnto him a Sable aliue which he sent vnto his brother sir Iohn Gilbert knight of Deuonshire but it was neuer deliuered as after I vnderstood We could not obserue the hundreth part of creatures in those vnhabited lands but these mentioned may induce vs to glorifie the magnificent God who hath superabundantly replenished the earth with creatures seruing for the vse of man though man hath not vsed the fift part of the same which the more doth aggrauate the fault and floolish slouth in many of our nation chusing rather to liue indirectly and very miserably to liue die within this realme pâ—stered with inhabitants then to aduenture as becommeth men to obtaine an habitation in those remote lands in which Nature very prodigally doth minister vnto mens endeuours and for art to worke vpon For besides these alreadie recounted and infinite moe the mountaines generally make shew of minerall substance Iron very common lead and somewhere copper I will not auerre of richer mettals albeit by the circumstances following more then hope may be conceiued thereof For amongst other charges giuen to inquire out the singularities of this countrey the Generall was most curious in the search of mettals commanding the minerall man and refiner especially to be diligent The same was a Saxon borne honest and religious named Daniel Who after search brought at first some sort of Ore seeming rather to be yron then other mettall The next time he found Ore which with no smal shew of contentment he deliuered vnto the General vsing protestation that if siluer were the thing which might satisfie the Generall his followers there it was aduising him to seeke no further the perill whereof he vndertooke vpon his life as deare vnto him as the Crowne of England vnto her Maiestie that I may vse his owne words if it fell not out accordingly My selfe at this instant liker to die then to liue by a mischance could not follow this confident opinion of our refiner to my owne satisfaction but afterward demanding our Generals opinion therein and to haue some part of the Ore he replied Content your selfe I haue seene ynough and were it but to satisfie my priuate humor I would proceede no further The promise vnto my friends and necessitie to bring also the South countries within compasse of my Patent neere expired as we haue alreadie done these North parts do only perswade me further And touching the Ore I haue sent it aboord whâ—reof I would haue no speech to be made so long as we remaine within harbor here being both Portugals Biscains and Frenchmen not farre off from whom must be kept any bruit or muttering of such matter When we are at sea proofe shal be made if it be to our desire we may returne the sooner hither againe Whose answere I iudged reasonable and contenting me well wherewith I will conclude this narration and description of the New-found land and proceede to the rest of our voyage which ended tragically VVHile the better sort of vs were seriously occupied in repairing our wants and contriuing of matters for the commoditie of our voyage others of another sort disposition were plotting of mischiefe Some casting to steale away our shipping by night watching oportunitie by the Generals and Captaines lying on the shore whose conspiracies discouered they were preuented Others drew togither in company and caried away out of the harbors adioyning a ship laden with fish setting the poore men on shore A great many more of our people stole into the woods to hide themselues attending time and meanes to returne home by such shipping as daily departed from the coast Some were sicke of fluxes and many dead and in briefe by one meanes or other our company was diminished and many by the Generall licensed to returne home Insomuch as after we
on the Sea homeward a sore tempest arose and perforce droue him backe againe to an vnknowen Port of the sayd land where he by the most cruell barbarous Indians on the sudden was slaine with all his company except the two young schollers aforesayde whom the barbarous Indians by reason they were of comely stature and beautifull personages tooke and forthwith presented them to their King and Queene which both being very well liked of the King courteously entreated and ordeined Edesius to be his Butler and Frumentius his Secretarie and in few yeeres by reason of their learning and ciuill gouernment they were had in great fauour honour and estimation with the Princes But the King departing this life left the Queene his wife with her yong sonne to gouerne and gaue free scope and libertie to the two Christians at their best pleasure to passe to their natiue soyles allowing them all necessaries for the same Yet the Queene who highly fauoured them was very sorowfull they should depart and therefore most earnestly intreated them to tarie and assist her in the gouernment of her people till such time as her young sonne grewe to ripe yeeres which request they fulfilled And Frumentius excelling Edesius farre in all wisedome ruled both the Queene and her subiects at his discretion whereby he tooke occasion to put in practice priuily that the foundation of Christian religion might be planted in the hearts of such as with whom he thought his perswasion might best preuaile and that soonest would giue eare vnto him which being brought to passe accordingly hee then with his fellow Edesius tooke leaue of the Queene to returne to his natiue countrey And so soone as he was arriued there he reuealed to the Emperour Constantine the effect of all those euents who both commending his deedes and wholy allowing thereof by the aduise and good liking of Athanasius then Bishop of Alexandria did arme and set forth a conuenient power for the ayde of Frumentius in this his so godly a purpose And by this meanes came the Emperour afterwards by faire promises and by force of armes together vnto the possession of all the Indians countrey The author of this storie Ruffinus receiued the trueth hereof from the very mouth of Edesius companion to Frumentius Moreouer Eusebius in his Historie Ecclesiasticall in precise termes and in diuers places maketh mention how Constantine the great not onely enlarged his Empire by the subduing of his next neighbours but also endeuoured by all meanes to subiect all such remote Barbarous and Heathen nations as then inhabited the foure quaters of the worlde For as it is written the Emperour throughly ayded with a puissant armie of valiant souldiers whom he had before perswaded to Christian religion in proper person himselfe came euen vnto this our country of England then called the Island of Britaines bending from him full West which he wholy conquered made tributarie and setled therein Christian faith and left behinde him such Rulers thereof as to his wisedome seemed best From thence hee turned his force towardes the North coast of the world and there vtterly subdued the rude and cruell Nation of the Scythians whereof part by friendly perswasions part by maine strength hee reduced the whole to Christian faith Afterwards he determined with himselfe to search out what strange people inhabited in the vttermost parts of the South And with great hazard and labour making his iourney thither at last became victour ouer them all euen to the countrey of the Blemmyans and the remote AEthiopians that now are the people of Presbyter Iohn who yet till this day continue and beare the name of Christians In the East likewise what Nation soeuer at that time he could haue notice of he easily wonne and brought in subiection to the Empire So that to conclude there was no region in any part of the world the inhabitants whereof being Gentiles though vnknowen vnto him but in time he ouercame and vanquished This worthy beginning of Constantine doth his sonnes succeeding his â—oâ—me and also diuers other Emperours afterward to their vttermost endeuour followed and continued which all the bookes of Eusebius more at large set foorth Theodoretus likewise in his Ecclesiasticall historie maketh mention how Theodosius the vertuous Emperour imployed earnestly all his time as well in conquering the Gentiles to the knowledge of the holy Gospel vtterly subuerting their prophane Temples and abominable Idolatry as also in extinguishing of such vsurping tyrants as with Paganisme withstood the planting of Christian religion After whose decease his sonnes Honorius and Arcadius were created Emperours the one of the East the other of the West who with all stout godlinesse most carefully imitated the fore steps of their Father eyther in enlarging their territories or increasing the christian flocke Moreouer it is reported by the sayd authors that Theodosius iunior the Emperour no whit inferiour in vertuous life to any of the aboue named Princes with great studie and zeale pursued and proÌ„secuted the Gentiles subdued their tyrants and countries and vtterly destroyed all their idolatry conuerting their soules to acknowledge their onely Messias and Creator and their Countries to the enlargement of the Empire To be briefe who so listeth to read Eusebius Pamphilus Socrates Scholasticus Theodoritus Hermia Sozomen and Euagrius Scholasticus which all were most sage Ecclesiasticall writers shall finde great store of examples of the worthy liues of sundry Emperours tending all to the confirmation of my former speeches And for like examples of later time yea euen in the memorie of man I shall not neede to recite any other then the conquest made of the West and East Indies by the Kings of Spaine and Portugall whereof there is particular mention made in the last Chapter of this booke Herein haue I vsed more copy of examples then otherwise I would haue done sauing that I haue bene in place where this maner of planting the Christian faith hath bene thought of some to be scarce lawfull yea such as doe take vpon them to be more then meanely learned To these examples could I ioyne many moe but whosoeuer is not satisfied with these fewe may satisfie himselfe in reading at large the Authors last aboue recited Thus haue I as I trust prooued that we may iustly trade and traffique with the Sauages and lawfully plant and inhabite their Countries The third Chapter doeth shew the lawfull title which the Queenes most excellent Maiestie hath vnto those Countries which through the ayde of Almighty God are meant to be inhabited ANd it is very euident that the planting there shal in time right amply enlarge her Maiesties Territories and Dominions or I might rather say restore her to her Highnesse ancient right and interest in those Countries into the which a noble and worthy personage lineally descended from the blood royall borne in Wales named Madockap Owen Gwyneth departing from the coast of England about the yeere of our
Hilles of Granges and a Cape lying toward the Southwest about 3 leagues from from vs. The said Cape is on the top of it blunt-pointed and also toward the Sea it endeth in a point wherefore wee named it The pointed Cape on the North side of which there is a plaine Iland And because we would haue notice of the said entrance to see if there were any good hauens we strooke saile for that night The next day being the 17 of the moneth we had stormie weather from Northeast wherefore we tooke our way toward the Southwest vntill thursday morning and we went about 37 leagues till wee came athwart a Bay full of round Ilands like doue houses and therefore wee named them The doue houses And from the Bay of S. Iulian from the which to a Cape that lieth South and by West which wee called Cape Roial there are 7. leagues and toward the West southwest side of the saide Cape there is another that beneath is all craggie and aboue round On the North side of which about halfe a league there lieth a low Iland that Cape we named The Cape of milke Betweene these two Capes there are certaine low Ilands aboue which there are also certaine others that shew that there be some riuers About two leagues from Cape royall wee sounded and found 20 fadome water and there is the greatest fishing of Cods that possible may be for staying for our company in lesse then an houre we tooke aboue an hundred of them Of certaine Ilands that lie betweene Cape Royal and The Cape of milke THe next day being the 18 of the moneth the winde with such rage turned against vs that wâ— were constrained to go backe toward Cape Royal thinking there to finde some harborough and with our boates went to discouer betweene the Cape Royal and the Cape of Milke and found that aboue the low Ilands there is a great and very deepe gulfe within which are certaine Ilands The said gulfe on the Southside is shut vp The foresaid low grounds are on one of the sides of the entrance and Cape Royal is on the other The saide low grounds doe stretch themselues more then halfe a league within the Sea It is a plaine countrey but an ill soile and in the middest of the entrance thereof there is an Iland The saide gulfe in latitude is fourtie eight degrees and an halfe and in longitude * That night we found no harborough and therefore wee lanched out into the Sea leauing the Cape toward the West Of the Iland called S. Iohn FRom the said day vntill the 24 of the moneth being S. Iohns day we had both stormie weather and winde against vs with such darkenesse and mistes that vntill S. Iohns day we could haue no sight of any land and then had we sight of a Cape of land that from Cape Royal lieth Southwest about 35 leagues but that day was so foggie and mistie that we could not come neere land and because it was S. Iohns day we named it Cape S. Iohn Of certaine Ilands called the Ilands of Margaulx and of the kinds of beasts and birds that there are found Of the Iland of Brion and Cape Dolphin THe next day being the 25. of the moneth the weather was also stormie darke and windy but yet we sailed a part of the day toward West North west and in the euening wee put our selues athwart vntill the second quarter when as we departed then did we by our compasse know that we were Northwest by West about seuen leagues and an halfe from the Cape of S. Iohn and as wee were about to hoise saile the winde turned into the Northwest wherefore wee went Southeast about 15. leagues and came to three Ilands two of which are as steepe and vpright as any wall so that it was not possible to climbe them and betweene them there is a little rocke These Ilands were as full of birds as any field or medoâ—â— is of grasse which there do make their nestes and in the greatest of them there was a great and infinite number of those that wee call Margaulx that are white and bigger then any geese which were seuered in one part In the other were onely Godetz but towarâ— the shoare there were of those Godeâ—z and great Apponatz like to those of that Iland that we aboue haue mentioned we went downe to the lowest part of the least Iland where we killed aboue a thousand of those Godetz and Apponatz We put into our boates so many of them as we pleased for in lesse then one houre we might hauâ— filled thirtie such boats of them we named them The Ilands of Margaulx About fiue leaguâ—s froÌ„ the said Ilands on the West there is another Iland that is about two leagues in length and so much in breadâ—h there did we stay all night to take in water and wood That Iland is enuirâ—ned round about with sand and hath a very good road about it three or foure fadome deepe Those Ilands haue the best soile that euer we saw for that one of their fields is more worth thâ—n all the New land We found it all full of goodly trees medowesâ— fields full of wild corne and peason bloomed as thick as ranke and as faire as any can be seene in Britaine so that they seemed to haue bene plowed and sowed There was also great store of gooseberies strawberies damaske roses parselâ—y with other very sweete and pleasant hearbes About the said Iland are very great beastes as great â—s oxen which haue two great teeth in their mouths like vnto Elephants teeth liue also in the Sea We saw one of them sleeping vpon the banke of the water wee thinking to take it went to it with our boates but so soone as he heard vs he cast himselfe into the Sea We also saw beares â—olues we named it Brions Iland About it toward Southeast and Northwest there are great lakes As farre as I could gather and comprehend I thinke that there be some passage betweene New found land and Brions land If so it were it would be a great shortâ—ing aswel of the time as of the way if any perfecâ—ion could be found in it About foure leagues from that Iland toward WestSouthwest is the firme land which seemeth to be as an Iland compassed about with litle Ilands of sands There is a goodly Cape which we named Cape Dolphin for there is the beginning of good grounds On the 27. of Iune we compassed the said lands about that lie West Southwest and a farre off thâ—y seeme to be little hillâ—s of sand for they are but low landes wee could neither goe to them nor land on them because the winde was against vs. That day we went 15. leagues Of the Iland called Alexai and of the cape of S. Peter THe next day we went along the said land about 10. leagues till we came to a Cape of redde land that is all craggie within the which
where we had nothing in the world to eate but pottage of Sassafras leaues the like whereof for a meate was neuer vsed before as I thinke The broad sound wee had to passe the next day all fresh and fasting that day the winde blew so strongly and the billow so great that there was no possibilitie of passage without sinking of our boates This was vpon Easter eue which was fasted very truely Upon Easter day in the morning the winde comming very calme we entred the sound and by foure of the clocke we were at Chipanum whence all the Sauages that we had left there were fled but their weares did yeelde vs some fish as God was pleased not vtterly to suffer vs to be lost for some of our company of the light horsemen were farre spent The next morning wee arriued at our home Roanoak I haue set downe this Uoyage somewhat particularly to the ende it may appeare vnto you as true it is that there wanted no great good will from the most to the least amongst vs to haue perfited this discouerie of the Mine for that the discouery of a good Mine by the goodnesse of God or a passage to the South-sea or some way to it and nothing else can bring this Countrey in request to be inhabited by our nation And with the discouery of either of the two aboue shewed it will bee the most sweete and healthfullest climate and therewithall the most fertile soyle being manured in the world and then will Sassafras and many other rootes and gummes there found make good marchandise and lading for shipping which otherwise of themselues will not be worth the fetching Prouided also that there be found out a better harborough then yet there is which must be to the Northward if any there bee which was mine intention to haue spent this Summer in the search of and of the Mine of Chawnis Temoatan the one I would haue done if the barkes that I should haue had of Sir Francis Drake by his honourable courtesie had not bene driuen away by storme the other if your supply of more men and some other necessaries had come to vs in any conuenient sufficiencie For this riuer of Moratico promiseth great things and by the opinion of of M. Hariots the head of it by the description of the Countrey either riseth from the bay of Mexico or els from very neere vnto the same that openeth out into the South sea And touching the Minerall thus doeth M. Youghan affirme that though it be but copper seeing the Sauages are able to melt it it is one of the richest Minerals in the world Wherefore a good harborough found to the Northward as before is saide and from thence foure dayes ouerland to the Riuer of Choanoak sconses being raised from whence againe ouer-land through the prouince of Choanoak one dayes voyage to the first towne of the Mangoaks vp the Riuer of Moratico by the way as also vpon the said Riuer for the defence of our boats like sconses being set in this course of proceeding you shall cleare your selfe from al those dangers and broad shallow sounds before mentioned and gaine within foure dayes trauell into the heart of the maine 200. miles at the least and so passe your discouery into that most notable countrey and to the likeliest parts of the maine with farre greater felicitie then otherwise can bee performed Thus Sir I haue though simply yet truely set downe vnto you what my labour with the rest of the gentlemen and poore men of our company not without both paine and perill which the Lord in his mercy many wayes deliuered vs from could yeeld vnto you which might haue bene performed in some more perfection if the Lord had bene pleased that onely that which you had prouided for vs had at the first bene left with vs or that hee had not in his eternall prouidence now at the last set some other course in these things then the wisedome of man coulde looke into which truely the carying away by a most strange vnlooked for storme of all our prouision with Barks Master Mariners and sundry also of mine owne company al hauing bene so courteously supplied by the generall Sir Francis Drake the same hauing bene most sufficient to haue performed the greatest part of the premisses must euer make me to thinke the hand of God onely for some his good purpose to my selfe yet vnknowen to haue bene in the matter The second part touching the conspiracie of Pemisapan the discouery of the same and at the last of our request to depart with Sir Francis Drake for England ENsenore a Sauage father to Pemisapan being the onely friend to our nation that we had amongst them and about the King died the 20. of April 1586. He alone had before opposed himselfe in their consultations against all matters proposed against vs which both the King and all the rest of them after Grangemoes death were very willing to haue preferred And he was not onely by the meere prouidence of God during his life a meane to saue vs from hurt as poysonings and such like but also to doe vs very great good and singularly in this The King was aduised and of himselfe disposed as a ready meane to haue assuredly brought vs to ruine in the moneth of March 1586. himselfe also with all his Sauages to haue runne away from vs and to haue left his ground in the Iland vnsowed which if hee had done there had bene no possibilitie in common reason but by the immediate hande of God that wee coulde haue bene preserued from staruing out of hande For at that time wee had no weares for fish neither coulde our men skill of the making of them neither had wee one graine of Corne for seede to put into the ground In mine absence on my voyage that I had made against the Chaonists and Mangoaks they had raised a brute among themselues that I and my company were part slaine and part starued by the Chaonists and Mangoaks One part of this tale was too true that I and mine were like to be starued but the other false Neuerthelesse vntill my returne iâ— tooke such effect in Pernisapans breast and in those against vs that they grew not onely into contempt of vs but also contrary to their former reuerend opinion in shew of the Almightie God of heauen and Iesus Christ whom wee serue and worship whom before they would acknowledge and confesse the only God now they began to blaspheme and flatly to say that our Lorde God was not God since hee suffered vs to sustaine much hunger and also to be killed of the Renapoaks for so they call by that generall name all the inhabitants of the whole maine of what prouince soeuer Insomuch as olde Ensenore neither any of his fellowes could for his sake haue no more credite for vs and it came so farre that the king was resolued to haue presently gone away as is aforesaid But euen in the
will and pleasure and as by his wisedome he had ordeined to be best Yet because the effect fell out so suddenly and shortly after according to their desires they thought neuerthelesse it came to passe by our meanes that we in vsing such speeches vnto them did but dissemble the matter and therefore came vnto vs to giue vs thankes in their maner that although we satisfied them not in promise yet in deedes and effect we had fulfilled their desires This marueilous accident in all the Countrey wrought so strange opinions of vs that some people could not tell whether to thinke vs gods or men and the rather because that all the space of their sicknes there was no man of ours knowen to die or that was specially sicke they noted also that we had no women amongst vs neither that we did care for any of theirs Some therefore were of opinion that we were not borne of women and therefore not mortal but that we were men of an old generation many yeeres past then risen againe to immortalitiâ— Some would likewise seeme to prophecie that there were more of our generation yet to come to kill theirs and take their places as some thought the purpose was by that which was already done Those that were immediatly to come after vs they imagined to be in the aire yet inuisible and without bodies and that they by our intreatie and for the loue of vs did make the people to die in that sort as they did by shooting inuisible bullets into them To confirme this opinion their Phisitions to excuse their ignorance in curing the disease would not be ashamed to say but earnestly make the simple people beleeue that the strings of blood that they sucked out of the sicke bodies were the strings wherewithall the inuisible bullets were â—ied and cast Some also thought that wee shot them our selues out of our pieces from the place where wee dwelt and killed the people in any Towne that had offended vs as wee listed howe farre distant from vs soeuer it were And other some said that it was the speciall worke of God for our sakes as we our selues haue cause in some sort to thinke no lesse whatsoeuer some doe or may imagine to the contrary specially some Astrologers knowing of the Eclipse of the Sunne which we saw the same yeere before in our voyage thitherward which vnto them appearâ—d very terrible And also of a Comet which began to appeare but a fewe dayes before the â—eginning of the saide sicknesse But to exclude them from being the speciall causes of so speciall an accident there are further reasons then I thinke fit at this present to be alleadged These their opinions I haue set downe the more at large that it may appeare vnto you that there is good hope they may be brought through discreete dealing and gouernment to the imbracing of the trueth and consequently to honour obey feare and loue vs. And although some of our company towards the end of the yeere shewed themselues too fierce in slaying some of the people in some Townes vpon causes that on our part miâ—â—t eâ—sily ynough haue bene borne withall yet not withstanding because it was on their part iustly deserued the alteration of their opinions generally and for the most part conâ—erning vs is the lesse to be doubted And whatsoeuer els they may be by carefulnesse of our selues neede nothing at all to be feared The best neuerthelesse in this as in all actions besides is to be endeuoured and hoped and of the worst that may happen notice to be taken with consideration and as much as may be eschewed The conclusion NOw I haue as I hope made relation not of so few and small things but that the Countrey of men that are indifferent and well disposed may bee sufficiently liked If there were no more knowen then I haue mentioned which doubtlesse and in great reason is nothing to that which remaineth to be discouered neiâ—her the soyle nor commodities As we haue reason so to gather by the difference we found in our trauaâ—les for although al which I haue before spoken of haue bâ—ne discouered and experimented not farre from the Sea coast where was our abode and most of our trauailing yet sometimes as we made our iourneys further into the maine and Counâ—rey we found the soile to be fatter the trees greâ—ter and to grow thinner the ground more firme and deeper mould more and larger champions finer grasse and as good as euer we saw any in England in some places rockie and farre more high and hilly ground more plentie of their fruites more abundance of beastes the more inhabited with people and of greater pollicie and larger dominions with greater townes and houses Why may wee not then looke for in good hope from the inner parts of more and greater plentie as well of otheâ— things as of those which wee haue already discouered Unto the Spaniards happened the like in discoâ—ering the maine of the West Indies The maine also of this Countrey of Virginia extending sâ—me wayes so many hundreds of leagues as otherwise then by the relation of the inhabiâ—ants wee haue most certaine knowledge of where yet no Christian prince hath any possession or dealing â—annot but yeelde many kinds of excellent commodities which we in our discouery haue not yet seene What hope there is els to bee gathered of the nature of the Climate being answerable to the Iland of Iapan the land of China Persia Iury the Ilands of Cyprus and Candy the South parts of Greece Italy and Spaine and of many other notable and famous Countreys because I meane not to be tedious I leaue to your owne consideration Whereby also the excellent temperature of the aire there at all seasons much warmer then in England and neuer so vehemently hot as sometimes is vnder and betweene the Tropikes or neere them cannot be knowen vnto you without further relation For the holsomnesse thereof I neede to say but thus much that for all the want of prouision as first of English victuall excepting for twentie dayes we liued onely by drinking water and by the victuall of the Countrey of which some sorts were very strange vnto vs and might haue bene thought to haue altered our temperatures in such sort as to haue brought vs into some grieuous and dangerous diseases Secondly the want of English meanes for the taking of beastes fish and foule which by the helpe onely of the inhabitants and their meanes could not bee so suddenly and easily prouided for vs nor in so great number and quantities nor of that choise as otherwise mighâ— haue bene to our better satisfaction and contentment Some want also we had of clothes Furthermore in al our trauailes which were most specially and often in the time of Winter our lodging was in the open aire vpon the ground And yet I say for all this there were but foure of our whole company being one hundreth and eight that died all the yeere
of Canada whither Iaques Carthier sayled the yeere 1535. About the which there are many Ilands among which is that which is named Terra de Labrador stretching towarde Groenland In the Westerne part there are many knowen Countreys as the Regions of Quiuira Ciuola Astatlan and Terlichichimici The Southerne part is called Florida because it was discouered on Palme-sunday which the Spaniardes call Pascha Florida The Northerne part is altogether vnknowen The second part of all America is called newe Spaine It extendeth from the Tropicke of Cancer in twentie three degrees and a halfe vnto the ninth degree In the same is situated the Citie of Themistican and it hath many Regions and many Ilandes adioyned vnto it which are called the Antilles whereof the most famous and renoumed are Hispaniola and Isabella with an infinite number of others All this land together with the Bay of Mexico and all the Ilands aforesayd haue not in Longitude past seuentie degrees to wit from the two hundreth and fortie vnto three hundreth and ten it is also long and narrowe as Italie The third part of America is called Peru it is very great and extendeth it selfe in Latitude from the tenth degree vnto the three and fiftieth beyond Equator to wit as I haue sayde before vnto the streight of Magelan It is made in fashion like to an egge and is very well knowen vpon all sides The part where it is largest hath threescore degrees and from thence it waxeth narrower and narrower toward both the endes In one part of this lande Villegagnon planted right vnder the Tropicke of Capricorne and he called it France Antarctick because it draweth toward the pole Antarctick as our France doeth toward the Arctick New France is almost as great as all our Europe Howbeit the most knowen and inhabited part thereof is Florida whither many Frenchmen haue made diuers voyages at sundry times insomuch that nowe it is the best knowen Countrey which is in all this part of newe France The Cape thereof is as it were a long head of lande stretching out into the Sea an hundred leagues and runneth directly towarde the South it hath right ouer against it fiue and twentie leagues distant the Isle of Cuba otherwise called Isabella toward the East the Isles of Bahama and Lucaya and toward the West the Bay of Mexico The Countrey is flat and diuided with diuers riuers and therefore moyst and is sandie towards the Sea shore There groweth in those partes great quantitie of Pinetrees which haue no kernels in the apples which they beare Their woods are full of Oakes Walnutrees blacke Cherrietrees Mulberry trees Lentiskes and Chestnut trees which are more wilde then those in France There is great shore of Cedars Cypresses Bayes Palme trees Hollies and wilde Uines which climbe vp along the trees and beare good Grapes There is there a kinde of Medlers the fruite whereof is better then that of France and bigger There are also Plumtrees which beare very faire fruite but such as is not very good There are Raspasses and a little berrie which we call among vs Blues which are very good to eate There growe in that Countrey a kinde of Rootes which they call in their language Hasez whereof in necessitie they make bread There is also there the tree called Esquine which is very good against the Pockes and other contagious diseases The Beastes best knowen in this Countrey are Stagges Hindes Goates Deere Leopards Ounces Luseâ—ns diuers sortes of Wolues wilde Dogs Hares Cunnies and a certaine kinde of beast that differeth little from the Lyon of Africa The foules are Turkey cocks Partridges Parrots Pigions Ringdoues Turtles Blackbirdes Crowes Tarcels Faulcons Laynerds Herons Cranes Storkes wilde Geese Malards Cormorauts Herushawes white red blacke and gray and an infinite sort of all wilde foule There is such abundance of Crocodiles that oftentimes in swimming men are assayled by them of Serpents there are many sorts There is found among the Sauages good quantitie of Gold and Siluer which is gotten out of the shippes that are lost vpon the coast as I haue vnderstood by the Sauages themselues They vse traffique thereof one with another And that which maketh me the rather beleeue it is that on the coast towarde the Cape where commonly the shippes are cast away there is more store of Siluer then toward the North. Neuerthelesse they say that in the Mountaines of Appalaâ—cy there are Mines of Copper which I thinke to be Golde There is also in this Countrey great store of graynes and herbes whereof might be made exellent good dyes and paintings of all kind of colours And in trueth the Indians which take pleasure in painting of their skins know very well how to vse the same The men are of an Oliue colour of great stature faire without any deformitie and well proportioned They couer their priuities with the skinne of a Stagge well dressed The most part of them haue their bodies armes and thighes painted with very faire deuises the painting whereof can neuer bee taken away because the same is pricked into their flesh Their haire is very blacke and reacheth euen downe to their hips howbeit they trusse it vp after a fashion that becommeth them very well They are great dissemblers and traitours valiant of their persons fight very well They haue none other weapons but their bowes and arrowes They make the string of their bow of a gut of a Stag or of a Stags skin which they know how to dresse as well as any man in France and with as different sorts of colours They head their arrowes with the teeth of fishes and stone which they worke very finely and handsomly They exercise their youg men to runne well and they make a game among themselues which he winneth that hath the longest breath They also exercise themselues much in shooting They play at the ball in this maner they set vp a tree in the middest of a place which is eight or nine fathom high in the top whereof there is set a square mat made of reedes or Bulrushes which whosoeuer hitteth in playing thereat winneth the game They take great pleasure in hunting and fishing The kings of the Countrey make great warre one against the other which is not executed but by surprise and they kill all the men they can take afterward they cut of their heads to haue their haire which returning home they carry away to make thereof their triumph when they come to their houses They saue the women and children and nourish them and keepe them alwayes with them Being returned home from the warre they assemble all their subiects and for ioy three dayes and three nights they make good cheare they daunce sing likewise they make the most ancient women of the Countrey to dance holding the haires of their enemies in their hands and in dauncing they sing praises
thing sauing a little of their victualles Whereupon our men being farre from all succours found themselues in such extremitie that without the ayd of Almighty God the onely searcher of the hearts and thoughts of men which neuer forsaketh those that seeke him in their afflictions they had bene quite and cleane out of all hope For the next day betimes in the morning the King Audusta and King Maccou came thither accompanied with a very good companie of Indians which knowing the misfortune were very sory for it And then they vttered vnto their subiects the speedy diligence which they were to vse in building another house shewing vnto them that the Frenchmen were their louing friends that they had made it euident vnto them by the gifts and presents which they had receiued protesting that whosoeuer put not his helping hand vnto the worke with all his might should be esteemed as vnprofitable and as one that had no good part in him which the Sauages feare aboue all things This was the occasion that euery man began to endeuour himselfe in such sort that in lesse then 12 houres they had begun and finished a house which was very neere as great as the former Which being ended they returned home fully contented with a few cutting hookes and hatchets which they receiued of our men Within a small while after this mischance their victuals began to waxe short and after our men had taken good deliberation thought and bethought themselues againe they found that there was no better way for them then to returne againe to the king Ouade and Couexis his brother Wherefore they resolued to send thither some of their company the next day following which with an Indian Canoa sayled vp into the countrey about 10 leagues afterward they found a very faire great riuer of fresh water which they failed not to search out they found therein a great number of Crocodils which in greames passe those of the riuer Nilus moreouer al along the bankes thereof there grow mighty high Cypresses After they had stayed a smal while in this place they purposed to follow their iourney helping thēselues so wel with the tydes that without putting themselues in danger of the continuall perill of the Sea they came into the countrey of Ouade of whom they were most courteously receiued They aduertised him of the occasion wherefore they came againe to visite him and told him of the mischance which happened vnto them since their last voyages how they had not onely lost their houshold stuffe by casualtie of fire but also their victuals which he had giuen them so bountifully that for this cause they were so bolde as to come once againe vnto him to beseech him to vouchsafe to succour them in such neede and necessitie After that the king had vnderstood their case he sent messengers vnto his brother Couexis to request him vpon his behalfe to send him some of his mill and beanes which thing he did and the next morning they were come againe with victuals which the king caused to be borne into their Canoa Our men would haue taken their leaue of him finding themselues more then satisfied with this liberalitie But for that day hee would not suffer them but retained them and sought to make them the best cheere hee could deuise The next day very carely in the morning he tooke them with him to shewe them the place where his corne grewe and saide vnto them that they should not want as long as all that mil did last Afterward he gaue them a certaine number of exceeding faire pearles two stones of fine Christal and certaine siluer oare Our men forgot not to giue him certaine trifles i◠recompence of these presentes and required of him the place whence the siluer oare and the Christall came He made them answere that it came ten dayes iourney from his habitation vp within the countrey and that the inhabitants of the countrey did dig the same at the foote of certaine high mountaines where they found of it in very good quantitie Being ioyfull to vnderstand so good newes and to haue come to the knowledge of that which they most desired they tooke their leaue of the king and returned by the same saw by which they came Behold therefore how our men behaued themselues very well hitherto although they had endured many great mishaps But misfortune or rather the iust iudgement of God would haue it that those which could not bee ouercome by fire nor water should be vndone by their owne selues This is the common fashio◠of men which cannot continue in one state and had rather to ouerthrow themselues then not to attempt some new thing dayly We haue infinite examples in the ancient histories especially of the Romanes vnto which number this litle handfull of men being farre from their countrey and absent from their countreymen haue also added this present example They entred therefore into partialities and dissentions which began about a souldier named Guernache which was a drummer of the French bands which as it was told me was very cruelly hanged by his owne captaine and for a smal fault which captaine also vsing to threathen the rest of his souldiers which staied behind vnder his obedience and peraduenture as it is to be presumed were not so obedient to him as they should haue bene was the cause that they fell into a mutinie because that many times he put his threatnings in execution whervpon they so chased him that at the last they put him to death And the principall occasion that moued them thereunto was because he degraded another souldier named La Chere which he had banished and because he had not performed his promise for hee had promised to send him victuals from 8 dayes to 8 dayes which thing he did not but said on the contrary that he would be glad to heare of his death He said moreouer that he would chastise others also vsed so euil sounding speeches that honestie forbiddeth me to repeat thē The souldiers seeing his madnes to increase from day to day and fearing to fall into the dangers of the other resolued to kil him Hauing executed their purpose they went to seeke the souldier that was banished which was in a small Island distant frō Charles-fort about 3 leagues where they found him almost half dead for hunger When they were come home againe they assembled themselues together to choose one to be gouernour ouer them whose name was Nicolas Barre a man worthy of commendation and one which knewe so well to quite himselfe of his charge that all rancour and dissention ceased among them and they liued peaceably one with another During this time they began to build a smal Pinnesse with hope to return into France if no succours came vnto them as they expected from day to day And though there were no man among them that had any skill notwithstanding necessitie
for they were much offended with him because hee peopled not the countrey Quiuira is in fortie degrees it is a temperate countrey and hath very good waters and much grasse plummes mulberries nuts meloâ—s and grapes which ripen very well There is no cotton and they apparell themselues with ore-hides and deeres skinnes They sawe shippes on the sea coast which bare Alcatraizes or Pellicanes of golde and siluer in their prows and were laden with marchandises and they thought them to bee of Cathaya and China because they shewed our mâ—n by signes that they had sayled thirtie dayes Frier Iohn de Padilla stayed behinde in Tigues with another of his companions called Frier Francis and returned to Quiuira with some dozen Indians of Mechuacan and with Andrew de Campo a Portugall the gardiner of Francis de Solis Hee tooke with him horses and mules with prouision Hee tooke sheepe and hennes of Castile and ornaments to say Masse withall The people of Quiuira stewe the Friers and the Portugall escaped with certaine Indians of Mechuacan Who albeit at that time he escaped death yet could hee not free himselfe out of captiuitie for by and by after they caught him againe But ten moneths after he was taken captiue hee fled away with a couple of dogs As hee trauailed hee blessed the people with a crosse whereunto they offered much and wheresoeuer hee came they gaue him almes lodging and foode He came to the countrey of the Chichimechas and arriuâ—d at Panuco When he came to Mexico hee ware his haire very long and his beard tyed vp in a lace and reported strange things of the lands riuers and mountaines that he had passed It grieued Don Antonio de Mendoça very much that the army returned home for hee had spent aboue threescore thousand pesos of golde in the enterprise and ought a great part thereof still Many sought to haue dwelt there but Francis Vasquez de Coronado which was rich and lately married to a faire wife would not consent saying that they could not maintaine nor defend themselues in so poore a countrey and so farre from succour They trauailed aboue nine hundred leagues in this countrey The foresayd Francis Lopez de Gomara in his generall historie of the West Indies Chap. 215. writeth in maner following of certaine great and strange beasts neuer seene nor heard of in our knowen world of Asia Europe and Africa which somewhat resembling our oxen hauing high bunches on their backes like those on the backes of Camels are therefore called by him Vacas corcobadas that is to say Crooke-backed oxen being very deformed terrible in shewe and fierce by nature which notwithstanding for foode apparell and other necessarie vses are most seruiceable and beneficiall to the inhabitants of those countreys He reporteth also in the same chapter of certaine strange sheepe as bigge as horses and of dogs which vse to carie burthens of 50. pound weight pound weight vpon their backes ALl the way between Cicuic and Quiuira is a most plaine soyle without trees and stones and hath but fewe and small townes The men clothe and shooe themselues with lether and the women which are esteemed for their loâ—g lockes couer their heads and secrets with the same They haue no bread of any kinde of graine as they say which I account a very great matter Their chiefest foode is flesh and that oftentimes they eate rawe either of custome or for lacke of wood They eate the fatte as they take it out of the Oxe and drinke the blood hotte and die not there withall though the ancient writers say that it killeth as Empedocles and others affirmed they drinke it also colde dissolued in water They seeth not the flesh for lacke of pots but rost it or to say more properly warme it at a fire of Oxe-dung when they eate they chawe their meate but little and rauen vp much and holding the flesh with their teeth they cut it with rasors of stone which seemeth to be great bestialitie but such is their maner of liuing and fashion They goe together in companies and mooue from one place to another as the wilde Moores of Barbarie called Alarbes doe following the seasons and the pasture after their Oxen. These Oxen are of the bignesse and colour of our Bulles but their hornes are not so great They haue a great bunch vpon their fore shoulders and more haire on their fore part then on their hinder part and it is like wooll They haue as it were an horse-mane vpon their backe bone and much haire and very long from the knees downeward They haue great tuâ—fes of haire hanging downe their foreheads and it seemeth that they haue beardes because of the great store of haire hanging downe at their chinnes and throates The males haue very long tailes and a great knobbe or flocke at the end so that in some respect they resemble the Lion and in some other the Camell They push with their hornes they runne they ouertake and kill an horse when they are in their rage and anger Finally it is a foule and fierce beast of countenance and forme of bodie The horses fledde from them either because of their deformed shape or else because they had neuer seene them Their masters haue no other riches nor substance of them they eat they drinke they apparel they shooâ— themselues and of their hides they make many things as houses shooes apparell and ropes of their bones they make bodkins of their sinewes and haire threed of their hornes mawes and bladders vessels of their dung fire and of their calues-skinnes budgets wherein they drawe and keepe water To bee short they make so many things of them as they haue neede of or as many as suffice them in the vse of this life There are also in this countrey other beaâ—tes as big as horses which because they haue hornes and fine wool they cal them sheepe and they say that euery horne of theirs weigheth is fiftie pound weight There are also great dogs which will fight with a bull and will carrie fiftie pound weight in sackes when they goe on hunting or when they remooue from place to place with their flockes and heards EL VIAIE QVE HIZO ANTONIO de ESPEIO en el anno de ochenta y tres el qual con sus companneros descubrieron vna tierra en que hallaron quinze Prouincias todas llenas de pueblos y de casas de quatro y cinco altos a quien pusieron por nombre El nueuo Mexico por parecerse en muchas cosas al viejo Esta à la parte del Norte y se cree que por ella y por poblado se puede venir hasta llegar a la tierra que llaman del Labrador Del Nueuo Mexico y de su descubrimiento y lo que del se sabe Y A dixe en el titulo del libro que el anno de mil y quinientos y ochenta
denomination I was apprehended for the same words here rehearsed and none other thing and thereupon was vsed as before is written Now to speake somewhat of the description of the countrey you shall vnderstand that the port of S. Iohn de Vllua is a very little Island low by the waterside the broadest or longest part thereof not aboue a bowshoote ouer and standeth within two â—urlongs of the firme land In my time there was but one house and a little Chappel to say Masse in in all the Island the side to the land wards is made by mans handes with free-stone and grauel and is 4. fadome deepe downe right wherfore the great ships that come in there do ride so neere the shoare of the Island that you may come and goe aland vpon their beake noses They vse to put great chaines of yron in at their halsers and an ancker to the landward and all little ynough to more well their shippes for feare of the Northerly winds which come off the coast of Florida that sometimes haue caried ships houses and all away to the shoare The king was wont to haue 20. great mightie Negroes who did serue for nothing else but onely to repaire the said Island where the foule weather doeth hurt it The Countrey all thereabout is very plaine ground a mile from the sea side a great wildernes with great quantitie of red Deere in the same so that when the mariners of the ships are disposed they go vp into the wildernes and do kil of the same and bring them aboord to eate for their recreation From this port to the next towne which is called Vera Cruz are 5. leagues almost by the Sea side till you come within one league of the place and then you turne vp towards the land into a wood till you come to a litle riuer hard by the said townes side which sometimes of the yere is dry without water The towne of Vera Cruz in my time had not past 300. housholds and serued but for the folke of the ships to buy and bring their goods aland and deliuer it to their ownersâ— as also the owners and their factors to receiue their goods of the Masters of the ships This towne standeth also in a very plaine on the one side the riuer and the other side is enuironed with much sande blowâ—n from the sea side with the tempest of weather many times comming vpon that coast This towne also is subiect to great sicknes and in my time many of the Mariners officers of the ships did die with those diseases there accustomed especially those that were not vsed to the countrey nor knew the danger therof but would commonly go in the Sunne in the heat of the day did eat fruit â—f the countrey with much disorder and especially gaue themsâ—lues to womens company aâ— their first comming whereupon they were caâ—t into a burning ague of the which few escaped Halfe a dayes iourney from Vera Cruz towards Mexico is a lodging of fiue or sixe houses called the Rinconado which is a place where is a great pinacle made of lime and stone fast by a riuer side where the Indians were wont to doe their sacrifices vnto their gods and it is plaine and low ground betwixt that and Vera Cruz and also subiect to sicknes but afterward halfe a dayes iourney that you do begin to enter into the high land you shall find as faire good and sweet countrey as any in the world and the farther you go the goodlier and sweeter the countrey is till you come to Pueblo dâ— los Angeles which may be some 43 leagues from Vera Cruz which was in my time a towne of 600. housholds or thereabout standing in a goodly soile Betweene Vera Cruz and that you shall come through many townes of the Indians and villages and many goodly fieldes of medow grounds Râ—uers of fresh waters forrests and great woods very pleasant to behold From Pueblo de los â—ngeles to Mexico is 20. leagues of very faire way and countrey as before is declared Mexico was a Citie in my time of not aboue 1500. housholds of Spaniards inhabiting there but of Indian people in the suburbs of the said city dwelt aboue 300000. as it was thought and many more This City of Mexico is 65. leagues from the North sea and 75. leagues from the South sea so that it standeth in the midst of the maine land betwixt the one sea and the other It is situated in the middest of a lake of standing water and enuironed round about with the same sauing in many places going out of the Citie are many broad wayes through the said lâ—ke or water This lake and Citie is enuironed also with great mountaines round about which are in compasse aboue thirtie leagues and the saide Citie and lake of standing water doeth stand in a great plaine in the middest of it This lake of standing water doeth proceed from the shedding of the raine that falleth vpon the saide mountaines and so gather themselues together in this place All the whole proportion of this Citie doeth stand in a very plaine ground aud in the middest of the said Citie is a square place of a good bow shoote ouer from side to side and in the middest of the said place is the high Church very faire and well builded all through at that time not halfe finished and round about the said place are many faire houses built on the one side are the houses where Mutezuma the great king of Mexico that was dwelt and now there lye alwayes the viceroyes that the King of Spaine sendeth thither euery three yeeres And in my time there was for viceroy a gentleman of Castil called Don Luis de Velasco And on the other side of the saide place ouer against the same is the Bishops house very faire built and many other houses of goodly building And hard by the same are also other very faire houses built by the Marques de Valle otherwise called Hernando Cortes who was hee that first conquered the saide Citie and Countrey who after the said conquest which hee made with great labour and trauaile of his person and danger of his life and being growen great in the Countrey the King of Spaine sent for him saying that he had some particular matters to impart vnto him And when he came home he could not bee suffered to returâ—e backe againe as the King before had promised him With the which for sorrow that he tooke he died and this he had for the reward of his good seruice The said Citie of Mexico hath the streetes made very broad and right that a man being in the high place at the one ende of the street may see at the least a good mile forward and in all the one part of the streets of the North part of their Citie there runneth a pretie lake of very cleare water that euery man may put into his
house as much as he will without the cost of any thing but of the letting in Also there is a great caue or ditch of water that commeth through the Citie euen vnto the high place where come euery morning at the break of the day twentie or thirtie Canoas or troughes of the Indians which bring in them all maner of prouision for the citie which is made and groweth in the Countrey which is a very good commoditie for the inhabitants of that place And as for victuals in the said Citie of beefe mutton and hennes capons quailes Guiny-cockes and such like all are very good cheape To say the whole quarter of an oxe as much as a slaue can carry away from the Butchers for fiue Tomynes that is fiue Royals of plate which is iust two shillings and sixe pence and a fat sheepe at the Butchers for three Royals which is 18. pence and no more Bread is as good cheape as in Spaine and all other kinde of fruites as apples peares pomegranats and quinces at a reasonable rate The Citie goeth wonderfully forwards in building of Frieries and Nunneries and Chappels and is like in time to come to be the most populous Citie in the world as it may be supposed The weather is there alwayes very temperate the day differeth but one houre of length all the yere long The fields and the woods are alwayes greene The woods full of popiniayes and many other kinde of birdes that make such an harmonie of singing and crying that any man will reioyce to heare it In the fields are such odoriferous smels of flowers and hearbs that it giueth great cement to the senses About the Citie of Mexico two three or foure leagues off are diuers townes of Indians some of 4000. or 6000. housholds which doe stand in such a goodly soyle that if Christians had the inhabitation thereof it would be put to a farther benefite In my time were dwelling and aliue in Mexico many ancient men that were of the conquerours at the first conquest with Hernando Cortes for then it was about 36. yeeres agoe that the said Countrey was conquered About Mexico there are diuers Mines of siluer and also in other places there about but the principall Mines that are in all New Spaine are in Sacatecas 80. leagues from Mexico and the Mines of S. Martin thirtie leagues both to the Northwestward of Mexico where is great store of gold and siluer Also there is a place called the Misteca fiftie leagues to the Northwest which doth yeeld great store of very good silke and Cochinilla Wine and oyle there is none growing in the Countrey but what commeth out of Spaine Also there are many goodly fruits in that Countrey whereof we haue none such as Plantanos Guyaues Sapotes Tunas and in the wildernes great store of blacke cheries and other wholsome fruites The Cochinilla is not a worme or a flye as some say it is but a berrie that groweth vpon certaine bushes in the wilde field which is gathered in time of the yeere when it is ripe Also the Indico that doeth come from thence to die blâ—w is a certaine heathe that groweth in the wilde fieldes and is gathered at one time of the yeere and burnt and of the ashes thereof with other confections put thereunto the saide Indico is made Balme Salsa perilla Cana fistula sugâ—r oxe hides and many other good and seruiceable things the Countrey doeth yeeld which are yeerely brought into Spaine and there solde and distributed to many nations ROBERT TOMSON A voyage made by M. Roger Bodenham to S. Iohn de Vllua in the bay of Mexico in the yeere 1564. I Roger Bodenham hauing a long time liued in the city of Siuil in Spaine being there married and by occasion thereof vsing trade and traffique to the parts of Barbary grew at length to great losse and hindrance by that new trade begun by me in the city of Fez whereupon being returned into Spaine I began to call my wits about mee and to consider with my selfe by what meanes I might recouer and renew my state and in conclusion by the ayde of my friends I procured a ship called The Barke Fox pertâ—ining to London of the burden of eight or nine score tunnes and with the same I made a voyage to the West India hauing obteined good fauour with the Spanish merchants by reason of my long abode and marriage in the countrey My voyage was in the company of the Generall Don Pedro Melendes for Noua Hispania who being himselfe appointed Generall for Terra Firma and Peru made his sonne Generall for New Spaine although Pedro Melendes himselfe was the principall man and directer in both fleets We all departed from Cadiz together the last day of May in the yere 1564 and I with my ship being vnder the conduct of the sonne of Don Pedro aforesayd arriued with him in Noua Hispania where immediatly I tooke order for the discharge of my merchandise at the port of Vera Cruz otherwise called Villa Rica to be transported theâ—ce to the city of Mexico which is sixty and odde leagues distant from the sayd port of Villa Rica In the way are many good townes as namely Pueblo de los Angeles and another called Tlaxcalan The city of Mexico hath three great causeyes to bring men to it compassed with a lake so that it needeth no walles being so defended by the water It is a city plentifull of all necessary things hauing many faire houses churches and monasteries I hauing continued in the countrey the space of nine moneths returned againe for Spaine with the Spanish fleet and deliuered the merchandise and siluer which I had in the ship into the Contractation house and there receiued my fraight which amounted outwards and homewards to the value of 13000 ducats and more I obserued many things in the time of my abode in Noua Hispania aswell touching the commodities of the countrey as the maners of the people both Spanâ—ards and Indians but because the Spanish histories are full of those obseruations I omit them and referre the readers to the same onely this I say that the commodity of Cochinilla groweth in greatest abundance about the towne of Pueblo de los Angeles and is not there woorth aboue forty pence the pound A notable discourse of M. Iohn Chilton touching the people maners mines cities riches forces and other memorable things of New Spaine and other prouinces in the West Indies seene and noted by himselfe in the time of his trauels continued in those parts the space of seuenteene or eighteene yeeres IN the yeere of our Lord 1561 in the moneth of Iuly I Iohn Chilton went out of this city of London into Spaine where I remained for the space of seuen yeres from thence I sailed into Noua Hispania and so trauelled there and by the South sea vnto Peru the space of seuenteene or eighteene yeeres and after that time expired I returned into Spaine and
men who doe admit litle conuersation with the Spanyards for as some of our people might vnderstand them they had a Spaniard or twaine prisoners with them neither doe I thinke that there is any safetie for any of our nation or any other to be within the limits of their commandement albeit they vsed vs very kindly for those few houres of time which wee spent with themâ— helping our folkes to fill and cary on their bare shoulders fresh water from the riuer to our ships boates and fetching from their houses great store of Tabacco as also a kind of bread which they fed on called Cassaui very white and sauourie made of the rootes of Cassaui In recompence whereof we bestowed liberall rewards of glasse coloured beades and other things which we had found at Saint Iago wherewith as it seemed they rested very greatly satisfied and shewed some sorowfull countenance when they perceiued that we would depart From hence wee went to another Island Westward of it called Saint Christophers Island wherein we spent some dayes of Christmas to refresh our sicke people and to cleanse and ayre our ships In which Island were not any people at all that we could heare of In which time by the General it was aduised and resolued with the consent of the Lieutenanâ— generall the Uice-admirall and all the rest of the Captaines to proceede to the great Islande oâ— Hispaniola aswell for that we knewe our selues then to bee in our best strength as also the ratheâ— allured thereunto by the glorious fame of the citie of S. Domingo being the ancientest and chiefâ— inhabited place in all the tract of Countrey thereabouts And so proceeding in this determination by the way we mette a small Frigat bound for the same place the which the Uice-admiralâ—u tooke and hauing duely examined the men that were in her there was one found by whom wee were aduertised the Hauen to be a barred Hauen and the shore or land thereof to bee well fortified hauing a Castle thereupon furnished with great store of Artillerie without the danger whereof was no conuenient landing place within ten English miles of the Citie to which the sayd Piâ—at tooke vpon him to conduct vs. All things being thus considered on the whole forces were commaunded in the Euening to embarke themselues in Pinnesses boats and other small barkes appoynted for this seruice Our souldiers being thus imbarked the Generall put himselfe into the barke Francis as Admirall and all this night we lay on the sea bearing small saile vntill our arriuall to the landing place which was about the breaking of the day and so we landed beeing Newyeeres day nine or ten miles to the Westwards of that braue Citie of S. Domingo for at that time nor yeâ— is knowen to vs any landing place where the sea-surge doth not threaten to ouerset a Pinnesse or boate Our Generall hauing seene vs all landed in safetie returned to his Fleete bequeathing vs to God and the good conduct of Master Carliell our Lieutenant Generall at which time being about eight of the clocke we began to march and about noone time or towards one of the clocke we approched the towne where the Gentlemen and those of the better sort being some hundred and fiftie braue horses or rather more began to present themselues but our small shot played vpon them which were so susteined with good proportion of pikes in all parts as they finding no part of our troope vnprepared to receiue them for you must vnderstand they viewed all round about they were thus driuen to giue vs leaue to proceed towards the two gates of the towne which were the next to the seaward They had manned them both and planted their ordinance for that present and sudden alarme without the gate and also some troopes of small shot in Ambuscado vpon the hie way side We diuided our whole force being some thousand or twelue hundred men into two partes â—o enterprise both the gates at one instant the Lieutenant Generall hauing openly vowed to Captaine Powel who led the troope that entred the other gate that with Gods good fauour he would not rest vntill our meeting in the market place Their ordinance had no sooner discharged vpon our neere approch and made some execution amongst vs though not much but the Lieutenant generall began forthwith to aduance both his voyce of encouragement and pace of marching the first man that was slaine with the ordinance being very neere vnto himselfe and thereupon hasted all that hee might to keepe them from the recharging of the ordinance And notwithstanding their Ambuscados we marched or rather ran so roundly in to them as pell mell wee entred the gates and gaue them more care euery man to saue himselfe by flight then reason to stand any longeâ— to their broken fight Wee forthwith repayred to the market place but to be more truely vnderstood a place of very faire spacious square ground whither also came as had bene agreed Captaine Powel with the other troope which place wâ—th some part next vnto it we strengthened with Barricados and there as the most conuenient place assured our selues the Citie being farre too spacious for so small and weary a troope to vndertake to guarde Somewhat after midnight they who had the guard of the Castle hearing vs busie about the gates of the said Castle abandoned the same some being taken prisoners and some fleeing away by the helpe of boates to the other side of the Hauen and so into the countrey The next day we quartered a litle more at large but not into the halfe part of the towne and so making substantiall trenches and planting all the ordinance that ech part was correspondent to other we held this towne the space of one moneth In the which time happened some accidents more then are well remembred for the present but amongst other things it chanced that the Generall sent on his message to the Spanyards a Negro boy with a flagge of white signifying truce as is the Spanyards ordinarie maner to doe there when they approch to speake to vs which boy vnhappily was first meete withall by some of those who had bene belonging as officers for the King in the Spanish Galley which with the Towne was lately fallen into our hands who without all order or reason contrary to that good vsage wherewith wee had intertained their messengers furiously strooke the poore boy thorow the body with one of their horsemens slaues with which wound the boy returned to the General and after hee had declared the maner of this wrongfull crueltie died foorthwith in his presence wherewith the Generall being greatly passioned commaunded the Proâ—ost Martiall to cause a couple of Friers then prisoners to be caried to the same place where the boy was stroken accompanied with sufficient guard of our souldiers and there presently to be hanged dispatching at the same instant another poore prisoner with this reason wherefore this execution was done with this
message further that vntill the party who had thus murdered the Generals messenger were deliuered into our hands to receiue condigne punishment there should no day passe wherein there should not two prisoners be hanged vntil they were all consumed which were in our hands Whereupon the day following hee that had bene Captaine of the kings Galley brought the offendor to the townes ende offring to deliuer him into our hands but it was thought to be a more honourable reuenge to make them there in our sight to performe the execution themselues which was done accordingly During our being in this towne as formerly also at S. Iago there had passed iustice vpon the life of one of our owne company for an odious matter so heere likewise was there an Irishman hanged for the murthering of his Corporall In this time also passed many treaties betweene their Commissioners and vs for ransome of their Citie but vpon disagreements we still spent the early mornings in fiering the outmost houses but they being built very magnificently of stone with high lofees gaue vs no small trauell to ruine them And albeit for diuers dayes together we ordeined ech morning by day breake vntil the heat began at nine of the clocke that two hundred Mariners did nought els but labour to fire and burne the said houses without our trenches whilst the souldiers in a like proportion stood forth for their guard yet did wee not or could not in this time consume so much as one third part of the towne which towne is plainely described and set forth in a certaine Map And so in the end what wearied with firing and what hastened by some other respects wee were contented to accept of fiue and twentie thousand Ducats of fiue shillings sixe pence the peece for the ransome of the rest of the towne Amongst other things which happened and were found at S. Domingo I may not omit to let the world know one very notable marke token of the vnsatiable ambition of the Spanish king and his nation which was found in the kings house wherein the chiefe gouernour of that Citie and Countrey is appoynted alwayes to lodge which was this In the comming to the Hall or other roomes of this house you must first ascend vp by a faire large paire of staires at the head of which staires is a handsome spacious place to walke in somewhat like vnto a gallery wherein vpon one of the wals right ouer against you as you enter the said place so as your eye cannot escape the sight of it there is described painted in a very large Scutchion the armes of the king of Spaine and in the lower part of the said Scutchion there is likewise described a Globe conteining in it the whole circuit of the sea and the earth whereupon is a horse standing on his hinder part within the globe and the other fore-part without the globe lifted vp as it were to leape with a scroll painted in his mouth wherein was written these words in Latin Non sufficit orbis which is as much to say as the world sufficeth not Whereof the meaning was required to be knowen of some of those of the better sort that came in commission to treate vpon the ransome of the towne who would shake their heads and turne aside their countenance in some-smyling sort without answering any thing as greatly ashamed thereof For by some of our company it was tolde them that if the Queene of England would resolutely prosecute the warres against the king of Spaine hee should be forced to lay aside that proude and vnreasonable reaching vaine of his for hee shoulâ— finde more then inough to doe to keepe that which hee had alreadie as by the present example of their lost towne they might for a beginning perceiue well inough Now to the satisfying of some men who maruell greatly that such a famous and goodly buiâ—â—ded Citie so well inhabited of gallant people very braue in their apparell whereof our souldiers found good store for their reliefe should afoord no greater riches then was found there herein it is to be vnderstood that the Indian people which were the naturals of this whole Island of Hispaniola the same being neere hand as great as England were many yeeres since cleane consumed by the tyrannie of the Spanyards which was y â— cause that for lacke of people to worke in the Mines the golde and siluer Mines of this Island are wholy giuen euer and thereby they are â—aine in this Island to use Copper money whereof was found very great quantitie The chiefe trade of this place consisteth of Sugar and Ginger which groweth in the Island and of Hides of oxen and â—iâ—e which in this waste countrey of the Island are bredde in infinite numbers the soyle being very fertile and the sayd beasts are fedde vp to a very large grouth and so killed for nothing so much as for their Hides aforesayd Wee found heere great store of strong wine sweete oyle vinegar oliues and other such like prouisions as excellent Wheate-meale packed vp in wine-pipes and other caske and other commodities likewise as Woollen and Linnen cloth and some Silkes all which prouisions are brought out of Spaine and serued vs for great reliefe There was but a little Plate or vesell of Siluer in comparison of the great pride in other things of this towne because in these hotte Countreys they vse much of those earthen dishes finely painted or varnished which they call Porcellana which is had out of the East India for their drinking they vse glasses altogether whereof they make excellent good and faire in the same place But yet some plate we found and many other good things as their houshold garniture very gallant and rich which had cost them deare although vnto vs they were of small importance From Saint Domingo we put ouer to the maine or firme land and going all alongst the coast we came at the last in sight of Cartagena standing vpoÌ„ the sea side so neâ—re as some of our backs in passing alongst approched within the reach of their Culuâ—rin shot which they had planted vpon certaine platformes The Harbour mouth lay some three miles toward the Westward of the towne whereinto wee entred about three or foure of the clocke in the afternoone without any resistance of ordinance or other impeachment planted vpon the same In the Euening wee put our selues on land towards the harbour mouth vnder the leading of Master Carliell our Lieutenantâ— Generall who after hee had digested vs to march forwarde about midnight as easily as foote might fall expresly commanded vs to keepe close by the sea-wash of the shore for our best surest way whereby we were like to goe through and not to misse any more of the way which once wee had lost within an houre after our first beginning to march through the slender knowledge of him that tooke vpon him to be our guide where by the night spent on which
departed from them to seeke the Edward Bonauenture which arriued at Trinidad the day before from the East Indies in whose absence Berreo sent a Canoa abord the pinnesse onely with Indians and dogs inuiting the company to goe with them into the woods to kill a deare who like wise men in the absence of their Captaine followed the Indians but were no sooner one harquebuze shot from the shore but Berreos souldiers lying in ambush had them al notwithstanding that he had giuen his word to Captaine Whiddon that they should take water and wood safely the other cause of my stay was for that by discourse with the Spaniards I dayly learned more and more of Guiana of the riuers and passages and of the enterprise of Berreo by what meanes or fault he failed and how he meant to prosecute the same While wee thus spent the time I was assured by another Casique of the North side of the yland that Berreo had sent to Margarita and Cumana for souldiers meaning to haue giuen mee a cassado at parting if it had bene possible For although he had giuen order through all the yland that no Indian should come abord to trade with me vpon paine of hanging quartering hauing executed two of them for the same which I afterwards founde yet euery night there came some with most lamentable complaints of his crueltie how he had deuided the yland and giuen to euery souldier a part that hee made the ancient Casiques which were Lords of the countrey to be their slaues that he kept them in chaines and dropped their naked bodies with burning bacon and such other torments which I found afterwards to be true for in the city after I entred the same there were 5. of y e lords or litle kings which they cal Casiques in the West Indies in one chaine almost dead of famine and wasted with torments these are called in their owne language Acarewana and now of late since English French and Spanish are come among them they call themselues Capitaines because they perceiue that the chiefest of euery ship is called by that name Those fiue Capitaines in the châ—ine were called Wannawanare Carroaori Maquarima Tarroopanama and Aterima So as both to be reuenged of the former wrong as also considering that to enter Guiana by small boats to depart 400. or 500. miles from my ships and to leaue a garison in my backe interrested in the same enterprize who also dayly expected supplies out of Spaine I should haue sauoured very much of the asse and therefore taking a time of most aduantage I set vpon the Corps du guard in the euening and hauing put them to the sword sent Captaine Calfield onwards with 60. souldiers and my selfe followed with 40. more and so tooke their new City which they called S. Ioseph by breake of day they abode not any fight after a fewe shot and all being dismissed but onely Berreo and his companion I brought them with me abord and at the instance of the Indians I set their new citie of S. Ioseph on fire The same day arriued captaine George Gifford with your Lordships ship and captaine Keymis whom I lost on the coast of Spaine with the Galego and in them diuers gentlemen and others which to our little armie was a great comfort and supply We then hasted away towards our purposed discouery and first I called all the Captaines of the yland together that were enemies to the Spaniards for there were some which Berreo had brought out of other countreys and planted there to eate out and wast those that were naturall of the place and by my Indian interpreter which I caried out of England I made them vnderstand that I was the seruant of a Queene who was the great Casique of the North and a virgine and had more Casiqui vnder her then there were trees in that yland that shee was an enemie to the Castellani in respect of their tyrannie and oppression and that the deliuered all such nations about her as were by them oppressed and hauing freed all the coast of the Northren world from their seruitude had sent mee to free them also and withall to defend the countrey of Guiana from their inuasion aâ—d conquest I shewed them her Maiesties picture which they so admired and honoured as it had bene easie to haue brought them idolatrous thereof The like and a more large discourse I made to the rest of the nations boâ—h in my passing to Guiana and to those of the borders so as in that part of the world her Maiestie is very famous and admirable whom they now call Ezrabeta Cassipuna Aquerewana which is as much as Elizabeth the great princesse or greatest commander This done we left Puerto de los Espannoles and returned to Curiapan and hauing Berreo my prisoner I gathered from him as much of Guiana as hee knew This Berreo is a gentleman wel descended and had long serued the Spanish king in Millain Naples the Low countreis and elsewhere very valiant and liberall and a gentleman of great assurednes and of a great heart I vsed him according to his estate and worth in all things I could according to the small meanes I had I sent Captaine Whiddon the yeere before to get what knowledge he could of Guiana and the end of my iourney at this time was to discouer and enter the same but my intelligence was farre from trueth for the countrey is situate aboue 600. English miles further from the Sea then I was made beleeue it had bin which afterward vnderstanding to be true by Berreo I kept it from the knowledge of my company who â—lse would neuer haue bene brought to attempt the same of which 600. miles I passed 400. leauing my ships so farre from mee at ancker in the Sea which was more of desire to performe that discouery then of reason especially hauing such poore and weake vessels to transport our selues in for in the bottom of an old Galego which I caused to be fashioned like a galley and in one barge two whirries and a shipboat of the Lions whelpe we caried 100. persons and their victuals for a moneth in the same being al driuen to lie in the raine and weather in the open aire in the burning Sunne and vpon the hard bords and to dresse our meat and to cary all maner of furniture in them wherewith they were so pestered and vnsauory that what with victuals being most fish with the wette clothes of so many men thrust together and the heat of the Sunne I wâ—ll vndertake there was neuer any prison in England that could bee found more vnsauorie and lothsome especially to my selfe who had for many yeeres before bene dicted and cared for in a sort farre more differing If Captaine Preston had not bene perswaded that he should haue come too late to Trinidad to haue â—ound vs there for the moneth was â—xpired which I promised to tary for him there ere hee coulde recouer the
next day following before noone hee came to vs on foote from his house which was foureteene English miles himselfe being a hundreth and tenne yeeres olde and returned on foote the same day and with him many of the borderers with many women and children that came to wonder at our nation and to bring vs downe victuall which they did in great plentie as venison porke hennes chickens foule fish with diuers sorts of excellent fruites and rootes and great abundance of Pinas the princes of fruites that grow vnder the Sunne especially those of Guiana They brought vs also store of bread and of their wine and a sort of Paraquitos no bigger then wrennes and of all other sorts both small and great one of them gaue mee a beast called by the Spaniards Armadilla which they call Cassicam which seemeâ—h to be all barred ouer with smal plates somewhat like to a Rinoceros with a white horne growing in his hinder parts as bigge a great hunting horne which they vse to winde in stead of a trumpet Monardus writeth that a little of the powder of that horne put into the eare cureth deafenesse After this olde King had rested a while in a little tent that I caused to bee set vp I beganne by my interpreter â—o discourse with him of the death of Morequito his predecessour and afterward of the Spaniards and ere I went any farther I made him knowe the cause of my comming thither whose seruant I was and that the Queenes pleasure was I should vndertake the voyage for their defence and to deliuer them from the tyrannie of the Spaniards dilating at large as I had done before to those of Trinidad her Maiesties greatnesse her iustice her chaâ—â—teâ— to all oppressed nations with as many of the rest of her beauties and vertues as either I could expresse or they conceiue all which being with great admiration attentiuely heard and marueilously admired I beganne to sound the olde man as touching Guiana and the state thereof what sort of common wealth it was who gouerned of what strength and policie howe farre it extended and what nations were friendes or enemies adioyning and finally of the distance and way to enter the same hee tolde mee that himselfe and his people with all those downe the Riuer towards the Sea as farre as Emeria the prouince of Carapana were of Guiana but that they called themselues Orenoqueponi and that all the nations betweene the riuer and those mountaines in sight called Wacaâ—iâ—a were of the same cast and appellation and that on the other side of those mountaines of Wacatima there was a large plaine which after I discouered in my returne called the valley of Amariocapana in all that valley the people were also of the ancient Guianians I asked what nations those were which inhabited on the farther side of those mountaines beyond the valley of Amariocapana hee answered with a great sign as a man which had inward feeling of the losse of his Countrey and libertie especially for that his eldest sonne was sleine in a battell on that side of the mountaines whom hee most entirely loued that hee remembred in his fathers lifetime when hee was very olde and himselfe a yong man that there came downe into that large valley of Guiana a nation from so farre off as the Sunne slept for such were his owne wordes with so great a multitude as they coulde not bee numbred nor resisted and that they were large coates and hattes of crimson colour which colour hee expressed by shewing a piece of red wood wherewith my tent was supported and that they were called Orejones and Epuremei those that had slaine and rooted out so many of the ancient people as there were leaues in the wood vpon all the trees and had nowe made themselues Lords of all euen to that mountaine foote called Curaaâ— sauing onely of two nations the one called Awarawaqueri and the other Cassipagotos and that in the last battell fought betweene the Epuremei and the Iwarawaqueri his eldest sonne was chosen to carry to the aide of the Iwarawaqueri a great troupe of the Orenoqueponi and was there slaine with all his people and friendes and that hee had now remayning but one sonne and farther tolde mee that those Epuremei had built a great Towne called Macureguarai at the said mountaine foote at the beginning of the great plaines of Guiana which haue no ende and that their houses haue many roomes one ouer the other and that therein the great King of the Orejones and Epuremei kept three thousande men to defend the borders against them and withall dayly to inuade and slay them but that of late yeeres since the Christians offered to inuade his territories and those frontiers they were all at peace and traded one with another sauing onely the Iwarawaqueri and those other nations vpon the head of the riuer of Caroli called Cassipagotos which we afterwards discouered each one holding the Spaniard for a common enemie After hee had answered thus farre he desired leaue to depart saying that hee had farre to goe that hee was olde and weake and was euery day called for by death which was also his owne phrase I desired him to rest with vs that night but I could not intreate him but hee tolde mee that at my returne from the countrey aboue hee would againe come to vs and in the meane time prouide for vs the best he could of all that his countrey yeelded the same night hee returned to Orocotona his owne towne so as hee went that day eight and twentie miles the weather being very hot the countrey being situate betweene foure and fiue degrees of the Equinoctial This Topiawari is helde for the prowdest and wisest of all the Orenoqueponi and so hee behaued himselfe towardes mee in all his answeres at my returne as I marueiled to finde a man of that grauitie and iudgement and of so good discourse that had no helpe of learning nor breede The next morning we also left the port and sailed Westward vp to the Riuer to view the famous Riuer called Caroli as well because it was marueilous of it selfe as also for that I vnderstoode it ledde to the strongest nations of all the frontiers that were enemies to the Epuremei which are subiects to Inga Emperour of Guiana and Manoa and that night we anckered at another yland called Caiama of some fiue or sixe miles in length and the next day arriued at the mouth of Caroli When we were short of it as lowe or further downe as the port of Morequito wee heard the great rore and fall of the Riuer but when wee came to enter with our barge and whirries thinking to haue gone vp some fourtie miles to the nations of the Cassipagotos wee were not able with a barge of eight oares to row one stones cast in an houre and yet the Riuer is as broad as the Thames at Wolwich and wee tried both sides and the middle and
I know to be true Those that are desirous to discouer and to see many nations may be satisfied within this riuer which bringeth foorth so many armes and branches leading to seuerall countries and prouinces aboue 2000 miles East and West and 800 miles South and North and of these the most eyther rich in golde or in other marchandizes The common souldier shall here fight for golde and pay himselfe in steede of pence with plates of halfe a foote broad whereas he breaketh his bones in other warres for pronant and penury Those commanders and chieftaines that shoot at honour and abundance shall finde there more rich and beautifull cities more temples adorned with golden images more sepulchres filled with treasure then either Cortez found in Mexico or Piçarro in Peru and the shining glorie of this conquest will eclipse all those so farre extended beames of the Spanish nation There is no countrey which yeeldeth more pleasure to the inhabitants either for those common delights of hunting hawking fishing fowling or the rest then Guiana doth It hath so many plaines cleere riuers abundance of Phesants Partriges Quailes Railes Cranes Herons and all other fowle Deere of all sorts Porkes Hares Lions Tygers Leopards and diuers other sortes of beastes either for chase or food It hath a kind of beast called Cama or Anta as bigge as an English beefe and in great plentie To speake of the seuerall sorts of euery kind I feare would be troublesome to the Reader and therefore I will omit them and conclude that both for health good ayre pleasure and riches I am resolued it cannot bee equalled by any region either in the East or West Moreouer the countrey is so healthfull as of an hundred persons more which lay without shift most sluttishly and were euery day almost melted with heate in rowing and marching and suddenly wet againe with great showers and did eate of all sorts of corrupt fruits and made meales of fresh fish without seasoning of Tortugas of Lagartos or Crocodiles and of all sorts good and bad without either order or measure and besides lodged in the open aire euery night we lost not any one nor had one ill disposed to my knowledge nor found any Calentura or other of those pestilent discases which dwell in all hot regions and so neere the Equinoctiall line Where there is store of gold it is in effect needlesse to remember other commodities for trade but it hath towards the South part of the riuer great quantities of Brasil-wood and diuerse berries that die a most perfect crimson and carnation And for painting all France Italy or the East Indies yeelde none such For the more the skin is washed the fairer the colour appeareth and with which euen those browne and tawnie women spot themselues and colour their cheekes All places yeeld abundance of cotton of silke of balsamum and of those kindes most excellent and neuer knowen in Europe of all sortes of gummes of Indian pepper and what else the countries may afford within the land we knowe not neither had we time to abide the triall and search The soile besides is so excellent and so full of riuers as it will carrie sugar ginger and all those other commodities which the West Indies haue The nauigation is short for it may be sayled with an ordinarie winde in sixe weekes and in the like time backe againe and by the way neither lee shore enemies coast rockes nor sandes all which in the voyages to the West Indies and all other places we are subiect vnto as the chanell of Bahama comming from the West Indies cannot well be passed in the Winter when it is at the best it is a perilous and a fearefull place The rest of the Indies for calmes and diseases very troublesome and the sea about the Bermudas a hellish sea for thunder lightning and stormes This very yeere there were seuenteene sayle of Spanish ships lost in the chanell of Bahama and the great Philip like to haue sunke at the Bermudas was put backe to Saint Iuan de Puerto rico And so it falleth out in that Nauigation euery yeere for the most part which in this voyage are not to be feared for the rune of yeere to leaue England is best in Iuly and the Summer in Guiana is in October Nouember December Ianuarie Februarie and March and then the ships may depart thence in Aprill and so returne againe into England in Iune so as they shall neuer be subiect to Winter-weather either comming going or staying there which for my part I take to be one of the greatest comforts and incouragements that can be thought on hauing as I haue done casted in this voyage by the West Indies so many calmes so much heat such outragious gustes foule weather and contrarie windes To conclude Guiana is a countrey that hath yet her maydenhead neuer sackt turned nor wrought the face of the earth hath not bene torne nor the vertue and salt of the soyle spent by manurance the graues haue not bene opened for golde the mines not broken with sledges nor their Images puld downe out of their temples It hath neuer bene entered by any armie of strength and neuer conquered or possessed by any christian Prince It is besides so defensible that if two forts be builded in one of the Prouinces which I haue seene the flood setteth in so neere the banke where the channell also lyeth that no ship can passe vp but within a Pikes length of the artillerie first of the one and afterwards of the other Which two Forts will be a sufficient guarde both to the Empire of Inga and to an hundred other seueral kingdomes lying within the said riuer euen to the citie of Quito in Peru. There is therefore great difference betweene the easinesse of the conquest of Guiana and the defence of it being conquered and the West or East Indies Guiana hath but one entrance by the sea if it hath that for any vessels of burden so as whosoeuer shall first possesse it it shall be found vnaccessible for any enemie except he come in Wherries Barges or Canoas or else in flat bottomed boates and if he doe offer to enter it in that manner the woods are so thicke two hundred miles together vpon the riuers of such entrance as a mouse cannot sit in a boat vnhit from the banke By lande it is more impossible to approch for it hath the strongest situation of any region vnder the sunne and is so enuironed with impassable mountaines on euery side as it is impossible to victuall any company in the passage which hath bene well prooued by the Spanish nation who since the conquest of Peru haue neuer left fiue yeeres free from attempting this Empire or discouering some way into it and yet of three and twentie seuerall Gentlemen Knights and Noblemen there was neuer any that knewe which way to leade an army by land or to conduct shippes by sea any
The solid world and made it fall before them Built all their braue attempts on weaker grounds And lesse perswasiue likelihoods then this Nor was there euer princely Fount so long Powr'd forth a sea of Rule with so free course And such ascending Maiestie as you Then be not like a rough and violent wind That in the morning rends the Forrests downe Shoues vp the seas to heauen makes earth to tremble And toombes his wastfull brauery in the Euen But as a riuer from a mountaine running The further he extends the greater growes And by his thriftie race strengthens his streame Euen to ioyne battell with th' imperious sea Disdayning his repulse and in despight Of his proud furie mixeth with his maine Taking on him his titles and commandes So let thy soueraigne Empire be encreast And with Iberian Neptune part the stake Whose Trident he the triple world would make You then that would be wise in Wisdomes spight Directing with discredite of direction And hunt for honour hunting him to death With whom before you will inherite gold You will loose golde for which you loose your soules You that chuse nought for right but certaintie And feare that valour will get onely blowes Placing your faith in Incredulitie Sit till you see a wonder Vertue rich Till Honour hauing golde rob golde of honour Till as men hate desert that getteth nought They loath all getting that deserues not ought And vse you gold-made men as dregges of men And till your poysoned soules like Spiders lurking In sluttish chinckes in mystes of Cobwebs hide Your foggie bodies and your dunghill pride O Incredulitie the wit of Fooles â—hat slouenly will spit on all things faire The Cowards castle and the Sluggards cradle How easie t' is to be an Infidel But you Patrician Spirites that refine Youâ— flesh to fire and issue like a flame On braue indeuours knowing that in them The tract of heauen in morne-like glory opens That know you cannot be the Kings of earth Claiming the Rights of your creation And let the Mynes of earth be Kings of you That are so farre from doubting likely drifts That in things hardest y' are most confident You that know death liues where power liues vâ—usde Ioying to shine in waues that burie you And so make way for life euen through your graues That will not be content like horse to hold A thread-bare beaten way to home affaires But where the sea in enuie of your reigne Closeth her wombe as fast as t' is disclosde That she like Auarice might swallow all And let none find right passage through her rage There your wise soules as swift as Eurus lead Your Bodies through to profit and renowne And skorne to let your bodies choke your soules In the rude breath and prisoned life of beastes You that herein renounce the course of earth And lift your eyes for guidance to the starres That liue not for your selues but to possesse Your honour'd countrey of a generall store In pitie of the spoyle rude selfe-loue makes Of them whose liues and yours one ayre doth feede One soile doeth nourish and one strength combine You that are blest with sence of all things noble In this attempt your compleat woorthes redouble But how is Nature at her heart corrupted I meane euen in her most ennobled birth How in excesse of Sence is Sence bereft her That her most lightening-like effects of lust Wound through her flesh her soule her flesh vnwounded And she must neede incitements to her good Euen from that part she hurtes O how most like Art thou heroike Autor of this Act To this wrong'd soule of Nature that sustainst Paine charge and perill for thy countreys good And she much like a bodie numb'd with surfeits Feeles not thy gentle applications For the health vse and honour of her powers Yet shall my verse through all her ease-lockt eares Trumpet the Noblesse of thy high intent And if it cannot into act proceed The fault and bitter penance of the fault Make red some others eyes with penitence For thine are cleare and what more nimble spirits Apter to byte at such vnhooked baytes Gaine by our losse that must we needs confesse Thy princely valure would haue purchast vs. Which shall be fame eternall to thy name Though thy contentment in thy graue desires Of our aduancement faile deseru'd effect O how I feare thy glory which I loue Least it should dearely grow by our decrease Natures that sticke in golden-graueld springs In mucke-pits cannot scape their swallowings But we shall foorth I know Golde is our Fate Which all our actes doth fashion and create Then in the Thespiads bright Propheticke Fount Me thinkes I see our Liege rise from her throne Her eares and thoughts in steepe amaze erected At thâ— most rare endeuour of her power And now she blesseth with her woonted Graces Th' industrious Knight the soule of this exploit Dismissing him to conuoy of his starres And now for loue and honour of his woorth Our twise-borne Nobles bring him Bridegroom-like That is espousde for vertue to his loue With feasts and musicke rauishing the aire To his Argolian Fleet where round about His bating Colours English valure swarmeâ— In haste as iâ— Guianian Orenoque With his Fell waters fell vpon our shore And now a wind as forward as their spirits Sets their glad feet on smooth Guianas breast Where as if ech man were an Orpheus A world of Sauages fall tame before them Storing their theft-free treasuries with golde And there doth plentie crowne their wealthie fields There Learning eates no more his thriftlesse bookes Nor Valure Estridge-like his yron armes There Beautie is no strumpet for her wants Nor Gallique humours puâ—rifie her blood But all our Youth take Hymens lights in hand And fill eche roofe with honor'd progenie There makes Societie Adamantine chaines And ioyns their hearts with wealth whom wealth disioin'dâ— There healthfull Recreations strow their meades And make their mansions daunce with neighbourhood That here were drown'd in churlish Auarice And there do Pallaces and temples rise Out of the earth and kisâ—e th' enamored skies Where new Britannia humblie kneeles to heauen The world to her and both at her blest feet In whom the Circles of all Empire meete G. C. Ad Thomam Hariotum Matheseos vniuersae Philosophiae peririssimum de Guiana Carmen Dat. Anno. 1595. MOntibus est Regio quasi muris obsita mulâ—â—s Circumsepit aquis quos Raleana suis. Intus habet largos Guaiana recessus hostili gestans libera colla iugo Hispanus cliuis illis sudauit alsit septem annos nouies nec tamen inualuit Numenâ— omen inest numeris Fatale sit illi Et nobis virtus sit recidiua precor Gualtero patefacta via est duce auspice Ralegh Mense vno ó factum hoc nomine quo celebrem Nocte dieque datis velisâ— remisque laborans Exegit summae dexteritatis opus Scilicet expensis magnis non ille pepercit Communi natus
and thunder wee lost the Canter which we called the Christopher but the eleuenth day after by our Generals great care in dispersing his ships we found her againe and the place where we met our Generall called the Cape of Ioy where euery ship tooke in some water Heere we found a good temperature and sweete ayre a very faire and pleasant countrey with an exceeding fruitfull soyle where were great sâ—ore of large and mightie Deere but we came not to the sight of any people but traueiling further into the countrey we perceiued the footing of people in the clay-ground shewing that they were men of great stature Being returned to our ships we wayed anchor and ranne somewhat further and harboured our selues betweene a rocke and the maine where by meanes of the rocke that brake the force of the sea we rid very safe and vpon this rocke we killed for our prouision certaine sea-wolues commonly called with vs Seales From hence we went our course to 36. degrees and entred the great riuer of Plate and ranne into 54. and 53. fadomes and a halfe of fresh water where wee filled our water by the ships side but our Generall finding here no good harborough as he thought he should bare out againe to sea the 27. of April and in bearing out we lost sight of our Flieboate wherein master Doughtie was but we sayling along found a fayre and reasonable good Bay wherein were many and the same profitable Islands one whereof had so many Seales as would at the least haue laden all our Shippes and the rest of the Islands are as it were laden with foules which is wonderfull to see and they of diuers sortes It is a place very plentifull of victuals and hath in it no want of fresh water Our Generall after certaine dayes of his abode in this place being on shore in an Island the people of the countrey shewed themselues vnto him leaping and dauncing and entred into traffique with him but they would not receiue any thing at any mans hands but the same must bee cast vpon the ground They are of cleane comely and strong bodies swift on foote and seeme to be very actiue The eighteenth day of May our Generall thought it needfull to haue a care of such Ships as were absent and therefore indeuouring to seeke the Flieboate wherein master Doughtie was we espied her againe the next day and where as certaine of our ships were sent to discouer the câ—â—ast and to search an harbour the Mary gold and the Canter being implâ—yed in that businesse came vnto vs and gaue vs vnderstanding of a safe harbour that they had found wherewith all our ships bare and entred it where we watered and made new prouision of victuals as by Seales whereof we slew to the number of 200. or 300. in the space of an houre Here our Generall in the Admirall rid close aboord the Flie-boate and tooke out of her all the prouision of victuals and what els was in her and halling her to the Lande set fire to her and so burnt her to saue the iron worke which being a doing there came downe of the countrey certaine of the people naked sauing only about their waste the skinne of some beast with the furre or haâ—re on and something also wreathed on their heads their faces were painted with diuers colours and some of them had on their heads the similitude of hornes euery man his bow which was an ell in length and a couple of arrowes They were very agill people and quicke to deliuer and seemed not to be ignorant in the feates of warres as by their order of ranging a few men might appeare These people would not of a long time receiue any thing at our handes yet at length our Generall being ashore and they dauncing after their accustomed maner about him and hee once turning his backe towards them one leapt suddenly to him and tooke his cap with his golde band off his head and ran a litle distance from him and shared it with his fellow the cap to the one and the band to the other Hauing dispatched all our businesse in this place wee departed and set sayle and immediatly vpon our setting foorth we lost our Canter which was absent three or foure dayes but when our General had her againe he tooke out the necessaries and so gaue her ouer neere to the Cape of Good hope The next day after being the twentieth of Iune wee harboured our selues againe in a very good harborough called by Magellan Port S. Iulian where we found a gibbet standing vpon the maine which we supposed to be the place where Magellan did execution vpon some of his disobedient and rebellious company The two and twentieth day our Generall went ashore to the maine and in his companie Iohn Thomas and Robert Winterhie Oliuer the Master gunner Iohn Brewer Thomas Hoâ—d and Thomas Drake and entring on land they presently met with two or three of the countrey people and Robert Winterhie hauing in his hands a bowe and arrowes went about to make a shoote of pleasure and in his draught his bowstring brake which the rude Sauages taking as a token of warre began to bend the force of their bowes against our company and droue them to their shifts very narrowly In this Port our Generall began to enquire diligently of the actions of M. Thomas Doughtie and found them not to be such as he looked for but tending rather to contention or mutinâ—e or some other disorder whereby without redresse the successe of the voyage might greâ—â—ly haue bene hazarded whereupon the company was called together and made acquainted with the particulars of the cause which were found partly by master Doughties owne confession and partly by the euidence of the fact to be true which when our Generall saw although his priuate affection to M. Doughtie as hee then in the presence of vs all sacredly protested was great yet the care he had of the state of the voyage of the expectation of her Maiestie and of the honour of his countrey did more touch him as indeede it ought then the priuate respect of one man so that the cause being throughly heard and all things done in good order as neere as might be to the course of our lawes in England it was concluded that M. Doughtie should receiue punishment according to the qualitie of the offence and he seeing no remedie but patience for himselfe desired before his death to receiue the Communion which he did at the hands of M. Fletcher our Minister and our Generall himselfe accompanied him in that holy action which being done and the place of execution made ready hee hauing embraced our Generall and taken his leaue of all the companie with prayer for the Queenes maiestie and our realme in quiet sort laid his head to the blocke where he ended his life This being done our Generall made diuers speaches to the whole company perswading
is all mountainous till you come to the I le of Santa Catelina and from this Iland till you come euen to the straights of Magellan the coast is very plaine and without woods Hauing proceeded thus farre it will not be amisse to speake somewhat of the riuer of Plate which is one of the greatest riuers in all the world for at the mouth it is aboue fiue and twentie leagues from land to land and the Spaniards haue gone vp in it aboue sixe hundred leagues and could not attaine to the head thereof The first Spaniard that entered this riuer and inhabited the same was called Solis who passed vp 100 leagues into it and called it by the name of Rio de la Plata that is to say The riuer of siluer because of the fine and cleare water that is in it for I haue not heard of any siluer that euer was found there The saide Solis returned into Spaine without any further search into this riuer howbeit another Captaine called Sebastian Cabota went vp this riuer 150 leagues and built a fort which fort standeth vntill this present where leauing his ships he went higher vp the riuer in smal Pinnesses and all along as he went he found many Indians but finding neither gold nor siluer nor ought â—lse of any great value he returned to his ships and sayled for Spaine Not many yeeres after a certaine Gentleman called Don Pedro de Mendoça furniâ—hed forth a great fleete of ships wherein were shipped a thousand men fortie mares and twentie horses with all other creatures to inhabite this riuer and comming thither he went vp into the countrey to see what riches he could there finde leauing all his stuffe cattle and prouision at a place called Buenos Ayeres so named in regard of the freshnesse of the ayre and the healthfulnesse of his menâ— during their abode there this place was rightie leagues within the riuer and here he landed â—iâ—st at this place the riuer is aboue seuen leagues broad and very low land on both sides without trees This riuer is very often subiect to great and sudden stormes so that with a storme this Don Pedro lost eight of his ships and in the rest he returned for Spaine saying to his men that he would goe seeke victuals and so left the greater part of them behinde In his way hâ—mâ—ward he died and the poore men which he left behind him for the most part of them died for hunger also because in that place there were very few Indians and therefore but smâ—ll store of victuals onely they liued by hunting of Deere and by fishing Of all the men that Don Pedro left bâ—hind him there were but two hundred remaining aliue who in the ship-boates went higher vp the riuer leauing in the place called Buenos Ayeres their mares and horses but it is a wonder to see that of thirty mares and seuen horses which the Spaniards left there the increase in fortie yeeres was so great that the countrey is 20 leagues vp sull of horses whereby a man may coniecture the goodnesse of the pasture and the fruitfulnesse of the soile The Spaniards that went vp this riuer passed three hundred leagues and found the countrey ful of Indians who had great plenty of victuals among whom the Spaniards dwelt as their friends and the Indians bestowed their daughters in mariage vpon them and so they dwelt altogether in one towne which the Spaniards called La Ascension and it standeth on the Northside of the riuer The foresaid Spaniardes were twentie yeres in this place before any newes of their inhabiting vpon this riuer was brought into Spaine but waxing olde and fearing that when they were dead their sons which they had begotten in this countrey being very many should liue without the knowledge of any other Christians they determined among themselues to build a ship and to sende newes into Spaine with letters vnto the king of all things that had passed among them vpon that riuer These newes being brought to the king he sent three ships with a Bishop and certaine Priests and Friers and more men and women to inhabite with all kind of cattell when this succour was come they inhabited in two places more on the Nâ—rth side of the riuer and trauelled three hundred leagues beyond the Ascension but finding neither gold nor siluer they returned backe againe vnto the Ascension The people are so multiplyed in this citie that now it is one of the greatest in all the Indias and containeth aboue two thousand houses The countrey adioyning is exceeding fruitfull abounding with all kinds of victuals with sugar and cotton From this citie of Ascension 150 leagues towards the mouth of the riuer standeth another towne which they call Santa Fe on the South side of the said riuer from which towne there lyeth an open high way lading into the land of Peru so that when I come to intreat of Peru I wil speake of this way and declare who first found it Also fiue yeeres past they haue inhabited anew the towne of Buenos Ayrâ—s on the South side of the riuer to the end they might haue trade from the coast of Brasill but their fortune was such that the very first time they went to Brasill and would haue returned againe to the riuer of Plate they were taken by two ships of England that were going for the streights of Magellan The coast along from this riuer to the streights of Magellan hath not bene perfectly discouered either by sea or lande sauing onely certaine portes which they haue found sayling to the streights Wherefore passing them ouer I will here intreat of the saide streights and declare who was the first finder of them as likewise what was the cause why they were sought for The Portugales therefore hauing first found and conquered the East Indies and discouered the coast of China with the Ilands of the Malucos all which places abound with gold precious stones silkes and other rich commodities and bringing home the foresaide riches in their ships into Portugall there grewe by this meanes great enuie betweene the Portugales and their neighbours the Spaniardes insomuch that the Councell of Spaine saide vnto the Emperour Chaâ—les the fift being then their king that the Portugales would be Lordes of all the riches of the world Upon which words beganne a controuersie betweene the Emperour and the king of Portugall but they being great friends before and also kinsmen agreed immediatly to part the whole world betweene them in such wise as I for my part could neuer vnderstand the certaintie thereof The world being thus diuided a Portugal-gentleman called Fernando Magellanes borne in a place of Portugall called Punta de la barte being of a good house very wel scene in cosmographie and an excellent Pilot as also being offended with Don Emanuel his Souereigne departed out of Portugall into Spaine and affirmed to the Councell of Spaine that the Isles of the