Selected quad for the lemma: day_n
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A52852
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The Isle of Pines, or, A late discovery of a fourth island near Terra Australis Incognita by Henry Cornelius van Sloetten.
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Neville, Henry, 1620-1694.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing N506; ESTC R27644
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20,690
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34
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hath but few good Harbours belonging to it the Rocks in most places making it inaccessible The length of it may be about two hundred and breadth one hundred miles the whole in circumference about five hundred miles It lyeth about seventy six degrees of Longitude and twenty of Latitude being scituate under the third Climate the longest day being about thirteen hours and fourty five minutes The weather as in all Southern Countries is far more hot than with us in Europe but what is by the Sun parched in the day the night again refreshes with cool pearly dews The Air is found to be very healthful by the long lives of the present inhabitants few dying there till such time as they come to good years of maturity many of them arriving to the extremity of old age And now speaking concerning the length of their Lives I think it will not be amisse in this place to speak something of their Burials which they used to do thus When the party was dead they stuck his Carkass all over with flowers and after carried him to the place appointed for Burial where setting him down the Priest having given some godly Exhortations concerning the frailty of life then do they take stones a heap being provided there for that purpose and the nearest of the kin begins to lay the first stone upon him afterwards the rest follows they never leaving till they have covered the body deep in stones so that no Beast can possibly come to him and this shift were they forced to make having no Spades or Shovels wherewith to dig them Graves which want of theirs we espying bestowed a Pick-ax and two Shovels upon them Here might I add their way of Christening Children but that being little different from yours in ENGLAND and taught them by GEOGE PINES at first which they have since continued I shall therefore forbear to speak thereof After our return back from the discovery of the Countrey the Wind not being fit for our purpose and our men also willing thereto we got all our cutting Instruments on Land and fell to hewing down of Trees with which in a little time many hands making light work we built up a Pallace for this William Pines the Lord of that Countrey which though much inferiour to the houses of your Gentry in England Yet to them which never had seen better it appeared a very Lordly Place This deed of ours was beyond expression acceptable unto him loading us with thanks for so great a benefit of which he said he should never be able to make a requital And now acquainting him that upon the first opportunity we were resolved to leave the Island as also how that we were near Neighbours to the Countrey of England from whence his Ancestors came he seemed upon the news to be much discontented that we would leave him desiring if it might stand with our commodity to continue still with him but seeing he could not prevail he invited us to dine with him the next day which we promised to do against which time he provided very sumptuously according to his estate for us and now was he attended after a more Royal manner then ever we saw him before both for number of Servants and multiplicity of Meat on which we fed very heartily but he having no other Beverage for us to drink then water we fetched from our Ship a Case of Brandy presenting some of it to him to drink but when he had tasted of it he would by no means be perswaded to touch thereof again preferring as he said his own Countrey Water before all such Liquors whatsoever After we had Dined we were invited out into the Fields to behold their Country Dauncing which they did with great agility of body and though they had no other then only Vocal Musick several of them singing all that while yet did they trip it very neatly giving sufficient satisfaction to all that beheld them The next day we invited the Prince William Pines aboard our Ship where was nothing wanting in what we could to entertain him he had about a dozen of Servants to attend on him he much admired at the Tacklings of our Ship but when we came to discharge a piece or two of Ordnance it struck him into a wonder and amazement to behold the strange effects of Powder he was very sparing in his Diet neither could he or any of his followers be induced to drink any thing but Water We there presented him with several things as much as we could spare which we thought would any wayes conduce to their benefit all which he very gratefully received assuring us of his real love and good will whensoever we should come thither again And now we intended the next day to take our leaves the Wind standing fair blowing with a gentle Gale South and by East but as we were hoising of our Sails and weighing Anchor we were suddenly Allarm'd with a noise from the shore the Prince W. Pines imploring our assistance in an Insurrection which had happened amongst them of which this was the cause Henry Phil the chief Ruler of the Tribe or Family of the Phils being the Off-spring of George Pines which he had by the Negro-woman this man had ravished the Wife of one of the principal of the Family of the Trevors which act being made known the Trevors assembled themselvesa lltogether to bring the offender unto Justice But he knowing his crime to be so great as extended to the loss of life sought to defend that by force which he had as unlawfully committed whereupon the whole Island was in a great hurly burly they being too great Potent Factions the bandying of which against each other threatned a general ruin to the whole State The Governour William Pines had interposed in the matter but found his Authority too weak to repress such Disorders for where the Hedge of Government is once broken down the most vile bear the greatest rule whereupon he desir'd our assistance to which we readily condescended and arming out twelve of us went on Shore rather as to a surprize then fight for what could nakednss do to encounter with Arms. Being conducted by him to the force of our Enemy we first entered into parley seeking to gain them rather by fair means then foâ—ce but that not prevailing we were necessitated to use violence for this Henry Phill being of an undaunted resolution and having armed his fellows with Clubs and Stones they sent such a Peal amongst us as made us at the first to give back which encouraged them to follow us on with great violence but we discharging off three or four Guns when they saw some of themselves wounded and heard the terrible reports which they gave they ran away with greater speed then they came The Band of the Trevors who were joyned with us hotly pursued them and having taken their Captain returned with great triumph to their Governour who sitting in Judgment upon him he was