that there had bin a generall determination to haue shut vp hatches and commending our sinfull soules to God committed the Shippe to the mercy of the Sea surely that night we must haue done it and that night had we then perished but see the goodnesse and sweet introduction of better hope by our mercifull God giuen vnto vs. Sir George Summers when no man dreamed of such happinesse had discouered and cried Land Indeede the morning now three quarters spent had wonne a little cleerenesse from the dayes before and it being better surueyed the very trees were seene to moue with the winde vpon the shoare side whereupon our Gouernour commanded the Helme-man to beare vp the Boateswaine sounding at the first found it thirteene fathome when we stood a little in seuen fatham and presently heauing his lead the third time had ground at foure fathome and by this we had got her within a mile vnder the South-east point of the land where we had somewhat smooth water But hauing no hope to saue her by comming to an anker in the same we were inforced to runne her ashoare as neere the land as we could which brought vs within three quarters of a mile of shoare and by the mercy of God vnto vs making out our Boates we had ere night brought all our men women and children about the number of one hundred and fifty safe into the Iland We found it to be the dangerous and dreaded Iland or rather Ilands of the Bermuda whereof let mee giue your Ladyship a briefe description before I proceed to my narration And that the rather because they be so terrible to all that euer touched on them and such tempests thunders and other fearefull obiects are seene and heard about them that they be called commonly The Deuils Ilands and are feared and auoyded of all sea trauellers aliue aboue any other place in the world Yet it pleased our mercifull God to make euen this hideous and hated place both the place of our safetie and meanes of our deliuerance And hereby also I hope to deliuer the world from a foule and generall errour it being counted of most that they can be no habitation for Men but rather giuen ouer to Deuils and wicked Spirits whereas indeed wee find them now by experience to bee as habitable and commodious as most Countries of the same climate and situation insomuch as if the entrance into them were as easie as the place it selfe is contenting it had long ere this beene inhabited as well as other Ilands Thus shall we make it appeare That Truth is the daughter of Time and that men ought not to deny euery thing which is not subiect to their owne sense The Bermudas bee broken Ilands fiue hundred of them in manner of an Archipelagus at least if you may call them all Ilands that lie how little soeuer into the Sea and by themselues of small compasse some larger yet then other as time and the Sea hath wonne from them and eaten his passage through and all now lying in the figure of a Croissant within the circuit of sixe or seuen leagues at the most albeit at first it is said of them that they were thirteene or fourteene leagues and more in longitude as I haue heard For no greater distance is it from the Northwest Point to Gates his Bay as by this Map your Ladyship may see in which Sir George Summers who coasted in his Boat about them all tooke great care to expresse the same exactly and full and made his draught perfect for all good occasions and the benefit of such who either in distresse might be brought vpon them or make saile this way It should seeme by the testimony of Gonzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus in his Booke intituled The Summary or Abridgement of his generall History of the West Indies written to the Emperor Charles the Fift that they haue beene indeed of greater compasse and I easily beleeue it then they are now who thus saith In the yeere 1515. when I came first to informe your Maiesty of the state of the things in India and was the yeere following in Flanders in the time of your most fortunate successe in these your kingdomes of Aragony and Casteel whereas at that voyage I sayled aboue the Iland Bermudas otherwise called Gorza being the farthest of all the Ilands that are yet found at this day in the world and arriuing there at the depth of eight yards of water and distant from the Land as farre as the shot of a Peece of Ordnance I determined to send some of the ship to Land as well to make search of such things as were there as also to leaue in the Iland certaine Hogges for increase but the time not seruing my purpose by reason of contrary winde I could bring my Ships no neerer the Iland being twelue leagues in length and sixteene in breadth and about thirtie in circuit lying in the thirtie three degrees of the North side Thus farre hee True it is the maine Iland or greatest of them now may bee some sixteene miles in length East North-east and West south-South-west the longest part of it standing in thirtie two degrees and twentie minutes in which is a great Bay on the North side in the North-west end and many broken Ilands in that Sound or Bay and a little round Iland at the south-South-west end As occasions were offered so we gaue titles and names to certaine places These Ilands are often afflicted and rent with tempests great strokes of thunder lightning and raine in the extreamity of violence which and it may well bee hath so sundred and torne downe the Rockes and whurried whole quarters of Ilands into the maine Sea some sixe some seuen leagues and is like in time to swallow them all so as euen in that distance from the shoare there is no small danger of them and with them of the stormes continually raging from them which once in the full and change commonly of euery Moone Winter or Summer keepe their vnchangeable round and rather thunder then blow from euery corner about them sometimes fortie eight houres together especially if the circle which the Philosophers call Halo were in our being there seene about the Moone at any season which bow indeed appeared there often and would bee of a mightie compasse and breadth I haue not obserued it any where one quarter so great especially about the twentieth of March I saw the greatest when followed vpon the eues eue of the Annuntiation of our Ladie the mightiest blast of lightning and most terrible rap of thunder that euer astonied mortall men I thinke In August September and vntill the end of October wee had very hot and pleasant weather onely as I say thunder lightning and many scattering showers of Raine which would passe swiftly ouer and yet fall with such force and darknesse for the time as if it would neuer bee cleere againe wee wanted not any and of raine more in
his Lordship would passe ouer into the Mayne For without him I had no great desire and indeed I should haue beene quickly missed seeing it pleased his Honor to vse mee in the dispatch of all things which were to be done by warrant or direction vnder his hand So that whatsoeuer I shall say here I must be content to report vpon the report of others and I will not tell you any thing which mee thought my selfe did not first see reason to beleeue The plat and figure of the Iland is a square altera parte longius the length exceeding the breadth neere the proportion of seuen to foure for it is told me to be sixe and thirtie leagues long and twentie leagues broad bearing it selfe out from end to end neere in the same distance It lyeth East and West at the West end the two corners doe so jut out that they make a goodly Bay betwixt them but yet not so profitable because a goodly Riuer which would gladly disburden it selfe into the Bay is choaked with sands which the Sea casteth vp into the mouth of the Riuer which being nauigable a good way vp into the Land is within a stones cast of losing his old name and being called the Sea made shallow and vnfit for the receit of Vessels of burthen There are indeed in the same Bay other lesser Riuerets whereat Passengers vse to take in fresh water as Sir Francis Drake did after hee was beaten from the Citie of Puerto Rico and put forth thence to Nombre de Dios. Vpon this part of the Iland which is commonly called La Aquada in English The watering place the greatest Commander and of largest possessions is or of late hath beene one Chereno whose proper land is thought to containe in compasse and circuit neere the quantitie of ten leagues The other end the Easterly end is knowne by the name of La cabeça de San Iuan in English Saint Iohns head The Citie of Puerto Rico is his right side or arme and the South side about the Countrie of Choama whither the Bishop at our comming had carried himselfe will be answerable to the left side or left arme as being lesse fit for action and his feet is the watering place The most famous Riuers of this Iland are Toa and Baiamond the rather because they runne into the Harbour of the Citie of Puerto Rico whereof Toa is by much the greater and falleth more with the West of the Towne This Riuer riseth out of a Mountaine called Guiamo being on the South side of the mayne Iland some fifteene or sixteene leagues from Ricoâ—o â—o the Eastward from Guiamo it runneth North in one streame till it come to another Mountaine called Cawas and though in this way it receiue many Riuerets into it yet it cannot bee said either to lose or retaine his name for thus farre it is not knowne certainly what name it had as they say but here parteth it selfe into two streames the one whereof runneth Northerly to Luisa a Towne not great but somewhat fortified standing some sixe leagues to the Eastward of Puerto Rico. Whether the Towne doe giue or take his name of this arme of the Riuer it is vnknowne But well knowne it is that they haue both one name The other streame being once diuorced from Luisa runneth North North-west and falleth into the Harbour of Puerto Rico where it is called Toa Baiamond riseth betwixt the parting of Toa and Luisa and runneth a Northerly but more Easterly course withall till it mingleth it selfe with salt water on the South-west side of Puerto Rico. The Iland is watered with very many other Riuers and Riuerets and Springs without number or names but those that giue or take names of the Villages and Townes which stand vpon them for the most part runne Northerly For besides Guiamo which riseth in the Countrie of Coama and runneth into the Southerly Sea and the Riuer whereon Saint German which also is called Salamanca and Guadianilla is situate towards the West end of the Iland neere to Cape Roxo all the other of name runne to the leeward of the Iland and fall into the Northerly Sea As first and next to Puerto Rico to the Westward the Riuer and Towne of Saâ—uco next to it Guiamo then the Recibo twixt which and the Laguada is another whose name I could not learne The Laguada whereof I spake before and which giueth name to the Westerly end of the Iland where Sir Francis Drake as I said watered is next vnto the choaked Bay before mentioned in which Bay at the North-west Point is the Gawaraba which the Seas violence hath made something vnprofitable for nauigation so that the passage to Saint Domingo and the other leeward parts of the West Indies are most ordinarily from the Laguada if they of the Westerly part of the Iland haue any businesse that way For as Saint Germans or Salamanca though I haue heard it to be a Harbour and a Sea-faring Towne yet I am told so much to the contrarie as makes me doubt of the former report though I dare not absolutely assent to this later though a Spaniard of good vnderstanding told it me Now in euery one of these Riuers which I haue named is there gold found ordinarily before it be sought And I know it to bee true when the Spaniards perceiued by his Lordships manner of leauing the Citie of Puerto Rico that hee went not away without purpose to returne one of them told his Honor in plaine termes that he could not thrust his spade into any of these named Riuers and many other besides these but hee should finde gold This certainly is true and I haue seene the experience that some of the grauell of one of these Riuers being brought to his Lordship because it looked rich when triall was made onely by washing away the sand and grauell there was cornes of very good gold found in it and that for the quantitie and proportion in great measure Where because we are againe fallen into this argument I will report vnto you a certaine truth whereby the richnesse of the mynes in Puerto Rico may be esteemed One Ioancho de Luyando a Mint-master in this Iland dwelling in the Guadianilla neere to Saint Germans or at the least hauing workes there tooke a bullion or masse of gold so pure as it needed no further triall that being sent to the King it was found worth three thousand and fiue hundreth Duckets and diuers times he found such plates that onely splitting them he made himselfe trenchers of gold to eate his meat on This man may bee judged to haue beene of no great either wit or care for it is certainly reported that oftentimes meeting his owne slaues comming out of the Countrie to his house in Puerto Rico with store of gold hee did not know them to be his owne till themselues told him so and yet this man dyed so very rich that he left euery of his
Cape is well neere a mile broad and lieth North-east by East The Captaine went here ashoare and found the ground to be full of Pease Strawberies Hurtberies c. as then vnripe the sand also by the shoare somewhat deepe the fire-wood there by vs taken in was of Cypresse Birch Wich-hazell and Beech. A young Indian came here to the Captaine armed with his Bow and Arrowes and had certaine plates of Copper hanging at his Eares hee shewed a willingnesse to helpe vs in our occasions The sixteenth we trended the Coast Southerly which was all champaine and full of grasse but the Ilands somewhat wooddie Twelue leagues from Cape Cod we descried a point with some breach a good distance off and keeping our losse to double it wee came on the sudden into shoale water yet well quitted our selues thereof This breach wee called Tuckers Terror vpon his expressed feare The Point we named Point Care hauing passed it wee bore vp againe with the Land and in the night came with it anchoring in eight fadome the ground good The seuenteenth appeared many breaches round about vs so as wee continued that day without remooue The eighteenth being faire we sent forth the Boat to sound ouer a Breach that in our course lay of another Point by vs called Gilberts Point who returned vs foure fiue sixe and seuen fadome ouer Also a Discouery of diuers Ilands which after prooued to bee Hils and Hummocks distinct within the Land This day there came vnto the ships side diuers Canoas the Indians apparelled as aforesaid with Tobacco and Pipes steeled with Copper Skins artificiall strings and other trifles to barter one had hanging about his necke a plate of â—â—ch Copper in length a foot in breadth halfe a foot for a brest-plate the Eares of all the rest had Pendants of Copper Also one of them had his face ouer painted and his head stucke with feathers in manner of a Turkey Cocks traine These are more timerous then those of the Sauâ—ge Rocke yet very theeuish The nineteenth we passed ouer the breach of Gilberts Point in foure or fiue fadome and anchored a league or somewhat more beyond it betweene the last two Points are two leagues the interim along shoale water the latitude here is 41. degrees two third parts The twentieth by the ships side we there killed Pengwins and saw many sculs of fish The Coast from Gilberts Point to the supposed Iles lyeth East and by South Here also we discouered two Inlets which might promise fresh water inwardly whereof we perceiued much smoake as though some population had there beene This Coast is very full of people for that as we trended the same Sauages still runne along the shoare as men much admiring at vs. The one and twentieth we went coasting from Gilberts Point to the supposed Iles in tenne nine eight seuen and sixe fadome close aboord the shoare and that depth lyeth a league off A little from the supposed Iles appeared vnto vs an opening with which we stood iudging it to bee the end of that which Captaine Gosnoll descrieth from Cape Cod and as hee thought to extend some thirtie or more miles in length and finding there but three fadome a league off we omitted to make further discouerie of the same calling it Shole-hope From this opening the Mayne lyeth south-South-west which coasting along we saw a disinhabited Iland which so afterwards appeared vnto vs we bore with it and named it Marthaes Vineyard from Shole-hope it is eight leagues in circuit the Iland is fiue miles and hath 41. degrees and one quarter of latitude the place most pleasant for the two and twentieth we went a shoare and found it full of Wood Vines Gooseberie bushes Hurtberies Raspices Eglentine c. Heere we had Cranes Hearnes Shoulers Geese and diuers other Birds which there at that time vpon the Cliffes being sandie with some Rockie stones did breed and had young In this place we saw Deere heere we rode in eight fathome neere the shoare where wee tooke great store of Cod as before at Cape Cod but much better The three and twentieth wee weyed and towards night came to Anchor at the Northwest part of this Iland where the next morning offâ—red vnto vs fast running thirteene Sauages apparelled as aforesaid and armed with Bowes and Arrowes without any feare They brought Iobacco Deere skins and some sodden fish These offered themselues vnto vs in great familiaritie who seemed to be well conditioned They came more rich in Copper then any before This Iland is sound and hath no danger about it The foure and twentieth we set saile and doubled the Cape of another Iland next vnto it which wee called Douer Cliffe and then came into a faire Sound where wee roade all night the next morning wee sent off our Boate to discouer another Cape that lay betweene vs and the Mayne from which were a ledge of Rockes a mile into the Sea but all aboue water and without danger we went about them and came to Anchor in eight fadome a quarter of a mile from the shoare in one of the stateliest Sounds that euer I was in This called wee Gosnolls Hope the North banke whereof is the Mayne which stretcheth East and West This Iland Captaine Gosnoll called Elizabeths Ile where we determined our abode the distance betweene euery of these Ilands is viz. from Marthaes Vineyard to Douer Cliffe halfe a league ouer the Sound thence to Elizabeths Ile one league distant From Elizabeths Ile vnto the Mayne is foure leagues On the North side neere adioyning vnto the Iland Elizabeth is an Ilet in compasse halfe a myle full of Cedars by me called Hills Hap to the Northward of which in the mouth of an opening on the Mayne appeareth another the like that I called Haps Hill for that I hope much hap may be expected from it The fiue and twentieth it was that we came from Gosnolls Hope The six and twentieth we trimmed and fitted vp our Shallop The seuen and twentieth there came vnto vs an Indian and two women the one we supposed to be his Wife the other his Daughter both cleane and straite bodied with countenance sweet and pleasant To these the Indian gaue heedfull attendance for that they shewed them in much familiaritie with our men although they would not admit of any immodest touch The eight and twentieth we entred counsell about our abode and plantation which was concluded to be in the West part of Elizabeths Iland The North-east thereof running from out our ken The South and North standeth in an equall Parallel This Iland in the Westerâ—de admitteth some Increekes or sandie Coues so girded as the water in some places of each side meeteth to which the Indians from the Mayne doe oftentimes resort for fishing of Crabs There is eight fadome very neere the shoare and the latitude here is 41. degrees 10. minutes the breadth from Sound to Sound in the
fully resolued all for England againe There came in this interim aboord vnto vs that stayed all night an Indian whom wee vsed kindly and the next day sent ashoare hee shewed himselfe the most sober of all the rest wee held him sent as a Spie In the morning he filched away our Pot-hookes thinking he had not done any ill therein being ashoare wee bid him strike fire which with an Emerald stone such as the Glasiers vse to cut Glasse he did I take it to be the very same that in Latine is called Smiris for striking therewith vpon Touch-wood that of purpose hee had by meane of a mynerall stone vsed therein sparkles proceeded and forth with kindled with making of flame The ninth wee continued working on our Store-house for as yet remayned in vs a desired resolution of making stay The tenth Captaine Gosnoll fell downe with the ship to the little Ilet of Cedars called Hills happe to take in Cedar wood leauing mee and nine more in the Fort onely with three meales meate vpon promise to returne the next day The eleuenth he came not neither sent whereupon I commanded foure of my companie to seeke out for Crabbes Lobsters Turtles c. for sustayning vs till the ships returne which was gone cleane out of sight and had the winde chopt vp at South-west with much difficulty would shee haue beene able in short time to haue made returne These foure Purveyers whom I counselled to keepe together for their better safety diuided themselues two going one wayes and two another in search as aforesaid One of these petie companies was assaulted by foure Indians who with Arrowes did shoot and hurt one of the two in his side the other a lusty and nimble fellow leapt in and cut their Bow-strings whereupon they fled Being late in the euening they were driuen to lie all night in the Woods not knowing the way home thorow the thicke rubbish as also the weather somewhat stormie The want of these sorrowed vs much as not able to coniecture any thing of them vnlesse very euill The twelfth those two came vnto vs againe whereat our ioy was encreased yet the want of our Captaine that promised to returne as aforesaid strooke vs in a dumpish terrour for that hee performed not the same in the space of almost three dayes In the meane wee sustayned our selues with Alexander and Sorrell pottage Ground-nuts and Tobacco which gaue nature a reasonable content Wee heard at last our Captaine to Iewre vnto vs which made such musike as sweeter neuer came vnto poore men The thirteenth beganne some of our companie that before vowed to stay to make reuolt whereupon the planters diminishing all was giuen ouer The fourteenth fifteenth and sixteenth wee spent in getting Sasafrage and fire-wood of Cedar leauing House and little Fort by ten men in nineteene dayes sufficient made to harbour twenty persons at least with their necessary prouision The seuenteenth we set sayle doubling the Rockes of Elizabeths Iland and passing by Douer Cliffe came to anchor at Marthaes Vineyard being fiue leagues distant from our Fort where we went ashoare and had young Cranes Herneshowes and Geese which now were growne to pretie bignesse The eighteenth we set sayle and bore for England cutting off our Shalop that was well able to land fiue and twenty men or more a Boate very necessary for the like occasions The winds doe raigne most commonly vpon this coast in the Summer time Westerly In our homeward course wee obserued the foresaid fleeting weeds to continue till we came within two hundred leagues of Europe The three and twentieth of Iuly we came to anchor before Exmouth CHAP. XI Notes of the same Voyage taken out of a Tractate written by IAMES ROSIER to Sir WALTER RALEIGH and of MACES Voyage to Virginia ELizabeths Iland is full of high timbred Oakes their leaues thrice so broad as ours Cedars straight and tall Beech Elme Hollie Wal-nut trees in abundance the fruit as bigge as ours as appeared by those wee found vnder the trees which had lien all the yeere vngathered Hasle-nut trees Cherrie trees the leafe barke and bignesse not differing from ours in England but the stalke beareth the blossomes or fruit at the end thereof like a cluster of Grapes fortie or fiftie in a bunch Sassafras trees great plentie all the Iland ouer a tree of high price and profit also diuers other fruit-trees some of them with strange barkes of an Orange colour in feeling soft and smooth like Veluet in the thickest parts of these Woods you may see a furlong or more round about On the North-west side of this Iland neere to the Sea-side is a standing Lake of fresh water almost three English miles in compasse in the miast whereof stands a woody ground an acre in quantitie or not aboue this Lake is full of small Tortoises and exceedingly frequented with all sorts of fowles before rehearsed which breed some lowe on the bankes and others on lowe trees about this Lake in great abundance whose young ones of all sorts wee tooke and eate at our pleasure but all these fowles are much bigger than ours in England Also in euery Iland and almost euery part of euery Iland are great store of Ground-nuts fortie together on a string some of them as bigge as Hennes egges they growe not two inches vnder ground the which Nuts wee found to bee as good as Potatoes Also diuers sorts of shell-fish as Scalops Mussels Cockles Lobsters Crabs Oisters and Wilkes exceeding good and very great But not to cloy you with particular rehearsall of such things as God and Nature hath bestowed on these places in comparison whereof the most fertile part of all England is of it selfe but barren wee went in our Light-horsman from this Iland to the Maine right against this Iland some two miles off where comming ashoare wee stood a while like men ranished at the beautie and delicacy of this sweet soyle for besides diuers cleere Lakes of fresh water whereof wee saw no end Medowes very large and full of greene grasse euen the most wooddy places I speake onely of such as I saw doe growe so distinct and apart one tree from another vpon greene grassie ground somewhat higher than the Plaines as if Nature would shew her selfe aboue her power artificiall Hard by wee espied seuen Indians and comming vp to them at first they expressed some feare but being emboldned by our courteous vsage and some trifles which we gaue them they followed vs to a necke of Land which wee imagined had beene seuered from the Mayne but finding it otherwise wee perceiued abroad Harbour or Riuers mouth which came vp into the Mayne and because the day was farre spent we were forced to returne to the Iland from whence we came leauing the Discouery of this Harbour for a time of better leisure Of the goadnesse of which Harbour as also of many others thereabouts there is small doubt
daye â—ournie from Tulla Guahate Anoixi Catamaya Autiamque sixe dayes iournie from Quipana A Riuer Three months abode in Atiamque Frost and snoâ— A moneth of snow Conies of two sorts March 6. 1542. The death of Iohn Ortiz and the great misse of him being their Interpreter Ayays A Riuer Great snow about the twentieth of March. Tutelpinco A great Lake Rafts wherewith they passed the Lake Tianto 3. or 4. great Townes March 29. Nilco Very great Townes The best Countrie of Florida Marterns skinnes A cordon of Pearles A Riuer falling into 〈◊〉 graâ—â—â— Guachoya Foure names of Rio grande The Gouernor falleth sicke of thought A most wittie and stout answer of the Cacique of Quigalta The death of Don Ferdinando de Soto the 21. of May 1542. at Gâ—acoya A wittie stratagem This is also the custome of the old Tartars Their generall resolution to trauell by land Westward Iune 〈◊〉 Catalte Chaguate Aguacay Knowledge of the South Sea Pato Amaye Iuly 20. Naguatex The Riuer growne vnpassable in August at Naguatex Coniectures of a Sea to the Northward Nissoone Lacana Nondacao Aays Soacatino Twenty daies trauell toward the South Guasco here they found some Turkie stones mantles of Cotten wooll The Riuer of Daycaâ— which seemeth to be Rio del oro No trauelling by land without an Inter. preter Gold Siluer and precious stones in Florida Turkie stones and Mantles of Cotten wooll found in Guasco 150. leagues betweene the Riuer of Daycao and Rio grande The beginning of December Raine with Northren winde exceeding cold Enequen is an heâ—rbe like Hempe Flaxe of the Countrie The mighty increasing of the Riuer for two moneths space to wit all March and Aprill The grand conspiracie of the Indians against the Christians Note well Thirty Indians of the Cacique of Guacboya haue their right hands cut off The Riuer increaseth but once a yeare wheÌ„ the snows doe melt in March April A miraculous accident They saile downe Rio Grande from Minoya 17. daies before they came to the mouth thereof This Author accounteth but 300. lost but Ynca l. 6. reckoneth 700. saying that he car ried with him from Cuba 1000 Hee addeth that Iuan Ponce de Leon the first discouerer of Florida lost himselfe and 80 men Lucas Uasques was also slaine there with aboue 220 Pamphila de Naruacz went with 400 Spaniards of which not aboue foure escaped c. Donna Isabella Sotos wife died also with griefe So fatall hath Florida beene to Spaine that I hope Uirginia may haue the greater dowry for her English husband They sailed 17. daies down the Riuer which is about 252. leagues Fresh water almost two daies sailing in the Sea A swarme of grieuous Moskitoes Ascum of the Sea like Pitch called Copee Another deep Bay They arriued in the Riuer of Paâ—nucâ— 1543. Septemb. 10. 311 Christians arriued at Paâ— nuco Port de Spiritu Santo is in 29. degrees and a hâ—â—â—e on the West side of Florida Ocute Cuâ—ifachiqui Xuala Chiaha Cozo and Talise Tascaluka Rio Grande Aquixo Coligâ—â— Aâ—tiaâ—que Aguacay * Ant de Mendoza writeth to the Emperour that hee had 14000. Indians and 400. horsemen Mechuacan Croiles erected * Alle quari to or at the which Caconci Lord of Mechuacan burned Cuinao Cuinquiro Wretched hospitality Couragious Indian Spanish preaching to conuers Infidels Indian simplicitie Cuiseo Sodomite professed Note well this Diuinitie Preaching by the Sword a worthie holy meritorious satisfactory worke Guanzebi Tonola a free State Cuinaccaro Coiula and Coiutla Valiant Indians Zapatula Aximocuntla Indian Christianitie but in name and names Christians for feare Xalpa Bâ—oudy Idoll Bloudy Procession Teulinchan Xaltenango Mechuacan on the South Sea Xalisco Tepique a new Prouince Amazo 〈…〉 Dreames Pet. Aluaradoâ— Letters to Coâ—â— tesâ— which had sent him on this Discouery and Conquest Two most terrible Vulcans Lâ—p Gâ—mâ—ra bist gen c. 212. Topira Impious pieties F. Marco de Niâ—as Voyage to Cebola An vnknowne kinde of Vnicorne Expedition of Don Francisco Vasquez Ill wayes Cibâ—la Sheepe as big â—s Horses with huge hornes Indian embroiderie * I haue a Map made in Mexico 1585. which placeth Ciâ—ola in 30. and an halfe and describeâ—â— in New Mexico on Rio del Norte about 50. Townes with Spanish names standing neere each other from 32. to 33. and a little more But the Prouince of 〈◊〉 he maketh to be another Strange Kine * Melangole Great baile Quiuira described out of Gomara Ships seene The bunch-backed Oxen described Sheepe with hornes of fiftie pounds Great Dogs Such the Sauages had in Frâ—bushers voyage Ruiz his Voyage to Tiguaâ— Ant. de Espâ—io his New Mexico Neats leather Shooes Friers slaine Henues many Quires Painted Vâ—brelas Note the neetnesse of Virginia Acoâ—a Mohotze Pretie policy Caâ—os Letter is in Mast. Hakl Francis de Ullâ—as Voyage in the South Sea California F. Alarchons Voyage Letter in Master Hâ—kl Tautecâ— Iuly 〈◊〉 1590. Tepesâ—an a mightie high Mountaine Cuimechi warlike Indians The towne of Saint Philip and Iacob on the second Riuer of Ginolâ—a It is but 190. leagues indeed from Mexico Often writing of new Mexico Cotten wooll Their apparel Their heire Their great Stature Their yalour Their weapoÌ„â— Eight Spaniard liuing in Ciâ—â—loa Readinesse to heare the Gospell Foure hundred baptized by Franciscans slaine there twelue yeares before Difference of language Instruction in the Catechism And why doe you teach Babylon or to babble in a strange tongue here instead of praying Sixteene hundred newly Christened Concubines Familiarity with the Diuel 240. children Christened Thirteene Churches in three Riuers Culhuacan Petatlan in 25. degrees and a halfe The Christianity there taught Their houses Their plurality and incests in marriages The bad education of their children Forme of Marriages Their forme of making Knights Adoption Their quietnesse and kind play Their burials Their burials Don Iuan de Onate his first relation 5000. â—ent 1599 500. leagues trauell Treacherous peopâ—e Their Towne taken Acoma is in 32. degrees and two third parts A mighty city Another greater Citie Cibola is in 33. degrees The Towne of Saint Iohn Sundry Mynes of gold and siluer newly found A second Discouerie 1602. The most famous Riuer of the North discouered Antonie de Espio vno Rio mas que ocho leguas de ancho The Lake of Conibas Auia vnalagnuao lago nuy guade Anten de Espeio A faire and goodly Citie Westerne coast of America discouered neere Cape California which it seemes at this time was more perfectly discouered to be an Iland as you see in M. â—rigs his Map Three Millions perished in Hispaniola Ouiedo hath but 1600000. 500000 lost in the Lucayos 12. or 15. miles See the end of this discourse Ambition Cruelty Tortures Dogges The Realmes which were in this I le of Hispaniola Great Riuers in Spaine 25000. Riuers rich in Gold Cibao The greatest peece of Gold which euer was found naturall lost Marien Maguana Xaragua Higney Gens sine generatione perit 600000. or a Million in S. Iohn and Iamaica Dances
which the nights calmenesse prohibited the ships beeing thus seuered were by the Gallies of Penocha set vpon his Lordship being within hearing of the shot but by reason of the calme not able to releeue them so that the two ships were recouered Captayne Bayly slaine Captayne Munson and the rest carried Prisoners to Penecha and thence to Lisbone His Lordship wrote to the Archdâ—ke Albert then Vice-roy for their good vsage otherwise threatning requitall to theirs of whom he presumed hee should take store For feare whereof the common sort were returned a few dayes after new clothed Captayne Munson with sixe others only detayned His Lordship hauing intelligence of a great Armada prepared in the Groyne to bee sent against the Lord Thomas Howard then Admirall of her Majesties fleet at the Asores attending to surprize the West Indian fleet sent the Mooneshine with aduise otherwise the Lord Howard had runne the fortune of Sir Richard Greenuile who lost his ship and life or rather exchanged the one for honor and for the other made the Spaniards the greatest losers in so deere a purchase Thus weakned by disaduenture he was forced to returne for England HIs Lordship considering the inconuenience of her Maiesties command not to lay any Spanish ship aboard with her ships lest both might together be destroyed by fire rather chose to seeke out amongst the Merchants then to make further vse of the ships Royall And so hee hired the Tigre a ship of six hundred tunnes furnished by the Owners for three hundred pounds a moneth wages in which he went in person thereto adding his owne ship the Samson and the Golden Noble with two small ships These in the yeere 1592. were set forth but so crossed with winds as three moneths victualls were spent in Harbours before they could get to the Westward of Plymmouth whereby also one of his Lordships principall designes was frustrate which was the taking of the Carrikes outward bound as also the meanes to performe his intended Voyage to the West Indies Wherevpon not like to satisfie that expectation which might arise from a personall expedition of his Lordship he transferred the chiefe command to Captayne Norton and returned to London leauing instructions with the Admirall to goe for the Asores Captayne Norton neere Cape Finisterre met two of the King of Spaines Gallions returning from Brest in Brittanie in fight with whom the Golden Noble receiued a shot in her fore-mast which made them doubt of her further sufficiencie but hauing fished it aswell as they could Captayne Caue her Commander espied an Argosie bound for Lisbone and gaue chase to her within shot of the Fort of Cascaijs within fiue fathome water of a shoald called Catchops and there in sight of the men on shoare laid her aboard and returned into England with her The Admirall with the rest of the fleet arriued at the Asores and hauing watered and refreshed at Flores which that Iland permitted to all men of warre as not able to withstand them put to Sea and spreading themselues the Santa Cruce was descried which made all the haste she could for Angra in Tercera They hasted after and being within halfe a league of her they espied Sir Iohn Burroughs in the Ro-bucke a ship of Sir Walter Raleighs of two hundred tunnes which had ridden vnseene on the Easterne side of the Iland standing to crosse the Carrickes way so that now she was forced the wind being Westerly to luffe vp recouer the Road of Lagowâ—a on the South end of Flores The law and custom of the Sea making al ships of war then together though not formerly consorted equall sharers according to their tunnage of the prizes gained Captayne Norton out of ciuil respect and not needing help consulted with Sir Iohn Burroughs and they agreed to board her the next morning But a storme in the night forced them al from their anchors which the next day being somwhat allaied they recouered the road found the Carrike warped as neer the shore as they could hauing indeuoâ—ed also to put ashore such goods as time would permit and fired with all her sayles and flags vp and Ordnance laden which went off on euery side when the fire came to them a sight more pleasing to the Portugals then the English whom those accounted now the Owners of that consumed substance The surge also issue of the late storme scarsly permitted their Boates to land to seeke to get wrackes and what the Portugals had carried ashoare eâ—â—ry man for feare of wracking the Boates on the Rockes being vp to the neck and some ouer head and eares before they could obtayne the shoare where also they were forced on hands and knees to climbe vp a steep hill on the top whereof stood many Ilanders tumbling downe great stones on them But all difficulties were made easie by resolution and hope which brought them to the Towne now forsaken by her Inhabitants and made them Masters of the wracked goods which seemed to flye thither for refuge from the fire and water Whiles they were thus employed about this burnt Carrike Sir Robert Crosse Captayne of the Foresight of her Maiesties Master Tomson Captayne of the Daintie a ship of Sir Iohn Hawkins Captayne Newport in the Golden Dragon came into this consort They were much grieued with this spectacle but comforted that there had but one of the fiue Carrickes passed this had fallen into this terrible Purgatory and three were still expected They spread themselues continued expecting from the nine and twentieth of Iune till the third of August at which time Master Tomson first had sight of the great Carricke called Madre de Dios and comming vp gaue her a broad-side of Ordnance falling a sterne came hauing laden his Ordnance again and againe to deliuer his pealâ—s to hinder her way till the rest of the fleet could come the Carricke answering with the like Sir Iohn Burroughes and the Golden Dragon came in about three a clocke and Sir Iohn receiued a shot of a Canon Perier vnder water in the Bread-roome which made him beare vp to stop his leake Sir Robert Crosse was the next who to giue her his broad side came so neere that becalming his sayles he vnwillingly fell aboard the Carricke which hauing lashed her fast by the Strowdes sayled away with her by her side The Earle of Cumberlands ships worst of sayle were the last which came vp about eleuen aclocke at night not minding then to boord her But hearing the Foresight calling to Captayne Norton And you be men saue the Queenes ship he gaue order to the Samson to lay her aboord on the one side and promising to doe the like in the Tigre on the other which about twelue a clock was performed The Tigre running stemling aboord broke her beake-head to the huddings the Samson laid the Forefight aboord and entred thorow her into the Carricke whereby
and reuerend Diuine Doctor LAYFIELD his Lordships Chaplaine and Attendant in that expedition very much abbreuiated §. I. The Shippes emploied in the Voyage and accidents on the Coasts of Spaine in the Canaries and the Nauigation thence to Dominica HIs Lordship being authorised by Letters Patents giuen at Westminster the foureteenth of Ianuary to leuie Forces seruiceable by Sea and Land came downe to Portesmouth the eight of February wherein nothing memorable happened till Munday being the thirteenth of March. While we were at Morning Prayer his Lordship happened to see a Gallant of the company purposely I name him not reading of Orlando Furioso to whom himselfe in person went presently after Seruice all the Company being by and hauing told him that we might looke that God would serue vs accordingly if we serued not him better bad him be sure that if againe he tooks him in the like manner he would cast his Booke ouer-boâ—â—d and turne himselfe out of the Ship The next day by obseruation it was found that towards the euening we had runne within fiue or sixe and twenty leagues of the North Cape whereupon his Lordship gaue direction to the Vice-admirall that he should carry his Flagge in the Maine-top and with a peece of Ordnance should hale in the rest of the Fleete to his Lee and that they all with him as their Admirall for the time should this night winde South and by West and there they should ride off and on scattering themselues to the North and South in the height of the Burlings till his Lordshippe should come to them In the meane season himselfe attended onely with the Guiana and the Scourges scoâ—t run to fall in with the North Cape meaning by the taking of some Caruell or some Fisherman to haue some certaine intelligence in what forwardnesse the fiue Carracks were which at this very time his Lordship knew were outwards bound The defect of his maine Maste caused him to stand in for the Burlings The Burlings is an Iland something longer then broad and by the violent beating of the Sea it selfe almost made two Ilands and within few yeares it will be so exceeding rockie it is and barren aboue measure We found no liuing thing in it but Lysards and some few Conies Vpon thursday being the thirteenth of Aprill we had sight of the Ilands The first that was within kenning was Alegrança the most Northerly of the Canaries we left it on the star-boord side as also three little hils rather then the Islands hauing all one name of the Grange In the afternoone we had Lancerota one of the six great Canaries in cleere kenning The next morning twixt fiue and six we were come to an anchor in the Roade which beareth East South-east of the Iland His Lordship had taken colde with watching the last night whereupon he found himselfe so ill the next morning being good Friday that he kept his Cabbin and was glad to take some strong Physicke He sent therefore for Sir Iohn Barkley his Lieutenant generall and gaue him order to land with certaine Companies to the number of betweene fiue and six hundred men They were in their March by ten that morning and marched the next way as they thought to the chiefe Towne of the Iland but their foremost desire was if they might to haue surprised the Marquesse who commandeth both that and the next Iland called Fortenentura as his owne possession The Towne is from the place they landed at as they coniecture some ten miles at the least By fiue in the afternoone they entered the Towne which besides the expectation they found clearely quitted of the enemy and nothing in a manner left sauing good store of very excellent Wine and Cheese After the Towne was assured Sir Iohn sent a troope to a strong Hold some halfe a mile of from the Towne called the Castle a place which the Marquesse had fortified with good store of Munition and Ordnance When our Troopes were come vp the Hill they found twixt 80 and 100. Ilanders and Spaniards within and about the house but without fight they quitted the place so that our men entered it without losse or danger They found in it a dozen or more cast Peeces of Brasse the least Bases the most whole Culuering and Demiculuering and an innumerable company of Stones laid in places of greatest aduantage The House it selfe built of squared stone flanked very strongly and cunningly both for defence and offence the entrance thereunto not as in our Forts of equall height with the foundation and ground but raised about a Pikes length in height so that without the vse of a Ladder there could be no entrance there I haue heard sundry of our wisest Commanders say that if they had drawne in their Ladder and onely shut the doore twenty men victualled might haue kept it against fiue hundred The Towne consisteth of somewhat more then a hundred houses whose building is rude being commonly but of one Storie their Roofes flat and something sloping to cast of raine couered onely with Canes or Straw laid vpon a few rafters and very dirt cast vpon all which being hardned by the Sunne becommeth of showre-proofe The Inhabitants are of very able and actiue bodies their stature commonly tall of swiftnesse in that Mountainous Countrie not farre behinde their Horses and Cammels their Armes are Pikes and Stones when a Peece is presented to them so soone as they perceiue the cocke or match to fall they cast themselues flat to the ground and the report is no sooner heard but they are vpon their feete their stones out of their hands and withall they charge with their Pikes and this in scattered incounters or single fight for either they know not or neglect orderly baâ—talion oftner giueth then receiueth hurt The Iland it is not round but stretched somewhat in length to the North-east and South-west parted by a ridge of Hils from end to end as Italie is by the Mountaines Apennine These hils are barren otherwise then that in prettie store they feede flocks of Sâ—eepe and Goates Their Vallies promise no fruitfulnesse being very sandy and dry something like Rye-fields in England and yet they yeelde passing good Barley and Wheate Their beasts be Sheepe and Goates few Neate many Asses fewer Camels but fewest Gennets and these of no great stature The Iland is thought to exceede the Wight both in breadth and length of the Temper a man may iudge besides that it lyeth in 28. degâ—ees and some minutes by the complexion of the Inhabitants which is blackish and by their Haruest-time which was past before the middest of Aprill and looke for a second about Michaelmas their landing there was vpon good Friday The next day the fifteenth of Aprill Sir Iohn Barkeley being out of hope to finde the Marquesse not knowing where to seeke him whom feare had taught to hide himselfe closely marched backe to the Nauie without farther
three sonnes a hundreth thousand Duckets insomuch that the youngest of them being in Spaine vpon the dispatch of some businesse which his father had left vnsettled was there thought of state so good that a Marquesse thought his daughter well bestowed vpon him in marriage But see how nothing will last where God with his preseruing blessing doth not keepe things together For at this day scarce is there any remainder left of all his riches and this now most poore though great Lady not being able to proportion her selfe to the lownesse of her fortune and besides vexed with her husbands ill conditions hath by authoritie left him and hauing entered religious profession is at this present in a Nunnerie in Saint Domingo I haue beene very inquisitiue of the best obseruers and most able to judge among ours that haue vpon occasion trauailed into the inparts of the Iland They doe agreeingly tell me first that their wayes are very myrie or rather dirtie as proceeding of mold rather then grauell or sand now the prouerbe in England is that that Countrie is best for the Byder that is most cumbersome to the Rider Secondly the grasse and herbage they meet withall euerywhere is very proud and high though somewhat course which argueth a lustinesse and strength of fatnesse in the soile and which wanteth onely store of mouthes to ouer-come that luxuriant pride and to bring it to the finenesse which we most commend in England which is made most probable by that which in the third place they report of their experience that the soile is a black mold vnderlaid within some two foot with a laire of reddish clay which is one of the most infallible marks by which our English Grasiers know their battle and feeding grounds The whole Iland is delightfully and pleasurably diuersified with Hills and Vallies Among the Hills there is one eminent aboue the rest called the Loquilla commended with the greatest plentie and riches of mynes And yet none of the Riuers that I can heare of haue their heads from thence which perhaps may bee the reason why it aboue the rest is lesse wasted For they say that in the other Hills also there are veines found of whose pouertie no man needeth to complaine This Hill which they call Loquilla is placed Easterly aboue Luisa The Vallies are much wooddy but in very many places interlaced with gâ—odly large Playnes and spacious Lawnes The woods are not onely vnderlings as in the lesser Iland for the most part they are but timber trees of goodly talnesse and stature fit for the building of ships and of euery part of them For not to speake of a ship which wee our selues found here a building towards the burthen of a hundreth the great Bougonia a ship of a thousand hauing lost her Masts at Sea had them all made here of the timber of this Iland her mayne Mast being of two trees onely and being there and all other wayes fitted for Spaine was euen vpon the point of putting forth of this Harbour when Sir Francis Drake and Sir Iohn Hawkins came hither with an honorable intent to take her and the foure Millions which shee brought hither from the Hauana For this ship was the Admirall of the fleet which that yeere went from Tierra firma and being taken with a storme at Sea and hauing lost her Masts with much adoe recouered this Harbour and here was againe fitted But the Queenes Nauie vpon aduertisement of this accident came so just in the nick that they were forced to sinke her in the Harbour and that with so great haste that the passengers had not time to fetch their clothes but lading and victuals and all was lost Some of the ribs of this great Beast we found here but the marrow and sweetnesse of her was gone for shee brought in her foure millions and a halfe of treasure for the wafting whereof those Frigats which Sir Francis burned in this Harbour were purposely sent For while Sir Francis was watering at Guadalupe some of his fleet discouered the passage of these Frigats by Dominica which good newes as truly they were very good assured Sir Francis as he openly told the fleet that the treasure was not yet gone from Saint Iohn de Puerto Rico for as much as he assured himselfe that these ships were going to fetch it home The Playnes and Lawnes of the mayne Iland â—re graced with much varietie of many kindes of fruit for besides the great Countries of ground where their Heards roame with such vncontrolled licence as that they grow almost wilde the champaine which they haue chosen to place their Stancies and Ingenios vpon are richly laden with Ginger and Sugar-cane Their Ingenios are commonly vpon some Riuer or neere some moore-marrish and waterish places for in places of that qualitie doe their Sugar-canes prosper best And besides there is much vse of water for their Mills and other works though most commonly their Mills goe with the strength of men and horses as I vnderstand like our Horse-mills in England which if I had seene my selfe I should haue beene better able and conseqâ—ently more willing to haue reported to you the manner and cunning of the same They that haue beene eye-witnesses doe with great wonder and commendation speake of them Their Stansias are more inwardly placed in the Countrie and yet a conuenient neerenesse to some Riuer is desired for more conuenient carriage of their Ginger to Puerto Rico whence they vent their commodities into other Countries which I take to bee some part of the cause why more follow Ginger then Sugar workes because their Stansias doe not need such choise of place and therefore the poorer may more easily come by them which yet also more easily they set vpon because much needeth not to set vpon the commoditie of Ginger I haue heretofore said in generall that Sugar and Ginger are the greatest knowne commodities of this Iland A third commoditie of the Iland besides Ginger and Sugar I did before note to bee Hides Whereof without contradiction there is very great store I haue beene told by the Spaniard that that same Chereno whose Countrie is neere to the Laguada of the quite contrarie side to Cape Roxo is generally reported to feede to the number of twelue thousand head of Cattle Wherevpon we may easily coniecture how infinite the number of Cattell in this Iland is seeing in the Westerly end thereof which is held farre worse for feeding then the Easterly neere Saint Iohns head there is so incredible abundance Once it is generally spoken and beleeued that by reason of this ouer-flowing of Beeues it is lawfull for any man to kill what he needeth for his vse if onely hee bee so honest as to bring the skins to the proper owners Now these Hides must rise to a huge summe of riches considering that their Cattell are farre larger then any Countrie that I know in England doth yeeld
the paiues to continue tillage For drinks the Spaniard doth here as in Spaine hee doth vse water for most of his drinke which in so hot a climate would well agree with the English after some acquaintance yet the Spaniard hath two other sorts of drinke the one called Gâ—acapo made of Molasses that is the coursest of their Sugar and some Spices the other kinde and vsed by the better sort of them is called Alâ— which is a kinde of Bragget made with many hot spices And if both these fayled yet haue they good store of wines indeed brought in from other Countries not that this Iland will not nourish Vines for I haue seene some grow here in Pâ—erto Rico very flourishingly But I haue heard the King will not suffer them to plant and dresse Vineyards as a matter of policie I might here and so would I make an end of speaking of the fruits of this Iland for me thinks what hath beene said sheweth it to be selfe sufficient to liue well and happily but their Yerua vina will not haue me forget it This hearbe is a little contemptible weed to looke vpon with a long woodden stalke creeping vpon the ground and seldome lifting it selfe aboue a handfull high from ground But it hath a propertie which confoundeth my vnderstanding and perhaps will seeme strange in the way of Philosophers who haue denyed euery part of sense to any plant yet this certainly seemeth to haue feeling For if you lay your finger or a sticke vpon the leaues of it not onely that very piece which you touched but that that is neere to it will contract it selfe and run together as if it were presently dead and withered nor onely the leaues but the very sprigs being touched will so disdainfully withdraw themselues as if they would slip themselues rather then be touched in which state both leafe and sprig will continue a good while before it returne to the former greene and flourishing forme And they say that so long as the partie which touched it standeth by it it will not open but after his departure it will this last I did not my selfe obserue and if it be so it must be more then sense whence such a sullennesse can proceed but for the former I haue my selfe beene often an eye-witnesse to my great wonder for it groweth in very many places in the little Iland His Lordship made some of it bee put in pots with earth and yet it liueth and how farre it will so continue is vncertaine There hath beene Cinamon and something else giuen me as fruits of the Ilands but I doe thinke they are but rarities at the most and therefore they shall not come in my bill But now to returne to the slow steps we made towards the Ilands of the Açores §. V. Accidents by Sea in their way to the Azores and there ON Saint B 〈…〉 es eue wee had store of lightning and thunder which besides the obseruation put vs more out of doubt of our neerer approach to the Bermuda The next day about noone wee began to steere East North-east and better Vpon Friday the fiue and twentieth wee were melted with a greater and more smothering calme then any time before and yet which made it strangest wee had out of the North-west higher Seas then before that time I had euer seene in the greatest windes that we had had The hugenesse of this Sea was perceiued not onely by the view of our sight but rather by the extraordinarie heeling of our ship certainly as much or more impatient of a high Sea in a calme as of any other weather This calme was so extremely hot that wee were in hope it would bee like other extreames of no long continuance but behold it lasted obstinately thirteene dayes sauing that sometimes there would be some shew of a gale but it would so instantly and frowardly leaue vs as if it had beene come onely to let vs see wee needed not to despaire There had beene often spench of a Current that wee were to haue and some thought that they had found it the most durst not be â—pprehensiue But vpon Wednesday the thiâ—tieth it began to be cleere for though the winde was not worthy to be called so nor scarce by the name of a breath and besides so narrow that we stood vpon abowling yet we were found in that last passed artificiall day to haue run aboue fiftie leagues at the least For whereas vpon Tuesday wee were by obseruation found to bee almost precisely in thirtie two vpon Wednesday at noone wee had the Sunne in thirtie three and two terces and eight minutes So that in foure and twentie houres we had raysed one degree and fortie eight minutes which if we had run due North or South had risen to about foure or fiue and thirtie leagues But seeing our course was three parts of the time at East North-east and East and by North the ship could not bee allowed lesse way then fiâ—tie leagues at the least and this being without winde argueth a violent Current and the rather because for the time we had a hard Sea This was made yet more certaine by obseruation of the Pole-star vpon Thursday at night This opinion for a Current was vpon Saturday Sept. 2. made vndoubted for the substance of the thing I meane that there was a Current but the circumstance seemed â—o varie somthing For the Current was then iudged to set rather to the East by South though this would fill the former obseruations with greater difficulties This was perceiued by many drags which howsoeuer the ship scaped yet they still runne or were carried to the East Southerly And then many other things purposely cast into the Sea to make further triall all went the same way and that a good pace though directly ahead the ship And yet farther if there were any breath at all it was at South-east so that they went against the winde that was And now I come to that the remembrance whereof rather then present apprehension yet maketh me quake like the man that dyed vpon the fearfull knowledge of how great danger he had passed at Rochester bridge It was a fearfull storme which I truly not knowing how dangerfull it was feared not much while we were in it but since hearing old Sea-men and of long experience speake of it I perceiue it is good to be ignorant sometime Vpon Thursday the seuenth of September the gale began to be very fresh and to keepe the sailes stiffe from the Masts and so continued all that day Vpon Friday it began to speake yet lowder and to whistle a good in the shrowdes insomuch that our Master made the Drablers bee taken off and before night it had blowne the fore-top-saile in pieces by the board this was taken for the beginning of a storme and the storme it selfe was looked for which came indeed about the shutting in of the day with such furie
and mens names written in them This Riuer in our language is called the Riuer of Crocodiles for in it there are many which the Indians call Faquares it is narrow and in the mouth of it standeth a white Rocke To enter it you must take heed you keepe on the North side of this Rocke and you shall finde nine and ten foot water after you be within it you shall come to a great Bay and on the North-east side you shall finde a small Riuer where you may take fresh water but let euery man take heed how hee leapeth into the water for the Crocodiles lie by the banke-side hidden and if any thing fall into the water presently they kill it Here is nothing to bee had vnlesse you will fish for the Crocodiles and take the Bladders or Cods of muske from them here you need not feare any Inhabitants except you be espyed by some passengers that goe to Ferâ—ambuquâ— Alaqua is a very faire Riuer that lyeth foure leagues Northward from the Riuer of Saint Michael and three leagues Southward from the afore said Riuer of Crocodiles On either side of it you shall see a great Hill called by the Portugals Os Caiâ—â—â— You shall finde but seuen or eight foot water at the comming and very cleere from any Rocks but after you bee within you shall finde many bankes of sand where you shall kill good store of fish and alwayes you shall bee sure to haue Caruells fishing in this place at the comming in on both sides you may take fresh water Before the Riuer of Saint Michael you shall see the Cliffes like Arecines of Fernambuquo you must enter at the end of the Cliffe hard by the shoare on the south-South-west and you must marke a small Cliffe that lyeth betweene the mouth of the Riuer and the shoare this Cliffe you leaue betweene you and the shoare and betwixt this Cliffe and the great Rocks you may enter it three fathom water But take heed when you enter that you saile not towards the North-east although you see the Bay great for you shall run vpon many great bankes of sand therefore you must keepe West still within a stones cast of the shoare so shall you be sure to keepe in the Channell Thus you must saile till you discouer a house that you shall see doubling a Point full South from you then your best is to anchor for if you goe farther you are in danger except you know the Channell very well In this place dwels a Portugall called Iohn de Rocho and vp a Riuer that you shall see runne into the Land dwell many Portugals where they haue a Church with Friars to say Masse Here you shall haue good store of Cattell if you need and Brasill wood Cassaui meale and in this Riuer you shall haue good store of Oisters and in them you shall find many great Pearles likewise here is good store of Balsom oile and trees of All Nesico which is a very precious and rich wood singular good for bruises or old hurts also here is good store of Tabacco This place is eight leagues from the Riuer of Toades where we were driuen on the Rocks because we knew not where wee were for it is a singular good Harbour to enter if a man know the comming in betweene the Rocks called Os Bayos de Don Rodrigo Because the Indians indeed doe kill many Toades therefore they call it Cororoen that is to say the Riuer or water of Toades I tell you the name in the Indian language Because in all places you shall haue of them and so you may know when they tell you where you are When you are in ten degrees and an halfe Southwards of the Equinoctiall Line you shall see fiue hils and the three that standeth on the North side of this place whereof wee speake are round and high the other two that stand on the South not farre in distance one from another are long and lower then the other if you come neere the shoare you shall see a great many of small Rockes and a great Bay which is the place I speake of right before this Bay you shall see two great Rockes to goe into this Harbour you must passe betweene these Rockes which are called Bayos de don Rodrigo when you are â—ntred you may anchor hard by the Rockes and sound the Channell which will lye Norâ—h-east from you Here you may haue fresh water vp the Riuer but it will be hard for you to find therefore your best is to goe a quarter of a mile by the Sea side and you shall see a faâ—re Riuer where you may take water at pleasure and kill good store of fish At this place comming from the Riuer of Ienero in the night we were driuen vpon the Rockes for want of a Pilot that knew the Coast. I doe not set downe the places betweene this and the Cape Frio because I know them not but by report of other Trauellers and therefore I leaue it to them for I will write no more but what I haue seene and am able to proue when time shall serue and thus I end shewing you all that I haue seene on the Coast Northward of Cape Frio which is in our Language Cape Cold. Cape Frio is a point of the Land that runneth into the Sea at least twelue mile it lyeth vnder 22. degrees At this Cape you may haue sight of a great Mountaine that you may see ouer it called Abausango Reâ—ambuera here you may anchor on the East-side of this Cape in a Harbour called Abaâ—â—a formozo Here you may haue great store of Brassell-wood and in this Bay you shall find oftentimes good store of Ambeâ—-greece and on the North side of this Bay you shall see a great Riuer called vparason where you may kill good store of many kinde of fishes and in the mouth of this Riuer you shall haue great store of Corall if you will dragge for it Saquarema is a Riuer where the Frenchmen did traffique with the Canibals called Tamoyes it floweth foure leagues Southward from the Cape This Riuer is nâ—rrow at the comming in you shall find twelue foote water till you be three or foure leagues vp the Riuer You shall find fresh water on either side of the Riuer and great store of Brassell-wood all along the Riuer side On the South side of this Riuer you shall â—ee a great hill which the Indians call Boypeâ—a that is The rotten Whale for you shall see the top of it like a dead Whale If you want refreshing you may haue good store of Potato Roots there Plantons Lemons Orenges and many other good Roots as bigge as great Tuâ—nips which the Indians call Carauasou Etioca is a league Southward of the Riuer of Saquarema It is as I haue said in the description of my trauell a great and huge Rocke hollow within where the Indians say that the seruant of God did preach vnto them which they
we haled ouer to the Coast of Tierra firma and arriued first at the I le of Margarita and comming to the Rancheria or fishing of Pearles in the small Iland of Cubagua we found the Gouernour of Cumana there with a company of Souldiers neuerthelesse we made bold to land and in our landing we receiued a great fight wherein diuers of our men on both sides were wounded but in the end I tooke the place with diuers of the stoutest of our Enemies Prisoners and thirteene Periaguaes and Canoes which are Barkes and Boats of the Countrey for ransome of all which I receiued fiue hundred pounds in Pearle This done I proceeded on my iourney sayling directly for Cape dela Vela and there meeting with a Portugall shippe of two hundred and fiftie tuns laden with three hundred and seuentie Negros brought from Congo or Angola and going to Cantagena with little resistance I tooke the same And sayling along with my prize Westward not able to double the Iles called Las Cabeças I was driuen farre downe to the Southward into the Gulfe of Acle in Spanish called Eusenada de Acle where we landed all our Portugals and Negros keeping only the Captaine which afterward paid â—â—e fiue hundred pounds for his owne and their ranâ—omes Within a while after we stood Westward with our shippes and went into the Iles called the Cabeças where I embarked an hundred and fiftie of my men in two small Pinnasses and two fine shallops and went for the Iles de Bastimentos and landing there vpon the said Ilands which are peopled and very fruitfull I tooke sixe or seuen Negroes for guides and so presently with our Pinnasses and Boates entred the mouth of the Riuer of Porto bello the seuenth of Februarie about two of the clocke after midnight the Moone shining very brightly At our first entrance into the Hauen which is aboue twelue score ouer and very deepe at the mouth and farre vpward we were halled by the strong and stately Castle of Saint Philip hauing thirtie fiue great pieces of Brazen Ordnance and fiftie Souldiers in the same to know whence we were wee hauing aboord vs such as could speake Spanish excellent well answered that we were of Cartagena then they commanded vs to anchor which we did accordingly About one houre afterwards with my two shallops which lay close by my Pinnasses and some thirtie of my principall men I went vp the Riuer hauing some of the smaller Fort called the Fort of Saint Iago which is directly ouer against the great Castle of Saint Philip running still on the shoare and crying out on me to stay but neglecting their out-cryes I landed at the first Towne called Triana where the alarme was presently giuen which neuerthelesse I set on fire and marched ouer a little Brooke into the great rich Towne of Porto bello and comming directly vp to the Kings Treasure-house which is very faire and large we found a squadron of souldiers whereof there are two hundred and fiftie alwayes belonging to the Towne and another company of the Inhabitants with two brasse Pieces of field Ordnance well mounted on their carriages which we presently possessed and fiercely set vpon the Souldiers At which alarme Captaine Antonie Fugars and Captaine George Lawriman of Ratcliffe came vp with my two Pinnasses with an hundred and twentie men to my rescue which was very hardly laid vnto At this house at our first comming into the Towne my Lieutenant Samuel Barnet was shot on the side of his head and through his eare and Captaine Giles comming to second him was likewise shot ouer the brest and through his arme In this meane space Pedro Melendes the Gouernour of the Towne had gathered sixtie Souldiers together and was comming toward a certaine bridge to encounter me I hauing not then aboue eight or nine men with mee to withstand them but God did prosper our proceedings mightily For the first two shot that went from vs shot Melendes through his Target and went through both his armes and the other shot hurt the Corporall of the field Whereupon they all retired to the house which they made good vntill it was almost day Against whom I sent Captaine Ward with some Souldiers who entred the house killing diuers of them and wounded Melendes in eight places more himselfe being shot through both his thighes in entring and some of his men hurt but in the end he tooke Melendes Prisoner and became Master of the house My selfe with others went to the Kings house wherein were many of the Souldiers who would not come to any composition but stoutly defended the same against Captaine Giles and our Lieutenant Samuel Barnet who in the end flue diuers of them and hurt many others taking the Kings Scriuano prisoner This fight endured for the space of foure or fiue houres The fight being ended and we being Masters of the Kings Treasure-house and all the Towne and hauing the Gouernour Melendes and the Scriuano with many others of the chiefest my Prisoners except the Alcalde which fled out of the Towne with a chaine of Gold about his necke Such Treasure as was found in the Kings house to the value of some nine or ten thousand Duckets I reserued to my selfe which was nothing to that which wee did expect that being the receite at one time of the yeere of all the Treasure that commeth from Peru and Chile amounting at least to fiue or sixe Millions of Duckets and had I come but seuen dayes sooner I had taken heere an hundred and twentie thousand Duckets which were newly laden in two Frigats for Cartagena The rest of the spoile of the Towne which came to no small value in Money Plate and Merchandize I gaue wholy to my Souldiers which being done I disposed my Corpses du guard in diuers places for keeping the Towne all that day and at the end of the streete leading toward Panama on the South Sea being full of all Artificers we made a barricado where Captaine Giles stood with another Corps du guard being diuers times assaulted by the enemy whom still hee valiantly repulsed and put to the worse Pedro Melendes the chiefe Gouernour of the Towne being my Prisoner in regard that he had valiantly carried himselfe in making resistance vntill he had tenne or eleuen wounds vpon him I did not only at length dismisse without any peny for his ransome but also caused my Chirurgion very carefully to dresse and trimme his wounds vsing him and his farre otherwise then Pedro Melendes his great Vncle vsed Iohn Ribault Landoniere and the French Nation in Florida whom they most cruelly murdered and massacred as many as they could lay any hands vpon Thus being Master for one whole day of the stately and new builded Towne of Porto bello which had two goodly Churches in it fully finished and sixe or seuen faire streets whereof two were full of all necessarie Artificers and of Merchants with three small
to euery place And we were certified in Isla Grand that they had sent an Indian from the Riuer of Ienero through all the Mountaines Marishes to take a view of vs and accordingly made a Relation of our Ships Boates and the number of men which wee might haue But to preuent the like danger that might come vpon vs being carelesse and negligent I determined one night in the darkest and quietest of it to see what watch our Company kept on the shore manned our Light-horsman and Boat armed them with Bowes and Targets and got ashore some good distance from the places where were our Boothes and sought to come vpon them vndiscouered we vsed all our best endeuours to take them at vnawares yet comming within fortie paces we were discouered the whole and the sicke came forth to oppose them selues against vs. Which we seeing gaue them the Hubbub after the manner of the Indians and assaulted them and they vs but being a close darke night they could not discerne vs presently vpon the Hubbub From our Ship the Gunner shot a peece of Ordnance ouer our heads according to the order giuen him and thereof we tooke occasion to retire vnto our Boates and within a little space came to the Boothes and landing places as though we came from our Ships to aide them They began to recount vnto vs how that at the Wester point of the Iland out of certaine Canoas had landed a multitude of Indians which with a great out-cry came vpon them assaulted them fiercely but finding better resistance then they looked for and seeing them selues discouered by the Ships tooke them selues to their heeles and returned to their Canoas in which they imbarked themselues and departed One affirmed he saw the Canoas another their long haire a third their Bowes a fourth that it could not be but that some of them had their paiments And it was worth the sight to behold those which had not moued out of their beds in many moneths vnlesse by the helpe of others had gotten some a bow-shot off into the woods others into the top of trees and those which had any strength ioyned together to fight for their liues In fine the Booths and Tents were left desolate To colour our businesse the better after we had spent some houre in seeking out and ioyning the Company together in comforting and commending them I left them an extraordinary Guard for that night and so departed to our Shippes with such an opinion of the assault giuen by the Indians that many so possessed through all the Voyage would not be perswaded to the contrary Which impression wrought such effect in most of my Company that in all places where the Indians might annoy vs they were after most carefull and vigilant as was conuenient In these Ilands it heigheth and falleth some fiue or sixe foote water and but once in two and twentie houres as in all this Coast and in many parts of the West Indies as also in the coast of Peru and Chely sauing where are great Bayes or indraughts and there the tydes keep their ordinary course of twice in foure and twenty houres In the lesser of these Ilands is a Coue for a small Ship to ride in Land-lockt and she may moore her selfe to the trees of either side this we called Palmito Iland for the abundance it hath of the greater sort of Palmito trees the other hath none at all A man may goe betwixt the Ilands with his Ship but the better course is out at one end In these Ilands are many Scorpions Snakes and Adders with other venemous Vermine They haue Parots and a certaine kinde of fowle like vnto Phesants somewhat bigger and seeme to be of their nature Here we spent aboue a moneth in curing of our sicke men supplying our wants of wood and water and in other necessary workes And the tenth of December all things put in order we set saile for Cape Frio hauing onely sixe men sicke with purpose there to set ashore our two Prisoners before named and anchoring vnder the Cape we set our Boate ashoare but they could not finde any conuenient place to land them in and so returned the winde being Southerly and not good to goe on our voyage we succoured our selues within Isla Grand which lyeth some dozen or foureteene leagues from the Cape betwixt the West and by South and West Southwest the rather to set our Prisoners on shore In the mid way betwixt the Cape and this Iland lyeth the Riuer Ienero a very good Harbour fortified with a Garrison and a place well peopled The Isla Grand is some eight or tenne leagues long and causeth a goodly harbour for shipping it is full of great sandie Bayes and in the most of them is store of good water within this Iland are many other smaller Ilands which cause diuers sounds and creekes and amongst these little Ilands one for the pleasant scituation and fertilitie thereof called Placentia This is peopled all the rest desert on this Iland our Prisoners desired to be put ashore and promised to send vs some refreshing Whereto wee condescended and sent them ashore with two Boates well manned and armed who found few Inhabitants in the Iland for our people saw not aboue foure or fiue houses notwithstanding our Boates returned loaden with Plantines Pinias Potatoes Sugar-canes and some Hens Amongst which they brought a kinde of little Plantine greene and round which were the best of any that I haue seene With our people came a Portugall who said that the Iland was his hee seemed to be a Mistecho who are those that are of a Spanish and an Indian brood poorely apparelled and miserable we feasted him and gaue him some trifles and hee according to his abilitie answered our courtesie with such as he had The winde continuing contrary we emptied all the water we could come by which we had filled in Saint Iames his Iland and filled our Caske with the water of this Isla Grand It is a wildernesse couered with Trees and Shrubs so thicke as it hath no passage through except a man make it by force And it was strange to heare the howling and cries of wilde Beasts in these Woods day and night which we could not come at to see by any meanes some like Lyons others like Beares others like Hogs and of such and so many diuersities as was admirable Here our Nets profited vs much for in the sandy Bayes they tooke vs store of fish Vpon the shore at full Sea-marke we found in many places certain shels like those of mother of Pearles which are brought out of the East Indies to make standing cups called Caracoles of so great curiositie as might moue all the beholders to magnifie the maker of them and were it not for the brittlenesse of them by reason of their exceeding thinnesse doubtlesse they were to be esteemed farre aboue the others for more excellent workmanship
point south-South-west it riseth in three Mounts or round Hillockes bringing it more Westerly they shoot themselues all into one and bringing it Easterly it riseth in two Hillockes This we called Point Tremountaine Some twelue or fourteene leagues from this point to the Eastwards faire by the shoare lyeth a low flat Iland of some two leagues long we named it Faire Iland for it was all ouer as greene and smooth as any Meddow in the Sping of the yeare Some three or foure leagues Easterly from this Iland is a goodly opening as of a great Riuer or an arme of the Sea with a goodly low Countrey adjacent And eight or tenne leagues from this opening some three leagues from the shoare lyeth a bigge Rocke which at the first we had thought to be a ship vnder all her sayles but after as we came neere it discouered it selfe to bee a Rocke which we called Conduit-head for that howsoeuer a man commeth with it it is like to the Conduit-heads about the Citie of London All this Coast so farre as we discouered lyeth next of any thing East and by North and West and by South The Land for that it was discouered in the Reigne of Qâ—eene Elizabeth my Souereigne Lady and Mistris and a Mayden Queene and at my cost and aduenture in a perpetuall memory of her chastitie and remembrance of my endeuours I gaue it the name of Hawkins Maiden-land Before a man fall with this Land some twenâ—y or thirty leagues he shall meet with beds of Oreweed driuing to and fro in that Sea with white flowres growing vpon them and sometimes farther off which is a good shew and signe the Land is neere whereof the Westermost part lyeth some threescore leagues from the neerest Land of America With our faire and large wind wee shaped our course for the Straits and the tenth of February wee had sight of Land and it was the head-land of the Straits to the Northwards which agreed with our height wherein wee found our selues to bee which was in 52. degrees and 40. minutes Within a few houres we had the mouth of the Straits open which lieth in 52. degrees and 50. minutes It riseth like the North foreland in Kent and is much like the Land of Margates It is not good to borrow neere the shoare but to giue it a faire birth within a few houres we entred the mouth of the Straits which is some sixe leagues broad and lieth in 52. degrees and 50. minutes doubling the Point on the starbood which is also flat of a good birth we opened a faire Bay in which we might descry the Hull of a ship beaten vpon the Beach It was of the Spanish Fleet that went to inhabit there in Anno 1582. vnder the charge of Pedro Sarmiento who at his returne was taken Prisoner and brought into England In this Bay the Spaniards made their principall habitation and called it the Citie of Saint Philip and left it peopled But the cold barrennesse of the Countrey and the malice of the Indians with whom they badly agreed made speedy end of them as also of those whom they left in the middle of the Straits three leagues from Cape Forward to the Eastwards in another habitation We continued our course alongst this Reaâ—h for all the Straits is as a Riuer altering his course sometimes vpon one point sometimes vpon another which is some eight leagues long and lieth West North-west From this we entred into a goodly Bay which runneth vp into the Land Northerly many leagues and at first entrance a man may see no other thing but as it were a maine Sea From the end of this first Reach you must direct your course West South-west and some fourteene or fifteene leagues lyeth one of the narrowest places of all the Straits This leadeth vnto another Reach that lyeth West and by North some six leagues Here in the middle of the Reach the wind tooke vs by the North-west and so we were forced to anchor some two or three dayes In which time we went ashoare with our Boats and found neere the middle of this Reach on the starboord side a reasonable good place to ground and trimme a small ship where it higheth some nine or ten foot water Here we saw certaine Hogs but they were so farre from vs that we could not discerne whether they were of those of the Countrey or brought by the Spaniards these were all the beasts which we saw in all the time we were in the Straits In two tides we turned through this reach and so recouered the Ilands of Pengwins they lye from this reach foure leagues South-west and by West Till you come to this place care is to be taken of not comming too neere to any point of the land for being for the most part sandy they haue sholding off them and are somewhat dangerous These Ilands haue beene set forth by some to be three we could discouer but two And they are no more except that part of the Mayne which lyeth ouer against them be an Iland which carrieth little likelihood and I cannot determine it A man may saile betwixt the two Ilands or betwixt them and the Land on the Larboord side from which Land to the bigger Iland is as it were a bridge or ledge on which is foure or fiue fathom water and to him that commeth neere it not knowing thereof may justly cause feare for it sheweth to be shold water with his ripling like vnto a Race Betwixt the former Reach and these Ilands runneth vp a goodly Bay into the Countrey to the North-wards It causeth a great Indraughty and aboue these Ilands runneth a great tide from the mouth of the Straits to these Ilands the Land on the Larboord-side is low Land and sandy for the most part and without doubt Ilands for it hath many openings into the Sea and forcible Indraughts by them and that on the Starboord side is all high Mountaynous Land from end to end but no wood on either side Before we passed these Ilands vnder the Lee of the bigger Iland we anchored the winde beeing at North-east with intent to refresh our selues with the Fowles of these Ilands they are of diuers sorts and in great plentie as Pengwins wild Ducks Guls and Gannets of the principall we purposed to make prouision and those were the Pengwins The Pengwin is in all proportion like a Goose and hath no feathers but a certaine downe vpon all parts of his bodie and therefore canot flee but auayleth himselfe in all occasions with his feet running as fast as most men He liueth in the Sea and on the Land feedeth on fish in the Sea and as a Goose on the shore vpon grasse They harbour themselues vnder the ground in Burrowes as the Conies and in them hatch their young All parts of the Iland where they haunted were vndermined saue onely one Valley which it seemeth they reserued for their food for it
was as greene as any Medow in the moneth of Aprill with a most fine short grasse The flesh of these Pengwins is much of the sauour of a certaine Fowle taken in the Ilands of Lundey and Silley which we call Puffins by the taste it is easily discerned that they feed on fish They are very fat and in dressing must be flead as the Byter they are reasonable meate rosted baked or sodden but best rosted We salted some doozen or sixteene Hogsheads which serued vs whilest they lasted insteed of powdred Beefe The hunting of them as wee may well terme it was a great recreation to my company and worth the sight for in determining to catch them necessarily was required good store of people euery one with a cudgell in his hand to compasse them round about to bring them as it were into a Ring if they chanced to breake out then was the sport for the ground beeing vndermined at vnawares it failed and as they ranne after them one fell here another there another offering to strike at one lifting vp his hand sunke vp to the arme-pits in the earth another leaping to auoid one hole fell into another And after the first slaughter in seeing vs on the shoare they shunned vs and procured to recouer the Sea yea many times seeing themselues persecuted they would tumble downe from such high Rocks and Mountaines as it seemed impossible to escape with life Yet as soone as they came to the Beach presently we should see them runne into the Sea as though they had no hurt Where one goeth the other followeth like sheepe after the Bel-weather but in getting them once within the Ring close together few escaped saue such as by chance hid themselues in the borrowes and ordinarily there was no Droue which yeelded vs not a thousand and more the manner of killing them which the Hunters vsed beeing in a cluster together was with their cudgels to knocke them on the head for though a man gaue them many blowes on the body they dyed not Besides the flesh bruized is not good to keepe The massacre ended presently they cut of their heads that they might bleed well such as we determined to keepe for store we saued in this manner First wee split them and then washed them well in Sea-water then salted them hauing laine some sixe houres in Salt we put them in presse eight houres and the bloud being soaked out wee salted them againe in our other caske as is the custome to salt Beefe after this manner they continued good some two moneths and serued vs in steed of Beefe The Guls and Gannets were not in so great quantitie yet we wanted not young Guls to eate all the time of our stay about these Ilands It was one of the delicatest foods that I haue eaten in all my life The Duckes are different to ours and nothing so good meate yet they may serue for necessitie They were many and had a part of the Iland to themselues seuerall which was the highest Hill and more then a Musket shot ouer In all the dayes of my life I haue not seene greater arte and curiositie in creatures voide of reason then in the placing and making of their Nests all the Hill being so full of them that the greatest Mathematician of the World could not deuise how to place one more then there was vpon the Hill leauing onely one path-way for a Fowle to passe betwixt The Hill was all leuell as if it had beene smoothed by arte the Nests made onely of earth and seeming to be of the selfe-same mould for the Nests and the soile is all one which with water that they bring in their Beakes they make into Clay or a certaine dawbe and after fashion them round as with a compasse In the bottome they containe the measure of a foot in the height about eight inches and in the top the same quantitie ouer there they are hollowed in somwhat deep wherein they lay their Egges without other preuention And I am of opinion that the Sun helpeth them to hatch their young their Nests are for many yeares and of one proportion not one exceeding another in bignesse in height nor circumference and in proportionable distance one from another In all this Hill nor in any of their Nests was to be found a blade of grasse a straw a sticke a feather a moat no nor the filing of any Fowle but all the Nests and passages betwixt them were so smooth and cleane as if they had bin newly swept washed One day hauing ended our hunting of Pengwins one of our Mariners walking about the Iland discouered a great company of Seales or Sea-wolues so called for that they are in the Sea as the Wolues on the Land aduising vs that he left them sleeping with their bellies toasting against the Sunne we prouided our selues with staues and other weapons and sought to steale vpon them at vnawares to surprize some of them and comming downe the side of a Hill we were not discouered till wee were close vpon them notwithstanding their Sentinell before wee could approach with a great howle waked them we got betwixt the Sea and some of them but they shunned vs not for they came directly vpon vs and though we dealt heere and there a blow yet not a man that withstood them escaped the ouerthrow They reckon not of a Musket shot a sword pierceth not theirskinne and to giue a blowe with a staffe is as to smite vpon a stone only in giuing the blowe vpon his snout presently he falleth downe dead After they had recouered the water they did as it were scorne vs defie vs and daunced before vs vntill we had shot some Musket shot through them and so they appeared no more This fish is like vnto a Calfe with foure legs but not aboue a spanne long his skinne is hairy like a Calte but these were different to all that euer I haue seene yet I haue seēne of them in many parts for these wee greater and in their former parts like vnto Lions with shagge haire and mostaches They liue in the Sea and come to sheepe on the Land and they euer haue one that watcheth who aduiseth them of any accident They are beneficiall to man in their skinnes for many purposes In their mostaches for Pick-tooths and in their fatte to make Traine-oyle Wee embarqued our selues and set sayle with the winde at NOrth-west which could serue vs but to an end of that reach some dozen leagues long and some three or foure leagues broad It lieth next of any thing till you come to Cape Agreda south-South-west from this Cape to Cape Froward the coast lieth West South-west Some foure leagues betwixt them was the second peopling of the Spaniards and this Cape lieth in 55. degrees and better Thwart Cape Froward the winde larged with vs and we continued our course towards the Iland of Elizabeth which lieth from
haue done their vttermost yet can they not bring that People wholly in subiection And although the Spaniards haue in this Prouince eleuen Townes and two Bishoprikes yet haue they little enough to maintayne themselues by reason of the Warres for they spend all the Gold that the Land yeeldeth in the maintenance of their Souldiers which would not bee so if they had peace for then they might worke in all their Mines Thus hauing spoken somwhat of the situation of Chili and of the troublesome conquest thereof I will returne to my former discourse where I left Baldiuia therefore being of 150. houses hath twice beene burnt and spoyled by the Indians so that now it is waxen poore but before the Indians sacked it it was very rich and it standeth vp a Riuer foure leagues from the Sea Passing from hence you come to the plaine Countrie of Arauco being situate ouer against the Iland La Mocha on which Iland the Indians that inhabite belong to the maine Land Hauing passed this Plaine of Arauco the next Towne of the Spaniards that you come vnto is La Concepcion which hath beene the greatest and the richest Towne in all Chili but by reason that the Indians haue burned the same foure times it is now growne very poore and hath small store of people it containeth about some two hundred houses And because it adioyneth vpon the Plaine of Arauco where these valiant Indians bee therefore this Towne is enuironed about with a strong wall and hath a Fort built hard by it and here are fiue hundred Souldiers continually in Garrison Betweene this place and Ualparizo the Indians call the Coast by the name of Mapocha Sant Iago it selfe standing fiue and twentie leagues vp into the Countrie is the principall Towne of all Chili and the seat of the Gouernour it consisteth of about eight hundred houses The Port of Valparizo whither the goods come from Lima by shipping hath about twentie houses standing by it The next Towne neere the Sea side beyond this is Coquimbo which standeth two leagues vp into the Land and containeth about two hundred houses Next vnto Coquimbo standeth a Port-towne called Copiapo inhabited altogether by Indians which serue the Spaniards and here a Gentleman which is Gouernour of the Towne hath an Ingenio for Sugar at this place endeth the whole Prouince of Chili Here also the Mountaines ioyning hard vpon the Sea are the cause why all the Land betweene Capiapo and Peru contayning one hundred and sixtie leagues lieth desolate The first Towne on the Coast of Peru called Atacama is inhabited by Indians which are slaues vnto the Spaniards But before I passe any further I will here also declare vnto you the first Discouerie of Peru with other matters there to belonging and then will I returne to the Sea-coast againe and to the end you may vnderstand me the better I will beginne with Panama After that the Spaniards had inhabited the North side of this mayne Land passing ouer the Mountains they discouered the South Sea where because they found Indian people with Gold and Pearles they built a Towne eighteene leagues to the West of Nombre de Dios hard vpon the Sea side and called it Panama From hence they discouered along the Coast of Nueua Espanna and for that Nueua Espanna was at the same time inhabited by Spaniards there beganne a trade from thence to Panama but from Panama by Sea to the Coast of Peru they could not trade in a long time because of the Southerly windes blowing on this Coast almost all the yeere long which are a hinderance to ships sayling that way and by Land the passage was impossible in regard of Mountaines and Riuers Yea it was fifteene yeeres before they passed the Iland of Pearles which is but twentie leagues from Panama There were at this time in Panama two men the one called Francisco Pizarro borne in the Citie of Truxillo in Spaine a valiant man but withall poore the other called Diego de Almagro was very rich These men got a companie vnto them and prouided two Carauels to discouer the Coast of Peru and hauing obtayned licence of the Gouernour of that place Francisco Pizarro set forth with the two foresaid Carauels and an hundred men and Diego de Almagro stayed in Panama to send him Victuals and other necessaries Now Francisco Pizarro sayling along the Coast met with contrary windes and raine which put him to great trouble and hee began also after a while to lacke victuals for hee was sayling of that in eight moneths which they now passe in fifteene dayes and not knowing the right course hee ranne into euery Riuer and Bay that hee saw along the Coast which was the chiefe cause that he stayed so long on his Voyage also thirtie of his companie died by reason of the vnhealthfulnesse of the coast At last he came to an Iland called by him Isla del Gallo being situate from the maine Land sixe leagues From hence he sent one of his ships to Panama for a new supplie of victuals and of men which ship being departed fortie of his men that remayned behinde made a mutinie and passed vp into the Countrie meaning to returne by Land to Panama but in the way they all perished for they were neuer heard of vntill this day So that Francisco Pizarro was left vpon the said Iland onely with thirteene men who although hee had his ship there in which he might haue returned yet would hee rather die then goe backe and his thirteene men also were of his opinion notwithstanding that they had no other victuals but such as they had from the maine Land in the night season Thus hee continued nine moneths before any succour was brought him from Panama but in the end his ship returned with fortie men onely and victuals whereupon hee prosecuted his Voyage till hee came to the first plaine Countrie of Peru called Tumbez where hee found a Fort made by the King of Peru against the Indians of the Mountaines Wherefore Pizarro and his men were very glad in that they had found a People of so good vnderstanding and discretion being rich also in Gold and Siluer and well apparelled At this Port of Tumbez hee tooke thirtie thousand Pezos of Gold in trucke of Merchandise and hauing two few men to proceed any further he carried two Indians with him to learne the Language and returned backe for Panama Vpon this Discouerie Francisco Pizarro thought it expedient to trauell into Spaine to craue of the King the Conquest of this Land Whither being come the King granted his request And with the money which he carried ouer with him he hired a great number of men with a Fleet of shippes and brought also along with him foure of his Brethren very valiant and hardy men And being come to Panama he straightway went on his Voyage for Peru being accompanied with his Partner Diego de Almagro They sayled first to the Iland called
fauour to seeke and discouer new Countries But the greatest and most notable discouery that hath beene from those parts now of late was that of the Isles of Salomon which were found in manner following The Licenciate Castro being gouernour of Peru sent forth a Fleete of Ships to discouer certaine Islands in the South Sea vpon the coast of Peru appointing as Generall of the same Fleete a kinsman of his called Aluares de Mendanio and Pedro Sarmiento as Lieutenant and in the Viceadmirall went Pedro de Ortega This Fleete departing forth of the hauen of Lima and sailing 800. leagues Westward off the coast of Peru found certaine Islands in eleuen degrees to the South of the Equinoctiall inhabited with a kinde of people of a yellowish complexion and all naked whose weapons are Bowes and Arrowes and Darts The Beasts that they saw here were Hogs and little Dogs and they found some Hens Here also they found a muster of Cloues Ginger and Sinamon although the Sinamon were not of the best and here appeared vnto them likewise some shew of Gold The first Island that the Spaniards discouered they named Santa Izabella and here they built a small Pinnace with the which and with their Ships Boate they found out betweene nine and fifteene degrees of Southerly latitude eleuen great Islands being one with another of eightie leagues in compasse The greatest Island that they discouered was according vnto the first finder called Guadalcanal on the coast whereof they sailed 150. leagues before they could know whether it were an Island or part of the maine land and yet they know not perfectly what to make of it but thinke that it may be part of that continent which stretcheth to the Streights of Magellan for they coasted it to eighteene degrees and could not finde the end thereof The Gold that they found was vpon this Island or maine land of Guadalcanal whereas they landed and tooke a towne finding small graines of Gold hanged vp in the houses thereof But because the Spaniards vnderstood not the language of the Countrey and also for that the Indians were very stout men and fought continually against them they could neuer learne from whence that Gold came nor yet what store was in the Land These Indians vse to goe to Sea in great Canoas that will carrie one hundred men a piece wherein they haue many conflicts one against another howbeit vnto the Christians they could doe no great hurt for that with a small Pinnace and two Falcons a few may ouercome one hundred of them At this place foureteene men mistrusting nothing rowed to land to take in fresh water whom on the sodaine certaine Indians in foure Canoas set vpon tooke the Ships Boate and slew all the men therein wherefore a man cannot goe on shore too strong nor yet be too warie in a strange land Hereupon the Spaniards went on shore in their Pinnace and burnt the Towne and in this towne they found the small graines of Gold before mentioned They were discouering of these Islands from one to another about foureteene moneths at the end of which time because that vpon the coast where they were the winde continuing still in one place might be an occasion of longer tarrying they consulted which way to returne Southward they durst not goe for feare of great tempests which are that way vsuall wherefore sayling to the North of the line they fell with the coast of Nueua Espanna on which coast they met with such terrible stormes that they were forced to cut their maine masts ouer-boord and to lye nine moneths beating it vp and downe in the Sea before they could get into any harbour of the Christians In which time by reason of euill gouernment and for lacke of victuals and fresh water most of the men in their Admirall dyed for fiue whole dayes together they had neither water nor meate but in the other Ships they behaued themselues so well that the greater part of them came safe vnto the land He that passeth the Straits of Magellan or saileth from the coast of Chili directly for the Malucos must needes runne in sight of some of these Islands before spoken of At which Islands lying so conueniently in the way to the Malucos you may furnish your selfe with plenty of victuals as Hogs Hennes excellent Almonds Potatos Sugar-canes with diuers other sorts fit for the sustenance of man in great abundance Also among these Islands you shall haue some quantity of Gold which the Indians will giue you in trucke for other commodities For the Spaniards in their discouery of these Islands not seeking nor being desirous of Gold brought home notwithstanding 40000. pezos with them besides great store of Cloues and Ginger and some Sinamon also which is not so good as in other places The discouerer of these Islands named them the Isles of Salomon to the end that the Spaniards supposing them to be those Isles from whence Salomon fetched Gold to adorne the Temple at Ierusalem might be the more desirous to goe and inhabit the same Now the same time when they thought to haue sent colonies vnto these Islands Captaine Drake entered the South Sea whereupon commandement was giuen that they should not be inhabited to the end that such Englishmen and of other Nations as passed the Straits of Magellan to goe to the Malucos might haue no succour there but such as they got of the Indian people CHAP. XII Briefe extracts translated out of IEROM BENZOS three Bookes of the New World touching the Spaniards cruell handling of the Indians and the effects thereof ANno 1641. Ierom Benzo went from Millaine to Siuill in Spaine and thence to the New World where he was entertained of the Spaniards and practised with them the huntings of the Indians which they did by lurking in couerts till some of the Natiues came within their reach by bribing the Cacikes with trifles to procure captiues and other meanes Peter Chalice came while we were there to Amaracan with aboue 4000. slaues and had brought many more but with labour wearinesse hunger and griefe for losse of their Countrie and friends many had perished in the way Many also not able to follow in the Spaniards swift march were by them killed to preuent their taking armes A miserable spectacle to see those troopes of slaues naked with their bodies rent maimed starued the mothers dragging or carrying on their shoulders their children howling the neckes of all armes and hands chained not any growne Maide amongst them which the spoilers had not rauished with so profuse lust that thence grew contagion and pernicious diseases The Spanish horsemen in those warres vsed quilted Iackes with Launces and Swords the footemen Sword Shield and Crosse-bow with lighter Iackes The moisture and great dewes made Peeces vnseruiceable in those parts The Islanders in Hispaniola seeing no hope of better or place for worse killed their children and then hanged themselues The women
had prouided that by the way foure or fiue great fires should bee made some small space distant each from other and at euery one of them they warmed vs and when they saw that we had taken a little strength and heate they brought vs to another with so great care that they did not so much as suffer vs to set our feete on the ground and after this manner we were brought vnto their houses where we found that they had prouided an house for vs many fires therein and about one houre after we were come thither they beganne to dance and reioyce which continued all the night Although amongst vs there was neither ioy nor sleepe expecting when they would haue sacrificed vs. In the morning they returned to giue vs fish and rootes and vsed vs so well that wee somewhat assured our selues and lost some part of the feare of sacrificing In those dayes wherein wee abode there I saw a small Net with one of those Indians and knew that it was not any of them which wee gaue them and demanding whence they had it they answered me by signes that other men such as we were gaue it them who abode behind that place I seeing this sent two Christians and two Indians to shew them those men and being gone they met with them very neere who came to seeke vs out because the Indians of those places had told them of vs. These men were Captaine Andrea Dorante and Alonso del Castiglio with all the men of their Boat And being come vnto vs they were afraid to behold vs in that manner wherein we were and were very sorrowfull that they had not any thing to giue vs because they had no other garments then those which they wore And they abode there with vs and told vs how on the fift day of that same moneth their Boat had crossed ouer one league and an halfe from thence and that they had escaped without losing any thing Wee all agreed together to trimme that Boat of theirs and that all such as had strengh and abilitie to doe it should goe therein and that the rest should remaine there vntill they recouered and that when they were able they should goe along the Coast and waite there till God should conduct them with the rest of vs vnto a Land of the Christians And as we determined so wee did and before we lanched the Boat into the water Tauera an Horseman of our companie died and the Boat which we thought should carrie vs she also made her end and was not able to vphold her selfe but was suddenly drowned Whereupon being in that manner aforesaid and naked and the weather so vnseasonable to trauell and passe ouer Riuers and Gulfes by swimming and hauing no victuall or any sustenance nor meanes to carrie them we determined to doe that which necessitie and force compelled vs vnto that is to say to winter there And wee likewise agreed that foure of our lustiest and strongest men should goe to Panuco supposing it neere vnto that place And that if it should please our Lord God that they arriued there they should giue intelligence that we were there and tell them of our necessitie and miseries They who went were very great swimmers the one was called Alnaro Ferrante a Portugall who was a Carpenter and a Mariner the second was called Mendos and the third Figeroa a natiue of Toledo and the fourth was borne in Zaffra and they carried an Indian with them of the Iland of Auia These foure Christians being departed within few dayes after there came such vnseasonable weather of cold and tempests that the Indians could not finde the roots and out of the channels where they were wont to fish they digged no fruit at all and things falling out so vnhappily many people began to die and fiue Christians who were in Xamo vpon that Coast came to such extremitie that they eate one another vntill there remained but one onely because there was none to eate him Their names are these Siera Diego Lopez Corral Palatio Gonzalo Ruis. The Indians were so altered through this accident and tooke so great an offence that without doubt if they had knowne it in the beginning they would haue killed them all so that all wee had beene in very great danger Finally in a small time of fourescore men which wee were in all there remained onely fifteene After this mortalitie a certaine infirmitie of the stomacke happened to the Indians through the which halfe of them died and they beleeued that wee were the men that killed them and holding it for an assured truth they contended among themselues to kill all those few of vs that were remaining and now comming to put it in execution an Indian which I had said vnto them that they should not beleeue that we were those that killed them for if we had such power we would haue procured that so many men of our owne should not haue died which they had seene dead without any abilitie of ours to remedie and helpe them and that now wee were very few remaining whereof none had done them any preiudice or harme wherefore it were better that they suffer vs to liue Thus it pleased our Lord God that the rest followed his counsell and iudgement and so ceassed from that purpose Wee called this Iland the Iland of Malhado The people which wee found there are of a great stature and well set and haue no other weapons but Bowes and Arrowes with the which they are exceeding readie and quicke The men haue one of their paps pierced from the one side to the other and there are some who haue them both pierced and in the hole which they make they carrie a Cane acrosse of the length of two spannes and an halfe and two fingers thicke They likewise haue the nether lippe bored and within the same they carrie a piece of a thin Cane about halfe a finger thicke The women indure much drudgerie and labour The habitation which they make in that Iland is from October vntill the end of Februarie and their food is the rootes aforesaid digged vnder water in Nouember and December They haue Weares but haue no fish but at this time and before that they eate roots At the end of Februarie they goe into other Parts to seeke food because the roots beginne then to growe and are not very good This Nation aboue all other parts of the world loue their children and vse them best And when it happeneth that any one of their children dieth the father mother and kindred with all the people lament him and the mourning and lamentation continueth one whole yeere so that euery day before the Sunne ariseth the parents beginne first to lament and after them all the people and they doe the same at noon and in the morning and the yeere being ended they accomplish their Funerals and honourable rites of Buriall which they performe vnto the dead
before me Al these fears which they haue of vs they yet put into the heads of those who came lately to know vs because they should giue vs whatsoeuer they haue for they know that we tooke nothing for our selues but gaue euerie thing to them This was the most obedient people and best conditioned that we found in all that Countrie and commonly they are well disposed Those that were sicke being recouered and restored vnto health and wee hauing continued there three daies the women that we had sent came vnto vs and said that they had found verie few people because they were gone to the kine which was now their time Then we commanded them that were weake to remaine behinde and those that were well to come with vs and that two daies iourney from thence those two women should goe with two of our men to cause the people to come forth to the highwaies to receiue vs. And so the morning following all those that were the lustiest departed with vs and after three daies iourney wee setled our selues and the day following Alonso del Castiglio and Esteuanicco the Negro together with those two women for their guides and that who was their prisoner brought them vnto a Riuer which ranne within a mountaine where a people abode among whom their father was and these were the first houses that wee saw which had the forme and manner of true houses There Castiglio and Esteuanicco arriued and after they had spoken with those Indians at the end of three dayes Castiglio returned to the place where they left vs and brought fiue or sixe of those Indians and said That hee had found houses of people and of artificiall building and that the people eate pulse and gourds and that hee had seene Maiz there There wee abode one day and the next wee departed they bringing vs with them to other built houses where wee did eate of the same food that they eate And after from thenceforth there was another custome that they who knew of our comming came not forth into the high-way to meete vs as the other did but wee found them in their houses and they did nothing else for vs. And they were all sitting and all held their faces towards the wall hanging downe their heads with their haire ouer their eyes and all their clothes were hanged vp aloft in the middle of the house and from thence forward they began to giue vs many mantles of hides and they had not any thing which they gaue vs not It is a Nation of the best and goodliest proportion of bodie that euer wee saw there and of a more liuely spirit and agilitie and that vnderstood vs better and answered vs to whatsoeuer wee demanded them and wee call them The people of the Kine because the greater part of the Kine which dye in those Countries is neere thereabouts and vp that Riuer more then fiftie leagues they goe killing many These people goe all naked after the manner of those whom wee found first The women goe couered with certaine Deere skinnes and so doe some few men also and particularly the aged who are not seruiceable for the warres It is a verie populous Countrey and being demanded why it did not sowe Maiz they said They did it because they would not leese that which they should sowe for two yeeres since their water failed and the seasons was so dry that they all lost the Maiz that they had sowed and that they could not by any meanes be assured to sowe vnlesse first it had rained very much and they prayed vs to speake vnto the Heauens that they might send downe raine they boyle pulse in this manner They fill a great pot halfe full with water and put many of those stones in the fire which will quickely burne and when they seeth them on fire they take them vp with certaine tongs of Wood and cast them into that water in the gourd vntill they make it boyle with that fire of those stones and when they perceiue that the water boyleth they put in that which they haue to boyle and all this time they doe nothing else but take out one stone and put in another fired redde hot to make the water boyle §. IIII. They come to the South Sea and trauell through a plentifull Countrey till they meet with Spaniards whose crueltie and manner of conuerting Sauages is related WE went Westward on our iourny crossed ouer all the land vntil we came forth at the South Sea and the feare wherein they had put vs of the great famine which we were to passe as surely we passed it for seuenteen daies together as they had told vs was not able to diuert vs from our intended purpose Throughout all that Countrey vp the Riuer they gaue vs many Mantles of the hides of Kine and wee did not eate of those their fruites but our sustenance was euery day a piece of the fat of Deere of the bignesse of a mans hand which for this necessitie wee prouided alwaies to haue in a readinesse and so wee passed all those seuenteene daies iourney and at the end of them wee crossed ouer the Riuer and trauelled other seuenteene daies more to the West through certaine plaines and verie great mountaines which are found there and there wee met with a people who the third part of the yeere eate no other thing saue the powder of straw and because wee passed that way at that season of the yeere wee also were constrained to eate it vntill hauing finished those daies iourney wee found setled houses where there was great quantitie of Maiz and of that and Meale they gaue vs enough and Gourds and Pulse and Mantles of Bombasin Cotton withall which we laded them whom wee had hyred there who returned the most contented men in the world Wee yeelded many thankes vnto God who had brought vs thither where we found such plentie of sustenance Among these houses they had some that were of earth and all the rest were of mats and from thence wee passed more then an hundred leagues into the Countrey and alwaies found setled houses and much sustenance of Maiz and Pulse and they gaue vs many Deeres skinnes and Mantles of Bombasin Cotten better then those of New Spaine and gaue vs also many Garlands and certaine Corall which grow in the South Sea and many Turkie stones which come from toward the North. And finally they gaue vs whatsoeuer they had and vnto Dorante they gaue Emeralds made into Arrow heads and with those Arrowes they make their sports and festiuall iollitie seeming to mee very good I demanded of them whence they had them who told me that they brought them from certaine very high mountaines which lye towards the North and that they got them by exchange and barter for quills and Parrats feathers and there were many people there and very great houses Among them wee saw the women more honourably
that if it were so it was in their owne hands to goe out of Florida if they found nothing of profit for they feared they should lose themselues in some wildernesse This Indian led him two dayes out of the way The Gouernour commanded to torture him He said that the Cacique of Nondacao his Lord commanded him to guide them so because they were his enemies and that he was to doe as his Lord commanded him The Gouernour commanded him to be cast to the dogs and another guided him to Soacatino whither he came the day following It was a very poore Country there was great want of Maiz in that place He asked the Indians whether they knew of any other Christians They said that a little from thence toward the South they heard they were He trauelled twentie dayes through a Country euill inhabited where they suffered great scarsitie and trouble For that little Maiz which the Indians had they had hidden and buried in the woods where the Christians after they were well wearied with trauell at the end of their iourney went to seeke by digging what they should eate At last comming to a Prouince that was called Guasco they found Maiz wherewith they loaded their horses and the Indians that they had The Indians told them there that ten daies journie from thence toward the West was a Riuer called Daycao whither they went sometimes a hunting and killing of Deere and that they had seene people on the other side but knew not what habitation was there There the Christians tooke such Maiz as they found and could carry and going ten daies iournie through a wildernesse they came to the Riuer which the Indians had told them of Ten horsemen which the Gouernour had sent before passed ouer the same and went in a way that led to the Riuer and lighted vpon a company of Indians that dwelt in very little cabins who as soone as they saw them tooke themselues to flight leauing that which they had all which was nothing but miserie and pouertie The Countrie was so poore that among them all there was not found halfe a pecke of Maiz. The horsemen tooke too Indians and returned with them to the Riuer where the Gouernour staied for them He sought to learne of them what habitation was toward the West There was none in the Campe that could vnderstand their language The Gouernour assembled the Captaines and principall persons to determine with their aduice what they should doe And the most part said that they thought it best to returne backe to Rio grande or the great Riuer of Guachoya because that id Nilco and thereabout was store of Maiz saying that they would make Pinnaces that winter and the next Summer passe downe the Riuer to the Seaward in them and comming to the Sea they would goe along the coast to Nuena Espanna For though it seemed a doubtfull thing and difficult by that which they had already alleadged yet it was the last remedy they had For by land they could not goe for want of an Interpreter And they held that the Countrie beyond the Riuer of Dayaco where they were was that which Cabeça de Uaca mentioned in his relation that he passed of the Indians which liued like the Alarbes hauing no setled place and fed vpon Tunas and rootes of the fields and wilde beasts that they killed Which if it were so if they should enter into it and finde no victuals to passe the winter they could not choose but perish For they were entred already into the beginning of October and if they staied any longer they were not able to returne for raine and snowes nor to sustaine themselues in so poore a Countrie The Gouernour that desired long to see himselfe in a place where hee might sleepe his full sleepe rather then to conquer and gouerne a Countrie where so many troubles presented themselues presently returned backe that same way that he came When that which was determined was published to the Campe there were many that were greatly grieued at it for they held the Sea voyage as doubtfull for the euill meanes they had and as great danger as the trauelling by land and they hoped to finde some rich Countrey before they came to the land of the Christians by that which Cabeça de Vaca had told the Emperour and that was this That after he had found cloathes made of Cotten wooll hee saw Gold and Siluer and stones of great value And they had not yet come where hee had beene For vntill that place he alwayes trauelled by the Sea coast and they trauelled farre within the land and that going toward the West of necessitie they should come where he had beene For he said That in a certaine place he trauelled many dayes and entred into the land toward the North. And in Guasco they had already found some Turkie stones and Mantles of Cotten wooll which the Indians signified by signes that they had from the West and that holding that course they should draw neere to the land of the Christians From Daycao where now they were to Rio grando or the great Riuer was one hundred and fiftie leagues which vnto that place they had gone Westward They departed from Nilco in the beginning of December and all that way and before from Chilano they endured much trouble for they passed through many waters and many times it rained with a Northren winde and was exceeding colde so that they were in open field with water ouer and vnderneath them and when at the end of their dayes iourney they found dry ground to rest vpon they gaue great thankes to God With this trouble almost all the Indians that serued them died And after they were in Minoya many Christians also died and the most part were sicke of great and dangerous diseases which had a spice of the lethargie As soone as they came to Minoya the Gouernour commanded them to gather all the chaines together which euery one had to lead Indians in and to gather all the Iron which they had for their prouision and all the rest that was in the Campe and to set vp a forge to make nailes and commanded them to cut downe timber for the Brigandines And a Portugall of Ceuta who hauing bin a prisoner in Fez had learned to saw timber with a long Saw which for such purposes they had carried with them did teach others which helped them to saw timber And a Genowis whom it pleased God to preserue for without him they had neuer come out of the Countrie for there was neuer another that could make Ships but he with foure or fiue other Biscaine Carpenters which hewed his plankes and other timbers made the Brigandines And two calkers the one of Genua the other of Sardinia did calke them with the tow of an hearbe like Hempe whereof before I haue made mention which there is named Enequen And because there was not enough of it
they entred to inhabite was the great and most fertile I le of Hispaniola which containeth sixe hundred leagues in compasse There are other great and infinite Iles round about and in the Confines on all sides which we haue seene the most peopled and the fullest of their owne natiue people as any other Countrie in the World may be The firme Land lying off from this Iland two hundred and fiftie leagues and somewhat ouer at the most containeth in length on the Sea Coast more then ten thousand leagues which are alreadie discouered and daily be discouered more and more all full of people as an Emmote hill of Emmots Insomuch as by that which since vnto the yeere the fortieth and one hath beene discouered It seemeth that God hath bestowed in that same Countrie the gulfe or the greatest portion of Mankind God created all these innumerable multitudes in euery sort very simple without subtletie or craft without malice very obedient and very faithfull to their naturall Liege Lords and to the Spaniards whom they serue very humble very patient very desirous of peace making and peacefull without brawles and strugglings without quarrels without strife without rancour or hatred by no meanes desirous of reuengement They are also people very gentle and very tender and of an easie complexion and which can sustaine no trauell and doe die very soone of any disease whatsoeuer in such sort as the very children of Princes and Noblemen brought vp amongst vs in all commodities ease and delicatenesse are not more soft then those of that Countrie yea although they bee the children of Labourers They are also very poore folke which possesse little neither yet doe so much as desire to haue much worldly goods and therefore neither are they proud ambitious nor couetous Their diet is such as it seemeth that of the holy Fathers in the Desert hath not bin more scarce nor more straight nor lesse daintie nor lesse sumptuous Their apparelling is commonly to goe naked all saue their shamefast parts alone couered And when they be clothed at the most it is but a of a Mantle of Bombacie of an ell and a halfe or two ells of linnen square Their lodging is vpon a Mat and those which haue the best sleepe as it were vpon a Net fastened at the foure corners which they call in the Language of the I le of Hispaniola Hamasas They haue their vnderstanding very pure and quicke being teachable and capeable of all good Learning very apt to receiue our holy Catholike Faith and to be instructed in good and vertuous manners hauing lesse incumberances and disturbances to the attaining thereunto then all the folfe of the world besides and are so enflamed ardent and importune to know and vnderstand the matters of the faith after they haue but begunne once to taste them as likewise the exercise of the Sacraments of the Church and the diuine Seruice that in truth the religious men haue need of a singular patience to support them And to make an end I haue heard many Spaniards many times hold this as assured and that which they could not denie concerning the good nature which they saw in them Vndoubtedly these folkes should bee the happiest in the World if onely they knew God Vpon these Lambes so meeke so qualified and endued of their Maker and Creator as hath bin said entred the Spanish incontinent as they knew them as Wolues as Lions and as Tigres most cruell of long time famished and haue not done in those quarters these fortie yeeres past neither yet doe at this present ought else saue teare them in pieces kill them martyr them afflict them torment them and destroy them by strange sorts of cruelties neuer neither seene nor read nor heard of the like of the which some shall be set downe hereafter so far forth that of aboue three Millions of soules that were in the I le of Hispaniola and that we haue seene there are not now two hundred natiues of the Countrey The I le of Cuba the which is in length as farre as from Vallodolid vntill Rome is at this day as it were all waste Saint Iohns Ile and that of Iamayca both of them very great very fertill and very faire are desolate Likewise the Iles of Lucayos neere to the I le of Hispaniola and of the North side vnto that of Cuba in number being aboue threescore Ilands together with those which they call the Iles of Geante one with another great and little whereof the very worst is fertiler then the Kings Garden at Siuill and the Countrie the healthsomest in the World there were in these same Iles more then fiue hundred thousand soules and at this day there is not one only creature For they haue beene all of them slaine after that they had drawne them out from thence to labour in their Minerals in the I le of Hispaniola where there were no more left of the Natiues of that Iland A ship riding for the space of three yeeres betwixt all these Ilands to the end after the inning of this kind of Vintage to gleane and cull the remainder of these folke for there was a good Christian moued with pittie and compassion to conuert and win vnto Christ such as might be found there were not found but eleuen persons which I saw other Iles more then thirty neere to the I le of Saint Iohn haue likewise bin dispeopled and marred All these Iles containe aboue two thousand leagues of land and are all dispeopled and laid waste As touching the maine firme land we are certaine that our Spaniards by their cruelties and cursed doings haue dispeopled and made desolate more then ten Realmes greater then all Spaine comprising also therewith Aragon Portugall and twise as much or more land then there is from Seuill to Ierusalem which are aboue a thousand leagues which Realmes as yet vnto this present day remaine in a wildernesse and vtter desolation hauing bin before time as well pâ—opled as 〈◊〉 possible We are able to yeelde a good and certaine accompt that there is within the space of 〈◊〉 said fortie yeares by those said tyrannies and diuellish doings of the Spaniards doen 〈◊〉 death 〈◊〉 iustly and tyrannously more then twelue Milions of soules men women and children And I doe verily beleeue and thinke not to mistake therein that there are dead more then fifteene Millions of soules The cause why the Spanish haue destroyed such an infinite of soules hath beene onely that they haue held it for their last scope and marke to get Gold and to enrich themselues in a short time and to mount at one leape to very high estates in no wise agreeable to their persons or to say in a word the cause hereof hath beene their auarice and ambition And by this meanes haue died so many Millions without faith and without Sacraments Of the I le of Hispaniola In the I le Hispaniola which was the first as we haue said where
is within a league of the I le which is called the Ile du Coudre or the I le of Fâ—lberds which may be some two leagues in length And from the said I le to the Land on the North side is a league The said Ile is some what euen and groweth sharpe toward both the ends on the West end there are Medowes and Points of Rockes which stretch somewhat into the Riuer The said Ile is somewhat pleasant by reason of the Woods which enuiron the same There is store of Slate and the soyle is somewhat grauelly at the end whereof there is a Rocke which stretcheth into the Sea about halfe a league We passed to the North of the said I le which is distant from the I le of the Hare twelue leagues The Thursday following we departed from thence and anchored at a dangerous nooke on the Northside where there be certaine Medowes and a little Riuer where the Sauages lodge sometimes The said day wee still ranged the Coast on the North vnto a place where wee put backe by reasons of the winds which were contrary vnto vs where there were many Rockes and places very dangeous here we stayed three dayes wayting for faire weather All this Coast is nothing but Mountaynes as well on the South side as on the North the most part like the Coast of the Riuer of Saguenay On Sunday the two and twentieth of the said moneth wee departed to goe to the I le of Orleans in the way there are many Iles on the South shoare which are low and couered with trees shewing to be very pleasant contayning as I was able to iudge some two leagues and one league and another halfe a league About these Iles are nothing but Rocks and Flats very dangerous to passe and they are distant some two leagues from the mayne Land on the South And from thence wee ranged the I le of Orleans on the Southside It is a league from the North shoare very pleasant and leuell contayning eight leagues in length The Coast on the South shoare is low land some two leagues into the Countrey the said lands begin to below ouer against the said Ile which beginneth two leagues from the South Coast to passe by the North side is very dangerous for the bankes of Sand and Rockes which are betweene the said Ile and the mayne Land which is almost all dry at a low water At the end of the said Ile I saw a fall of water which fell from a great Mountaine of the said Riuer of Canada and on the top of the said Mountaine the ground is leuell and pleasant to behold although within the said Countries a man may see high Mountaynes which may bee some twenty or fiue and twenty leagues within the Lands which are neere the first Sault of Saguenay We anchored at Quebec which is a Strait of the said Riuer of Canada which is some three hundred pases broad there is at this Strait on the North side a very high Mountayne which falleth downe on both sides all the rest is a leuell and goodly Countrey where there are good grounds full of Trees as Okes Cypresses Birches Firre-trees and Aspes and other Trees bearing fruit and wild Vines So that in mine opinion if they were dressed they would be as good as ours There are along the Coast of the said Quebec Diamants in the Rockes of Slate which are better then those of Alonson From the said Quebec to the I le of Coudre or Filberds are nine and twenty leagues ON Munday the three and twentieth of the said moneth we departed from Quebec where the Riuer beginneth to grow broad sometimes one league then a league and an halfe or two leagues at most The Countrey groweth still fairer and fairer and are all low grounds without Rockes or very few The North Coast is full of Rockes and bankes of Sand you must take the South side about some halfe league from the shore There are certaine small Riuers which are not nauigable but only for the Canowes of the Sauages wherein there be many fals Wee anchored as high as Saint Croix which is distant from Quebec fifteene leagues This is a low point which riseth vp on both sides The Countrey is faire and leuell and the soyles better then in any place that I haue seene with plenty of wood but very few Firre-trees and Cypresses There are in these parts great store of Vines Peares small Nuts Cheries Goose-beries red and greene and certaine small Roots of the bignesse of a little Not resembling Musheroms in taste which are very good roasted and sod All this soyle is blacke without any Rockes saue that there is great store of Slate The soyle is very soft and if it were well manured it would yeeld great increase On the Northside there is a Riuer which is called Batiscan which goeth farre into the Countrey whereby sometimes the Algoumequins come downe and another on the same side three leagues from the said Saint Croix in the way from Quebec which is that where Iacques Quartier was in the beginning of the Discouery which he made hereof and hee passed no farther The said Riuer is pleasant and goeth farre vp into the Countries All this North Coast is very leuell and delectable On Tuesday the foure and twentieth of the said moneth wee departed from the said Saint Croix where we stayed a tyde and an halfe that we might passe the next day following by day light because of the great number of Rockes which are thwart the Riuer a strange thing to behold which is in a manner dry at a low water But at halfe flood a man may beginne to passe safely yet you must take good heed with the Lead alwayes in hand The tyde floweth heere almost three fathomes and an halfe the farther we went the fairer was the Countrey We went some fiue leagues and an halfe and anchored on the North side The Wednesday following wee departed from the said place which is a flatter Countrey then that which we passed before full of great store of Trees as that of Saint Croix We passed hard by a little I le which was full of Vines and came to an Anchor on the South side neere a little Hill but beeing on the top thereof all is euen ground There is at other little Ile three leagues from Saint Croix ioyning neere the South shore Wee departed from the said Hill the Thursday following and passed by a little I le which is neere the North shoare where I saw sixe small Riuers whereof two are able to beare Boats farre vp and another is three hundred pases broad there are certaine Ilands in the mouth of it it goeth farre vp into the Countrey it is the deepest of all the rest which are very pleasant to behold the soyle being full of Trees which are like to Walnut-trees and haue the same smell but I saw no Fruit which maketh me doubt the Sauages told
anchored at the three Riuers This day wee sayled some foure leagues beyond the said three Riuers The Tuesday following we came to Quebec and the next day wee were at the end of this I le of Orleans where the Sauages came to vs which were lodged in the maine Land on the North side Wee examined two or three Algoumequins to see whether they would agree with those that wee had examined touching the end and the beginning of the said Riuer of Canada They said as they had drawne out the shape thereof that hauing passed the Sault which wee had seene some two or three leagues there goeth a Riuer into their dwelling which is on the North side So going on forward in the said great Riuer they passe a Sault where they carrie their Canoas and they come to passe fiue other Saults which may containe from the first to the last some nine or ten leagues and that the said Saults are not hard to passe and they doe but draw their Canoas in the most part of the said Saults or Falls sauing at two where they carrie them from thence they enter into a Riuer which is as it were a kinde of Lake which may containe some sixe or seuen leagues and then they passe fiue other Falls where they draw their Canoas as in the first mentioned sauing in two where they carrie them as in the former and that from the first to the last there are some twenty or fiue and twenty leagues Then they come into a Lake contayning some hundred and fifty leagues in length and foure or fiue leagues within the entrance of that Lake there is a Riuer which goeth to the Algoumequins toward the North and another Riuer which goeth to the Irocois whereby the said Algoumequins and Irocois make warre the one against the other Then comming to the end of the said Lake they meete with another Fall where they carrie their Canoas From thence they enter into another exceeding great Lake which may containe as much as the former They haue beene but a very little way in this last Lake and haue heard say that at the end of the said Lake there is a Sea the end whereof they haue not seene neither haue heard that any haue seene it But that where they haue beene the water is not salt because they haue not entred farre into it and that the course of the water commeth from the Sun-setting toward the East and they knowe not whether beyond the Lake that they haue seene there be any other course of water that goeth Westward That the Sunne setteth on the right hand of this Lake which is according to my iudgement at the North-west little more or lesse and that in the first great Lake the water freezeth not which maketh mee iudge that the climate is there temperate and that all the Territories of the Algoumequins are lowe grounds furnished with small store of wood And that the coast of the Irocois is Mountainous neuerthelesse they are excellent good and fertile soyles and better then they haue seene any where else That the said Irocois reside some fifty or sixty leagues from the said great Lake And this assuredly is all which they haue told mee that they haue seene which differeth very little from the report of the first Sauages This day wee came within some three leagues of the I le of Coudres or Filberds On Thursday the tenth of the said moneth wee came within a league and an halfe of the I le Du Lieure or Of the Hare on the North side where other Sauages came into our Pinnace among whom there was a young man an Algoumequin which had trauelled much in the said great Lake Wee examined him very particularly as wee had done the other Sauages Hee told vs that hauing passed the said Fall which wee had seene within two or three leagues there is a Riuer which goeth to the said Algoumequins where they be lodged and that passing vp the great Riuer of Canada there are fiue Falls which may containe from the first to the last some eight or nine leagues whereof there bee three where they carrie their Canoas and two others wherein they draw them that each of the said Falls may be a quarter of a league long then they come into a Lake which may containe some fifteene leagues Then they passe fiue other Falls which may containe from the the first to the last some twenty or fiue and twenty leagues where there are not past two of the said Falls which they passe with their Canoas in the other three they doe but draw them From thence they enter into an exceeding great Lake which may containe some three hundred leagues in length when they are passed some hundred leagues into the said Lake they meet with an Iland which is very great and beyond the said Iland the water is brackish But when they haue passed some hundred leagues farther the water is yet falter and comming to the end of the said Lake the water is wholly salt Farther he said that there is a Fall that is a league broad from whence an exceeding current of water descendeth into the said Lake That after a man is passed this Fall no more land can be seene neither on the one side nor on the other but so great a Sea that they neuer haue seene the end thereof nor haue heard tell that any other haue seene the same That the Sunne setteth on the right hand of the said Lake and that at the entrance thereof there is a Riuer which goeth to the Algoumequins and another Riuer to the Irocois whereby they warre the one against the other That the Countrie of the Irocois is somewhat mountainous yet very fertile where there is store of Indian Wheat and other fruits which they haue not in their Countrie That the Countrie of the Algoumequins is lowe and fruitfull I enquired of them whether they had any knowledge of any Mines They told vs that there is a Nation which are called the good Irocois which come to exchange for merchanâ—â—ses which the French ships doe giue to the Algoumequins which say that there is toward the North a Mine of fine Copper whereof they shewed vs certaine Bracelets which they had receiued of the said Good Irocois and that if any of vs would goe thither they would bring them to the place which should bee appointed for that businesse And this is all which I could learne of the one and the other differing but very little saue that the second which were examined said that they had not tasted of the salt water for they had not beene so farre within the said Lake as the others and they differ some small deale in the length of the way the one sort making it more short and the other more long So that according to their report from the Sault or Fall where wee were is the space of some foure hundred leagues vnto the
Some three leagues beyond we passed neere vnto another Riuer which seemed to be very great yet barred for the most part with Rockes some eight leagues farther there is a Point which runneth a league and an halfe into the Sea where there is not past a fathome and an halfe of water When you are passed this Point there is another about foure leagues off where is water enough All this Coast is low and sandie Foure leagues beyond this there is a creeke where a Riuer entreth many ships may passe heere on the West side this is a low point which runneth about a league into the Sea you must runne along the Easterne shoare some three hundred paces to enter into the same This is the best Hauen which is all along the North shoare but it is very dangerous in going thither because of the flats and sholds of sand which lye for the most part all along the shoare almost two leagues into the Sea About six leagues from thence there is a Bay where there is an Isle of sand all this Bay is very shallow except on the East side where it hath about foure fathoms water within the channell which entreth into the said Bay some foure leagues up there is a faire creeke where a Riuer entreth All this coast is low and sandie there descendeth a fall of water which is great About fiue leagues farther is a Point which stretcheth about halfe a league into the Sea where there is a creeke and from the one point to the other are three leagues but all are shoald where is little water About two leagues off there is a strand where there is a good hauen and a small Riuer wherein are three Islands and where Ships may harbour themselues from the weather Three leagues beyond this is a sandie point which runneth out about a league at the end whereof there is a small Islet Going forward to Lesqueuim you meete with two little low Islands and a little rocke neere the shoare these said Ilands are about halfe a league from Lesqueuim which is a very bad Port compassed with rockes and dry at a low water and you must fetch about a little point of a rocke to enter in where one Ship onely can passe at a time A little higher there is a Riuer which runneth a little way into the land This is the place where the Basks kill the Whales to say the truth the hauen is starke naught Wee came from thence to the foresaid hauen of Tadousac the third day of August All these Countries before mentioned are low toward the shoare and within the land very high They are neither so pleasant nor fruitfull as those on the South although they be lower And this for a certaintie is all which I haue seene of this Northerne coast AT our comming to Tadousac we found the Saâ—ages which wee met in the Riuer of the Irâ—cois who met with three Canowes of the Irocois in the first Lake which fought against tenne others of the Mountayners and they brought the heads of the Irocois to Tadousac and there was but one Mountayner wounded in the arme with the shot of an Arrow who dreaming of something all the other tenne must seeke to content him thinking also that his wound thereby would mend if this Sauage die his Parents will reuenge his death either vpon their Nation or vpon others or at least wise the Captaines must giue Presents to the Parents of the dead to content them otherwise as I haue said they would be reuenged which is a great fault among them Before the said Mountayners set forth to the Warre they assembled all with their richest apparell of Furres Beauers and other Skinnes adorned with Pater-nosters and Chaines of diuers colours and assembled in a great publike place where there was before them a Sagaue whose name was Begâ—â—rat which led them to the Warre and they marched one behind another with their Bowes and Arrowes Mases and Targets wherewith they furnish themselues to fight and they went leaping one after another in making many gestures of their bodies they made many turnings like a Snaile afterward they began to dance after their accustomed manner as I haue said before then they made their Peast and after they had ended it the women stripped themselues starke naked being decked with their fairest Cordons and went into their Canowes thus naked and there danced and then they went into the water and strooke at one another with their Oares and beate water one vpon another yet they did no hurt for they warded the blowes which they strooke one at the other After they had ended all these Ceremonies they retired themselues into their Cabines and the Sauages went to warre against the Irocois The sixt day of August we departed from Tadousac and the eighteenth of the said moneth we arriued at the I le Perçee where wee found Mon 〈…〉 r Preuert of Saint Malo which came from the Myne where he had beene with much trouble for the feare which the Sauages had to meet with their enemies which are the Ar 〈…〉 cois which are Sauages very monstrous for the shape that they haue For their head is little and their body short their armes small like a bone and their thigh like their legges great and long which are all of one proportion and when they sit vpon their heeles their knees are higher by halfe a foot then their head which is a strange thing and they seeme to be out of the course of Nature Neuerthelesse they be very valiant and resolute and are planted in the best Countries of all the South Coast And the Souricois do greatly feare them But by the incouragement which the said Mon 〈…〉 r de Preuert gaue them hee brought them to the said Myne to which the Sauages guided him It is a very high Mountaine rising somewhat ouer the Sea which glistereth very much against the Sunne and there is great store of Verde-grease issuing out of the said Myne of Copper He saith that at the foot of the said Mountayne at a low water there were many morsels of Copper as was otherwise declared vnto vs which fall downe from the top of the Mountaine Passing three or foure leagues further toward the South there is another Myne and a small Riuer which runneth a little way vp into the Land running toward the South where there is a Mountaine which is of a blacke painting wherewith the Sauages paint themselues Some sixe leagues beyond the second Myne toward the Sea about a league from the South Coast there is an I le wherein is found another kind of Metall which is like a darke browne if you cut it it is white which they vsed in old time for their Arrowes and Kniues and did beate it with stones Which maketh me beleeue that it is not Tinne nor Lead being so hard as it is and hauing shewed them siluer they said that the Myne of
at the mouth of the said Riuer which I deeme to bee of the greatnesse of the Citie of Beauvais The other at the side of the mouth of another Riuer as broad as the Riuer of Oise or Marne entring within the said Port The said Ile beeing almost of the greatnesse of the other and they both are wooddie In this Port and right ouer against the former I le wee dwelt three yeeres after this Voyage We will speake thereof more at large hereafter From Port Royall they sailed to the Copper Myne whereof wee haue spoken before else-where It is a high Rocke betweene two Bayes of the Sea wherein the Copper is conioyned with the stone very faire and very pure such as is that which is called Rozette Copper Many Gold-smithes haue seene of it in France which doe say that vnder the Copper Myne there might be a Golden Myne which is very probable For if those excrements that Nature expelleth forth be so pure namely small pieces that are found vpon the grauell at the foote of the Rocke when it is low water there is no doubt that the Metall which is in the bowels of the earth is much more perect but this is a Worke that requireth time The first myning and working is to haue Bread Wine and Cattle as we haue said else-where Our felicitie consisteth not in Mynes specially of Gold and Siluer the which serue for nothing in the tillage of the ground nor to Handicrafts vse Contrariwise the abundance of them is but a charge and burthen that keepeth man in perpetuall vnquiet and the more he hath thereof the lesse rest enioyeth he and his life lesser assured vnto him Before the Voyages of Perou great riches might haue beene set vp in a small place in stead that in this our age by the abundance of Gold and siluer the same is come at no value nor esteeme One hath need of huge Chests and Coffers to put in that which a small Budget might haue contained One might haue trauelled with a Purse in ones sleeue and now a Cloke-bagge and a Horse must expresly be had for that purpose Wee may iustly curse the houre that greedie Auarice did carrie the Spaniard into the West for the wofull euents that haue ensued thereof For when I consider that by his greedinesse he hath kindled and maintayned the Warre thorow all Christendome and his onely studie hath beene how to destroy his Neighbours and not the Turke I cannot thinke that any other but the Deuill hath beene the Authour of their Voyages And let not the pretence of Religion be alleaged vnto mee for as wee haue said elsewhere they haue killed all the of-spring of the Countrey with the most inhumane torments that the Deuill hath beene able to excogitate And by their cruelties haue rendred the Name of God odious and a name of offence to those poore people and haue continually and daily blasphemed him in the midst of the Gentiles as the Prophet reprocheth to the people of Israel Wâ—â—nesse him that had rather bee damned then goe to the Paradise of the Spâ—niards c. Among these Copper Rockes there is found sometimes small Rockes couered with Diamonds fixed to them I will not aflure them for fine but that is very pleasing to the sight There are also certaine shining blue stones which are of no lesse value or worth than Turkie Stones Monsieur de Champdore our guide for the Nauigations in those Countries hauing cut within a Rocke one of those stones at his returne from New France hee brake it in two and gaue one part of it to Monsieur de Monts the other to Monsieur de Poutrincourt which they made tobe put in Gold and were found worthy to be presented the one to the King by the said Poutrincourt the other to the Queene by the said de Monts and were very well accepted I remember that a Goldsmith did offer fifteene Crownes to Monsieur de Poutrincourt for that hee presented to his Maiestie This Riuer is one of the fairest that may be seene hauing store of Ilands and swarming with fishes This last yeere 1608. thy said Monsieur de Champdore with one of the said Monsieur de Monts his men hath beene some fiftie leagues vp the said Riuer and doe witnesse that there is great quantitie of Vines along the shoare but the Grapes are not so bigge as they be in the Countrie of the Armouchiquois There are also Onions and many other sorts of good hearbs As for the Trees they are the fairest that may be seene When wee were there wee saw great number of Cedar Trees Concerning fishes the said Champdore hath related vnto vs that putting the Kettle ouer fire they had taken fish sufficient for their Dinner before that the water was hot Moreouer this Riuer stretching it selfe farre within the Lands of the Sauages doth maruellously shorten the long trauels by meanes thereof For in sixe dayes they goe to Gashepe comming to the Bay of Gulfe of Chaleur or heate when they are at the end of it in carrying their Canowes some few leagues And by the same Riuer in eight dayes they go to Tadoussac by a branch of the same which commeth from the North-west In such sort that in Port Royall one may haue within fifteene or eighteene dayes newes from the Frenchmen dwelling in the great Riuer of Canada by these wayes which could not be done in one moneth by Sea nor without danger Leauing Saint Iohns Riuer they came following the Coast twentie leagues from that place to a great Riuer which is properly Sea where they fortified themselues in a little Iland seated in the middest of this Riuer which the said Champleine had beene to discouer and view And seeing it strong by nature and of easie defence and keeping besides that the season beganne to slide away and therefore it was behoouefull to prouide of lodging without running any farther they resolued to make their abode there As they began to visit and search the Iland Monsieur de Champdore of whom we shall henceforth make mention by reason he dwelt foure yeere in those parts conducting the Voyages made there was sent backe to the Bay of Saint Mary with a Mine-finder that had beene carried thither for to get some Mynes of siluer and Iron which they did And as they had crossed the French Bay they entred into the said Bay of Saint Marie by a narrow Straite or passage which is betweene the Land of Port Royall and an Iland called the Long I le where after some abode they going a fishing Monsieur Aubri the Priest before lost perceiued them and beganne with a feeble voice to call as loud as he could and put his Handkercher and his Hat on a staues end which made him better to be knowne During these sixteene daies hee fed himselfe but by I know not what small fruits like vnto Cheries without kernell yet not so delicate which are
scarsly found in those Woods They gaue him food by measure and brought him backe againe to the company at the Iland of Saint Croix whereof euery one receiued an incredible ioy and consolation Before we speake of the ships returne into France it is meete to tell you how hard the I le of Saint Croix is to bee found out to them that were neuer there For there are so many Iles and great Bayes to goe by before one be at it that I wonder how euer one might pierce so farre for to finde it There are three or foure Mountaines imminent aboue the others on the sides But on the North side from whence the Riuer runneth downe there is but a sharpe pointed one aboue two leagues distant The Woods of the maine Land are faire and admirable high and well growne as in like manner is the grasse There is right ouer against the Iland fresh water brooks very pleasant and agreeable where diuers of Monsieur de Monts his men did their businesse and builded there certaine Cabanes As for the nature of the ground it is most excellent and most abundantly fruitfull For the said Monsieur de Monts hauing caused there some piece of ground to bee tilled and the same sowed with Rie for I haue seene there no Wheate hee was not able to tarrie for the maturitie thereof to reape it and notwithstanding the graine fallen hath growne and increased so wonderfully that two yeeres after we reaped and did gather of it as faire bigge and weightie as in France which the soile had brought forth without any tillage and yet at this present it doth continue still to multiply euery yeere The said Iland containeth some halfe a league of circuit and at the end of it on the Sea side there is a Mount or small Hill which is as it were a little Ile seuered from the other where Monsieur de Monts his Canon was placed There is also a litâ—le Chappell built after the Sauage fashion At the foot of which Chappell there is such store of Muscles as is wonderfull which may bee gathered at low water but they are small Now let vs prepare and hoise vp sailes Monsieur de Poutrincourt made the Voyage into these parts with some men of good sort not to winter there but as it were to seeke out his seate and find out a Land that might like him Which he hauing done â—ad no need to soiourne there any longer So then the ships being ready for the returne he shipped himselfe and those of his companie in one of them During the foresaid Nauigation Monsieur du Monts his people did worke about the Fort which he seated at the end of the Iland opposite to the place where he had lodged his Cannon Which was wisely considered to the end to command the Riuer vp and downe But there was an inconuenience the said Fort did lie towards the North and without any shelter but of the trees that were on the I le shoare which all about he commanded to be kept and not cut downe The most vrgent things being done and hoary snowy Father being come that is to say Winter then they were forced to keepe within doores and to liue euery one at his owne home during which time our men had three speciall discommodities in this Iland videlicet want of wood for that which was in the said Ile was spent in buildings lacke of fresh water and the continuall watch made by night fearing some surprise from the Sauages that had lodged themselues at the foot of the said Iland or some other enemie For the malediction and rage of many Christians is such that one must take heed of them much more than of Infidels A thing which grieueth me to speake would to God I were a lyar in this respect and that I had no cause to speake it When they had need of water or wood they were constrained to crosse ouer the Riuer which is thrice as broad of euery side as the Riuer of Seine It was a thing painfull and tedious in such sort that it was needfull to keepe the Boat the whole day before one might get those necessaries In the meane while the cold and snowes came vpon them and the Ice so strong that the Sider was frozen in the vessels and euery one his measure was giuen him out by weight As for Wine it was distributed but at certaine dayes of the weeke Many idle sluggish companions dranke snow-water not willing to take the paines to crosse the Riuer Briefly the vnknowne sicknesses like to those described vnto vs by Iames Quartier in his Relation assailed vs. For remedies there was none to bee found In the meane while the poore sicke creatures did Ianguish pining away by little and little for want of sweet meates as Milke or spoon-meate for to sustaine their stomackes which could not receiue the hard meates by reason of let proceeding from a rotten flesh which grew and ouer-abounded within their mouthes and when one thought to root it out it did growe againe in one nights space more abundantly than before As for the tree called Annedda mentioned by the said Quartier the Sauages of these Lands knowe it not So that it was most pitifull to behold euery one very few excepted in this miserie and the miserable sicke folkes to die as it were full of life without any possibilitie to be succoured There died of this sicknesse thirty sixe and thirty sixe or forty more that were stricken with it recouered themselues by the helpe of the Spring as soone as the comfortable season appeared But the deadly season for that sicknesse is in the end of Ianuary the moneths of February and March wherein most commonly the sicke doe die euery one at his turne according to the time they haue begunne to be sicke in such sort that he which beganne to be ill in February and March may escape but he that shall ouer-haste himselfe and betake him to his bed in December and Ianuary he is in danger to die in February March or the beginning of Aprill Monsieur de Poutrincourt made a Negro to be opened that died of that sicknesse in our Voyage who was found to haue the inward parts very sound except the stomacke that had wrinkles as though they were vlcered As for the food this sicknesse is caused by cold meates without iuyce grosse and corrupted One must then take heed of salt meates smoaky musty raw and of an euill sent likewise of dried fishes as New-found-Land fish and stinking Rayes Briefly from all melancholy meates which are of hard digesting are easily corrupted and breed a grosse and melancholy bloud I would not for all that bee so scrupulous as the Physicians which doe put in number of grosse and melancholy meates Beeues flesh Beares wilde Boares and Hogs flesh they might as well adde vnto them Beauers flesh which notwithstanding wee haue found very good as they doe amongst
Wester part is not passing a mile at most altogether vnpeopled and disinhabited It is ouer-growne with Wood and Rubbish viz. Okes Ashes Beech Wal-nut Weech-halse Sassafrage and Cedars with diuers other of vnknowne names The R 〈…〉 sh is wild Peaze young Sassafrage Cherie trees Vines Eglentine Goose-berie bushes Hawâ—â—orne Honisuckles with others of like qualitie The herbs and Roots are Strawberies Raspis Ground Nuts Alexander Surrin Tansie c. without count Touching the fertilitie of the soyle by our owne experience made we found it to be excellent for sowing some English pulse it sprowted out in one fortnight almost halfe a foot In this Iland is a stage or Pond of fresh water in circuit two miles on the one side not distant from the Sea thirtie yards in the Centre whereof is a Rockie Islet contayning neere an Acre of ground full of wood on which wee beganne our Fort and place of abode disposing it selfe so fit for the same These Indians call Gold Wassador which argueth there is thereof in the Countrey The nine and twentieth we laboured in getting of Sassafrage rubbishing our little Fort or Islet new keeling our shallop and making a Punt or Flat bottome Boate to passe to and fro our Fort ouer the fresh water the powder of Sassafrage in twelue houres cured one of our Company that had taken a great Surfet by eating the bellies of Dog-fish a very delicious meate The thirtieth Captaine Gosnoll with diuers of his company went vpon pleasure in the shallop towards Hills Hap to view it and the Sandie Coue and returning brought with him a Canoa that foure Indians had there left being fled away for feare of our English which we brought into England The one and thirtieth Captaine Gosnoll desirous to see the Maine because of the distance hee set sayle ouer where comming to anchor went ashoare with certaine of his companie and immediatly there presented vnto him men women and children who with all curteous kindnesse entertayned him giuing him certaine skinnes of wilde beasts which may be rich Furres Tobacco Turtles Hempe artificiall Strings câ—â—oured Chaines and such like things as at the inâ—â—ant they had about them These are a faire conditioned people On all the Sea coast along we found Mussell shells that in colour did represent Mother-of-pearle but not hauing meanes to dredge could not apprehend further knowledge thereof This Maine is the goodliest Continent that euer we saw promising more by farre then we any way did expect for it is replenished with faire fields and in them fragrant Flowers also Medowes and hedged in with stately Groues being furnished also with pleasant Brookes and beautified with two maine Riuers that as wee iudge may haply become good Harbours and conduct vs to the hopes men so greedily doe thirst after In the mouth of one of these Inlets or Riuers lieth that little I le before mentioned called Happes Hill from which vnto the Westermost end of the Maine appearing where the other Inlet is I account some fiue leagues and the Coast betweene bendeth like a Bow and lyeth East and by North. Beyond these two Inlets we might perceiue the Mayne to beare vp south-South-west and more Southerly Thus with this taste of Discouery we now contented our selues and the same day made returne vnto our Fort time not permitting more sparing delay The first of Iune we employed our selues in getting Sassafrage and the building of our Fort. The second third and fourth we wrought hard to make readie our house for the prouision to bee had ashore to sustaine vs till our ships returne This day from the Mayne came to our ships side a Canoa with their Lord or chiefe Commander for that they made little stay only pointing to the Sunne as in signe that the next day hee would come and visit vs which hee did accordingly The fifth wee continued our labour when there came vnto vs ashoare from the Mayne fiftie Sauages stout and lustie men with their Bowes and Arrowes amongst them there seemed to be one of authoritie because the rest made an inclining respect vnto him The ship was at their comming a league off and Captaine Gosnoll aboord and so likewise Captaine Gilbert who almost neuer went ashoare the company with me only eight persons These Indians in hastie manner came towards vs so as we thought fit to make a stand at an angle betweene the Sea and a fresh water I mooued my selfe towards him seuen or eight steps and clapt my hands first on the sides of mine head then on my breast and after presented my Musket with a threatning countenance thereby to signifie vnto them either a choice of Peace or Warre whereupon hee vsing mee with mine owne signes of Peace I stept forth and imbraced him his company then all sate downe in manner like Grey-hounds vpon their heeles with whom my company fell a bartering By this time Captaine Gosnoll was come with twelue men more from aboord and to shew the Sauage Seignior that he was our Captaine we receiued him in a guard which he passing thorow saluted the Seignior with ceremonies of our salutations whereat he nothing mooued or altered himselfe Our Captaine gaue him a straw Hat and a paire of Kniues the Hat awhiles hee wore but the Kniues he beheld with great maruelling being very bright and sharpe this our courtesie made them all in loue with vs. The sixt being raine we spent idlely aboord The seuenth the Seignior came againe with all his troupe as before and continued with vs the most part of the day we going to dinner about noone they sate with vs and did eate of our Bacaleure and Mustard dranke of our Beere but the Mustard nipping them in their noses they could not indure it was a sport to behold their faces made being bitten therewith In time of Dinner the Sauages had stolne a Target wherewith acquainting the Seignior with feare and great trembling they restored it againe thinking perhaps we would haue beene reuenged for it but seeing our familiaritie to continue they fell a fresh to roasting of Crabs Red Herrings which were exceeding great ground Nuts c. as before Our Dinner ended the Seignior first tooke leaue and departed next all the rest sauing foure that stayed and went into the Wood to helpe vs digge Sassafrage whom we desired to goe aboord vs which they refused and so departed The eighth wee diuided the victuals viz. the ships store for England and that of the Planters which by Captaine Gilbert allowance could be but sixe weekes for sixe moneths whereby there fell out a controuersie the rather for that some seemed secretly to vnderstand of a purpose Captaine Gilbert had not to returne with supplie of the issue those goods should make by him to be carried home Besides there wanted not ambitious conceits in the mindes of some wrangling and ill disposed persons that ouerthrew the stay there at that time which vpon consultation thereof had about fiue dayes after was
Master THOMAS CANNER a Gentleman of Bernards Inne his companion in the same Voyage VPon Wednesday in Easter weeke the seuenteenth of Aprill after I had taken my leaue of some few of my louing and deere friends in Bernards Inne I rode toward Southampton there to be speake Bisket and some other prouision for our Barke wherein Master Bartholomew Gilbert went as Captaine which had beene in Virginia the yeere before with Captaine Bartholomew Gosnold After our businesse was dispatched here wee came into Plimmouth from whence wee put forth the tenth of May. And the six and twentieth of the same we were in the latitude of 32. degrees hoping to haue had sight of the I le of Madera whereof we missed in which course we met with two or three English men of warre The first of Iune we were in the latitude of 27. degrees and haled ouer toward the Ilands of the West Indies and the fifteenth of this moneth toward night wee saw Land Master Gilbert and the Master Henrie Suite dwelling within the Iron Gate of the Towre of London tooke it to be the Bermudas being very neere the shore they sounded many times and had no ground at the last they found good ground in fourteene or fifteene fathomes There wee cast Anchor In the morning we weighed and sounded still as we trended by the shoare but after wee were past a Cables length from our Road we had no Land againe in forty or fifty fathomes we kept still by the shore not yet being certaine what Iland it was The sixteenth in the morning wee spied the people comming from the shore who when they came neere cried out for barter or trade when they came close aboord they made signes and cried out to see our colours which we presently put forth in the maine top and told them we were Ingleses Amigos and Hermanos that is Englishmen their friends and brothers Assoone as they vnderstood we were Englishmen they were bolder to come neere we threw them a Rope and one came aboord vs wee traded with them for some Tobacco Pine-apples Piantanes Pompions and such things as they had wee gaue them Bugles Kniues Whistles and such toyes Here we kept close by the shore When this Canoa had traded with vs and vttered all they had and drunke of our Beere beeing kindly vsed they departed and then presently after diuers Canoas came we traded and vsed them as the first One of them told vs that Iland was Santa Lucia We bestowed all that forenoone shaking in the wind for we had no ground to Anchor neere the shore to trade with them Then wee set our course for Saint Vincent but finding a current against vs and the wind very scant we doubted we should not fetch it and that if we did peraduenture we might bee put to the leeward of Dominica and so consequently of Meuis or Nieues for which Iland we were specially bound for to out Lignum vitae in the same Therefore Master Gilbert thought good to let Saint Vincent alone although in it is the best Tobacco of all the Ilands yet in the end hee put roomer for Dominica whereof we had sight the seuenteenth of Iune and came close to the shore and presently one Canoa came aboord as at Santa Lucia being sent with two men belike to discouer vs and to see what entertainment they should haue we vsed them kindly and so dismissed them There came more full of men with diuers of their commodities The nineteenth in the morning being Sunday we anchored in a good Road at Meuis and after went on shore to seeke Lignum vitae Master Gilbert with the Master and diuers of the company sought farre into the Woods but found none but one little Tree and here and there where one had bin cut so we were in doubt to find enough heere to load our ship a iust plague vnto vs for prophaning the Sabbath in trauelling about our worldly businesse when there was no necessitie This day in the Euening some went out with the Boate vnto the shore and brought on boord a Tortoyse so big that foure men could not get her into the Boate but tied her fast by one legge vnto the Boat and so towed her to the ship when they had her by the ship it was no easie matter to get her on boord The next day we went on shore againe to search another part of the wood for Lignum vitae and then God be thanked we found enough This day at night we opened our Tortoyse which had in her about 500. Egges excellent sweet meate and so is all the whole fish Vpon Tuesday in the morning we went all on shore sauing the Carpenter and Thomas and Master Gilberts man to fell wood and this day we felled good store All the rest of this moneth and three dayes more we continued here euery day labouring sore first in sawing downe the great trees and sawing them againe into logs portable out of the thicke wood to the Sea-shoare so in the Boates and so to the ship where M. Gilbert his paines profited double as well in example as in worke for hee was neuer idle but either searching out more trees or fetching drinke for the Labourers or doing one thing or other so that in this iust fortnight that wee stayed here wee had gotten on boord some twenty tuns Within a few dayes after the Tortoyse was eaten God sent vs another One of these fishes were sufficient meat for twentie men for three or foure dayes if it could bee preserued but in that Climate no salting can preserue it aboue two dayes hardly so long Now the wood growing thinne and hardly to be found on this Iland he thought it best to stay no longer here but to goe for Uirginia to search for better store And so vpon Sunday the third of Iuly in the afternoone we weighed Anchor and sailed North-west and by North and that night passed by Saint Christopher and another little Iland Munday the fourth in the morning we had sight of the Iland we went into the Woods to search for Lignum vitae but found none but one tree which he cut and went on boord we fought also for fresh water but found none At Euening went on shore into the bottome of the Bay to dray the Net and there we gat good store of fine fresh fish and much more enough to haue laden our Boat we should haue gotten if at euery draught we had not had in the Net a Tortoyse which stil brak through and so carried away the fish with them At one draught among the rest we had two in the Net a yong one and an old on the Net held the young one Wee weighed and went through betweene the two Ilands into the mayne Ocean toward our long desired Countrey Uirginia distant three hundred and fiftie leagues from vs. Wee sayled North North-west The seuenth we ran still North-west and North and
Iland is their Woade such as wee vse for dying whereof much is made in that Iland and is fetched from thence by Englishmen Scots and Frenchmen in barter for Cloathes and other wares who continually traffique into that Iland and although by reason of the warres the Englishmen are forbidden to traffique thither yet vnder the names of Scots and Frenchmen they haue continuall trade there The Iland hath not any wilde beasts or fowles but very few sauing onely Canary birds which are there by thousands where many Birders take them and thereof make a daily liuing by carrying them into diuers places It hath also wonderfull many Quailes which they call Codornisen of tame fowles as Hennes and Gynnie Hennes are there likewise great store Hunting is there little vsed but onely for Conies which are very great Hares Harts Partridges Venison and such like are not there to be found because of the little respect and care the Inhabitants haue to breed any such things Fish is very plentifull and of diuers kindes and very good in Summer there is great store taken for in Winter they can hardly brooke the Seas The chiefe moneths of Winter weather for raine and stormes are Ianuarie Februarie March and Aprill and also the moneth of September is commonly very stormy all the other moneths it is commonly good weather The Countrey is very hilly and in some places wooddy full of bushes and trees it is hard to trauell because their wayes for the most part are stony so that for a mile or a mile and a halfe together men can see no ground but onely stones which for sharpnesse and fashion shew like pointed Diamants whereby one can hardly treade vpon it lest it should cut through both shooes and feet and yet it is all planted with Vines so full and thicke that in Summer time you can hardly see through it for that the rootes thereof doe growe betweene the stones so that a man would thinke it impossible that any thing should growe therein and which is more in some places it seemeth impossible for a man to treade vpon it being so wilde and desart as it sheweth and nothing but hard stones and Rockes On good ground their Vines will not growe but onely in the wilde and stony places and for that cause they are much esteemed The good groundes and plaine fieldes which in some places are very many especially by Villa da Praya are sowed with Corne and Woade and they haue so much Corne that they neede not bring any from other places although that besides their Inhabitants and naturall borne Ilanders they haue continually with them fourteene Companies of Spaniards which are all fedde and nourished by the Corne that groweth in the Countrey vnlesse there chance to come a hard and vnfruitfull yeere as oftentimes it doth for then they are forced to helpe themselues with forraine Corne and that especially because of the Souldiers that lie in the Iland and yet it is strange that the Corne and all other things in the Iland continue not aboue one yeere and that which is kept aboue a yeere is naught and nothing worth And therefore to keepe their Corne longer than a yeere they are forced to burie it in the earth for the space of foure or fiue moneths together to the which end euery Townesman hath his Pit at one end of the Towne in the common high-way which is appointed for the purpose and euery man setteth his marke vpon his Pit-stone the Corne is but lightly buried in the earth the holes within are round and the toppes thereof so wide that a man may creepe in whereunto there is a stone purposely made to couer it which shutteth it vp very close Some of the Pittes are so great as that they may hold two or three lastes of Corne some greater and some smaller as euery man hath his prouision and as soone as the Corne is reaped and fanned which is in Iuly euery man putteth his Corne into those Pittes laying straw vnder and round about it and then they fill it full or but halfe full according as their quantitie is and so stop it vp with the stone which they couer with earth and so let it stand vntill Christmas when euery man that will fetch home his Corne some let it lie longer and fetch it by little and little as they vse it but the Corne is as good when they take it out as it was at the first houre that they put it in and although that Carts Horses and men doe commonly passe ouer it and also that the raine raineth vpon it yet there entreth not any drop of raine or moisture into it and if the Corne were not buried in that manner it would not continue good aboue foure moneths together but would be spoiled and when it hath beene thus for a long time buried in the earth it will continue the whole yeere through and then they keepe it in Chists or make a thing of Mats like a Coope to preserue it in not once stirring or moouing it and so it continueth very good The greatest commoditie they haue in the Land and that serueth their turnes best is their Oxen and I beleeue they are the greatest and fairest that are to bee found in all Christendome with vnmeasurable great and long hornes Euery Oxe hath his seuerall name like men and although there bee a thousand of them in a heard and that one of them bee called by his name he presently commeth forth vnto his master that calleth him The Land is very high and as it seemeth hollow for that as they passe ouer a Hill of stone the ground soundeth vnder them as if it were a Seller so that it seemeth in diuers places to haue holes vnder the earth whereby it is much subiect to Earthquakes as also all the other Ilands are for there it is a common thing and all those Ilands for the most part haue had Myne of Brimstone for that in many places of Tercera and Saint Michael the smoake and sauour of Brimstone doeth still issue forth of the ground and the Countrey round about is all sindged and burnt Also there are places wherein there are Fountaines and Wells the water whereof is so hot that it will boyle an egge as well as if it hung ouer a fire In the Iland of Tercera about three miles from Angra there is a Fountaine in a place called Gualua which hath a propertie that all the wood which falleth into it by length of time conuerteth into stone as I my selfe by experience haue tried In the same Fountaine by the roote of a tree whereof the one halfe runneth vnder that water and is turned into as hard stone as if it were Steele and the other part of the roote which the water toucheth not is still wood and root as it should be The Iland hath great store and excellent kinds of wood specially Cedar trees which growe there in so
he came whereupon the Gouernor of Tercera did him great honor and betweene them it was concluded perceiuing the weaknesse of their Ships and the danger of the Englishmen that they would send the Ships empty with Soldiers to conuey them either to Siuil or Lisbone where they could first arriue with aduise vnto his Maiesty of all that had past and that he would giue order to fetch the Siluer with good and safe conuoy Wherepuon the said Aluaro Flores staied there vnder colour of keeping the Siluer but specially because of his disease and for that they were afraid of the Englishmen This Aluaro Flores had alone for his owne part aboue fifty thousand Ducats in Pearles which he shewed vnto vs and sought to sell them or barter them with vs for Spices or bils of exchange The said two Ships set saile with three or foure hundred men as well Soldiers as others that came with them and not one man saued Tke Vice-admirall cut downe her Mast and ranne the Ship on ground out of India and being at Sea had a storme wherewith the Admirall burst and sunke in thâ— Sea hard by Sentuual where it burst in peeces some of the men sauing themselues by swimming that brought the newes but the rest were drowned In the same moneth there came two great ships out of the Spanish Indies and being within halfe a mile of the Road of Tercera they met with an English shippe that after they had fought long together tooke them both About seuen or eight moneths before there had beene an English ship in Tercera that vnder the name of a Frenchman came to traffique in the Iland there to lade wood and being discouered was both ship and goods confiscated to the Kings vse and all the men kept prisoners yet went they vp and downe the streets to get their liuings by labouring like slaues being in deed as safe in that Iland as if they had beene in prison But in the end vpon a Sunday all the Sailers went downe behind the Hils called Bresill where they found a Fisher-boat whereinto they got and rowed into the Sea to the Earle of Cumberlands ship which to their great fortune chanced at that time to come by the Iland and anchored with his ships about halfe a mile from the Road of Angra hard by two small Ilands which lye about a Bases shot from the Iland and are full of Goats Buckes and Sheepe belonging to the Inhabitants of the Iland of Tercera Those Saylers knew it well and thereupon they rowed vnto them with their Boats and lying at Anchor that day they fetched as many Goats and Sheepe as they had neede of which those of the Towne and of the Iland well saw and beheld yet durst not once go forth so there remayned no more on Land but the Master and the Merchant of the said English ship This Master had a Brother in Law dwelling in England who hauing newes of his brothers imprisonment in Tercera got licence of the Queene of England to set forth a ship therewith to see if he could recouer his losses of the Spaniards by taking some of them and so to redeeme his brother that lay prisoner in Tercera and he it was that tooke the two Spanish shippes before the Towne The Master of the ship aforesaid standing on the shore by me and looking vpon them for he was my great acquaintance the shipss being taken that were worth three hundred thousand Duckets he sent all the men on Land sauing only two of the principall Gentlemen which he kept aboord thereby to ransome his brother and sent the Pilot of one of the Indian ships that were taken with a Letter to the Gouernour of Tercera wherein he wrote that hee should deliuer him his brother and he would send the two Gentlemen on Land if not he would saile with them into England as indeed he did because the Gouernour would not doe it saying that the Gentleman might make that suite to the King of Spaine him selfe This Spanish Pilot we bid to supper with vs and the Englishmen likewise where hee shewed vs all the manner of their fight much commending the order and manner of the Englishmens fighting as also for their courteous vsing of him but in the end the English Pilot likewise stole away in a French ship without paying any ransome as yet In the moneth of Ianuary 1590 there arriued one ship alone in Tercera that came from the Spanish Indies and brought newes that there was a fleet of a hundred ships which put out from the Firme Land of the Spanish Indies and by a storme were driuen vpon the Coast called Florida where they were all cast away she hauing only escaped wherein there were great riches and many men lost as it may well be thought so that they made their account that of two hundred and twentie ships that for certaine were knowne to haue put out of Noua Spaigna Santo Domingo Hauana Capo verde Brasilia Guinea c. In the yeere 1989. to sayle for Spaine in Portugall there were not aboue fourteene or fifteene of them arriued there in safetie all the rest being either drowned burst or taken In the same Moneth of Ianuary there arriued in Tercera fifteen or sixteene ships that came from Siuilia which were most Flie-boats of the low Countries and some Brittons that were arrested in Spaine these came full of Souldiers and well appointed with munition to lade the siluer that lay in Tercera and to fetch Aluares de Flores by the Kings commandement into Spaine And because that time of the yeere there is alwayes stormes about those Ilands therefore they durst not enter into the Road of Tercera for that as then it blew so great a storme that some of their ships that had anchored were forced to cut downe their Masts and were in danger to bee lost and among the rest a ship of Biscay ranne against the Land and was stricken in pieces but all the men saued themselues The other ships were forced to keepe the Sea and separate themselues one from the other where winde and weather would driue them vntill the fifteenth of March for that in all that time they could not haue one day of faire weather to anchor in whereby they indured much miserie cursing both the siluer and the Iland This storme being past they chanced to meete with small English ship of about fortie tunnes in bignesse which by reason of the great wind could not beare all her sailes so they set vpon her and tooke her and with the English flagge in their Admirals sterne they came as proudly into the Hauen as if they had conquered all the Realme of England but as the Admirall that bare the English flagge vpon her sterne was entring into the Road there came by chance two English ships by the Iland that paid her so well for her paines that they were forced to cry Misericordia and without all doubt had taken her if she had beene but a mile further
for they had lost in fighting and by drowning aboue foure hundred men and of the English were slaine about a hundred Sir Richard Greenfield himselfe being wounded in his braine whereof afterwards he died He was borne into the Sâ—ip called the Saint Paul wherein was the Admirall of the Fleete Don Alonso de Barsan there his wounds were drest by the Spanish Surgeons but Don Alonso himselfe would neither see him nor speake with him all the rest of the Captaines and Gentlemen went to visite him and to comfort him in his hard fortune wondring at his courage and stout heart for that he shewed not any signe of faintnesse nor changing of coloâ—r But feeling the houre of death to approach he spake these words in Spanish and said Here dye I Richard Greenfield with a ioyfull and quiet minde for that I haue ended my life as a true Souldier ought to doe that hath fought for his Countrey Queene Religion and honour whereby my Soule most ioyfull departeth out of this body and shall alwayes leaue behinde it an euerlasting fame of a valiant and true Soldier that hath done his duetie as hee was bound to doe When he had finished these or such other like words he gaue vp the Ghost with great and stout courage and no man could perceiue any true signe of heauinesse in him This Sir Richard Greenfield was a great and a rich Gentleman in England and had great yearely reuenewes of his owne inheritance but he was a man very vnquiet in his minde and greatly affected to warre in so much as of his owne priuate motion he offered his seruice to the Qâ—eene He had performed many valiant acts and was greatly feared in these Ilands and knowne of euery man but of nature very seuere so that his owne people hated him for his fiercenesse and spake very hardly of him for when they first entred into the Fleete or Armado they had their great saile in a readinesse and might possibly enough haue sailed away for it was one of the best Ships for saile in England and the Master perceiuing that the other Ships had left them and followed not after commanded the great saile to be cut that they might make away but Sir Richard Greenfield threatned both him and all the rest that were in the Ship that if any man laid hand vpon it he would cause him to be hanged and so by that occasion they were compelled to fight and in the end were taken He was of so hard a complexion that as hee continued among the Spanish Captaines while they were at dinner or supper with him hee would carouse three or foure Glasses of Wine and in a brauery take the Glasses betweene his teeth and crash them in peeces and swallow them downe so that often times the bloud ran out of his mouth without any harme at all vnto him and this was told me by diuers credible persons that many times stood and beheld him The Englishmen that were left in the Ship as the Captaine of the Souldiers the Master and others were dispersed into diuers of the Spanish Ships that had taken them where there had almost a new fight arisen betweene the Biscaines and the Portugals while each of them would haue the honour to haue first boorded her so that there grew a great noise and quarrell among them one taking the chiefe Ancient and the other the Flagge and the Captaine and euery one held his owne The ships that had boorded her were altogether out of order and broken and many of their men hurt whereby they were compelled to come into the Iland of Tercera there to repaire themselues where being arriued I and my chamber-fellow to heare some newes went aboord one of the Ships being a great Biscaine and one of the twelue Apostles whose Captaine was called Bertandono that had bin Generall of the Biscaines in the fleete that went for England He seeing vs called vs vp into the Gallery where with great curtesie he receiued vs being as then set at dinner with the English Captaine that sat by him and had on a sute of blacke Veluet but he could not tell vs any thing for that he could speake no other language but English and Latine which Bartandono also could a little speake The English Captaine that he might come on land with his weapon by his side and was in our lodging with the Englishman that was kept prisoner in the Iland being of that ship whereof the sailers got away as I said before The Gouernour of Tercera bad him to dinner and shewed him great curtesie The Master likewise with licence of Bartandono came on land and was in our lodging and had at the least ten or twelue wounds as well in his head as on his body whereof after that being at Sea betweene Lisbone and the Ilands he died The Captaine wrote a Letter wherein he declared all the manner of the fight and left it with the English Merchant that lay in our lodging to send it to the Lord Admirall of England The English Captaine comming to Lisbone was there well receiued and not any hurt done vnto him but with good conuoy sent to Sentuual and from thence sayled into England with all the rest of the Englishmen that were taken prysoners The Spanish Armie staied at the Iland of Corus till the last of September to assemble the rest of the Fleete together which in the end were to the number of one hundred and forty sayle of Ships partly comming from India and partly of the Army and being altogether ready vnto saile to Tercera in good company there sodainly rose so hard and cruell a storme that those of the Iland did affirme that in mans memory there was neuer any such seene or heard of before for it seemed the Sea would haue swallowed vp the Ilands the water mounting higher then the Cliffes which are so high that it amaseth a man to behold them but the Sea reached aboue them and liuing fishes were throwne vpon the land This storme continued not onely a day or two with one winde but seuen or eight dayes continually the winde turning round about in all places of the compasse at the least twice or thrice during that time and all alike with a continuall storme and tempest most terrible to behold euen to vs that were on shore much more then to such as were at Sea so that onely on the Coasts and Clifts of the Iland of Tercera there were aboue twelue Ships cast away and not onely vpon the one side but round about it in euery corner whereby nothing else was heard but complaining crying lamenting and telling here is a ship broken in peeces against the Cliffes and there another and all the men drowned so that for the space of twenty dayes after the storme they did nothing else but fish for dead men that continually came driding on the shore Among the rest was the English ship called the Reuenge that was cast away vpon
a Cliffe neere to the Iland of Tercera where it brake in a hundred peeces and sunke to the ground hauing in her seuenty men Gallegos Biscaines and others with some of the captiue Englishmen whereof but one was saued that got vp vpon the Cliffes aliue and had his body and head all wounded and he being on shore brought vs the newes desiring to be shriuen and thereupon presently died The Reuenge had in her diuers faire Brasse Peeces that were all sunke in the Sea which they of the Iland were in good hope to weigh vp againe the next Summer following Among these Ships that were cast away about Tercera was likewise a Flie-boate one of those that had bin arested in Portugall to serue the King called the White Doue The Master of her was one Cornelius Martenson of Schiedam in Holland and there were in her one hundred Souldies as in euery one of the rest there was He being ouer ruled by the Captaine that he could not be Master of his owne sayling here and there at the mercy of God as the storme droue him in the end came within the sight of Tercera which the Spaniards perceiuing thought all their safety onely to consist in putting into the Road compelling the Master and the Pilot to make towards the Iland although the Master refused to doe it saying that they were most sure there to be cast away and vtterly spoiled but the Captain called him drunkard Heretick and striking him with a staffe commanded him to do as he would haue him The Master seeing this and being compelled to doe it said well then my Masters seeing it is the desire of you all to be cast away I can but loose one life and therewith desperately he sailed towards the shoare and was on that side of the Iland where there was nothing else but hard stones and Rockes as high as Mountaines most terrible to behold where some of the Inhabitants stood with long ropes and corke bound at the end thereof to throw them downe vnto the men that they might lay hold vpon them and saue their liues but few of them got so neere most of them being cast away and smitten in peeces before they could get to the wall The Ship sailed in this manner as I said before towards the Iland and approaching to the shoare the Master being an old man and full of yeares called his Sonne that was in the ship with him and hauing imbraced one another and taken their last farewell the good old father willed his Sonne not to take care for him but seeke to saue himselfe for said he sonne thou art yong and may haue some hope to saue thy life but as for me it is no great matter I am old what become of me and therewith each of these shedding many teares as euery louing father and kinde childe may well consider the ship fell vpon the Cliffes and brake in peeces the Father on the one side the sonne on the other side falling into the sea each laying hold vpon that which came next to hand but to no purpose for the sea was so high and furious that they were all drowned and onely foureteene or fifteene saued themselues by swimming with their legges and armes halfe broken and out of ioynt among the which was the Masters sonne and foure other Dutch Boyes the rest of the Spaniards and sailers with the Captaine and Master were drowned whose heart would not melt with teares to behold so grieuous a sight specially considering with himselfe that the greatest cause thereof was the beastlinesse and insolency of the Spaniards as in this onely example may well be seene whereby may be considered how the other ships sped as we our selues did in part behold and by the men that were saued did heare more at large as also some others of our Countrimen that as then were in the like danger can well witnesse On the other Ilands the losse was no lesse then in Tercera for on the Iland of Saint George there were two Ships cast away on the Iland of Pico two Ships on the Iland of Gratiosa three ships besides those there came euerywhere round about diuers peeces of broken ships other things fleeting towards the Ilands wherewith the Sea was all couered most pittifull to behold On the Iland of Saint Michael there were foure Ships cast away and betweene Tercera and Saint Michaels three more were sunke which were seene and heard to crie out whereof not one man was saued The rest put into the Sea without Masts all torne and rent so that of the whole Fleete and Armado being one hundred and forty ships in all there were but thirty two or thirty three ariued in Spaine and Portugall yea and those few with so great misery paine and labour that not two of them arriued there together but this day one and to morrow another next day the third so one after the other to the number aforesaid All the rest were cast away vpon the Ilands and ouerwhelmed in the sea whereby may be considered what great losse and hinderance they receiued at that time for by many mens iudgements it was esteemed to be much more then was leftby their Armie that came for England and it may well be thought and presumed that it was no other but a iust plague purposely sent by God vpon the Spaniards and that it might truely be said the taking of the Reuenge was iustly reuenged vpon them and not by the might or force of man but by the power of God as some of them openly said in the Isle of Tercera that they beleeued verily God would consume them and that he tooke part with Lutherans and Heretickes saying further that so soone as they had throwne the dead body of the Viceadmirall Sir Richard Greenfield ouer-boord they verily thought that as he had a diuellish Faith and Relion and therefore the Diuels loued him so he presently sunke into the bottome of the Sea and downe into Hell where he raised vp all the Diuels to the reuenge of his death and that they brought so great stormes and torments vpon the Spaniards because they onely maintained the Catholike and Romish Religion such and the like blasphemies against God they ceased not openly to vtter without that any man reproued them therein nor for their false opinions but the most part of them rather said and affirmed that of truth it must needes be so As one of those Indian Fleetes put out of Noua Spaigna there were fiue and thirty of them by storme and tempest cast away and drowned in the Sea being fiftie in all so that but fifteene escaped Of the Fleete that came from Santo Domingo there were foureteene cast away comming out of the Channell of Hauana whereof the Admirall and Viceadmirall were two of them and from Terra Firma in India there came two ships laden with Gold and Siluer that were taken by the Englishmen and before the Spanish Armie came
Iland we saw a Whale chased by a Thresher and a Sword-fish they fought for the space of two houres we might see the Thresher with his flayle layon the monstrous blowes which was strange to behold in the end these two fishes brought the Whale to her end The sixe and twentieth day we had sight of Marâ—galanta and the next day wee sailed with a slacke saile alongst the I le of Guadalupa where we went ashore and found a Bath which was so hot that no man was able to stand long by it our Admirall Captaine Newport caused a piece of Porke to be put in it which boyled it so in the space of halfe an houre as no fire could mend it Then we went aboord and sailed by many Ilands as Mounserot and an Iland called Saint Christopher both vnhabited about about two a clocke in the afternoone wee anchored at the I le of Meuis There the Captaine landed all his men being well fitted with Muskets and other conuenient Armes marched a mile into the Woods being commanded to stand vpon their guard fearing the treacherie of the Indians which is an ordinary vse amongst them and all other Sauages on this I le we came to a Bath standing in a Valley betwixt two Hils where wee bathed our selues and found it to be of the nature of the Bathes in England some places hot and some colder and men may refresh themselues as they please finding this place to be so conuenient for our men to auoid diseases which will breed in so long a Voyage wee incamped our selues on this Ile sixe dayes and spent none of our ships victuall by reason our men some went a hunting some a fouling and some a fishing where we got great store of Conies sundry kinds of fowles and great plentie of fish We kept Centinels and Courts de gard at euery Captaines quarter fearing wee should be assaulted by the Indians that were on the other side of the Iland wee saw none nor were molested by any but some few we saw as we were a hunting on the Iland They would not come to vs by any meanes but ranne swiftly through the Woods to the Mountaine tops so we lost the sight of them whereupon we made all the haste wee could to our quarter thinking there had beene a great ambush of Indians there abouts We past into the thickest of the Woods where we had almost lost our selues we had not gone aboue halfe a mile amongst the thicke but we came into a most pleasant Garden being a hundred paces square on euery side hauing many Cotton-trees growing in it with abundance of Cotton-wooll and many Guiacum trees wee saw the goodliest tall trees growing so thicke about the Garden as though they had beene set by Art which made vs maruell very much to see it The third day wee set saile from Meuis the fourth day we sailed along by Castutia and by Saba This day we anchored at the I le of Virgines in an excellent Bay able to harbour a hundred Ships if this Bay stood in England it would be a great profit and commoditie to the Land On this Iland wee caught great store of Fresh-fish and abundance of Sea Tortoises which serued all our Fleet three daies which were in number eight score persons We also killed great store of wilde Fowle wee cut the Barkes of certaine Trees which tasted much like Cinnamon and very hot in the mouth This Iland in some places hath very good gâ—â—â—nd straight and tall Timber But the greatest discommoditie that wee haue seene on this Isand is that it hath no Fresh-water which makes the place void of any Inhabitants Vpon the sixt day we set saile and passed by Becam and by Saint Iohn deportorico The seuenth day we arriued at Mona where wee watered which we stood in great need of seeing that our water did smell so vildly that none of our men was able to indure it Whilst some of the Saylers were a filling the Caskes with water the Captaine and the rest of the Gentlemen and other Soldiers marched vp in the I le sixe myles thinking to find some other prouision to maintaine our victualling as wee marched we killed two wild Bores and saw a huge wild Bull his hornes was an ell betweene the two tops Wee also killed Guanas in fashion of a Serpent and specklâ—d like a Toade vnder the belly These wayes that wee went being so trouble some and vilde going vpon the sharpe Rockes that many of our men fainted in the march but by good fortune wee lost none but one Edward Brookes Gentleman whose fat melted within him by the great heate and drought of the Countrey we were not able to relieue him nor our selues so he died in that great extreamitie The ninth day in the afternoone we went off with our Boat to the I le of Moneta some three leagues from Mona where we had a terrible landing and a troublesome getting vp to the top of the Mountaine or I le being a high firme Rocke step with many terrible sharpe stones After wee got to the top of the I le we found it to bee a fertill and a plaine ground full of goodly grasse and abundance of Fowles of all kindes they flew ouer our heads as thicke as drops of Hale besides they made such a noise that wee were not able to heare one another speake Furthermore wee were not able to set our feet on the ground but either on Fowles or Egges which lay so thicke in the grasse Wee laded two Boats full in the space of three houres to our great refreshing The tenth day we set saile and disimboged out of the West Indies and bare our course Northerly The fourteenth day we passed the Tropicke of Cancer The one and twentieth day about fiue a clocke at night there began a vehement tempest which lasted all the night with winds raine and thunders in a terrible manner Wee were forced to lie at Hull that night because we thought wee had beene neerer land then wee were The next morning being the two and twentieth day wee sounded and the three and twentieth and foure and twenteth day but we could find no ground The fiue and twentieth day we sounded and had no ground at an hundred fathom The six and twentieth day of Aprill about foure a clocke in the morning wee descried the Land of Virginia the same day wee entred into the Bay of Chesupioc directly without any let or hinderance there wee landed and discouered a little way but wee could find nothing worth the speaking of but faire meddowes and goodly tall Trees with such Fresh-waters running through the woods as I was almost rauished at the first sight thereof At night when wee were going aboard there came the Sauages creeping vpon all foure from the Hills like Beares with their Bowes in their mouthes charged vs very desperately in the faces hurt Captaine Gabrill Archer in both his hands
between Sagadahoc and it From the Iland vpward the water is fresh abounding in Salmons and other fresh-water fish Some thirteene or fourteen daies iourney from the entrance in the North-east branch there is a little arme of a Riuer that runneth East some daies iourney which hath at the entrance foure fathoms water Vpon this arme there is one ouer fail which standeth halfe a daies iourney aboue this braneh vpon this arme there are foure Townes The first is called Kenebeke which hath eightie houses and one hundred men The Lord whereof is Apombamen The second is Ketangheanycke and the Sagamos name is Octoworthe who hath in his Towne ninetie housholds and three hundred and thirtie men This Towne is foure dayes iourney from Kenebeke and eight dayes iourney from To the Northward is the third Towne which they call Naragooc where there are fiftie housholds and one hundred and fiftie men The chiefe Sagamo of that place is Cocockohamas And on the small branch that runneth East standeth the fourth Towne named by Mâ—ssakiga where there are but eight housholds and fortie men Vpon the Northwest branch of this Sound stand two Townes more The first is called Amereangan and is distant from Kenebeke sixe dayes iourney In this place are ninetie housholdes and two hundred and sixtie men with two Sagamoes the one called Sasuâ—a the other Scawas Seuen daies iourney hence there is another Sagamo whose name is Octoworâ—kin and his Townes name Namercante wherein are fortie housholds and one hundred and twentie men A dayes iourney aboue Namercante there is a downefall where they cannot passe with their Cannoes but are inforced to carrie them by Land for the space of a quarter of a mile and then they put them into the Riuer againe And twelue dayes iourney aboue this Downfall there is another where they carrie their Boates as at the first and sixe dayes iourney more to the North is the head of this Riuer where is the Lake that is of eight dayes iourney long and foure dayes broad before mentioned In this Lake there is one Iland and three dayes iourney from this Lake there is a Towne which is called Buccawganecants wherein are threescore housholds and foure hundred men And the Sagamo thereof is called Baccatusshe This man and his people are subiects to the Bashabez of Mawooshen and in his Countrey is the farthest limit of his Dominion where he hath any that doe him homage To the Westward of Sagadahoc foure dayes iourney there is another Riuer called Ashamabaga which hath at the entrance sixe fathoms water and is halfe a quarter of a mile broad it runneth into the Land two dayes iourney and on the East side there is one Towne called Agnagebcoc wherein are seuentie houses and two hundred and fortie men with two Sagames the one called Maurmet the other Casherokenit Seuen dayes iourney to the South-west of Ashamabaga there is another Riuer that is sixe fathoms to the entrance This Riuer is named Shawakotoc and is halfe a myle broad it runneth into the Land fiftie dayes iourney but foure dayes from the entrance it is so narrow that the Trees growing on each side doe so crosse with their boughes and bodies on the other as it permitteth not any meanes to passe with Boates that way for which cause the Inhabitants that on any occasion are to trauell to the head are forced to goe by Land taking their way vpon the West side At the end of this Riuer there is a Lake of foure dayes iourney long and two dayes broad wherein are two Ilands To the north-North-West foure daies iourney from this Lake at the head of this Riuer Shawakatoc there is a small Prouince which they call Crokemago wherein is one Towne This is the Westermost Riuer of the Dominions of Bashabez and Quibiquisson the Westermost To the Reader I Haue thought good to adde to the English Plantations in New England those in the neighbour Countrey of New-found-land This was first discouered Ann. 1497. by S. Sebastian Cabot set forth by King Henry the seuenth the Voyages followed of M. Rut Albert de Prato M. Hore and others Ann. 1583. actuall and formall possession was taken in the right of Queene Elizabeth of glorious memory and her Successours by that memorable Knight Sir Humfrey Gilbert see sup lib. 4. ca. 13. And in the yeere 1609. M. Iohn Guy of Bristoll did write a Treatise to animate the English to plant there a written Copy whereof I haue A. 1610. It pleased his most excellent Maiestie to grant a Patent for a Plantation part whereof the whole might seeme too long for our purpose we haue inserted CHAP. VII The beginning of the Patent for New-found-land and the Plantation there made by the English 1610. deliuered in a Letter dated thence from M. GVY to M. SLANY Also of the weather the three first Winters and of Captaine WESTON with other remarkable Occurrents IAMES by the Grace of GOD of Great Brittaine France and Ireland King Defendour of the Faith c. To all people to whom these Presents shall come greeting Know yee whereas diuers Our louing and well disposed Subiects are desirous to make Plantation to inhabite and to establish a Colony or Colonies in the Southerne and Easterne parts of the Countrey and I le or Ilands commonly called New-found-land vnto the Coast and Harbour whereof the Subiects of this our Realme of England haue for the space of fiftie yeeres and vpwards yeerely vsed to resort in no small numbers to fish intending by such Plantation and inhabiting both to secure and make safe the said Trade of Fishing to Our Subiects for euer And also to make some commendable benefit for the vse of mankind by the lands and profits thereof which hitherto from the beginning as it seemeth manifest hath remained vnprofitable And for better performance of such their purpose and intentions haue humbly besought Our Regall Authoritie and assistance Wee being well assured that the same Land or Countrey adioyning to the foresaid Coasts where Our Subiects vse to fish remaineth so destitute and desolate of inhabitance that scarce any one Sauage person hath in many yeeres beene seene in the most parts thereof And well knowing that the same lying and being so vacant is as well for the reasons aforesaid as for many other reasons very commodious for Vt and Our Dominions And that by the Law of Nature and Nations We may of Our Royall Authoritie possesse our selues and make graunt thereof without doing wrong to any other Prince or State considering they cannot iustly pretend any Soueraigntie or Right thereunto in respect that the same remaineth so vacant and not actually possessed and inhabited by any Christian or other whomsoeuer And therefore thinking it a matter and action well beseeming a Christian King to make true vse of that which God from the beginning created for mankind And therefore intending not onely to worke and procure the benefit and good of many of Our Subiects
take in the Iland of Terçea which I held an action of equall importance to the other With this confidence I went out and to these ends but none of these three being performed it may be doubted whether we haue not through weakenesse or negligence failed of successe For which we make answere that if our whole carriage be examined from the first houre to the last it shall appeare that we haue striuen to attaine to euery one of these with as much obstinate constancie as any men in the world could doe and that onely the powerfull hand of God did binde our hands and frustrate all our endeuours The first for the enterprise of Ferel we went out of Plimmouth the third of Iune and stiered directly for that port and when most extreame stormes and contrary windes met with vs we beate it vp till all our Fleete was scattered and many of our ships in desperate case And because I the Generall thought my too soone giuing ouer would not onely depriue the Fleete of our principall ship but absolutly defeate the iourney I forced my company first to abide the continuall increasing of a most dangerous leake which I made light of because I saw that with labour of men I could free the ship as fast as the leake did grow Secondly I made them endure the craking of both my maine and fore mast the one in two places the other in three so as we still looked when they should be carried by the boord which was not enough to make me beare vp because I knew whensoeuer I should loose them both I could with iurie masts by Gods fauour carry the ship home And I continued so long that my ships Okam came all out her seames opened her deckes and vpper workes gaue way her very timbers and maine beames with her labouring did teare like lathes so as we looked hourely when the Orlope would fall and the Ordnance sinke downe to the keele then did those few whom before I had wonne to stand with mee all protest against me that if I did not within a minute of an houre beare vp the helme I did wilfully cast away the ship and whole company Then onely I suffred my selfe to be ouercome and when I came to Plimmouth halfe her Maiesties ships and more then halfe the principall officers by sea and by land were put in before mee for the extremitie their ships were in And when we were all of vs gathered together againe at Plimmouth and had repaired all the ships but mine owne which was sent home to Chatham to be new builded then were we kept in by continuall storme and contrary windes till our victuals which were at first but for three moneths were in a manner all spent and the sicknesse in the Flie boates that carried the land armie growne so great that I had order from her Maiestie to discharge the land forces all but the thousand old Souldiers which were drawne out of the Low Countries By which meanes though we were disabled to land at Ferol to beate the land Armie there and take in the forces which was the certaiue way to command the Adelantados Fleete yet I the Generall offered her Maiestie to send in certaine ships of fire and to second them with the Saint Matthew and Saint Andrew and some great flye-boates and Merchants ships with which I would destroy the most of the enemies principall shipping and leaue all the Queens own English built ships at the mouth of the harbour to assure our retreate By this meanes I should hazard to loose but two great Cartes which before I had won and for the aduenturing of those defeate the enemies whole Nauie Which counsell being allowed though with restraint of mine owne going in with those two ships and an absolute barre to hazard any other we went out the second time to put this proiect in execution But againe ere we could recouer the Spanish coast the Saint Matthew by loosing her foremast was put backe into England and the Saint Andrew had lost company till at one instant within sight of the shoare of the Groine Sir Walter Raleigh the Vice-admirall brake his maine yard which forced him to beare along to the Westward before the winde and I in this second ship had such a desperate leake sprang as when we pumped and boled with buckets as much as we could for our owne liues it grew still vpon vs and when we sought by ramming downe peeces of Beefe and bolding linnen cloath wrong together to stop the comming in of the water it came in notwithstanding so strongly as it bare downe all and beate away euery man that stood to stop it Then was I faine to lye by the lee and make my company worke vpon it all night my master Carpenter the onely skilfull man I had dying at that very instant And when by the great mercy of God we had stopped it the winde being easterly the Fleete was so farre shot a head as I could not recouer the most of them till I came to the Cape Finisterre where holding a Counsell and missing Sir Walter Raleigh who being off at Sea had no plying sailes to get vp missing him I say with thirty sailes that in the night followed his light and hearing that the Saint Matthew which was our principall ship for the execution of our intended enterprise was returned and being barred to hazard any other in her place it was by the whole Counsell of warre concluded that the enterprise of Ferol was ouerthrowne both because though the winde had serued we wanted the ships appointed for that seruice and if wee had had the ships we wanted winde to get into the harbour of Ferol for the winde blew strongly at East which would haue bin fully in our teeth as we had plied in And now wee onely could thinke of the intercepting of the Indian Fleete and defeating of the Adelantado if he had put to Sea For to take in Terçera our land army being discharged we had no meanes whereupon wee bare for the height of the Rocke hoping there because it was our second Rende-uous after Ferel to meete with Sir Walter Raleigh Into which height when I came a message was deliuered mee from Sir Walter Raleigh by one Captaine Skobbels that the Adelantado was gone out of Ferol with his Fleete to Terçera to waft home the West Indian Fleete of treasure and that hee would attend mine answere off of the Burlingas which message of Sir Walters was grounded vpon the report of the Captaine of a ship of Hampton which did confidently deliuer it I the Generall there calling a Counsell tooke a resolution both because wee hoped to meete the Adelantado there and because all our best experimented Seamen did assure vs that it was the likeliest course to meete with the Indian Fleete to goe for the Ilands of the Azores And I sent out Pinnaces both to the Burlinges and toward the South
torment and paine which is such that he who hath beene throughly punished with the Collique can quickly decipher or demonstrate The Antidote for this pernicious worme is Garlique and this was discouered by a Phisitian to a Religious person §. III. THARLTONS treacherie Discouerie of Land vnknowne Entrance of the Straits accidents therein and description thereof diuers occasionall discourses for the furtherance of Marine and Naturall knowledge IN our Nauigation towards the Straits by our obseruation we found that our Compasse varied a point and better to the Eastwards In the height of the Riuer of Plate we being some fiftie leagues off the coast a storme tooke vs Southerly which endured fortie eight houres In the first day about the going downe of the Sunne Robert Tharlton Master of the Francie bare vp before the winde without giuing vs any token or signe that she was in distresse We seeing her to continue her course bare vp after her and the night comming on we carried our light but she neuer answered vs for they kept their course directly for England which was the ouerthrow of the Voyage as well for that we had no Pinnace to goe before vs to discouer any danger to seeke out roades and anchoring to helpe our watering and refreshing as also for the victuals necessaries and men which they carried away with them which though they were not many yet with their helpe in our fight we had taken the Vice-admirall the first time shee bourded with vs as shall be hereafter manifested For once we cleered her Decke and had wee beene able to haue spared but a dozen men doubtlesse we had done with her what we would for she had no close fights Moreouer if she had beene with me I had not beene discouered vpon the coast of Peâ—ew But I was worthy to be deceiued that trusted my Ship in the hands of on hypocrite and a man which had left his Generall before in the like occasion and in the selfe same place for being with Master Thomas Candish Master of a small Shippe in the Voyage wherein hee died this Captaine being aboord the Admirall in the night time forsocke his Fleete his Generall and Captaine and returned home Pitie it is that such perfidious persons are not more seuerely punished These absentings and escapes are made most times onely to pâ—lâ—er and steale as well by taking of some prize when they are alone and without command to hinder or order their bad proceedings as to appropriate that which is in their intrusted shippe casting the fault if they bee called to account vpon some poore and vnknowne MarineÌ„rs whom they suffer with a little pillage to absent themselues the cunninglier to colour their greatest disorders and Robberies The storme ceasing and being out of all hope wee set saile and went on our course During this storme certaine great Fowles as bigge as Swannes soared about vs and the winde calming setled themselues in the Sea and fed vpon the sweepings of our ship which I perceiuing and desirous to see of them because they seemed farre greater then in truth they were I caused a Hook and Line to be brought me and with a piece of a Pilehard I baâ—ted the Hooke and a foot from it tied a piece of Corke that it might not sinke deepe and threw it into the Sâ—a which our ship driuing with the Sea in a little time was a good space from vs and one of the Fowles beeing hungry presently seized vpon it and the Hooke in his vpper beake It is like to a Faulcons bill but that the point is moore crooked in that manner as by no meanes hee could cleere himselfe except that the Line brake or the Hooke righted Plucking him towards the ship with the wauing of his wings he eased the weight of his body and being brought to the sterne of our ship two of our company went downe by the ladder of the Poope and seized on his neck and wings but such were the blowes he gaue them with his Pinnions as both left their hand fast beeing beaten blacke and blue we cast a snare about his necke and so triced him into the ship By the same manner of fishing we caught so many of them as refreshed and recreated all my people for that day Their bodies were great but of little flesh and tender in taste answerable to the food whereon they feed They were of two colours some white some grey they had three ioynts in each wing and from the point of one wing to the point of the other both stretched out was aboue two fathomes The wind continued good with vs till we came to 49. degrees and 30. minutes where it took vs Westerly being as we made our account some fifty leagues from the shoare Betwixâ— 49. and 48. degrees is Port Saint Iulian a good Harbour and in which a man may graue his shippe though she draw fifteene or sixteene foot water But care is to bee had of the people called Patagones They are treacherous and of great stature most giue them the name of Gâ—ants The second of February about nine of the clocke in the morning wee descried land which bare South-west of vs which we looked not for so timely and comming neerer and neerer vnto it by the lying wee could not coniecture what Land it should be for wee were next of any thing in 48. degrees and no Plat nor Sea-card which we had made mention of any Land which lay in that manner neere about that height In fine wee brought our Lar-boord tacke aboord and stood to the North-east-wards all that day and night and the winde continuing Westerly and a faire gale we continued our course alongst the Coast the day and night following In which time we made account we discouered well neere threescore leagues off the Coast. It is bold and made small shew of dangers The land is a goodly Champion Countrey and peopled wee saw many fires but could not come to speake with the people for the time of the yeere was farre spent to shoote the Straits and the want of our Pinnasse disabled vs for finding a Port or Road not being discretion with a ship of charge and in an vnknowne Coast to come neere the shoare before it was founded which were causes together with the change of the winde good for vs to passe the Strait that hindered the further Discouery of this Land with its secrets This I haue sorrowed for many times since for that it had likelihood to bee an excellent Countrey It hath great Riuers of fresh waters for the out-shoot of them colours the Sea in many places as we ranne alongst it It is not Moâ—ntaynous but much of the disposition of England and as temperate The things we noted principally on the Coast are these following the Westermost point of the Land with which wee first fell is the end of the Land to the Westwards as wee found afterwards If a man bring this