after the form of a Briar the branches of it are at all times loaden with small long leaves Twice a year they are dress'd with abundance of pretty white or violet flowers which are follow'd by a little round fruit about the bigness of a Damsin and that being ripe grows either white or violet as the flower had been before This fruit is very sweet and so lov'd by some Savages living neer the Gulf of Hondures that they are called Icacos from their much feeding on these Plumbs Those who have travell'd among them have observed that when these fruits are ripe they carefully secure the propriety thereof to themselves and to prevent their Neighbours who have none in their Quarters from spoiling the Trees have Guards set on the Avenues of their Country who with Club and Dart oppose such as should attempt their disturbance MONBAIN THe Monbain is a Tree grows very high and bears long and yellowish Plumbs which are of a scent good enough But the stone being bigger then all the meat about it they are not much esteem'd unless it be of some who mix them in the drinks of Ouïcou and Maby to give them a better taste The Swine feeding in the Woods are always fat when these fruits are ripe for there falls abundance of them under the Trees as they ripen which are greedily devoured by those creatures This Tree yields a yellow Gum which casts a stronger scent then the fruit The branches thrust into the ground easily take root whence it comes that they commonly set those Closes with them where they keep Cattle The Courbary for the most part grows higher more leavie and bigger then the Monbain It bears a fruit the shell whereof can hardly be broken and it is about four fingers long two broad and one thick Within the shell there is two or three stones cover'd with a soft meat as yellow as Saffron It is of a good taste but if much of it be taken it extreamly clogs the stomack and hinders respiration The Savages in case of necessity make a drink of it which well ordered is not unpleasant that is when it is well boild with water The wood of this Tree is solid of a colour inclining to red The Tree being old yields a Gum which is hardened by the Sun and will continue clear transparent as yellow Amber and of a good scent Some Indians make Buttons of it of several fashions of which they make Bracelets Neck-laces and Pendants which are handsom glittering and of a good scent INDIAN FIG-TREE THere is in most of these Islands a great Tree which the Europeans have called the Indian Fig-tree because it bears a small fruit without any stone which in figure and taste comes neer the French Fig Otherwise it hath no resemblance to our Fig-trees for besides that the leaf is of a different figure and much narrower it grows in some places to such an excessive bulk that there are of them such as many men put together cannot encompass in regard the Trunk which commonly is not even in its circumference shoots forth on the sides from the very root to the place where the boughs begin certain excrescencies which reach four or five foot about and which by that means make deep cavities standing like so many Neeches These Excrescencies which are of the same substance with the body of the Tree are also enclos'd with the same bark as covers it and they are seven or eight inches thick proportionably to the Trunk they encompass The wood of this Tree within is white and soft and there are commonly cut out of those long pieces which shoot forth out of the Trunk Planks for Flooring Doors and Tables without any fear that the Tree should dye For in a short time it so easily recovers the prejudice it had receiv'd that it can hardly be perceiv'd there was any thing taken from it All those who have liv'd in the Island of Tortoises which lyes North from Hispaniola have seen in the way which leads from the Plains of the Mountain to the Village which the French call Milplantage one of these Trees which may well afford shelter to two hundred men under the shade of its branches which are always loaden with leaves very thick and bushy SERVICE-TREE THere is in these Islands a kind of Service-tree much different from that in France for it is of an excessive height pleasant to the eye and adorn'd with fair leaves and branches It bears a pleasant fruit round as a Cherry of a yellowish colour spotted with little round spots when it is ripe it falls off of it self It tastes like a Sorb-apple and thence it came to be so called It is much sought after by the Birds The PRICKLY-PALM ALL these Islands have Palms nay some have four several sorts of them One is called the Prickly or Thorny-Palm having that name from the prickliness of it the boal branches and leaves being furnished with prickles very sharp and so dangerous that whoever is prick'd thereby will be troubled a long time if a present remedy be not applyed Those which encompass the trunk are flat about the length of a mans finger of the figure of a Tooth-pick smooth and of a tawny colour inclining to black The Negroes before they come neer it make a fire about the foot of the Tree to burn up the prickles which are as so much armour to it It s fruit consists in a great tuft which contains several greyish hard and round Nuts within which are kernels good to eat Of this kind of Palms some Negroes get a sort of Wine by making incisions in the branches It is probably the same Tree which the Brasilians call Ayri FRANC-PALM THe second kind is the Franc-Palm It is a strait Tree of extraordinary height The roots of this Tree are above ground round about the stock two or three foot high and about the bigness of a Hogshead These roots are small proportionably to the height of the Tree they sustain but they are so confusedly shufled one within another that they afford it a substantial support One thing particular to this Tree is that it is bigger above then below While it is young the bark is tender of a dark-grey colour and mark'd at every foot 's distance with a circle which discovers very neer how many years it hath been in the ground But when it is come to its full growth it is all over so solid and smooth that there is nothing to be seen The top of it is adorned with several fair branches chanell'd and smooth which have on each side an infinite number of leaves green long narrow and very thin which add much to its beauty The tenderest of these branches which are not yet fully blown start up directly from the middle of the Tree while the others which bend downwards all about make it as 't were a rich and beautiful crown This Tree disburthens it self every month of some one of its branches as also of a
called Mappou and divers kinds of thorny wood others only satisfie the smelling by their sweet scents others have venemous qualities as the Milkie-tree as also that whose root reduced to powder and cast into rivers inebriates the Fish the Mancenilier which we shall describe in its proper place and an infinite number of others the wood whereof is white soft and of no use and have yet got no names among the foreign Inhabitants of those parts CHAP. IX Of other Trees growing in these Islands whose Fruits or Roots contribute to the subsistance of the Inhabitants or serve for some other uses IT hath pleased the great Contriver of all things to divide that Element which we call Earth into several Countries each whereof he hath endued with certain advantages and conveniences not to be found in other places that by such a delightful variety of things he might make a more distinct and remarkable demonstration of his own all-cherishing Providence But it must be acknowledg'd that in the distribution which the Divine Wisedome hath made of its bounties the Caribby-Islands have had a very large portion For to confine our selves to the design we intend to prosecute not only the greater sorts of Trees which we have described in the former Chapters contribute to the Shelter Nourishment Cloathing Health and several other accommodations of the Inhabitants but there are also divers shrubs or lesser Trees which either shoot forth Roots or bear Fruits conducing to the same purpose as shall be seen in the perusal of this Chapter MANYOC INstead of Wheat the Inhabitants make use of the root of a small Tree called Manyoc by some Manyot and by others Mandioque of which is made a kinde of Bread delicate enough called Cassava whence it is also sometimes called the Cassava-tree This root is so fruitful that a small parcel of ground planted therewith will feed more persons then six times as much sown with the best Wheat could do It shoots forth crooked branches about the height of five or six foot easie to be broken and full of small knots the leaf is narrow and somewhat long at nine moneths end the root comes to its maturity Nay it is reported that in Brasil it grows to the bigness of a mans thigh in three or four moneths If the ground be not too moist the root may continue in it three years without corrupting so that there needs no Store-house oâ— Garret to put it up in for it is taken out of the ground as it is spent To propagate this Root you must take of the branches and cut them in pieces about a foot in length then make trenches in your Garden with a Hoe and thrust in three of those sticks triangle-wise into the earth which had been taken out of the trenches and wherewith a little hill or tump had been rais'd this is called Planting by the trench But there is another way of planting Manyoc much more expeditious and more easie but the Manyoc is neither so fair nor so much esteemed as the other The way is only thus to make a hole in the ground with a stick and to thrust the Manyoc strait into it care must be had in the planting of it that the knots be not set downwards for if they should the Manyoc sticks would not grow The Indians never plant it otherwise but that it may ripen in its season they observe a certain time of the Moon and see that the ground be not too moist There are several kinds of these shrubs differing one from the other only in the colour of the bark of their wood and of their root Those which have the bark greyish or white or green make a very good tasted bread and grow up in a short time but the roots they produce do not keep so well nor thrive comparably to those of the red or violet Manyoc which is the most common the most esteem'd and the most advantageous in house-keeping The juice of this root is as cold as Hemlock and so effectual a poyson that the poor Indians of the greater Islands being persecuted with fire and sword by the Spaniards to avoid a more cruel death made use of this poyson to destroy themselves There is to this day to be seen in the Island of Hispaniola otherwise call'd S. Domingo a place called the Cave of the Indians where there are the bones of above four hundred persons who ended their lives there with this poyson to avoid the cruelties of the Spaniards But let this juice which is so venemous to all sorts of living creatures rest four and twenty hours after it is taken from the root and it loses that malignant and dangerous quality PALMA-CHRISTI THere are in these Islands an infinite number of the shrubs called Palma-Christi or Ricinus and they grow up so high and so big in some places that they would be taken for a different kind from those commonly seen in Europe The Negroes gather the seed and extract an oyl from it wherewith they rub their hair to keep themselves clear from vermine The qualities attributed to it by Galen and Dioscorides confirm the use these Barbarians make of it the leaf of this shrub is sovereign for the healing of some kinds of Ulcers as being very attractive There grow in all these Islands two kinds of shrubs or rather great Reeds spongy within growing of themselves in fat ground neer little rivulets or in Valleys not annoyed by winds They are commonly called Banana-trees or Planes and Fig-trees or Apple-trees of Paradise These two kinds of shrubs have this common to both 1 That they grow of equal height to wit about twelve or fifteen foot above ground 2 That their stalks which are of a green colour shining spongious and very full of water shoot out of a great Onion like a Pear encompass'd with many little white roots which fasten it to the ground 3 That they have shooting forth at the foot of the stems certain Scyons which bear fruit at the years end 4 That when one stem is cut off for the getting of the fruit the most forward next that succeeds in its place and so the shrub is perpetuated and multiplies so exceedingly that in time it spreads over all the good ground neer it 5 That the substance of both is very soft and reducible into water which though extreamly clear yet hath the quality of dying Linen and white Stuffs into a dark brownish colour 6 That their Fruits lye at the top of the stem like great clusters or posies And lastly that their leaves which are about four foot or more in length and a foot and a half in bredth may serve for Napkins and Towels and being dried make a soft kind of Couch or Bed to lye upon These two shrubs have this further resemblance that which way soever their fruit be cut when it is come to maturity the meat of them which is white as snow represents in the middle the form of a Crucifix especially when it
name Nicotianum from one Nicot a Physician who first us'd it in Europe and sent it from Portugal into France It was also called Queen-herb hence that being brought from America it was presented to the Queen of Spain as a rare Plant and of extraordinary vertues The Spaniards give it further the title of Holy-herb for the excellent effects they have experienc'd from it as Garcilasso in his Royal Commentary of the Tncas of Peru lib. 11. ch 25. affirms Lastly the French call it Petun though de Lery is much displeas'd at the name affirming that the Plant he saw in Brasil and which the Topinambous call Petun differs very much from our Tobacco The Caribbians in their natural Language call it Youly Heretofore there were known in the Islands but two kinds of Tobacco-Plants commonly called by the Inhabitants Green-Tobacco and Tongu'd-Tobacco from the figure of its leaf but since there have been brought from the Continent the seeds of Virinus and the Tobacco of the Amazons they are divided into four kinds The two former are of a great produce but the two others are more esteem'd by reason of their sweet scent All these kinds of Tobacco-Plants grow in the Islands to the height of a man and higher if their growth be not check'd by cutting off the tops of their stems They bear good store of leaves which are green long downy on the lower side and seem in the handling as if they were oiled Those which grow towards the stock of the Plant are larger and longer as deriving more nourishment from the moisture of the root At the tops they shoot forth little branches which bear a flower like a small Bell which is of a clear violet colour And when that flower is dry there comes into its place a little button wherein is contained the seed which is of a brownish colour and very small There are sometimes found under the leaves and branches of this Plant the nests of the little Birds called Colibris which we shall describe in its proper place INDICO THe material of which is made the Dying commodity called Indico is got from a Plant which grows not above two foot and a half above the ground It hath but a small leaf of a grass-green colour inclining to yellow when it is ripe The flower is reddish It grows from the seed which is sown by trenches in a streight line It hath a very bad scent quite contrary to that growing in Madagascar which bears small flowers of a purple colour mixt with white which smell well GINGER OF all the Spices of the Levant that have been planted in America only Ginger hath thriv'd and come to perfection 'T is the root of a Plant which grows not much above ground having green long leaves like those of Reeds and Sugar-canes The root spreads it self not in depth but in bredth and lies neer the surface like a hand encompass'd by many fingers whence the Inhabitants of the Islands call it a Paw This Plant may be propagated by the seed or as is most commonly done by certain small roots which grow like so many strings all about the old stem and the greater roots as there do about Skirretts It grows with ease in all the Islands especially at S. Christophers many Inhabitants of which Island have planted it and traded in it with advantage since Tobacco came to so low a rate POTATOE THe Potatoe is a root much like the Saligots growing in Gardens which are called Topinambous or Jerusalem Artichokes but of a much more excellent taste and more wholsome Those Topinambous or Artichokes which are now not only very common in most parts but cheap and slighted as being a tteatment for the poorer sort were heretofore accounted delicacies For in some extraordinary Entertainments made at Paris by the Princes to certain Embassadours in the Year M. DC XVI they were serv'd up among the most exquisite dishes But the Potatoe is infinitely beyond it It thrives best in a light ground somewhat moist and well ordered It shoots forth abundance of soft leaves of a very dark green in figure like those of Spinage They spring from certain fibres which creep along the ground and in a short time over-run the place where it is sown And if the ground be well order'd these fibres within a certain time frame divers roots by the means of certain whitish filaments which shoot forth below the knots and easily fasten into the earth It bears a flower near the same colour with the root and like a bell within which lies the seed But commonly to propagate this fruit they take only of these strings or fibres which lye scattered all over the ground as we said and thrust them into ground prepar'd for them and at the end of two or three months they will have produc'd their root which hath this further vertue that being cut into small pieces and thrust into the ground it produceth its root and leaf as effectually as if the seed lay in each of its least parts These roots are of several colours and in the same piece of ground there will be some white ones which are the most ordinary some of a violet colour some red as beetroots some yellow and some marbled They are all of an excellent taste For provided they be not full of water and grew in a ground moderately moist and dry that is participating of both they taste like Chest-nuts and are a better nourishment then the Cassava which dries up the body for they are not so dry Some as particularly the English use these roots instead of bread and Cassava and to that purpose bake them under the Embers or upon the coals For being so prepar'd they are of a better taste and are clear'd of that windy quality which is commonly observ'd to be in most roots But for the most part they are boyl'd or stew'd in a great iron pot into which there is a little water put to keep the bottom from burning then the pot-lid is set on as close as may be that they may stew by that smother'd heat This is the ordinary treatment of the Servants and Slaves of the Country who eat them out of the pot with a sauce made of Pyman and juice of Oranges If this root were not so common it would be more esteem'd The Spaniards think it a delicacy and dress it with butter sugar nuâ—meg and cinamon Others make a pottage of it and putting into it some fat pepper and ginger account it an excellent dish But most of the Inhabitants of the Islands trouble not themselves so much about the dressing of it There are some will gather the tender extremities of the aforesaid strings and having boil'd them eat them as a Sallet like the tops of Asparagus or Hops ANANAS THe Ananas or Pine-Apple is accounted the most delicious fruit not only of these Islands but of all America It is so delightful to the eye and of so sweet a scent that Nature may be said to
have been extreamly prodigal of what was most rare and precious in her Treasury to this Plant. It grows on a stalk about a foot high encompassed by about 15 or 16 leaves as long as those of some kinds of Thistles broad as the Palm of a mans hand and in figure like those of Aloes they are pointed at the extremity as those of Corn-Gladen somewhat hollow in the midst and having on both sides little prickles which are very sharp The fruit which grows between these leaves strait up from the stalk is sometimes about the bigness of a Melon its figure is much like that of a Pine-Apple its rind which is full of little compartiments like the scales of fish of a pale-green colour border'd with Carnation upon a yellow ground hath on the out-side several small flowers which according to the different Aspects of the Sun seem to be of so many different colours as may be seen in the Rain-bow as the fruit ripens most of these flowers fall But that which gives it a far greater lustre and acquir'd it the supremacy among Fruit is that it is crown'd with a great Posie consisting of flowers and several leaves solid and jagged about which are of a bright red colour and extreamly add to the delightfulness of it The Meat or Pulp which is contained within the rind is a little fibrous but put into the mouth is turn'd all to juice it hath so transcendent a taste and so particular to it self that those who have endeavour'd to make a full description of it not able to confine themselves to one comparison have borrow'd what they thought most delicate in the Peach the Strawberry the Muscadine-grape and the Pippin and having said all they could been forc'd to acknowledg that it hath a certain particular taste which cannot easily be express'd The vertue or shoot by which this fruit may be perpetuated lyes not in its root nor yet in a small red seed which is many times found in its Pulp but in that Garland wherewith it is cover'd for as soon as it is put into the ground it takes root shoots forth leaves and at the years end produces new fruit It happens sometimes that these fruits are charg'd with three posies or crowns all which have the vertue of propagating their species but every stalk bears fruit but once a year There are three or four kinds of them which the Inhabitants distinguish by the colour figure or scent to wit the White-Ananas the Pointed and that called the Pippin or Renette This last is more esteem'd then the other two inasmuch as being ripe it hath as to the taste all the rare qualities before described it hath also a sweeter scent then the others and does not set the teeth so much on edge The natural Indians of the Country and the French who live in the Islands make of this fruit an excellent drink not much unlike Malmsey when it hath been kept a certain time there is also made of it a liquid Conserve which is one of the noblest and most delicate of any brought out of the Indies they also cut the rind into two pieces and it is preserv'd dry with some of the thinnest leaves and then the pieces are neatly joyn'd together again and they ice it over with Sugar by which means the figure of the fruit and leaves is perfectly preserv'd and there may be seen in those happy Countries notwithstanding the heats of the Torrid Zone a pleasant representation of the sad productions of Winter In Physick the Vertues of it are these The juice does admirably recreate and exhilarate the Spirits and comfort the Heart it also fortifies the Stomack cureth Queasiness and causeth Appetite it gives present ease to such as are troubled with the Stone or stoppage of Urine nay it destroys the force of Poyson If the fruit be not procurable the root will do the same effects The water extracted from it by distilling hath a quicker and more effectual operation but in regard it is too corrosive and offends the mouth palat and uretory vessels it must be very moderately used and with the advice of an able Physician who knows how to correct that Acrimony SUGAR-CANES THe Reed which by its delicious juice supplies that substance whereof Sugar is made hath leaves like those of other Reeds which grow in Marshes and neer Ponds but only they are a little longer and sharper for if they be not taken with a certain care and sleight they will cut a mans hands like a Rasour It is call'd the Sugar-Cane and grows up in height between five and six foot and two inches about it is divided by several knots which are commonly four or five inches distant one from another and the greater the distance is between the knots the more Sugar are the Canes apt to yield The leaves of it are long green and grow very thick in the midst whereof rises the Cane which also at the top is loaden with several pointed leaves and one kind of knot of them which contains the seed it is as full as it can be of a white and juicy pith out of which is drawn that liquor that makes the Sugar It thrives extreamly in a fat soil so it be light and somewhat moist it is planted in trenches made at equal distances one from another either with a Hoe or a Plow about half a foot deep Having there laid the Canes being ripe they cover them with earth and a little while after out of every knot shoots forth a root and out of that a stem which produces a new Cane As soon as it appears above ground it must be carefully weeded all about that the weeds choak it not but as soon as it hath cover'd the ground it secures it self and keeps its footing as well as any Copse-wood might do and it may last fifty years without being renew'd so the main root be sound and not injured by the worm for if there be any jealousie of that the remedy is to take up the whole Plant as soon as may be and to order it all anew Though the Canes be ripe at the end of nine or ten moneths yet will they not be any way prejudic'd if continu'd in the ground two years nay sometimes three after which they decay But the best and surest way is to cut them every year as neer the ground as may be and below the last knot or joynt Those who cross the Fields when these Canes are come to maturity may refresh themselves with the juice of them which is an excellent beverage and hath the same taste with the Sugar But if it be taken immoderately it may occasion fluxes and looseness especially to such as are newly come into the Country for those who by a long abode there are in a manner naturaliz'd are not so subject to that inconvenience There grow also in some of these Islands those neat and precious Canes which are us'd in walking naturally marbled and enamell'd with several
figures The sides of great Ponds and all Fenny and Marshy places are also furnish'd with a big sort of Reeds which grow up very high and very strait whereof the Inhabitants commonly make the partitions of their Houses and use them instead of Lats for the covering of them The Indians also make use of the tops of these Canes in the making of their Arrows CHAP. XI Of some other rare Productions of the Caribbies and several sorts of Pulse and Flowers growing in those Islands HAving spoken of the Plants Herbs and Roots considerable for their Leaves Fruits or Vertues we now come to treat of some other rare Productions of these Islands for the most part not known in Europe RAQVETTES THat which the French call Raquettes from the figure of its leaves which are like a Racket is a great thorny bush creeping along the earth and not able to raise it self to any height in regard the stem which is only a leaf grown big in process of time grows not much more then half a foot above ground and though it be big enough yet is it not to be seen till the leaves which are green heavy ill-shap'd and about an inch thick and fasten'd one to another encompassing it be first taken up they are armed with prickles extreamly sharp and small and upon some of these long and prickly leaves there grows a fruit about the bigness of a Date-plumb which hath also on the out-side several very small prickles which prick their fingers who would gather them being ripe it is red within and without of a Vermilion colour the Hunts-men of these Islands think it very delicate and refreshing but it hath this property that it colours a mans Urine as red as blood as soon as he hath eaten it insomuch that such as are ignorant of this secret imagine they have broken a vein Nay some perceiving that alteration in themselves have taken their Beds out of an imagination that they were very sick Some report that in Peru there is a kind of Plumb which works the same effect nay there are who affirm that they have observ'd as much after the eating of a Gelly of red Goose-berries Those who have described Tunal which is so much esteem'd for the precious Scarlet-dye lying in its leaves make it like the Plant we now describe save that they assign it no fruit Some others have ranked it among those Thistles which bear Figs because the fruit is of that figure and when it is open instead of a stone it hath only small seeds like those of the Fig. There is also another kind of this Plant whereof the fruit is white and of a sweeter and more savory taste then the red we spoke of before nay there is yet another which no doubt is a kind of Tunal on which there have been seen certain little worms in colour like a Ruby which dye Linen or Woollen-Cloth whereon they are crush'd into a very fair and lively Scarlet-colour TORCH THe Plant called by the Caribbians Akoulerou some of the European Inhabitants of these Islands call the Torch it is a kind of great Thistle growing like a great bushy Briar furnish'd of all sides with prickles extreamly sharp and small there shoot forth in the midst of it nine or ten stalks without either branches or leaves growing up to the height of nine or ten foot strait and channelled like so many Torches they have also very sharp prickles like so many small Needles which so secure them that they cannot be touch'd of any side the rind and what is within it is soft and spongy enough Every Torch bears at a certain season of the year between the channels of the stalk certain yellow or violet flowers which are succeeded by a fruit like a great Fig good to eat and delicate enough The Birds love it well but they can only peck at it flying because the prickles hinder them from lighting on any part of the Plant. The Indians get off the fruit with little forks or sticks cleft at one end LIENES THere are several kinds of Plants which creep along the ground or are fasten'd to Trees nay some which very much obstruct peoples passage through the Forests The Inhabitants call them Lienes some are like a great Cable others bear flowers of several colours nay some are loaden with great brownish husks a foot or better in length four or five inches thick and as hard as Oak-bark wherein are contained those curious fruits called Sea-Chestnuts which have the figure of a heart and the pulp taken out are made into Boxes to keep Sneezing powder or any other sweet powder The fruit called by the Inhabitants Lienes-Apples grows on a kind of Willow which is fasten'd to the greater sort of Trees like Ivy it is about the bigness of a Tennis-ball and cover'd with a hard shell and a green out-side containing within it a substance which being ripe hath the figure and taste of Gooseberries SEMPER-VIVUM THere are in these Islands several kinds of Herbs that never dye or wither whereof some grow on trunks of old Trees as Missletoe does on the Oak others grow on the ground and upon rocks They have so much natural moisture that being pluck'd and hung with their roots upwards in the midst of rooms where they are many times kept as rarities and to recreate the eye they lose nothing of their verdure SENSITIVE PLANTS THere is in the Island Tabago a kind of Herb which besides its perpetual growing is also sensible whence it is called the Sensitive Plant it grows up about a foot and a half in height encompass'd with a many leaves in length a foot or better in bredth three fingers jagg'd almost like those of Fern being at the extremities of a green colour checquer'd with little brownish or red spots In the season of fruits there grows out of the midst of this Plant a round flower consisting of several leaves standing much after the same order as those of the Marigold but they are of a bright violet colour and being handled have a good scent the nature of this Plant is such that if one pluck off the leaves of it or so much as touch them the whole Plant withers and all the other leaves fall to the ground as if it had been trod under feet and according to the number of the leaves that had been pluck'd off it will be a longer or shorter time ere it recover that loss There grows such another at Madagascar which the Inhabitants call Haest-vel that is the Living-herb but it is not the same kind as that which may be seen in the Kings Garden at Paris for that hath a much lesser leaf and it is neither spotted nor jagg'd and which is more it bears no flowers besides its leaves being touch'd close together by a certain kind of contraction whereas that we describe sheds its leaves on the ground There is also another kind of living or sensitive Plant in some of the other Islands
perfection it hath a firm substance and may be cut in pieces like a Melon and is of a very pleasant taste The rind is yellow intermix'd with certain green lines and within it is full of little seeds round viscous and soft of a picquant taste and approaching that of Spice This fruit fortifies the stomack and helps digestion MOMIN THe Momin is a Tree grows up to the bigness of an Apple-tree and bears a large fruit of the same name 'T is true the Islanders commonly call it Corasol because the seeds of those they have was brought from Corasol an Island possess'd long since by the Dutch who have there a good Fort and a numerous Colony which hath spred it self into several other Islands neer it This Fruit is like a little Cucumber not fully ripe the rind of it is always green and enamell'd with several small partitions like scales if it be gathered in its maturity it is within as white as cream and of a mixture of sweetness and sharpness which much heightens the taste of it This Fruit is extreamly cooling and pleasant to the palate In the midst of it lyes the seed which is of the bigness and figure of a Bean very smooth and of the colour of a Touch-stone on which a piece of gold had been newly try'd for it seems to sparkle with little golden veins JUNIPA JUnipa or Jenipa being the same Tree which the Brasilians call Janipaba and the Portuguez Jenipapo grows up to the bigness of a Chestnut-tree the boughes of it bowing down towards the ground and making a pleasant shade The leaves of it are long like those of a Wallnut-tree It bears a kind of flower like those of Narcissus and they are of a good scent The wood of it is solid and in colour of a pearly grey The Inhabitants cut down these Trees while they are yet young to make stocks for Muskets and Fire-locks in regard the wood being easie to be wrought may be excellently polish'd Every moneth it is cloath'd with some new leaves It bears a kind of Apples which being ripe seem to have been baked in an Oven about the bigness of an ordinary Apple Falling from the Tree they make a noise like that of a gun discharg'd which proceeds hence that certain winds or spirits pent up in the thin pellicles which enclose the seed being stirr'd by the fall force their way out with a certain violence Whence it may be concluded that it is the same Fruit which the Indians in New-Spain by a barbarous name call Quant la Lazin These Junipa apples eaten without taking away the little skin within them are extreamly binding This Fruit is much sought after by Hunts-men in regard that being sourish it quenches thirst and comforts such as are wearied by travelling The juice of it dyes a very dark Violet though it self be as clear as rock-water nay when it is applied twice to the same part of the body which a man would dye it makes the place appear black The Indians use it to fortifie the body and to make it more supple before they go to the wars They are also of a perswasion that this colour renders them more terrible to their enemies The tincture this Fruit gives cannot be taken away with Soap but after nine or ten days it disappears of it self The Swine which eat of this fruit when it falls off the Tree have the flesh and fat of a violet colour as hath been found by experience The same thing hath been observ'd in the flesh of Parrots and other Birds when they have eaten of it There may be made of these Apples a drink pleasant enough yet such as is only us'd among the Indians and Hunts-men who have no setled habitation RAISIN THe Raisin-tree or Vine which the Caribbians call Ouliem grows up to a midling height and creeps in a manner along the ground on the Sea-side but in good ground it grows up high as one of the most delightful Trees of the Forest The leaves of it are round and thick intermixt with red and green Under the bark of the trunk having rais'd a white soft substance about two inches thick a man finds a wood of a violet colour solid and fit for excellent pieces of Joyners work It bears in its branches such fruits as when they are ripe might be taken for great violet Grapes but in stead of kernels every Grape hath under a tender pellicle and under a very small substance which is a little sowrish cooling and of a good taste a hard stone like that of a Plumb ACAJOV THere are three kinds of Trees known by the name of Acajou but of those only that we shall here describe bears any fruit 'T is a Tree of no great height spreading its branches down towards the ground The leaves of it are fair and large closing to a roundness before and divided by certain veins The flowers of it at the first shooting forth are white but afterwards they become incarnate and of a purple colour They grow in tuffes and bushes and they send forth so sweet a scent that it is easie to distinguish the Tree which bears them These flowers fall not till they are thrust off by a kind of Chestnut much after the form of an Ear or a Hares kidney When this Chestnut is come to its growth there is fram'd under it a very fair Apple somewhat long which is crown'd with that as a crest which as it ripens becomes of an Olive-colour while the Apple puts on a thin delicate skin of a lively Vermilion Within it is full of certain spungious filaments which yield a kind of sweet and sharp juice extreamly good to quench thirst and accounted very good for the stomach as also in swoonings and fainting being qualifi'd with a little Sugar But if it chance to fall on any Linen it makes a red stain therein which continues till such time as the Tree brings forth new flowers The Indians make an excellent drink of this fruit which being kept some days inebriates as soon as the best French-wine would The Nut which is above burnt yields a caustick oyl which is successfully used to mollifie nay to take away Corns and the callousness of the feet If it be crack'd there is within a kernel cover'd with a thin pellicle which being taken away it is of an excellent taste and its vertue is to warm and extreamly to fortifie the Stomach This Tree bears but once a year whence the Brasilians number their age by the Nuts growing on this Apple laying up one for every year which they keep very carefully in a little basket for that purpose If an incision be made at the foot of this Tree there will come forth a clear and transparent Gum which many have taken for that which is brought out of Arabia The seed of the Tree is in the Nut which put into the ground grows without any trouble ICACO THe Icaco is a kind of small Plumb-tree which grows
it grows sometimes to the height of a shrub it hath many little branches which are at all times loaden with an infinite number of long and narrow leaves which during the rains are enamell'd with small golden flowers like so many stars But what makes this Plant esteem'd one of the rarest and most admirable of any in the world is that as soon as one would fasten on it with his hand it draws back its leaves and wriggles them under its little branches as if they were wither'd and when the hand is remov'd and the party gone away some distance from it it spreads them abroad again Some call this Plant the Chaste Herb because it cannot endure to be touch'd without expressing its resentment of the injury Those who have pass'd by the Isthmus from Nombre de Dios to Panama relate that there are whole Woods of a Tree called the Sensitive-tree which being touch'd the branches and leaves start up making a great noise and close together into the figure of a Globe Some years since there was to be seen in the Kings Garden at Paris a Sensitive-shrub valued at a very great rate But some body having advis'd the putting of it in the bottom of a Well to keep it from the cold and the sharpness of Winter it there miserably perish'd to the great regret of the Curious Of several sorts of PEASE THese Islands are also fruitful in bearing all sorts of Pulse such as are several sorts of Pease and Beans The Savages call them by the general name of Manconti The Pease are in a manner of the same kinds as those growing in Europe those only excepted which are gather'd from a little shrub which is about the height of Broom and hath small green and narrow leaves it bears Pease in cods or husks which are fastened to its branches they are green and less then the ordinary ones of an excellent taste and so easily boil'd that they need but a walm or two they are called in the Islands The Pease of Angola probably because the seed was brought from that Country There is another kind known by the name of Pease which yet have the figure of Beans they are small enough and of this kind there are some white some black some red or brown all very excellent and are ripe in three moneths These in S. Christophers are called English Pease BEANS OF Beans and Fasels there grow in the Caribbies several kinds not to be seen in the Western parts of Europe The most common are white to which the first Inhabitants gave an undecent name by reason of their figure their fruit may be eaten six weaks after they are planted others are of several pretty colours as those which are called Roman-Beans or Lombardy-Beans But the most considerable for their rarity are those called the Seven-years Beans because the same stalk bears seven years one after another and spreads it self over Trees Rocks and whatever it can fasten on and what is to be yet further admir'd is that at all times during the said term of years it bears flowers green fruit and ripe fruit So that he who sees it may well admire Spring Summer Autumn in one bough conspire The same thing is affirmed of a certain Tree in Egypt called Pharaohs Fig-tree on which there may be seen at all times fruit fully ripe fruit ripening and fruit newly knit Orange-trees have the same advantage Plants useful in Physick OF Plants useful in Physick there are many kinds in these Islands whereof the vertues and temperament are not yet well known and some others which are also to be had from other places Such as are Scolopendria and a kind of Aloes and several sorts of Maiden-hair There are also some whereof trial hath been made and they have been endued with great vertues among which the most esteem'd are the Sweet-Rush the Balisier and the Dart-Herb SWEET-RUSH THe Sweet-Rush is like other Rushes which grow neer Ponds and Rivers but it hath a round root about the bigness of a Small-nut which casts a sweet scent like that of the Flower-de-luce and being dried in the shade and beaten to powder hath a miraculous vertue to help Women in Labour if they take but a small dose of it BALISIER THe Balisier grows bigger and higher according to the soil it meets with but it thrives best in moist places The leaves of it are so large that the Caribbians in case of necessity cover their little Huts therewith They are also apply'd to abate and mollifie the inflammations of wounds and to make baths for such as have had their Nerves crush'd or have contracted any other weakness The flower of it which grows like a Plume of Feathers consisting of several yellow or red cups are succeeded by certain buttons which are full of seeds as big as Pease and so smooth and hard that Beads are made of them DART-HERB THe Dart-Herb is a sad kind of Herb for in the day time the leaves lye close together and in the night they are spread abroad its leaves which are of a bright-green are about six or seven inches long and three broad the root of it pounded and applyed on the wound takes away the venom of poysoned Darts POT-HERBS MOst of the Pot-Herbs growing in several parts of Europe grow also in these Islands 'T is true there are some as Cabbages and Onions will not bear seed yet is there no want of them The Cabbages being ripe shoot forth many slips which transplanted produce others which come to be as fair and as large as if they grew from the seed And for Onions there are good store brought in the Ships which produce abundance of Chibols and those only are commonly used in Pottage and with Pease MELONS THere is also abundance of ordinary Melons the seed whereof is brought thither from these parts but by reason of the heat of the Country they grow more easily ripe the meat is firmer and of a better taste and they have a sweeter scent And what is a greater advantage they are to be had at any time in the year WATER-MELONS THere grows in these Countries another kind of Melons which are common in Italy but must needs be incomparably better in Egypt and the Levant There grow of them also in some parts of France but they are naught they are called Water-Melons because they are full of a sugar'd water intermingled with their meat which ordinarily is of a Vermilion colour and red as blood about the heart wherein are contained their seed which is also of the same colour and sometimes black their rind continues always green and without any scent so that it is rather by the stalk then the fruit that their ripeness is to be discover'd they are sometimes bigger then a mans head either round or oval they are eaten without Salt and though a man feed liberally on them yet do they not offend the stomack but in those hot Countries they are very cooling and cause appetite They
multiply'd so exceedingly that now they are more common there then in any part of Europe Besides these Foreign kinds of Cattle there were before in these Islands certain sorts of four-footed beasts such as are the Opassum the Javaris the Tatau the Agouty and the Musk-Rat whereof we shall here give the several descriptions OPASSUM THe Opassum is the same creature which the Brasilians call Carigueya about the bigness of a Cat it hath a sharp Snout the neather Jaw being shorter then the upper as a Pigs the Ears long broad and strait and the Tail long Hairless towards the extremity and turning downwards the Hair on the Back is black intermix'd with grey and under the Belly and about the Throat it is yellowish it hath very sharp Claws and thence doth easily climb up Trees he feeds on Birds and loves a Hen as well as the Fox does but for want of prey he can make a shift to live on fruits What is particular in this Creature is that by a remarkable difference it hath a purse or bag of its own skin folded together under its Belly in which it carries its young ones which it leaves upon the ground when it pleases by opening that natural purse when he would leave that place he opens it again and the young ones get in and so he carries them with him where-ever he goes The Female suâ—kles them without setting them on the ground for her Teats lye within that purse which on the inside hath a much softer skin then that which appears without The Female commonly brings six young ones but the Male who hath such another natural purse under his Belly carries them in his turn to ease the Female but cannot suckle them These creatures are common in Virginia and New-Spain Nature having not thought fit to bestow on the Whale the convenience of such a bag gave her the invention of hiding her young ones in her Throat as Philostratus affirms And the Weasil is so fond of her young ones that out of a fear they might be taken from her she also takes them into her mouth and removes them from one place to another JAVARIS THere is also in some of these Islands as at Tabago a kind of wild Swine which are to be seen in like manner in Brasil and Nicaragua they are in most things like the wild Boars in our Forests but have very little fat they have short Ears almost no Tail and their Navels are on their Backs some of them are all black others have certain white spots their grunting is also more hideous then that of tame Swine they are called Javaris This Venison is of a taste good enough but very hardly taken in regard the Boar having a kind of vent or hole on the Back by which he refreshes his Lungs is in a manner indefatigable and if he beforc'd to stop and be pursued by the Dogs he is arm'd with such sharp and cutting defensives that he tears to pieces all those that shall set upon him TATOUS THe Tatous or Hedge-Hogs which also are to be seen in Tabago are arm'd with a hard skaly coat wherewith they cover and secure themselves as with armour They have a Head and Snout like a Pig and with the latter they turn up the ground they have also in every Paw five very sharp Claws which they use the more readily to thrust away the earth and discover the roots wherewith they are fatten'd in the night time Some affirm that their flesh is a very delicate meat and that there is a small bone in their Tails which helps Deafness It hath been confirm'd by experience that it helps the Noise or Humming and cures the pain of the Ear being thrust into it in a little Cotton some of these are as big as Foxes but those which are in Tabago are much less When these creatures are pursu'd and when they take their rest which they commonly do in the day time they close together like a bowl and so dextrously get in their feet head and ears under their hard scales that all parts of their body are by that natural armour secur'd against all the attempts of both Hunts-men and Dogs and if they are neer some precipice they roll themselves down without fear of receiving any hurt thereby Linscot relates that in the East-Indies in the river of Goa there was a Sea-monster taken which was cover'd all over with scales as hard as any Iron and when it was touch'd it clos'd together as it were into a ball AGOUTY THe Agouty is of a dark colour inclining to black having a rough light hair and a little tail without any hair it hath two teeth in the upper jaw and as many in the neather It holds its meat in the two fore-pawes like a Squirrel the cry of it is as if it distinctly pronounc'd the word Coüye 'T is hunted with Dogs and its flesh though tasting somewhat rank is by many preferr'd before that of Conies When it is hunted it gets into hollow Trees out of which it is forc'd by smoak made after it hath cry'd strangely if it be taken young it is easily tamed and when he is angred the hair on his back stands up and he strikes the ground with his hind-feet as Conies do He is much about the same bigness but his ears are short and round and his teeth as sharp as a Rasour MUSK-RAT THe Musk-Rats have commonly their abode in Holes or Berries in the ground like Conies and they are much about their bigness but as to their figure it differs not from that of the great Rats which are to be seen elsewhere save that most of them have the hair of their belly white like Dormice and that of the rest of their bodies black or tawny there comes from them a scent sweet as Musk which causes a certain dejection of spirit and makes such a strong perfume about their holes that it is very easie to find them out The Continent of America hath many kinds of four-footed Beasts which are not to be found in any of the Islands CHAP. XIII Of the Reptiles found in these Islands WE come now to treat of the Reptiles which being naturally enemies to cold must needs exceedingly multiply in these hot Countries Besides the vast Woods and the Rocks of these Islands very much advance their production in regard they afford them secure retreats Several kinds of Serpents and Snakes THere are indeed very few venemous Beasts in the Caribbies though there be many Serpents and Snakes of several colours and figures There are some nine or ten foot long and as big as a mans arm or thigh Nay there hath been heretofore kill'd one of these Snakes which had in her belly a whole Hen feathers and all and above a dozen egges the Hen having been surpriz'd as she was sitting Another was found that had devour'd a Cat whence a guess may be made at their bigness But how prodigious soever they are as to their bulk yet
easily kept for not only the bread commonly used in that Island but all the fruits and roots growing there were his ordinary food and when he had more given him then he needed he carefully laid up the remainder under the leaves wherewith the house was covered and took it when he had need In a word I never saw a more loving or more amiable Bird 'T was a Present for any Prince if he could have been brought over the Sea This Bird had been brought from the Caribby Islands to Mons Rodenborck then Governour of the Fort and Dutch Colony which is in the Island of Corassao PARROTS IN all these Islands almost there are Parrots which the Indians in their Language call Koulehuec and they are seen in companies like Starelings The Hunts-men rank them among the Wild-fowl and think not their pains and powder ill spent to kill them for they are as good and as fat as any Pullet especially when they are young and have corn and fruits to feed upon their bigness and plumage differs according to the difference of the Islands insomuch that the ancient Inhabitants know by their bulk and feathers what places they were bred in There is an admirable kind of them in one of the Islands called the Virgins they are no bigger then that Bird which the Latines call Upupa the English a Whoope and almost of the same figure But their feathers are of such a strnnge diversity of colours as extreamly pleases the eye they are apt to speak very distinctly and imitate whatever they hear PARAQUITOES THe Paraquitoes are a small kind of Parrots no bigger then Black-birds nay some exceed not the bulk of a Sparrow They are all green save that under the belly and the extremities of the wings and tails they are a little yellowish they are taught to speak and whistle but retain somwhat of their wildness for they will bite hard if they be angred If they can get loose they will into the Woods where they starve for being taken young and kept in Cages where they have their meat made ready for them they cannot pitch on those Trees which bear food fit for them TREMBLO IN some Islands especially Gardeloupe there is a little Bird called Tremblo from its perpetual trembling or shaking of the wings which it a little opens it is about the bigness of a Quail the feathers of a darker grey then the Lark SPARROW of America THe Islands of Tabago and Barboudos being the more Southerly of all the Caribbies are furnished with several sorts of beautiful Birds not to be found in the more Northerly Among the rest there is one no bigger then a Sparrow is very remarkable for the beauty of its plumage for his head neck and back are of so bright and sparkling a red that when a man hath him fast in his hand and shews only his neck or back he might be taken even at a small distance for a lighted coal Under the wings and belly he is of Sky-colour and the feathers of the wings and tail are of a dark red chequer'd with little white points dispos'd at an equal distance one from another which have the figure of the apple of his eye he hath also the beak and note of the Sparrow and therefore we thought fit to call him the Sparrow of America EAGLE of Orinoca THere crosses over from the Continent a kind of large Bird which may be ranked among the chiefest of the Birds of Prey that are in the Caribbies The first Inhabitants of Tabago call'd him the Eagle of Orinoca because he is about the bigness and differs not much in figure from the Eagle and that this Bird who is but a Passenger in that Island is commonly seen neer the great River of Orinoca in the Southerly part of America All his feathers are of a light grey marked with black spots save that the extremities of his wings and tail are yellow he hath a quick and piercing sight his wings are very long his flight steady and swift considering the weight of his body he feeds on other Birds on which he furiously fastens his tallons and having master'd them he tears them in pieces and devours them yet doth he shew so much generosity that he never sets upon the weaker sort and such as are not able to defend themselves but he engages only against the Arras the Parrots and all those which as himself are armed with crooked beaks and sharp tallons Nay it hath been observ'd that he falls not on his game while it is on the ground or lodg'd in a Tree but stays till it hath taken its flight that he may engage it in the open air with equal advantage MANSFENY THe Mansfeny is also a kind of small Eagle which as the other lives by prey but hath not the courage of the forementioned for his hostility is only against Wood-Quists Doves Chickens and other lesser Birds which are not able to oppose him There are moreover in these Islands abundance of other Birds of different kinds whereof most have yet no names among the foreign Inhabitants of those parts COLIBRY WE will conclude this story of the Caribbian Fowl with an account of the Colibry or as it is otherwise commonly called by English Writers the Humming-Bird a Bird admirable for its beauty bulk sweet scent and manner of life for being the least of all Birds he gloriously confirmes the saying of Pliny that Natura nusquam magis quà m in minimis tota est Nature is ever greatest in its least productions Some of these Birds are no bigger bodied then some of the greater sorts of Flies Some are of so beautiful a plumage the neck wings and back represent the Rain-bow which the Ancients call'd Iris the Daughter of Admiration There are others have such a bright red under their neck that at a distance one would think it were a Carbuncle The belly and under the wings are of a gilt-yellow the thighs as green as an Emerald the feet and beak as black as polish'd Ebony and the two little eyes are two Diamonds set in an oval of the colour of burnish'd steel The head is of a grass-green which gives it such a lustre that it looks as if it were gilt The Male hath a little tuft in which may be seen all the colours which enamel that little body the miracle of the feather'd Commonwealth and one of the rarest productions of Nature He le ts fall and raises up when he pleases that little crest of feathers wherewith the Author of Nature hath so richly crowned him nay all his plumage is more beautiful and shining then that of the Female If this Bird be miraculous as to his bulk and plumage he is no less as to the activity of his flight which is such that proportionably the greatest Birds make not their way through the air with so much force and make not so loud a noise as this little Colibry does by the agitation of wings for a man would
top of every Plant those only excepted which are reserv'd for seed After all this ordering the Plant is to continue some weeks in the ground ere it comes to maturity during which there is a little cessation of labour and attendance about it But if the laborious Planter be exempted from the great pains he had bestow'd about it he shall not want work for there must be a place prepar'd where it is to be dispos'd as soon as it is ripe Care must be taken that the Grange or Store-house where it ought to be dry'd to a certain mediocrity be well cover'd and close of all sides that it be furnish'd with good store of poles fit for it to be laid upon that provision be made of a certain thin bark taken from a tree called Mahot to fasten every Plant to the poles and that the place design'd for the making of it up into rolls or pricks should have all things requisite for that work While all these preparations are made if the Tobacco-leaves lose ever so little of their first verdure and withal begin to bow down more then ordinary towards the ground and if the scent of them grows stronger it is a sign that the Plant is come to maturity And then taking a very fair day after the dew is fallen off it is to be cut about an inch above ground and left upon the place till the evening turning it once or twice that the Suâ— may take away somewhat of its moisture In the evening it is carry'd by armfuls into the house It is fasten'd by the lower end of the stalk to the poles so that the leaves hang downwards It is also requisite that they should not be laid too close one to the other lest they be corrupted or be not dry enough for want of air This first cutting down of the Tobacco being over they often visit the Plants which are hung up a drying while the rest which had been left growing comes to ripeness and when they find the leaves fit to be made up into rolls that is when they are neither too dry for in that case they would not be able to endure the wheel nor yet too moist for then they would corrupt in a short time they are taken off the poles they are laid in heaps at the end of the Grange and every stalk is stript of its leaves after this manner In the first place they lay aside all the longest and all the broadest leaves and they take away the great stalk which runs through the midst of them the lesser leaves are also laid by themselves to be dispos'd within the roll and the greater serve for coverings and shrowds for them These leaves thus dispos'd are ranked on planks or tables close by him who is to make them up into rolls which he makes bigger or smaller as may be seen by those brought over into these parts There is a certain art in making up the rolls and those who can do it with expedition and dexterity are highly esteem'd and get much more then those who are employ'd about ordering the ground They must have their hands and arms extremely supple and nimble to make the wheel turn with such speed and still to observe the same proportion that so the roll may be equally big in all parts There is a particular artifice in the business of Tobacco to dispose and lay it after the winding so as that it may be the more easily put up on the sticks which are all to be of a certain bigness and length to avoid deceit When the Tobacco is thus made up it is convey'd to the Store-house and cover'd with Bananas or some other leaves that it may not be prejudic'd by taking wind and be of a good fair colour That which cuts somewhat unctuously is blackish and shining and hath a pleasant and strong scent and burns easily in the Pipe is accounted the best We told you that the Tobacco-plant was cut almost even with the ground and not pluck'd up by the roots and it is purposely so cut that it may shoot forth new stalks And indeed it produces a second Plant but such as is neither so strong nor so fair as the former nor is the Tobacco made thereof so much esteem'd nor will keep so well It is call'd by some Shoot-Tobacco or Sucker-Tobacco or Tobacco of the second cutting or growth Nay some will have three shoots from the same stalk and that humour hath brought the Tobacco which comes from some Islands into dis-esteem Now since we have express'd our selves so much at large concerning the manufacture of Tobacco we shall not think it improper to insert in this place what is practis'd by some curious persons whereby it is made more excellent then that which commonly goes under the name of Virinus-Tobacco keeps well and hath a scent which fortifies the brain After they have set aside the Plants of the first cutting and while they are drying on the poles they gather together all the cast leaves the small shoots as also the filaments which are taken out of the midst of the leaves which have been already cleer'd and after they have pounded them in a mortar all is put into a bag which is put into a press to force out the juice which is afterwards boil'd over a soft fire till it be reduc'd to the consistency of a Syrup That done there is put into that decoction a little Copal which is an aromatick gum the virtue whereof is to fortifie the brain This gum distills from a tree of the same name which is common in the Continent of America and in the Islands about the gulf of Hondures After this drug is put into the composition aforesaid it must be well stirr'd that its sweet scent and other qualities may be communicated and diffus'd through the whole decoction Then it must be taken off the fire and when it is cold it is set in a vessel neer the person who makes up the roll of Tobacco and as often as he takes a handful of the leaves to feed the roll he must wet his hand in that liquor and wipe it with the leaves This secret hath an admirable effect to make the Tobacco keep well and derives to it a virtue which extremely heightens its price The Tobacco thus order'd is to be made up into a roll at least as big as a mans thumb and be afterwards divided into little rolls not weighing above ten pound at the most and then sent in little vessels or close baskets made for that purpose to keep it the better Some Inhabitants of the Islands having made tryal of this secret have put off theirs for right Virinus-Tobacco and sold it at the same rate Those who imagine that Tobacco grows without any trouble and that rolls of it are as they say found growing on Trees in America and that there is no more to be done but to shake them down or haply are perswaded that it requires no great trouble to
twice a year that the Inhabitants of the Plain Country have enough to supply those who live towards the Mountains who bring them in exchange several sorts of Furs The Lands that are sown with Turkish Wheat are enclos'd with Quick-set Hedges planted on both sides with Fruit-trees most whereof are cover'd with wild Vines which grow at the foot of the Trees As to the Volatiles of this Country there are Turkeys Pintadoes Parrots Woodquists Turtles Birds of prey Eagles Geese Ducks Herons white Sparrows Tonatzuli a kind of bird that sings as sweetly as the Nightingal and is of an excellent plumage and abundance of other Birds commonly seen neer Rivers and in the Forests quite different from those that are seen in other parts of the World The Apalachites have no knowledge at all of Sea-fish as being at too great a distance from the Coasts but they take abundance in the Rivers and Lakes which are extreamly nourishing of an excellent taste and much about the bigness and in figure somwhat like our Pikes Carps Perches and Barbels They also take Castors and Bevers neer the great Rivers Lakes and Pools they eat the flesh of them and make Furs of the Skins for Winter-caps and other uses There is no venemous creature nor any wild beast in the lower part of the Country for the Inhabitants of the Mountains who are expert Huntsmen drive them into the Forests where they find them continual work and sport So that the flocks of sheep and herds of cattel and swine graze up and down the skirts of the Mountains without any body to look after them But within the woods and in the desarts which are not much frequented by men there are divers Monstrous and dangerous Reptiles as also Bears Tygers Lions Wolves and some other kinds of cruel Beasts which live by prey and are particular to those Countries The men in these Countries are for the most part of high stature of an Olive-colour and well proportion'd their hair black and long Both men and women are very neat and curious in keeping their hair clean and handsomely order'd The women tie up theirs about the crown of the head after the form of a Garland and the men dispose theirs behind the ears But upon days of publick rejoicing all have their hair loose dishevel'd and dangling over their shoulders a fashion becomes them well The Inhabitants of those Provinces that lie towards and among the Mountains cut off all the hair on the left side of the head that so they may the more easily draw their Bows and they order that which grows on the other side so as to make a crest standing over the right ear Most of them wear neither Caps nor any thing instead of Shoes but they cover the body with the skins of Bears or Tygers neatly sown together and cut after the fashion of close coats which reach down to their knees and the sleeves are so short that they come not over the elbow The Inhabitants of the other Provinces which are seated in the Vales and Plains went heretofore naked from the Navel upwards in the Summer-time and in Winter they wore garments of Furrs but now both men and women are clad all the year long In the hottest seasons they have light cloaths made of cotton wooll or a certain herb of which they make a thred as strong as that of Flax The women have the art of spinning all these materials and weaving them into several kinds of stuffs which are lasting and delightful to the eie But in the winter which many times is hard enough they are all clad in several kinds of skins which they have the skill to dress well enough They leave the hair on some and so make use of them as Furs They have also the art of tanning Ox-hides and other skins and making Shoes and Boots of them The men wear Caps made of Otter-skins which are perfectly black and glittering pointed before and set out behind with some rich feathers which hanging down over their shoulders make them look very gracefully but the women have no other ornament about the head but what is deriv'd from the several dresses of their hair They make holes in their ears and wear pendants of Chrystal or made of a certain smooth stone they have which is of as bright a green as that of an Emrald Of the same materials they also make great Necklaces which they wear when they would appear in state They make great account of Corral Chrystal and yellow Amber which are brought to them by Strangers and they are only the Wives of the principal Officers that have Bracelets and Necklaces made of them Though there be some Spanish and English Families among them yet have they not alter'd any thing either as to their Cloaths or course of Life The ordinary sort of people wear only a close coat without sleeves over a thin garment of Goat-skins which serves them for shirts The Coat which comes down to the calf of the leg is ty'd about the wast with a leathern girdle which is set out with some little embroidery But the Officers and Heads of Families wear over that a kind of short Cloak which covers only the back and the arms though behind it falls down to the ground This Cloak is fasten'd with strong leathern points which make it fast under the neck and lye close to the shoulders The womens garments are of the same fashion with those of the men save that those of the former come down to the ankles and the Cloak hath two open places on the sides through which they put forth their arms To keep themselves clear of Vermine they often wash their bodies with the juice of a certain root which is of as sweet a scent as the Flower-de-luce of Florence and hath this further vertue that it makes the nerves more supple and fortifies and causes a smoothness all over the body and communicates an extraordinary delightful scent thereto The Cities of the three Provinces that are in the spacious Plain which is at the foot of the Mountains are encompassed on the outside by a large and deep Moat which on the inside instead of wals is all planted with great posts pointed at the top thrust a good depth into the ground or sometimes with quick-set hedges intermixt with very sharp thorns they are commonly about five or six foot in bredth The Gates are small and narrow and are made fast with little pieces of wood which lie cross between small ramperts of earth that are on both sides and which command the avenues There are commonly but two Gates to every City to enter in at them a man must pass over a bridge so narrow that two men cannot well march on a front upon it The Bridge is built upon piles which sustain certain planks which they draw up in the night when they fear the least trouble It is seldom seen that there is above one City in every Province nay there are some
that have not above eight hundred houses in them The Metropolis of the Country which is called Melilot hath above two thousand they are all built of pieces of wood planted into the ground and joined one to another The covering is for the most part of the leaves of reeds grass or rushes Those of the Captains are done over with a certain Mastick which keeps off the rain and preserves the thatch from decaying in many years The floors of all the houses is of the same material whereto they add a certain golden sand which they get out of the neighbouring Mountains and which gives such a lustre as if they were sown with little spangles of Gold The Rooms of the ordinary sort of people are hung only with a kind of Mat made of Plantane-leaves and rushes which they have the art of dying into several colours those of persons considerable among them are hung with precious Furs or Deer-skins painted with divers figures or with a kind of Tapistry made of Birds-feathers which they so industriously intermingle that it seems to be embroidered Their Beds are about a foot and a half from the ground and are cover'd with skins that are dress'd and as soft as can be wish'd These skins are commonly painted with Flowers Fruits and a hundred such inventions and their colours are so well set on and so lively that at a distance one would take them for rich Tapistry The wealtheir sort in the winter time have their beds covered with the skins of Martins Beavers or white Foxes which are so well dress'd and perfum'd with such artifice that they never admit any thing of ordure The Officers and all the most considerable Inhabitants lie on Mattresses fill'd with a certain down that grows on a little plant and is as soft as silk but the common people take their rest on dry'd sern which hath the property of taking away the weariness of the body and retriving the forces exhausted by hunting gardening and all the other painful exercises consequent to their course of life The Vessels they use in their houses are either of wood or earth enamel'd with divers colours and very delightfully painted They sharpen upon stones the teeth of several wild beasts and therewith arm their Arrows and Lances Before strangers came among them and traded in their Country they knew not there was such a thing as Iron but they made use of extraordinary hard and sharp stones instead of wedges and certain smooth and cutting bones instead of knives They all live very amicably together under the conduct of a King who keeps his Court at Melilot the Metropolis of the Kingdome In every City there is a Governour and other subordinate Officers who are appointed by him and chang'd at his pleasure as he thinks most convenient The Villages also have Captains and heads of Families by whom they are governed All immoveable goods are common among these people and excepting only their houses and the little gardens belonging to them they have no propriety in any thing they carry on the business of Agriculture in common and they share the fruits of the earth among themselves At sowing-time the Governors and their Officers oversee the work and at that time all those who are of age to do any thing abroad go out betimes in the morning to their work and continue there till the evening at which time they return to their Towns and Villages to take their rest While they are at work it is the business of their Chiefs to provide them somewhat extraordinary in meat and drink They dispose their Harvest into the publick Granaries which are in the midst of their Towns and Villages and at every full Moon and at every new Moon those who are entrusted with the distribution thereof supply every Family according to the number of persons whereof it consists with as much as will suffice They are a temperate people and hate all kind of voluptuousness and whatever tends to effeminacy And though Vines grow naturally in their Country yet do they not make any wine but what is requisite for the divine service Fair water is their ordinary drink but at great entertainments they make use of a pleasant kind of Beer which is made of Turkey wheat They also have the art of making an excellent kind of Hydromel or Mead which they keep in great earthen vessels The great abundance of honey which they find among the Rocks and in the clefts of hollow trees supplies them with that whereof they make that delicious drink which is such as may well pass for Sack especially after it hath been kept a long time Those of the same Family live so lovingly together that there are among them some houses where an old man hath his children and his children's children to the third nay sometimes to the fourth generation all living under the same roof to the number of a hundred persons and sometimes more Most of the other Nations of the Septentrional part of America who inhabit along the Sea-coast are so slothful that in the winter time they are in great want because they had not sown any thing when the time served or had consumed the fruits of the precedent harvest in extraordinary entertainments and debauches But the Apalachites hate nothing so much as idleness and they are so addicted to pains-taking that the fruits of the earth being answerable to their labour and being distributed with prudence and moderation maintain them plentifully nay so that they can in case of necessity assist their Neighbours the Inhabitants of the Mountains Both men and women are perpetually employ'd after seed-time and harvest in spinning of Cotton Wooll and a certain Herb which is soft and strong for the making of cloth and several ordinary sorts of stuffs wherewith they cover themselves Some among them employ themselves in making of earthen ware others in making Tapistry of the plumage of Birds others in making of Baskets Panniers and other little pieces of houshold-stuff which they do with a strange industry They are of a very loving and obliging disposition And whereas their distance from the Sea exempts them from being subject to receive any displeasure from Strangers they are in like manner ignorant what entertainments to make them when they chance to visit them and are never weary of expressing all manner of friendship towards them They are docible and susceptible of all sorts of good disciplines but they have this discommendable in them that they are very obstinate in their opinions easily angred and much addicted to revenge when they are convinc'd that they have been injur'd They are extreamly apt to give credit to their dreams and they have some old dotards among them who openly make it their business to interpret them and foretell what things shall happen after them They have had a long continuance of peace however they think it prudence to stand always upon their guard and they have always Sentinels at the avenues of their Cities