the earth whiche by that vncessant rubbyng and chafyng are in shorte space kyndeled and take fyre I haue also thought good heare to speake somewhat of suche thynges as come to my remembraunce of certayne trees whiche are founde in this lande and sometyme also the lyke haue been seene in Spayne These are certayne putrifyed trunkes whiche haue lyne so long rottyng on the earth that they are very whyte and shyne in the nyght lyke burnyng fyrebrandes and when the Spanyardes fynde any of this woodde and intende priuily in the nyght to make warre and inuade any prouince when case so requyreth that it shal be necessary to goe in the nyght in such places where they knowe not the way the formost Christian man whiche guydeth the way associate with an Indian to directe hym therein taketh a litle starre of the sayde woodde whiche he putteth in his cappe hangyng behynde on his shoulders by the lyght whereof he that foloweth next to hym directeth his iourney who also in lyke maner beareth an other starre behynde hym by the shynyng whereof the thyrde foloweth the same way and in lyke maner do al the rest so that by this meanes none are loste or stragle out of the way And forasmuch as this lyght is not seene very farre it is the better policie for the Christians because they are not therby disclosed before they inuade theyr enimies Furthermore as touchyng the natures of trees one particuler thyng seemeth woorthy to be noted whereof Plinie maketh mention in his naturall hystorye where he sayth that there are certayne trees whiche contynue euer greene and neuer lose theyr leaues as the Bay tree the Cedar the Orange tree the Oliue tree with such other of the whiche in altogeather he nameth not past fyue or syxe To this purpose I say that in the Ilandes of these Indies and also in the fyrme lande it is a thyng of muche difficultie to fynde two trees that lose or cast theyr leaues at any tyme For although I haue diligently searched to knowe the trueth hereof yet haue I not seene any that lose theyr leaues eyther of them whiche we haue brought out of Spayne into these regions as Orange trees Limons Cedars Palmes or Date trees and Pomegranate trees or of any other in these regions except onely Cassia whiche loseth his leaues and hath a greater thyng appropriate to it selfe onely whiche is that whereas all other trees and plantes of India spreade theyr rootes no deeper in the earth then the deapth of a mans heyght or somewhat more not descendyng any further into the grounde by reason of the great heate whiche is founde beneath that deapth yet dooth Cassia pearle further into the ground vntyll it fynd water whiche by the Phylosophers opinion shoulde be the cause of a thynne and watery radicall moysture to suche thynges as drawe theyr nouryshement thereof as fat and vnctuous groundes with temperate heate yelde a fast and firme moysture to suche thynges as growe in them whiche is the cause that suche trees lose not theyr leaues as the sayde thynne and wateryshe moysture is cause of the contrarie as appeareth by the sayde effecte whiche is seene onely in Cassia and none other tree or plant in all these parties Of Reedes or Canes I Haue not thought it conuenient in the chapiture before to speake of that wherof I intend nowe to intreate of reedes or canes to thintent that I woulde not myngle them with plantes or trees being thinges of them selues woorthy to be particulerly obserued So it is therfore that in the firme land there are many sorts of reedes so that in many places they make their houses thereof coueryng them with the toppes of the same and makyng theyr walles of them in lyke maner as I haue sayde before and among these kyndes of reedes there is one so great that the canes therof are as bigge as a mans legge in y e knee and three spanns in length from ioynt to ioynt or more insomuch that euery of them is of capacitie to contayne a litle bucket of water In this kynde there are founde some greater and some lesse of the whiche some they vse to make quyuers for arrowes There is founde an other kynde whiche suerly is marueylous beyng litle bygger then a Iauelyn the canes whereof are longer then two spannes these reedes growe one farre from an other as some tymes twentie or thirtie pases and sometymes also two or three leagues they growe in maner in all prouynces in the Indies and growe neere to very hyghe trees whereunto they leane and creepe vp to the toppes of theyr braunches whiche they imbrase and discende agayne downe to the earth Theyr canes are full of most cleare water without any maner of tast or sauour eyther of the canes or of any other thyng and suche as yf it were taken out of the freshest spryng in the worlde nor yet is it knowen that euer it hurt any that drunke therof For it hath oftentymes so chaunced that as the Christian men haue trauayled in these regions in desolate wayes where for lacke of water they haue been in great daunger to die for thirst they haue escaped that peryl by reason that they founde the sayd reedes of the water of whose canes they haue drunke a great quantitie without any hurt thereof ensuing Therfore when they fynde these in any place they make water vessels of the canes thereof and carry as many of them full of water as may suffice for one dayes iorney and sometime they cary so many that they take for euery man two or three quartes of water which may serue them for many dayes because it doth not corrupt but remayneth styll freshe and good There are also certayne plantes whiche the Christians call Platani These are as hygh as trees and become as byg in the trunke as the knee of a man or more From the foote to the toppe they beare certayne long and large leaues beyng more then three spannes in largenesse about ten or twelue in length the whiche when they are broken of the wynde the stalke remaineth whole in the myddest In the myddest of this plant in the highest part therof there groweth a cluster with fourtie or fyftie platans about it euery of them beyng a spanne and a halfe in length and as byg as a mans arme in the small or more or lesse accordyng to the goodnesse of the soyle where they growe they haue a rynde not very thycke and easye to be broken beyng within altogeather ful of a substaunce lyke vnto the mary of the bone of an Oxe as it appeareth when y e rinde or barke is taken from the same This cluster ought to be taken from the plant when any one of the platans begin to appeare yelowe at which tyme they take it and hang it in theyr houses where all the cluster waxeth rype with all his platans This cluster is a very good fruite and when it is
in Affrik and the beare in Sarmatia are fierce as in theyr present strength and vigoure but translated into a contrary heauen are of lesse strength and courage The foule called Ciconia which some thynke to be the Storke doth not tary the wynter yet do the Cranes come at that tyme. The Scythian wyll accuse the Romane heauen as inducyng feuers whereas neuerthelesse there is none more holsome Such as haue been tenderly brought vp if they come suddeynely into the campe can not away with hunger watchyng heate passages through ryuers battayles sieges and assaultes But the olde souldier exercised in the warres vseth these as meditations of the fielde as hardened therto by long experience He that hath been accustomed to the shadowe of the citie and wyll attempte the saying of the poet Uirgil Nudus ara sero nudus that is naked and bare without house and home shal to his peryl make an end of the verse Habebis frigora febram that is he shal haue the colde ague Suche thynges therfore as seeme hard vnto vs beyng accustomed by litle and litle become more tollerable Insomuch that this exercise of sufferaunce by such degrees doth oftentimes growe to prodigious effectes farre beyond our expectation And thus we seeme to haue made sufficient demonstration by heauen nature and art wherby it may appeare that no part of the land or sea is denied to liuing creatures The reader may also perceiue howe large matter of reasons and examples may be opened for the declaryng of our opinion wherin we rest Let therfore thauctoritie of the auntient auctours geue place and the consent of the newe writers agree to this history not as nowe at the length comprehended wheras before many hundred yeeres Germanie and Scondia had entercouse of merchandies not seuered by the large gulfe of Gothia but as nowe by our commentaries brought to lyght and hauyng sayde thus muche in maner of a preface we wyll nowe proceede to wryte of the North regions Schondia SCondia Schondania or Schondenmarchia is as muche to saye as fayre Dania or fayre Denmarke Plinie in one place nameth it Scandia and in an other Scandinauia if there be no faute in thexemples It was named Schondia by reason of the fayrenesse and fruitefulnesse thereof And this aswell for that in beneficiall heauen fertilitie of grounde commoditie of hauens and marte townes abundaunce of ryuers and fyshe plentie of beastes great quantitie of metall as golde syluer copper and leade diligent culturyng the grounde with townes and cities well â—nhabited and gouerned by ciuile lawes it geueth place to none other fortunate region This was in maner vnknowen to the olde Greekes and Latins as may appeare by this argument that with one consent they affirmed that in these north regions the colde Zone or clime was condemned to perpetuall snowe intollerable to al lyuyng creatures For fewe of them haue made mention hereof as to be inhabited Among whom Plinie as one of the chiefe saith in his fourth booke that Schondania is of vnknowen biggenesse and onely that portion thereof to be knowen which is inhabited with the nation of the Hilleuiones in fiftie villages Neither yet is Eningia lesse in opinion Other more auncient then Plinie haue placed most fortunate regions with men of long lyfe which the Greekes call Macrobios and of most innocent behauour vnder the tracte of those landes and that there came from thence to Delphos certayne religious virgines with vowes and giftes consecrated to Apollo And furthermore that that nation obserued this institution vntyll the saide virgins were violated of them of whom they were receiued as straungers These are most cleare testimonies of Antiquitie both of the greatnesse of Schondia and the people that inhabite the same although they were since vnknowen as lykewyse the Gothes departyng from these North landes although they obteyned Thempire of the regions about the maryshes of Meotis and the coastes of the sea Euxinus with the realme of Denmarke wherof that is thought to be a portion whiche is nowe called Transiluania and the bankes of the ryuer of Danubius and in fine inuaded the Romane Empire yet were not the regions well knowen from whence they tooke theyr originall Therefore lyke as part of the olde wryters are vnsufficient witnesses to testifie of our narrations as touchyng these landes vnknowen to them Euen so the other parte whiche excluded the same as vnhabitable are to be conuinced leaste theyr authoritie beyng admitted shoulde engender opinions not agreeable or conuenient to the nature of places Sigismundus Liberus in his commentaries of Moscouia writeth thus Scandia or Scondia is no Ilande as some haue thought but part of the continent or firme land of Suetia which by a long tract reacheth to Cothland and that nowe the kyng of Denmarke possesseth a great part thereof But whereas the writers of these thynges haue made Scondia greater then Suetia and that the Gothes and Lumbardes came from thence they seeme in my opinion to comprehend these three kyngdomes as it were in one bodie only vnder the name of Scondia forasmuch as then that part of land that lyeth betweene the sea Baltheun which floweth by the coastes of Finlandia and the frosen sea was vnknowen and that by reason of so manye maryshes innumerable riuers and intemperatenesse of heauen it is yet rude vncultured and litle knowen Which thyng hath been the cause that some iudged al that was called by the name of Scondia to be one great Iland Gronelande GRonelande is interpreted greene land so called for the great encrease and fruitfulnesse of pasture By reason whereof what great plentie of cattaile there is it may hereby appere that at such time as shippes may passe thither they set foorth great heapes of Cheese and Butter to be solde whereby we coniecture that the lande is not rough with barren mountaynes It hath two Cathedrall Churches vnder the Ordination of Nidrosia To one of these was of late yeeres a Byshop appoynted only by the title of a Suffragane in consideration that while the Metropolitane doth neglect the direction of religion for the distance of the place and difficult nauigation the people is in maner falne to gentilitie being of them selues of moueable wittes geuen to magicall artes For it is sayd that they as also the people of Laponia do rayse tempestes on the sea with magicall inchauntmentes and bryng such shyps into daunger as they entend to spoyle They vse litle ships made of Leather and safe agaynst the brusing of the sea and rockes and with them assaile other shyps Peter Martir of Angleria writeth in his Decades of the Spanysh nauigations that Sebastian Cabot saylyng from England continually towarde the North folowed that course so farre that he chaunced vpon great flakes of yse in the Mooneth of Iuly and that diuertyng from thence he folowed the coast by the shore bendyng toward the South vntyll he came to the clyme
hungrye he eateth all alone and the seruauntes are sometymes enforced to fast for the space of two or three dayes And if the maister intende to fare somewhat more delycately then he addeth thereto a litle portion of Swynes fleshe I speake not this of the best of them but of such as are of the meane sort The gouernours and captaynes of the armie do sometymes bydde the poorer sorte to theyr tables where they feede them selues so well that they fast two or three dayes after When they haue fruites Garlyke and Onyons they can well forbeare all other meates Proceedyng forwarde to the battayle they put more confidence in theyr multitude and with what great armies they assayle theyr enimies then eyther in the strength and valyauntnesse of theyr souldiers or in well instructyng theyr armie and fight better a farre of then at hand and therfore study howe to circumuent or inclose theyr enimies and to assayle them on the backe halfe They haue many trumpetters the which while they blow al at once after theyr maner make a maruelous straunge noyse They haue also another kynde of instrumentes which they call Szurna these they blow without ceassyng for the space of an houre togeather so temperyng the same and holdyng in the wynde whyle they draw more that the noyse seemeth continually without intermission They vse all one maner of apparell as longe coates without pleyghtes and with narrowe sleeues after the maner of the Hungarians These the Christians vse to butten on the ryght syde and the Tartars vseyng the lyke butten them on the lefte syde They weare redde and short buskyns that reache not to theyr knees and haue the soles thereof defended with plates of Iron In maner all theyr shyrtes are wrought with diuers coloures about the necke and haue the Collars and Ruffes beset with litle round Baules like Beades of Syluer or gylted Copper and some tyme Pearles also They gyrd them selues beneath the bellie euen as low as theyr pryuie members that they may seeme more burlye which they greatly esteeme as doo at this daye the Spanyardes Italians and Almanes The prouince of Moscouia is neyther very large nor fruitful forasmuch as the fertilitie is hindred with sandye ground which either with to much drynesse or moysture killeth the corne Furthermore immoderate and sharpe vntemperatenesse of the ayre whyle the colde of the wynter ouercommeth the heate of the Sunne sometymes doth not suffer the corne to rype For the colde is there sometymes so extreame that lyke as with vs in somer by reason of heate euen so there by extreame cold the earth hath many great chinckes or breaches Water also cast into the ayre and spytle fallyng from ones mouth are frosen before they touche the grounde I my selfe when I came thither in the yeere 1526. sawe the braunches of fruitfull trees wythered by the colde of the wynter be fore whiche was so extreame that many of theyr wagoners and carriers whom they call Gonecz were found frosen to death in theyr sleades There were some that at the same tyme leadyng and dryuing theyr cattayle from the next villages to Moscouia died by the way with their beastes through the extremitie of the colde Furthermore the same yeere many players that were accustomed to wander about the countrey with daunsing Beares were found dead in the high wayes Wilde Beares also enforced therto by famine left the woods and ran here and there into diuers villages and houses at whose commyng whyle the men of the countrey forsooke theyr houses and fledde into the fieldes many of them peryshed through the vehemencie of the cold Agayne it sometymes so chaunceth that in Sommer the heate is as extreame as in the yeere .1525 in the whiche almost all kyndes of pulse and grayne were scorched and burnt and suche a dâ—arth of corne folowed that drought that that which before was bought for three Dengas was afterward solde for twentie or thyrtie Furthermore also many villages woods and stackes of corne were set on fyre by the extreame heate the smoke wherof so fylled the region that the eyes of many were sore hurt therby There arose also as it were a darke and thycke myst without smoke whiche so molested the eyes that many lost theyr syght therby They sow and nouryshe the seedes of Melons with great diligence in certayne raysed beddes myxt with doung wherby they fynde a remedie both agaynst extreame cold and heat For if the heat exceede they make certayne ryftes in the beds as it were breathyng places lest the seedes shoulde be suffocate with to much heate And if the cold be extreame it is tempered with the heate of the mucke or doung Theyr beastes are much lesse then ours yet not all without hornes as one hath wrytten For I haue there seene Oxen Kine Goates and Rammes al with hornes Not farre from the citie of Mosca are certayne monasteries whiche a farre of seeme lyke vnto a citie They say that in this citie is an incredible number of houses and that the syxt yeere before my commyng thyther the prince caused them to be numbred and found them to be more then one and fourtie thousand fyue hundred houses The citie is very large and wyde and also very slabby and myrye by reason wherof it hath many bridges and causeyes The ayre of the region is so holsome that beyond the spryngs of Tanais especially towards the North and a great part also towards the East the pestilence hath not been hearde of synce the memorye of man Yet haue they sometymes a disease in theyr bowelles and heades not much vnlyke vnto the pestilence This disease they call a heate wherwith such as are taken dye within fewe dayes Some write that Iohn the Duke of Moscouia and Sonne of Basilius vnder the pretence of religion sacked spoyled the citie of Nouogradia and caried with hym from thence to Moscouia three hundred sleades laden with gold syluer and precious stones of the gooddes of the Archbishop the merchauntes citisins and strangers Solowki is an Ilande situate in the North sea eyght leagues from the continent betweene Duina and the prouince of Corela Howe farre it is distaunt from Moscouia can not be well knowen by reason of many Fennes Marishes wooddes and desolate places lying in the way Albeit some say that it is not three hundred leagues from Moscouia and twoo hundred from Bieloiesero In this Ilande is made great plentie of salte and it hath in it a monasterie into the which it is not lawfull for any woman or virgin to enter There is also great fyshyng for herryng They say that heere the Sunne at the sommer Equinoctiall shyneth continually except two houres Demetriowe is a citie with a Castell distante from Moscouia xii leagues declinyng from the West somewhat towarde the north By this runneth the riuer Lachroma that runneth into the ryuer of Sest Sest also receyueth the ryuer Dubna which vnladeth it selfe
serpentes but suche as are without hurt Likewise wilde geese turtle doues and duckes muche greater then ours and as white as swannes with heades of purple colour Also Popiniayes of the whiche some are greene some yelowe some lyke them of India with yelowe rynges about theyr neckes as Plinie describeth them Of these they brought fourtie with them of moste lyuely and dilectable colours hauyng theyr feathers entermingled with greene yelowe and purple whiche varietie delyghteth the sense not a litle Thus muche thought I good to speake of Popyniayes ryght noble prince specially to this intent that albeit the opinion of Christophorus Colonus who affyrmeth these ilandes to be part of India doth not in all poyntes agree with the iudgement of auncient wryters as touchyng the bygnesse of the Sphere and compasse of the Globe as concernyng the nauigable portion of the same being vnder vs yet the Popiniayes and many other thynges brought from thence doo declare that these Ilandes sauour somewhat of India eyther beyng neare vnto it or els of the same nature forasmuche as Aristole also about the ende of his booke de Caelo Mundo and likewyse Seneca â–ª with diuers other aucthours not ignoraunt in Cosmographie do taffirme that India is no long tracte by sea distant from Spaine by the west Ocean for the soyle of these ilandes bryngeth foorth Mastyx Aloes and sundry other sweete gummes and spyces as doth India Cotton also of the Gossampine tree as in India in the countrey of the people called Seres The languages of all the nations of these ilandes may well be wrytten with our Latine letters For they cal heauen Turei A house Boa Golde Cauni A good man Taino Nothing Mayani Al other words of theyr language they pronounce as plainly as we do the Latine tongue In these ilandes they founde no trees knowen vnto them but Pine apple trees and Date trees and those of marueylous heyght and exceedyng harde by reason of the great moystnesse and fatnesse of the grounde with continual and temperate heate of the sunne whiche endureth so al the whole yere They playnely affirme the ilande of Hispaniola to be the moste fruitefull lande that the heauen compasseth about as shall more largely appeare hereafter in the particuler description of the same which we entende to set foorth when we shal be better instructed Thus makyng a league of frendshyp with the king and leauing with hym .xxxviii. men to searche the ilande he deparâ—ed to Spayne takyng with hym tenne of the inhabitauntes to learne the Spanishe tongue to the intent to vse them afterward for interpretours Colonus therfore at his returne was honourably receiued of the kyng and queene who caused hym to syt in theyr presence whiche is a token of great loue and honour among the Spanyardes He was also made Admiral of the Ocean and his brother gouernour of the ilande Toward the second voyage he was furnished with .xvii. ships wherof three were great caractes of a thousande tunne .xii. were of that sort which the Spaniards cal Carauelas without deckes and two other of the same sorte somewhat bygger and more apt to beare deckes by reason of the greatnesse of theyr mastes He had also a thousande and two hundred armed footemen well appoynted among which were many artificers as smythes Carpenters myners and suche other certayne horsmen also well armed Lykewyse mares sheepe heyghfers and suche other of both kindes for encrease Lykewise al kinde of pulse or grayne and corne as wheate barley rye beanes and pease and suche other aswel for foode as to sowe besyde vines plantes and seedes of suche trees fruites and hearbes as those countreyes lacke and not to be forgotten sundry kyndes of artyllerie and iron tooles as bowes arrowes crosbowes bylles hargabusses brode swoordes large targettes pykes mattockes shouelles hammers nayles sawes axes and suche other Thus beyng furnished accordyngly they set forward from the Ilandes of Gades nowe called Cales the seuenth day before the Calendes of October in the yeere of Christ .1493 and ariued at the ilandes of Canarie at the Calendes of October Of these ilandes the last is called Ferrea in whiche there is no other water that may be drunke but only that is geathered of the deawe which continually distylleth from one only tree growyng on the hyghest bancke of the ilande and falleth into a rounde trenche made with mans hande we were enfourmed of these thynges within fewe dayes after his departure What shall succeede we wyl certifie you hereafter Thus fare ye well from the courte at the Ides of Nouember .1493 The seconde booke of the first Decade to Ascanius Sphorcia Vicount Cardinal c. YOu repeate ryght honourable prince that you are desyrous to knowe what newes we haue in Spayne from the newe worlde and that those things haue greatly delyted you whiche I wrote vnto your hyghnesse of the fyrst Nauigation You shal nowe therefore receiue what hath succeeded Methymna Campi is a famous towne in high Spayne in respect from you and is in that parte of Spayne whiche is called Castella Vetus beyng distant from Gades about .xl. myles Here the courte remayned when about the .ix. of the Calendes of Apryll in this yeere of ninetie and foure there were postes sent to the king and queene certifiyng them that there were twelue shyppes come from the newe ilandes and ariued at Gades but the gouernour of the shyppes sent woorde to the kyng and queene that he had none other matter to certifie them of by the postes but only that the Admiral with fiue shyppes and fourescore and ten men remayned styll in Hispaniola to searche the secretes of the ilande and that as touchyng other matters he hym selfe would shortly make relation in theyr presence by woorde of mouth therefore the day before the Nones of Apryl he came to the Courte hym selfe What I learned of hym and other faythfull and credible men whiche came with hym from the Admirall I wil rehearse vnto you in suche order as they declared the same to me when I demaunded them take it therefore as foloweth The third day of the Ides of October departyng from Ferrea the laste of the ilandes of Canariae and from the coastes of Spayne with a Nauie of seuenteene shippes they sayled .xxi. dayes before they came to any ilande inclining of purpose more towarde the left hand then at the fyrst voyage folowing the north northeast winde and arriued fyrst at the ilandes of the Canibales or Caribes of whiche only the fame was knowen to our men Among these they chaunced fyrst vpon one so beset with trees that they coulde not see so muche as an elle space of bare earth or stonie grounde this they called Dominica because they found it on the Sunday They taried here no time because they saw it to be desart In the space of these .xxi. dayes they thynke that they sayled eyght
hundred xx leagues the north northeast wynde was so ful with them and so freshly folowed the sterne of theyr shyppes After they had sayled a lytle further they espied diuers ilandes replenyshed with sundry kindes of trees from the whiche came fragrant sauours of spyces and sweete Gummes here they sawe neyther man nor beast except certayne Lysartes of huge bygnesse as they reported which went aland to viewe the countrey This iland they called Galana or Galanta from the cape or poynt of this ilande espying a mountayne a farre of they sayled thyther About .xxx. myles from this mountayne they sawe a ryuer dessendyng which seemed to be a token of some great and large flood This is the fyrst lande whiche they founde inhabited from the ilandes of Canariae and is an ilande of the Canibales as they learned by the interpretours whiche they tooke with them from Hispaniola into Spayne at theyr fyrst voyage Searching the ilande they found innumerable villages of .xx. houses or .xxx. at the most set rounde about in order makyng the streete in compasse lyke a market place And forasmuche as I haue made mention of theyr houses it shall not be greatly from my purpose to describe in what manner they are buylded They are made rounde lyke belles or rounde pauilions Theyr frame is raysed of exceedyng high trees set close togeather and fast rampaired in the ground so standing aslope and bending inwarde that the toppes of the trees ioyne togeather and beare one agaynst another hauyng also within the house certaine strong and short proppes or postes whiche susteyne the trees from fallyng They couer them with the leaues of date trees and other trees stronglye compact and hardened wherwith they make them close from winde and weather At the shorte postes or proppes within the house they tye ropes of the cotton of gossampine trees or other ropes made of certayne long rough rootes much lyke vnto the shrubbe called Spartum wherof in old tyme they vsed to make bandes for vines and gables and ropes for shyppes These they tye ouerthwarte the house from poste to poste on these they lay as it were certaine matresses made of the cotton of gossampine trees whiche growe plentifully in these ilandes This cotton the Spanyards cal Algodon and the Italians Bombasine and thus they sleepe in hangyng beddes At the entrance of one of theyr houses they sawe two images of wood lyke vnto serpentes whiche they thought had been suche idols as they honour but they learned afterwarde that they were set there onlye for comelynesse for they knowe none other god then the sunne and moone although they make certaine images of gossampine cotton to y e similitude of suche phantasies as they say appeare to them in the nyght Our men found in theyr houses al kindes of earthen vessels not muche vnlyke vnto ours They founde also in theyr kytchens mans fleshe duckes fleshe goose fleshe al in one pot and other on the spyts redy to be layde to the fyre Entring into their inner lodgynges they founde faggottes of the bones of mens armes and legges whiche they reserue to make heades for theyr arrowes because they lacke iron the other bones they cast away when they haue eaten the fleshe They founde lykewyse the head of a young man fastened to a poste and yet bleedyng They haue in some vyllages one great hall or pallace about the whiche theyr common houses are placed to this they resort as often as they come togeather to playe When they perceiued the commyng of our men they fledde In theyr houses they founde also aboue thirtie children captiues whiche were reserued to be eaten but our men tooke them away to vse them for interpreters Searching more diligently the inner parts of the iland they founde seuen other ryuers bygger then this whiche we spake of before runnyng through the ilande with fruitefull and pleasaunt bankes delectable to beholde This ilande they called Guadalupea for the similitude that it hath to the mount Guadalupus in Spayne where the image of the virgin Marie is religiously honoured but the inhabitauntes call it Carucueria or Queraquiera It is the cheefe habitation of the Canibales They brought from this iland .vii. Popiniayes bigger then Phesants muche dyfferyng from other in colour hauyng theyr backes brestes and bellies of purple colour and theyr wynges of other variable colours in al these ilands is no lesse plentie of Popyniayes then with vs of sparrowes or starelynges As we bring vp capons and hennes to franke and make them fat so doo they these bigger kindes of Popyniayes for the same purpose After that they had thus searched the ilande and driuen these Canibales to flight whiche ran away at theyr fyrst approche as soone as they had espied them they called their company togeather and as soone as they had broken y e Canibales boates or lighters whiche they cal Canoas they loosed theyr ankers the day before the Ides of Nouember and departed from Guadalupea Colonus the Admiral for the desyre he had to see his companions whiche at his fyrst voyage he left the yeere before in Hispaniola to search the countrey let passe many ilandes both on his ryght hande left hande and sayled directly thyther By the way there appeared from the north a great iland which the captiues that were taken in Hispaniola called Madanino or Matinino affirming it to be inhabited only with women to whoÌ„ the Canibales haue accesse at certayne tymes of the yeere as in olde tyme the Thracians had to the Amazones in the ilande of Lesbos the men chyldren they sende to theyr fathers but the women they keepe with them selues They haue great and strong caues or dennes in the grounde to the whiche they flee for safgarde if any men resorte vnto them at any other tyme then is appoynted and there defende them selues with bowes and arrowes agaynst the violence of suche as attempte to inuade them They coulde not at this tyme approche to this ilande by reason of the North northeast wynde which blewe so vehemently from the same wheras they nowe folowed the East southeaste After they departed from Madanino and sayled by the space of .xl. myles they passed not farre from an other ilande which the captyues sayde to be verye populus and replenyshed with al thynges necessarie for the life of man This they called Mons Serratus because it was full of mountaynes The captyues further declared that the Canibales are woont at some time to goe from theyr owne coastes aboue a thousande myles to hunt for men The day folowing they sawe an other ilande the whiche because it was rounde they called Sancta Maria Rotunda The next day they founde an other whiche they called S. Martini whiche they let passe also because they had no leasure to â—arrye Lykewyse the thirde daye they espied an other whose Diametral syde extendyng from the Easte
that purpose by reason of a myne of stones whiche was neare vnto the same seruyng well both to buylde with and also to make Lyme at the bottome of this hyll is there a great playne of threescore myles in length and in breadth somewhere .xii. somewhere .xx. myles where it is brodest sixe myles where it is narrowest through this playne runne diuers fayre ryuers of wholsome waters but the greatest of them whiche is nauigable falleth into the hauen of the citie for the space of halfe a furlong howe fertile and fruitful this valley is you shal vnderstande by these thynges whiche folowe On the shore of this ryuer they haue lymitted and enclosed certayne ground to make gardens and orchyardes in the whiche al kynde of bygger hearbes as radishe letuse coleworts borage suche other waxe rype within .xvi dayes after the seede is sowen lykewyse Melones Gourdes Cucumers and suche other within the space of .xxxvi. dayes these garden hearbes they haue freshe greene al the whole yeere Also the rootes of the canes or reedes of the licour whereof suger is made growe a cubite hygh within the space of .xv. dayes but the licour is not yet hardened The lyke they affirme of plantes or shroudes of young vines and that they haue the seconde yeere geathered rype and sweete grapes of the same but by reason of to muche rankenesse they beare but fewe clusters Furthermore a man of the countrey sowed a lytle Wheate about the Calendes of Februarye and brought with hym to the citie an handful of the rype eares of the same the thyrde day before the calendes of Aprill which was that yeere the vigile of the Resurrection of our Lord. Also al kyndes of pulse as beanes peason fytches tares such other are rype twyse in the yeere as al they whiche come from thence affirme with one voyce yet the grounde is not vniuersally apte to beare wheate In the meane tyme whyle these thinges were doing the Admirall sent out a companye of .xxx. men to searche the Region of Cipanga otherwyse called Cibana This Region is full of mountaynes and rockes and in the myddle backe of the whole ilande is great plentie of golde When they that went to searche the region were returned they reported maruelous thinges as touching the great ryches of this Region From these mountaynes descende foure great ryuers which by the maruelous industrye of nature diuideth the whole ilande into foure partes in maner equal ouerspreading wateryng the whole ilande with their branches Of these foure ryuers the one reacheth towarde the Easte this the inhabitantes call Iunna another towarde the weste and is called Attibunicus the thirde toward the North named Iachem the laste reacheth into the South and is called Naiba The day before the Ides of Marche the Admirall him selfe with al his horsemen and foure hundred footemen marched directly towarde the South syde of the golden Region Thus passing ouer the ryuer the playne and the mountayne which enuironed the other syde of the playne he chaunced vppon an other vale with a ryuer much bygger then the fyrste many other meane ryuers running through When he had also conueighed his armye ouer the ryuer and passed the seconde vale which was in no part inferiour to the fyrst he made away through the thirde mountaine where was no passage before and descended into another vale whiche was nowe the begynnyng of Cibana Through this also runne many fluddes and ryuers out of euery hyll and in the sandes of them all is founde great plentie of golde And when he had nowe entred threescore and twelue myles into the golden Region from the citie he entended to buylde a fortresse vppon the toppe of a hyll standyng by y e shore of a certayne great ryuer that he myght the better and more safelye searche the secretes of the inner partes of the Region this he called the fortresse of saint Thomas the whiche in the meane tyme whyle he was buyldyng the inhabitauntes beyng desyrous of haukes belles and other of our thinges resorted dayly thyther to whom the Admirall declared that yf they woulde bryng golde they shoulde haue whatsoeuer they woulde aske Foorthwith turning theyr backes and runnyng to the shore of the next riuer they returned in a shorte tyme bryngyng with them theyr handes ful of golde Amongst all other there came an olde man bryngyng with him two pibble stones of golde weyghyng an ounce desyryng them to geue hym a bell for the same who when he sawe our men marueyle at the bygnesse thereof he made signes that they were but small and of no value in respecte of some that he had seene and takyng in his hande foure stones the least wherof was as bigge as a Walnut and the biggest as bigge as an Orange he sayd that there was founde peeces of golde so bygge in his countrey beyng but halfe a dayes iourney from thence and that they had no regarde to the geatheryng thereof wherby we perceiued that they passe not muche for golde inasmuche as it is golde only but so farre esteeme it as the hande of the Artificer hath fashioned it in any comely fourme For who dooth greatly esteeme rough marble or vnwrought Iuorie but if they be wrought with the cunning hande of Phidias or Praxiteles and shaped to the similitude of y e fayre Nimphes or Faires of the sea called Nereiades or the Fayres of the wooddes called Hamadriades they shal neuer lacke byers Besyde this olde man there came also diuers other bryngyng with them pybble stones of golde weighing .x. or .xii. drammes feared not to confesse that in y e place where they geathered that gold there were found somtyme stones of golde as bygge as the head of a childe When he had taried here a few dayes he sent one Luxanus a noble yong gentleman with a few armed men to search al the partes of this region who at his returne reported that the inhabitants shewed him greater thynges then we haue spoken of here before but he dyd openly declare nothyng thereof whiche they thought was done by the Admirals commaundement They haue woods ful of certayne spyces but not such as we commonly vse these they geather euen as they do golde that is as muche as wyl serue for their purpose euery man for himselfe to exchange the same with the inhabitauntes of other countreys adioyning to them for such thynges as they lacke as dyshes pottes stooles and such other necessaries As Luxanus returned to the Admirall whiche was about the Ides of Marche he founde in the woods certaine wilde vines rype and of pleasant taste but the inhabitauntes passe not on them This region though it be full of stones and rockes and is therefore called Cibana whiche is as muche to say as a stone yet it is wel replenyshed with trees and pastures yea they constantly affirme that yf y e grasse of these
slayne of any wylde beast As many hartes or wylde bores as our men woulde desyre them to bryng they woulde kyll in the woodes with their arrowes and not to fayle to bryng them They lacke kyne goates and sheepe Theyr bread is made of rootes as is theyrs of the Ilands This nation hath blacke heare grosse and somwhat curlde yet long also They keepe theyr teeth very whyte and for that purpose vse to cary a certaine herbe betwene theyr lyppes for the most part of the day and to washe theyr mouthts when they cast it away The women doo all theyr busynes at home in theyr howses and haue also the cure of tyllage of the grounde but the men apply them selues to the warres and huntyng to playe syngyng and daunsyng They haue sundry kyndes of water pottes iugges and drinkyng cuppes made of earth in other places about them and brought thyther for exchaung of other thynges For they vse fayres and markettes for the same purpose and are greatly desyrous of such thynges as are not brought forth or made in theyr countrey as nature hath geuen a disposytion to al men to desyre and be delyted with newe and strang thynges Many of them had hangyng at theyr pearles the images of certeine beastes and birdes very artifitiously made of golde but not pure these also are brought them from other places for exchang of other thynges The golde wherof they are made is natiue and of much lyke finenes to that wherof the florens are coyned The men of this countrey inclose theyr priuie members in a gourde cutte after the fashioÌ„ of a coddepice or els couer the same with the shell of a tortoyse tyed about theyr loynes with laces of gossampine cotton In other places of that tract they thrust the synew within the sheeth therof and bynde the skinne fast with a string The great wylde beastes wherof we spake before and many other thynges which are not found in any of the Ilandes testifie that this region is parte of y e continet or firme lande But the chiefest coniecture wherby they argue the same is that by the coastes of that lande from Paria towarde the west they sayled about three M. myles findyng no signe or token of any ende These people of Curiana whiche some call Curtana being demaunded where they had such plentie of golde signified that it was brought them from a region called Canchieta or Cauchieta beyng distant from them sixe sunnes that is sixe dayes iourney westwarde and that theyr images of golde were made in the same region Whereupon our men directed theyr voyage thyther immediatly and aryued there at the Kalendes of Nouember in the yeere of Christe a thousande and fyue hundred The people of the countrey resorted to them without feare bryngyng with them of the golde whiche we sayde to be natiue in that region This people had also collers of pearles about theyr neckes which were brought them from Curiana for exchaunge of theyr marchandises None of them woulde exchaunge anye of those thynges whiche they had out of other countreys as neyther the Curians golde nor the Canchietans pearles yet among the Canchietans they founde but lytle golde redy geathered They toke with them from thence certayne very fayre Marmasets or Munkeyes and many Popyngayes of sundrye coloures In the moneth of Nouember the ayre was there most temperate and nothyng colde The guardens of the north pole were out of syght to both these people they are so neare the Equinoctial Of the degrees of the pole they can geue none other accompte These people are wel disposed men of honest conditions and nothyng suspitious for almost al the nyght long they resorted to the shyppe with theyr boates and went aboorde shyppe without feare as dyd the Curians They call pearles Corixas They are somewhat ielous for when anye straungers come among them they euer place theyr women behynde them In this region of Canchieta the gossampine trees growe of them selues commonly in many places as doo with vs elmes wyllowes and sallowes and therefore they vse to make breeches of cotton wherewith they couer theyr priuie partes in many other regions thereabout When they had yet sayled on forwarde by the same coastes there came forth against them about two thousande men armed after theyr manner forbyddyng them to come alande These people were so rude and sauage that our men coulde by no meanes allure them to familiaritie Our men therefore contented only with theyr pearles returned backe y e same way they came where they remained with the Curians continually for the space of .xx. dayes fylled theyr bellies wel with good meate And here it seemeth to me not farre from my purpose to declare what chaunced vnto them in theyr returne when they came now within the sight of the coast of Paria They happened therfore in the way at Os Draconis and the gulfes of Paria wherof we spake before to meete with a nauy of xviii Canoas of Canibales which went a rouing to hunt for men who assoone as they had espied our men assailed their ship fiercely without feare enclosed y e same disturbing our men on euery side with their arrowes but our men so feared them with theyr gunnes that they fled immediatly whoÌ„ our men folowing with the shyp boate tooke one of theyr Canoas and in it only one Canibal for the other had escaped and with him another man bounde who with teares runnyng downe his cheekes and with gesture of his handes eyes and head signified that sixe of his companions had ben cruelly cut in peeces and eaten of that mischeuous nation and that he shoulde haue ben likewyse handled the day folowyng wherefore they gaue hym power ouer the Canibal to do with him what he would Then with the Canibals owne clubbe he layde on hym al that he might dryue with hande and foote grinning and fâ—etting as it had ben a wyld bore thinkyng that he had not yet sufficiently reuenged the death of his companions when he had beaten out his braynes and guttes When he was demaunded after what sort the Canibales were woont to inuade other countreys he answered that they euer vsed to carye with them in theyr Canoas a great multitude of clubbes the whiche wheresoeuer they do lande they pytch in the grounde and encampe them selues within the compasse of the same to lye the more safely in the nyght season In Curiana they founde the head of a captayne of the Canibales nayled ouer the doore of a certayne gouernour for a token of victorye as it had ben the standerde or helmet taken from the enimie in battayle In these coastes of Paria is a region called Haraia in the which great plentie of salt is geathered after a strange sorte for the sea beyng there tossed with the power of the wyndes dryueth the salte waters into a large playne by the sea syde where afterwarde when the sea waxeth calme and the
marueylyng at the oration of the naked young man for they had for interpreters those three men whiche had ben before a yeere and a halfe conuersaunt in the court of kyng Careta pondered in theyr mindes and earnestly consydered his sayinges so that his rashnesse in scatteryng the golde out of the ballaunces they turned to myrth and vrbanitie commendyng his dooyng and saying therin Then they asked hym frendly vpon what certaine knowledge he spake those thynges or what he thought best herein to be done yf they should bring a greater supply of men To this young Comogrus staying a whyle with him selfe as it were an Oratour preparing hym selfe to speake of some graue matter and disposing his body to a iesture meete to perswade spake thus in his mother tongue Geue eare vnto me O you Christians Albeit that the greedie hunger of golde hath not yet vexed vs naked men yet do we destroy one another by reason of ambition and desyre to rule Hereof spryngeth mortal hatred among vs and hereof commeth our destruction Our predecessours kept warres and so dyd Comogrus my father with princes beyng borderers about him In the whiche warres as we haue ouercome so haue we ben ouercome as doth appeare by the number of bondmen among vs which we toke by the ouerthrowe of our enimies of the whiche I haue geuen you fyftie Lykewyse at another tyme our aduersaries hauyng the vpper hande agaynst vs ledde awaye many of vs captiue for suche is the chaunce of warre Also among our familiers whereof a great number haue ben captiues with them beholde here is one whiche of long time led a payneful lyfe in bondage vnder the yoke of that kyng beyonde the mountaynes in whose kyngdome is such abundance of gold Of hym and suche other innumerable and lykewyse by the resort of free men on theyr side commyng to vs and agayne of our men resortyng to them by safe conduct these thynges haue ben euer as well knowen vnto vs as our owne possessions but that you may be the better assured hereof and be out of al suspection that you shall not be deceiued make me the guyde of this voyage byndyng me fast and keepyng me in safe custodie to be hanged on the next tree yf you fynde my sayinges in anye poynt vntrue Folowe my counsayle therefore and sende for a thousande Christian men apt for the warres by whose power we may with also the men of warre of Comogrus my father armed after our manner inuade the dominions of our enimies where both you may be satisfied with golde and we for our conductyng and aydyng you in this enterpryse shall thinke our selues abundantly rewarded in that you shal helpe to deliuer vs from the iniuries and perpetuall feare of our enimies After these woordes this prudent young Comogrus helde his peace and our men mooued with great hope and hunger of golde began agayne to swalowe downe theyr spyttle The fourth booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed continent AFter that they had taryed here a fewe dayes and baptised Comogrus with all his familie and named hym by the name of Charles after the kyng of Spayne they returned to theyr felowes in Dariena leauyng with hym the hope of the thousande souldiers whiche his sonne required to passe ouer those mountaynes towarde the South sea Thus entryng into the vyllage whiche they had chosen to inhabite they had knowledge that Valdiuia was returned within sixe monethes after his departure but with no great plentie of vyttualles because he brought but a smal shyppe yet with hope that shortly after there shoulde be sent them abundance of vyttualles and a newe supplye of men For young Colonus the Admiral and viceroy of Hispaniola and the other gouernours of the Ilande acknowledged that hytherto they had no respect to them of Dariena because they supposed that Ancisus the Lieuetenaunt had safely arryued there with his shyppe laden with vyttualles wylling them from hencefoorth to be of good cheare and that they shoulde lacke nothyng hereafter but that at this present tyme they had no bigger ship wherby they myght send them greater plentie of necessaries by Valdiuia The vyttuals therfore which he brought serued rather somwhat to mitigate theyr present necessitie then to satisfie theyr lacke Wherefore within a fewe dayes after Valdiuia his returne they fel agayne into lyke scarcenesse especially forasmuche as a great storme and tempest whiche came from the hygh mountaynes with horrible thunder and lyghtnyng in the moneth of Nouember brought with it suche a floodde that it partly caryed away and partly drowned al the corne and seedes which they had sowen in the moneth of September in a fruitefull grounde before they went to kyng Comogrus The seedes whiche they of Hispaniola call Maizium and they of Vraba call Hobba whereof they make theyr bread whiche also we sayde to be rype thryse euery yeere because those regions are not bytten with the sharpenesse of wynter by reason of theyr neerenesse to the Equinoctial lyne It is also agreeable to the principles of natural philosophie that this bread made of Maizius or Hobba shoulde be more wholsome for the inhabitauntes of those countreys then bread made of wheate by reason that it is of easier digestion for whereas colde is wantyng the natural heate is not dryuen from the outwarde partes into the inwarde partes and precordials whereby digestion is muche strengthened Beyng therefore thus frustrate of the increase of theyr seedes and the kynges neere about them spoyled of both vyttualles and golde they were enforced to seeke theyr meate further of and therwith to signyfie to the gouernours of Hispaniola with what great necessitie they were oppressed and what they had learned of Comogrus as concernyng the Regions towarde the South willyng them in consideration thereof to aduertise the kyng to send them a thousande souldiers by whose helpe they myght by force make waye through the mountaynes diuidyng the sea on both sydes if they coulde not bryng the same to passe quietly The same Valdiuia was also sent on this message carying with hym to the kynges treasurers hauing theyr office of receipt in Hispaniola three hundred poundes weyght of golde after eyght ounces to the pounde for the fyft portion due to the kynges excheker This pound of eight ounces the Spaniardes call Marcha whiche in weight amounteth to fyftye peeces of golde called Castellani but the Castilians call a pounde Pesum We conclude therefore that the summe hereof was .xv. thousand of those peeces of gold called Castellani And thus is it apparent by this accompt that they receiued of the barbarous kinges a thousande and fyue hundred poundes of eyght ounces to the pounde all the whiche they founde readye wrought in sundrye kyndes of ouches as cheynes braselets tablets and plates both to hang before theyr brestes and also at theyr eares and nosethryls Valdiuia therfore tooke shypping in the same Carauell in the which he came last and returned also before the
they suspected Therfore at the dawning of the day the confederate kyngs with fyue hundreth of theyr ditionaries armed after theyr maner besieged the village with a terrible alarome knowyng nothing of the newe men whiche came thither the same nyght Here our target men came foorth against them and first assayled them a farre of with theyr arrowes then with theyr pykes and last with theyr swoordes but the naked seelye soules perceiuyng a greater number of theyr aduersaries then they looked for were soone dryuen to flyght and slayne for the most parte lyke scatteryng sheepe The kynges escaped they slue many and tooke many captiues whiche they sent to Dariena where they vsed them for labourers to tyll and sowe theyr grounde These thynges thus happyly atchyued and that prouince quieted they returned by the ryuer to Dariena leauyng theyr thyrtie men for a garrison vnder the gouernance of one Furatado a captayne This Furatado therfore sent from Riuo Nigro where he was appoynted gouernour .xx. of his felowes and one woman with .xxiiii. captiues to Vaschus and his companye in one of the byggest Canoas of that prouince As they rowed downe by the ryuer there came foorth sodenly ouerthwart the ryuer agaynst them foure great Canoas which ouerthrewe theyr boate and slue as many of them as they coulde come by because they were vnprepared suspecting no such thyng Our men were all drowned and slaine except two which hid them selues among certeyne fagottes that swamme on the water in the whiche they laye lurkyng and so escaped to theyr felowes in Dariena who by them beyng aduertysed hereof beganne to cast theyr wyttes what this thyng myght meane being no lesse solicitate for them selues then meditatyng in what daunger theyr felowes had ben in Riuo Nigro excepte by good fortune those thirtie newe men whiche were sent to them had come to the vyllage the nyght before the conspiracie shoulde haue ben wrought Consultyng therefore what was best to be doone herein at the length with diligent searchyng they had intelligence that fyue kynges that is to wytte Abibeiba the inhabitour of the tree and Cemaccus dryuen from his vyllage which our men nowe possessed Abraiba also and Abenamacheius kynsemen with Dabaiba the kyng of the fysher men inhabyting the corner of the gulfe whiche we called Culata were al assembled to conspire the Christian mens destruction at a daye assigned whiche thyng had surely come to passe if it had not ben otherwyse hyndered by Gods prouidence It is therefore ascrybed to a myracle and truely not vnworthyly if we waye howe chaunce detected and bewrayed the counsayle of these kynges And because it is worthy to be heard I wyll declare it in fewe woordes Vascus Nunnez therefore who rather by power then by election vsurped the gouernance in Dariena beyng a maister of fence and rather a rashe royster then a politike captaine although fortune somtime fauoureth fooles among many women whiche in diuers of these regions he had taken captiue had one which in fauour and beutie excelled all other To this woman her brother often tymes resorted who was also driuen out of his countrey with king Cemacchus with whom he was very familyer and one of his cheefe gentelmen Among other communication whiche he had with his syster whom he loued entierly he vttered these woordes My deare and welbeloued syster geue eare to my sayinges and keepe most secretelye that whiche I wyll declare vnto you yf you desyre your owne wealth and myne and the prosperitie of our countrey and kynsefolkes The insolencie and crueltie of these men whiche haue dryuen vs out of our possessions is so intollerable that the princes of the lande are determyned no longer to susteyne theyr oppressions By the conducting therefore of fyue kynges whiche he named in order they haue prepared a hundred great Canoas with fyue thousande men of warre by lande and by sea with vituals also in the village of Tichiri sufficient to mantayne suche an army declaryng further that the kynges by agreement had diuyded among them the goodes and heades of our men and therefore admonyshed her at the day appoynted by some occasion to conueigh her selfe out of the way lest she shoulde be slayne in the confusion of the battayle For the souldier victourer is not woont to spare any that commeth in his rase And thus shewing his syster the day assigned to the slaughter he departed But the young woman for it is the swoorde that women feare and obserue more then the grauitie of Cato whether it were for the loue or feare that she had to Vaschus forgetting her parentes her kynsfolkes her countrey and all her freendes yea and al the kynges into whose throtes Vaschus had thruste his swoorde she opened al the matter vnto hym and concealed none of those thinges which her vndiscrete brother had declared to her When Vaschus therfore had hearde the matter he caused Fuluia for so had they named her to sende for her brother who came to her immediatly was taken enforced to tel the whole circumstances of the matter wherupon he playnely confessed that king Cemacchus his lord and maister sent those foure Canoas to the destruction of our men and that these new conspiracies were attempted by his counsaile likewise that Cemacchus sought the destruction of Vaschus himselfe when he sent him .xl. men vnder pretence of frendshyp to tyll and sowe his grounde after the maner of the countrey geuing them in cōmaundement to slay Vaschus at Marris whither he resorted to comfort his labourers as the maner is of al good husbandes yet durst they at no time execute their lordes commaundement vpon hym because Vaschus came neuer among them a foote or vnarmed but was accustomed to ryde to them in harnesse with a iauelyn in his hande and a swoorde by his syde Wherfore Cemacchus being frustrate of his particuler counsayle tooke this last thing in hande to his owne destruction and his neighbours for the conspiracie being detected Vascus called threescore and tenne souldiers commaunding them to folowe hym but declared nothing vnto them whither he went or what he entended to do He went forwarde therfore fyrst toward Cemacchus which lay from hym only tenne myles but he had knowledge that he was fledde to Dabaiba the kyng of the maryshes of Culata Yet searching his village he founde a noble man a ruler vnder hym and also his kynsman whom he tooke prysoner with many other of his familiers and frendes both men and women The same houre that he set forwarde to seeke for Cemacchus Rodericus Colmenaris rowed vp the ryuer with foure of theyr byggest Canoas and threescore men by the conduction of the maydes brother who brought hym to the village of Tichiri in y e which we said al their vittuals to remaine which were prepared for theyr armye Colmenaris therfore sacked the village and possessed all their vittuals and wine of sundry colours likewise
of muche better taste and more wholsome then mutton for it is not to be doubted but that diuers kindes of meates doo engender sundry tastes and qualities in such as are nourished therwith The most puissant prince Ferdinandus declared that he had eaten of another fruite brought from those landes being full of scales with keyes much lyke a pineapple in fourme and colour but in tendernes equal to melow pepons and in taste exceedyng al garden fruites for it is no tree but an hearbe much like vnto an archichoke or Acantho The king him selfe gaue the cheefest commendation to this I haue eaten none of these fruits for of a great number which they brought from thence only one remayned vncorrupted the other being putrified by reason of the long voyage Al suche as haue eaten of them newly geathered in their natiue soyle do marueylously commende theyr sweetenesse and pleasaunt taste They dygge also out of the grounde certayne rootes growyng of them selues whiche they call Betatas muche lyke vnto the nauie rootes of Millane or the great puffes or mushromes of the earth Howsoeuer they be dressed eyther fryed or sodde they geue place to no suche kynde of meate in pleasant tendernes The skinne is somwhat tougher then eyther the nauies or mushromes and of earthy colour but the inner meate therof is very white These are nourished in gardens as we sayd of Iucca in the first Decade They are also eaten rawe and haue the taste of rawe chestnuts but are somewhat sweeter We haue spoken sufficiently of trees hearbes and fruites we wyl nowe therefore entreate of thynges sencitiue The landes and desolate pastures of these regions are inhabited and deuoured of wylde and terrible beastes as Lions Tygers and suche other monsters as we nowe knowe and haue ben described of olde auctours in tyme past But there is specially one beast engendred here in which nature hath endeuoured to shew her cunnyng This beast is as bygge as an Oxe armed with a long snoute lyke an Elephant and yet no Elephant of the colour of an oxe and yet no oxe with the hoofe of a horse and yet no horse with eares also muche lyke vnto an Elephant but not so open nor so much hangyng downe yet muche wyder then the eares of any other beast Of the beast which beareth her whelpes about with her in her second belly as in a purse beyng knowen to none of the olde wryters I haue spoken in the fyrst Decade which I doubt not to haue come to the handes of your holynesse Let vs nowe therefore declare what resteth of the flooddes and ryuers of Vraba The riuer of Dariena falleth into the gulfe of Vraba with a narow chanel scarcely able to beare the Canoas or Lighters of that prouince and runneth by the village where they chose theyr dwellyng place but the ryuer in the corner of the gulfe whiche we sayde that Vaschus passed by they founde to be .xxiiii. furlonges in breadth which they call a league and of exceedyng deapth as of two hundred cubits fallyng into the gulfe by diuers mouthes They say that this riuer falleth into the gulfe of Vraba lyke as the ryuer Ister otherwyse called Danubius and Danowe falleth into the sea Pontike and Nilus into the sea of Egypt wherefore they named it Grandis that is great whiche also they affyrme to nouryshe many and great Crocodiles as the old writers testifie of Nilus and especially as I haue learned by experience hauyng sayled vp and downe the riuer of Nilus when I was sent Ambassadour to the Souldane of Alcayâ— at the commaundement of the most catholique kyng What I may therefore geather out of the wrytynges of so many learned aucthours as concernyng the riuer of Nilus I knowe not for they say that nature hath geuen two ryuers of that name to water the lande whether they wyl them to spryng out of the mountaynes of the moone or the sunne or out of the tops of the rough mountaines of Ethiopia affyrmyng one of the same to fall into the gulfe of Egypt toward the North and the other into the south Ocean sea What shal we say in this place Of that Nilus in Egypt there is no doubt The Portugales also which sayle by the coastes of the Ethiopians called Nigritae and by the kyngdome of Melinda passyng vnder y e Equinoctial lyne among theyr marueylous inuentions haue found another toward the South and earnestly affirme the same to be also deriued from the mountaynes of the moone and that it is another chanel of Nilus because it bringeth forth Crocodiles whereas it hath not ben read before time that any other riuer nourished Crocodiles sauing only Nilus This riuer the Portugales cal Senega It runneth through the region of the Nigritas beyng very fruiteful toward the North shore but on the South syde sandie and rough Crocodiles are also engendred herein What shal we then say of this thirde yea I may wel say the fourth for I suppose them also to be Crocodiles whiche Colonus with his company found armed with scales as hard as shelles in the ryuer called Delagartos wherof we haue made mention before Shal we say that these ryuers of Dariena also and Vraba haue theyr original from the mountaynes of the moone wheras they spryng out of the next mountaynes and can by no meanes haue the same original with Nilus in Egypt or that in Nigrita or els that in the kyngdome of Melinda from whence so euer they are deryued whereas these other as we haue sayde spring out of the next mountaynes which diuide another South sea with no great distance from the North Ocean Wherefore it appeareth by experience of such as haue trauailed the world in our tyme that other waters besyde the riuer of Nilus in Egypt may lykewyse bryng foorth Crocodiles In the Maryshes also and fennes of the regions of Dariena are founde great plentie of Phesantes and Peacockes but not of variable colours with manye other kyndes of byrdes and foules vnlyke vnto ours aswel apt to be eaten as also to delyte the eares of men with pleasaunt noyse But our Spanyardes because they are ignoraunt in fowlyng take but fewe Also innumerable popingayes of sundry kyndes are founde chattering in the groues of those fennie places Of these there are some equall to Capons in bygnesse and some as lytle as sparowes But of the diuersitie of popyngayes we haue spoken sufficiently in the fyrste Decade for in the rase of this large lande Colonus hym selfe brought and sent to the courte a great number of euery kynde the whiche it was lawfull for all the people to beholde and are yet dayly brought in like manner There remayneth yet one thyng moste woorthy to be put in hystorie the whiche I had rather to haue chaunced into the handes of Cicero or Liuie then into myne for the thyng is so marueylous in my estimation that I fynde my wytte more entangled in the
to the cape or poynt of Cuchibacoa whiche being passed there is a gulfe on the left hande we measured three hundred leagues in one Carde much thereabout in another From this poynt of Cuchibacoa to the region of Caramairi in whiche is the hauen Carthago whiche some cal Carthagena we found about a hundred seuentie leagues From Caramairi to the Iland Fortis fyftie leagues From thence to the gulfes of Vraba among the whiche is the vyllage called Sancta Maria Antiqua where the Spanyards haue appoynted theyr habitation only .xxxiii. leagues From the ryuer of Vraba in the prouince of Dariena to y e riuer of Beragua where Nicuesa had intended to haue fastened his foote if God had not otherwyse decreed we measured a hundred and thirtie leagues From Beragua to that riuer which we said of Colonus to be called Sancti Matthei in the which also Nicuesa loosing his Carauel wandered in great calamities we founde in our Cardes only a hundred and fourtie leagues Yet many other whiche of late tyme haue come from these partes haue described many mo leagues in this tract from the ryuer of Sancti Matthei in whiche also they place diuers ryuers as Aburema with the Iland called Scutum Cateba lying before it whose kyngs name is Facies combusta Likewise another ryuer called Zobraba after that Vrida and then Duraba in the which golde is founde Furthermore many goodly hauens as Cerabaro and Hiebra so called of the inhabitauntes And thus yf your holynesse wyll conferre these numbers togeather you shall fynde in this accompt a thousand fyue hundred twentie and fiue leagues which amount to fyue thousande seuen hundred miles from the poynt of Sancti Matthei whiche they cal Sinum perditorum that is The gulfe of y e lost men But we may not leaue here for after this one Astur Ouetensis otherwyse named Iohannes Dias de Solis borne in Nebrissa whiche bryngeth foorth many learned men sayling from this riuer towarde the West ouerranne many coastes and leagues but the middest of that shore bendeth towarde the North and is not therefore directly placed in order with the other yet may we geather by a diameter or right lyne about three hundred leagues Hereby may you geather what is the length of this lande but of the breadth perhaps we shal hereafter haue further knowledge Let vs nowe speake somewhat of the varietie of the degrees of the eleuation of the pole starres This lande therefore although it reache foorth from the East into the West yet is it crooked and hath the poynt bendyng so towarde the South that it looseth the syght of the North pole and is extended beyonde the Equinoctial lyne seuen degrees towarde the South pole but the poynt hereof parteyneth to the iurisdiction of the Portugales as we haue sayde Leauing this poynt and saylyng towarde Paria the North starre is seene againe is so much the more lifted vp in how much the region enclineth more towarde the West The Spanyardes therfore haue diuers degrees of eleuations vntyll they come to Dariena being theyr cheefe station and dwelling place in those landes for they haue forsaken Beragua where they founde the North pole eleuate .viii. degrees but from hence the land doth so much bend towarde the North that it is there in manner equal with the degrees of the strayghtes of Hercules pyllers especially yf we measure certaine landes founde by them toward the North syde of Hispaniola among the which there is an Iland about three C. and .xxv. leagues frō Hispaniola as they say which haue searched the same named Boiuca or Agnaneo in the which is a continuall spring of running water of such marueilous vertue that y e water thereof being drunke perhaps with some diet maketh olde men young agayne And here must I make protestation to your honesse not to thynke this to be sayde lyghtly or rashly for they haue so spread this rumour for a trueth throughout al the courte that not onlye al the people but also many of them whom wysedome or fortune hath diuided from the common sort thynke it to be true but yf you shal aske my opinion herein I wyl answere that I wyll not attribute so great power to nature but that God hath no lesse reserued this prerogatiue to hym selfe then to searche the hartes of men or to geue substaunce to priuation that is beyng to no beyng except we shall beleeue the fable of Colchis of Eson renouate to be as true as the wrytynges of Sibylla Erythrea Albeit perhaps the scooles of Phisitions and natural philosophers wyll not muche stycke to affyrme that by the vse of certayne secrete medicines and dyet the accidentes of age as they cal them may be long hydden and deferred whiche they wyl to be vnderstoode by the renouation of age And to haue sayde thus much of the length and breadth of these regions and of the rough and hugious mountaynes with theyr waterye caues also of the diuers degrees of that lande I thinke it sufficient But I thought it not good to let passe what chaunced to these miserable men among theyr generall calamities I remember that when I was a chylde me thought my bowelles grated and that my spirites were marueylously troubled for very pitie when I read in the poete Uirgyl howe Achemenides was left of Vlysses vpon the sea bankes among y e giantes called Cyclopes where for the space of many dayes from the departyng of Vlysses vntyl the comming of Eneas he eate none other meate but only berries and hawes But our vnfortunate Spanyards whiche folowed Nicuesa to inhabite Beragua would haue esteemed hawes berries for great delicates What should I heare speake of the head of an asse bought for a great pryce and of such other extremities as men haue suffered in townes besieged After that Nicuesa had determined to leaue Beragua for the barrennesse of the soyle he attempted to searche Portum Bellum and then the coastes of the poynt called Marmor yf he myght there fynde a place more fortunate to inhabite In this meane tyme so greeuous famine oppressed his souldiers that they neyther absteined frō eating of mangie dogges which they had with them aswel for theyr defence as for huntyng for in the warre agaynst the naked people dogges stoode them in great steade nor yet sometyme from the slaine inhabitauntes for they found not there any fruitful trees or plentie of foules as in Dariena but a barren ground and not meete to be inhabited Here certaine of the souldiers made a bargayne with one of their felowes for the pryce of a leane dogge who also was almost dead for hunger they gaue the owner of the dogge many of those peeces of gold which they cal Pesos or golden Castellans Thus agreeing of the pryce they flayed the dogge to be eaten and cast his mangie skinne with the bones of the head hangyng thereto among the bushes The day folowyng a certayne
the woorkemen are but fewe As we haue sayde at the begynnyng your holynesse shal hereafter nouryshe many myriades of broodes of chyckens vnder your wynges But let vs nowe returne to speake of Beragua beyng the West syde of Vraba and first found by Colonus the Admiral then vnfortunately gouerned by Diego Nicuesa and nowe left in maner desolate with the other large regions of those prouinces brought from theyr wylde and beastly rudenesse to ciuilitie and true religion The fourth booke of the thyrde Decade I Was determined moste holy father to haue proceeded no further herein but y e one fyery sparke yet remaynyng in my minde would not suffer me to ceasse Whereas I haue therfore declared how Beragua was fyrst founde by Colonus me thynke I should commit a haynous crime if I shoulde defraud the man of the due commendations of his trauayles of his cares and troubles and finally of the daungers peryls whiche he susteyned in that nauigation Therfore in the yeere of Christ 1502. in the .6 day of the Ides of May he hoysed vp his sayles and departed from the Ilandes of Gades with foure shyppes of fyftie or threescore tunne a peece with a hundred threescore and ten men and came with prosperous wynde to the Ilandes of Canariae within fyue dayes folowyng From thence arryuyng the .16 day at the Ilande of Dominica being the cheefe habitation of the Canibales he saâ—led from Dominica to Hispaniola in fiue other dayes Thus within the space of .26 dayes with prosperous wynde and by the swyfte fall of the Ocean from the East to the West he sayled from Spayne to Hispaniola whiche course is counted of the mariners to be no lesse then a thousand and two hundred leagues He taryed but a whyle in Hispaniola whether it were wyllyngly or that he were so admonished of the Uice Roy. Directyng therefore his voyage from thence toward the west leauyng the Ilandes of Cuba and Iamaica on his ryght hand towarde the north he wryteth that he chaunced vppon an Ilande more southwarde then Iamaica whiche thinhabitantes call Guanassa so floryshyng and fruitefull that it might seeme an earthlye Paradyse Coastyng along by the shores of this Iland he mette two of the Canoas or boates of those prouinces whiche were drawne with two naked slaues agaynst the streame In these boates was caryed a ruler of the Iland with his wyfe and chyldren all naked The slaues seeyng our men a lande made signes to them with proud countenaunce in theyr maisters name to stand out of the way and threatned them if they woulde not geue place Their symplenes is such that they neyther feared the multitude or power of our men or the greatnes and straungenes of our shyppes They thought that our men woulde haue honoured theyr maister with lyke reuerence as they dyd Our men had entelligence at the length that this ruler was a great marchant which came to the marte from other coastes of the Ilande for they exercyse bying and sellyng by exchaunge with their confines He had also with hym good store of suche ware as they stand in neede of or take pleasure in as laton belles rasers knyues and hatchettes made of a certayne sharpe yellowe bryght stone with handles of a strong kinde of wood also many other necessary instrumentes with kytchen stuffe and vesselles for all necessary vses lykewyse sheetes of gossampine cotton wrought of sundrie colours Our men toke hym prysoner with al his family but Colonus commaunded hym to be loosed shortly after and the greatest part of his goodes to bee restored to wynne his frendshyppe Beyng here instructed of a land lying further toward the south he tooke his voyage thyther Therfore litle more then tenne myles distant from hence he founde a large land whiche thinhabitants called Quiriquetana but he named it Ciamba When he went a lande and commaunded his chaplaine to say masse on the sea bankes a great confluence of the naked inhabitantes flocked thither symply and without feare bringyng with them plenty of meate and freshe water marueylyng at our men as they had ben some straunge miracle When they had presentted theyr giftes they went somwhat backward and made lowe curtesy after theyr maner bowyng their heades and bodyes reuerently He recompensed their gentilnes rewardyng them with other of our thynges as counters braslettes and garlands of glasse and counterfet stones lookyng glasses needelles and pynnes with suche other trashe whiche seemed vnto them pretious marchandize In this great tracte there are two regions whereof the one is called Tuia and the other Maia He writeth that all that lande is very fayre and holsome by reason of the excellent temperatnesse of the ayre And that it is inferiour to no land in fruitefull ground beyng partly full of mountaynes and partly large playnes also replenyshed with many goodly trees holsome hearbes continuyng greene and floryshyng al the whole yeere It beareth also very many holly trees and pyneaple trees Also .vii. kyndes of date trees wherof some are fruitefull and some baren It bryngeth foorth likewyse of it selfe Pelgoras and wilde vines laden with grapes euen in the wooddes among other trees He sayth furthermore that there is such abundaunce of other pleasunt and profitable fruites that they passe not of vines Of one of those kindes of date trees they make certayne long and brode swoordes and dartes These regions beare also gossampyne trees here and there commonly in the woods Lykewise Mirobalanes of sundry kyndes as those which the phisitians call Emblicos and Chebulos Maizium also Iucca Ages and Battatas lyke vnto those which we haue sayd before to be founde in other regions in these coastes The same noorysheth also Lions Tygers Hartes Roes Goates and dyuers other beastes Lykewyse sundry kyndes of byrdes and foules among the whiche they keepe onely them to franke and feede which are in colour bygnes and tast muche lyke vnto our Pehennes He sayth that thinhabitantes are of hygh and goodly stature well lymmed and protioned both men and women coueryng theyr priuy partes with fyne breeches of gossampyne cotton wrought with diuers colours And that they may seeme the more comely and beautifull as they take it they paynt theyr bodies redde and blacke with the iuice of certayne apples whiche they plant in theyr gardens for the same purpose Some of them paynt theyr whole bodyes some but part and other some drawe the portitures of hearbes floures and knottes euery one as seemeth best to his owne phantasie Theyr language differeth vtterly from theyrs of the Ilandes neere about them From these regions the waters of the sea ran with as full a course towards the West as if it had byn the fail of a swift riuer Neuerthelesse he determined to searche the East partes of this land reuoluyng in his minde that the regions of Paria Os draconis with other coastes founde before towards the East shoulde be neere there about as
by these monstrous bloodsuckers We wyll nowe therfore speake somwhat of the rootes whereof they make theyr bread forasmuche as the same shal hereafter be foode to Christian men in steade of bread made of wheate and in the steade of radyshe with such other rootes as they haue been accustomed to eate in Europe We haue oftentymes sayd before that Iucca is a roote whereof the best and most delicate bread is made both in the firme lande of these regions and also in the Ilandes but howe it is tylled or husbanded howe it groweth and of how dyuers kyndes it is I haue not yet declared Therfore when they entende to plant this Iucca they make a hole in the earth knee deepe and rayse a heape of the earth taken out of the same fashionyng it lyke a square bedde of niene foote breadth on euery syde settyng twelue trunkes of these roots beyng about a foote and a halfe long a peece in euery of the sayd beddes contaynyng three rootes of a syde so layde a slope that the endes of them ioyne in maner togeather in the center or middest of the bedde within the ground Out of the ioyntes of the rootes and spaces betwene the same spryng the toppes and blades of newe rootes whiche by litle and litle encreasyng growe to the bygnes and length of a mans arme in the brawne and oftentymes as bygge as the thygh so that by the tyme of theyr full rypenes in maner all the earth of the heape is conuerted into rootes But they say that these rootes are not rype in lesse then a yeere and a halfe and that the longer they are suffered to grow euen vntyl two yeeres complete they are so much the better and more perfecte to make bread thereof When they are taken foorth of the earth they scrape them and slyse them with certayne sharpe stones seruyng for the same purpose And thus laying them betwene two great stones or puttyng them in a sacke made of the stalkes of certaine tough hearbes and smal reedes they presse them as do we cheese or crabbes to drawe out the iuice thereof and so let them drye a daye before they eate them The iuice or liquour they cast away for as we haue sayde it is deadly poyson in the Ilandes Yet is the iuice of suche as growe in the firme land wholesome yf it be sodde as is the whey of our mylke They say that there are many kyndes of this Iucca wherof some are more pleasaunt and delicate then the other and are therefore reserued as it were to make fyue Manchet for the kynges owne table But the Gentlemen eate of the meaner sort and the common people of the basest The finest they call Cazabbi whiche they make rounde lyke cakes in certayne presses before they seethe it or bake it They say furthermore that there are lykewyse diuers kyndes of the rootes of Ages and Battata But they vse these rather as fruites and dyshes of seruice then to make bread thereof as we vse Rapes Radishes Mushromes Nauies Persnippes and suche lyke In this case they moste especiallye esteeme the best kynde of Battatas which in pleasant taste and tendernesse farre exceedeth our Mushromes It shal suffise to haue sayd thus much of rootes We wyl nowe therefore speake of another kynde of their bread We declared before that they haue a kynde of grayne or Pulse muche lyke vnto Panicum but with somewhat bygger graynes which they beate into meale vpon certaine great hollow stones with the labour of theyr handes when they lacke Iucca and of this is made the more vulgar or common bread It is sowen thryse a yeere so that the fruitefulnesse of the ground may beare it by reason of the equalitie of the tyme whereof we haue spoken sufficiently before In these regions they founde also the grayne of Maizium and sundry kyndes of fruites of trees diligentlye planted and wel husbanded The way betweene the regions of Caramairi and Saturma is fayre broode and ryght foorth They founde here also sundry kyndes of water pottes made of earth of diuers colours in the whiche they both fetche and keepe freshe water Lykewyse sundry kyndes of iugges godderdes drynkyng cuppes pottes pannes dyshes and platters artificially made When the gouernour had geuen commaundement by proclamation that the inhabitauntes should eyther obey the Christian kyng and embrace our religion or els to depart out of theyr countrey they answered with venemous arrowes In this skyrmyshe our men tooke some of them whereof clothyng the moste parte in fayre apparell they sent them againe to their owne company But leading the residue to the shyppes to thintent to shewe them the power and magnificence of the christians that they might declare the same to theyr companions therby to wynne their fauour they appareled them lykewyse and sent them after theyr felowes They affyrme that in all the ryuers of these coast they sawe great argumentes and tokens of golde They founde here and there in their houses good store of Harts flesh Bores fleshe wherwith they fedde them selues delicately They also haue great plentie of sundry kyndes of byrdes and foules whereof they bryng vp many in their houses some for necessarye foode and other for dayntie dyshes as we do Hennes and Partriches Our men hereby coniecture that the ayre of these regions is very holsome forasmuche as slepyng all nyght vnder the fyrmament on the bankes of the ryuers none of them were at any tyme offended with reumes or headache by reason of any noysome humour or vapour proceedyng from the earth ayre or water Our men furthermore founde there many great botomes of gossampyne cotton redy spunne and fardelies of dyuers kyndes of fethers whereof they make them selues crestes and plumes after the maner of our men of armes also certeine clokes whiche they esteeme as most comely ornamentes They founde lykewyse an innumerable multitude of bowes and arrowes Thinhabitants also of these regions in some places vse to burne the carkases of their princes when they are dead and to reserue their bones buryed with spyces in certayne hylles In other places they onely drye them and imbawme them with spyces and sweete gummes and so reserue them in sepulchers in theyr owne houses Somewhere also they dry them spyce them adourne them with precious iewelles and ouches and so reuerently place them in certayne tabernacles made for the same purpose in theyr owne palaces When our men had many of theyr tablets braselettes collers and suche other ouches whiche they call Guanines they founde them rather to be made of laton then of golde whereby they suppose that they haue vsed to exchaunge theyr ware with some craftie straungers whiche brought them those counterfeyt ouches to defraude them of theyr golde For euen our men perceiued not the deceyte vntyll they came to the meltyng Furthermore certayne of our buylâ—ers wanderyng a litle way from the sea coastes chaunced to â—ynde certayne peeces of
of the corner of the gulfe of Vraba as we haue largely declared before The common report is that all the land of his dominions is ryche in gold The pallace of kyng Dabaiba is fyftie leagues distant from Dariena The inhabitantes saye that from the pallace the gold mynes reache to the borders on euery syde Albeit our men haue also golde mynes not to be contemned euen within three leagues of Dariena in the whiche they geather golde in many places at this present Yet do they affirme greater plentye to be in the mynes of Dabaiba In the bookes of our fyrst fruites written to your holynesse we made mention of this Dabaiba wherein our men were deceyued and mystooke the matter For where they founde the fyshermen of kyng Dabaiba in the marishes they thought his region had been there also They determined therfore to send to kyng Dabaiba three hundred choyse young men to be chosen out of the whole army as most apt to the warres and well furnyshed with all kyndes of armour and artyllerie to the intent to go vnto hym and wyll hym eyther frendly and peaceably to permit them to inhabite part of his kyngdome with the fruition of the golde mynes or els to byd hym battayle and dryue hym out of his countrey In theyr letters they oftentymes repeate this for an argument of great ryches to come that they in a maner dygged the ground in no place but found the earth myxt with sparkes and small graynes of golde They haue also aduertised the kyng that it shal be commodious to place inhabitours in the hauen of Sancta Martha in the region of Saturma that it may be a place of refuge for them that sayle from the Ilande of Dominica from the whiche as they saye it is but foure or fyue dayes saylyng to that hauen of the region of Saturma and from the hauen but three dayes saylyng to Dariena But this is to be vnderstoode in goyng and not in returnyng For the returnyng from thence is so laborious and difficulte by reason of the contrary course of the water that they seeme as it were to ascende hyghe mountaynes and stryue agaynste the power of Neptunus This swyft course of the sea towards the west is not so violent to them whiche returne to Spayne from the Ilandes of Hispaniola and Cuba although they also do labour agaynst the fall of the Ocean The cause whereof is that the sea is heere very large so that the waters haue theyr full scope But in the tract of Paria the waters are constrayned togeather by the bendyng sydes of that great land and by the multitude of Ilandes lying agaynst it as the lyke is seene in the strayghtes or narrow seas of Scicile where the violent course of the waters cause the daungerous places of Scilla and Caribdis by reason of those narrowe seas which conteyne Ionium Libicum and Tirrhenum Colonus the fyrste fynder of these regions hath left in wrytyng that saylyng from the Ilande of Guanassa and the prouinces of Iaia Maia and Cerabaro beyng regions of the west marches of Beragua he founde the course of the water so vehement and furious agaynst the foreparte of his shyp whyle he sayled from those coastes towarde the East that he coulde at no time touche the grounde with his soundyng plummet but that the contrary violence of the water woulde beare it vp from the bottome He affyrmeth also that he coulde neuer in one whole day with a meetely good wynde wynne one myle of the course of the water And this is the cause why they are oftentymes enforced to saile fyrst by the Ilandes of Cuba and Hispaniola and so into the mayne sea towarde the North when they returne to Spayne that the North wyndes may further theyr voyage whiche they can not bryng to passe by a direct course But of the motions of the Ocean sea to and fro this shal suffise Let vs nowe therefore rehearse what they wryte of Dariena and of theyr habitation there whiche they cal Sancta Maria Antiqua planted on the sea bankes of Dariena The situation of the place hath no natural munition or defence and the ayre is more pestiferous then in Sardus The Spanishe inhabitours are al pale and yelowe lyke vnto them whiche haue the yelowe iaundies which neuerthelesse commeth not of the nature of the region as it is situate vnder the heauen For in many regions beyng vnder the selfe same degree of latitude hauing the pole of the same eleuation they fynd holsome temperate ayre in such places where as the earth bryngeth foorth fayre sprynges of water or where holsome riuers runne by bankes of pure earth without mudde but most especially where they inhabite the sides of the hyls and not the valleys But that habitation whiche is on the bankes of the ryuer of Dariena is situate in a deepe valley and enuironed on euery syde with hygh hylles By reason wherof it receyueth the Sonne beames at noonetyde dyrectly parpendicular ouer theyr heades and are therefore sore vexed by reflection of the beames both before behynde and from the sydes For it is the reflection of the sonne beames whiche causeth feruent heate and not theyr accesse or neerenesse to the earth forasmuche as they are not passyble in themselues as doth manifestly appeare by the snowe lying contynually vnmoulten vpon certayne hygh mountaynes as your holynesse knoweth ryght well The sonne beames therfore fallyng on the mountaynes are reflected downwarde into the valley by reason of the obiect of the declining sydes of the hylles as it were the fall of a great round stone rowled from the toppe of a mountayne The valley therefore receyueth both those beames whiche fall directly thereon and also those whiche are reflected downewarde from euery syde of the mountaynes Theyr habitation therefore in Driena is pernicious and vnholsome onely of the particuler nature of the place and not by the situation of the region as it is plased vnder the heauen or neare to the sonne The place is also contagious by the nature of the soyle by reason it is compassed about with muddy and stynkyng marishes the infection whereof is not a lytle encreased by the heate The vyllage is selfe is in a marishe and in maner a standyng puddle where of the droppes fallyng from the handes of the bondemen whyle they water the pauementes of theyr houses Toades are engendred immediately as I my selfe saw in an other place the droppes of that water turne into flees in the sommer season Furthermore wheresoeuer they dygge the grounde the deapth of a handful and a halfe there spryngeth out vnholsome and corrupt water of the nature of the ryuer whiche runneth through the deepe and muddye chanell of the valley and so falleth into the sea Nowe therfore they consult of remouyng theyr inhabitations Necessitie caused them fyrst to fasten theyr foote heere because that they whiche fyrst arryued in those landes were oppressed with suche
consisteth of three thousande houses Thinhabitantes came swimmyng to the shippes marueylyng exceedingly at the maner of saylyng and at the sayles and other tackelynges But when they hearde the thunder of the gunnes sawe the smoke and smelte the sauour of brimstone and fyre they supposed that thunderbolts and lyghtnynges had been sent from God The kyng receyued our men honourably and brought them into his pallace where hee feasted them well after his maner They are accustomed to eate fleshe and haue great plentie of beastes and foules as Peacockes and other whiche they francke and feede in theyr houses also dyuers kyndes of wylde foules of the mountaynes wooddes and waters lykewyse Partriches Quailes Turtle dooues Duckes and Geese Of beastes they haue Connies Woolues Lions Tigers Foxes wylde Boores Hartes and Hares After this banquet the kyng with his trayne and famylie brought our men into a brode crosse way where many streates do meete In this they shewed them as it were a great and high alter buylded foure square of marble compacte togeather partly with the tough cleye of Babilon called Bitumem and partly with small stones it had on euery syde foure stayres Upon the altare was an Image of a man made of marble and fast by it the images of two beastes of vnknowen shape which seemed as though they woulde with yanyng mouth haue torne in sunder the belly of the mans Image On the other syde stoode a great Serpent compact of the sayde tough cleye and small stones This Serpent beyng in length .xlvii. foote and of the bygnesse of a large Oxe seemed to deuour a Lion of marble and was al besparcled with freshe blood Harde by the altare were three postes fastnes in the grounde the which three other trauersed and were susteyned with stones In this place offenders were put to death in token wherof they sawe innumerable arrowes stayned with blood some scattred some lying on heapes some broken also a great number of mens bones lying in a court or yarde neere vnto this funestal place their houses are here also buylded of lyme and stone They named this kyng Lazarus because they arriued at this lande on saint Lazarus day Departing from hence and directing their course stil toward the West for the space of .xv. myles they came to a prouince named Aquanil whose chiefe towne is called Mosco and the king therof Cupoton He behelde our men with a frowarde countenaunce and sought occasion to do thē some priuy mischiefe while they sought for freshe water For he made signes vnto them that on the further syde of the next hyl they should fynde sprynges of water entending to haue assailed them in that narowe passage But by the colouring of theyr forheades as they are accustomed in theyr warres and by the bearing of theyr bowes other weapons our men perceyued theyr wylynes and refused to go any further Yet a thousande of the Barbarians assayled them vnwares and vnprepared by reason whereof they were put to flyght and dyuers of them slayne in the chase Many that fledde towarde the shyppes were entangled in the mudde and maryshes neere vnto the shore Twentie and two were slayne with arrowes and the resydue for the most part wounded Franciscus Fernandes the gouernour of the nauie receyued in this conflicte three and thirtie woundes and in maner none escaped without hurt If they had gone to the hylles whiche were appoynted them they had ben slaine euery man They therfore that escaped returned to the Ilande of Fernardina from whence they came where they were receyued of theyr felowes with heauie cheare But when Diegus Velasquen the gouernour of the Ilande had intelligence hereof he immediatly furnyshed a newe nauie of foure Caraueles with three hundreth men Of this nauie he appointed Iohn Grisalua his nephue to be y e gouernour assigned for vnder captaynes Alphons Auila Frannces Montegio and Peter Aluarado For the pylot he assigned Antonie Alamino who had the regiment of the fyrst nauie They attempted the same viage agayne but declined somwhat more towarde the South about threescore and tenne myles Before they sawe any lande they espyed a towre a farre of by the viewe whereof they came to an Ilande named Cozumella from the whiche they smelt sweete sauours proceedyng with the wynde before they approched to the lande by the space of three myles They founde the Ilande to be xlv myles in circuitie it is playne and of maruelous fruitefull soyle there is also golde in it but it is not engendred there but brought thither from other regions It aboundeth with hony fruites and hearbes and hath also great plentie of foules and foure footed beastes Theyr order and maner of lyuyng is in al thynges lyke vnto theyrs of Iucatana lykewyse theyr houses temples streates and apparell In many of theyr houses are great poastes of marble after the maner of our buyldyng They found there the fundations of certayne olde towres ruinate and one especially with .xviii. stayres ascendyng to it after the maner of solemne temples They marueyled greatly at our shyppes and maner of saylyng At the fyrst they woulde admit no straungers but shortly after receiued them gentlye Theyr cheife ruler whom our men supposed to bee a priest led them vp to the toppe of the towre where they erected a banner and addicted the Ilande to the dominion of the kyng of Castyle namyng it Sancta Crux because they entred into the same in the nones of Maye being then the feast of the holye crosse They saye that it was called Cozumella ▪ of kyng Cozumellaus whose auncestours were the fyrst that inhabited the Ilande In the towre they found many chambers furnished with Images made both of earth and marble to the similitude of Beares these they cal vpon with a houling and lamentable songue perfuming them with sweete odours and otherwyse honouring them as theyr domesticall goddes they are also circumcised The kyng was in fayre apparell made of gossampine cotton curiously wrought he was lame on the one foote by reason that as he once exercised hym selfe in swymmyng a deuouryng fyshe called Tuberon byt of all the toes of one of his feete he entreated our men very frendly and made them great cheare After they had been heere three dayes they departed and saylyng styll towards the West they espied great mountaynes a farre of but as they drewe neare they perceyued it to be the Ilande of Iucatana being distant from Cozumella only fyue myles Directyng therfore theyr course towards the south syde of Iucatana they compassed it on that syde which lyeth nearest to be supposed continent yet coulde they not saile round about it by reason of the multitude of rocks shalowe places and shelfes of sande Then Alaminus the pilot turned his sayles to the North syde whereof he had better knowledge Thus at the length they came to the towne Campechium and kyng Lazarus with whom they
they come to the harde rocke or stone and if in fine they fynde no golde there they folowe no further to seeke golde in that place but goe to an other part And it is to be vnderstoode that when they haue founde the myne they folowe it in dyggyng in the same measure in leuell and deapth vntyll they haue made an ende of all the myne whiche that place conteyneth if it appeare to be riche This myne ought to consyst of certayne feete or pases in length or breadth accordyng to certayne orders determined and within that compasse of earth it is not lawefull for any other to digge for golde And where as endeth the myne of hym that fyrste founde the golde immediatly it is lawfull for any other man that wyll with a staffe to assigne hym selfe a place by the syde of the same inclosing it with stakes or pales as his owne These mines of Zauana that is such as are found in the plaines ought euer to be sought neare to some ryuer or brooke or spring of water or dyke or standyng poole to th ende that the golde may be washed for the which purpose they vse the labour of certayne Indians as they do other in dyggyng of the myne And when they haue dygged out the myne they fyll certayne trayes with that earth whiche other Indians haue the charge immediatly to receyue at theyr handes and to cary those trayes of earth to the water where it may bee washed Yet do not they that bryng it washe it but delyuer it to other puttyng it out of theyr owne trayes into theyrs whiche they haue redy in theyr handes to receyue it These washers for the most part are the Indian women because this woorke is of lesse paine and traueyle then any other These women when they washe are accustomed to syt by the water syde with theyr legges in the water euen vp to the knees or lesse as the place serueth theyr purpose and thus holdyng the trayes with earth in theyr handes by y e handles thereof and puttyng the same into the water they moue them rounde about after the maner of syftyng with a certayne aptnesse in suche sorte that there entreth no more water into the trays then serueth theyr turne and with the selfe same apte mouyng of theyr trays in the water they euer auoyde the foule water with the earth out of the one syde of the vessell and receyue in cleane water on the other syde thereof so that by this meanes by litle and litle the water washeth the earth as the lyghter substaunce of the trays and the golde as the heauyer matter resteth in the bottome of the same beyng rounde and holowe in the myddest lyke vnto a barbars basen And when all the earth is auoyded and the gold geathered togeather in the bottome of the tray they put it a part and returne to take more earth whiche they washe contynually as before And thus they that labour in this woorke do geather dayly suche portion of golde as shall please God to graunt to the Patrones of these Indians and suche other as trauayle in the same Furthermore it is to be noted that for euery two Indians that washe it is requisite that two other serue them to bryng earth from the myne and other two to breake the same small and fyl theyr trayes therwith Also besyde these labourers it is necessarye that there be other people in the place where they woorke rest in the night these are suche as make theyr bread and prouide for victuals and other necessaries So that to conclude there are in al fyue persons ordinarilie assigned to euery tray of washers There is an other manner of workyng the mynes in ryuers or brookes of runnyng waters and this is that in auoydyng the water of his course after that the beddes of the ryuers are drye and vtterly emptied they fynde golde among the breaches clyftes and ryftes of stones and among all that is in the bottome of the chanell and where naturally the ryuer runneth of greatest force So that it chaunceth sometyme that when the bedde of the ryuer is good and ryche they fynde in it great quantitie of gold And therfore your Maiestie ought to vnderstand for a general rule as it appeareth in fact that all golde is engendred in the toppes and hyghest places of the mountaynes and in continuance of tyme is by litle and litle brought downe to the vales and playnes by shewres of rayne and the falles of sprynges ryuers and brookes hauyng theyr originall in the mountaynes and discending from the same notwithstandyng it is oftentymes founde in the playnes farre from the mountaynes But when it chaunceth to be founde in great quantitie it is for the most part among the mountaynes and in the ryuers or theyr braunches more then in any other part of the playne and in these two maners it is commoly founde most abundantly And for the better proofe that golde is engendred on hygh and is brought downe into the lowe places I haue one great token therof whiche causeth me to beleeue it for certayne and this is to consyder that coles neuer putrifie nor corrupt vnder the grounde if they be made of strong woodde Wherby it chaunceth that dyggyng the earth by the fouldes or indented places of the mountaynes or on the sydes breakyng a myne in the earth where it had been broken before and hauing nowe dygged one or two or three Poles in measure the myners founde certayne coles of wood vnder the same leuel where they founde golde and this I say in the earth whiche was taken for a Uirgin that is to saye such as had not before been opened for any myne the whiche coles coulde not naturally be engendred there or enter in by any meanes but when the superfitiall part of the earth was equal with the leuel where the coles were founde it is like that the coles were left there by some occasion of fyre and that they fastened there in tyme and that afterwarde in long continuance of tyme they were by litle and litle couered with the earth whiche the often shewres of rayne washed from the mountaynes so that by the course of yeeres the earth ouergrewe the coles vnto the sayd leuell measure which had before tyme been the superfitial part of the earth where the coles and golde were found togeather whereby it may appeare that the golde was no more engendred there then were the coles but brought thyther from the mountaynes by the falles of waters as we haue sayd forasmuch as the mountaynes are the Matrices and bowels of all ryche metals Further and besyde this I say that in howe muche more the golde is gone farre from the naturall place of his generation to the place where it is founde it is so much the more purified and fined and of a better caract and the nearer that it is founde to his proper myne or veyne where it is engendred it is so much the baser fouler and more
litle these are called Volatori that is fleeyng fyshes they ryse by great companies and flockes in suche multitudes that it is an astonyshment to behold them Sometimes they ryse but litle from the water as it chaunceth continue one flyght for the space of an hundred paces and sometimes more or lesse before they fall agayne into the sea sometymes also they fall into the shyppes And I remember that on an euenyng when al the company in the shyp were on theyr knees syngyng Salue regina in the hyghest part of the Castell of the poupe and sayled with a full wynde there passed by vs a flocke of these fleeyng fyshes and came so neare vs that many of them fell into the shyppe among the whiche two or three fel hard by me whiche I tooke alyue in my hand so that I myght well perceyue that they were as bygge as Sardines and of the same quantitie hauyng two wynges or quilles growing out of theyr synnes lyke vnto those wherewith all fyshes swym in ryuers these wynges are as long as the fyshes them selues As long as theyr wynges are moyst they beare them vp in the ayre but assoone as they are drye they can contynue theyr flyght no further then as I haue sayde before but fall immediatlye into the sea and so ryse agayne and flee as before from place to place In the yeere a thousand fyue hundred and fyfteene when I came fyrst to enfourme your Maiestie of the state of the thynges in India and was the yeere folowyng in Flaunders in the tyme of your most fortunate successe in these your kyngdomes of Aragonie and Castyle whereas at that viage I sayled aboue the Ilande Bermuda otherwyse called Garza beyng the furthest of all the Ilandes that are founde at this daye in the worlde and arryuyng there at the deapth of eyght yardes of water and distaunt from the lande as farre as the shotte of a peece of Ordinaunce I determyned to sende some of the shyp to lande aswell to make searche of suche thynges as were there as also to leaue in the Iland certayne Hogges for encrease But the tyme not seruing my purpose by reason of contrary wynde I coulde bryng my shyppes no nearer the Ilande beyng twelue leagues in length and syxe in breadth and about thyrtie in circuite lying in the three and thyrtieth degree of the North syde Whyle I remayned heere I saw a stryfe and combat betweene these fleeing fyshes and the fyshes named Gylt heades the foules called Seamewes and Cormorantes which surely seemed vnto me a thyng of as great pleasure and solace as coulde be deuised while the Gylt heades swam on the brymme of the water and sometymes lyfted theyr shoulders aboue the same to rayse the fleeyng fyshes out of the water to dryue them to flyght and folowe them swymmyng to the place where they fal to take and eate them sodenly Againe on the other side the Seamewes and Cormorantes take many of these fleeyng fyshes so that by this meanes they are neyther safe in the ayre nor in the water In the selfe same peryll and danger doo men lyue in this mortall lyfe wherein is no certayne securitie neyther in hyghe estate nor in lowe Which thyng surely ought to put vs in remembraunce of that blessed and safe restyng place whiche God hath prepared for suche as loue hym who shall acquiete and fynishe the trauailes of this troublous worlde wherein are so many dangers and bryng them to that eternall lyfe where they shall fynde eternall securitie and rest But to returne to the hystorye these byrdes and foules whiche I sawe were of the Ilande of Bermuda neere vnto the whiche I sawe these fleeyng fyshes for they coulde be of no other lande forasmuche as they are not accustomed to wander farre from the coastes where they are bredde Of thincrease and decrease that is rysyng and fallyng of our Ocean sea and South sea called the sea of Sur. I Wyll nowe speake of certayne thynges whiche are seene in the Prouince or at the least in the citie of golden Castyle otherwyse called Beragua and in the coastes of the North sea of the South sea called the sea of Sur not omitting to note one synguler and marueylous thyng whiche I haue consydered of the Ocean sea wherof hytherto no Cosmographer Pilot or Maryner or any other haue satisfyed me I say therefore as it is well knowen to your maiestie and all such as haue knowledge of the Ocean sea that this great Ocean casteth from it selfe the sea Mediterraneum by the mouth of the strayght of Gibilterra in the which the water from th end furthest part of that sea euen vnto the mouth of the sayde strayght eyther in the East toward the coaste commonly called Leuante or in any other part of the sayde sea Mediterraneum the sea doth not so fall nor increase as reason woulde iudge for so great a sea but increaseth very litâ—e and a small space Neuerthelesse without the mouth of the â—trayght in the mayne Ocean it increaseth and falleth very muche and a great space of grounde from syxe houres to syxe houres as in all the coastes of Spayne Britanâ—â— Flaunders Garmanie and England The selfe same Oâ—ean sâ—a in the firme lande newly founde in the coastes of the same lying towarde the North doth neyther ryse nor fall nor lykewyse in the Ilandes of Hispaniola and Cuba and al the other Ilandes of the same lying towarde the north for the space of three thousande leagues but onely in lyke maner as dooth the sea Mediterraneum in Italy which is in maner nothyng in respecte to that increase and decrease whiche the sayde Ocean hath in the coastes of Spayne and Flaunders But this is yet a greater thyng that also the selfe same Ocean in the coastes of the sayde fyrme lande lying towarde the South in the citie of Panama and also in the coast of that lande whiche lyeth towarde the East and West from that citie as in the Ilande of pearles or Margaritea whiche the Indians call Tarrarequi and also in Taboga and Otoque and in all other Ilandes of the south sea of Sur the water ryseth and falleth so muche that when it falleth it goeth in maner out of syght whiche thyng I my selfe haue seene oftentymes And here your maiestie may note an other thing that from the north sea to the south sea being of such difference the one from the other in rysyng and fallyng yet is the lande that deuideth them not past eyghteene or twentie leagues in breadth from coaste to coaste So that both the sayde seas beyng all one Ocean this strange effecte is a thyng worthy greatly to be consydered of all suche as haue inclination and desyre to knowe the secrete woorkes of nature wherein the infinite power and wysedome of God is seene to be suche as may allure al good natures to reuerence and loue so diuine a maiestie And whereas by y e demonstrations of
learned men I am not satisfyed of the naturall cause hereof I content my selfe to knowe and beleeue that he whiche hath made these thynges dooth knowe this and many other which he hath not graunted to the reason of man to comprehende muche lesse to so base a wyt as myne is They therefore that are of greater vnderstandyng shall search the cause hereof for them and for me forasmuche as I haue onely put the matter in question as a wytnesse that haue seene thexperience of the thyng Of the strayght or narrowe passage of the land lying betweene the North and South sea by the which spyces may much sooner and easlyer be brought from the Ilandes of Molucca into Spaine by the VVest Ocean then by that way whereby the Portugales sayle into the East India IT hath been an opinion among the Cosmographers and Pilottes of late tyme and other whiche haue had practyse in thynges touchyng the sea that there shoulde be a strayght of water passing from the North sea of the fyrme into the South sea of Sur which neuerthelesse hath not been seene nor founde to this day And surely yf there be any such strayght we that inhabite those partes do thynke the same should be rather of land then of water For the fyrme land in some partes thereof is so strayght and narrowe that the Indians say that from the mountaynes of the prouince of Esquegua or Vrraca which are betweene the one sea and the other if a man ascend to the top of the mountaines and looke toward the North he may see the water of the North sea of the prouince of Beragua againe looking the contrary way may on the other syde towards the South see the sea of Sur and the prouinces which confine with it as do the territories of the two Lordes or kynges of the sayde prouinces of Vrraca and Esquegua And I beleeue that yf it be as the Indians say of all that is hytherto knowen this is the narrowest strayght of the fyrme land whiche some affirme to be full of rough mountaynes Yet do I take it for a better way or soo short as is that whiche is made from the port called Nomen Dei whiche is in the North sea vnto the newe citie of Panama beyng in the coast and on the bancke of the sea of Sur whiche way is lykewyse very rough full of thycke wooddes mountaynes ryuers valleyes and very difficult to passe through and can not be done without great labour trauaile Some measure this way in this part to be from sea to sea eighteene leagues whiche I suppose to be rather twentie not for that it is any more by measure but because it is rough and difficult as I haue sayde and as I haue founde it by experience hauyng now twise passed that way by foote countyng from the port and village of Nomen Dei vnto the dominion of the Cacique of Iuanaga otherwyse called Capira eyght leagues and from thence to the ryuer of Chagre other eyght leagues So that at this riuer beyng sixteene leagues from the sayde port endeth the roughnesse of the way then from hence to the marueilous brydge are two leagues and beyonde that other two vnto the port of Panama So that altogeather in my iudgement make twentie leagues And yf therefore this nauigation may be founde in the South sea for the trade of spyces as we trust in God to be brought from thence to the sayde port of Panama as is possible enough they maye afterwarde easely passe to the North sea notwithstandyng the difficultie of the way of the twentie leagues aforesayde Which thyng I affirme as a man wel trauayled in these regions hauyng twyse on my feete passed ouer this strayght in the yeere 1521. as I haue said It is furthermore to be vnderstoode that it is a marueilous facilitie to bryng spices by this way which I wil now declare From Panama to the ryuer of Chagre are foure leagues of good and fayre way by the which cartes may passe at pleasure by reason that the mountaines are but few and litle and that the greatest part of these foure leagues is a playne grounde voyde of trees and when the cartes are come to the sayde ryuer â–ª the spyces may be caried in Barkes and pynnesses For this riuer entreth into the North sea fyue or syxe leagues lower then the port of Nomen Dei and emptieth it selfe in the sea neere vnto an Iland called Bastimento where is a verye good and safe port Your maiestie may now therfore consyder howe great a thyng â–ª and what commoditie it may be to conuey spices this way forasmuch as y e riuer of Chagre hauing his originall only two leagues from the South sea continueth his course and emptieth it selfe into the other North sea This riuer runneth fast and is verye great and so commodious for this purpose as may be thought or desired the marueylous brydge made by the worke of nature beyng two leagues beyond the sayde ryuer other two leagues on this syde the port of Panama so lying in the mydde waye betweene them both as framed naturally in suche sort that none which passe by this viage doth see any such brydge or thinke that there is any such buyldyng in that place vntyll they be in the top thereof in the way towarde Panama But assoone as they are on the brydge lookyng towarde the ryght hande they see a litle ryuer vnder them whiche hath his chanell distant from the feete of them that walke ouer it the space of two speares length or more The water of this ryuer is very shalowe not passyng the deapth of a mans legge to the knee and is in breadth betweene thyrtie and fourtie pases and falleth into the ryuer of Chagre Towarde the ryght hand standyng on this brydge there is nothing seene but great trees The largenesse of the brydge conteyneth fyfteene pases and the length thereof about threescore or fourescore pases The arche is so made of most harde stone that no man can beholde it without admiration beyng made by the hygh and omnipotent creatour of all thinges But to returne to speake somewhat more of the conueying of spices I say that when it shall please almyghtie God that this nauigation aforesayde shall be founde by the good fortune of your maiestie and that the spyces of the Ilandes of the South sea whiche may also be otherwyse called the Ocean of the East India in the which are the Ilandes of Molucca shal be brought to the sayd coast and the port of Panama and be conueyed from thence as we haue sayde by the fyrme lande with cartes vnto the ryuer of Chagre and from thence into this our other sea of the North from whence they may afterwarde be brought into Spayne I say that by this meanes the viage shal be shortned more then seuen thousand leagues with muche lesse daunger then is by the viage nowe vsed by the
euen at this present there is nothyng wherefore it shoulde malice theyr prosperitie not beyng inferiour to them in any felicitie that in maner the heauens can graunt to any lande beyng furthermore suche as mâ—y inryche many prouinces and kyngdomes by reason of many ryche golde mynes that are in it of the beste golde that is founde to this day in the worlde and in greatest quantitie In this Iland nature of her selfe bryngeth foorth suche abundance of cotton that if it were wrought and mayntayned there shoulde be more and better then in any part of the world There is so great plentie of excellent Cassia that a great quantitie is brought from thence into Spaine from whence it is caried to diuers partes of the worlde It encreaseth so muche that it is a marueylous thyng to consider In this are many ryche shoppes where Suger is wrought and that of suche perfectnesse and goodnesse and in such quantitie that shyps come laden therewith yeerely into Spayne All such seedes settes or plantes as are brought out of Spayne and planted in this Ilande become muche better bygger and of greater encrease then they are in any part of our Europe And yf it chaunce otherwyse that sometymes they prosper not so well the cause is that they which should tyl and husband the ground sowe and plant in due seasons haue no respect heereunto beyng impatient whyle the wheat and vines waxe rype beyng geuen to wanderyng and other affayres of present gaynes as I haue sayde as searchyng the golde mynes fyshyng for pearles and occupying marchaundies with suche other trades for the greedy folowyng whereof they neglect and contempne both sowyng and plantyng Suche fruites as are brought out of Spayne into this Iland prosper marueylously and waxe rype all tymes of the yeere as hearbes of al sortes very good and pleasaunt to be eaten Also many Pomgranates of the best kynde and Oranges both sweete and sowre Lykewyse many fayre Limons and Cedars and a great quantitie of all such as are of sharpe sowre and bytter tast There are also many Fygge trees which bryng foorth theyr fruite all the whole yeere Lykewyse those kynde of Date trees that beare Dates and diuers other trees and plantes which were brought out of Spayne thyther Beastes do also encrease in lyke abundaunce especially the heardes of Ryne are so augmented both in quantitie and number that there are now many patrons of cattaile that haue more then two thousand heades of Neate and some three or foure thousande and some more Besyde these there are very many that haue heardes of foure or fyue hundred And trueth it is that this Iland hath better pasture for suche cattayle then any other countrey in the worlde also holsome and cleare water and temperate ayre by reason whereof the heardes of such beastes are much bygger fatter and also of better tast then ours in Spayne because of the ranke pasture whose moisture is better digested in the hearbe or grasse by the continuall temperate heate of the Sonne wherby beyng made more fat and vnctuous it is of better and more stedfast nouryshment For contynuall and temperate heate doth not only drawe much moysture out of the earth to the nouryshment of such thynges as growe and are engendred in that clime but doth also by moderation preserue the same from resolution and putrifaction digesting also and condensatyng or thycknyng the sayde moyst nouryshment into a gummie and vnctuous substaunce as is seene in all suche thynges as growe in those regions and this is the only naturall cause aswell that certayne great beastes and of long lyfe as the Elephant Rhinoceros with suche other are engendred only in the regions neare vnto the Equinoctiall as also that the leaues of suche trees as growe there do not wyther or fall vntyll they be thrust out by other accordyng to the verse of the poet whiche sayeth Et nata pira piris et ficus in ficubus extant this is in effect Peares growing vpon Peares and Fygges vpon Fygges Plinie also wryteth that suche trees are neuer infected with the disease of trees that the Latines call Caries whiche we may call the worme or canker beyng but a certayne putrifaction by reason of a watrishe nouryshment not well consolidate The same thyng hath been the cause that certayne Philosophers considering aswell that man is the hottest and moystest beast that is whiche is the best complexion as also that men lyue longest in certayne partes of India neare the Equinoctiall where yet to this day some liue to the age of an hundred and fyftie yeeres were of opinion that yf mankynde had any beginning on the earth that place ought by good reason to be vnder or not farre from y e Equinoctial line for the causes aforesayde Some of the Diuines also vpon lyke consideration haue thought it agreable that theyr Paradise shoulde be about the same within y e precinct of those riuers which are named in the booke of Genesis But to let passe these thyngs to returne to the historie In this Iland furthermore are manye Sheepe and a great number of Hogges of the whiche as also of the Ryne many are become wylde and lykewyse many Dogges and Cattes of those whiche were brought out of Spayne These and especially the Dogges do much hurt among the cattayle by reason of the negligence of the heardmen There are also many Horses Mares and Mules and such other beastes as serue the vse of men in Spayne and are muche greater then they of the fyrst broode brought thyther out of Spayne Some places of the Ilande are inhabited although not so many as were requisite Of the which I wyl say no more but that al the regions of the Ilande are so well situate that in the course of tyme all thynges shall come to greater perfection by reason of the rychnesse pleasauntnesse of the countrey and fertilitie of the soyle But nowe to speake somewhat of the principall and chiefe place of the Ilande whiche is the citie of San Domenico I saye that as touchyng the buildinges there is no citie in Spayne so much for so much no not Barsalona which I haue oftentymes seene that is to be preferred before this generally For the houses of San Domenico are for the most parte of stone as are they of Barsalona or of so strong wel wrought earth that it maketh a singuler and strong bynding The situation is much better then that of Barsalona by reason that the streates are much larger and plainer and without comparison more directe and streyght foorth For being builded nowe in our tyme besyde the commoditie of the place of the fundation the streetes were also directed with corde compase and measure wherin it excelleth al the cities that I haue seene It hath the sea so neere that of one syde there is no more space betwene the sea
commodities that it seemeth in a maner an earthly Paradise it hath diuers kynds of beastes and yet none hurtful or of rauenyng kynde Theyr sheepe are of suche heyght that they vse them in steede of Horses some write that they are as bygge as the young Foles of Camelles and that theyr wooll is verye softe and fyne also that the Ewes bryng foorth Lambes twyse a yeere The people are wyttie and of gentle behauiour cunnyng also in artes faythfull of promise and of maners not greatly to be discommended saue only that they are ignorant of Christ who neuerthelesse is now knowen vnto them in many places as our hope is he shal be daylie more and more yf all Princes wyll herein put theyr helpyng handes to the plowe of our Lorde and send labourers into his vineyarde Of the great ryuer called Rio de la Plata that is the ryuer of siluer THis ryuer reacheth very farre in length breadth and is called Vruai in the Indian tongue Into this falleth an other riuer named Paraue The first that sayled into the riuer of Plata was Iohn Dias Solis whom the ryght noble kyng of Spaine Ferdinandus made Admirall of these seas In the ryuer lyeth an Ilande whiche Iohn Dias named Martinus Gratias because a pilot of his so called was buried there This Ilande is situate in the myddest of the ryuer and is distant from the mouth of the same about fourtie leagues As the sayde Admyrall attempted to expugne the Ilande he was sodenly oppressed and slayne of the Indians that priuylye assayled hym Wherewith neuerthelesse theyr barbarous crueltie was not satisfied vntyll they had torne hym in peeces and deuoured hym But many yeeres after the Emperours Maiestie and Kyng of Spayne Charles the fyfte sent foorth Sebastian Cabot a man of great courage skylful in Cosmographie and of no lesse experience as concernyng the Starres of the sea with commaundement to discouer and subdue the Indians of Tharsis Ophir Cipango and Coi Cathai Receyuyng therefore his commission and proceedyng forwardes on his viage he arriued by chaunce at this Ilande the cause whereof was that the principall vessell was lost by shypwracke and the men that saued theyr lyues by swymmyng were receyued into our shyppes Perceyuyng therefore that by reason of this chaunce he coulde by no meanes perfourme his viage attempted he entended to expugne the sayde Ilande and thereupon to conueygh his victuals to land to prepare his souldiers to the inuasion to plant colonies to erect fortresses by the riuers side wherby the Spaniards might be defended from the violence of the Barbarians But before he attempted this he was aduertised that the Ilande was rich in gold siluer Which thing did so encorage him that without respecte of peryl he thought best to expugne it by one meanes or other wherein his boldenesse tooke good effecte as often tymes chaunceth in great affayres Furthermore as touchyng the ryuer Sebastian Cabote made relation that he neuer sawe any comparable vnto this in breadth and deapth For whereas it falleth into the sea it conteyneth .xxv. leagues in breadth From the mouth of the ryuer Cabote sailed vp the same into the lande for the space of three hundred and fiftie leagues as he wryteth in his owne carde That it is of great deapth may hereby be consydered that many great ryuers fall into it so that the chanell can not be shalowe that conteyneth such aboundance of water and suche plentie of good and great fyshes For there is in maner no fyshe in the sea that is not founde in this ryuer Assoone as the Spanyardes were set alande they made a proofe if the soyle were fruitefull to beare corne Takyng therefore fyftie graynes of wheate and committyng the same to the earth in the moneth of September they geathered thereof two thousand and fiftie at December next folowyng wherin some being deceyued and mistakyng the thyng haue written in the steade of two thousande and fiftie fiftie thousande and two the lyke fertilitie is there of all other grayne and pulse Furthermore thinhabitauntes declared that not farre from that place there are great and hygh mountaines in the which is founde great plentie of golde and no great distance from the same to be other mountaynes no lesse fruitefull of syluer and many other thinges long to rehearse Thinhabitauntes are paynefull men and tyll the grounde diligently wherein they take great pleasure and haue therefore great plentie of bread of Maizium There are sheepe of such byggenesse that they compare them to young Camels or Asses as some say theyr wooll is very fine and nearest vnto the fynenesse of sylke There are also beastes of diuers kyndes Among men there is this difference that such as liue in the mountaynes are whyte and for the most part lyke vnto the men of our regions but they that dwell aboue the ryuer as though they tooke theyr colour thereof are blackyshe or purple of the coloure of fine Iron or Steele This also chaunceth to many of them that theyr feete and legges are lyke the legges and feete of the foule called the Oystreche Of the landes of Laborador and Baccalaos lying west and northwest from England and being part of the firme lande of the VVest Indies MAny haue traueyled to search the coaste of the lande of Laborador aswell to thintent to knowe howe farre or whyther it reacheth as also whether there be any passage by sea through the same into the sea of Sur and the Ilandes of Molucca whiche are vnder the Equinoctiall lyne thynkyng that the way thyther should greatly be shortened by this viage The Spanyardes as to whose ryght the sayde Ilandes of spices parteyne dyd fyrst seeke to fynde the same by this way The Portugales also hauyng the trade of spices in theyr handes dyd trauayle to fynde the same although hytherto neyther any suche passage is founde or the ende of that lande In the yeere a thousande and fiue hundreth Gasper Cortesreales made a viage thyther with two Carauelles but found not the streight or passage he sought At his being there he named the Ilands that lye in the mouth of y e gulfe Quadrado after his name Cortesreales lying in the fyftie degree and more brought from that land about threescore men for slaues He greatly marueyled to behold the huge quantitie of snowe Ise for the sea is there frosen exceedingly Thinhabitantes are men of good corporature although tawny lyke the Indies and laborious They paynt theyr bodyes and weare braselettes and hoopes of syluer and copper theyr apparell is made of the skynnes of Marternes dyuers other beastes whiche they weare with the heare inwarde in winter and outwarde in sommer This apparell they gyrde to theyr bodyes with gyrdels made of cotton or the fynewes of fyshes and beastes They eate fyshe more then any other thyng and especially Salmons although
whan any of them calleth his name he answereth Syr and as we doe say that the kyng hath made some gentleman so say they that there is made a Loutea And for that amongest them the degrees are diuers both in name and office I will tell you onely of some principalles beyng not able to aduertise you of all The maner howe gentlemen are created Louteas and doe come to that honour and title is by the gyuyng of a broad gyrdle not like to the rest a cap at the commaundement of the kyng The name Loutea is more generall and common vnto moe than equalitie of honour therby signified agreeth withall Such Louteas that doe serue their prince in weightie matters for iustice are created after triall made of their learning but the other whiche serue in smaller affayres as Capitaynes Constables Sergeantes by lande and sea Receyuers and such lyke wherof there be in euery citie as also in this very many are made for fauour the chiefe Louteas are serued kneelyng The whole prouince China is diuided as I haue sayde into thirtiene shyres in euery shyre at the least is one gouernour called there Tutan in some shyres there be two Chiefe in office nexte vnto them be certayne other named Chians that is hygh Commissioners as you would say or visiters with full aucthoritie in suche wyse that they doe call vnto an accompt the Tutanes them selues but their aucthoritie lasteth not in any shyre longer than one yeere Neuerthelesse in euery shyre beyng at the least seuen cities yea in some of them fyftiene or sixtiene beside other Boroughes townes not well to be numbred these visiters where they come are so honoured and feared as though they were some great princes At the yeeres ende their circuit done they come vnto that citie which is chiefe of others in the shyre to doe iustice there finally busiyng them selues in the searchyng out of such as are to receyue the order of Louteas whereof more shall be sayde in an other place Ouer and besydes these officers in the chiefe citie of eche one of these aforesayde thirtiene prouinces is resident one Ponchiassi Capitayne thereof and Treasurer of all the kynges reuenues This Magistrate maketh his abode in one of the foure greatest houses that be in all these head cities And although the principall parte of his function be to be Capitayne to be Treasurer of the reuenues in that prouince to sende these reuenues at appoynted tymes to the Court yet hath he notwithstandyng by his office also to meddle with matters apperteynyng vnto iustyce In the seconde great house dwelleth an other Magistrate called Anchiassi a great offycer also for he hath dealynges in all matters of iustice Who although hee bee somewhat inferior in dignitie vnto the Ponchiassi yet for his great dealynges and generall charge of iustice whosoeuer seeth the affayres of the one house and the other myght iudge this Anchiassi to be the greater Tuzi an other officer so called lyeth in the thyrd house a magistrate of importance specially in thinges belongyng vnto warfare for thereof hath he charge There is resident in the fourth house a fourth officer bearyng name Taissu In this house is the principall pryson of all the citie Eche one of these Magistrates aforesayde may both laye euyll doers in pryson and deliuer them out agayne except the facte be heynous and of importance in suche a case they can doe nothing except they doe meete altogeather And if the deede deserue death all they togeather can not determine thereof without recourse made vnto the Chian wheresoeuer he bee or to the Tutan and eftsones it falleth out that the case be referred vnto hygher power In all cities not onely chiefe in eche shyre but in the rest also are meanes founde to make Louteas Many of them doe studie at the prince his charges wherfore at the yeeres ende they resort vnto the head cities whyther the Chians doe come as it hath been earst sayde as well to gyue these degrees as to sit in iudgement ouer the prysoners The Chians goe in circuit euery yeere but suche as are to be chosen to the greatest offices meete not but from three yeeres to three yeeres and that in certayne large halles appoynted for them to be examined in Many thynges are asked them wherevnto if they doe aunswere accordingly and be found sufficient to take their degree the Chian by and by graunteth it them but the Cappe gyrdle wherby they are knowen to be Louteas they weare not before that they be confirmed by the kyng Theyr examination done and tryall made of them such as haue taken their degree wont to be giuen them with all cerimonies vse to banket and feast many dayes together as the Chineans fashion is to end all their pleasures with eatyng and drinkyng and so remayne chosen to doe the kyng seruice in matters of learnyng The other examinates founde insufficient to proceede are sent backe to their studie againe Whose ignoraunce is perceiued to come of negligence default such a one is whipped and sometymes sent to pryson where wee lying that yeere whan this kynde of acte was we found many thus punished and demaundyng the cause therof they sayde it was for that they knew not howe to answere vnto certayne thinges asked them It is a worlde to see howe these Louteas are serued and feared in suche wise that in publyke assemblies at one shryke they gyue all the seruitors belongyng vnto iustice tremble thereat At their being in these places whan they lyst to moue be it but euen to the gate these seruitors do take them vp and carry them in seates of beaten golde After this sort are they borne whan they goe in the citie eyther for their owne businesse abrode or to see eche other at home For the dignitie they haue and office they doe beare they be al accompanyed the very meanest of them all that goeth in these seates is vshered by two men at the least that cry vnto the people to gyue place howbeit they neede it not for that reuerence the common people hath vnto them They haue also in theyr company certayne Sergeantes with their Maces eyther siluered or altogeather siluer some two some foure other six other eight conueniently for eche one his degree The more principall and chiefe Louteas haue going orderly before these Sergeantes many other with staues and a great many catchpoules with roddes of Indishe canes dragged on the grounde so that the streetes beyng paued you may heare a farre of as well the noyse of the roddes as the voyce of the cryers These felowes serue also to apprehende others and the better to be knowen they weare liuery redde girdles and in their cappes Pecockes feathers Behynde these Louteas come such as doe beare certayne tables hanged at staues endes wherein is written in siluer letters the name degree and office of that Loutea whom they folowe In lyke maner they
pretie kynde of fyshyng not to be omitted in my opinion and therefore wyll I set it downe The kyng hath in many ryuers good store of barges full of sea crowes that breede are fedde and do dye therein in certayne cages allowed monethly a certayne prouision of ryse These barges the kyng bestoweth vppon his greatest magistrates geuyng to some two to some three of them as he thynketh good to fyshe therewithall after this maner At the houre appoynted to fyshe all the barges are brought togeather in a circle where the ryuer is shalowe and the crowes tyed togeather vnder the wynges are let leape downe into the water some vnder some aboue worth the lookyng vppon eche one as he hath filled his bagge goeth to his owne barge and emptieth it whiche done he retourneth to fyshe agayne Thus hauyng taken good store of fyshe they set the crowes at libertie and do suffer them to fyshe for theyr owne pleasure There were in that citie where I was twentie barges at the least of these aforesayde crowes· I wente almost euery day to see them yet coulde I neuer be throughly satisfied to see so straunge a kynde of fyshyng ¶ Of the Ilande Giapan and other litle Isles in the East Ocean By R. Wylles THe extreme part of the knowen worlde vnto vs is the noble Ilande Ciapan written otherwyse Iapon and Iapan This Iland standeth in the East Ocean beyonde all Asie betwixte Cathayo the West Indies 36. degrees Northwarde from the aequinoctial line in the same clime with the South part of Spayne and Portugall distant from thence by sea .6000 leagues the trauayle thyther both for ciuile discorde great piracie and often shipwrackes very daungerous This countrey is hylly and pestred with snowe wherefore it is nether so warme as Portugall yet very poore as farre as we can learne wantyng oyle butter cheese mylke egges suger honny vyneger saffarne cynamome and pepper Barly branne the Ilanders do vse in steede of salte medicinable thinges holsome for the body haue they none at al. Neuerthelesse in that Iland sundry fruites do grow not much vnlike the fruites of Spayne great store of Syluer mynes are therin to be seene The people tractable ciuile wyttye courteous without deceyte in vertue and honest conuersation exceedyng all other nations lately discouered but so muche standyng vppon theyr reputation that theyr chiefe Idole may be thought honour The contempte therof causeth among them much discord and debate manslaughter and murther euen for theyr reputation they do honour theyr parentes keepe theyr promises absteyne from adultery and robberyes punyshing by death the least robbery done holdyng for a prynciple that whosoeuer stealeth a tryfle wyll if he see occasion steale a greater thing It may be thefte is so seuerely punished of them for that the nation is oppressed with scarcitie of al thynges necessarye and so poore that euen for miserie they strangle theyr owne chyldren preferring death before want These felowes do nether eate nor kyll any foule They lyue chiefely by fyshe hearbes and fruites so healthfully that they dye very olde Of Ryce and Wheate there is no great store No man is ashamed there of his pouertie ne be theyr gentlemen therfore lesse honored of the meaner people ne wyl the poorest gentleman there ▪ matche his chylde with the baser sort for any gayne so muche they do make more accompt of gentry then of wealth The greatest delyght they haue is in armorie eache boy at fourteene yeeres of age be he borne gentle or otherwyse hath his swoorde and dagger very good archers they be contempnyng all other nations in comparison of theyr manhood and prowesse puttyng not vp one iniurie be it neuer so small in worde or deede among them selues They feede moderately but they drynke largely The vse of vines they knowe not theyr drinke they make of Ryce vtterly they do abhorre dyse and all games accomptyng nothyng more vyle in a man then to geue hym selfe vnto those thynges that make vs greedie and desirous to get other mens goodes If at any time they do sweare for that seldome they are wont to do they sweare by the Sunne many of them are taught good letters wherfore they may so much the sooner be brought vnto Christianitie Eche one is contented with one wyse they be all desirous to learne and naturally enclined vnto honestie and curtesie godly talke they lysten vnto wyllinglye especially when they vnderstand it throughlye Theyr gouerment consisteth of three estates The fyrst place is due vnto the hygh priest by whose lawes and decrees al publique and priuate matters apparteynyng vnto religion are decided The sectes of theyr cleargie men whom they do call Bonzi be of no estimation or aucthoritie except the high priest by letters patent do confyrme the same he confyrmeth and alloweth of theyr Tundi who be as it were Byshops although in many places they are nominated by sundrye Princes These Tundi are greatly honoured of all sortes they do geue benefices vnto inferiour ministers and doo graunt licences for many thynges as to eate fleshe vppon those daies they go in Pilgrimage to theyr Idoles with suche lyke priuileges Finallye this hygh priest wont to be chosen in China for his wisdome and learnyng made in Giapan for his gentry and byrth hath so large a Dominion and reuenewes so great that eftsones he beardeth the pety Kinges and Princes there Theyr seconde principall Magistrate in theyr language Vo is the cheefe Herehaught made by succession and byrth honored as a God This gentleman neuer toucheth the grounde with his foote without forfaytyng of his office he neuer goeth abrode out of his house nor is at all tymes to be seene At home he is eyther carried about in a lytter or els he goeth in woodden Choppines a foote hygh from the grounde commonly he sitteth in his Chayre with a swoord in one syde and a bowe and arrowes in the other next his body he weareth blacke his outwarde garment is redde all shadowed ouer with Cipresse at his cap hang certayne Lambeaux much lyke vnto a Bishops Myter his forehead is paynted whyte and red he eateth his meate in earthen Dishes This Herehaught determineth in all Giapan the diuers tytles of honour whereof in that Iland is great plentie eache one perticularly knowen by his badge commonly seene in sealyng vp theyr letters and dayly altered accordyng to theyr degrees About this Vo euery noble man hath his Soliciter for the nation is so desirous of prayse and honour that they stryue among them selues who may brybe hym best By these meanes the Herehaught groweth so ryche that although he haue neyther lande nor any reuenewes otherwyse yet may he be accompted the wealthyest man in al Giapan For three causes this great Magistrate may loose his office first if he touch the ground with his foote as it hath been alreadie sayd next if he kyl anye body thyrdlye yf he be founde an enemie vnto peace and quietnesse howebeit neyther of
and halfe deade with knockes They walke sometymes on two feete and spoyle trees backewarde Sometyme also they inuade Bulles and so hang on them with all theyr feete that they weerye them with weight The Beare as sayeth Plinie bringeth foorth her byrth the thirtie day and often tymes two Theyr birth is a certaine white masse of flesh without fourme and litle bigger then a mouse without eyes and without heare with only the nayles or clawes commyng foorth but the damme with continuall lyckyng by litle and litle figureth the informe byrth When she entreth into the denne which shee hath chosen shee creepeth thyther with her belly vpwarde least the place should be founde by the steppes of her feete And beyng there deliuered of her byrth remaineth in the same place for the space of .xiiii. dayes immoueable as wryteth Aristotle They lyue without meat .xl. dayes and for that tyme susteyne them selues only by lyckyng and suckyng theyr ryght foote At the length chaunsing to finde meate they fyll them selues so full that they remedy that surfeyte by vomyte which they prouoke by eatyng of Antes Theyr byrth is oppressed with so heauy a sleepe for the space of .xiiii. dayes that it can not be raysed eyther with prickyng or woundes and in the meane tyme growe exceedyng fatte After fourtiene dayes they wake from sleepe and begyn to lycke and sucke the soles of theyr fore feete and lyue thereby for a space Nor yet is it apparent that they lyue by any other meate vntyll the spring tyme of the yeere At whiche tyme begynnyng to runne abrode they feede of the tender buddes and young sprygges or braunches of trees and other hearbes correspondent to theyr lyppes Before fiue hundred yeeres the Moscouites honoured the Goddes of the Gentyles And then fyrst receyued the Christian fayth when the Byshoppes of Grecia began to discent from the church of the Latines and therefore receyued the rites of the Greekes They minister the sacrament with fermented breade vnder both kyndes And thinke that the soules of dead men are not helped with the suffragies of priestes nor yet by the deuotion of theyr friendes or kynsfolke Also that the place of Purgatorie is a fable In the tyme of the diuine seruice the hystorie of the myracles of Christ and the Epistles of sainct Paule are rehearsed out of the Pulpitte Beyonde Moscouia are many people which they call Scythians and are partely subiecte to the Prince of Moscouia These are they which Duke Iuan subdued as are the people of Perm Baskird Cezriremissa Iuhra Corela and Permska These people were Idolatours before the Duke compelled them to baptisme appointed a byshop ouer them named Steuen whom the Barbarians after the departure of the Duke flayed alyue and slue But the Duke returnyng shortly after afflicted them sore and assigned them a newe byshop It is here also to be noted that the olde Cosmographers fayned that in these regions towarde the North pole there should be certayne great mountaynes which they called Ripheos and Hyperboreos which neuerthelesse are not founde in nature It is also a fable that the ryuers of Tanais Volham doe spring out of hygh mountaynes whereas it is apparent that both these ryuers and many other haue theyr originall in the playnes Next to Moscouia is the fruitful region of Colmogora through the whiche runneth the ryuer of Diuidna beyng the greatest that is knowen in the North partes of the worlde This ryuer increaseth at certayne tymes of the yeere as doeth the ryuer of Nilus in Egypt ouerfloweth the fieldes rounde about and with aboundaunce of fatte moysture resisteth the coldnesse of the ayre Wheate sowne in the grounde groweth aboundauntly without ploughyng and fearyng the newe iniurie of the proude ryuer springeth groweth and rypeth with wonderfull celeritie of hastyng nature Into the ryuer of Diuidna runneth the ryuer of Iuga And in the very angle or corner where they meete is a famous marte towne named Vstiuga beyng a hundred and fyftie myles distant from the chiefe citie of Mosca To this marte towne from the higher countreis are sent the precious furres of Marternes Sables Woolues such other which are exchaunged for dyuers other kyndes of wares marchandies Hytherto Munsterus And forasmuche as many doe marueyle that such plentie of hony should bee in so coole a countrey I haue thought good to declare the reason and naturall cause heereof It is therefore to be considered that lyke as spices gums and odoriferous fruites are engendred in hotte regions by continuall heate duryng all the whole yeere without impression of the mortifying qualitie of colde whereby all thynges are constrayned as they are dilated by heate euen so in colde and moyst regions whose moysture is thynner and more wateryshe then in hot regions are floures engendred more aboundauntly as caused by impression of lesse and faynter heate woorkyng in thynne matter of wateryshe moysture lesse concocte then the matter of gummes and spyces and other vncâ—uous fruites and trees growyng in hot regions For although as Munster sayeth here before the region of Moscoâ—â—a beareth neyther vines or Oliues or any other fruitee of sweete sauour by reason of the coldnesse thereof neuerthelesse forasmuch as floures wherof hony is chiefly geathered may in sommer season growe aboundantly in the playnes maryshes woode not onely on the ground but also on trees in colde regions it is agreeable to good reason that great plentie of hony should be in suche regions as abounde with floures which are brought foorth with the fyrst degree of heate and fyrst approche of the sunne as appeareth in the spryng tyme not only by the spryngyng of floures in fieldes and Gardeynes but also of blossomes of trees spryngyng before the leaues or fruite as the lyghter and thynner matter fyrst drawne out with the lowest and least degree of heate as the lyke is seene in the arte of styllyng whereby all thynne and lyght moystures are lyfted vp by the fyrst degree of the fyre and the heauyest and thyckest moystures are drawne out with more vehement fyre As we may therefore in this case compare the generation of floures to the heat of May the generation of gummes to the heat of Iune and spyces to the heate of Iuly Euen so in suche colde regions whose summer agreeth rather with the temperate heate moysture of May then with thextreme heate of the other monethes that heate is more apte to bring foorth aboundance of floures as thinges caused by moderate heate as playnly appeareth by their tast and sauour in which is no sharpe qualitie of heate eyther byting the tongue or offendyng the head as is in spices gums and fruites of hotte regions And as in colde and playne regions moderate heate with aboundance of moisture are causes of the generation of floures as I haue sayde so lykewyse the length of the dayes and shortnesse and warmenesse of the
be most ample yet hath it no Emperour but is gouerned by the wysedome and vertue of the most auncient valiant men after the maner of the common wealth of Uenece Beyonde the Nogais somewhat towarde the South the Caspian sea the noblest nation of the Tartars called Zagathai inhabite townes buylded of stone and haue an exceedyng great and fayre citie called Samarcanda whiche Iaxartes the great ryuer of Sogdiana runneth through and passyng from thence about a hundred myles falleth into the Caspian sea With these people in our dayes Ismael the Sophi and kyng of Persia hath oftentymes kepte warre with doubtfull successe Insomuche that fearyng the greatnesse of theyr power whiche he resysted with all that he myght he lefte Armenia and Taurisium the chiefe citie of the kyngdome for a praye to Selimus the victourer of one wyng of the battayle From the citie of Samarcanda descended Tamburlanes the myghty Emperour of the Tartars whom some call Tanberlanis But Demetrius sayth that he shoulde be called Themircuthlu This is he that about the yeere of Christ M.CCC.xcviii subdued almost all the Easte partes of the worlde And lastly with an innumerable multitude of men inuaded the Turkes dominions with whom Baiasetes Ottomanus theyr kyng and father to the great grandfather of this Solyman that nowe lyueth meetyng at Ancira in the confines or marches of Galatia and Bythinia gaue hym a sore battayle in the whiche fell on the Turkes part .20000 men and Baiasetes hym selfe was taken prisoner whom Tamburlanes caused to be locked in an Iron cage and so caryed hym about with hym through all Asia which he also conquered with a terryble army He conquered all the landes betwene Tanais and Nilus and in fine vanquished in battayle the great Soltane of Egypte whom he chased beyonde Nilus and tooke also the citie of Damascus From the region of these Tartars called Zagathei is brought great plentie of sylken apparell to the Moscouites But the Tartares that inhabite the mydlande or inner regions bryng none other wares then trucks or droues of swift runnyng horses and clokes made of whyte feltes also hales or tentes to withstande the iniuries of colde and rayne These they make very artificially apt for the purpose Thei receiue againe of the Moscouites coates of cloth and Syluer monie conteynyng all other bodyly ornamentes and the furnyture of superfluous housholde stuffe For beyng defended agaynst the violence of wether and tempestes onely with such apparel and couerture wherof we haue spoken they trust onely to theyr arrowes which they shoote aswell backwarde flying as when they assayle theyr enimies face to face Albeit when they determined to inuade Europe theyr princes and captaynes had helmets coates of fence and hooked swoordes whiche they bought of the Persians Towarde the South the boundes of Moscouia are termined by the same Tartars whiche possesse the playne regions neere vnto the Caspian sea aboue the maryshes of Meotis in Asia and about the ryuers of Boristhenes and Tanais in part of Europe The people called Roxolani Gete and Bastarne inhabited these regions in olde tyme of whom I thynke the name of Russia tooke originall For they call part of Lituania Russia the lower wheras Moscouia it selfe is called whyte Russia Lituania therefore lyeth on the Northwest syde of Moscouia But toward the full West the mayne landes of Prussia and Liuonia are ioyned to the confines or marches of Moscouia wher the Sarmatian sea breakyng foorth of the streightes of Câ—mbrica Chersonesus nowe called Denmarke is bended with a crooked gulfe towarde the North. But in the furthest bankes of that Ocean where the large kyngdomes of Norway and Suecia are ioyned to the continent and almost enuironed with the sea are the people called Lapones a nation exceedyng rude suspitious and fearefull flying and astonyshed at the syght of all straungers and shyppes They knowe neyther fruites nor apples nor yet any benignitie eyther of heauen or earth They prouide them meate onely with shootyng and are appareled with skynnes of wylde beastes They dwell in caues fylled with drye leaues and in holow trees cnosumed within eyther by fyre or rotten for age Such as dwell neare the sea syde fyshe more luckelye then cunnyngly and in the stead of fruites reserue in store fyshes dryed with smoke They are of small stature of bodie with flat visagies pale and wannie coloure and very swyft of foote Theyr wyttes or dispositions are not knowen to the Moscouites theyr borderers who thynke it therefore a madnesse to assayle them with a smal power and iudge it neyther profitable nor glorious with great armies to inuade a poore beggerly nation They exchange the most white furres which we cal Armelines for other wares of diuers sortes Yet so that they flye the syght and companie of all merchantes For comparyng and laying theyr wares togeather and leauyng theyr furres in a mydde place they bargayne with simple fayth with absent and vnknowen men Some men of great credite and aucthoritie do testifie that in a region beyond the Lapones betwene the West and the North oppressed with perpetuall darknesse is the nation of the people called Pigmei who being growen to theyr ful grought do scarcely excede the stature of our chyldren of ten yeeres of age It is a fearefull kynde of men and expresse theyr wordes in suche chatteryng sort that they seeme to be so muche the more lyke vnto Apes in howe muche they differ in sense and stature from men of iust heyght Toward the North innumerable people are subiect to the Empire of the Moscouites Theyr regions extend to the Scythian Ocean for the space of almost three monethes iorney Next vnto Moscouia is the region of Colmogora aboundyng with fruites Through this runneth the ryuer of Diuidna beyng one of the greatest that is knowen in the North partes and gaue the name to an other lesse ryuer which breaketh foorth into the sea Baltheum This encreasyng at certayne tymes of the yeere as dooth the ryuer Nilus ouerfloweth the feeldes and playnes and with his fatte and nourishyng moysture doth marueylouslye resist the iniuries of heauen and the sharp blastes of the North wynde When it riseth by reason of molten snow and great showres of rayne it falleth into the Ocean by vnknowen nations and with so large a Trenche lyke vnto a great sea that it can not be sayled ouer in one day with a prosperous wynde But when the waters are fallen they leaue here and there large and fruitfull Ilands For corne there cast on the grounde groweth without anye helpe of the Plowe and with meruaylous celeritie of hasting nature fearyng the newe iniurie of the proude ryuer doth both spryng and rype in short space Into the riuer Diuidna runneth the ryuer Iuga and in the corner where they ioyne togeather is the famous Marte Towne called Vstiuga distant from the cheefe citie Mosca .vi. hundred myles Note
by the Emperour of Moscouia and the Sophi of Persia as hereafter shall appeare where we will wryte of the sayde priuileges Maister Ienkinson at his first commyng founde some difficultie to obtayne the Emperours licence to goe into Persia but at the length by friendshyp made hee gaue him both licence to goe and also gaue him letters commendatorie vnto the Sophie and committed also to him certayne affayres of his to doe there And after certayne banquettes and honourable enterteynment accompanied him with an Ambassadour of Persia who had been long in his Courte Therefore saylyng ouer the Caspian sea they arryued on the West syde thereof Not farre from thence is a towne named Darbent where is a very strong Castell of stone made by Alexander Magnus and a wall of the length of thirtiene dayes iourney whicâ—e he made when he kepte warres agaynst the Persians and Medians that the inhabitauntes of that countrey then newly conquered shoulde neyther lyghtly flee nor his enemyes inuade them This Darbent is now vnder the dominion of the Sophie and in the latitude of .41 degrees From Darbent to Bilbec or Bilbil the porte and harborowe where they discharge theyr goods is halfe a dayes saylyng And from thence to Sharuan is ten dayes iourney This towne standeth in a valley is in the countrey of Media in the whiche towne also remayneth the Soltan or gouernour of Media vnder the Sophie In the meane tyme the Kyng of Media named Abdalica cosen vnto the Sophie came thyther and honourably enterteyned maister Ienkinson and the Englyshe merchauntes which were with him and made them a great banquet causyng maister Ienkinson who was then rychely apparelled in silke veluet and scarlet as became an Ambassadour for the Queenes maiestie to sit downe somewhat farre from him The Kyng him selfe dyd sitte in a very ryche Pauilion wrought with silke and golde of the length of sixtiene fatham or thereabout placed on a hylles syde hauyng before him a goodly fountayne of fayre running water wherof he and his nobilitie dronke He was rychly apparelled with long garments of silke and cloth of golde brodered with pearle and pretious stones Uppon his head he had a Cappe with a sharpe ende of halfe a yarde long standyng vpryght of ryche cloth of golde wrapped about with a piece of Indian silke of twentie yardes long wrought with golde On the lefte syde of his Tollepan so is the cappe called was a plume of feathers set in a troonke of golde rychly inameled and set with precious stones At his eares he wore earerynges with pendantes of golde and stones a handful long with two great Rubies of great value in the endes therof All the grounde within his Pauilion was couered with Carpettes and vnder him selfe was spred a square Carpet wrought with siluer and golde and therevppon were layde two sutable Cussions Thus the kyng and his noble men satte in his Pauilion with theyr legges acrosse as doe Taylers Yet commaunded stooles to be gyuen to our men bycause they coulde not sitte so then caused meate to be sette before them and made them a banquet of a hundred dyshes of meate and as many of fruites and conserues After the banquet he caused them to goe with him a huntyng and hauking in the which they killed certayne beastes and Cranes Maister Ienkinson founde so much fauour with this kyng that at his departyng he commended him to the Sophie with his letters and also wrote in his fauour to his sonne being then in the Sophies courte So that after his commyng thyther by his meanes he came at the length to the presence and speache of the Sophie whiche otherwyse he should haue done very hardly by reason of the Turkes Ambassadours which then were there and resisted his affayres with many persuasions to the Sophie and other of his nobilitie agaynst the Christians as mortall enemies both to the Turkes and Persians and theyr religion And whereas a whyle before a perpetuall peace and amitie was concluded betweene the Turke and the Sophie the Ambassadours woulde persuade him that his friendshyp with the Christians or contracte with them touchyng any affaires and especially suche as myght be preiudiciall to the Turke or any of his subiectes myght engender newe suspitions and occasions of breache of the laâ—e concluded peace with many suche other surmised accusations Wherevppon the Sophie stayde and prolonged the tyme before he woulde admit maister Ienkinson to his speache At the length when by the friendshyp and fauour of Kyng Abdalaca and his sonne with other friendes made in the courte the tyme was appoynted that maister Ienkinson shoulde be heaâ—de there was one that came to him without the courte gate before he lyght from his horse on the ground and gaue him a payre of shooes sent from the Sophie suche as he him selfe was wonte to weare in the nyght when he ryseth to pray willyng him to put them on his feete for that it was not otherwyse lawfull for him beyng a Gawar or Caffer that is a mysbeleeuer to treade vppon that holy grounde When hee came to his presence he demaunded of him of what countrey of Frankes he was meanyng by Frankes Christians For they call all Christians Frankes that is Frenche men as we commonly call all Mahumetans Turkes although there bee many Mahumetans of other nations besyde Turkes He answered that he was a Christian of the best Frankes of the countrey of Englande declaryng further vnto him the cause of his commyng thyther to be for the great commoditie of him and his subiectes by the way of merchandies as myght further appeare by the letters directed vnto his maiestie from the Queene of Englande his Prince and the Emperour of Moscouia Muche more talke had he with maister Ienkinson not here to be written but by reason of the Turkes Ambassadours at this present was no great thyng done heerein to the preferment of the merchantes affayres Yet he commaunded that maister Ienkinson shoulde be honourably vsed and sent him certayne ryche apparell At this tyme was also in the Sophies courte the sonne of the Kyng of the Georgians a Christian Sismatike as they are nowe called The same tyme also a sonne of the Turkes who had before attempted somewhat agaynst his father and fledde to the Sophie was by him at the Turkes request deteyned in prison And vppon the late conclusion of peace the Turke required the Sophie to send him his head which hee graunted and sent it him by the sayd Ambassadours This voyage of maister Ienkinson was in the yeere .1561 Here foloweth such informations as was gyuen mee by maister Geferie Ducate principall Agent of the merchanteâ— for the last voyage into Persia in the yeere of our Lord â–ª 1568. beginning in the dominion of the Sophie at the citie of Shamaki in Media bycause the beginning of the voyage from Moscouia hytherto is declared heere before SHamaki is the fayrest towne in all Media and the chiefest commoditie
are of Copper They eate on the grounde sittyng on Carpets crosse legged as do taylers There is no man so symple but he sytteth on a Carpet better or worse and the whole house or roome wherein he sytteth is wholy couered with Carpets Theyr houses are all with flatte roofes couered with earth and in the sommer tyme they lye vpon them all nyght They haue many bonde seruauntes both men and women â–ª Bond men and bond women is one of the best kinde of merchandies that any man may bryng When they bye anye maydes or young women they vse to feele them in all partes as with vs men do horses when one hath bought a young woman yf he lyke her he wyll keepe her for his owne vse as long as hym lysteth and then selleth her to an other who doth the like with her So that one woman is sometymes solde in the space of foure or fyue yeeres twelue or twentie tymes If a man keepe a bonde woman for his owne vse and yf he fynde her to be false to hym and geue her body to any other he may kyll her yf he wyll When a merchant or trauailer commeth to any towne where he entendeth to tarry any time he hyreth a woman or sometimes two or three duryng his abode there And when he commeth to an other towne he doth the lyke in the same also for there they vse to put out theyr women to hyre as wee doo here hackneye Horses There is a verye great ryuer whiche runneth through the playne of Iauat whiche falleth into the Caspian sea by a towne called Backo neare vnto whiche towne is a strange thyng to beholde For there ishueth out of the grounde a marueilous quantitie of Oyle which Oyle they fetch from the vttermost boundes of al Persia it serueth all the countrey to burne in theyr houses This Oyle is blacke and is called Nefte they vse to cary it throughout all the countrey vpon Kyne and Asses of which you shal oftentymes meete with foure or fyue hundred in a company There is also by the sayde towne of Backo an other kinde of Oyle whiche is whyte and very precious and is supposed to be the same that here is called Petroleum There is also not farre from Shamaky a thyng lyke vnto Tarre and ishueth out of the grounde whereof we haue made the proofe that in our shyps it serueth well in the steade of Tarre In Persia are Kyne of two sortes the one lyke vnto ours in these partes the other are marueylous euil fauoured with great bones and very leane and but little heare vppon them theyr milk is walowish sweete they are like vnto them which are spoken of in the scripture which in the dreame of Pharao signified the seuen deare yeeres for a leaner or more euill fauoured beast can no man see In the countrey of Sheruan sometyme called Media if you chaunce to lye in the fieldes neare vnto any village as soone as the twylyght begynneth you shall haue about you two or three hundred Foxes whiche make a marueylous wawelyng or howlyng and yf you looke not well to your victuales it shall scape them hardly but they wyll haue part with you The Caspian sea doth neyther ebbe nor flowe except sometymes by rage of wynde it swelleth vp very hygh the water is very salt Howbeit the quantitie of water that falleth out of the great ryuer of Volga maketh the water freshe at the least twentie leagues into the sea The Caspian sea is marueylous full of fyshe but no kynde of monstrous fysh as farre as I coulde vnderstande yet hath it sundry sortes of fyshes whiche are not in these parties of the worlde The Mutton there is good and the Sheepe great hauyng verye great rumpes with much fat vppon them Ryse and Mutton is theyr cheefe victuale Of the Empire of the Persians and of theyr originall THe kyngdome or Empire of the Persians as it was in auncient tyme most famous euen so is it at these dayes mightie glorious comprehendyng many great large regions For all the tracte of Asia which is betweene the riuer of Tigris the gulfe of Persia and the Indian sea sometime called the sea Indus and the ryuer Iaxartes at this day called Chefell euen vnto the Caspian sea is at this day vnder the dominion of the Sophie of Persia. Of the originall of the Sophies thus writeth Caelius Curio in his Saracenicall historie In the yeere of our Lord .1369 was a certayne Prince among the Persians who possessed the towne of Ardenelim his name was Sophi glorified him selfe to discende of the rase and progenie of Alis Muamedis by Musan Cazin his Neuie He after the death of Calyfa the Soltan of Babilon and the contrary faction which the Turkes defended suppressed also of the Tartars began more boldly and freely to professe his opinion and sentence of theyr religion And bycause that Ocemus the sonne of Alis from whom he glorified him selfe to descend had twelue children willyng to adde to them of his secte a certayne signe whereby they myght be knowen from other ordeyned that they that would embrace his secte and profession should were on their heads a high cappe of purple vnder a vele wherwith all the Turkes inuolue theyr heades and in theyr language call it Tulibante hauing in the middest of it .xii. plumes or shappe toppes After his death succeeded his sonne Guines who in all the East partes obteyned so great opinion of wisedome and holinesse that most famous Tamerlanes Emperour of the Parthians who before had taken Bayazetes kyng of the Turkes made a iourney into Persia to visit him as a most holy man of whom Guines had so much fauour that he obteyned of him the libertie of .xxx. thousande Captiues which he brought with him whom also Guines addicted to his faction and his sonne Secaidar vsed them in his warres For with these after the death of Guines he made warre to certayne people of Scythia named Georgians his borderers beyng Christians afflicted them very greeuously Thus much of the originall of the Sophie of Persia they keepe continually warres with the Turkes for the religion of Mahumet For the Sophians or Persians folowe one maner of interpretation of Mahumettes religion and the Turkes an other the which interpretations neuerthelesse are so differyng one from the other that the one of them esteemeth the other for heretikes The Persians are of liberall nature of muche ciuilitie and curtesie greatly esteeming artes and sciences they acknowledge a certaine worthinesse or nobilitie among men wherin they differ much from the Turkes which make no difference betweene slaues and worthier men or Gentelmen Of the Region of Persia and the maners of the Persians Marcus Paulus Venetus writeth thus Cap. xix Lib. 1. PErsia is a great and large prouince was once noble and of great fame but nowe devastate and ouerrun by the Tartars it is of
lesse dignitie the ancient renoume thereof greatly diminished and the name deuided into the prouinces confine or adiacent vnto it So that now the prouince of Persia as it is diuided conteyneth eight kingdomes whereof the first is named Chasum the seconde Churdistam the third Loc the fourth Cielstam the fyft Instanich the sixte Zerazi the seuenth Socham and the eight Timochaim in the confines of Persia. There are very fayre and goodly horses of great price insomuch that sometymes one is solde for .200 pounds of Turon Merchants bring them to the cities of Chisi and Curmosa situate on the sea side and sell them into India Also Asses be there very fayre and great insomuch that sometymes one is solde for .xxx. pounde weight of siluer The people is of euyll disposition quarellous theeues and murderers and robbe and kyll merchantes by the way except they goe in great companyes Yet in the cities they are of betâ—er maners and of more humanitie also very excellent artificers in woorkes of gold silke Embroderie needle woorke and suche lyke They haue aboundance of bombasine wheate barlye myll wyne also and fruites but in religion they are Mahumetans Of the kyngdome of the Persians Haithon in his booke de Tartaris Cap. vii writeth as foloweth THe kyngdome of the Persians is diuided chiefly into two partes whiche make one kyngdome bicause they are both subiecte to the dominion of one kyng The first parte of Persia beginneth in the East from the confines of the kingdome of Turquestan and is extended toward the West to the great ryuer of Phison which is the chiefe among the foure floodes which run out of earthly Paradyse Towarde the North it is extended to the Caspian sea and towarde the South vnto the desartes of India The region is in maner all playne in the middest whereof are two very great and riche cities the one is named Boctara and the other Seonorgant The Persians haue a language proper to them selues they vse merchandies and tyllage of the grounde and among them selues lyue in peace In tyme paste they were Idolatours and honoured fyre chiefly for God But after that the secte of the Mahumetans occupied the dominion of those landes they became vniuersally Saracens beleeuing the deuilishe doctrine of Mahumet The other parte of Persia beginneth from the riuer Phison and is extended Westward vnto the confines of the kyngdomes of Media and partely also of Armenia the greater Toward the North it is extended vnto the Caspian sea on the South syde it confineth with a certaine prouince of the kingdom of Media and in this prouince are two great cities one named Nesabor and the other Sachen whiche in secte and maners are lyke vnto the other Of Persia and of dyuers cities therof other notable thinges reade heereafter the thirde booke of the voyage of Lodouicus Vartomannus Also the first booke of the same voyage Cap. 12. of Mahumet and his fellowes where you may see the difference in religion betweene the Turkes and Persians beyng both Mahumetans The name of the Sophie Thomas Shaugh and why he is so called THe Persians doe not call theyr kyng by the name of Sophie but this name Sophie is giuen him by other nations for of his owne people he is called Thomas Shaugh whiche is Thomas the ruler Soltan or gouernour for Shaugh is not the name of a kyng but of an office For a kyng in theyr language is called Pachet but no Prince is called by this name before hee haue reigned by seuen discentes but he that nowe reygneth is but only of fyue discentes and is therefore called only Shaugh which is a name of office He hath foure wyues and .xii. sonnes and hath kepte one of his sonnes in prison many yeeres for a great ouerthrowe whiche he gaue the Turke in the warres although he tooke the same for acceptall seruice and a noble exployt Yet forasmuch as by that facte he obteyned great renoume of a valiant and warlyke man he began him selfe to haue him in suspition least the glorie of that enterprise myght encourage him to attempt somewhat agaynst his father as oftentymes the Turkes sonnes haue rebelled agaynst theyr fathers yet liuyng and displaced them of their dignitie Of the kyngdome of Ormus confine to Persia and of the trafique betweene them Also of the citie and Ilande of Ormus or Armusium ORmus is a great kyngdome and hath a peculiar Kyng tributorie to the kyng of Portugale This kyngdome conteyneth all the sea coastes of Arabia in the gulfe of Persia from the mouth of the riuer of Euphrates vntill the Cape of Razalguati and also parte of the kingdome of Persia whiche is adiacent vnto the streight of Bazora called Fretum Bazorae and in maner all the Ilandes of the gulfe of Persia called Sinus Persicus The Metrapolis or chiefe citie of the kingdome of Ormus is the citie of Ormus situate in an Iland named Geru being one of the famost martes of these partes of the world The Iland is within the gulf of Persia not far within the streight of Bazora This streight of Bazora other haue named the streight of Ormus being betweene Arabia Foelix and the region of Persia. The region of Ormus is well peopled hath many goodly places cities The gulfe is not euery where nauigable by reason of many shelues and lowe places Within foure dayes sayling of Ormus are the Ilandes of Baharen where are found the fayrest orientall pearls of the world Ormus vseth trafique of merchandies with Adem Cambaia and with the kingdomes of Decan Goa with the portes of Narsinga Malabar The chiefe merchandies brought from thence are horses of Arabia Persia pearles salt peter brimstone silke Tutia Alume also Alume of Alexandria or Borace Uâ—triol or Copporose salt in great quantitie siluer Muske Ambar wheate many dryed fruites Ryse many other prouisions of vittailes and other thinges to be eaten For these they returne pepper cloues Cinamon Ginger and diuers other sorts of spices and drugges which are dispersed into sundry regions of Persia and Arabia and also into Aden where there is great plentie But if they be deare in Ormus it is not possible that they should be caryed to Cair to come into Italie Theyr returne is with Ryse as much as they can haue white cloth Iron Theyr horses are of marueylous great price in the kyngdomes of Goa Decan and Narsinga and therefore yeerely the merchantes of Ormus bryng many thither and yet sometyme one horse is there at the price of vii hundred of those peeces of golde which they call Saraffos The best are of Arabia the seconde of Persia and the woorst of Cambaia Of the Sophie and kyngdome of Persia after the later writers PErsia is one of the greatest and most famous Prouinces of the worlde It toucheth not the sea but at the gulfe of Ormus On the syde of Cambaia it confineth with the people named Motagues on the syde of
his way good west vntyl he recken hym selfe as farre as Cape de las Palmas where the currant setteth alwayes to the eastwarde And within .xx. leagues eastwarde of Cape de las Palmas is a ryuer called De los Potos where you may haue freshe water and balasse enough and plentie of Iuery or Elephantes teeth This ryuer standeth in foure degrees and almost two terces And when you reckon your selfe as farre shotte as Cape de las Palmas beyng in a degree or a degree and a halfe you may go west west by north vntyl you come in three degrees and then you may go west northwest and northwest and by west vntyll you come in fyue degrees and then northwest And in the .vi. degrees we met northerly wyndes and great rooflyng of tydes And as we coulde iudge the currantes went to the north northwest Furthermore betweene Cape de Monte and Cape verde go great currantes which deceiue many men The .xxii. daye of Apryll we were in .viii. degrees and two terces and so we ranne to the northwest hauyng the wynde at northeast and east northeast and sometymes at east vntyll we were at .xviii. degrees and a terce whiche was on Maye daye And so from .xviii. and two terces we had the wynde at east and east northeast and sometymes at east southeast and then we reckened the Ilandes of Cape Verde easte southeast of vs we iudgyng our selues to bee .xlviii. leagues of And in .xx. and .xxi. degrees we had the wynde more easterly to the southwarde then before And so we ran to the Northwest north northwest and sometymes north by west and north vntyll we came into .xxxi. degrees where we reckoned our selues a hundred and fourescore leagues southwest and by south of the Iland de Flore or de los Flores and there wee met with the wynd at south southeast and set our course northeast In .xxiii. degrees we had the wynde at the South and southwest and then we set our course north northeast and so we ranne to .xl. degrees and then we set our course northeast the wynde being at the southwest and hauyng the Ile de Flore East of vs and xvii leagues of In .xli. degrees we met with the wynde at Northeast and so we ranne northwestwarde then we met with the wynde at the west northwest and at the west within .vi. leagues runnyng towarde the northwest and then we cast about and laye northeast vntyll we came in .xlii. degrees where wee set our course East northeast iudgyng the I le of Coruo south and by west of vs and xxxvi leagues distant from vs. A remembrance that the .xxi day of May we communed with Iohn Rafe and he thought it best to goe northeast and iudged him selfe .xxv. leagues Eastwarde to the Ile de Flore and in .xxxix. degrees and a halfe Note that in the fourth day of September vnder niene degrees we lost the sight of the north starre Note also that in the .xlv. degrees the compasse is varied .viii. degrees to the West Item in .xl. degrees the compasse dyd vary .xv. degrees in the whole Item in .xxx. degrees and a halfe the compasse is varyed .v. degrees to the West Be it also in memorie that two or three dayes before we came to cape Trepointes the pynnesse went alongest the shore thinkyng to sell some of our wares and so we came to Anker three or foure leagues west and by south of the cape Trepointes where we lefte the Trinitie Then our pynnesse came aboorde with all our men the Pynnesse also tooke in more wares They tolde me moreouer that they would goe to a place where the Prymrose was and had receyued muche golde at the first vyage to these parties and tolde me furthermore that it was a good place but I fearyng a brigantine that was then vppon the coast dyd wey and folow them left the Trinitie about foure leagues of from vs and there we rode agaynst that towne foure dayes so that Martine by his owne desire and assent of some of the Commissioners that were in the pinnesse went a shore to the towne and there Iohn Berin went to trafique from vs being three myles of trafcking at an other towne The towne is called Samma or Samua for Samma and Sammaterra are the names of the two first townes where we did traficke for golde to the Northeast of cape Trepoints Hetherto continueth the course of the vyage as it was described by the sayd Pylot Now therfore I wil speake somewhat of the countrey and people and of such thinges as are brought from thence They brought from thence at the last vyage foure hundred pound weight and odde of gold of .xxii. Carrattes and one graine in finenesse also .xxxvi. buttes of graynes and about two hundred and fyftie Elephantes teeth of all quantities Of these I sawe and measured some of .ix. spannes in length as they were crooked Some of them were as bygge as a mans thygh aboue the knee and weyed about foure score and tenne pounde weight a peece They say that some one hath been seene of a hundred and .xxv. pounde weyght Other there were which they call the teeth of calues of one or two or three yeeres whereof some were a foote and a halfe some two foote and some three or more accordyng to the age of the beast These great teeth or tuskes growe in the vpper iawe downewarde and not in the nether iawe vpwarde wherin the paynters and arras woorkers are deceyued At this laste vyage was brought from Guinea the head of an Elephante of suche huge bygnesse that only the bones or crauewe thereof besyde the nether iawe and great tuskes weyghed about two hundred weyght and was as muche as I coulde well lyfte from the grounde insomuche that consideryng also heerewith the weyght of two suche great teethe the nether iawes with the lesse teeth the tongue the great hangyng eares the bygge and long snoute or troonke with all the fleshe braynes and skynne with all other partes belongyng to the whole head in my iudgement it could wey little lesse then fyue hundred weight This head dyuers haue seene in the house of the woorthie merchant syr Andrewe Iudde where also I saw it and beheld it not onely with my bodyly eyes but much more with the eyes of my mynde and spirite considered by the woorke the cunnyng and wysedome of the workemaister without which consideration the sight of suche straunge and wonderfull thinges may rather seeme curiosities then profitable contemplations The Elephante whiche some call an Oliphante is the biggest of all foure footed beastes his forelegges are longer then his hynder he hath ankles in the lower parte of his hynder legges and fyue toes on his feete vndiuided his snoute or troonke is so long and in suche fourme that it is to him in the steede of a hande for hee neyther eateth nor drynketh but by
the substance of them turneth into floure and maketh litle branne or none I told in one eare two hundred and threescore graynes The eare is inclosed in three blades longer then it selfe and of two ynches broade a peece And by this fruitfulnesse the Sunne seemeth partly to recompence such greefes and molestations as they otherwyse receyue by the feruent heate thereof It is doubtlesse a worthy contemplation to consider the contrary effectes of the Sunne or rather the contrary passions of suche thynges as receyue the influence of his beames eyther to theyr hurt or benefyte Theyr drynke is eyther water or the iuise that droppeth from the cut branches of the barren Date trees called Palmites For eyther they hang great gourdes at the sayde branches euery euenyng and let them so hang al night or els they set them on the ground vnder the trees that the droppes may fall therein They say that this kynde of drynke is in taste muche like vnto whey but somewhat sweeter and more pleasaunt They cut the branches euery euening because they are seared vp in the day by the heate of the Sunne They haue also great Beanes as bygge as chestnuts and very hard with a shel in the steade of a huske Many thynges more myght be sayde of the maners of the people and of the woonders and monstruous thynges that are engendred in Africke But it shall suffice to haue sayde thus much of suche thynges as our men partly sawe and partlye brought with them And whereas before speakyng of the fruite of graynes I described the same to haue holes by the syde as in deede it is as it is brought hither yet was I afterward enfourmed that those holes were made to pâ—t strynges or twygges throughe the fruite thereby to hang them vp to drye at the Sunne They growe not past a foote and a halfe or two foote from the grounde and are as red as blood when they are geathered The graynes them selues are called of the physitions Grana Paradisi At theyr commyng home the keeles of theyr shyppes were marueylously ouergrowen with certayne shelles of two inches length and more as thycke as they coulde stande and of suche byggenesse that a man may put his thumme in the mouthes of them They certaynely affirme that in these there groweth a certayne slymy substaunce whiche at the length slyppyng out of the shell and fallyng in the sea becommeth those foules which we cal Barnacles The lyke shelles haue been seene in shyppes returnyng from Iselande but these shels were not past halfe an inche in length Of the other that came from Guinea I saw the Prymrose lying in the Docke and in maner couered with the sayd shelles which in my iudgement shoulde greatly hynder her saylyng Theyr shyppes were also in many places eaten with the wormes called Bromas or Bissas whereof mention is made in the Decades These creepe betweene the plankes whiche they eate through in many places Among other thynges that chaunced to them in this viage this is worthy to be noted that whereas they sayled thyther in seuen weekes they coulde returne in no lesse space then twentie weekes The cause whereof they say to be this That about the coast of Cabo Verde the wind is euer at the East by reason wherof they were enforced to sayle farre out of theyr course into the mayne Ocean to fynde the wynde at the West to bryng them home There died of our men at this last viage about twentie and foure whereof many died at theyr returne into the clyme of the colde regions as betweene the Ilandes of Soria and Englande They brought with them certayne blacke slaues wherof some were tall and strong men coulde well agree with our meates and drynkes The colde and moyst ayre doth somewhat offend them Yet doubtelesse men that are borne in hotte regions may better abyde cold then men that are borne in colde regions may abyde heate forasmuche as vehement heate resolueth the radicall moysture of mens bodies as colde constrayneth and preserueth the same This is also to be considered as a secrete woorke of nature that throughout all Affricke vnder the Equinoctiall line and neare about the same on both sydes the regions are extreeme hotte and the people very blacke Whereas contrarily such regions of the West Indies as are vnder the same lyne are very temperate and the people neyther blacke nor with curlde and shorte wooll on theyr heades as haue they of Affrike but of the colour of an Olyue with long and blacke heare on their heades the cause of whiche varietie is declared in dyuers places in the Decades It is also woorthie to be noted that some of them that were at this vyage tolde me That is that they ouertooke the course of the Sunne so that they had it North from them at noone the xiiii day of Marche And to haue sayde thus muche of these vyages it may suffice Of the Dooues of the Ilande of Madera CAdamastus wryteth that before the Portugales came to this Ilande it was ouergrowen with trees and vnhabited yet were there many beastes and great plentie of Dooues which were vtterly without feare of men bycause they had neuer seene any men before nor yet were accustomed to bee put in feare insomuche that they stoode styll whyle snares were put about theyr neckes with long roddes and poles the whiche thyng he sayeth he hath also seene in other Ilandes There are many ryche men in this Ilande and great aboundance of fleshe bycause the whole Ilande is in maner one gardeyne Of the Ilande of Sainct Thomas vnder the Equinoctiall line THe chiefest occupation and liuing of the inhabitantes of this Ilande is the making of suger which they sell yeerely to the shippes that come for it out of Spaine and Portugale laden with buttes of meale and floure also wyne oyle cheese lether swoordes cuppes of glasse beades certeyne scaruels of the fine white earth called Porcellana of the whiche are made the earthen dishes of the woorke of Maiolica And if it were not that suche victualles and prouisions were brought them out of Spaine and Portugale the whyte merchantes which dwell in that Ilande parteynyng to the dominion of the kyng of Portugale should not be able to lyue there forasmuch as they are not accustomed to eate such meates as doe the Ethiopians or Negros And therefore the Portugales which inhabite this Ilande haue certayne blacke slaues of Guinea Benin and Manicongo whiche they set to tyll and labour the grounde and make suger Among these whyte inhabitauntes there are many riche men which haue 150. or .200 and some .300 blacke slaues of men and women to tyll the grounde and doe other laborious woorkes This Ilande was discouered a hundred yeeres since by the nauigations of the Portugales and was vnknowen to the olde writers It lyeth in the great gulfe of Affrike in the .30 degree of longitude from the West to the East is in
in the midde waye I founde an exceedyng hygh and large mountayne where is great pentie of wylde beastes and especially of Monkeys whiche runne about the mountayne euery where There are also many Lions very noysome to men and therefore it is not safe to iorney that way but when a multitude of men goe togeather at the least to the number of a hundred I passed this way with a great companie and yet were we in daunger of the Lions and other wylde beastes which folowed vs for we were sometimes constrayned to fyght with them with dartes slyngs and bowes vsyng also the helpe of dogges and yet escaped hardly When I came to the citie I fayned my selfe sicke and in the day tyme lurked in the temple and went foorth only in the night to speake with the pilot of the shyp of whom I haue made mention before and obteyned of hym a foist or barke to depart thence secretly Of certayne places of Ethiopia Cap. 14. IN the syxt chapter here before I haue made mention howe departing from the queene I went to the citie of Aden where I couenaunted with a certayne pilot to goe with hym into India and that he woulde not go thyther before he had fyrst made a viage into Persia and that at my fyrst beyng in the citie of Aden he coulde not yet for the space of a moneth depart from thence Duryng whiche tyme I traueyled the regions and cityes whereof I haue spoken vnto this my returne to Aden Nowe therfore accordyng to our agreement to trauayle diuers countreys and regions committing our selues to the sea we were by inconstant fortune and sundry tempestes deterred from that viage for whereas we were nowe syxe dayes sailyng on our waye to Persia a sodayne contrary tempeste droue vs out of our waye and cast vs on the coast of Ethiope Our barkes were laden with rubricke that is a certayne redde earth which is vsed to dye cloth for yeerely from the citie of Aden departe fyfteene or twentie shyps laden with rubricke which is brought out of Arabia Faelix Beyng therefore thus tossed with stormes we were dryuen into a port named Zeila where we remayned fyue dayes to see the citie and tarrye vntyll the sea were more quiet Of the citie Zeila in Ethiopia and the great fruitfulnesse therof and of certayne straunge beastes seene there Cap. 15. IN this citie is great freequentation of merchandies as in a most famous mart There is marueylous abundance of gold and Iuerye and an innumerable number of blacke slaues solde for a small pryce these are taken in warre by the Mahumetan Mores out of Ethyopia of the kyngdome of Presbiter Iohannes or Preciosus Iohannes whiche some also call the kyng of Iacobins or Abyssins beyng a Christian and are caried away from thence into Persia Arabia Faelix Babylonia of Nilus or Alcair and Mecha In this citie iustice and good lawes are obserued the soyle beareth Wheate and hath abundaunce of flesh and diuers other commodious thynges It hath also Oyle not of Olyues but of some other thyng I knowe not what There is also plentie of Hony and Waxe there are lykewyse certayne sheepe hauyng theyr tayles of the weyght of syxeteene pounde and exceedyng fatte the head and necke are blacke and all the rest whyte There are also sheepe altogeather whyte hauyng tayles of a cubite long hangyng downe lyke a great cluster of grapes and haue also great lappes of skynne hangyng from theyr throtes as haue Bulles and Oxen hangyng downe almost to the grounde There are also certaine Kyne with hornes lyke vnto Hartes hornes these are wylde and when they bee taken are geuen to the Soltan of that citie as a kyngly present I sawe there also certayne Kyne hauyng only one horne in the middest of the forehead as hath the Unicorne and about a spanne of length but the horne bendeth backwarde they are of bryght shynyng red colour But they that haue Hartes hornes are enclynyng to blacke colour Conye is there good cheepe The citie hath an innumerable multitude of merchants the walles are greatly decayed and the hauen rude and despicable The kyng or Soltan of the citie is a Mahumetan and entertayneth in wages a great multitude of foote men and horsemen They are greatly geuen to warres and weare onlye one loose syngle vesture as we haue sayde before of other They are of darke ashye colour enclining to blacke In the warres they are vnarmed and are of the sect of Mahumet Of Barbara an Ilande of Ethiope Cap. 16. AFter that the tempestes were appeased wee gaue wynde to our sayles and in shorte tyme arryued at an Ilande named Barbara the Prince whereof is a Mahumetan The Ilande is not great but fruitfull and well peopled it hath abundance of flesh The inhabitants are of colour enclynyng to blacke Al theyr ryches is in heardes of cattayle We remayned here but one day and departyng from hence sayled into Persia. The thyrde booke entreateth of Persia and of certayne townes and partes of Persia. Cap. 1. WHen we had sayled the space of twelue dayes we aryued at a citie called Diuobanderrumi that is to say the holy porte of Turkes It is but a litle way from the continent when the sea ryseth with hye tydes it is an Iland enuironed with water but at a lowe fludde or decrease of the sea one may go thyther by land it is subiect to the Soltan of Cambaia The Gouernour is named Menacheas It is a marte of great merchandies There dwell about it foure hundred merchants of Turky it is well walled round about and defended with al sorts of engins They haue barkes and brygantines somewhat lesse then ours we remained here two daies Departyng from hence we came to an other citie named Goa in the space of three dayes iorney this also aboundeth with merchandies and is a mart greatly frequented The soyle is fruitefull with plentie of all thynges necessary the inhabitantes are Mahumetans Neare vnto this are two other fayre cities and portes named Giulfar and Meschet Of the Iland and citie of Ormus or Armusium and of an Iland of Persia where pearles are found Cap. 2. PRoceedyng on our viage we came to a citie named Ormus verye fayre This is seconde to none in goodlye situation and plentie of pearles it is in an Ilande dystaunt from the continent twelue myles It hathe great scarcenesse of freshe water and corne From other regions is brought thyther all victualles that nouryshe the inhabitauntes Three dayes saylyng from thence are geathered those muscles which bryng foorth the fayrest and byggest pearles they are taken as I will nowe declare There are certayne men that get theyr lyuing by fyshyng These hauing small Boates cast into the sea a great stone fastened to a corde and this on both sydes of the Boate to make it as stedfast and immoueable as a shyppe lying at an Anker The Boate
maner al kyndes of beastes as wylde Bores Harts Wolues Lions sundry kinds of birdes and foules vnlike vnto ours Pecockes also and Parrottes It hath innumerable Kyne of shynyng yelowe coloure also sheepe exceedyng fatte There is so great abundaunce of flowers and Roses that they fayle not in wynter There can not be a more temperate ayre and therfore they lyue muche longer then we do Not far from this citie is an other citie named Mangolor from whence about the number of .lx. shyppes departe yeerely laded with Ryse The inhabitantes are partly Idolaters and partly Mahumetans Their maner of lyuing and apparell is as we haue sayd before Of Canonor and Narsinga great cities of India Cap. 7. DEpartyng from hence we directed our iorney toward the citie of Canonor beyng a very goodly citie Heere the kyng of Portugale hath a very strong towne The kyng of the citie is an Idolater and no great frend to the kyng of Portugale The citie hath a porte whyther are brought the horses of Persia but the custome for horses is exceedyng great Departyng from hence and entryng further into the lande we came to the citie of Narsinga where many Mahumetan merchauntes do dwel The soyle beareth neyther wheate nor vynes or fewe other fruites except Oranges and Gourdes They eate no breade but lyue with ryse fyshe and suche walnuttes as the countrey beareth In maners and Idolatrye they are lyke vnto them of Calecut of whiche we wyll speake heareafter There is founde plentie of spyces as Ginger Pepper Myrobalans Cardanum Cassia and dyuers suche other Also many and dyuers kindes of fruites vnlyke vnto ours and muche sweeter The region is in maner inaccessible for many dennes and diches made by force The kyng hath an army of fyftie thousande gentelmen whiche they call Heros In the warres they vse swoordes rounde Targettes or Buklers Lances Dartes Bowes Slynges and begyn nowe also to vse Gunnes They go naked coueryng onely their priuities except when they go to the warres They vse no horses Mules Asses or those Camels whiche we commonly call Dromedaries They vse onely Elephantes yet not to fyght in the battayle Great merchaundise is vsed in the citie for thyther resorte from dyuers countres two hundred shyppes yeerely Departyng from the kyngdome of Narsinga in .xv. dayes iorney towarde the East we came at the length to a citie named Bisinagar Of the fruiteful citie of Bisinagar in the kyngdome of Narsinga Cap. 8. THe citie of Bisinager is vnder the dominion of the kyng of Narsinga and subiect to hym The citie is very large and well walled situate on the syde of a hyll and eyght myles in circuite It is compassed with a triple wall and is a famous mart of all sortes of ryche merchaundise The soyle is marueylous fruitefull and hath whatsoeuer pertayneth to delicates and pleasures There is no lande more commodious for haukyng and huntyng for it hath large playnes and goodly woods a man would saye it were an earthly Paradyse The kyng and people are Idolaters He is a Prince of great power he hath an army of foure thousande horsemen And yet is it to be noted the price of a good horse there to be no lesse then foure or fyue hundred of those peeces of golde whiche they call Pardais And sometyme it so chaunceth that a horse is solde for eight hundred of those peeces of golde The cause of which great price is that they are brought out of other countreys and that they haue no Mares being forbydden by the commaundement of the kynges streightly chargyng the portes to be kepte least any Mares should be brought into the countrey Hee hath also foure hundred Elephantes to serue in the warres and likewyse as many Camelles of the kynde of those swyfte runnyng Camelles which be commonly called Dromadarii And here me seemeth good oportunitie to say somewhat of the docilitie agilitie and wyt of Elephantes as we haue promised Of the docilitie agilitie and wit of Elephantes Cap. 9. THe Elephant of all foure footed beastes and nexte vnto man is most wittie and docible and not farre from humane sence and surmounteth all other beasts in strength When the Indians bring them to the warres they put great packesaddelles on their backes suche as in Italie they vse for the great Mules These packesaddelles they gyrde vnder theyr bellyes with two chaynes of Iron Uppon the saddelles they place on euery syde a litle house or if you will rather call them Turrettes or Cagies made of wood euery Turret conteyneth three men Betweene the two Turrettes sitteth an Indian on the backe of the beast and speaketh to him in his owne language whiche the beast vnderstandeth and obeyeth for it is certaine that no other beast approcheth so neare to the vnderstandyng of man Seuen men therefore are thus placed vppon one Elephant when they goe to the wars and all armed with coates of fence Targets Bowes Launces Dartes and Slynges Also the trunke or snoute of the Elephant which of the Latines is called Promuscis or Proboscis and of some the hande of the Elephant is armed and hath a swoord fastened to it of the length of two cubites very strong and of a handfull in breadth And thus furnished they proceede to the battayle When it is requisite to goe forewarde or backewarde the gouernour sittyng aboue gyueth them an instruction with such voyces as they are accustomed vnto for sometyme he sayth thus to the beast Stryke here stryke there forbeare here goe forewarde there turne this way and that way All which woordes he vnderstandeth and obeyeth without spurre or brydell But where it so chaunceth that by casting of fyre they are with feare dryuen to flyght they can by no meanes be stayed And therfore these people haue many subtile deuises howe they may feare them with fyre which this beast by the sense of nature feareth aboue all thinges and therefore flyeth in maner at the sight of fyre And to speake somewhat of theyr strength as I haue seene by experience I remember that when I was in the citie of Canonor certayne Mahumetans drue a shyp aland turnyng the shyp after the maner of the Christians with the fore ende towarde the lande and laying vnder it three rowling beames Then three Elephantes commodiously applied drawyng with great force and bendyng downe theyr heades to the ground brought the shyp to lande But many haue thought that the Elephantes haue no ioyntes in theyr legges and that therefore they could not bende theyr legges which thyng doubtlesse is false for they haue ioyntes as haue other beastes but in the lowest parte of theyr legges The Females are more fierce then the Males and much stronger to beare burdens Sometime they are taken with furie or madnesse and testifie the same by disordinate runnyng here and there One Elephant exceedeth the bygnesse of three Bufles
certayne space distant one from the other eyther for feare of fyre or by ignorance of the builders It is a myle of length The houses are despicable as no hygher from the grounde then a man on horsebacke and are for the most parte couered with boughes of trees in the steede of tiles or other coueryng The cause whereof they say to bee that in digging the grounde fyue or sixe handfull depth water immediately issueth foorth And therefore they can laye no deeper foundations to beare the weyght of any greater buyldynges The houses of merchandyse or warehouses are solde for fyftiene or twentie peeces of golde But the common houses are of no greater price then two peeces of golde at the most and some for lesse Of the kyng of Calecut and of their Idolatrie Cap. 2. THe kyng of Calecut and his people are gyuen to Idolatrie and seruyng of the deuyll yet deny they not but that there is one great God maker of heauen and earth and fyrst and chiefe cause of all thinges But they adde therevnto a fable saying that God coulde take no pleasure of his principate or dominion if hee him selfe shoulde take vppon him the gouernement of the worlde and therefore that he gaue the vicarage of that gouernance to the deuyll who they say was sent from heauen for that purpose and to iudge the worlde renderyng vnto men well or euyll accordyng to theyr deseruyng This deuyll they name Deumo But the great God him selfe they call I amerani The kyng hath a Chapel in his Pallace where he honoureth this Deumo the Chapell is open on euery syde the breadth of a vaulte of two pases and is no hygher from the grounde then three pases The entraunce is by a doore of wood garnished with carued woorke conteynyng the dyuers monstruous fourmes and shapes of deuylles In the myddest of the Chapell is a seate of maiestie made of copper with also a deuyll of copper sittyng in it This deuyll hath on his head a crowne after the maner of the byshop of Rome but this hath ouerplus foure hornes his mouth gapyng with foure notable teeth a deformed nose louryng and grymme eyes a threatenyng looke crooked handes lyke a fleshe hooke and feete not much vnlyke the feete of a Cocke A monster doubtlesse horrible and fearefull to beholde In euery corner of the Chapell sit such deuylles of shining copper as though they were of flamyng fyre deuouryng soules miserably These soules are about the bygnesse of halfe a finger and some litle bigger He putteth one soule in his mouth with the ryght hande and with the lefte hande taketh an other from beneath Euery mornyng the priestes whom they call Bramini washe the Idoll with rose water and perfume him with sweete sauours and lying prostrate on the grounde pray vnto him They sacrifice vnto him once a weeke Theyr maner of sacrifice is this They haue a little cubbarde lyke vnto an Altar three handfulles hygh foure handfuls brode and fyue handfuls long this cubbard they strawe with all maner of floures and sweete pouders Then hauyng a great Chafingdyshe or the lyke vessell of siluer full of burnyng coles they put the blood of the Cocke thereon and also cast thereon innumerable sweete sauours In the meane tyme also with sensours in theyr handes they goe rounde about the Altar makyng perfume with frankensence ringyng a little siluer bell all the whyle of the sacrifice They kyll the Cocke with a siluer knyfe and the knyfe also being rayed with blood they put often in the fyre that no parte of the blood be lost Sometyme hauyng the knyfe in theyr hande they make certayne straunge gestures much lyke to those which the masters offense vse in giuyng or auoyding of strokes They neuer ceasse puttyng to more coles and spices or perfumes vntyl all the blood of the Cocke be burnt The priest that offereth the blood of the Cocke hath his armes and feete garnyshed with siluer plates and pendantes in such sorte that whyle hee moueth they make a certayne noyse much lyke vnto sonettes or Haukes belles He hath on his brest a certayne bosse conteynyng I know not what secrete figure which may seeme to be the secrete caract or signe of some mysterie The sacrifice being finished he taketh both his handes full of wheate and goeth from the Alter backeward lyke a Creuice neuer mouyng his eyes from the Alter vntyll he come to a certayne tree where openyng his handes hee casteth the wheate on the tree Then holdyng his handes aboue his head he returneth to the Alter and taketh away all that is thereon Of the maner which the kyng vseth at his meate Cap. 3. THe Kyng doeth not sit downe to his meate before foure of the priestes offer it to the deuyl in this maner Lifting theyr handes aboue theyr heades with also many other fantasticall gesticulations and murmuryng voyces they offer the meate to the deuyl spende long tyme in those ceremonyes to the end that the kyng should eate no meat that is not first offered to the deuyll They offer the meate in a tray of wood and therin laye it vppon the brode leaues of a certayne tree His meat is Ryse and dyuers other thinges as fruite fleshe and fyshe He sitteth on the grounde without cloth or Carpet The priestes in the meane tyme stande rounde about him but approcheth no nearer then foure or fyue pases obseruyng diligently the kinges woordes When the kyng hath lefte eatyng the priestes carry away all that is lefte and in a certayne place thereto appointed offer it to certayne Crowes which they keepe for the same purpose And therefore being vsed to be thus fedde geather togeather at a signe gyuen them and eate vp the meate These crowes are therefore of them esteemed holy and therefore it is not lawfull for any man to take them or hurte them Of the Priestes of Calecut called Bramini â–ª Cap. 4. THese Bramini are in place with them as are the chiefe priestes or byshoppes with vs. Therefore when the king shall marrie he lyeth not with his wyfe before shee be defloured by the Archbyshop yet taketh he not this vppon him without rewarde for the kyng gyueth him for his labour fiftie peeces of golde Only the kyng of Calecut keepeth this custome Of the dyuers sortes of Idolaters in the citie of Calecut Cap. 5. THe chiefest Idolaters and of the greatest dignitie are the Bramini They of the seconde order are named Naeri And in the same place with them as are with gentelmen whose office is when they go abrode to beare swoordes targettes bowes launces and other weapons The thyrde order consysteth of mecanike or handie craftes men In the fourth place are vitaylers and suche as make prouision of fyshe and fleshe Next vnto these are they that geather Pepper Wyne Walnuttes and suche other fruites and
and carrie it in stone pottes from Martabani to bee solde in the countrey of Malabar and is woorth the Farazuola which is .xxii. poundes and sixe vnces after the rate of xiiii.xv or .xvi. Fanans That that is freshe and made in conserues is woorth in Calecut .xxv. Fanans the farazuola bycause Suger is deare there Greene Ginger to put in conserues is woorth in Calecut three quarters of one Fanan the farazuola which is about two pounds for one Marchetto Of the Apothecaries drugges and of what price they are in Calecut and Malabar LAcca of Martabani if it be of the beste is woorth the farazuola which is .xxii. pounde weyght and sixe ounces of Portugale after sixtiene ounces the pound which is about fourtie pound weight of the subtile pounde of Uenice and is in value eightiene Fanans which are eightiene Marcels of siluer For one Fanan is in value about one Marcell of siluer Lacca of the countrey is woorth the farazuola Fanan 12 Borace that is good and in great peeces is woorth the farazuola Fanan .30 to .40 50. Camphire that is grosse in cakes is woorth the farazuola Fanan .70 to .80 Camphire to annoynt Idoles *** Camphire for theyr children to eate is woorth the Mytigall Fanan .3 Aguila is woorth the farazuola Fanan .300 to .400 Lignum aloe blacke heauy and fine is woorth Fanan .1000 Muske of the best is woorth the ounce Fanan .36 Beniamin of the best is woorth the farazuola Fanan .65 Tamarindi being new are woorth the faraz. Fanan .4 Calamus Aromaticus the farazuola Fanan .12 Endego to dye silke true and good the farazuola Fanan .30 Mirre the farazuola Fanan .18 to .20 Frankensense good and in graynes is woorth the farazuola Fanan .15 Frankensense in paste of the basest sorte the faraz. Fanan .3 Ambracan or Amber grease that is good is woorth the Metigall Fanan .2 to .3 Mirabolanes in conserue of suger the faraz. Fanan .16 to .25 Cassia freshe and good the farazuola Fanan one and a halfe Redde Sanders the farazuola Fanan .5 to .6 Whyte Sanders and Citrine whiche growe in the Ilande of Timor the farazuola Fanan .40 to .60 Spikenarde freshe and good the faraz. Fanan .30 to 40. Nuttemegges whiche come from the Ilande of Bandan where the Bahar is woorth from .viii. to ten Fanans whiche importe vi poundes weyght to the Marchetto are woorth in Calecut the faraz. Fanan .10 to .12 Mace which is brought from the Ilande of Bandan where the Bahar is woorth fyftiene Fanans which import about one Marchetto the pounde are woorth in Calecut the farazuola Fanan .25 to .30 Turbithes are woorth the farazuola Fanan .13 Woormeseede of the best kynde called Semenzana is woorth the farazuola Fanan .18 Zerumba the farazuola Fanan .2 Zedoaria the farazuola Fanan .1 Gumme Serapine the farazuola Fanan .20 Aloe Cicotrine the farazuola Fanan .18 Cardamome in graynes the farazuola Fanan .20 Reubarbe groweth abundantly in the countrey of Malabar and that whiche commeth from China by Malacha is woorth the farazuola Fanan 40. to .50 Mirabolani Emblici the farazuola Fanan .2 Mirabolani Belirici the farazuola Fanan one a halfe Mirabolani citrini Chebuli which are all of one sorte Fanan .2 Mirabolani Indi which are of the same Citrine trees Fanan .3 Tutia the farazuola Fanan .30 Cububes which growe in the Ilande of Iaua or Giaua are there of small price and solde by measure without weyght Opium which is brought from the citie of Aden where it is made is woorth in Calecut the faraz. Fanan .280 to 320. Opium of an other sorte whiche is made in Cambaia is woorth the farazuola Fanan .200 to .250 Of the weyghtes of Portugale and India And howe they agreee THe pounde of the olde weight conteyneth .xiiii. vnces The pounde of the newe weyght conteyneth .xvi. vnces Eight Cantares of the olde weyght make .vii. of the newe And euery newe Cantare is of C.xxviii poundes after xvi vnces to the pounde Euery olde Cantare conteyneth thre quarters and an halfe of the newe Cantare And is of C.xxviii poundes after .xiiii. vnces the pounde One Farazuoles is .xxii. poundes of .xiiii. vnces and .vi. vnces more with two fyfte partes Twentie Farazuoles are one Bahar One Bahar is .iiii. Cantares of the olde weight of Portugale All the Spices and drugges and al suche other thynges as come from India are solde in Portugale by the olde weyght and all the rest by the newe weyght Herby maie we wel consider that as we ought to reioyce and geue God thankes for the abundaunce of all these thinges which he causeth the earth so plentifully to bryng foorth to our vse so maye we lament the abuse of men whose couetousnesse causeth great dearth and scarsenesse in the myddest of abundaunce herein no lesse offendyng the lawe of nature then do such as by witchcrafte do entermingle poyson with thynges created for the health of man or by inchauntment corrupt the seedes in the grounde yea rather as the vnnaturall mother who destroyeth the chylde whom she hath long nuryshed Of the voyage made by the Spanyardes round about the world THe voyage made by the Spanyardes rounde about the worlde is one of the greatest and most marueylous thynges that haue ben knowen to our tyme. And although in many thynges we excel our ancient predecessours in this especially we so far exceed al their inuentions that y e like hath not heretofore ben knowen to this day This viage was written particulerly by Don Peter Martyr of Angleria being one of y e counsaile of themperours Indies to whom also was commytted y e writing of the hystorie examination of al such as returned from thence into Spaine to y e citie of Siuile in the yeere .1522 But sendyng it to Rome to be printed in that miserable tyme when the citie was sacked it was lost and not founde vnto this daye or any memorie remaynyng thereof sauyng such as some that read the same haue borne in mynde And among other notable thynges by hym wrytten as touchyng that voyage that is one that the Spanyardes hauyng sayled about three yeeres and one moneth and the most of them notyng the dayes daye by daye as is the maner of al them that sayle by the Ocean they found when they were returned to Spaine y t they had lost one daye So that at theyr arryuall at the porte of Siuile beyng the seuenth daye of September was by theyr accompt but the syxte daye And whereas Don Peter Martyr declared y e strange effect of this thyng to a certayne excellent man who for his singuler learnyng was greatly aduaunced to honour in his common wealth and made Themperours ambassadour this woorthy gentleman who was also a great Philosopher Astronomer answered that it coulde not otherwyse chaunce vnto them hauyng sayled three yeeres continually euer folowyng the Sunne towarde the West and sayde furthermore that they of olde tyme obserued that all suche
as sayled behynd the Sunne towarde the West dyd greatly lengthen the daye And albeit that the sayde booke of Peter Martyr is peryshed yet hath not fortune permytted that the memorie of so woorthy and marueylous an enterpryse shoulde vtterly be extincte forasmuche as a certayne noble gentelman of the citie of Vincenza in Italie called master Antonie Pigafetta who beyng one of the companie of that voyage and after his returne into Spayne in the shyppe Victoria was made knyght of the Rhodes wrote a particular and large booke thereof whiche he gaue to Themperours Maiestie and sent a copie of the same into Fraunce to the lady Regent mother vnto the French king who committed it to an excellent philosopher called master Iacobus Faber hauing long studied in Italy wyllyng hym to translate it into the Frenche tongue This booke therefore was printed fyrst in the Frenche tongue and then in the Italian with also an epistle to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as touchyng the same voyage written by Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to Themperours Maiestie in the yeere 1522. And doubtlesse among all the cities of Italie the citie of Vincenza may herein muche glorie that besyde the auncient nobilitie and many excellent and rare wyttes whiche it hath brought foorth aswell in learnyng as discipline of warre it hath also had so woorthy and valiaunt a gentleman as was the sayde master Antonie Pigafetta who hauyng compassed about the ball or globe of the worlde hath lykewyse described that voyage particularly For the whiche his so noble and wonderfull an enterprise so happily atchiued if the same had ben done in the olde tyme when Th empyre of the Greekes and Romans floryshed he shoulde doubtlesse haue ben rewarded with an Image of marble or gold erected in a place of honour in perpetuall memorie and for a singular example of his vertue to the posteritie In fine this may we boldly affyrme that the antiquitie had neuer such knowledge of the worlde whiche the Sunne compasseth about in .xxiiii. houres as we haue at this present by the industrie of men of this our age But before I speake any thyng of the vyage I haue thought it good fyrst to adde hereunto the Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane which he wrote to the Cardinall of Salsepurge as a preface to his sayde booke ¶ The Epistle of Maximilian Transiluane secretarie to the Emperours Maiestie written to the ryght honorable and reuerende lorde the lord Cardinal of Salepurge of the marueylous and woonderfull nauigation made by the Spanyardes rounde about the worlde in the yeere of Christ M.D.xix. IN these dayes my most honorable and reuerend lord returned one of those fiue ships whiche the yeere before Themperours beyng at Saragosa in Spaine were at his maiesties commaundement sent to the newe worlde heretofore vnknowen vnto vs to seeke the Ilandes of spices For albeit the Portugales bryng vs great quantitie of Spyces from that part of East India whiche in olde tyme was called Aurea Chersonesus where is nowe thought to be the great rych citie of Malaccha yet in East India growe none of those Spyces except Pepper For other Spyces as Sinamome Cloues Nuttemegs and Mase whiche is the huske that couereth the shell of the Nut are brought from other farre countreys and from Ilandes scarsely knowen by theyr names from the whiche Ilandes they are brought in shyppes or barkes made without any Iron tooles and tyed togeather with cordes of Date trees with rounde sayles lykewyse made of the small twigges of the branches of Date trees weaued togeather These barkes they call Giuâ—che with the whiche barkes and sayles they make theyr viage with only one wynde in the stearne or contrarywyse Neyther yet is it a thyng greatly to be marueiled at that these Ilands where the Spices growe haue ben vnknowen so many worlde 's past vnto our tyme forasmuch as all suche thynges as vnto this daye haue ben wrytten of old autours of the places where spices growe are all fabulous and false Insomuch that the countreys where they affyrme them to growe are nowe certaynely founde to be further from the place where they growe in deede then we are from them For lettyng passe many other thynges that are wrytten I wyll speake more of this which Herodotus otherwise a famous auctoure affirmeth that Sinamome is founde in the toppes of the nestes of certayne byrdes and foules that bryng it from farre countreys and especially the Phenyx the whiche I knowe no man that euer hath seene But Plinie who might more certaynely affyrme thinges by reason that before his tyme many thynges were knowen and discouered by the nauigations of great Alexander and other sayth that Sinamome groweth in that part of Ethiope which the people inhabit called Trogloditi Neuerthelesse it is now found that Sinamome groweth very far from all Ethiope now much further from the Trogloditi which dwel in caues vnder the ground But to our men which are now returned from those partes and the Ilandes of spices hauyng also good knowledge of Ethiope it was necessarie to passe far beyond Ethiope before they come to these Ilands and to compasse about the whole worlde and many tymes vnder the greatest circumference of heauen The which nauigations made by them beyng the most marueylous thyng that euer was done by man vppon the earth sence the fyrst creation of the worlde and neuer founde before or knowen or attempted by any other I haue deliberated faythfully to wryte to your honorable lordeshyppe and to declare the whole successe thereof As touchyng which matter I haue with all diligence made inquisition to knowe the trueth aswell by relation of the Captayne of that shyppe as also by conference with euery of the maryners that returned with hym All whiche gaue the seâ—fe same information both to Themperours Maiestie and diuers other And this with such faythfulnesse and sinceritie that not onely they are iudged of all men to haue declared the trueth in all thynges but haue thereby also geuen vs certaine knowledge that al that hath hitherto ben sayd or wrytten of olde autours as touchyng these thynges are false and fabulous For who wyl beleeue that men are founde with onely one legge Or with suche feete whose shadowe couereth theyr bodyes Or men of a cubite heyght and other suche lyke beyng rather monsters then men Of the whiche neyther the Spanyardes who in our tyme saylyng by the Ocean sea haue discouered all the costes of the lande towarde the West both vnder and aboue the Equinoctiall nor the Portugales who compassyng about all Affryke hath passed by all the East and lykewyse discouered all those costes vnto the great gulfe called Sinus Magnus nor yet the Spaniardes in this theyr last nauigation in the which they compassed about the whole earth dyd neuer in any of theyr viages wryte of such monsters which doubtlesse they would not haue omytted if they myght haue had certayne
Barbarians were .xv. slayne many sore wounded After the death of the Captayne they chose two other in his place of the which one was Odoardo Barbessa a Portugale and the other Iohn Serrano â–ª who was shortly after betrayde by the interpretour and taken prisoner with dyuers other Certaine dayes before the captaines death they had knowledge of the Ilandes of Molucca whiche they chiefely sought Departyng therefore from the Ilande of Mathan they sayled farre and came to the Cape of an other Ilande named Bohol In the myddest of this mayne sea which they named Archipelagus they consulted to burne the shyppe named Conception bycause they were nowe fewe in number and to furnyshe the other two shyppes with the artillerie thereof Thus directyng theyr course towarde Southwest they came to an other Ilande named Pauiloghon where they founde blacke men lyke vnto the Sarasins Shortly after they arryued at an other great Ilande whose kyng named Raia Calauar intreated them very friendly in all thynges as dyd the kyng of Massana This Ilande is ryche in golde and hath plentie of Rysse Gynger Hogges Goates Hennes and dyuers other thynges It is named Chippit and is viii degrees aboue the Equinoctiall lyne towarde our pole and in longitude from the place from whence they first departed .170 degrees and about .50 leagues from Zubut Departyng from hence they came to an other Ilande named Caghaian beyng .40 leagues from Chippit as they sayled betweene the Weste and Southwest This Ilande is very great and in maner vnhabited The people are Moores and were banished out of the Ilande of Burnei which some call Porne From this Ilande about .xxv. leagues betweene the Weste and Northweste they founde a marueylous fruitfull Ilande named Pulaoan beyng towarde our pole aboue the Equinoctiall niene degrees and a thirde parte and C.lxxix degrees and a thirde parte in longitude from the place of their departyng From this Ilande .x. leagues towarde the Southwest they sawe an other Ilande whiche seemed to them sometymes to mount as they sayled by the coastes thereof As they were entering into the port there arose a boystuous dark tempest which ceassed assoone as the fyres of the three saintes whereof we haue spoken before appeared vpon the cables From the beginning of this Iland to the porte are fyue leagues This Ilande is great and ryche and the chiefe citie thereof conteyneth .xxv. thousande houses The Kyng enterteyned our men very friendly and sent them besyde many other presentes two Elephantes trapped with silke to bryng them to his Pallace that brought the presentes which the Captayne 's sent him He hath a magnificall Courte and a great garde also a multitude of concubynes He is a Moore and is named Raia Siripada He is a kyng of great power and hath vnder him many other kynges Ilands and cities This Ilande of Burnei is aboue the Equinoctiall towarde our pole fyue degrees and a quarter and in longitude from the place of theyr departyng C.lxxvi degrees and two third partes Departyng from Burnei they came to an Ilande called Cimbulon beyng .viii. degrees aboue the Equinoctiall lyne Heere they remayned .xl. dayes to calke theyr shyppes and furnysh them with freshe water and fuell which was to them great payne and trauayle bycause they were in maner all bare footed their shooes and in maner their other apparel being worne by reason of the long vyage In the woods of this Iland they found a tree whose leaues as soone as they fall on the ground doe sturre and remoue from place to place as though they were alyue they are muche lyke the leaues of a Mulbery tree and haue on euery syde as it were two short blunt feete When they are cut or broken there is no blood seene come foorth of them Yet when any of them are touched they sodaynly moue and starte away Antoni Pigafetta kept one of them in a platter for the space of .viii. dayes and euer when he touched it it ranne rounde about the platter He supposeth that they lyue only by ayre Departyng from hence they directed theyr course by the West quarter towarde the Southeast to fynde the Ilandes of Molucca and sayled not farre from certayne mountaynes where they founde the sea full of great weedes and hearbes From hence they came to the Ilandes of Zolo and Taghima in the which are founde pearles of exceedyng bygnesse Folowyng theyr course towarde the Northeast they came to a great citie named Mangdando lying aboue the Ilandes of Butbuan and Calaghan where they tooke a Canoa of certayne of the inhabitantes by whom beyng infourmed of the Ilandes of Molucca they lefte theyr course towarde the Northeast and folowed the Southeast neare vnto a Cape of the Ilande of Buthuan they were aduertised for certentie that on the bankes of a certayne ryuer there dwelt men ouergrowen with heare and of hygh stature Folowyng styll theyr course by the Southeast and passyng by many small Ilandes they came to the Ilandes of Molucca the sixte day of Nouember and the .xxvii. moneth after their departure out of Spayne Beyng therefore ioyfull and gyuyng thankes vnto God they discharged all theyr ordinaunce In the coaste of all these Ilandes euen vnto the Ilandes of Molucca soundyng with theyr plummet they founde the deapth of the sea to be no lesse then a hundred and two yardes which is contrary to the saying of the Portugales who affyrme that no shyppe can passe that way without great daunger by reason of the shalownesse and rockes or shelues and for the darkenesse which the cloudes cause in the heauen All which things they fayned to the intent that none other should haue knowledge of theyr viages The eyght day of Nouember in the yeere 1521. before the rysing of the Sunne they entered into the porte of the Ilande of Tidore beyng one of the chiefe Ilandes of Molucca where they were honorably interteyned of the kyng who declared that he had long before seene a signe in heauen that certayne shyppes shoulde come from a farre countrey to the Ilandes of Molucca And that whereas for the better certificate thereof he considered the stations of the Moone he sawe therein the commyng of our shyppes and that we were the men whom he seemed to see in the same Wherevppon he profered him selfe to enter into league of friendshyp with the kyng of Spayne and to accepte our men as his brethren and chyldren wyllyng them to come alande as into theyr owne houses Also that for theyr commyng that Ilande shoulde no more bee called Tidore but Castile for the great loue whiche he bore to theyr Kyng whom he reputed as his Lorde and maister This Kyng is a Moore and is named Raia Sultan Mauzor The Ilandes of Molucca are fyue in number and are thus named Tarenate Tidore Mutir Macchian and Bacchian Of these Tarenate is the cheefest Directly agaynst the