gladly embrased and tooke suche pleasure in hearynge the articles of owre beliefe that the teares fell from theyr eyes for ioye They were baptised The kynge of zibut is baptised and shortely after all the people of the Ilande They esteeme nothyng more precious then drynking glasses of Uenice woorke When they came to the citie they founde the kyng in his pallaice sittynge vppon a floure or stuorie made of the leaues of date trees wrought after a curious diuise lyke a certeyne kynde of mattes He had vppon his body none other apparell but only a cloth of bombasine cotton hangyng before his priuie partes The kynge of zubut his apparell On his heade he had a vayle of needle worke and abowte his necke a chaine of greate price At his eares hunge two rynges of golde wherein were inclosed many precious stones He was but of smaule stature but sumewhat grosse and had the residue of his body paynted with dyuers coloures wherof sum were lyke vnto flamynge fyre Before hym he had two vesselles made of the fine earth cauled Porcellana with sodden egges Also four vessels of Porcellana full of wyne made of date trees and couered with many odoriferous herbes The prince brought them to his house where he had foure doughters verye well fauoured and whyte lyke owres well fauored women He caused them to daunce all naked and therwith to synge and play on certeyne tymbrelles made of metall At this tyme it so chaunced that one of the Spanyardes dyed in one of the shyppes And when certeyne of theyr coompanye desyred the kynge to gyue them leaue to burie hym on the land he answered that forasmuch as he and all his were at the commaundement of theyr kynge and master how much more ought the grounde so to bee They greatly marueyled at the cerimonies perteynyng to the maner of owre funeralles and honoured the crosses whiche were set at bothe thendes the graue They lyue with iustice and vse waightes and measures Theyr houses are made of Timber and sawne boordes and are so buylded aboue the grownde vppon proppes and pyles that they ascende to the same by certeyne stayers Under theyr houses they keepe theyr hogges and hennes When they came to barterynge Barterynge they gaue golde rysse hogges hennes and dyuers other thynges for sume of owre tryfels of smaule value They gaue tenne Pesos of golde for xvi poundes weyght of men Pesus what One pesus is in value a ducate and a halfe The sunday folowynge the kynge was baptysed with great solemnitie At which tyme the Capitayne admonysshed him before not to bee afrayde at the shootyng of of the ordinaunce bycause it was theyr custome so to doo at such solemne feastes After this the Capitayne caused theym to breake all theyr Idoles They breake theyr Idoles and erecte the crosse and to set vppe the crosse in dyuers places prayinge to the same bothe mornynge and euenynge kneelynge on theyr knees and holdynge vp theyr handes ioyned togyther The kinge in his baptisme was named Charles after the Emperours name and the Prince Ferdinando after the name of his maiesties brother The kynge of Messana was named Iohn and the Moore Christopher To all other they gaue such names as are commonly vsed in Christendome And thus beefore masse was begunne were fiue hundreth men baptised Fyue hundreth men baptised When masse was fynysshed the Capitayne inuited the kynge to dyne with him in his shyppe and at his commynge caused the ordinaunce to bee discharged The queene of zubut The queene was also baptised with fortie of her gentlewomen and her doughter the Princes wife The queene was very younge and fayre hauynge her body couered with a white cloth Her lyppes were redde and she had on her head a hat on the toppe wherof was a triple crowne much lyke the papes This crowne the hat were made of the leues of dates trees Within the space of .viii. dayes thinhabitauntes of the Ilande were baptised excepte one vyllage of Idolaters who wolde not herein obey the kynges commaundement Wheruppon the Capitayne sent certeyne of his menne thyther who burnt the towne and erected a crosse in that place bycause the people of the vyllage were gentyles that is Idolaters But if they had byn Moores that is Machumetistes they wold haue erected a pyller of stone bycause the Moores are more stooberne and harder to bee conuerted then are the gentyles When the queene came to the place where shee shuld heare masse shee came surth with great pompe and solemnitie hauynge goinge before her three younge damoselles and three men with theyr cappes in theyr handes The queenes apparell whom shee folowed apparelled in whyte and blacke with a great vayle of sylke vppon her heade fringed abowte with golde whiche couered her hatte and hunge downe to her shoulders Shee had also a great trayne of women folowynge her beinge all barefooted and naked excepte that vppon theyr heades and priuie partes they wore certeyne vayles of silke and hadde theyr heare spredde Before the kynge of Zubut was baptised he was named Raia Humabuon When the Capitayne demaunded of hym why all the Idoles in the Ilande were not burnt accordynge to his promesse he answered that they esteemed thē no more as goddes but only made sacrifice to theym for the Princes brother who was very sycke and as noble and wyttie a man as was in the Ilande The Capitayne answered that if he wolde burne a◠his Idoles and beleue faythfully in Christ and bee baptised he shulde be immediatly restored to health and that he wolde els gyue them leaue to stryke of his heade By these woordes and persuasions of the Capitayne he conceaued such hope of health that after he was baptised he felt no more greefe of his disease And this was a manifest myracle wrought in owre tyme wherby dyuers infidels were conuerted to owre fayth A miracle and theyr Idoles destroyed and also theyr altares ouerthrowen on the whiche they were accustomed to eate the sacrifyced flesshe The people of the Ilande pay the kynge a portion of vittayles for theyr tribute by all theyr cities and vyllages Not farre from this Ilande of Zubut is the Iland of Mathan The Iland of Mathan whose inhabitauntes vse maruelous cerimonies in theyr sacrifices to the soonne and burying the deade They weare rynges of golde abowt theyr priuie members The Ilande is gouerned by two Princes wherof the one is named Zula and the other Cilapulapu And wheras this Cilapulapu refused to pay tribute to the kynge of Spayne the Capitayne went ageynst hym in his owne person with .lx. of his menne armed with coates of mayle and helmettes Cilapulapu diuided his army into three battayles hauynge in euery battaile two thousand and fiftie men armed with bowes arrowes dartes and iauelins hardened at the poyntes with fyer This continued longe and sharpe But the Capitayne beinge a valient man and presynge hym selfe in the brunte of the battayle was sore wounded and
had taken vyolently from dyuers kynges Lykewise a greate number of his gentelmen and subiectes were taken stragelynge in other vyllages neare aboute his palaice For their houses are not adherent togither as owres bee bycause they are oftentimes troubeled with vehement whrilewyndes by reason of the sudden chaunges and motions of the ayre caused by the influence of the planetes in the equalitie of the daye and nyght beynge there in maner bothe of one lengthe throughowte all the yeare forasmuche as they are neare vnto the Equinoctiall lyne as we haue sayde before The cause of vehemente wyndes nere he Equinocâ—ial Their houses are made of trees couered and after their maner thetched with the stalkes of certayne towghe herbes To the palayce of Tumanama kynge Tumâ—nama his palaice was onely one house adherent and that euen as bygge as the palayce it selfe Eyther of these houses were in length a hundreth and twentie pases and in bredth fyftie pases as owre men measured them In these two houses the kynge was accustomed to muster his men as often as he prepared an armye When Tumanaman therfore was thus taken captyue with all his Sardanapamcall famelye the Pocchorrosians bragged and threatened hym beynge nowe bounde that he shulde shortly bee hanged The other kynges also his bortherers reioysed at his mysfortune Wherby owre men perceaued that Tumanama was nolesse troublesome to his neighbours then was Pacra to the kinges of the southe syde of the montaynes Vaschus also the better to please them threatned hym greuously But in deede entended no euell toward him He spake therfore sharpely vnto hym with these woordes Uaschus his woordes to kynge Tumanama Thou shalte nowe suâ—fer punyshment thou cruell tyranne for thy pryde and abhominations Thou shalte knowe of what poure the christians are whom thou haste soo contemned and threated to drawe by the heare of their heades to the nexte ryâ—er and there to drowne them as thou haste often tymes made thy vaunte emonge thy naked slaues But thou thy selfe shalte fyrste feele that whiche thou haste prepared for other And herewith commaunded hym to bee taken vppe Neuerthelesse gyuynge a priuye tooken of pardon to them whiche layde handes on him Thus vnhappye Tumanama fearynge and beleuynge that Vaschus had mente in ernesâ—e as he commaunded fell prostrate at his feete and with teares desyred pardon Protestynge that he neuer spake any suche woordes But that perhappes his noble men in their droonkennesse had so abused their toonges whiche he coulde not rule For their wynes although they bee not made of grapes yet are they of force to make men droonken He declared furthermore that the other kynges his bortherers had of malice surmysed suche lyes of hym enuyinge his fortune bycause he was of greater poure then they Oderunt quen metuunt Moste humbly desyringe Vaschus that as he tooke hym to bee a iuste vyctourer soo to gyue no credytte vnto their vniuste and malycious complaintes kyng Tumanama his woordes Addynge herevnto that if it woolde please hym to pardon hym not hauinge offended he woolde bringe him great plentie of gold Thus layinge his ryght hande on his breast he swore by the sonne that he euer loued and feared the chrystians sence he fyrste harde of their fame and vyctoryes Especially when he harde saye that they had Machanas that is swoordes sharper then thearse and such as cutte in pieces al thynges that coomme in their waye Then directynge his eyes towarde Vaschus who had his swoorde in his hand he spake thus Who excepte he were owte of his wytte dare lyfte vppe his hande ageynste this swoorde of yowres wherwith yowe are able with one strooke to cleane a man from the heade to the nauell Lette no man therfore perswade yowe o moste myghtye victourer that euer suche woordes proceded owte of my mouthe As Tumanama with trembeling spake these woordes therwith swalowynge downe the knot of deathe Vaschus seemed by his teares to bee moued to compassion Tâ—manama is pardoned And speakyng to hym with chearefull countenance commaunded hym to bee loosed This doone he sente immediatly to his palaice for .xxx. poundes weyght of pure gold artifycially wrought into sundry ouches whiche his wyues and concubynes vsed to weare xxx pounde weyghte of wroughte golde Also the thyrde daye folowynge his noble men and gentylmen sent threscore poundes weight of golde for their fyne and raunsumme lx poundes weyght of golde Tumanama beyng demauÌ„ded wher they had that gold answered that it was not gathered in his dominioÌ„s But that it was brought his auncestours from the ryuer Comogrus toward the southe But the Pocchorrosians other his enemies sayd that he lyed Affirmynge that his kingdome was ryche in golde Tumanama on the contrary part instantly protested that he neuer knewe any golde myne in all his dominions Yet denyed not but that there hath sumtimes byn found certaine smaule graines of golde to the gatherynge wherof he neuer had any regarde bycause they coulde not gette it without great longe labour They abhorre labour Whyle these thynges were dooinge the sycke men whiche Vaschus had lefte in the village of Pocchorrosa came to hym the .viii. day of the Calendes of Ianuary in the yeare of Christe M.D.XIII bringyng with them certayne labourers from the kynges of the southe with sundrye instrumentes to dygge the grounde and gather golde Thus passynge ouer the day of the natiuitye of Christ without bodely labour vppon sainte Steuens daye he brought certeyne myners to the syde of a hyll not farre dystante from the palaice of Tumanama where as he saith he perceaued by the coloure of the earth that it was lykely to brynge furthe golde When they had dygged a pytte not past a hand breadth and a halfe The coloure of the golden earthe and a tryall of the same and syfted the earthe therof they founde certayne smaule graynes of golde no bygger then lintell seedes amountynge to the weyght of twelue graynes as they prouyd with their balances of assaye before a notarie and wytnesse that the better credytte myghte bee gyuâ—n therto Wherby they argued that the rychenesse of that lande was agreable to the report of the bortherers although Vaschus coulde by noo meanes cause Tumanama to confesse the same They suppose that he nothynge esteemed so smaule a portion But other saye that he denyed his countrey to bee frutefull of golde leaste by reason therof the desyre of golde myght intyse owre men to inhabyte his kyngdome as in deede the seely kynge was a prophet in soo thinkynge For they chose that and the region of Pocchorrosa to inhabyte and determyned to buylde townes in them bothe if it shulde so please the kynge of Castyle Aswell that they myght bee baytinge places and vytailynge houses for suche as shulde iorney towarde the southe as also that both the regions were frutfull and of good grounde to beare frutes and trees Intendynge nowe therfore to departe from thense he tried the earth
of people then in any other place As owre men approched towarde them there came certeine messengers from their Cacici that is the kynges of the countrey to desyre the Admirall in the name of theyr princes to coome to theyr palayces withowte feare humayne people and that they and al theyrs shulde bee at his commaundement When the Admirall had thanked them and made his excuse for that tyme there came innumerable people with theyr boates to the shippes hauyng for the most parte cheynes abowte theyr neckes garlandes on theyr heades and braselettes on theyr armes of pearles of India Cheynes and garlandes of gold perles And that so commonlye that owre women in playes and tryumphes haue not greater plentie of stones of glasse and crystall in theyr garlandes crownes gerdels and suche other tyrementes Beinge asked where they gathered them they poynted to the next shore by the sea bankes They signified also by certeyne scorneful giestures which they made with theyr mouthes and handes that they nothyng esteemed perles Baskettes ful of pearles I knowe who had bags ful Taking also baskettes in their handes they made signes that the same might bee fylled with them in shorte space But bycause the corne wherwith his shyppes were laden to bee caryed into Hispaniola had taken hurt by reason of the salte water he determined to deferre this marte to a more conuenient tyme. Yet he sent to lande two of the shippe boates laden with men to thintent to fetch sum garlandes of perles for exchange of our thynges and also sumwhat to searche the nature of the Region and disposition of the people They enterteyned owr meÌ„ gentelly howe the Admirals men were enterteyned and came flockynge to them by heapes as it hadde byn to beholde sume straunge monsters Fyrste there came to meete owre men two men of grauitie whome the multitude folowed One of these was well in age and the other but younge They thinke it was the father with his soonne whiche shulde succede hym When the one had saluted and embrased the other they browght owre men into a certeyne rownde howse nere vnto the whiche was a greate courte Hether were browght many chayers and stooles made of a certeyne blacke woodde cheyers and stâ—les of hebene and very coonningely wrowght After that owre men and theyr Princes were sette theyr wayting men came in laden sume with sundry delicate dysshes and sume with wyne Fruites and wyne But theyr meate was only fruites and those of dyuers kyndes and vtterly vnknoweÌ„ to vs. Theyr wyne was both whyte and redde not made of grapes but of the lycour of dyuers fruites and very pleasaunte in drynkynge wyne of the lycour of fruites After this banquette made in the owlde mans howse the younge man browght them to his tabernacle or mancion place where was a greate coompany bothe of men and women but they stoode deceauered the one from the other They are whyte whyte men nere the Equinoctial euen as owre men are sauynge suche as are much conuersant in the sonne They are also very gentyll and full of humanitie towarde strangiers They coouer theyr pryuie partes with gossampine cotton wrowght with sundry coloures and are besyde all naked There was fewe or none that had not eyther a coller a cheyne or a braselette of golde and pearles and many had all Beinge asked where they had that golde they poynted to certeyne mountaynes mountaynes are the matrices of golde seemynge with theyr countenaunce to dissuade owre men from goinge thyther For puttinge theyr armes in theyr mouthes and grynninge as thowgh they bytte the same stylle poyntinge to the mountaynes they seemed to insinuate that men were eaten there But whether they mente by the Canibales Canibales or wylde beastes owre men cowlde not well perceaue They tooke it excedinge greeuouslye that they coulde nother vnderstande owre men nor owre men them When they which were sente to lande were returned to the shippes abowte three of the clocke at after noone the same daye bringinge with them certeyne garlandes and collers of pearles they loosed theyr ankers to departe myndinge to coome ageyne shortly when all thynges were sette in good order in Hispaniola But he was preuented by an other which defeated hym of the rewarde of his trauayle He was also hyndered at this tyme by reasoÌ„ of the shalownes of the sea violeÌ„t course of the water Shalownes of the sea which with continual tossing broosed the greatest ship as often as any great gale of wynde arose To auoyde the daungiours of suche shalowe places and shelfes he euer sent one of the smaulest carauelles before The vse of careuelles or brigantines to try the way with soundinge and the byggest shâ—ppes folowed behynde The Regions beinge in the large prouince of Paria for the space of CCXXX myles are cauled of thinhabitantes Cumana and Manacapana Cumana and Manacapana regions of the prouince of Paria Curiana from these regions distant three score leaques is there an other Region cauled Curiana When he had thus passâ—d ouer this long tract of sea supposing styll that it had byn an Ilande doutinge that he might passe by the Weste to the Northe directlye to Hispaniola he chaunced into a ryuer of .xxx. cubettes depthe of such breadth as hath not lyghtly byn harde of A ryuer of maruelous depth and bredth For he affirmeth it to bee .xxviii. leaques A lyttle further toward the Weste yet sumwhat more sowthwarde as the bending of the shore requyred â—he entered into a sea full of herbes or weedes A â—ea of weedes The seede of the herbes whiche swymme on the water are muche lyke the berryes of the tree cauled Lentiscus Lentiscus which beareth the sweete guÌ„me cauled Mâ—stix Mastix They grewe soo thicke that they sumetyme in maner stayed the shippes The Admirall reported that here there is not one daye thorowghe owte all the yeare muche longer or shorter then an other And that the Northe pole is here eleuate onely fyue degrees as at Paria The eleuation of the pole at Paria in whose tracte all these coastes lye Hee also declared certeyne thynges as concerninge the variete of the northe pole The which because they seeme contrarye to thoppinions of all the Astronomers Note a secreâ—te as concerning the pole starre I wyll touche them but with a drye foote as sayth the prouerbe But it is wel knowen moste noble prince that the starre which we caule the pole starre or north starre cauled of the Italians Tramontana is not the very poynte of the pole Artyke vppon the whiche the axes or extremities of heauens are turned abowte The which thynge may well be proued if when the starres fyrst appeare An experieÌ„ce yowe beeholde the pole starre throwgh any narowe hole For soo applyinge yowre instrument therto in the morninge sumwhat before the day springe haue blemyshed theyr lyght yf then
sycke his poure went forward vnder the conducting of his Lieuetenant Gaspar Spinosa a Iudge in cases of lawe in Dariena At the same time other were sent foorth to the Ilande of Dites to exacte the portion of pearles lymited to the king for his tribute What shal succede tyme will bring to owre knowleage The other two attempted thinhabitantes beyond the goulfe Franciscus Bezerra passyng ouer by the corner of the goulfe and the mouthes of the ryuer of Dabaiba The expediâ—ion of Fraunces Beâ—arra â—geynst the Canibales with two other capitaines and a hundreth and fyftie souldiers well appointed went to make warre vppon the Canibales euen in Caribana their owne chiefest dominion toward the vyllage of Turusy wherof we haue made mention before in the comming of Fogeda They brought also with them diuers engens of warre Gunâ—eâ— â–ª as â—hree pieces of ordinanunce whose shot were bygger then egges Likewise forty archers and .xxv. hagbutters to thintent to reache the Caniballes a farre of and to preuent their venemed arrowes But what became of hym and his company or where they arriued we haue yet no parfecte knowleage Certaine which came of late from Dariena to Spaine reported that at their departure they of Dariena stode in great feare least they also were tossed with sum misfortune The other capitaine Valleius Ualeius â—epulsed of the Canibales obteyned the fore parte of the goulfe But he passed ouer by an other waye then dyd Bezerra For he tooke the beginning of Caribana and Bezerra the ende Valleius returned ageine But of the three score and ten men whiche he conueighed ouer with hym hee lefte fortye and eyght slaine emonge the Canibales These are the newes whiche they bringe that came laste from Daâ—iena There came to me the day before the Ides of October in this yeare M.D.xvi. Rodericus Colmenares of whom we haue made mention before and one Franciscus Delapuente This Franciscus was one of the vnder capitaines of this bande whose chiefe capitaine was Gonsalus Badaiocius who hardly escaped the handâ—s of kyng Pariza These twoo capitaines therfore Rodericus and Franciscus who departed from Dariena immediatly after the misfortune whiche befell to Badaiocius and his companye The Ilandes of the south sâ—a do both affirme the one that he hath harde and the other that he hath seene that in the Southe sea there are diuers Ilandes lying westwarde from the Iland of Dites and saincte Michaels goulfe In this sea 〈◊〉 Ilâ—ndes of Molucca most frutefull of â—pices in many of the which are trees engendred and nourisshed which bring foorth the same aromaticall fruites as doth the region of Collocutea Collocutea This lande of Collocutea with the regions of Cochinus and Camemorus Cochinus and Camemorus from whense the Portugales haue their spyces are the chiefe marte places from whense the Portugales haue their spices And hereby do they coniecture that the land where the frutfulnesse of spyce begynneth shulde not be farre from thense In so much that many of them whiche haue ouerrunne those coastes do onely desyre that leaue may be graunted them to searche further and that they wil of their owne charges frame and furnishe shippes and aduenture the viage to seeke those Ilandes and regions They thinke it best that these shippes shulde bee made and prepared he meaneth by the streight of Magellanus euen in saincte Michaels goulfe And not to attempte this vyage by sainte Augustines point which waye were both longe and diâ—fyculte and ful of a thousande daungers and is saide to reache beyonde the forty degree of the pole Antartike The same Franciscus being partener of the trauailes and daungiers of Gonsalus saithe that in ouer runninge those landes he founde great heardes of hartes and wylde bores howe they take hartes and wylde bores and that he toke many of them by an arte which thinhabitauntes taught him whiche was to make pittes or treÌ„ches in their walkes and to couer the same with bouwes By this meanes also they deceaue al other kindes of wild and foure footed beastes But they take foules after the same maner that we do As stocke doues with an other tame stocke done brought vp in their houses Stocke dâ—ueâ— These they tye by a strynge and suffer them to flye a little emong the trees To the which as other birdes of their kind resort they kil theÌ„ with their arrowes Theyr maner of foulynge Otherwyse they take theÌ„ with nettes in a bare place pourged from trees bushes and scateryng certeyne seedes rounde about that place in the myddeste whereof they tye a tame foule or byrde of the kynde of them whiche they desyre to take In lyke maner do they take popingiayes and other foules But they say that popingiayes are so simple Poâ—ingiayes arâ— eaâ—ely taken that a great multitude of them wyll flye euen into the tree in whose bouwes the fouler sytteth swarme about the tame chatterynge popingiaye sufferynge them selues to bee easely taken For they are so without feare of the syght of the fouler that they tary whyle he cast the snare about theyr neckes the other beinge nothynge feared hereby thoughe they see hym drawe them to him with the snare and put them in the bagge which he hath about hym for the same purpose There is an other kynde of foulynge A straunge kynde of foulynge heretofore neuer harde of and pleasaunt to consyder We haue declared before howe that in certeyne of the Ilandes and especially in Hispaniola there are dyuers lakes or standynge pooles In sume of these beinge no deaper then men may wade ouer them are seene great multytudes of water foules as wel for that in the bottome of these lakes there growe many herbes and weedes as also that by reason of the heate of the sonne pearceinge to the naturall place of generation and corruption Fysshes and woâ—mes engeÌ„dered of sume where beinge doubled in force by reflection and preserued by moyster there are engendered of the stymines of the earth and water and by the prouidence of the vniuersall creator innumerable lyttle fysâ—hes with a thousande sundry kyndes of frogges wormes knattes flyes and such other The foules which vse these lakes Foules are of dyuers kyndes As duckes geese swannes seemewes gulles and such other We haue sayde also that in theyr orchardes they noryshe a tree which beareth a kynde of greate gourdes Of these gourdes therefore well stopped leaste any water shulde enter in at theyr ryftes and cause them to sinke Gourdes of the tree they cast many in the shalowe pooles where by theyr continuall wanderynge and wauerynge with the motions of the wynde and water they put the foules owt of suspection and feare The fouler in the meane tyme disguysinge hym selfe as it were with a visour putteth a great gourde on his head much lyke to a helmet with two holes neare about his eyes his face and hole heade besyde beinge couered therwith And thus entereth
the arbitriment of the chooser so that it bee not grounde already occupied or lefte of other The portion of grounde beinge thus chosen as it were assygned of the augures to buylde a temple they inclose their slaues within the same whose helpe the Christians vse in tyllynge of their grounde and gatherynge of golde as we haue saide These places appointed vnto them they keepe as long as them lyue And if they perceaue tookens of lyttle golde they requyre an other plotte of ground of twelue pases to be assigned them leauyng the first in commen Owre inclosiers woolde leaue no such commens And this is thorder which the Spaniardes inhabitinge Dariena obserue in gatheryng of golde I suppose also that they vse the lyke order in other places How be it I haue not yet enquired so farre It hath byn proued that these twelue pases of grounde haue yelded to their choosers the summe of fourescore Castellans of gold Aurisacra Famâ—e And thus leade they theyr lyues in fulfyllynge the holy hunger of golde But the more they fyll their handes with fyndynge The broosie of couetousnes the more increaseth their couetous desyre The more woodde is layde to the fyer the more furiously rageth the flame Unsaciable couetousnesse is no more diminisshed with increase of rychesse then is the drinesse of the dropsye satisfyed with drinke I lette passe manye thynges wherof I intende to write more largely in tyme conuenient if I shall in the meane season vnderstande these to be acceptable vnto yowre holynesse my dewtie and obseruaunce to whose autoritie hath caused me the gladlier to take this labour in hande The prouidence of the eternall creatour of all thynges graunt yowre holynesse many prosperous yeares ¶ The laste booke of Peter Martyr of Angleria of the Landes and Ilandes lately founde and of the maners of the inhabitauntes of the same I Haue partli declared before in mi decades how certeine fugitâ—ues which came owt of the large West landes arriued in the confynes of Dariena Loke Decade â—ii Liber x. And howe that marueylinge at the bookes of owre men they declared that they sumtyme dwelte in regions whose inhabitauntes vsed suche instrumentes and were ruled by politike lawes Also that they had cities fortified with waules Cities fortifyed with waules and faire pallaces with streates well paued and common places whyther marchauntes resort as to the burse or streate These landes owre men haue nowe founde Therfore who were thautours hereof or what successe they had herein who so desireth to know with the conditions of straunge regions and the maners of the people let hym giue diligent attendance to such thynges as folowe Of the Iland of Cuba nowe cauled Fernandina The Iland of Cuba or Fernandâ—na lyynge nexte vnto Hispaniola on the west syde and yet sumwhat so bendynge towarde the Northe that the circle cauled Tropicus Caneri deuideth it in the myddeste wher as Hispaniola is distante from the Tropike and declinynge certen degrees toward the Equinoctial line we haue spoken sumwhat before In this Iland of Fernandina there are nowe syxe townes â—rected Wherof the chiefe is named Sanctiago of saynt Iames the patrone of the Spanyardes In this there is natiue golde found both in the mountaynes and ryuers By reason wherof they are daylye occupied in gathering digging the same But shortely after that I had finished my sayde bookes thre Spanyardes that were the most auncient citizens of Cuba The Spaniards of Cuba attempt new vyages as Francâ—scus Fernandes of Corduba Lupus Ocho Christophorus Morantes determined to seeke newe landes as the myndes of the Spanyardes are euer vnquiet and geuen to attempte great enterprises They furnyshed at their owne charges three of those shyppes whiche they caule Carauels And hauynge fyrste lycence of Diegus Velasquen the gouernour of the Ilande they departed with a hundreth and ten men from the West angle of Cuba The west angle of â—uba For this angle is moste commodious to relieue shyppes and to make prouision for freshe water and fuell Thus they sayled continually syxe dayes and a halfe betwene the West and the South contented onely with the syght of the heauen and the water durynge whiche tyme they suppose that they sayled not past threescore and syxe myles Note For they ley at anker all nyght where so euer the faulynge of the soonne tooke the day light from them leaste by wanderynge in vnknowen seas they myght chaunce to be cast vppon rockes or sandes But at the length they chaunced vppon a great Ilande named Iucatana The Iland of Iucatana whose beginnyng thinhabitauntes caule Eccampi A great citie well buylded Owre men went to the citie stondynge on the sea syde the whiche for the bygnes therof they named Eâ—yrus or Alcair Thinhabitauntes enterteined them very frendly When they were entered into the citie they marueyled to behold the houses buylded lyke towres magnifycall temples Temples streates well paued and great excercise of bying and sellyng by exchaunge of ware for ware humane people Their houses are eyther bylte of stone or of bricke and lyme and artifycially wrought To the fyrste porches of their houses and fyrst habitations they ascend by ten or twelue steares They are couered eyther with tyles Cunnyng artifycers slates reades or stalkes of certeyne herbes They gratified the one the other with mutuall gyftes The barbarians gaue owre men many brooches and iewelles of golde verye fayre and of cunnyng woorkmanshyppe Owre men recompensed them with vestures of sylke and woolle counterfecte stones of coloured glasse and christall haukes belles of laton and suche other rewardes whiche they greatly esteemed for the straungenes of the same They sette nowght by lookynge glasses bycause they haue certeyne stoones muche brighter Appareled people This nation is appareled after a thousande fasshyons with vestures made of gossampyne cotten or bombage of dyuers coloures The women are couered from the girdle to the heele hauynge dyuers fasshions of veles aboute their heades and brestes with great cautele least any parte of their legges or feete bee seene They resorte muche to their temples vnto the which the chiefe rulers haue the wayes paued from their owne houses They are Idolatours and circumcised Circumciâ—ed Idâ—laters They occupie their maner of exchaunginge with muche fydelitie They vse to adourne the heares of their heades being demanded by thinterpretours of whom they receaued their circumcisyon they answered that there once passed an exceadynge fayre man by their costes who lefte them that in tooken to remember hym Other saye that a manne brighter thâ—n the soone went emonge them and executed that offyce But there is no certentie hereof When owre men had remayned there certeyne dayes they seemed to bee molestous to thinhabitantes accordynge to the common sayinge The longer a geste tarieth the woorse is his enterteynement The whiche thynge owre men perceauyng they made the more hâ—st awaye Beynge therfore prouided of all
any place they make water vesselles of the canes therof and cary as many of them ful of water as may suffice for one dayes iornay And sumtyme they cary so many that they take for euery man two or three quartes of water which may serue them for many dayes bycause it doth not corrupte but remaynethe styll fresshe and good There are also certeine plantes which the Christians caul Platani Platani These are as hygh as trees and become as bygge in the trunke as the knee of a man or more Frome the foote to the toppe they beare certeyne longe and large leaues beinge more then three spannes in largenes and about ten or twelue in length The whiche when they are broken of the wynde the stalke remayneth hole in the myddest In the myddeste of this plant in the hyghest parte thereof there groweth a cluster with fortie or fyftie Platans abowt it euery of them beinge a spanne and a halfe in length and as bygge as a mans arme in the smauâ—e or more or lesse accordynge to the goodnesse of the soyle where they growe They haue a rynde not very thycke and easy to bee broken being within altogither full of a substaunce lyke vnto the marye of the bone of an oxe as it appeareth when the rynde or barke is taken frome the same This cluster owght to bee taken from the plant when any one of the Platans begynne to appere yelowe At which tyme they take it and hange it in theyr houses where all the cluster waxeth rype with all his Platans This cluster is a very good frute And when it is opened and the rynde taken of there are founde within it many good drye fygges which beynge rosted or stewed in an ouen in a close pot or sum suche other thynge Figges are of pleasaunte taste muche lyke the conserue of hony They putrifie not on the sea so soone as sume other frutes do but continue fyfteene dayes and more yf they bee gathered sumwhat greene They seeme more delycate on the sea then on the lande not for that they any thinge increase in goodnesse on the sea but bycause that whereas on the sea other thynges are lackyng wherof is plentie on the land those meates seeme of beste taste which satisfie presente necessitie This troonke or sprygge whiche bryngeth foorth the sayde cluster is a hole yeare in growyng and brynging foorth frute In whiche tyme it hath put foorth rounde abowte it tenne or twelue sprygges as bygge as the fyrst or principall and multiplieth no lesse then the pryncipall in bryngynge foorthe of clusters with frutes lykewyse at theyr tyme and also in bryngynge foorth other and many sprygges as is sayde beefore From the which sprygges or trunkes as soone as the cluster of the frute is taken away the plante begynneth to drye and wyther which then they take owt of the grounde bycause it doth none other then occupie it in vayne and without profyt They are so many and doo so maruelously increase and multiplie that it is a thynge in maner incredible They are exceadynge moyste In so much that when they are plucked vp froÌ„ the place where they groâ—â— there issheweth forth a great quanâ—â—tie of water as well owte of the plante as owte of the place where it grewe In suche sorte that all the moysture of the earth farre abowte myght seeme to bee gathered to gyther abowte the trunke or blocke of the sayde plante with the frutes whereof the antes are so farre in loue that they are seene in great multitudes in the branches of the plantes So that for the multitude thereof it sumetyme so chaunceth that men are inforced to take away the Platans frome theyr possession These frutes are founde at all tymes of the yeare There is also an other kynd of wyld plantes that groweth in the fyeldes which I haue not seene but in the Ilande of Hispaniola althowgh they be founde in other Ilandes of the Indies These they caule Tunas â—unas They growe of a thistle full of thornes and brynge foorth a fruite muche lyke vnto great fygges which haue a crowne lyke medlers and are within of a hyghe coloure with graynes and the rynde lyke vnto a fygge They are of good taste And growe abundantly in the fyeldes in many places They woorke a straunge effecte in suche as eate them For if a manne eate two or three or more they cause his vrine to bee of the verye coloure of bludde which thynge chaunced once to my selfe At whiche tyme as I made water and sawe the colour of my vrine I entered into a great suspition of my lyfe beinge so astonysshed for feare that I thought the same had chaunced to me vpon sum other cause In so muche that surely my imagination myght haue doone me hurte but that they whiche were with me dyd conforte me immediately declarynge the cause therof as they knewe by experience beinge auncient inhabitours in those regions There groweth also an other plante whiche the people of the countrey caule Bihaos Bihaos This putteth forth certeyne streight braunches and very brode leaues which the Indians vse for dyuers purposes For in sum places they couer theyr houses with the leaues therof cowched and layde after the maner of thetche wherunto it serueth very well Sumtymes also wheÌ„ it rayneth they cast these ouer theyr heades to defende theim from the water They make also certeyne chestes whiche they caule Hauas Hauas weaued after a straunge sorte and intermixt with the leaues of this Bihaos These chestes are wrought in such sort that although it rayne vpon them or they chaunce to faule into the water yet are not such thynges wette as are within them They are made of the braunches of the sayde Bihaos with the leaues weaued togyther therwith In these they keepe salte and other subtyle thynges They vse theym also for an other purpose which is this That findyng them in the fieldes at such tyme as they haue scarsenesse of vyttayles they dygge vp the rootes of these plantes whyle they are yet younge or eate the plante it selfe in that parte where it is moste tender which is from a foote vnder the grounde where it is as tender and whyte as a reede or bulrusshe And forasmuch as wee are nowe coomme to th end of this narration Dying of cotton it commeth to my rememberaunce to make mention of an other thynge which is not farre from my purpose And this is howe the Indians do stayne or dye cloth of bombage cotton or any other thynge which they intende to dye of dyuers coloures as blacke tawny greene blewe yelowe and redde whiche they doo with the barkes or ryndes and leaues of certeyne trees whiche they knowe by experience to bee good for this practise And by this arte they make colours in such perfection and excellencie that no better can bee diuysed But this seemeth a straunge thynge A straunge thynge that they doo all this in one selfe same vessell So
The primatiue church In fine they affirme that all theyr customes and rytes are accordynge to thinstitutions of the primatyue church and the doctrine of Basilius Magnus and Chrisostomus A straunge custome In this thynge they dyffer greately from vs that they minister the communion to younge children of three yeares of age which they doo with fermented breade dipte in a sponefull of wyne and gyue it them for the bodye and bludde of Chryste ¶ A briefe description of Moscouia after the later wryters as Sebastian Munster and Iacobus Bastaldus THe prouince of Moscouia is so named by the ryuer Mosco which passeth by the metrapolitane citie of Moscouia cauled Mosca by the name of the ryuer Mosco This prouince was cauled of the owlde wryters Sarmatia Asiatica Sarmatia asiatica The bortherers or confines to the Moscouians on the one syde towarde the East are the Tartars cauled Nogai and the Scianbanians with the Zagatians Towarde the West the prouinces of Liuonia and Lituania Towarde the South the ryuer of Tanais and the people confinyng with the ryuer Uolga cauled of the owld writers Rha. And towarde the North the Ocean sea cauled the Scythian sea The Scythian Ocean and the region of Lapponia Moscouia is in maner all playne and full of marysshes wooddes and many very great ryuers wherof the ryuer of Uolga is the principal The ryuer or Uolga Sum caul this Ledyl as the owld autours named it Rha. It beginneth at the great lake cauled Lacus Albus that is the white lake and runneth into the sea of Bachau Lacus albus named of the aunciente wryters the sea Caspium or Hircanum The Caspian sea Under the dominion of Moscouia are certeyne regions and dukedoomes as Alba Russia that is whyte Russia Also Colmogora Plesconia Basrida Nouogardia with also manye places of the Tartars which are subiecte to the duke of Moscouia The chiefe cities of Moscouia Theyr chiefe cities are Mosca Plesconia Nouogardia Colmogora Otogeria Uiatra Smolenser Percassauia Cologna Uolodemaria Roslauia and Cassam The people of Moscouia are Christians and haue greate abundaunce of hony and waxe also ryche furres as Sabels Marternes Foynes Calaber and dyuers other All the Tartars which inhabite towarde the East beyonde the ryuer of Uolga The wylde Tâ—rtars haue no dwellynge places nor yet cities or castels But cary abowt with theym certeyne cartes or wagens couered with beastes hydes vnder the whiche they reste as wee do in owre houses They remoue togyther in great companies whiche they caule Hordas hordas They are warlike people and good horsemen and are all Macometistes Sebastian Munster in his booke of Uniuersall Cosmographie wryteth that the citie of Mosca or Moscouia conteineth in circuite .xiiii. myles The bygnes of the citie of Moscouia and that it is twyse as bygge as the citie of Praga in Bohemie Of the countrey of Moscouia bisyde other prouinces subiecte to the same he wryteth thus It extendeth in largenesse foure hundreth myles and is rich in syluer Syluer It is lawfull for no man to go owt of the realme or coome in withowt the dukes letters The region of Moscouia It is playne without mountaynes and ful of wooddes and marysshes The beastes there by reason of the coulde Beastes are lesse then in other countreis more southwarde In the myddest of the citie of Mosca beinge situate in a playne there is a castell with .xvii. towres and three bulwarkes so stronge and fayre A fayre and stronge castel in the citie of Moâ—ca that the lyke are scarsely seene in any other place There are also in the castell xvi churches and three very large courtes in the which the noble men of the courte haue theyr lodgynges The dukes pallaice is buylded after the maner of the Italian buyldyng The dukes pallaice and very fayre but not great Theyr drynke is mede beere as is the maner of the moste parte of the people that inhabite the North partes of the woorlde Theyr drynke They are exceadyngely gyuen to droonkennesse They are gyuen to drunkennesse Yet as sume saye the princes of the lande are prohibite in peine of death to absteine from such stronge drinkes as are of force to inebriate except at certeyne tymes when licence is graunted theym as twyse or thryse in the yeare They plowe the grownde with horses and plowes of woodde Theyr corne and other grayne by reason of longe coulde Corne and grayne doo seldome waxe rype on the ground by reason wherof they are sumtimes inforced to rype and dry them in theyr stooues and hotte houses Stoues and then grynd theÌ„ They lacke wyne and oyle Moscouia is extended vnto Iurham and Corelia which are in Scythia The famous ryuer of Tanais The famous ryuer of Tanais the Moscouites caule Don hauyng his sprynges and originall in Moscouia in the dukedome of Rezense It ryseth owt of a grownde that is playne baren muddy full of marysshes and wooddes And where it proceadeth toward the East to the mountaynes of Scithia and Tartarie it bendeth to the south and commyng to the marysshes of Meotis it fauleth into them The marysshes of Meotis The ryuer of Uolga sumetyme cauled Rha Uolga and nowe cauled of the Tartars Edel runneth toward the north certeyne myles to whom is ioyned the ryuer Occa or Ocha Ocha flowynge owt of Moscouia and then bendynge into the South and increaâ—ed with many other ryuers fauleth into the sea Euxinum The sea Euxinum which diuideth Europe and Asia The woodde or forest cauled Hircania sylua occupieâ—h a smal portion oâ— Moscouia Yet is it sumwhere inhabited The forest of hircania and by the longe labour of men made thinner and barer of trees In that parte that lyeth towarde Prussia is a kynde of greate and fierce bulles cauled Uri or Bisontes Uri as wryteth Paulus Iouius There are also Alces muche lyke vnto harâ—es Alces with longe snoutes of flesshe and longe legges withowt any bowinge of theyr houx or pasternes These beastes the Moscouites caule Lozzi and the Almaynes Helenes The iornaye that is betwene Ulna of Lituania by Smolense to Mosca is trauayled in wynter on sleades by the snowe congeled by longe froste They trauayl in wynter on sleades and made very slypperye and compacte lyke Ise by reason of much wearynge and treadynge by meanes wherof this vyage is performed with incredible celeritie But in the sommer the playne countreys can not bee ouercome with owt difficulte labour For when the snowe begynneth to bee dissolued by continuall heate Causeys of tymber it causeâ—h marysshes and quamyres inextricable and daungerous both for horse and man were it not for certeyne causeyes made of tymber with in maner infinite labour Trees and frutes The region of Moscouia as I haue said beareth neyther vynes nor olyue trees nor yet any other trees that bere any apples or frutes of very plesant or
lye lurkynge in caues and dennes to auoyde the sharpenesse of coulde as the Affricanes doo the lyke to defend them selues from the heate On the toppe of a certeyne mountayne cauled Weyszarch lyinge betwene Islande and Gruntland or Gronlande is erected a shypmans quadrant of marueilous byggenesse A shipmans quadranâ— made by two pirates named Pinnigt Pothorst in fauour of such as sayle by those coastes that they may therby auoyde the daungerous places lyinge towarde Gronland The myddest of the Ilande 7 0 65 30. The citie Harsol c. 7 40 60 42. Laponia THe region of Laponia was so named of the people that inhabâ—te it For the Germayns caule all suche Lapones as are simple or vnapte to thynges This people is of smaule stature and of such agilitie of bodie that hauynge theyr quyuers of arrowes gerte to them theyr bowes in theyr handes People of great agilitie they can with a leape caste thâ—ym selues throwgh a circle or hope of the diameter of a cubite They seyght on foote armed with bowes and arrowes and after the maner of the Tartars They are exercised in hurlynge the darte and shootynge from theyr youth in so muche that they giue theyr chyldren no meate vntyll they hit the marke they shoote at as dyd in owlde tyme thinhabitauntes of the Ilandes cauled Balâ—ares They vse to make theyr apparell streight and close to theyr boddies that it hynder not theyr woorke A straunge apparell Theyr winter vestures are made of the hole skinnes of seales or beares artificially wrought made supple These they tye with a knotte aboue theyr heades leauynge onely two holes open to looke through and haue all the residue of theyr bodies couered as thoughe they were sowed in sackes but that this beinge adapted to all partes of theyr bodies is so made for commoditie and not for a punisshement as the Romans were accustomed to sowe paricides in sackes of lether with a cocke The cauâ—e of an owlde erroure an ape and a serpent and so to hurle them alyue all togither into the ryuer of Tyber And hereby I thinke it came to passe that in owlde tyme it was rasshely beleued that in these regioÌ„s there were men with rowgh hery bodies wilde beastes as parte made relation throwghe ignoraunce parte also takynge pleasure in rehearsall of suche thynges as are straunge to the hearers The Lapones defended by this arte and industry go abrode and withstande the sharpenes of wynter and the north wyndes with all the iniuries of heauen They haue no houses but certeyne tabernacles like tentes or hales wherwith they paâ—se from place to place change theyr mansions So doo the Tartars Sum of them liuâ— after the maner of the people of Sarmaria cauled in owlde tyme Amaxobii which vsed waynes in the steade of houses They are much gyuen to huntynge and haue such plentie of wylde beastes that they kyll them in maner in euery place Plentie of wyld beastes It is not lawfull for a woman to go furth of the tente at that doore by the whiche her husbande wente owte on huntynge the same daye nor yet to touche with her hande any part of the beaste that is taken vntyll her husbande reache her on the spitte suche a portion of flesshe as he thinketh good They tyll not the grounde The region nuryssheth no kynde of serpentes No serpents yet are there greate and noysoome gnattes Great gnats They take fysshe in greate plentieâ— by the commoditie wherof they lyue after the maner of the Ethiopians cauled Ichthiophagi For as these drie theyr fisshe with feruent heate so doo they drye them with coulde and grynde or stampe them to pouder as smaule as meale or floure They haue such abundaunce of these fysshes Abunâ—aunce of fysshe that they hâ—ued great plentie therof in certeyne store houses to cary them vnto other landes nere abowt them as Northbothnia whyte Russia Theyr shyppes are not made with nayles but are tide togyther and made fast with cordes and wyththes Ships withowt nayles With these they sayle by the swyft ryuers betwene the mountaines of Laponia beinge naked in sommer that they may the better swymme in the tyme of perell and gather together such wares as are in daunger to bee lost by shipwracke Part of them crereise handiecraftes as imbrotherynge and weauynge of cloth interlaced with golde and syluer Science honoured Suche as haue diuised any necessary arte or doo increase and amende thinuentions of other are openlye honoured and rewarded with a vesture in the which is imbrothered an argument or token of the thynge they deuised And this remayneth to the posteritie of theyr famelie in token of theyr desertes They frame shippes buylde houses and make diuers sortes of housholde stuffe artificially and transporte them to other places neare abowte They bye and sell bothe for exchaunge of wares and for monâ—y Bargeinynge withowt woordes And this only by consent of both parties withowt communicacion yet not for lacke of wytte or for rudenesse of maners but bycause they haue a peculiar language vnknowen to theyr bortherers It is a valiant nation and lyued longe free and susteyned the warres of Norwaye and Suecia vntyll at the length they submitted them selues and payde ryche furres for theyr tribute They chose them selues a gouernour whom they caule a kynge But the kyng of Suetia gyueth hym autoritie and administration Neuerthelesse the people in theyr sutes and doubtfull causes resorte to Suecia to haue theyr matters decised In theyr iorneys they go not to any Inne nor yet enter into any house but lye all nyght vnder the firmament They haue no horses No horses but in the sâ—eade of them they tame certeyne wyld beastes which they caule Keen beinge of the iuste byggenesse of a mule A beast of marueylous strength and swyftnesse wiâ—lyrowgh heare lyke an Asse clouen feete and braâ—nthed horâ—es lyke a harte but lower and with fewer antlettes They wyll not abyde to bee rydden But when theyr pestrels or drawynge collers are put on them and they so ioyned to the chariotre or sleade they runne in the space of .xxiiii. hâ—â—res a hundreth and fiftie myles or .xxx. schâ—nos shat Schoenus is loke 〈◊〉 Gronland The whiche spare they affirme to chaunge the horizon thryse The change of the horizoÌ„ that is theyse to coome to the furthest signe or marke that they see a farre of Which doubtlesse is a token both of the marueylous swiftnesse and great strength of these beastes beinge able to continewe runnynge for so great a space in the meane whyle also spendynge sumtyme in feedynge I suppose that this thynge was sumewhat knowen to the owlde wryters although receaued in maner by an obscure and doubtful fame For they also wryte that certeyne Scythians doo ryde on hartes The owld autours cauled all the north people Scythyans They neyther folowe the Christian religion nor yet refuse it or are offended
therwith as are the Iuwes but do sum tymes receaue it fauorably to gratifie the princes to whome theyÌ„ obey Erasmus lamenteth this in his fyrste booke de ratine concionaÌ„di where he speaketh of the people cauled pilapâ—â— And that no more of theym imbrase the Christian fayth the faute is sumwhat to bee imputed to the by shoppes and prelates that haue eyther reiected this cure and charge of instructynge the nation or suâ—fered the faith of Christ to be suffocate euen in the fyrst sprynge For vnder the pretense of religion they woulde haue aduaunced theyr owne reuenues and ouerburthened the people by an intollerable exemple none otherwyse here then in all Christendome which thynge is doubtlesse the cause of moste greuons defections I harde Iohn a bysshoppe of Gothlande say thus We that gouerne the churche of Upâ—alia and haue vnder owre dioceâ—se a great parte of that nation lyke as it is not conueniente to declare many thynges of owre vigilance and attendaunce ouer the flocke committed to owre charge euen so absteynynge frome myscheuous couetousnesse wherby religion is abused for luker we doo in all places owre diligent endeuour that we minister none occasion whereby this nation as oâ—fended by owre â—innes maye bee the lesse wyllynge to embrase the Christian â—ayth This is the state of the religion amonge the Lapones Althowgh of theyr owne institution and custome receaued of theyr predicessours they are Idolatours Idolatrie honourynge that lyuynge thynge that they meete fyrst in the mornynge for the god of that daye and diuinynge thereby theyr good lucke or euyll They also erecte images of stone vpon the mountaines which they esteeme as goddes attributing to them diuine honour They solemne mariages and begynne the same with fyre and flynte A misterie of mariage in fyre fâ—int as with a mysterie so aptely applyed to the image of stone as if it had byn receaued frome the myddeâ—â—e of Grecia For in that they adhibite a mysterie of fyre as they doo not this alone forasmuche as the Romanes obserued the same custome euen so are they herein partly to be commended in that they vse the ceremonies of so noble a people The mysterie of the flinte is no lesse to bee praysed both forasmuche as this is domesticall philosophie and hath also a nere affinitie and signification to these sonemnities For as the flynt hath in it fyre lyinge hydde whiche appeareth not but by mouynge and force so is there a secreate lyfe in both kyndes of man and woman whiche by mutuall coniunction coommethe furth to a lyuynge byrth They are furthermore experte inchaunters Experte inchauncers They tye three knottes on a strynge hangynge at a whippe When they lose one of these they rayse tollerable wyndes When they lose an other the wynde is more vehement But by losyng the thyrde they rayse playne tempestes as in owlde tyme they were accustomed to rayse thunder and lyghtnynge This arte doo they vse ageinst such as sayle by theyr coastes and staye or moue the ryuers and seas more or lesse as they lyst to shewe fauoure or displeasure They make also of leade certeyne shorte magicall dartes of the quantitie and length of a fynger Magical dartes These they throwe ageynste suche of whome they desyre to bee reuenged The canker to places neuer so farre distant They are sumtimes so vexed with the canker on their armes or legges that in the space of three dayes they dye throwgh the vehemencie of the payne The sonne fauleth very lowe in these regions and prolongeth one continuall nyghte for the space of thre moonethes in wynter One nyght of three moonethes durynge whiche tyme they haue none other lyght but lyke vnto the twylyght of euenynges and mornynges This is very cleare but continueth but fewe honres and is lyke the bryght shynynge of the moone Therfore that day that the sonne returneth to the hemispherie they keepe holy day and make great myrth with solemne festiuitie And these are the maners of this nation not so brutysshe or saluage as woorthy therfore to bee cauled Lapones for theyr vnaptnesse or simplicitie as when they lyned vnder theyr owne Empire and vsed no familiaritie or entercourse with other nations and knewe not the commoditie of theyr owne thynges Rich furres neyther the pryce and estimation of theyr furres in owre regions by reason whereof they soulde great plentie of them for sum of owre wares of smaule vâ—lue The houndes or limittes of Laponia beinge thextreme lande of Scondia knowen towarde the north pole are extended towarde this parte of the North to the worlde yet vnknowen to vs And furthermore towarde the same parte of the vttermost sea accordynge to this description The fyrst coaste 70 72. The coaste folowynge 80 7. That that yet foloweth 90 70. From the fysshynge places and store houses of this sea Plentie of sea fysshe they cary foorth to Nordbothnia and whyte Russia landes confinynge to them great plentie of fysshe Wherby we may coniecture that this sea is extended on euery syde toward the North. Towarde the weste it is limitted with the moste inwarde goulfe of at the Castell of Wardhus at the degree wardhus 54 70 30. Towarde the Southe it is lymitted by a line drawen from thense vnto the degree .90 69. Norwegia or Norway NOrdway is as muche to say as the Northwaye This was sumtyme a florysshynge kyngedome whose dominion comprehended Denmarke Friselande and the Ilandes farre abowt vntyll the domestical Eâ—pire waâ— gouerned by the succession of inheritaunce In the meane tyme while this gouâ—rnaunce ceased for lacke of dewe issue it was instituted by consent of the nobilitie that the kynges shuld be admitted by election supposinge that they wolde with more equitie execute that office forasmuche as they were placed in the same by such autoritie and not by obteynynge the kyngedome by fortune and newe aduauncement But it came so to passe that as euery of them excelled in richesse ambition and fauour by consangiuitie so were they in greater hope to obteyne the kyngedome And were by this meanes diuided into factions kyngdomes destroyd by factions attemtyng also occasions tinuade foraigne realmes wherby they might strengthen theyr parties It is therefore at this present vnder the dominion of the Danes The Daneâ— who doo not only exact intollerable tributes but also brynge all theyr ryches and commodities into Denmarke constitutynge the continuance of theyr gouernaunce in thinfirmitie and pouertie of the subiectes which exemple sum other princes doo folowe at this day in the Christian Empire For after that the princes had forsaken suche vertues as shulde haue shyned in them as to bee Patres patriae that is the fathers of theyr countreys and that in the place hereof onely the proude countenaunce of dominion remayned which opened licentiousnesse to thiniuxie of the subiectes this folowed therof that wheras the Danes by this occasion had no further trust or ayde in the loue of the
be noted One quent is .x hundreth thousand◠wherof the one is that for so smaule charges they haue increased the reuenues of the crowne of Castyle as much as the Indies are in value The other is that endynge the conquest of the Moores who possessed the kyngdome of Granada eyght hundreth yeares they immediately beganne the conquest of the Indies as though the nation of the Spanyardes were euer appoynted to feyght ageynst infidels and enemies of the fayth of Iesu Chryst. By this trauayle of Colonus in so noble an enterpryse and so harde successe dooth the sayinge of Plinie appere to be most trew wher in the preface of his natural hystory wryttē to thēprour Uespasiā he writeth ī this maner Res ardus vetustis novitatem dare Nouis autori tatem absoletis nitorem obseuris lucem sastiditis gratiam dubiis fidem omnibus vero naturam et naturae fuatl omnia Itaque etiam non assecutis voluisse abund◠pulchrum atque magnificum est That is to say It is a dyfficulte thynge to gyue newenes to owlde thynges autoritie to newe thynges bewtie to thynges owt of vse fame to the obscure fauoure to the hatefull credite to the doubtefull nature to all and all to nature To such neuerthelesse as can not attayne to all these it is greately commendable and magnificall to haue attempted the same In the scuchen of armes gyuen to Colon by Don Ferdinando and queene Elizabeth Catholike princes so cauled for theyr warres ageynst the infidels these verses were wrytten Por Castilla y por Leon Nueuo mundo hallo Colon. That is For Castile and for Leon The newe worlde founde Colon. ¶ Of newe Spayne cauled Noua Hispania or Mexico NEwe Spayne is that parte of the continent or firme lande that lyeth West and South frome the lande of Floryda This was subdued to thempire of Castile by the ryght noble gentelman Ferdinando Cortese the marquesse of the vale of Quaxaca In this lande are many provinces cōteynyng in thē in maner innumerable cities amonge whichthat is the chiefe which the Indiās caule Mexico or Temixtitan The citie of Mexico or Temixtitan cōsystyng of more thē fiue hundreth thousand inhabitauntes It standeth in the myddest of a lake of salte water as doth Uenece in the sea The lake conteyneth fortie Persian myles cauled Parasange euery one consystynge of .xxx. furlons and more as sum say In these regions is founde great plentie of golde syluer Golde and syluer and precious stones with innumerable other thynges both necessary for the lyfe of man and pleasaunt as sylke Sylke bombasine cotton Cotton alame Alam Safferne Woade woade with dyuers other thynges wherwith clothe sylke is dyed There is also such abundance of suger Sugar that certeyne Spanysshe shippes are yearely fraighted therwith and brynge the same into Siuile from whense it is caryed in maner to all partes of Chrystendome Thinhabitauntes of Mexico are subtyle people and vse much craft in theyr bargening They haue not the vse of golde and syluer monye Shelles for money but vse in the steade therof the halfe shelles of almonds whiche kynde of Barbarous money they caule Cacao or Cacanguate In maner al kyndes of corne are there very good cheape Corne Beastes especially barly and wheate They haue great plentie of hartes wylde bores Lyons Leopardes and Tygers which beastes wander in maner in euery place The region is moste commodious for haukynge and huntynge for the great abundaunce it hath of beastes and foules haukyng and huntynge But the people exercise all theyr cunnynge in makynge the images of theyr Idolatry and in paintyng Paintynge Theyr women are valiant and sumptuous in theyr apparell and other tyrementes For they so vychely frynge and byset the same with perles women sumptuously appareled precious stones and golde that nothynge can be more excellent They haue a kynde of paper greatly differyng from owrs In this they expresse theyr mindes by certeyn figures For they haue nor otherwise thuse ofletters The nation is desyrous of warre and dooth not longe keepe the condicions of peace vnuiolated A warlike nation But delyteth rather in ciuile and most cruell battayle amonge them selues then to lyue in peace and quietnesse Suche as in the warres faule by any meanes into the handes of theyr enemies eyther by submission or otherwyse are partely sacrificed to the Idoles Captiues sacrificed to Idoles and the residue gyuen to the souldiers to bee eaten in lyke maner as wee rewarde dogges and haukes with parte of theyr pray They haue innumerable Idoles which euery one maketh for his particular god after the phantasie of his own brayne and gyueth therto diuine honour Albeit at this day they doo by lyttle and lyttle leaue of theyr barbarous fiercenesse and with owre religion embrase better maners For they nowe professe the fayth of Chryst and in his name pray vnto God the father Vnderstande here that as touchynge these regions cauled new Spayne yow may reade at large in the booke here before entiteled of the landes and Ilandes lately founde This booke foloweth immediatly after the Decades althowgh the printer haue also wrytten the thyrde decade ouer the head of that booke which intreateth principally of the regions nowe cauld newe Spayne Of the conquest of this Mexico Francisco Lopez hath written a large booke in the Spanysshe tounge ¶ Of Peru. The prouince cauled Peru was also named noua Cathilia by them that fyrste founde it This region is the west parte of America and is situate in the longitude of .290 degrees proceadynge from the West to the East And southwarde begynneth fiue degrees beyonde the Equinoctial line and is extended very farre into the south This is taken to bee the rychest lande in golde syluer Peru is the rychest lande that is knowen perles precious stones and spyces that euer was founde yet to this day For golde is there in such plentie that they make pyspots therof and other vessels applyed to fylthy vses But this is more to bee marueyled at that in a citie cauled Collao was founde a house all couered with massie plates of golde A house couered withgold In theyr warres also theyr harnesse was of golde and syluer harnes of golde Theyr weapons are bowes arrowes flynges dartes and pikes Thinhabitantes are warlyke people and of great agilitie They haue cities defended with lawes and armes The region is exceadyng frutefull A frutful region and yeldeth corne twyse in the yeare It is so florysshynge with many fayze wooddes mountaynes ryuers and other both pleasaunt and necessary commodities that it seemeth in maner an earthly Paradyse It hath dyuers kyndes of beastes and yet none hurtfull or of rauenynge kynde There are sheepe of such heyght that they vse them in the steade of horses Great sheepe Sume wryte that they are as bygge as the younge foles of camels and that theyr woolle is very softe and fine Also that the
Of the landes of Laborador and Baccalaos lyinge west and northwest from Englande and beinge parte of the firme lande of the West Indies MAny haue trauayled to search the coast of thâ— lande of Laborador aswell to thintente to knowe howe farre or whyther it reachethe as also whether there bee any passage by sea through the same into the sea of Surand the Ilandes of Maluca which are vnder the Equinoctiall line The way to the Ilandes of Maluca by the north sea thinkynge that the wayâ— thyther shulde greatly bee shortened by this vyage The Spanyardes as to whose ryght the sayde Ilandes of spices perteyne The Spanyâ—â—des dyd fyrst seeke to fynde the same by this way The Portugâ—les also hauynge the trade of spices in theyr handes dyd trauayle to fynde the same although hetherto neyther anye such paâ—sage is founde or the ende of that lande In the yeare a thousande and fiue hundreth Basper Cortesreales Baâ—per Corteâ—reales made a vyage thyther with two carauelles but founde not the â—â—reyght or passage he sought At his beinge there he named the Ilandes that lye in the mouth of the goulfe Quadrado after his name Cortesreales 〈…〉 lyinge in the L. degrees and more and browght from that lande abowt three score men for slaues He greatly maruayled to beholde the houge quantitie of snowe and Ise. Snowe and Ise. For the sea is there frosen excedyngly Thinhabitauntes are men of good corporature although tawny lyke the Indies and laborious They paynte theyr bodyes and weare braselettes and hoopes of syluer and copper Furreâ— Theyr apparel is made of the skynnes of marternes and dyuers other beastes whiche they weare with the heare inwarde in wynter and owtwarde in soommer This apparell they gyrde to theyr bodyes with gyrdels made of cotton or the synewes of fysshes and beastes They eate fysshe more then any other thynge and especially salmons Fysshe althoughe they haue foules and frute They make theyr houses of timber wherof they haue great plentieâ— and in the steade of tyles couer them with the skynnes of fysshes and beastes It is sayde also that there are grifes in this lande Gryfes and that the beares and many other beastes and foules are whyte Beares To this and the Ilandes abowt the same the Britons are accustomed to resorte The britons as men of nature agreable vnto them and borne vnder the same altitude and temperature The Norwayes also sayled thyther with the pylot cauled Iohn Scoluo And the Englysshe men with Sebastian Cabot Sebastian Cabot The coaste of the lande of Baccallaos The land of Baccallâ—os is a greate tracte and the greatest altitude therof is xiviii degrees and a halfe Sebastian Cabot was the fyrst that browght any knowleage of this lande For beinge in Englande in the dayes of kyng Henry the seuenth The vyage of Cabot in the dayes of kyng henry the seuenth he furnysshed twoo shippes at his owne charges or as sum say at the kynges whome he persuaded that a passage might bee founde to Cathay by the north seas and that spices myght bee brought from thense soner by that way then by the vyage the Portugales vse by the sea of Sur He went also to knowe what maner of landes those Indies were to inhabite He had with hym three hundreth men and directed his course by the tracte of Islande vppon the cape of Laborador at .lviii. degrees I se in Iuly affirmynge that in the monethe of Iuly there was such could and heapes of Ise that he durst passe no further also that the dayes were very longe and in maner withowt myght and the nyghtes very cleare Certeyne it is that at the. lx degrees the longest day is of .xviii. houres But consyderynge the coulde and the straungenes of thâ— vnknowen lande he turned his course from thense to the West folowynge the coast of the lande of Baccalaos vnto thâ— xxxviii degrees Baccallaos from whense he returned to Englande To conclude the Brytons and Danes haue sayled to the Baccalaos Bryâ—ons â—anes and Iaques Cartier a frenche man was there twyse with three galeons Iaques Cartyer as one in the yeare .xxxiiii. and the other in the .xxxv. and chose the lande to inhabite frome the .xlv. degrees to the. li. beinge as good a lande as Fraunce and al thynges therein commune to such as fyrst possesse the same Of these lands Iacobus Gastaldus wryteth thus The newe lande of Baccalaos The people of Baccallaos is a coulde region whose inhabytauntes are Idolatours and praye to the soonne and moonâ— and dyuers Idoles They are whyte people and very rustical For they eate flesshe and fysshe and all other thynges rawe Sumtymes also they eate mans flesshe priuilye so that theyr Laciqui haue no knowleage therof The apparell of both the men and women is made of beares skynnes althowgh they haue sables and marternes not greatly estemed bycause they are lyttle Sum of them go naked in soommer and weare apparell only in wynter The Brytous and Frenche men are accustomed to take fysshe in the coaste of these landes where is founde great plentie of Tunnyes which thinhabitauntes caul Baccalaos wherof the lande was so named Fysshynge for tunnyes Northwarde from the region of Baccalaos is the lande of Laborador Laborador all full of mountaynes and great wooddes in whiche are manye beares and wylde bores Thinhabitauntes are Idolatoures and warlike people appareled as are they of Baccallaos In all this newe lande is neyther citie or castell but they lyue in companies lyke heardes of beastes ¶ The discouerynge of the lande of Floryda THe gouernour of the Ilande of Boriquena Iohn Ponce of Leon beinge discharged of his office and very ryche Iohn Ponce water of great vertue of this reade in the Deâ—ades furnysshed and sente foorth two caruels to seeke the Ilandes of Boyuca in the which the Indians affirmed to be a fontayne or springe Whose water is of vertue to make owlde men younge Whyle he trauayled syxe monethes with owtragious desyre amonge many Ilandes to fynde that he sought and coulâ—e fynde no token of any such fountayne he entered into Bimini and discouered the lande of Florida in the yeare .1512 on Easter day which the Spanyardes caule the florysshyng day of Pascha Bemminâ— wherby they named that lande Florida And supposyng that great rychâ—s myght be browght from thense he returned into Spayne and conuenaunted with kynge Ferdinando as touchynge the trade and by thintercession of Nicolas de Quando and Peter Nunez de Guzman the kynge dyd not onely make hym gouernoure of Bemini and Florida but also sente furthe with hym three shippes from Siuile toward his second vyage in the yeare .1515 He touched in the Ilande of Guacana otherwyse cauled Guadalupe Guacana and sent to lande certeyne of his men with the landresses of the shyppes whom the Canibales lyinge in ambusshe The Canibales assayled