Tamaius and .13 hundred men of that countrey to serue in steede of packe horses for cariage after the maner there began to set forwarde from his Castle Vera crux towardes Themistitan in Mexico distant from thence Westwarde a hundred leagues or thereabout Cempoal standeth from Vera Crux .4 leagues eche league in this countrey is .4 Italian miles Foure dayes iourney from Cempoal Cortesius was enterteined curtuously by the inhabiters of a goodly shyre named Sienchimalen as also by the citizens of Texuacan after that he had passed with his army an exceedyng hygh hyll thicke clad with yse snow euen in the moneth of August The like enterteynment was offered him his companie as hee marched forward vntill he came to the Tascaltecans lande who are so great enemies vnto the Mexicans that liuyng amyd their dominions they had rather want their greatest necessaries to wit salt and cotton to cloath them than become subiects in any wise to the Prince of Mexico With these Tascaltecans Cortesius had three conflictes passing through their countrey in the ende valiantly gaue them the ouerthrow Tascalteca is a greater citie more populous and better serued than Granata in Spayne was at what time the Moores yelded their bread is made of Maiz that is Indish corne a very good seat for hauking hunting freshe water fishing sea fish is scarse for it standeth from the sea aboue .50 leagues of pulse good store This towne wals houses in number 20000. built of stone high strong in respect of the enemy euer at hand they keepe markets and fayres The people doth weare hose and maketh good accompt of Iewels precious stones of crestes bushes of feathers to set them foorth in the warres they garnishe euery thing with gold wood is brought to be sold to the market on mens shoulders timber boordes bricke lime stone are vsuall merchandise Theyr Carpenters Masons Potters are very skilfull There is no vessell wrought amongst vs more artificially than theyrs is Medicinable hearbes are solde openly They vse baths the nation politike gouerned in maner of a common wealth The whole circuit of this prouince is .90 leagues full of townes boroughes and villages hils and dales most â—ruitfull well stored of good souldyers in respecte of their enemyes rounde about them About one league of this citie encamped Cortesius by his spials vnderstanding the citizens not to mistrust or feare any inuasion tooke the strongest part therof by night in the morning came the best citizens to offer him all obedience Cortesius than returning with the victorie victuals to his campe found it in a troublesome mutinie for the great distresses present calamies they thought them selues to be in so far of from their owne country in the midst of their enemies This mutinie appeased he with good woords comfortable reasons persuading them their enemies to be weaker the spreadyng abroade of the gospell to be now in their hands them selues to be Spaniardes who esteeme not death to wyn glory a most happy death that to be where life is spent in the conquest of infidelles and barbares to lye by the sea side idlely that were to no purpose Thus appeased he the rebellious myndes of his companyons and after .20 dayes abode made in this prouince he led them into an other shire for pastures and riuers the most commodious for habitation best in all that countrey The principall citie hath name Churultecal as great as faire as Tascalteca and so gouerned vntil the king of Mexico oppressed it Here was Cortesius receyued with songes musicall instruments and trumpets by the priestes and children of the citie after their maner wel feasted The end of all this mirth was an vprore of the inhabiters agaynst him procured by the kyng of Mexico as it was supposed whereof Cortesius hauing secrete intelligence by a woman of Cempoal that folowed his Campe summoned a parle with the beste citizens of Churultecal at his owne lodging Those citizens first laid he fast by the heles than speedely with his army warned to be in a readinesse for that purpose set vpon the deceiptful Barbares of a soden before that they were throughly prouided and gaue them the ouerthrow The prince of Mexico acquitted him selfe of this vprore protesting by his Ambassadors to Cortesius that his disloyall subiectes the Churultecals had bruted that conspiracie vnder his name to doe him iniury whom they would not willingly obeye He sent withall rich presentes praying Cortesius to come to Themistitan promising him that he should want nothyng there notwithstandyng the harde prouision thereof in so barren a place altogeather in the water To conducte Cortesius thyther he sent also certayne Gentlemen for guydes and other of his nobilitie to receyue him as he came neare To speake of euery curtesie shewed him in this iourney and to wryte of euery place he passed and particulerly to rehearse euery dayes iourney euery hyll towne ryuer house and gardeyne by the way would breede ouermuche tediousnesse In fewe the Lordes of the countrey as he went vsed him well especially in Guazucingo prouince and Chialcho shyre the one whereof was violently oppressed by the prince of Mexico the other willingly subiect vnto him In the cold mountaynes he wanted no wood in the townes hee was prouided for and his companions who were of Cempoallens Tastaltecans Churultecans Gâ—zucinges in number .4000 of Spaniards not aboue .300 In this maner Cortesius accompanyed folowed came at the length into a vale bearing name Colua â–ª wherein be two meres the one salt water of .60 leagues in circuit the other a freshet Partly on the land partly in the salt meere standeth Iztapalapa a fayre towne from whence to Themistitan the royall seat of Mexico there lyeth a way on a stone wall two speares length broad built vp in the water by hand with infinite charges the wall serueth also for a bridge by this bridge sides stand three fayre townes Mesicalcingo Coluacan VVichilabusco The first is supposed to haue .3000 houses the second .6000 the third .4000 wel built especially their Towers their Temples wherin they doe sacrifice In these townes great aboundaunce of salt is made that serueth all such as doe acknowledge the Prince of Mexico for their Lord. Other be denied it as of the Tascaltecans it was sayde This salte meere rysing doeth flowe into the Freshet as it ebbeth the Freshet falleth into the salt meere agayne The freshe water may serue neuerthelesse for drinke the salte water becommeth not freshe therewithall The wall hath many draught bridges for warfare and sluses for passage where toll is payde vnto the kyng Halfe one league before you come to Themistitan where the lyke bridge or causey from the lande ioyneth with the aforesayde wal standeth a strong Castle double walled about with two strong Towers not possible to be conquered To this place came a thousande Gentlemen Courtiers foorth of the citie
they haue foules and fruite They make theyr houses of tymber whereof they haue great plentie and in the steade of tiles couer them with the skinnes of fishes and beastes It is sayde also that there are Gryfes in this lande and that the Beares and many other beastes and foules are whyte To this and the Ilandes about the same the Britons are accustomed to resort as men of nature agreeable vnto them and borne vnder the same altitude and temperature The Norwayes also sayled thyther with the pilot called Iohn Scoluo and the Englyshe men with Sebastian Cabot The coaste of the lande of Baccallaos is a great tract and the greatest altitude thereof is .xlviii. degrees and a halfe Sebastian Cabot was the first that brought any knowledge of this land For beyng in England in the dayes of kyng Henrye the seuenth he furnyshed two shyps at his owne charges or as some say at the kynges whom he perswaded that a passage myght be founde to Cathay by the North seas and that spyces myght be brought from thence sooner by that way then by the viage 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 hundred men and directed his course by the tract of Islande vpon the Cape of Laborador at fyftie and eight degrees affirming that in the moneth of Iuly there was such cold heapes of Ise that he durst passe no further also that the daies were very long and in maner without nyght and the nyghtes very cleare Certayne it is that at the threescore degrees the longest day is of eighteene houres But considering the cold and the strangenesse of the vnknowen lande he turned his course from thence to the West folowing the coast of the land of Baccallaos vnto the thirtie eight degrees from whence he returned to Englande To conclude the Britons and Danes haue sayled to the Baccallaos and Iaques Cartier a french man was there twise with three Galeons as one in the yeere .xxxiiii. and the other in the .xxxv. and chose the land to inhabite from the .xlv. degrees to the .li. beyng as good a land as Fraunce and all thynges therin commune to suche as fyrst possesse the same Of these landes Iacobus Gastaldus wryteth thus The new land of Baccallaos is a colde region whose inhabitauntes are Idolatours and praye to the Sonne and Moone and dyuers Idoles they are whyte people and verye rusticall for they eate fleshe and fyshe and all other thynges rawe Sometymes also they eate mans fleshe priuilie so that theyr Cacique haue no knoweledge thereof The apparrel of both the men and women is made of Beares skynnes although they haue Sables and Marternes not greatlye esteemed because they are litle Some of them go naked in sommer and weare apparrell only in winter The Britons and Frenchmen are accustomed to take fyshe in the coastes of these landes where is founde great plentie of Tunnies which thinhabitantes cal Baccallaos wherof the land was so named Northward from the region of Baccallaos is the lande of Laborador all full of mountaynes and great woods in which are many Beares wild Bores The inhabitantes are Idolatours and warlyke people apparelled as are they of Baccallaos In al this new land is neyther citie or castell but they lyue in companies like heardes of beastes The discouering of the land of Florida THe gouernour of the Ilande of Boriouena â–ª Iohn Ponce of Leon beyng discharged of his office and very ryche furnished sent foorth two Carauels to seeke the Ilands of Boiuca in the which the Indians affirmed to be a fountayne or spryng whose water is of vertue to make old men young Whyle he trauayled syxe monethes with outragious desire among many Ilandes to fynde that he sought and coulde fynde no token of any suche fountayne he entred into Bemini and discouered the lande of Florida in the yeere 1512. on Easter day whiche the Spaniards cal the floryshing day of Pascba wherby they named that lande Florida And supposyng that great ryches myght be brought from thence he returned into Spayne and couenanted with king Ferdinando as touchyng the trade and by the intercession of Nicolas de Ouando and Peter Nunnez de Gusman the kyng dyd not only make hym gouernour of Bemini and Florida but also sent foorth with hym three shyppes from Sciuile towards his second viage in the yeere 1515. He touched in the Ilande of Guaccana otherwyse called Guadalupea and sent to lande certayne of his men with the Laundresses of the shyppes whom the Canibales lying in ambushe assayled with theyr inuenomed arrowes and slaying the most part caried away the women With this euill beginning Iohn Ponce departed from hence to Boriquen and from thence to Florida where he went alande with his souldyers to espie a place most commodious to inhabite and plant a colonie But the Indians commyng foorth agaynst him to defende the entrance assayled the Spanyardes fiercely and slue and wounded many of them At whiche conflicte also hee him selfe beyng wounded with an arrowe dyed shortly after in the Ilande of Cuba and so endyng his lyfe consumed a great parte of the rychesse hee had before gotten at sainct Iohans of Boriquen This Iohn Ponce had before sayled with Christopher Colon to the Ilande of Hispaniola in the yeere 1493. Hee was a gentle souldyer in the warres of this Ilande and captayne of the prouince of Higuei for Nicolas de Ouando that conquested the same The region of Florida is a poynt or cape of lande reachyng into the sea lyke vnto a tongue beyng a famous and notorious place among the Indians by reason of many Spanyardes that haue been slayne there But whereas by fame this Florida was esteemed a ryche lande many valiant and noble men desyred the conquest thereof among whom Ferdinando de Soto who had before been a captayne in Peru and greatly inryched by the imprisonment of kyng Atabaliba attempted a viage thither with a good bande of men and spent fyue yeeres in seekyng of golde mynes supposyng that this land had been lyke vnto Peru. In fine hee dyed there and was the destruction and vndoyng of all that went with him without inhabytyng that lande in the whiche the conquestours had hytherto neuer good successe forasmuche as these Indians are valiant archers and strong hardy men But the valiant myndes of the Spanyardes not discouraged by these misaduentures after the death of Ferdinando Soto many woorthie gentlemen desyred this conquest in the yeere .1544 among whom was Iulian Samano and Peter de Abumada beyng bretherne and men of sufficient abilitie for such an enterprise But neyther the Emperour beyng then in Germanie neyther the prince Don Philip his son who gouerned all the kyngdomes of Castile and Aragonie neyther yet the counsayle of the Indies would in any
honest rooume and vittayles for theyr mony 18 Item the sayde merchauntes may in any place where they shall thynke best buylde or bye any house or houses to theyr owne vses And no person to molest or trouble them and to stande in any Carauan where they wyll or shal thinke good THe commodities whiche the merchauntes may haue by this trade into Persia are thought to be great and may in tyme perhappes be greater then the Portugalles trade into the East Indies forasmuch as by the way of Persia into Englande the returne may be made euery yeere once wheras the Portugalles make the returne from Calecut but once in two yeeres by a long and daungerous vyage all by sea for whereas the citie and Ilande of Ormus lying in the goulfe of Persia is the most famous marte towne of all East India whyther all the merchaundies of India are brought the same may in shorter time and more safely be brought by land ryuers through Persia euen vnto the Caspian sea and from thence by the countreys of Russia or Moscouia by ryuers euen vnto the citie of Yeraslaue and from thence by lande a hundred and fourescore myles to Vologda and from thence agayne al by water euen vnto England The merchaundies whiche be had out of Persia for the returne of wares are sylke of all sortes and colours both rawe and wrought Also all maner of spices and drugges Pearles and precious stones likewyse carpettes of dyuers sortes with diuers other ryche merchaundies whereof you may reade more here before in the Chapter entituled Of the trafique of Persia with other countreys It was tolde me of them that came last from Persia that there is more sylke brought into some one citie of Persia then is of cloth brought into the citie of London Also that one village of Armenia named Gilgat doth carie yeerely fyue hundred and sometyme a thousande mules laden with sylke to Halepo in Sorya of Turkye beyng foure dayes iorney of Tripoli where the Uenetians haue their continuall abidyng and send from thence sylkes which they returne for English carses and other clothes into al partes of Christendome The maner howe the Christians become Busor men and forsake their religion I Haue noted here before that if any Christian wyll become a Busor man that is one that hath forsaken his fayth and be a Mahumetan of their religion they geue him many giftes and somtyme also a liuyng The maner is that when the deuil is entred into his hart to forsake his fayth he resorteth to the Soltan or gouernoure of the towne to whom he maketh protestation of his diuilyshe purpose The gouernoure appoynteth hym a horse and one to ryde before hym on an other horse bearyng a swoorde in his hande and the Busor man bearyng an arowe in his hand and rydeth in the citie cursyng his father and mother and if euer after he returne to his owne religion he is giltie of death as is signified by the swoorde borne before hym A young man a seruaunt of one of our merchauntes because he woulde not abyde the correction of his maister for his faultes was mynded to forsake his fayth But as God woulde he fell sodaynely sicke and dyed before he gaue hym selfe to the deuil If he had become a Busor man he had greatly troubled the merchauntes for if he woulde then haue sayd that halfe their goods had ben his they would haue geuen credite vnto hym For the auoydyng of whiche inconuenience it was graunted in the priuileges that no Busor man c. as there appeareth In Persia in diuers places oxen and kine beare the tentes and housholde stuffe of the poore men of the countrey which haue neither Camelles nor horses Of the tree whiche beareth Bombasine cotton or Gossampine IN Persia is great abundance of Bombasine cotton and very fyne this groweth on a certayne litle tree or bryer not past the height of a mans waste or litle more the tree hath a slender stalk like vnto a brier or to a carnation gyleflour with very many braunches bearyng on euery braunch a fruite or rather a codde growyng in round fourme conteynyng in it the cotton and when this budde or codde commeth to the bygnesse of a wallnut it openeth and sheweth foorth the cotton which groweth styll in bygnesse vntyll it be lyke a fleece of wooll as byg as a mans fyst and beginneth to be loose and then they geather it as it were the rype fruite The seedes of these trees are as byg as peason and are blacke and somewhat flatte and not rounde they sowe them in plowed grounde where they growe in the fieldes in great aboundance in many countreys in Persia and diuers other regions The writing of the Persians ARthur Edwardes shewed me a letter of the Sophie written in theyr letters backward subsigned with the handes both of the Sophie his secretarye The Sophies subscription was only one word his name I suppose of Shaugh wrytten in golden letters vpon red paper The whole letter was also wrytten on the same peece of red paper beyng long and narrowe about the length of a foote and not past three inches brode The priuate signet of the Sophie was a rounde prynted marke about the byggenesse of a Ryall only prynted vpon the same paper without any waxe or other seale the letters seeme so myshapen and disordered that a man woulde thynke it were somewhat scribled in maner at aduentures Yet they say that almost euery letter with his pricke or circumflexe signifieth a whole worde Insomuch that in a peece of paper as bygge as a mans hand theyr wryting doth conteyne as much as doth ours almost in a sheete of paper ¶ The two viages made out of Englande into Guinea in Affricke at the charges of certayne merchantes aduenturers of the citie of London in the yeere of our Lord ▪ 1553. BEing desired by certayne of my freendes to make some mention of these viages that some memory thereof myght remayne to our posteritie yf eyther iniquitie of tyme consumyng all thynges or ignoranuce creepyng in by barbarousnesse and contempt of knowledge shoulde hereafter bury in obliuion so worthy attempts so much the greatlyer to be esteemed as before neuer enterprysed by Englyshe men or at the least so frequented as at this present they are and may be to the great commoditie of our merchantes yf the same be not hyndred by the ambition of such as for the conquesting of fourtie or fyftie myles here there and erectyng of certayne fortresses or rather blockehouses among naked people thynke them selues worthy to be lordes of halfe the world enuying that other shoulde enioy the commodities which they them selues can not wholy possesse And although suche as haue been at charges in the discoueryng and conquestyng of suche landes ought by good reason to haue certayne priuileges preheminences and tributes for the same yet to speake vnder correction it may seeme somewhat rigorous and agaynst good reason and conscience
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
to receyue Cortesius all apparelled a lyke saluting him one by one after theyr countrey maner to wytte touchyng the ground with theyr finger and than kyssyng it in signe of reuerence After all them came the kyng of Mexico Montezuma him selfe in the middle of the bridge accompanyed with two hundred of his nobles orderly two and two in better attyre then the other aforesayd but all on their bare feete though euery body in this countrey otherwise weareth shooes The kyng as he went leaued vpon the shoulders of two noble men the one wherof was his brother not that he needed any such helpe but for that the kynges of Mexico are woont so to be honoured as though they were holden vp by the strength of theyr nobilitie These two noble men Cortesius meeting with king Meteezuma and lyghtyng of his horse to imbrace hym dyd forbyd hym to touche theyr kyng as an vnlawful action in that countrey the rest of the kynges company came orderly to salute Cortesius after theyr maner Cortesius presented the kyng with a chayne of Bugle set with some Diamondes and Rubies of no great value but such as pleased the kyng who rewarded hym agayne with two other chaynes of gold wrought in maner of sea Crabbes Snails so returned into y e citie with Cortesius againe where he lodgyng hym in the royal pallace erected therein for hym a throne and presented hym the seconde tyme with other riche gyftes and prouision of all thynges necessary for hym and his trayne All the bridge length as he went with the kyng stoode on eche syde certayne great Temples wherein were sacrificed slaues and chyldren payed for tribute by kyng Meteezumaes vassalles Neere vnto Cortesius throne kyng Meteezuma had his clothe of estate where vnto the Spaniardes before his nobles there assembled he spake in this sort Noble and valiaunt men of armes in the feelde and mercyfull Capitanes vnto such as do yeelde them selues you are welcome into this countrey Of auncient tyme we haue hearde and in our old Chronicles we do reade that neyther I nor any of this land be auncient inhabiters hereof but aliens and forreyners brought hyther by a great prince vnto whom we were al subiect While this prince leauyng vs heere went home agayne to see his countrey our forefathers maried had issue buylded vp houses and erected certayne cities so that at his returne we neyther woulde go backe agayne with hym nor acknowledge him for our prince any more Wherfore we haue been euer of opinion that his posteritie woulde come to recouer this countrey and make vs his subiectes againe Consyderyng then the place from whence you say that you do come and that which you gyue vs to vnderstand of your great and myghtie lorde and kyng that sent you hyther we be throughly perswaded that he is our true Lorde so muche the more for that as you say he hath long since knowen that we dwelt heere Assure your selues therfore that we wyll all yeelde vnto you and acknowledge you our lordes in his name that sent you in this wyll we not fayle we wyll not deceyue you all my dominions shall you rule for all my subiectes shall obey commaunde all that we haue for you be nowe in your owne prouince and house Be ye mery and refreshe your selues after your long trauayle and many laboures in the warres I am not ignorant what hath happened vnto you all the way I doubte not but that the Campoales and Churultecanes haue said euyl of me vnto you but I pray you geue no credit vnto any mans wordes concernyng me especially vnto my enimies some wherof hauing ben my subiectes at your commyng are gone from me and do report vntruethes of me to purchase therewith your fauour I knowe that they beare you in hande that my seate the furniture of my house the very walles therof are beaten golde Furthermore that I am a God that I fayne my selfe a God and suche lyke toyes but you see all thynges here are made of lyme stone and earth Do you not see that I am made of fleshe and bone mortall and corpulent you see they haue not sayde the trueth I haue in deede certayne place lefte me by my forefathers what soeuer I haue it shall be yours dispose thereof as you thynke good I wyll nowe departe to other of my houses where I am woont to lye I wyll see that neyther you nor your trayne want any thyng be ye of good cheare be gladde for you are in your owne countrey you be in your owne houses Cortesius aunsweared in fewe and to the purpose especially concernyng that poynte the kyng of Spayne to be that prince whom they looked for After syxe dayes spent there ioyfully noyse was brought to Cortesius of certaine murthers and iniuries offered vnto the Spanyardes in a towne of Muteezumaes dominions and that by Muteezuma his consent This occasion tooke he throughly to bryng Muteezuma in subiection And fyrst he caused hym to keepe that house wherein Cortesius laye then to sende for the malefactors whom Cortesius openly executed by whose confession Muteezuma founde gyltie was for a tyme set by the heeles but delyuered agayne by and by confessyng his faulte and promysyng all loyaltie and dewtie chose rather to remayne a trew subiect in Cortesius palace then to lyue abrode at libertie like a kyng as in effect he shewed both in sendyng abrod commission to discouer the golde mynes throughout all his dominions at Cortesius motion in geatheryng togeather great summes of golde and treasure to be presented vnto the Spanyshe kyng in geuyng both counsayle and the meanes howe to conquer crftelie prince Cacamozin Muteezumaes vassall refusyng all obedience vnto the Spanyardes finally in a publike assembly exhortyng all his nobles to acknowledge the kyng of Spaine for theyr soueraigne Lorde and to yeelde vnto hym that obedience and in his name to Cortesius that duetie whiche he hym selfe was woont to looke for at theyr handes The processe was written by publike notaries confyrmed by the nobles and a copie thereof delyuered vnto Cortesius Mexico prouince enuyronned about with hygh and Alpyshe mountaynes standeth in a playne countrey in circuit .70 leagues about the greatest part whereof are two Meres the one of salt water the other of freshe The two lakes go one into the other at a streict caused by litle hylles that runne amyd all the foresayde playne This streict is passed by boate out of the one lake into the other to all the townes standyng on either syde of the aforesayd lakes Our Indyshe wryters name the boates Canoa the Indians call them Aâ—caler troughes as it were all of one peece I haue traueyled in the lyke vpon the ryuer Sone in the edge of France neere hygh Burgundie In the mydst of the salte Mere two leagues euery way from the lande standeth that ryche and welthy citie Temixtitan or Themistitan no lesse in quantitie then Siuilia or Corduba in Spayne From the land
by Vasques Gama and other traueylers aduentures Consider the fruites the drugges the pearle the treasure the millions of golde and siluer the Spanyardes haue brought out of the VVest Indies since the first viage of Columbus The great commodities our nation reapeth by the traueyle of our countreymen into Barbary Guiny and Moscouia wil be a sufficient testimony vnto all vs Englishmen what it is to be a skilful traueyler what to bee a paineful Geographer and learned Desire of rule breedeth victories victories come by cōquestes conquestes are furthered by traueyle traueyle can not bee maynteyned without great wealth wealth maketh all traueyle pleasant The Northwesterne vyage be it neuer so full of difficulties will become as plausible as any other iourney if our passengers may returne with plentie of siluer silkes and pearle Let Columbus Americus Cortesius be wel set foorth againe and bountefully rewarded you shal heare of other newe found landes yet altogeather vnknowen Let Gama be set in place and Gama will tell you the situation the maners the force and wealth of forreyne nations ▪ for Gama his endeuor was not onely by his friend Coelius to descrye the countrey whersoeuer he came but also to learne him selfe the riches strength and conditions of the people Honour maynteyneth arte and the skill in Geography as all other sciences hath but a tyme of preferment the whiche than chiefly myght bee looked for whan it is most esteemed This in the noble mynde of Cadamust bred that earnest desire after Don Henrico his example to traueyle to pen his owne aduentures into the Southeast and East partes to make the nauigation of Gama and his companions knowen vnto the worlde The occasions the good successe the great commodities wherof Barros a counseller of the Portugale Kyng paynted out long agoe in manye bookes Osorius of late historically hath written the same in fewe This made Marcus Paulus Venetus a courtier in Tartary Hayton the Armenian to become a Frenchman Lewes Vartomanne a traueyler in Ethiopia Brocardus an inhabiter of Iury eche one of them to leaue his painful iorney with posteritie in wrytyng This enflamed the Spanyardes to take vppon them the discouery of the VVest and Southwesterne landes done and written by Columbus Pinzonus Alfonsus Cortesius and Americus of whom that region America hath name VVhose long letters and tedious reportes of thinges there brought to passe in the conquest of that halfe worlde the straunge beastes the sundry sortes of fruites the ioyes and riches the whiche that countrey yeeldeth the manners and fashions of the people their cities and princely palaces theyr nobilitie their maner of gouernement their warres theyr seruile estate vnder the kynges of Spayne their conuersion vnto the Christian fayth P. Martyr a learned and graue man borne at Angleria in the duchy of Milane then President of the Spanish kinges counsell for the west Indies gathered into one volume and leauing a side all superfluous narrations made thereof as it were one briefe and continuall historie This volume deuided he into eyght Decades after the Greeke worde so calling the sundry parcels thereof for that eche one conteyneth in it ten particuler bookes or chapters R. Eden our countreyman dyd into English whan K. Philippe was in Englande the three first Decades and the fourth also though vnder a wrong title according to the Dutche Printers edition wherin the fifte sixte seuenth and eight Decades were lefte out He translated moreouer Gonzales Ferdinandus Ouiedus breuiary of the west Indies geathered togeather out of many myghty and huge workes some other prety pamflettes concernyng the Spanyardes and Portugalles voiages into the late discouered lands adding thereto certeine discourses of the north partes These his aforesayde doinges as fewe mennes workes at the first come exactly abrode this paynefull translatour mynded if not to amende at the least to augment by puttyng thereunto in English Lewes Vartomannus Nauigation into Aegypte Arabia Siria Persia and India with our Merchantes Moscouian and Persian trauelles but death preuented his purpose not suffryng him to accomplish his desire Christian charitie therefore vnto the party departed caused me to helpe his workes forwarde Nature moued me to take some paynes in placing orderly that whiche he had confusely gyuen out the better to direct and the more to profit the reader My profession enforced me to cut of some superfluous translations and to fill vp the rest of his doinges with P. Martyrs other writinges and finally to furnishe his want with my owne store Hoping and perswading with my selfe that if God likewise call me from these worldly Nauigations and earthly descriptions before my other trauell in this facultye taken long since in hande be ended some other professor of Cosmography wil so rewarde me after my death as presently of this dead man I doe deserue Other credite seeke I none therefore I loke for no prayse I hope not for honor I gape for no gayne by this kind of studie I knowe this day no place no preferment no publike chayre no ordinarie lecture no commune stipende no special reward due vnto the studentes in Geography no not at this time when this faculty was neuer more set by no not in this realme where yt neuer more florished The honorable name of a Christian and the infallible fruites thereof euer inclined me euen from my tender yeeres for the smal portion of learning that god hath lent me to do good if I could vnto many and specially to make those my friendes and wel doers knowen vnto the worlde by whose beneuolence fauour I doe liue and am mainteined In the smal number whereof for amongst many wel willers I finde but few well doers your Honor right noble Lady my Lorde you his noble children and yours since my first returne from beyond the seas must I confesse to haue stoode me chiefly in steede humbly acknowledge the first yeerely pension I euer was assured of in England to haue ben by your Ladiship bestowed on me VVherefore as I will most willingly yeelde vnto many other of your Honors gētlemē to come of great houses to haue welthier friendes larger possessions reuenues than I to be more actiue more comely more wyse politike learned to haue seene more so in hūble duety loyal seruice sincere affection good wil to your Honor I may I can I wyl contende with any of them all euen to the vttermust force and power of my hart head body life blood mynd soule In testimony wherof and full assurance of my seruice vnto you for euer these last doings of R. Eden newly encreased my first labours in our language his history mine of trauel in the west East Indies altogeather in one volume duetifully do I present vnto your Honour with al humility praying most earnestly requesting your good Ladiship that you will vouchsafe it by leysure in this iourney the whiche my Lorde and you haue determined into the west countrey to let your page
and Palmaria c. by Iohn Griâ—alua his felowes the Iucaians captiuitie and discouery of Florida made by those Spanyardes which Diegus Velasquen sent out of Cuba and Ferd. Cortesius fyrst nauigation wherein he conquered Potanchana in newe Spayne the death of Valdiuia y e execution of Vascus Nunnez king MuteezuÌ„a his presentes to Charles the Emperour his bookes letters and superstitions finally the ruine of Hispaniola and vtter decaye thereof if heede shoulde not be taken in tyme. Last of al Gonzalus Ferdinandus Ouedus historie conteineth in .18 seuerall chapters eche one whereof hath his proper title a briefe declaration of the west Indysh nauigation of the metals the which are found in those lately discouered lands of the maners of the people rites customes and cerimonies of the beastes foules byrdes wormes fyshes seas riuers sprynges trees plantes hearbes diuers other thinges that are engendred there both on the land in the water To this haue we added certaine speciall reports of new Spaine or Mexico of Peru â–ª of Rio de la Plata the countrey lying therunto of the lands Laborador Baccalaos with the discoueryng of Florida And thus muche for the fyrst part of this volume The seconde part of this worke appeareth what it is by the title thereof set downe Fol. 230. to wyt a discourse to proue that there is a passage to the Moluccaes by the northwest the whiche presently M. Cap. Furbisher attempteth with certayne reportes of the prouince China in Cathayo where he hath to strike in his voyage and thyrdly of Giapan and other Ilandes by the way The whiche seconde part wherein matter concernyng the northwest is handled is so muche the shorter by how much the fyrst part seemed ouerlong besydes that the particularities of this corner of the worlde are not yet so throughly knowen but that other writers shal doubtlesse in more ample maner employe theyr labour therein after the returne of our northwesterne trauaylers The which I wyshe to be most happie and prosperous as they most valiantly painefully to the renowne of our Englyshe nation do shewe to haue taken it in hande In the thyrd part shal you fynd a discription of the northeasterne frosty seas and kingdomes lying that way as Moscouia Schondia or Denmarke Groenlande Islande Laponia Norway Suecia â–ª or Swethlande Bothnia and Gothlande out of Zeiglerus Paulus Iouius Haiton and Sebastian free lord or Baron of Herbestein with the countreys as well north and northeast beyond Moscouia namely Petzora Iuhra and other prouinces of the Tartars as also the voyages made through Moscouia by the merchauntes of London into Persia conteinyng many speciall thynges woorth the knowledge both of the countrey it self the commodities thereof the manners of the people and the priuiledges graunted vnto our merchauntes by the Sophie or Shaugh the Persian kyng Finally in the fourth part are set downe our merchauntes voyages into Guinea and the other parcelles of Affrike lying towardes the Southeast Lewes Vertomannus nauigations into Egypte Ethiopia Arabia Syria Persia and east India euen to the fruitefull Moluccaes with the prices of drugges and other wares brought from thence Whereto for a conclusion haue we added partly out of Maximilian Transiluanus letter wrytten vnto the Cardinall of Saltzburge and partly out of P. Martyrs other woorkes that famous nauigation made round about the whole world the contention betwixte the Portugales and Spanyardes for the Moluccaes the decydyng thereof by Pope Alexander the syxt and last of all the abridgement of P. Martyrs foure last Decades wherein especially that noble and gloryous conquest of Mexico is wrytten Generally this much of the foure partes of this large volume The lesser parcelles and speciall matter conteyned in eche part you haue so exactely rehearsed in the table of the Decades Fol. 173. and in the resydue of the whole woorke before eche chapter so euidently set downe that any particular table thereof at al the reader greatly needeth not if so be that he be able to remember in what region of the worlde East West North or South that be the which he looketh for Nowe concernyng R. Edens owne doynges syncerely to say what I thynke and curteousely to yeelde hym that due prayse the whiche worthyly these his labours deserue yet not to flatter hym neither where any faulte hath ben committed as hyghly he was to be commended for Englyshyng so straunge so wonderfull so profitable histories as these are nothyng inferior to the bookes of auncient writers far exceedyng the multitude of foolysh commentaries and friuolous translations to to licentiousely vsed in our tyme So may the gentle reader forbeare his ouersyghte in so great a woorke where some Spanyshe prouerbe harsh latine phrase or vncleane speache may seeme hardly Englyshed or any rashe note to shame the texte I woulde excuse hym for translatyng the dayes by the latine names as Fol. 12. Non. April thus At the Nones of Apryll item 3. Idus Octobris thus The thyrd daye of the Ides of October item Fol. 17. tertio Kalend. Maij. thus The thyrd daye before the Kalendes of Maye meanyng in deede the fyfth daye of Apryll the .13 day of October the 29. of Aprill but therein it shoulde seeme that he folowed his owne humor for he obserueth the same phrase of translatyng throughout P. Martyrs whole worke Many of his Englyshe woordes cannot be excused in my opinion for smellyng to much of the Latine as Dominators Fol 5. Ponderouse Fol. 23. Ditionaries Fol. 25. Portentouse Fol. 28. Antiques Fol. 31. despicable Eol 387. Solicitate Fol. 76. obsequiouse Fol. 90. homicide Fol. 390. imbibed Fol. 395. Destructiue Fol. 276. Prodigious Fol. 279. with other such lyke in the steede of Lords weyghtie subiectes wonderfull auncient lowe carefull duetifull manslaughter drunken noysome monstrous c. the which faultes he confesseth in other his owne verses wrytyng thus of hym selfe I haue not for euery worde asked counsayle of eloquent Eliot or Sir Thomas Moore Take it therefore as I haue intended the faultes with fauour may soone be a mended Certayne Preambles here folowe geathered by R. Eden for the better vnderstanding of the whole worke Of the fyrst discoueryng of the west Indies A Certayne Carauel saylyng in the West Ocean about the coastes of Spayne had a forcybly and continuall wynde from the East wherby it was dryuen to a land vnknowen and not described in any map or carde of the sea and was dryuen styl along by the coaste of the same for the space of many dayes vntyll it came to a hauen where in a short tyme the most part of the maryners beyng long before very weake and feble by reason of hunger and trauayll dyed So that onely the Pilot with three or foure other remayned alyue And not only they that dyed dyd not inioye the Indies whiche they fyrst discouered to theyr mysfortune but the resydue also that lyued had in maner as litle fruition of the same not leauyng or at the least
sooner come thyther by folowyng the course of the Sunne Westward then agaynst the same Of the colour of the Indians ONe of the marueylous thynges y t God vseth in the composition of man is coloure whiche doubtlesse can not be consydered without great admiration in holdyng one to be whyte and an other blacke beyng colours vtterly contrary some lykewyse to be yealowe whiche is betweene blacke and white and other of other colours as it were of diuers liueries And as these colours are to be marueyled at euen so is it to be considered howe they dyffer one from an other as it were by degrees forasmuch as some men are whyte after dyuers sorts of whitnes yelowe after diuers maners of yelowe blacke after dyuers sorts of blackenes how from white they go to yelow by discolouring to browne red and to blacke by ashe colour murry somwhat lighter then blacke tawny like vnto the west Indians which are altogether in general either purple or tawny lyke vnto sodde Quinses or of the colour of Chestnuttes or Olyues which colour is to them naturall and not by theyr goyng naked as many haue thought albeit theyr nakednesse haue somewhat helped therevnto Therefore in lyke maner and with suche diuersitie as men are commonly whyte in Europe and blacke in Affrike euen with lyke varietie are they tawney in these Indies with diuers degrees diuersly inclinyng more or lesse to blacke or whyte No lesse marueyle is it to consider that men are white in Siuile and blacke at the cape of Buena Speranza and of Chestnut colour at the ryuer of Plata being all in equall degrees from the Equinoctiall lyne Lykewyse that the men of Affrike and Asia that lyue vnder the burnt line called Zona Torrida are blacke and not they that lyue beneath or on this syde the same lyne as in Mexico Iucatan Quauhtema Lian Nicaragua Panama Santo Domingo Paria Cape Sainct Augustine Lima Quito and other landes of Peru which touche in the same Equinoctiall For in all the tracte of these coastes certayne blacke men were founde only in Quarequa when Vaschus Nunnez of Balboa discouered the sea of Sur. By reason whereof it may seeme that such varietie of colours proceedeth of man and not of the earth which may wel be although we be al borne of Adam Eue know not the cause why God hath so ordeyned it otherwise then to consider that his diuine maiestie hath done this as infinite other to declare his omnipotencie and wisedome in such diuersities of colours as appeare not only in the nature of man but the like also in beasts byrdes and floures where diuers and contrary colours are seene in one litle feather or the leaues growyng out of one litle stalke An other thing is also greatly to be noted as touching these Indians and this is that their heare is not curld as is the Moores and Ethiopians that inhabite the same clime neyther are they balde excepte very â—ildome and that but litle All whiche thynges may gyue further occasions to Philosophers to searche the secretes of nature and complexions of men with the nouelties of the newe worlde ⧠A most auncient testimonie of the VVest Indies by the writing of the diuine Philosopher Plato PLato in his famous and diuine Dialogue named Timeus where he entreateth of the vniuersall nature and frame of the whole worlde taketh for his principle the moste auncient hystorie of an Ilande in tyme of great antiquitie named Athlantides makyng also mention of the kyng people and inhabitantes of the same and that they kept warre agaynst the Atheniens and were ouercome of them Plato also there inducing the sayde hystorie to be rehearsed by one named Critia who affirmed that he had often hearde it of his Uncle who was in the tyme of Solon one of the seuen sages of the Grekes This Critia declared that when Solon went into Egypt to a certayne citie named Sâ—im situate vpon the riuer of Nilus where the diuision and recurryng of the riuer maketh the Ilande Delta he there spake with certayne learned priestes very skylful in knowledge of antiquities of many worldes past Insomuch that they made mention of manye thinges that were before the flood of Noe or Deucalion and also before the vniuersal conflagration or burning of the worlde in the tyme of Phaeton forasmuche as the warres betweene the people of the sayde Ilande of Athlantides and the Atheniens was long before the general flood and the conflagration aforesayde Plato induceth the priest speaking to Solon in maner as foloweth Thinges most marueylous and true O Solon remayne in auncient writynges and memorie of our predecessours and olde ages long before our tymes But aboue all thynges one exceedeth al admiration for the greatnesse and singularitie thereof whiche is this It is in our recordes of moste antiquities that in times past your citie of Athens hath oftentymes kepte warres agaynst an innumerable multitude of nations whiche came from the sea Athlantike in maner into al Europe and Asia whereas nowe appeareth no suche nation forasmuche as the sayde sea is nowe al ouer nauigable And yet at that tyme had in the mouth and as it were in the entrie where you place the Columnes of Hercules an Ilande whiche was sayd to be much greater then al Africa and Asia and that from thence was passage to many other Ilandes neare thereabout and from the sayde Ilandes to the continent or fyrme lande whiche was right ouer agaynst it neare vnto the sea Yet that within the mouth there was a litle gulfe with a porte the deepe sea without was the true sea and the lande without was the true continent This Ilande was named Athlantides and in it was a kyng of marueylous great power and myght who had the dominion of the sayde Ilande and many other and also a great part of the continent lande whereof we haue spoken and muche more towarde our partes also forasmuche as they were dominatours of the thyrde part of the worlde conteynyng Africa Egypt and Europe euen vnto the sea Tirrhenum The power therefore of them beyng then so great they came to inuade both your countrey and ours and all other that are within the Columnes of Hercules Then O Solon the vertue of your citie shewed it selfe famous in magnanimitie and feates of armes with the assemblance of the other Grecians in resystyng theyr great power vntyl you had driuen them out of our lands and restored vs to our libertie But shortly after that this enterprise was atchiued befel a marueylous great earthquake and exundation or ouerflowing of the sea which continued for the space of one day and nyght In the whiche the earth opened it selfe and inglutted all those valiant and warlike men and the sayde Ilande Athlantides sunke into the bottome of the sea whiche was the occasion that neuer from that tyme forwarde any shyp coulde sayle that way by reason of the great mudde and slyme whiche remayned of the drowned
consyder what newe landes and countreys what newe seas what sundry nations and tounges what golde mynes what treasuries of perles they haue lefte vnto your hyghnesse besyde other reuenues The whiche what they are and howe greate these three Decades shall declare Come therfore most noble Prince elected of God and enioye that hyghe estate of thinges not yet vnderstode to men We offer vnto you the Equinoctiall lyne hytherto vnknowen and burnte by the furious heate of the sonne and vnhabitable after the opinion of the olde wryters a fewe excepted but nowe founde to be most replenished with people faire fruiteful and most fortunate with a thousande Ilandes crowned with golde and bewtifull pearles besydes that greate portion of earth supposed to be parte of the firme lande excedyng in quantitie three Europes Come therfore and embrase this newe world and suffer vs no longer to consume in desyre of your presence From hence from hence I say most noble young Prince shal instrumentes be prepared for you wherby al the worlde shal be vnder your obeysance And thus I byd your maiestie farewell to whose taste if I shal perceaue the fruites of this my tyllage to be delectable I wyll heareafter do my endeuoure that you may receaue the same more abundauntly From Madrid the day before the Calendes of October In the yere of Christ M.D.XUI The fyrst Booke of the Decades of the Ocean written by Peter Martyr of Angleria Milenoes counsaylour to the king of Spayne and Protonotarie Apostolicall to Ascanius Sphorcia Vicount Cardinal c. THe reuerende and thankful antiquitie was accustomed to esteeme those men as gods by whose industrie and magnanimitie such landes and regions were discouered as were vnknowen to theyr predecessours But vnto vs hauyng only one God whom we honour in triplicitie of person this resteth that albeit we do not worship that kinde of men with diuine honour yet do we reuerence them and woorthyly marueyle at theyr noble actes and enterpryses Unto kynges and princes we geue due obeysaunce by whose gouernance and furtherance they haue ben aided to perfourme their attempts we commend both and for theyr iust desartes woorthyly extol them Wherefore as concerning the Ilandes of the west Ocean lately discouered and of the auctours of the same whiche thyng you desyre by your letters to knowe I wyl begyn at the fyrst aucthour thereof lest I be iniurious to any man Take it therefore as foloweth Christophorus Colonus otherwyse called Columbus a gentleman of Italie borne in the citie of Genua perswaded Fernando and Elizabeth catholike prynces that he doubted not to fynde certayne Ilandes of India nere vnto our Ocean sea if they woulde furnyshe hym with shyppes and other thynges apparteynyng affyrmyng that therby not onely the Christian religion myght be enlarged but Spayne also enryched by the great plentie of golde pearles precious stones and spices whiche myght be founde there At the length three shyppes were appoynted hym at the kinges charges of the whiche one was a great caracâ—e with deckes and the other two were light marchaunte shyppes without deckes whiche the Spaniardes call Carauelas Thus he departed from the costes of Spaine about the calendes of September in the yeere of Christe .1492 and set forwarde on his viage being accompanied with CC.xx. Spanyardes The fortunate Ilandes as manye thynke them to be whiche the Spaniardes call Canariae found but of late dayes are distaunte from the Ilandes of Gades a thousande and two hundreth myles accordyng to theyr accomptes for they say they are distant three hundred leagues whereas suche as are expert sea men affirme that euery league conteineth foure miles after theyr supputations These Ilandes were called fortunate for the temperate ayre whiche is in them For neyther the coldnesse of wynter is sharpe vnto them nor the heate of sommer intollerable Yet some men are of opinion that those were in olde tyme called the fortunate Ilandes whiche the Portugales call Capo Verde Colonus therfore sayled fyrst to the Ilandes of Canariae to the intente there to refreshe his shyppes with freshe water and fuell before he committed hym selfe to this so laborous a viage And because I haue heare made mention of the Ilandes of Canariae it shal not be muche from my purpose to declare howe of vnknowen they became knowen and of sauage and wilde better manured For by the long course of many yeeres they were forgotten and remayned as vnknowen These seuen Ilandes therefore called the Canaries were founde by chaunce by a frenche man called Betanchor by the permission of queene Katharine protectrixe of king Iohn her sonne while he was yet in his nonage about the yeere of Christe M. CCCC.U This Betanchor inuaded two of these Ilandes called Lancelotus and Fortisuentura which he inhabited brought to better culture He being dead his sonne and heire solde bothe the sayde Ilandes to certayne Spaniardes After this Farnandus Peraria and his wyfe inuaded Ferrea and Gomera The other three were subdued in our time Grancanaria by Petrus de Vera citizen of the noble citie of Xericium and Michael of Moxica Palma and Tenerifen by Alphonsus Lugo at the kings charges Gomera and Ferrea were easily subdued But the matter went harde with Alphonsus Lugo For that naked and wylde nation fyghtyng only with stones and clubbes droue his armie to flight at the first assaulte and slue about foure hundred of his men But at the length he ouercame them And thus all the Ilandes of Canariae were added to the dominion of Spayne From these Ilandes Colonus directyng his voyage towarde the west folowyng the falling of the sunne but declining somewhat towarde the left hande sayled on forwarde .xxxiii. dayes continually hauyng only the fruition of the heauen and the water Then the Spanyardes whiche were accompanyed with hym began fyrst to murmure secretely among them selues and shortly after with wordes of reproche spake euil of Colonus theyr gouernour and consulted with them selues eyther to rydde hym out of the way or els to cast hym into the sea ragyng that they were deceyued of a stranger an outlandyshe man a Ligurian a Genues and brought into suche daungerous places that they might neuer returne agayne And after .xxxiii. dayes were past they furiously cryed out against him and threatned him that he shoulde passe no further But he euer with gentle wordes and large promises appeased their furie and prolonged day after day some tyme desyryng them to beare with hym yet a whyle and some time putting them in remembrance that yf they shoulde attempt any thing against him or otherwyse disobey hym it would be reputed for treason Thus after a fewe dayes with cheareful harts they espied the lande long looked for In this fyrst nauigation he discouered .vi. ilandes wherof two were exceedyng great Of whiche the one he called Hispaniola and the other Iohanna But at that tyme he knewe not perfectly that Iohanna
great fertilitie of the same Thinhabitauntes of this mountaine brought to our shyp bread gossampine cotton cunnies sundry kyndes of wyldfoule demaundyng relygiously of thinterpretours if this nation descended not from heauen The kyng of this people and dyuers other sage men that stoode by him informed hym that that lande was no Ilande Shortly after entring into one of the ilandes being on the lefte hande of this lande they founde no body therin for they fledde al at the comming of our men Yet founde they there foure dogges of maruelous deformed shape suche as coulde not barke This kynd of doggs they eate as we do goates Here is great plentie of geese duckes and hearons Betwene these ilandes and the continent he entered into so narowe streyghtes that he coulde scarsely turne backe the shyppes and these also so shalowe that the keele of the shyppes somtyme rased on the sandes The water of these streyghtes for the space of fourtie myles was white and thycke lyke vnto mylke and as though meale had ben sparkeled throughout al that sea And when they had at the length escaped these strayghtes and were nowe come into a mayne and large sea and had sayled theron for the space of fourescore myles they espyed an other exceding hygh mountayne whyther the Admirall resorted to store his shyppes with freshe water and fuel Heare among certayne wooddes of Date trees pyneapple trees of excedyng height he founde two natiue sprynges of freshe water In the meane tyme whyle the woodde was cuttyng and the barrelles fyllyng one of our archers went into the wood to hunt where he espyed a certayne man with a whyte vesture so lyke a fryer of thorder of saynt Marye of Mercedis that at the fyrste sight he supposed it had ben the Admirals priest which he brought with hym beyng a man of the same order but two other folowed him immediatlye out of the same wooddes Shortly after he sawe a farre of a whole company of men clothed in apparel being about xxx in number Then turning his backe and crying out to his felowes he made haste to the shyppes with all that he myght dryue These apparelled men made sygnes and tokens to hym to tary and not to be afrayd but that notwithstandyng he ceassed not to flee The Admirall beyng aduertysed hereof and not a lytle reioycyng that he had founde a ciuile people incontinently sent foorth armed men with commaundement that yf neede should so requyre they shoulde enter fourtie myles into the ilande vntyl they myght fynde eyther those apparelled men or other inhabitauntes of that countrey When they had passed ouer the wood they came into a great playne ful of grasse and hearbes in whiche appeared no token of any pathway Here attemptyng to goe through the grasse and hearbes they were so entangled and bewrapt therein that they were scarselye able to passe a myle the grasse beyng there lytle lower then our ripe corne beyng therefore weeryed they were enforced to returne agayne finding no pathway The day folowyng he sent foorth xxv armed men another way commaundyng them to make diligent search and inquisition what manner of people inhabited the lande Who departyng when they had found not farre from the sea side certayne steps of wyld beastes of the which they suspected some to be of Lions feete beyng strycken with feare returturned backe agayne As they came they founde a wood in the whiche were many natiue vines here and there creepyng about hygh trees with many other trees bearyng aromatical fruites and spyces Of these vines they brought with them into Spaine many clusters of grapes very ponderous and ful of licour but of the other fruites they brought none because they putrified by the way in the shyp were cast into the sea They say also that in the landes or medowes of those wooddes they sawe flockes of great Cranes twyse as bygge as ours As he went forward and turned his sayles towarde certayne other mountaynes he espied two cotages on the shore in the whiche he sawe only one man who being brought to the shippe signified with head fyngers and by al other signes that he coulde deuise that the lande whiche lay beyonde those mountaynes was very full of people and as the Admiral drew neare the shore of the same there met him certayne Canoas hauyng in them many people of the countrey who made signes and tokens of peace and frendshyp But here Didacus the interpretour which vnderstoode the language of thinhabitantes of the beginning of Cuba vnderstode not them one whit whereby they consydered that in sundry prouinces of Cuba were sundry languages He had also intelligence that in the inlande of this region was a king of great power accustomed to weare apparell he sayde that all the tracte of this shore was drowned with water and ful of mudde besette with manye trees after the maner of our maryshes Yet whereas in this place they went alande for freshe water they founde many of the shelfyshes in the whiche pearles are geathered But that coulde not cause the Admirall to tracte the tyme there entending at this viage only to proue howe many landes seas he could discouer according to the kinges commaundement As they yet proceded forwarde they sawe here and there al the way along by the shore a great smoke rysing vntyll they came to an other mountayne foure score myles distant there was no rocke or hyll that coulde be seene but the same was all of a smoke But whether these fyres were made by thinhabitantes for their necessary busynes or as we are wont to sette beacons on fyre when we suspecte thapproche of our enimies thereby to geue warning to theyr neyghbours to be in a redines geather togeather if perhaps our men shoulde attempt any thyng against them or otherwyse as seemeth most lykely to cal them togeather as to a wonder to beholde our shyppes they knowe yet no certentie In this tracte the shores bended somtyme towarde the South and sometyme towarde the West and west southwest and the sea was euerye where entangled with Ilandes by reason whereof the keeles of the shyppes often times rased the sandes for shalownesse of the water So that the shyppes being very sore bruised and appayred the sayles cables and other tackelinges in maner rotten and the vytailes especially the biskette bread corrupted by takyng water at the ryftes euyll closed the Admirall was enforced to turne backe agayne This laste poynte where he touched of Cuba not yet being knowen to be an ilande he called Euangelista Thus turning his sayles towarde other ilandes lying not farre from the supposed continent he chaunced into a mayne sea where was suche a multitude of great Tortoyses that somtyme they stayed the shyppes Not long after he entred into a gulfe of whyte water lyke vnto that wherof we spake before At the length fearing the shelfes of the ilands he returned to the shore of
Cuba by the same way whiche he came Here a multitude of thinhabitantes as well women as men resorted to hym with cheerefull countenances and with feare bringyng with them popingayes bread water and cunnyes but especially stocke doues much bygger then ours which he affirmeth in sauour and taste to be muche more pleasaunt then our partryches Wherefore where as in eating of them he perceiued a certayne sauoure of spyce to proceede from them he commaunded the croppe to be opened of suche as were newely kylled and founde the same full of sweete spyces whiche he argued to be the cause of theyr strange taste For it standeth with good reason that the fleshe of beastes shoulde drawe the nature and qualitie of theyr accustomed nouryshment As the Admirall harde masse on the shore there came towarde hym a certayne gouernoure a man of foure score yeeres of age and of great grauitie although he were naked sauing his pryuie partes He had a great trayne of men wayting on hym All the whyle the prieste was at masse he shewed him selfe very humble and gaue reuerent attendance with graue and demure countenaunce When the masse was ended he presented to the Admirall a baskette of the fruites of his countrey delyuering the same with his owne handes When the Admirall had gentelly entertayned him desyring leaue to speake he made an oration in the presence of Didacus the interpreter to this effect I haue byn aduertised most mighty prince that you haue of late with great power subdued many lands and Regions hytherto vnknowen to you and haue brought no litle feare vppon all the people and inhabitauntes of the same the whiche your good fortune you shal beare with lesse insolencie if you remember that the soules of men haue two iourneyes after they are departed from this body The one foule and darke prepared for suche as are iniurious and cruell to mankynde the other pleasaunt and delectable ordeyned for them which in theyr lyfe tyme loued peace and quietnes If therfore you acknowledge your selfe to be mortall and consider that euery man shal receiue condigne rewarde or punyshement for suche thynges as he hath done in this life you wyl wrongfully hurte no man When he had saide these wordes and other lyke which were declared to the Admirall by the interpreter he marueyling at the iudgement of the naked olde man answeared that he was gladde to heare his opinion as touching the sundry iourneys and rewardes of soules departed from theyr bodyes supposing that nother he or any other of thinhabitantes of those Regions had had any knowledge thereof declaring further that the chiefe cause of his comming thither was to instruct them in such godly knowledge and true religion and that he was sent into those countreyes by the Christian kyng of Spayne his lord and maister for the same purpose and specially to subdue and punyshe the Canibales and suche other mischeuous people and to defend innocentes against the violence of euyl dooers wyllyng hym and al other suche as imbraced vertue in no case to be afrayde but rather to open his mynde vnto hym yf eyther he or any other suche quiet men as he was had susteyned any wrong of theyr neyghbours and that he woulde see the same reuenged These comfortable words of the Admirall so pleased the olde man that notwithstandyng his extreme age he woulde gladly haue gone with the Admiral as he had done in deede yf his wyfe and chyldren had not hyndered hym of his purpose but he marueyled not a lytle that the Admiral was vnder the dominion of another and much more when the interpretour tolde hym of the glorye magnificence pompe great power and furnimentes of warre of our kinges and of the multitudes of cities and townes whiche were vnder theyr dominions Intendyng therefore to haue gone with the Admirall his wyfe and chyldren fell prostrate at his feete with teares desyring him not to forsake them and leaue them desolate at whose pitiful requestes the woorthy olde man beyng mooâ—ed remayned at home to the comfort of his people and familie satisfiyng rather them then hym selfe for not yet ceassyng to woonder and of heauie countenance because he myght not depart he demaunded oftentymes yf that lande were not heauen whiche brought foorth suche a kynde of men For it is certaine that among them the lande is as common as the sunne and water and that Myne and Thyne the seedes of all myscheefe haue no place with them They are content with so lytle that in so large a countrey they haue rather superfluitie then scarcenesse so that as we haue sayde before they seeme to lyue in the golden worlde without toyle lyuyng in open gardens not intrenched with dyches diuided with hedges or defended with walles they deale truely one with another without lawes without bookes and without iudges they take hym for an euyl and myscheuous man whiche taketh pleasure in dooyng hurt to other And albeit that they delyte not in superfluities yet make they prouision for the increase of suche rootes whereof they make theyr bread as Maizium Iucca and Ages contented with suche symple dyet whereby health is preserued and diseases auoyded The Amirall therefore departyng from thence and myndyng to returne agayne shortly after chaunced to come agayne to the Ilande of Iamaica beyng on the south syde thereof and coasted all along by the shore of the same from the West to the East from whose last corner on the East syde when he sawe towarde the North syde on his left hande certayne hygh mountaynes he knewe at the length that it was the south syde of the Ilande of Hispaniola whiche he had not yet passed by Wherefore at the Calendes of September entryng into the hauen of the same Ilande called saint Nicholas hauen he repayred his shyppes to the intent that he might agayne waste and spoyle the Ilandes of the Canibales and burne all theyr Canoas that those rauenyng wolues might no longer persecute and deuoure the innocent sheepe but he was at this tyme hyndered of his purpose by reason of a disease which he had gotten by to much watching Thus beyng feeblâ— aâ—d weake he was ledde of the Maryners to the citie of Isâ—â—ella where with his two brethren whiche were there and other of his familiars he recouered his health in shorte space yet coulde he not at this tyme assayle the Canibales by reason of sedition that was risen of late among the Spanyardes whiche he had left in Hispaniola whereof we wyll speake more hereafter Thus fare ye well The fourth booke of the first Decade to Lodouike Cardinal of Aragonie COlonus the Admiral of the Ocean returning as he supposed from the continent or fyrme lande of East India had aduertisment that his brother Boilus and one Peter Margarita an olde familiar of the kynges and a noble man with diuers other of those to whom he had left the gouernment of the Ilande were of corrupted
many as abode the ende of the fight the residue beyng strycken with feare disparcled and fledde to the mountaynes and rockes from whence they made a pitifull howlyng to our men desyryng them to spare them protestyng that they woulde neuer more rebell but doo what so euer they woulde commaund them yf they woulde suffer them to lyue in theyr owne countrey Thus the brother of Caunaboa beyng taken the Admiral licenced the people to resort euerye man to his owne these thynges thus fortunately atchiued this region was pacified Among these mountaynes the vale whiche Caunaboa inhabited is called Magâ—na and is exceeding fruitful hauing in it many goodly springes and riuers in the sande whereof is founde great plentie of golde The same yeere in the moneth of Iune they say there arose such a boystous tempest of winde from the Southwest as hath not lightly ben heard of the violence wherof was such that it plucked vp by the rootes whatsoeuer great trees were within the reache of the force therof When this whyrlewynde came to the hauen of the citie it beat downe to the bottome of the sea three shyppes whiche lay at anker and broke the cables in sunder and that whiche is the greater marueyle without any storme or roughnesse of the sea only turnyng them three or foure tymes about The inhabitauntes also affyrme that the same yeere the sea extended it selfe further into the lande and rose hygher then euer it dyd before by the memorie of man by the space of a cubit The people therefore muttered among them selues that our nation had troubled the elementes caused suche portentous signes These tempestes of the ayre whiche the Grecians call Tiphones that is whyrlewyndes they call Furacanes whiche they say doo often tymes chaunce in this Ilande but that neyther they nor theyr great graundfathers euer sawe suche violent and furious Furacanes that plucked vp great trees by the rootes neyther yet such surges and vehement mocions on the sea that so wasted the land as in deede it may appeare forasmuche as wheresoeuer the sea bankes are neere to any playne there are in maner euery where floryshyng medowes reaching euen vnto the shore but nowe let vs returne to Caunaboa As kyng Caunaboa therefore and his brother shoulde haue ben brought into Spayne they dyed by the way for very pensiuenesse and anguish of minde The Admiral whose shippes were drowned in the foresayd tempest perceiuing him selfe to be nowe enclosed commaunded forthwith two other shyppes whiche the Spaniardes cal Carauelas to be made for he had with hym all manner of Artificers parteyning thereunto Whyle these thynges were dooyng he sent foorth Bartholomeus Colonus his brother beyng Lieuetenant of the Ilande with an armie of men to searche the golde mynes beyng distant threescore leagues from the citie of Isabella whiche were founde by the conducte of certayne people of the Ilande before the mynes of Cipanga or Cibana were knowen In these mynes they founde certayne deepe pittes which had ben dygged in old time out of these pyttes the Admiral who affirmeth this Ilande of Hispaniola to be Ophir as we sayde before supposeth that Solomon the kyng of Hierusalem had his great ryches of golde whereof we reade in the olde Testament and that his shyppes sayled to this Ophir by the gulfe of Persia called Sinus Persicus But whether it be so or not it lyeth not in me to iudge but in my opinion it is farre of As the myners dygged the superficial or vppermost part of the earth of y e mynes duryng for the space of sixe myles in dyuers places syfted the same on the drye lande they founde suche plentie of golde that euery hyred labourer could easily finde euery day the weight of three drammes These mynes beyng thus searched founde the Lieuetenant certified the Admirall hereof by his letters the which when he had receiued the fifth day of the Ides of March Anno. 1495. he entred into his newe shyppes and tooke his voyage directly to Spayne to aduertise the kyng of all his affayres leauyng the whole regiment of the Ilande with his brother the Lieuetenant The fift booke of the fyrst Decade to Lodouike Cardinall of Aragonie AFter the Admirals departing into Spaine his brother the Lieuetenaunt buylded a fortresse in the golde mines as he had commaunded hym this he called the golden towre because the labourers founde golde in the earth and stone wherof they made the walles of the fortresse He consumed three monethes in makyng the instrumentes wherewith the golde shoulde be geathered washed tryed and moulten yet was he at this tyme by reason of wante of vittualles enforced to leaue al thynges imperfecte and to goe seeke for meate Thus as he with a bande of armed men had entred threescore myles further within the land the people of the countrey here and there resortyng to hym gaue hym a certayne portion of theyr bread in exchaunge for other of our thynges but he coulde not long tary here because they lacked meate in the fortresse whyther he hasted with such as he had now gotten Leauyng therefore in the fortresse a garrison of ten men with that portion of the Ilande bread whiche yet remayned leauyng also with them a Hounde to take those kyndes of lytle beastes whiche they call Vsias not muche vnlyke our Conies he returned to the fortresse of Conception This also was the moneth wherein the kyng Guarionexius and also Manicautexius borderer vnto hym shoulde haue brought in theyr tributes Remaynyng there the whole moneth of Iune he exacted the whole tribute of these two kynges vyttualles necessary for hym and such as he brought with hym whiche were about foure hundred in number Shortly after about the Kalendes of Iuly there came three Carauels from Spayne bringing with them sundrye kyndes of vyttualles as wheate oyle wine bakon Martelinas beefe whiche were diuided to euery man accordyng as neede required some also was lost in the caryage for lacke of good lookyng to At the aryual of these shyppes the Lieutenaunt receiued commaundement from the kyng and the Admiral his brother that he with his men should remoue their habitation to the south syde of the Ilande because it was nearer to the golde mynes Also that he shoulde make diligent searche for those kinges whiche had slayne the Christian men and to sende them with theyr confederates bounde into Spayne At the next voyage therefore he sent three hundred captiues with three kynges and when he had diligently searched the coastes of the south syde he transported his habitation and buylded a fortresse there vpon the toppe of a hyll neare vnto a sure hauen this fortresse he called saint Dominikes towre Into this hauen runneth a riuer of wholsome water replenished with sundry kyndes of good fyshes they affyrme this ryuer to haue many benefites of nature for where so euer it runneth all thinges are exceedyng pleasaunt and fruitefull hauyng on euery syde groues of
Date trees and diuers other of the Ilande fruites so plentifullye that as they sayled along by the shore oftentymes the braunches thereof laden with flowres and fruites hong so ouer theyr heades that they might plucke them with theyr handes also that the fruitfulnes of this ground is eyther equall with the soyle of Isabella or better In Isabella he lefte only certayne sicke men and shippe wryghtes whom he had appoynted to make certayne carauels the residue of his men he conueighed to the south to saynt Dominickes towre After he had buylded this fortresse leauyng therin a garryson of .xx. men he with the remanent of his souldiers prepared them selues to searche the inner partes of the West syde of the Ilande hytherto knowen onely by name Therefore about .xxx. leagues that is fourescore and tenne myles from the fortresse he chaunced on the ryuer Naiba whiche we sayde to defende from the mountaynes of Cibaua ryght towarde the south by the myddest of the ilande When he had ouerpassed this ryuer with a companye of armed men diuyded into .xxv. decurions that is tenne in a company with theyr capitaynes he sent two decurions to the regions of those kynges in whose landes were the great woodds of brasile trees Inclyning towarde the lefte hande they founde the wooddes entred into them and felled the high and precious trees which were to that day vntouched Eche of the decurions filled certayne of the ilande houses with the trunkes of brasile there to be reserued vntil the shippes came which should cary them away But the Lieutenaunt directing his iourney towarde the right hande not farre from the bankes of y e riuer of Naiba founde a certaine kyng whose name was Beuchius Anacauchoa encamped against thinhabitantes of the prouince of Naiba to subdue them vnder his dominion as he had done many other kings of the iland borderers vnto him The palace of this great king is called Xaragua is situate toward the West ende of the ilande distant from the ryuer of Naiba .xxx. leagues All the prynces which dwell betwene the West ende his palace are ditionaries vnto him All that region from Naiba to the furthest marches of the west is vtterly without golde although it be full of mountaynes When the kyng had espied our men laying a part his weapons geuyng signes of peace he spake gentelly to them vncerteyne whether it were of humanitie or feare and demaunded of them what they woulde haue The Lieuetenaunt aunsweared That he should paye tribute to the Admirall his brother in the name of the Christian kyng of Spayne To whom he sayde Howe can you requyre that of me whereas neuer a region vnder my dominion bringeth forth golde For he had heard that there was a strange nation entred into the ilande whiche made great search for golde But he supposed that they desyred some other thyng The lieutenaunt answeared agayne God forbydde that we shoulde enioyne any man to paye such tribute as he myght not easely forbeare or such as were not engendered or growing in the region but we vnderstande that your regions bryng foorth great plentie of Gossampine cotton and hempe with such other wherof we desyre you to geue vs parte When he heard these woordes he promysed with cherefull countenaunce to geue hym as much of these thynges as he woulde requyre Thus dismissing his army and sending messengers before he him selfe accompanied the Lieutenaunt and brought him to his palace being distant as we haue sayde .xxx. leagues In al this tracte they passed through the iurisdiction of other princes beyng vnder his dominion Of the whiche some gaue them hempe of no lesse goodnes to make tackelinges for shyppes then our wood Other some brought bread and some gossamppne cotton And so euery of them payde trybute with suche commodities as theyr countreys brought foorth At the length they came to the kinges mansion place of Xaragua Before they entered into the palace a great multitude of the kynges seruauntes subiectes resorted to the court honorably after their maner to receyue their kyng Beuchius Anacauchoa with the strangers which he brought with him to see the magnificence of his court But now shal you heare howe they were intertained Among other triumphes and syghtes two are especially to be noted Fyrst there mette them a company of .xxx. women beyng al the kynges wyues and concubines bearyng in theyr handes branches of date trees singyng and daunsyng they were all naked sauyng that theyr pryuie partes were couered with breeches of gossampine cotton but the virgins hauyng theyr heare hangyng downe about their shoulders tyed about the forehead with a fyllet were vtterly naked They affirme that theyr faces breastes pappes handes and other partes of theyr bodyes were exceedyng smothe and well proportioned but somwhat inclynyng to a louely broune They supposed that they had seene those most beutyfull Dryades or the natyue nymphes or fayres of the fountaynes whereof the antiques spake so muche The braunches of date trees which they bore in theyr right handes when they daunced they delyuered to the Lieuetenaunt with lowe curtesy and smylyng countenaunce Thus enteryng into the kynges house they founde a delycate supper prepared for them after theyr maner When they were well refreshed with meate the nyght drawyng on they were brought by the kynges officers euery man to his lodgyng according to his degree in certayne of theyr houses about the pallaice where they rested them in hangyng beddes after the maner of the countrey wherof we haue spoken more largely in an other place The day folowyng they brought our men to their common hall into the whiche they come togeather as often as they make any notable games or triumphes as we haue sayde before Here after many daunsynges synginges maskinges runnynges wrestlyngs and other trying of mastryes sodaynly there appeared in a large plaine neere vnto the hal two great armies of men of warre whiche the kyng for his pastyme had caused to be prepared as the Spaniardes vse the playe with reedes which they call Iuga de Canias As the armies drewe neere togeather they assayled the one the other as fiersely as if mortall enimies with theyr baners spleade should fight for theyr goodes theyr landes theyr lyues theyr libertie theyr countrey theyr wyues theyr children so that within the momente of an houre foure men were slayne and many wounded The battayle also shoulde haue contynued longer yf the kyng had not at the request of our men caused them to ceasse The thyrde day the Lieuetenant counsaylyng the kyng to sowe more plentie of gossampine vppon the bankes neere vnto the waters syde that they myght the better paye theyr trybute pryuately accordyng to the multitude of theyr houses he prepayred to Isabella to vysite the sycke men whiche he had lefte there and also to see howe his woorkes went forwarde In the tyme of his absence .xxx. of his men were consumed with diuerse diseases Wherefore
hym selfe and they which were his companions in this byoage beyng men of good credit and perceauing my dilygence in searchyng for these matters tolde me yet of a greater thyng that is that for the space of .xxvi. leagues amountyng to a hundreth and foure myles he sayled euer by freshe water insomuch that the further he proceaded especially towarde the west he affirmed the water to be the fresher After this he came to a highe mountayne inhabited onely with Monkeyes or Marmasits on that part towarde the East For that syde was rowgh with rockye and stony mountaynes and therefore not inhabited with men Yet they that went a lande to searche the countrey founde nere vnto the sea many fayre fieldes well tylled and sowen but no people nor yet houses or cotages Parhappes they were gone further into the countrey to sowe theyr corne and applye theyr husbandry as wee often see our husbandemen to leaue theyr stations and villages for the same purpose In the west syde of that mountayne they espyed a large playne whither they made hast and cast anker in the brode ryuer As soone as the inhabitantes had knowledge that a strange nation was arryued in theyr coastes they came flockyng without all feare to see our men We vnderstode by theyr sygnes and poyntynges that this Region was called Paria and that it was very large in so muche that the further it reacheth towarde the weste to be so muche the better inhabited and replenished with people The Admiral therfore takyng into his shippe foure of the men of that lande searched the west partes of the same By the temperatenes of the ayer the pleasaūtnes of the ground and the multitude of people which they sawe daily more more as they sayled they coniectured that these thynges portended some great matter as in deede their opinion failed them not as we will further declare in his place The sonne not yet rysen but beginnyng euen nowe to ryse being one day allured by the pleasauntnes of the place and sweete sauours whiche breathed from the lande to the shyppes they went a lande Here they founde a greater multytude of people then in any other place As our men approched towarde them there came certeine messengers from their Cacici that is the kinges of the countrey to desyre the Admirall in the name of theyr princes to come to theyr palaces without feare and that they and al theyrs shoulde 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 shyppes hauyng for the most parte cheynes about theyr neckes garlandes on theyr heades and braselettes on theyr armes of pearles of India and that so commonlye that our women in playes and tryumphes haue not greater plentie of stones of glasse and crystall in theyr garlands crownes girdels and suche other tyrementes Beyng asked where they gathered them they poynted to the next shore by the sea bankes They signified also by certeyne scornefull iestures whiche they made with theyr mouthes and handes that they nothyng esteemed pearles Taking also baskettes in their handes they made signes that the same myght be fylled with them in shorte space But because the corne wherwith his shyppes were laden to be caryed into Hispaniola had taken hurt by reason of the salt water he determined to deferre this marte to a more conuenient tyme Yet he sent to land two of the shyp boates laden with men to thintent to fetch some garlands of pearles for exchange of our thynges and also somwhat to searche the nature of the Region and disposition of the people They enterteyned our men gentelly and came flocking to them by heapes as it had ben to beholde some strange monsters Fyrst there came to meete our men two men of grauitie whom the multitude folowed One of these was well in age and the other but young They thinke it was the father with his sonne whiche should succeede hym When the one had saluted and embrased the other they brought our men into a certeyne rounde house neere vnto the whiche was a great courte Hyther were brought many chayers and stooles made of a certeyne blacke wood and very cunnyngly wrought After that our men and theyr Princes were sette theyr waytyng men came in laden some with sundry delycate dysihes and some with wyne But theyr meat was only fruites and those of dyuers kyndes and vtterly vnknowen to vs. Theyr wyne was both whyte and redde not made of grapes but of the lycour of dyuers fruites and very pleasaunte in drynkyng After this banquet made in the olde mans house the young man brought them to his tabernacle or mantion place where was a great company both of men and women but they stoode disseuered the one from the other They are whyte euen as our men are sauing suche as are much conuersant in the sunne They are also very gentle and full of humanitie towarde strangers They couer theyr priuie partes with gossampine cotton wrought with sundry colours and are besyde all naked There was fewe or none that had not eyther a coller a chayne or a bracelet of golde and pearles and many had all Beyng asked where they had that golde they poynted to certayne mountaynes seemyng with theyr countenaunce to disswade our men from goyng thither For putting theyr armes in theyr mouthes and grynnyng as though they bytte the same styll poyntyng to the mountaynes they seemed to insinuate that men were eaten there but whether they meant by the Canibales or wylde beastes our men coulde not wel perceiue They tooke it exceedyng greeuouslye that they coulde neyther vnderstande our men nor our men them When they whiche were sent to lande were returned to the shyppes about three of the clocke at after noone the same day bryngyng with them certayne garlandes and collers of pearles they loosed theyr ankers to departe mindyng to come agayne shortlye when all thynges were set in good order in Hispaniola but he was preuented by another whiche defeated him of the rewarde of his trauayle He was also hyndered at this time by reason of the shalownesse of the sea violent course of the water which with continuall tossyng bruised the greatest shippe as often as any great gale of wind arose To auoyde the daungers of suche shalowe places and shelfes he euer sent one of the smallest Carauelles before to trye the way with soundyng and the byggest shyppes folowed behynde The regions beyng in the large prouince of Paria for the space of CCxxx myles are called of the inhabitants Cumana and Manacapana from these regions distant lx leagues is there an other region called Curiana When he had thus passed ouer this long tract of sea supposing styl that it had ben an Ilande doubtyng that he myght passe by the West to the North directly to Hispaniola he chaunced into a ryuer of .xxx. cubits deapth and of suche breadth as hath
sunne begynneth to shine the water is coniealed into most pure and whyte salte wherewith innumerable shyypes myght be laden yf men dyd resort thether for the same before there fale any rayne For the rayne melteth it and causeth it to synke into the sande and so by the poores of the earth to returne to the place from whence it was dryuen Other say that the playne is not fylled from the sea but of certeine sprynges whose water is more sharpe and salt then the water of the sea Thinhabitantes do greatlye esteeme this bay of salt whiche they vse not only for theyr owne commoditie but also woorking the same into a square forme lyke vnto brickes they sell it to strangers for exchaunge of other thynges whiche the lacke In this Region they stretche and drye the dead bodies of theyr kinges and noble men laying the same vpon a certayne frame of woodde muche lyke vnto a hurdle or grediren with a gentell fyre vnder the same by lyttle and lyttle consumyng the fleshe and keping the skynne hole with the bones inclosed therein These dryed carcases they haue in great reuerence and honour them for theyr houshoulde and famylier gods They say that in this place they sawe a man in an other place a woman thus dryed and reserued When they departed from Curiana the .viii. day of the Ides of February to returne to Spayne they had threescore and .xvi. poundes weight after .viii. vnces to the pounde of pearles which they bought for exchange of our thinges amounting to the value of fyue shillinges Departing therfore they consumed threescore dayes in theyr iourney although it were shorter then from Hispaniola by reason of the continuall course of the sea in the west which dyd not only greatly stey the shippe but also somtymes dryue it backe But at the length they came home so laden with pearles that they were with euery maryner in maner as common as chaffe But the master of the shyppe Petrus Alphonsus being accused of his companyons that he had stowlen a great multitude of pretious pearles and defrauded the kyng of his portion whiche was the fifth parte was taken of Fernando de Vega a man of great lerning and experience gouernour of Gallecia where they aryued and was there kept in pryson a long tyme. But he styll denyeth that euer he deteyned any part of the pearles Many of these pearles were as bygge as hasell nuttes and as oriente as we call it as they be of the East partes Yet not of so great pryce by reason that the holes thereof are not so perfecte When I my selfe was present with the right honorable duke of Methyna and was biddē to dynner with him in the citie of Ciuile they brought to hym aboue a hundred and twentie ounces of pearles to be solde whiche surely dyd greatly delyte me with their fayrenes and brightnes Some say that Alphonsus had not these pearles in Curiana being distant from Os Draconis more then a hundred twentie leagues but that they had them in the regions of Cumana and Manacapana nere vnto Os Draconis and the ilande of Margarita for they deny that there is any pearles founde in Curiana But sith the matter is yet in controuersie we wyl passe to other matters Thus muche you haue whereby you may coniecture what commoditie in tyme to come may bee looked for from these newe landes of the west Ocean whereas at the fyrst discouering they shewe suche tokens of great ryches Thus fare ye well ¶ The .ix. booke of the fyrst Decade to Cardinal Lodoutke VIncentiagnes Pinzonus also Aries Pinzonus his neuiew by his brother syde whiche accompanyed the Admiral Colonus in his fyrst vyage were by him appoynted to be maisters of two of the small shippes which the Spaniards call Carauelas being moued by the great ryches amplitude of the new landes furnyshed of theyr owne charges foure Carauels in the hauen of theyr owne countrey which the Spanyardes cal Palos bordering on the west Ocean Hauing therfore the kings licence passeport to depart they loosed from the hauen about the Calendes of December in the yeere .1499 This hauen of Palos is threescore twelue myles distant from Gades commonly called Cales and .lxiiii. myles from Ciuile All thinhabitantes of this towne not one excepted are greatly geuē to searching of the sea and continually exercised in sayling They also directed their viage fyrst to the iland of Canarie by the ilands of Hesperides now called Cabouerde which some cal Gorgodes Meducias Sayling therfore directly toward the south from that ilande of Hesperides whiche the Portugales beyng possessers of the same cal Sancti Iacobi and departing from thence at the Ides of Ianuary they folowed the southwest wynde beyng in the myddest betwene the south and the west When they supposed that they had sayled about three hundreth leagues by the same wynde they say that they lost the syght of the Northe starre and were shortely after tossed with excedyng tempestes bothe of wynde and sea and vexed with intollerable heate Yet sayled they on further not without great daunger for the space of two hundred fortie leagues folowing yet the same wynd by the lost pole Wherfore whether habitable regions be vnder the Equinoctiall lyne or not let these men and the oulde wryters aswel Philosophers as poetes and cosmographers discusse For these mē affirme it to be habitable and meruelously replenished with people and they that it is vnhabitable by reason of the sonne beames depending perpendicularly or directlye ouer the same Yet were there many of the olde wryters whiche attempted to proue it habitable These maryners being demaunded if they saw the south pole they answered that they knew no starre there like vnto this pole that might be decerued about the poynt but that they sawe an other order of starres and a certeyne thicke myst rysyng from the horizontall lyne whiche greatly hyndered theyr syght They contende also that there is a great heape or rysyng in the myddest of the earth whiche taketh away the syght of the south pole vntyll they haue vtterly passed ouer the same but they verely beleeue that they sawe other images of starres muche differing from the situation of the starres of our hemispherie or halfe circle of heauen Howe so euer the matter be as they informe vs we certifie you At the length the seuenth day of the calendes of Februarye the espied lande a farre of and seeing the water of the sea to be trobelous sounding with theyr plummet they founde it to be .xvi ▪ fathames deepe Going a lande and tarying there for the space of two dayes they departed bycause they sawe no people stering although they founde certeyne steppes of men by the sea syde Thus grauing on the trees the stones nere vnto the shore the kynges name and theyrs and the tyme of theyr commyng thether they departed Not farre from this station folowyng
the fyers on the land by nyght they founde a nation lying vnder the open fyrmament after the maner of warre Our men thought it not best to trouble them vntyll the mornyng There fore at the rysyng of the sonne fortie of our men well armed wente towarde them agaynst whom came forth .xxxii. of them with bowes slynges and dartes euen redy to fyght The other companye folowed them armed after the same maner Our men affirme that they were of hygher stature then eyther the Almaynes or Pannonians They beheld our men with frownyng threatenyng countenaunce but our men thought it not good to fal to bickering with them vncertayne whether it were for feare or bycause they would not dryue them to flight Wherfore they went about to allure them by faire meanes rewards but they refused all kynde of gentelnes and stoode euer in a redines to fight declaring the same by signes and tokens Thus our men resorted to theyr shyppes and they to the place from whence they came without any further busines The same nyght about mydnyght they fledde left the place voyde where they lay in the campe Our men suppose them to be a vagabund and wandering nation lyke vnto the Scythians without houses or certeyne dwelling places lyuing only with the fruites of the earth hauing theyr wyues and chyldren folowing them Suche as measured their footesteppes in the sande affirme with great othes that one of theyr feete is almost as long as two feete of our men of the meane sorte Sayling on yet further they founde an other riuer but not of deapth sufficient to beare the Carauels they sent therefore the foure shippe boates to lande full of armed men to search the countrey They espyed vppon a hygh hyll nere vnto the sea syde a greate multitude of people to whom our company sent foorth one man with certeyne of our thynges to allure them to exchange And when he had cast a haukes bell towarde them they cast downe a wedge of golde a cubit longe the which as he stoâ—ped to take vp they sodenly inclosed hym and caryed hym away But he was shortly after rescued by his companions to some of their paynes for they slue eyght of our men wounded many a farre of with theyr arrowes and dartes made of wood hardened at the endes with fyre After this they encompassed our shippe boates within the ryuer and came rashly within the reache of our men laying holde on the boates sydes where they were thrust through and hewen in peeces as it had ben sheepe by reason they were naked Yet woulde they not for al this geue ouer but tooke from our men one of their boates hauing no men in it for the gouernour thereof being slayne with an arrowe the other fledde and escaped And thus they lefte this fierce and warlyke people saylyng toward the northwest along by the same coastes with sorowfull hartes for the death of theyr companyons When they had sayled about .xl. leagues they chaunced into a sea of suche freshe water that they fylled theyr barelles and hoggesheades therewith Searching the cause hereof they vnderstoode that a vehement course of riuers discended with great viâ—â—â—nce from the toppes of certayne great hylles They say also that there lyeth within the sea manye fortunate and fruitfull Ilandes and well inhabited and that thinhabitantes of this tracte are men of meeke nature and suche as doo not refuse straungers yet lyttle profytable to them because they haue no marchandyes for their purpose as golde or precious stones for lacke whereof they brought from thence thyrtie captiues to sell for slaues Thinhabitantes call this region Mariatambal The region of the east part of that ryuer is called Camomorus and that of the west part Paricora in the midlande whereof thinhabitantes signifyed that there is great plentie of golde For folowing this riuer directly toward the North as the bending of the shore requyred they recouered againe the syght of the north pole All the coaste of this tracte parteyneth to Paria the which as we sayd before was fyrst found by Colonus hym selfe and hath in maner in euery place great abundaunce of pearles They say that these coastes are adioynyng vnto and all one with Os Draconis and also borderyng vppon the regions of Cumana Manacapana Curiana Cauchieta and Cuchibachoa Wherfore they thought it to be part of the firme lande of India beyonde the riuer of Ganges For the great large compasse therof doth not permit that it shoulde be an ilande albeit the whole earth vncouered with water largely taken may be called an Ilande From the poynt of that land where they lost the sight of the north pole saylyng by a continuall tracte about three hundred leagues towarde the west syde of Paria they say that almost in the mid way they chaunced into a riuer called Maragnonum whiche they affirme to be of suche exceedyng breadth that it might seeme incredible yf the antiques dyd not make mention of the lyke Beyng demaunded of me yf it were not salt water where it diuided the lande they answeared that the water therof was very freshe and sweete and that the further it ranne to be so muche the fresher also ful of Ilandes and wholsome fyshe they dare auouche the breadth therof to be more then thirtie leagues Yet yf we wel weigh and consyder the largenesse and widenesse of Boriostomea and Spiriostomea the mouthes of the famous riuer of Ister nowe called Danubius and howe farre they violate or corrupt the salt water with their freshnesse we shal ceasse to marueyle although this other riuer be greater for who can diminish the power of nature but that it may make this bigger then the other and another bygger then this And I suppose this to be the ryuer whereof Colonus the Admirall made mention in the description of his voyage in these coastes But we shal hereafter haue further knowledge hereof let vs nowe therefore returne to the commodities of these regions They found in many Ilands about Paria great wooddes of Brasile trees and brought away with them three thousande poundes weyght thereof They say that the Brasile of Hispaniola is muche better then this to dye cloth with a more fayre and durable colour From hence folowing the winds which the Spaniards cal Northuest and the Italians Graeco they passed by many Ilandes very fruiteful yet left desolate and wasted by reason of the crueltie of the Canibales for they went alande in many places they founde the ruines of many destroyed houses yet in some places they founde men but those exceedyng fearefull fleeyng to the mountaynes rockes and wooddes at the syght of euery straunger or shyppe wanderyng without houses or certayne abydyng places for feare of the Caniballes laying wayte and huntyng after them Here they found those great trees whiche of them selues in dyuers places bryng forth that fruite or spice which the Apothecaries cal Cassia Phistula
which should destroy al the customes and cerimonies of the iland and eyther slay al theyr chyldren or bring them into seruitude The common sort of the people vnderstode this oracle to be ment of the Canibales therfore when they had any knowledge of theyr comming they euer fled and were fully determined neuer more to aduenture the battayle with them But when they saw that the Spanyardes had entered into the Ilande consultyng among them selues of the matter they concluded that this was the nation whiche was ment by thoracle Wherin theyr opinyon deceyued them not for they are nowe all subiect to the Chrystians all such beyng slayne as stobernely resysted Nor yet remayneth there anye memorye of theyr Zemes for they are all brought into Spayne that we myght be certyfyed of theyr illusions of euyll spyrites and Idolles the which you your selfe most noble Prynce haue seene and felt when I was present with you I let passe many thynges because you put me in remembrance that to morowe you take your iorney towarde your countrey to bryng home the queene your aunt whom you accompanyed hyther at the commaundement of kyng Frederike your vncle Wherfore I byd you farewell for this time desyryng you to remember your Martyr whom you haue compelled in the name of the kyng your vncle to geather these fewe thynges out of a large feelde of hystories The tenth and last booke of the fyrst Decade as a conclusion of the former bookes wrytten to Inacus Iopez Mendocius Countie of Tendilla viceroy of Granata AT the fyrst begynning and newe attempte when Colonus had taken vpon hym the enterpryse to searche the Ocean sea I was earnestly moued and required by the letters of certaine of my frendes and noble men of Rome to wryte those thinges as shoulde happen For they whispered with great admiration that where as there were many newe landes founde and nations which liued naked and after the lawe of nature they could heare no certentie therof being greatly desyrous of y e same In this meane time had fortune ouerthrowne Ascanius his brother Lodouike being cast out of Millane by the frenchmen whose auctoritie would not suffer me to be idle but euer to haue my pen in hand To him I wrote the two first bookes of this decade beside many other of my hid cōmentaries which you shal see shortly but fortune dyd no lesse withdraw my minde from wryting then disturbe Ascanius from power As he was tossed with contrary stormes and ceassed to perswade me euen so slacked my feruentnesse to enquire any further vntil the yere of Christ ▪ 1500 when the Court remained at Granata where you are viceroy At whiche tyme Lodouike the Cardinal of Aragonie neuiew to king Frederike by his brothers syde beyng at Granata with the queene Parthenopea the sister of our Catholique kyng brought me king Frederikes letters whereby he exhorted me to finishe the other bookes which folowed the two epystell bookes which I wryte to Ascanius For they both acknowledged that they had the copye of al that I wrytte to cardinall Ascanius And albeit that euen then I was sicke as you knowe yet tooke I the burden vppon me and applyed my selfe to wryting I haue therfore chosen these fewe thynges out of a greate heape of such as seemed to me most worthy to be noted among the large wrytynges of the aucthoures and searchers of the same Wherfore forasmuch as you haue endeuored to wrest out of my handes the whole example of all my woorkes to adde the same to the innumerable volumes of your lybrarie I thought it good nowe to make a breefe rehersall of those thynges which were done from that yeare of a thousand and fiue hundred euen vnto this yeare which is the tenth from that For I entend to wryte more largely of these thynges heareafter if god graunt me lyfe I had written a whole booke by it selfe of the superstytions of the people of the iland supposyng therwyth to haue accomplyshed the whole Decade consisting of ten bookes But I haue added this to the tenth as a perpendyculer lyne and as it were a backe guide or rerewarde to the other So that you may knytte the fyrst tenth to the nynth impute this to occupye the place of the tenth to fyll vp the Decade This order haue I appoynted lest I shoulde be compelled often times to wryte ouer the whole worke or send you the same defaced with blottes and interlyning But now let vs come to our purpose The shyppe maisters and mariners ran ouer many coastes during these ten yeares But euer folowed such as were fyrst found by Colonus For rasyng continually alonge by the tract of Paria which they beleue to be part of the firme land or continent of east India some of them chaunced vppon certaine new landes towarde the east and some towarde the west in which they founde both gold and frankensence For they brought from thence manye iewells and ouches of golde and greate plentie of frankensence which they had of the people of those countreyes partlye for exchaunge of some of our thynges and partlye by force ouer commyng them by warre Yet in some places although they be naked they ouercame our men and slewe whole armyes For they are exceedyng fyerce and vse venemous arrowes and long staues lyke iauelens made hard at the ende with fire They founde many beastes both creepyng and foure footed much dyfferyng from ours varyable and of sundrye shapes innumerable yet not hurtfull except Lions Tigers and Crocodiles This I meane in sundry regions of that greate lande of Paria but not in the ilandes no not so muche as one for all the beastes of the ilandes are meeke and without hurte except men which as wee haue sayde are in many ilandes deuourers of mans fleshe There are also dyuers kyndes of foules And in many places battes of such bygnes that they are equall with turtle doues These battes haue oftentymes assalted men in the night in theyr sleepe and so bytten them with theyr venemous teeth that they haue ben therby almost dryuen to madnes in so much that they haue ben compelled to flee from such places as from rauenous Harpies In an other place where certaine of them slept in the night season on the sands by the sea syde a monster commyng out of the sea came vpon one of them secretelye and caryed hym away by the myddest out of the syght of his felowes to whom he cryed in vayne for helpe vntyl the beast leapt into the sea with her pray It was the kynges pleasure that they shoulde remayne in these landes and buylde townes and fortresses whereunto they were so well wyllyng that diuers profered them selues to take vpon them the subduyng of the lande makyng great suite to the kyng that they myght be appoynted thereto The coast of this tracte is exceedyng great and large and the regions and landes thereof extende marueylous farre so that they
affirme the continent of these regions with the Ilandes about the same to be thryse as bygge as al Europe beside those landes that the Portugales haue founde southwarde whiche are also exceedyng large Therfore doubtlesse Spayne hath deserued great prayse in these our dayes in that it hath made knowen vnto vs so many thousandes of Antipodes whiche lay hid before and vnknowen to our forefathers and hath thereby ministred so large matter to wryte of to suche learned wyttes as are desyrous to set foorth knowledge to the commoditie of men to whom I opened a way when I geathered these things rudelye togeather as you see the whiche neuerthelesse I truste you wil take in good part aswell for that I can not adourne my rudenesse with better vesture as also that I neuer toke penne in hande to wryte lyke an hystoriographer but only by epistles scribeled in haste to satisfie them from whose commaundementes I myght not drawe backe my foote But nowe I haue digressed yenough let vs nowe therefore returne to Hispaniola Our men haue founde by experience that the bread of the Ilande is of smal strength to suche as haue ben vsed to our bread made of wheate and that theyr strengthes were muche decayed by vsyng of the same wherefore the kyng hath of late commaunded that wheate shoulde be sowen there in diuers places and at sundry tymes of the yeere It groweth into holow reedes with few eares but those very bygge and fruitefull They fynde the lyke softnesse and delicatenesse to be in hearbes whiche growe there to the height of corne Neat or cattel become of bygger stature and exceedyng fat but theyr fleshe is more vnsauerie and theyr bones as they say eyther without marow or the same to be very wateryshe but of hogges and swyne they affirme the contrary that they are more wholsome and of better taste by reason of certayne wylde fruites whiche they eate beyng of much better nourishment then maste There is almost none other kynde of fleshe commonly solde in the market The multitude of hogges are exceedyngly encreased and become wylde as soone as they are out of the swyneheardes keepyng They haue suche plentie of beastes and foules that they shal hereafter haue no neede to haue any brought from other places The increase of al beastes grow bigger then the broode they came of by reason of the ranknes of the pasture although theyr feeding be only of grasse without eyther barley or other grayne But we haue sayd yenough of Hispaniola They haue nowe founde that Cuba which of long tyme they thought to haue ben firme lande for the great length thereof is an Ilande yet is it no maruayle that the inhabitants them selues tolde our men when they searched the length therof that it was without ende For this nation beyng naked and content with a lytle and with the limittes of theyr owne countrey is not greatly curious to knowe what theyr neyghbours doo or the largenesse of theyr dominion nor yet knewe they yf there were any other thyng vnder heauen besyde that whiche they walked on with theyr feete Cuha is from the East into the West muche longer then Hispaniola and in breadth from the North to the South muche lesse then they supposed at the fyrst for it is very narowe in respect of the length and is for the most part very fruitefull and pleasaunt Eastwarde not farre from Hispaniola there lyeth an Iland lesse then Hispaniola more then by the halfe whiche our men called Sancti Iohannis beyng in manner square in this they founde exceedyng ryche golde mynes but beyng nowe occupyed in the golde mynes of Hispaniola they haue not yet sent labourers into the Iland But the plentie and reuenue of golde of al other regions geue place to Hispaniola where they geue them selues in manner to none other thyng then to geather golde of whiche worke this order is appointed To euery such wittie and skilful man as is put in trust to be a surueyour or ouerseer of these workes there is assigned one or more kings of the Iland with their subiects These kings accordyng to theyr league come with theyr people at certayne tymes of the yeere and resort euery of them to the golde myne to the whiche he is assigned where they haue al manner of dygging or mining tooles delyuered them and euery king with his men haue a certayne rewarde alowed them for theyr labour For when they depart from the mynes to sowyng of corne and other tyllage wherunto they are addict at certaine other tymes lest theyr foode should faile them they receiue for their labour one a ierkin or a dublet another a shyrt another a cloke or a cap for they nowe take pleasure in these thyngs and goe no more naked as they were woont to doo And thus they vse the helpe and labour of the inhabitauntes both for the tyllage of theyr ground and in theyr golde mynes as though they were theyr seruantes or bondemen They beare this yoke of seruitude with an euyll wyl but yet they beare it they cal these hyred labourers Anaborias yet the kyng dooth not suffer that they shoulde be vsed as bondemen and only at his pleasure they are set at libertie or appoynted to worke At suche tyme as they are called togeather of theyr kynges to woorke as souldiers or pyoners are assembled of theyr centurions many of them stele away to the mountaynes and wooddes where they lye lurkyng beyng content for that tyme to lyue with wylde fruites rather then take the paynes to labour They are docible and apte to learne and haue nowe vtterly forgotten they re olde superstitions They beleue godly and beare well in memory such thynges as they haue learned of our â—ayth Theyr kyngs children are brought vp with the chiefest of our men and are instructed in letters and good maners When they are growen to mans age they sende them home to theyr countreyes to be example to other and especially to gouerne the people yf theyr fathers be dead that they may the better set forth the Christian religion and keepe theyr subiectes in loue and obedience By reason wherof they come now by faire meanes gentel perswasions to the mines which lye in two regions of the ilande about thyrtie myles dystaunt from the cytie of Dominica wherof the on is called Sancti Christophori and the other beyng distant aboute fourscore and tenne myles is called Cibaua not farre from the cheefe hauen called Portus Regalis These regions are very large in the which in many places here and there are founde somtyme euen in the vpper crust of the earth and somtyme among the stones certayne rounde pieces or plates of golde sometime of smale quantytie and in some places of great wayght in so much that there hath byn founde rounde pieces of three hundred pounde weyght and one of three thousande three hundred and tenne pounde weyght the whiche as you harde was sent
stay and went hym selfe alone to the toppe as it were to take the fyrst possession thereof Where fallyng prostrate vppon the grounde and raysing hym selfe againe vpon his knees as the maner of the Christians is to praye lyftyng vp his eyes and handes towarde heauen and directyng his face towarde the newe founde south sea he powred foorth his humble and deuout prayers before almightie God as a spirituall sacrifyce with thankes gyuing that it pleased his diuine maiestie to reserue vnto that day the victorie and prayse of so great a thyng vnto hym beyng a man but of smal wyt and knowledge of lytle experience and base parentage When he had thus made his prayers after his warlike maner he beckned with his hande to his companions to come to hym shewyng them the great mayne sea heretofore vnknowen to thinhabitants of Europe Aphrike and Asia Here agayne he fell to his prayers as before desyring almyghtie God and the blessed virgin to fauour his beginnynges and to geue hym good successe to subdue those landes to the glory of his holy name and encrease of his true religion All his companions dyd lykewyse and praysed God with loude voyces for ioy Then Vascus with no lesse manlye corage then Hanniball of Carthage shewed his souldiers Italye and the promontories of the Alpes exhorted his men to lyft vp theyr hartes and to beholde the lande euen nowe vnder theyr feete and the sea before theyr eyes whiche shoulde bee vnto them a full and iust rewarde of theyr great laboures and trauayles nowe ouerpassed When he had sayde these woordes he commaunded them to raise certaine heapes of stones in the stede of alters for a token of possession They descendyng from the toppes of the mountaynes least suche as myght come after hym shoulde argue hym of lying or falshood he wrote the kyng of Castels name here and there on barkes of the trees both on the ryght hande and on the left and raysed heapes of stones all the way that he went vntyll he came to the region of the next kyng towarde the south whose name was Chiapes This kyng came foorth agaynst hym with a great multitude of men threatnyng and forbyddyng him not only to passe through his dominions but also to goe no further Hereupon Vaschus set his battayle in aray and exhorted his men beyng nowe but fewe fiersly to assayle theyr enemies and to esteeme them no better then dogges meate as they shoulde be shortly Placing therefore the hargabusiers and masties in the forefroont they saluted kyng Chiapes and his men with such alarome that when they hard the noyse of the gunnes saw the flames of fire and smelt the sauour of brimstone for the wynde blewe towardes them they droue them selues to flyght with such feare lest thunderboultes and lyghtnynges folowed them that many fell downe to the ground whom our men pursuing fyrst keepyng theyr order and after breakyng theyr aray slue but fewe and tooke manye captyue For they determined to vse no extremitie but to pacyfie those regions as quietly as they myght Enteryng therfore into the pallace of kyng Chiapes Vaschus commaunded many of the captyues to be loosed wyllyng them to search out theyr kyng and to exhort hym to come thither and that in so doyng he woulde be his frend and profer hym peace besyde many other benefites But if he refused to come it shoulde turne to the destruction of hym and his and vtter subuertion of his countrey And that they myght the more assuredly do this message to Chiapes he sent with them certayne of the guides whiche came with hym from Quarequa Thus Chiapes beyng persuaded aswell by the Quarequans who coulde coniecture to what end the matter woulde come by thexperience whiche they had seene in them selues and theyr kyng as also by the reasons of his owne men to whom Vaschus had made suche frendly promises in his behalfe came foorth of the caues in the whiche he lurkâ—d and submitted hym selfe to Vaschus who accepted hym frendly They ioyned handes embraced the one the other made a perpetuall league of frendship and gaue great rewardes on both sydes Chiapes gaue Vaschus foure hundred poundes weyght of wrought golde of those poundes whiche they call Pesos and Vaschus recompenced hym agayne with certayne of our thynges Thus beyng made frendes they remayned togeather a fewe dayes vntyll Vaschus souldiers were come whiche he left behynde hym in Quarequa Then callyng vnto hym the guydes and labourers whiche came with hym from thence he rewarded them liberally and dismissed them with thankes Shortly after by the conduct of Chiapes hym selfe and certayne of his men departyng from the toppes of the mountaynes he came in the space of foure dayes to the bankes of the newe sea where assemblyng al his men togeather with the kynges scribes and notaries they addicted all that mayne sea with all the landes adiacent thereunto to the dominion and Empire of Castile Here he left part of his souldiers with Chiapes that he myght the easelier search those coastes And takyng with hym niene of theyr lyghters made of one whole tree whiche they call Culchas as thinhabitantes of Hispaniola cal them Canoas also a bande of fourescore men with certeyne of Chiapes men he passed ouer a great riuer and came to the regioÌ„ of a certeine king whose name was Coquera He attempted to resyst our men as dyd the other and with lyke successe for he was ouercome and put to flight But Vaschus who entended to winne him with gentelnes sent certeyne Chiapeans to hym to declare the great power of our men howe inuincible they were howe mercifull to such as submit them selues also cruell and seuere to such as obstinatly withstand them Promisyng hym furthermore that by the frendship of our men he might be wel assured by thexample of other not only to liue in peace and quietnes hym selfe but also to be reuenged of the iniuries of his enimies Wyllyng hym in conclusion so to weigh the matter that yf he refused this gentlenes profered vnto hym by so great a victourer he should or it were long learne by feelyng to repent hym to late of that peryll whiche he myght haue auoyded by hearyng Coquera with these wordes and examples shaken with great feare came gladly with the messengers bryngyng with him .650 Pesos of wrought golde whiche he gaue vnto our men Vaschus rewarded hym likewise as we sayd before of Poncha Coquera beyng thus pacified they returned to the pallace of Chiapes where visityng theyr companions and restyng there a whyle Vaschus determined to search the next great gulfe the whiche from the furthest reachyng thereof into the lande of theyr countryes from the enteraunce of the mayne sea they say to be threescore myles This they named saint Michaels gulfe whiche they say to be full of inhabited Ilandes and hugious rockes Entryng therefore into the niene boates of Culchas wherewith he passed ouer the ryuer
bragged and threatened hym beyng now bound that he shoulde shortly be hanged the other kynges also his borderers reioyced at his mysfortune Whereby our men parceyued that Tumanama was no lesse troublesome to his neyghbours then was Pacra to the kynges of the south syde of the mountaynes Vaschus also the better to please them threatened hym greeuouslye but in deede entended no euyll towards hym He spake therfore sharply vnto hym with these woords Thou shalt now suffer punishment thou cruell tyrant for thy pryde and abhominations Thou shalt knowe of what power the Christans are whom thou hast so contemned and threatned to drawe by the heare of theyr heades to the next ryuer and there to drowne them as thou hast oftentimes made thy vaunt among thy naked slaues But thou thy selfe shalt fyrst feele that whiche thou hast prepared for others And heerewith commaunded hym to be taken vp Neuerthelesse geuyng a pryuie token of pardon to them whiche layde handes on hym Thus vnhappy Tumanama fearyng and beleeuyng that Vaschus had ment in ernest as he commaunded fell prostrate at his feete and with teares desired pardon Protesting that he neuer spake any suche wordes but that perhaps his noble men in theyr drunkennesse had so abused theyr tongues whiche he coulde not rule For theyr wynes although they be not made of grapes yet are they of force to make men drunken He declared furthermore that the other kynges his borderers had of malice surmised such lyes of hym enuying his fortune because he was of greater power then they most humbly desyryng Vaschus that as he tooke hym to be a iust victourer so to geue no credite vnto theyr vniust and malicious complayntes Addyng heereunto that if it woulde please hym to pardon hym not hauyng offended he woulde bryng hym great plenty of golde Thus laying his ryght hande on his breast he swore by the Sonne that he euer loued and feared the Christians sence he fyrst hearde of theyr fame and victoryes especyally when he harde say that they had Michanas that is swordes sharper then theyrs and suche as cutte in peeces all thinges that come in theyr wayes Then directyng his eyes towarde Vaschus who had his sworde in his hand he spake thus Who except he were out of his witte dare lyft vp his hande agaynst this sworde of yours wherewith you are able with one strooke to cleaue a man from the head to the nauell Let no man therfore perswade you O most myghtye victourer that euer such wordes proceeded out of my mouth As Tumanama with tremblyng spake these wordes therwith swalowyng downe the knot of death Vaschus seemed by his teares to be moued to compassion and speakyng to hym with chearfull countenance commaunded hym to be loosed This doone he sent immediatly to his pallace for thyrtye poundes weyght of pure golde artificyally wrought into sundry ouches whiche his wyues and concubines vsed to weare Also the thyrde daye folowyng his noble men and gentlemen sent threescore poundes weyght of gold for theyr fine and raunsome Tumanama beyng demaunded where they had that gold he answeared that it was not geathered in his dominions but that it was brought his auncestours from the riuer Comogrus towarde the south But the Pocchorrosians and other his enemies sayde that he lyed affirmyng that his kyngdome was ryche in golde Tumanama on the contrary part instantly protested that he neuer knewe any golde myne in all his dominions yet denied not but that there hath sometymes been found certayne small graynes of golde to the geathering whereof he neuer had any regard because they could not get it without great long labour While these things were doing the sicke men which Vaschus had left in the vyllage of Pocchorrosa came to hym the .viii. day of the Calendes of Ianuary in the yeere of Christ M.D.XIII bryngyng with them certayne labourers from the kynges of the south with sundrye instrumentes to dygge the grounde and geather gold Thus passing ouer the day of the natiuitie of Christ without bodylye labour vpon Saynt Stephens day he brought certayne miners to the syde of a hyll not farre distant from the pallace of Tumanama where as he sayth he perceyued by the coloure of the earth that it was lyke to bryng foorth golde When they had dygged a pyt not past a hand breadth and a halfe and syfted the earth thereof they founde certayne small graynes of golde no bygger then lintell seedes amountyng to the weyght of twelue graynes as they proued with theyr balances of assaie before a notarie and wytnesse that the better credite myght bee geuen thereto Whereby they argued that the rychenesse of that land was agreeable to the report of the borderers although Vaschus coulde by no meanes cause Tumanama to confesse the same They suppose that he nothyng esteemed so small a portion but other say that he denyed his countrey to be fruiteful of golde least by reason thereof the desyre of golde myght intyse our men to inhabyte his kyngdome as in deede the seely kyng was a prophet in so thynkyng For they chose that and the region of Pocchorrosa to inhabite and determyned to buylde townes in them both if it should so please the kyng of Castile aswel that they myght be baytyng places and vittailyng houses for suche as shoulde iourney towarde the south as also that both the regions were fruiteful and of good ground to beare fruites and trees Intendyng nowe therefore to depart from thence he tryed the earth by chaunce in an other place where the colour of the ground with certayne shynyng stones seemed to be a token of golde where causyng a small pyt to be dygged litle beneath the vpper crust of the earth he founde so muche golde as weyghed the peece of golde whiche the Spaniardes call Castellanum aureum and is commonly called Pesus but not in one graine Reioycyng at these tokens in hope of great riches he bad Tumanama to be of good comfort promysyng hym that he woulde be his freende and defender so that he troubled not any of the kynges whiche were frendes to the Christians He also perswaded hym to geather plentie of golde Some say that he ledde away all Tumanama his women and spoyled hym least he shoulde rebell Yet he delyuered his sonne to Vaschus to be brought vp with our men to learne theyr language and religion that he myght heareafter the better vse his helpe aswell in all thynges that he shoulde haue to doo with our men as also more politikely rule and obtayne the loue of his owne subiectes Vischus at this tyme fell into a vehement feuer by reason of excesse of labour immoderate watchyng and hunger insomuche that departyng from thence he was fayne to be borne vpon mens backes in sheetes of gossampyne cotton lykewyse also manye of his souldiers which were soo weake that they could nother go nor stande To this purpose they vsed the helpe of thinhabitantes who shewed them selues
into the lake are these From the North syde Guanicabon From the Southe Xaccoei from the East Guannabo And from the West Occoa They saye that these ryuers are great and continuall and that besyde these there are .xx. other small ryuers whiche fall into this Caspium Also on the North syde within a furlong of the lake there are aboue twoo hundreth springes occupying lykewyse about a furlong in circuite the water wherof is colde in sommer freshe also and holsome to be drunke These sprynges make a ryuer that can not bee waded ouer which neare at hande ioynyng with the other falleth into the lake Here must we staye a whyle The kyng of this region founde his wyfe praying in a Chapell buylded by the Christians within the precincte of his dominion and requyred her company to satisfie his fleshely lust His wyfe reproued him and put him in remembraunce to haue respecte to the holy place The wordes which she spake to him were these Teitoca Teitoca which is as muche to say as be quyet be quyet Techeta cynato guamechyna That is God will be greatly angry Guamechyna signifyeth God Techeta greatly Cynato angrye But the husbande halyng her by the arme sayde Guaibba that is goe Cynato macabuca guamechyna That is What is that to me if God be angry And with these wordes as he profered her violence sodeinly he became dumme and lame Yet by this myracle being stryken with repentaunce he euer after ledde a relygious lyfe insomuche that from thencefoorth he would neuer suffer the Chapell to bee swepte or decked with any other mans hande By the same myracle many of thinhabitauntes and all the Christians being moued resorted deuoutly to the Chapell They take it in good parte that the kyng suffered the reuenge of that reproche Let vs now returne to Caspium That salte lake is tossed with stormes and tempestes and oftentymes drowneth small shyppes or fyssher boates and swaloweth them vp with the maryners In so muche that it hath not been hearde of that any man drowned by shyppewracke euer plunged vp againe or was caste on the shore as commonly chaunceth of the dead bodyes of suche as are drowned in the sea These tempestes are the daintie banquets of the Tiburones This Caspium is called Hagueigabon In the myddest hereof lyeth an Iland named Guarizacca to the which they resort when they go a fishyng but it is now cultured There is in the same playne an other lake next vnto this whose water is myxte of salt and fresh and is therfore neyther apt to be drunke nor yet to be refused in vrgent necessitie This conteyneth in length twentie and fyue myles and in breadth eyght myles in some places also niene or ten It receyueth many ryuers which haue no passage out of the same but are swalowed vp as in the other Water spryngeth out of the sea into this also but in no great quantitie which is the cause that it is so commyxt In the same prouince towards the west syde there is an other lake of freshe water not farre distaunt from Caspius this the inhabitauntes call Iainagua The same salte lake hath on the North syde thereof an other named Guaccaa this is but lytle as not past three or foure myles in breadth and one in length the water of this may well be drunke On the South syde of the salt lake there lyeth an other named Babbareo of three myles in length and in maner rounde The water of this is freshe as of the two other This lake because it hath no passage out nor yet any swalowyng gulfes conueyeth the superfluous waters to the sea if it be encreased with y e streames which fal sometymes more abundantly from the mountaynes this is in the region of Xamana in the prouince of Bainoa There is an other called Guaniba lying betwene the East and the South neere vnto the syde of Caspius this is ten myles in length and almost round There are furthermore many other small standyng pooles or lakes disparsed here and there in the Iland whiche I wyll let passe lest I shoulde be tedious in remaynyng to long in one thyng I wyll therefore make an ende with this addition that in all these great plentie of fyshe and foule is nouryshed All these lakes lye in a large playne the whiche from the East reacheth into the West a hundreth and twentie miles being of breadth .xviii. miles where it is narowest and .xxv. where it is largest Lookyng toward the West it hath collaterally on the left hande the mountaines of Daiguani and on the ryght hande the mountaines of Gaigua so called of the name of y e vale it selfe At the rootes of the mountaynes of Caigua towarde the North syde there lyeth an other vale much longer and larger then that before named For it conteineth in length almost two hundreth myles and in breadth thirtie where it is largest and about .xx. where it is narowest This vale in some parte thereof is called Maguana in an other place Iguaniu and els where Hathathiei And forasmuch as we haue here made mention of this parte of the vale named Hathathiei we will somewhat digresse from the discourse of this description and entreate of a thing so straunge and marueilous that the lyke hath not been hearde of So it is therefore that the kyng of this region named Caramatexius taketh great pleasure in fyshing Into his nettes chaunced a young fyshe of the kynde of those huge monsters of the sea which thinhabitours call Manati not founde I suppose in our seas nor knowne to our men before this tyme. This fyshe is foure footed and in shape lyke vnto a Tortoyse although shee be not couered with a shell but with scales and those of such hardnesse couched in such order that no arrow can hurte her Her scales are beset defended with a thousande knobbes her backe is playne and her head vtterly lyke the head of an Oxe She lyueth both in the water on the lande shee is slowe of mouyng of condition meeke gentle associable and louing to mankynde and of a marueilous sense or memorie as are the Elephant and the Delphyn The kyng norished this fysh certeine dayes at home with the bread of the countrey made of the roote of Iucca Panycke with such other rootes as men are accustomed to eate For when shee was yet but young hee cast her into a poole or lake neare vnto his palace there to be fed with hande This lake also receiueth waters and casteth not the same foorth againe It was in tyme paste called Guaurabo but is now called the lake of Manati after the name of this fyshe which wandered safely in the same for the space of .xxv. yeeres and grewe exceeding byg Whatsoeuer is written of the Delphines of Baian or Arion are muche inferior to the dooinges of this fyshe whiche for her gentle nature they named Matum that
fourscore myles for they call it threescore leagues He spent certaine daies heere in idlenesse for he coulde neither by fayre meanes nor by foule allure the kyng of the region to come to hym Whyle he lay thus idelly there came to hym other fyftie men sent from Dariena vnder the gouernaunce of captayne Lodouicus Mercado who departed from Dariena in the calendes of May to the intent to searche the inner partes of those regions When they met togeather they determined after consultation to passe ouer the mountaynes lying towarde the South euen vnto the South sea lately founde Beholde nowe a wonderfull thyng that in a lande of suche marueylous longitude in other places they founde it here to be onely about fyftie myles distant to the South sea for they count it .xvii. leagues as the maner of the Spanyardes is to recken and not by myles Yet saye they that a league consysteth of three myles by lande and foure by sea as we haue noted before In the toppes of the mountaynes and turnyng of the waters they founde a kyng named Iuana whose kyngdome is also named Coiba as is the region of king Careta of whom we haue made mention elswhere But for as muche as the region of this Iuana is rycher in golde they named it Coiba Dites that is Coiba the rych For wheresoeuer they dygged the grounde whether it were on the drye lande or in the wet chanelles of the ryuers they founde the sande whiche they cast foorth myxt with golde Iuana fledde at the commyng of our men and coulde neuer be brought agayne They spoyled all the countrey neare about his palace yet had they but litle golde for he had caryed all his stuffe with hym Here they founde certayne slaues marked in the faces after a straunge sorte For with a sharpe prycke made eyther of bone or els with a thorne they make holes in theyr faces and foorthwith sprinklyng a powder thereon they moiste the pounced place with a certayne blacke or redde iuice whose substaunce is of suche tenacitie and clamminesse that it wyll neuer weare away They brought these slaues away with them They say that this iuice is of suche sharpenesse and putteth them to suche payne that for extreme doloure they haue no stomacke to theyr meate certayne dayes after The kynges whiche take these slaues in theyr warres vse theyr helpe in seekyng for golde and in tyllage of the grounde euen as doo our men From the pallace of Iuana folowyng the course of the water about tenne myles towarde the South they entred into the dominion of an other kyng whom our men named the olde man bycause he was olde not passyng of his other name In the region of this kyng also they founde golde in all places both on the lande and in the ryuers This region is very fayre and fruitefull and hath in it many famous ryuers Departyng from hence in fyue dayes iourney they came to a lande lefte desolate They suppose that this was destroyed by ciuile discorde forasmuche as it is for the most parte fruitefull and yet not inhabited The fyfth day they sawe two men commyng a farre of these were laden with bread of Maizium whiche they caryed on theyr shoulders in sackes Our men tooke them and vnderstoode by them that there were two kynges in that tract the one was named Periquete who dwelt neere vnto the sea the others name was Totonoga This Totonoga was blynde and dwelt in the continent The two men which they met were the fyshers of Totonoga whom he had sent with certayne fardelles of fyshe to Periquete and had agayne receyued bread of hym for exchaunge For thus do they communicate theyr commodities one with an other by exchaunge without the vse of wycked mony By the conductyng of these two men they came to kyng Totonoga dwellyng on the West syde of saint Michaels gulfe in the South sea They had of this kyng the summe of syxe thousand Castellans of golde both rude and artifycially wrought Among those groumes of rude or natyue golde there was one founde of the weyght of two Castellans whiche argued the plentifull rychenesse of the grounde Folowyng the same coast by the sea syde towarde the West they came to a kyng whose name was Taracuru of whom they had golde amountyng to the weyght of eyght thousande Pesos We haue sayde before that Pesus is the weyght of a Castelane not coyned From hence they went to the dominion of this kynges brother named Pananome who fledde at their commyng and appeared no more afterwarde They say that his kyngdome is ryche in golde They spoyled his pallace in his absence Syxe leagues from hence they came to another king named Tabor From thence they came to the kyng of Cheru He frendly entertained our men and gaue them foure thousand Pesos of golde He hath in his dominion many goodly salt bayes the region also aboundeth with golde About twelue myles from hence they came to another king called Anata of whom they had xv thousande Pesos of golde whiche he had gotton of the kynges his borderers whom he had vanquished by warre A great part of this gold was in rude fourme bycause it was molten when he set the kinges houses on fyre whom he spoyled For they robbe and slay the one the other sackyng fyryng theyr villages and wasting theyr countreyes They keepe warre barbarously and to vtter destruction executyng extreeme crueltie agaynst them that haue the ouerthrowe Gonsalus Badaiocius with his felowes wandred at libertie vntyll they came to this kyng and had geathered great heapes of golde of other kynges For what in braslettes collers earerynges brest plates helmettes and certaine barres wherewith women beare vp theyr brestes they had geathered togeather in gold the summe of fourscore thousand Castellans which they had obtayned partly by exchange for our things where they founde the kynges theyr frendes otherwise by forcyble meanes where they founde the contrary They had gotten also fourtie slaues whose helpe they vsed both for cariage of their victualles and baggagies in the steede of Moyles or other beastes of burden also to releeue such as were sick and forweeried by reason of theyr long iourneies and hunger After these prosperous voyages they came by the dominion of kyng Scoria to the palace of a kyng named Pariza where fearyng no suche thing Pariza enclosed them with a great armie and assayled them straggelyng and vnwares in such sort that they had no leasure to put on theyr armure He slue and wounded about fyftie and put the resydue to flyght They made suche hast that they had no respect eyther to the golde they had geathered or to theyr slaues but left all behynde them Those fewe that escaped came to Dariena The opinion of all wyse men as concernyng the variable and inconstant chaunces of fortune in humane things were false if all thynges shoulde haue happened vnto them prosperously For such
much difficultie discende into the shyp boate where without ores and without sayles they were caryed away by the violence of the water For as we haue sayd before in our Decades the seas doe runne there continually with a violent course toward the West They wandered thus .xiii. dayes not knowing whither they went nor yet fyndyng any thing to eate Famine consumed seuen of them which were cast into the sea to feede the fyshes The residue lykewyse in maner consumed by famyne and fallyng from one calamitie into an other were dryuen to Iucatana and fell into the handes of a cruell kyng who slue Valdiuia the gouernour with certayne of his felowes and when he had fyrst sacrifyced them to his Zemes shortly after hee ate them with his friendes of that conspiracie For they eate onely their enemies straungers doe otherwise absteyne from mans fleshe In this meane tyme while Hieronimus Aquillaris with syxe of his felowes were reserued to be sacrifyced the thyrde day they brake theyr bandes escaped the handes of that cruell Tyrant and fledde to an other kyng beyng his enimy who receyued them yet onely as bondmen It is a straunge thyng to heare of the moother of this Aquillaris For as soone as shee hearde that her sonne was fallen into the handes of the nations that eate mans fleshe shee fell madde incontinent so that whensoeuer after shee sawe any meate roastyng at the fyre or onely redy spytted to laye to the fyre shee ceassed not to crye out in this maner O mee most wretched moother beholde the members of my sonne But to returne to our purpose When Aquillaris had now receyued the gouernours letter sent by the Cozumellane messengers hee declared to the kyng his maister whose name was Taxmarus what was theyr errande thither and wherefore they were sent vsyng in the meane tyme many large discourses in expressyng the great power and magnificence of theyr kyng who had of late arryued in those coastes also of theyr humanitie and gentlenesse towarde theyr friendes and such as submitted them selues to them againe their rigour and fiercenesse agaynst suche as stubbernly eyther contemned them or denyed their requestes With these wordes he brought Taxmarus into such feare that the maister was now fayne to desyre his seruaunt so to handle the matter that they myght quietly enter into his dominion as his friendes and not as his enemies Aquillaris promised in their behalfe y t they should not onely come in peace but also to ayde him against his enemies if neede should so require Whervppon he dismissed Aquillaris with him three of his familiers and companions Thus they sayled togeather from Cozumella to Iucatana to the ryuer which they had founde before in the fyrst viage thither by the gouernance of Alaminus the pilot They founde the mouth of the ryuer stopped with sand as we reade of the ryuer of Nilus in Egypte when the wyndes called Etesti blow in summer and especially in the canicular dayes Therefore where as they could not enter into the ryuer with the biggest vesselles although it be otherwyse apte to receyue great shyppes the gouernour caused two hundred men to bee set alande with the Brigantines and shyppe boates wyllyng Aquillaris to offer peace to thinhabitauntes They demaunded what our men requyred Aquillaris aunsweared vittayles There was a longe space of sande by the syde of the towne whyther they wylled them to resort promysyng to bryng them vittayles thyther the day folowyng Our men went and they came accordyng to theyr promisse and brought with them eyght of theyr Hennes beyng as bygge as Peacockes of brownyshe coloure and not inferiour to Peacockes in pleasaunt tast They brought also as muche bread made of Maizium whiche is a grayne not muche vnlyke vnto panyke as woulde scarcely serue tenne hungry men and herewith desyred them to depart But when they perceyued that our men made no hast away immediately there came a great company of armed men towarde them demaundyng what they had to do thus to wander in other mens landes Our men made answeare by Aquillaris that they desyred peace vittayles and golde for exchange of other thynges They answeared againe that they woulde nother peace nor warre with them but threatned them to auoyde the land except they would be destroyed euery man Our men sayd that they woulde not depart without sufficient vittayles to mayntayne their souldyers They appoynted the day folowyng to bryng them more vittayles but they broke promise Yet perceyuing the seconde day that our men were encamped on the sande and had reposed there that nyght they brought them as much more vittayles and commaunded them in the name of theyr kyng to departe Our men sayde that they were desyrous to see the towne and to haue yet more store of vittayles The Barbarians denyed theyr request and therewith departed whisperyng and mutteryng among them selues In the meane tyme our men were styll so oppressed with hunger that they were enforced to seeke for meate The gouernour therefore sent his vnder captaynes to lande with a hundred and fyftie men As they went dispersed in dyuers companyes about the villages of the countrey the Barbarians met with one of theyr bandes and put them to great distresse But when theyr felowes being not farre from them hearde the noyse of theyr alarome they came with al possible haste to theyr rescue The gouernour on the other syde placing his ordinaunce in the brygantines shippe boates approched to the shorre with the resydue of his souldiers The Barbarians lykewyse beyng redy furnyshed to the battayle came runnyng to the sea syde to disturbe them that they shoulde not come alande and with theyr arrowes wounded many a farre of vnprepared The gouernoure discharged about .xx. peeces of ordinaunce agaynst them With the slaughter and terrible thunder wherof and with the flame of the fyre and smell of the brimstone they were so astonied and put to such feare that they fled and disparcled lyke wylde beastes whom our men pursuing entred into the towne which thinhabitantes forsoke in maner for feare of their owne men whō they sawe so dismaide On the banke of this ryuer there is a towne of such portentous biggnes as I dare not speake but Alanimus the pilot sayth that it contayneth in circuite fyue hundred myles and that it consisteth of .xxv. thousande houses Some make it somwhat lesse but they all agree that it is exceedyng great and notable The houses are diuided with gardens and are buylded of lyme and stone very artificiall and of cunnyng woorkemanship To theyr haules chambers parlers or other places of habitation they ascend by tenne or twelue stayres and haue certayne spaces betwene euery house so that it is not lawfull for any to lade his neyghbours wales with rafters or beames Theyr houses are separate one from an other by the space of three houses and are for the most parte couered with reede and thatche
syluer and precious stones set and wrought after a marueylous straunge deuice and with no lesse cunnyng woorkemanshyp Heere they determined to sende messengers to our newe Emperour to knowe his pleasure that they myght in this prouince plant a newe colonie or habitation and this dyd they without the aduise of Diegus Velasquen the gouernour of the Iland of Cuba or Fernandina who fyrst sent them foorth with commaundement to returne agayne after they had searched these regions and obtayned plentie of golde While they consulted herof they were of diuers opinions but the most part alleaged that in this case it was not requisite to make the gouernour of theyr counsayle forasmuch as y e matter shoulde be referred to a higher Iudge as to the king of Spaine hym self When they were thus agreed they receyued vittayles of the gentle king of the prouince and assigned the place of their colonie twelue myles from the saide towne in a fruiteful holsome soile For theyr generall gouernoure they elected Cortesius the gouernour of the nauie agaynst his wyll as some saye For other magistrates to gouerne the citie which they intended to builde he chose Portucarerius and Montegius of whom we haue made mention before They chose also certayne messengers to send to the kyng by the conduction of Alaminus the pilot Furthermore foure of the princes of this prouince offered them selues wyllyngly to go with our men into Spayne to thintent to see our landes and that kyng whose power is so great and whose auctoritie reacheth so farre They brought lykewyse two women with them whiche serued and obeyed them in all thinges after the maner of their countrey The people of this nation is of browne or yelowyshe colour Both the men and the women haue pendauntes of gold pretious stones hanging at their eares The men also bore theyr neather lippes full of holes from the vppermost part of the lippe euen vnto the neathermost part of the gumme At these they hang certayne rynges and plates of golde and syluer fastned to a smal and thynne plate lying within betwene the lip the gumme At the biggest hole in the middest of the lippe there hangeth a rounde plate of syluer as brode as the coyne called a Carolyne as thicke as a mans finger I do not remember that euer I sawe any thyng that seemed more fylthy in myne eye Yet do they thynke that there is nothyng more comly vnder the circle of the moone whereby we may see howe vainely mankynde wandereth in his owne blyndnesse The Ethiopian thincketh the blacke colour to be fayrer then the white and the white man thinketh otherwise They that are powled thynke that more decent then to weare a bushe and they that weare beardes iudge it a deformitie to be shauen As appetite therfore moueth and not as reason perswadeth men runne after vanities and euery prouince is ruled by theyr owne sense as writeth saint Ierome From whence they haue their gold we haue spoken sufficiently before But as our men marueyled where they had theyr syluer they shewed them certayne high mountaines which are continually couered w t snowe sauing that at certaine times of the yeere the only toppes are seene bare bicause the snow is there molten by reason of y e thicke and warme cloudes The plaines therfore or milde softe pleasaunt mountaines seeme to bring foorth golde and the rough craggie mountaynes with theyr colde valleyes are the places where syluer is engendred They haue also Laton whereof they make such Mases and Hammers as are vsed in the warres dygging Mattockes also and Spades for they haue neyther Iron nor steele But let vs nowe speake of the presentes sent into Spayne to the kyng and fyrst of the bookes These procuratours therefore of the newe colonie of the prouince of Coluacana among other their presentes brought also a great number of bookes the leaues whereof are made of the inner ryndes or barkes of trees thinner then eyther that of the Elme or of y e Salowe these they smeere or anoynt with the pitche of molten Bitumem and whyle they be soft extend them to what fourme them lysteth When they bee cold and harde they rubbe them ouer with a certayne playster It is to be thought that they beate the playster into fyne floure and so temperyng it with some byndyng moysture to make a crust therewith vppon the leaues whereon they wryte with anye sharpe instrument and blot the same agayne with a spunge or some suche other thyng as marchaunt men and noble mens stewards are accustomed to do with their wryting tables made of the woodde of figge trees The leaues of theyr bookes are not set in order after the maner of ours but are extended many cubittes in length The matters whiche they write are conteyned in square tables not lose but so bound togeather with the tough flexible clay called Bitumem that they seeme lyke woodden tables whiche had been vnder the handes of cunnyng Bookbynders Which way so euer the booke lieth open there are two leaues seene and two sydes wrytten with as many lying vnder them except the booke be vnfoulded in length For vnder one leafe there are many leaues ioyned togeather The fourmes of theyr letters are nothyng lyke vnto ours but are muche more crooked and entangled lyke vnto fyshhookes knottes snares starres fyles dyse and suche other muche lyke vnto the Egyptian letters and wrytten in lines lyke vnto ours Heere and there betweene the lines are pictured the shapes of men and diuers beastes and especyally the Images of kynges and other noble men Whereby it is to be thought that in such bookes the factes of theyr kinges are conteined as we see the lyke among vs how our printers expresse the summe of histories in pictures that men may therby be the more allured to bye suche bookes The coueringes of theyr bookes are also artificially wrought and paynted When they are shut they seeme to differ nothing from ours in fourme In these bookes are furthermore comprehended theyr lawes rytes of ceremonies and sacrifyces annotations of Astronomie accomptes computations of tymes with the maner of graffyng sowing and other thynges parteynyng to husbandry They begyn the yeere from the goyng downe of the seauen starres called Vergiliae or Pleiades and count theyr monethes accordyng to the mones They name a moneth Tona of the Moone for in theyr language they call the Moone Tona They recken the dayes by the sonnes therefore as many dayes as they name they saye so manye sonnes the Sonne in theyr tongue is called Tonatico They distribute the yeere without any reason why into twentie monethes and the moneth into as many dayes The temples whiche they frequent they adourne with golden hangynges and other ornamentes of golde and syluer with precious stones intermyxt At the spryng of the day they perfume theyr temples with frankensence and make theyr prayers before they take in hand any other busynesse
to eate of the Serpentes fleshe Howe the Serpentes fleshe is prepared to be eaten and how delicate meate theyr egges are if they be sodden Howe queene Anacauchoa syster to kyng Beuchius Anacauchoa entertained y e Liefetenant gaue him much houshold stuffe and many vessels of Hebene wodd artifically wrought carued Howe kyng Anacauchoa and the queene his syster went aboorde the Lieuetenantes shyppe and howe greatly they were amased to beholde the furniture therof Howe Roldanus Xeminus a Spanyarde rebelled in the Lieuetenauntes absence by whose mysdemeanour also kyng Guarionexius was prouoked to a newe conspiracie and with hym Maiobanexius the kyng of the mountaynes The contentes of the syxt booke Foli 35. THe thyrd viage of Colonus howe he diuerted from his accustomed rase by the Ilandes of Canarie to the Iland of Madera for feare of certayne frenche pirates and rotters Of the .xiii. Ilandes whiche in olde tyme were called Hesperides and are nowe called the Ilandes of Caput Viride or Cabouerde Also of the Tortoyses of the Ilande of Bonauista wherewith the leper is healed Howe the Admiral found contagious ayre and extreme heate neere the Equinoctial where the north pole was eleuate onely fyue degrees and howe saylyng from thence westwarde he founde the starres placed in other order and the sea rysyng as it were the backe of a mountayne Howe the Admiral saylyng westwarde and neuer passyng out of the clyme or paralels of Ethiope founde a temperate Region and people of goodly corporature and what difference is betwene the natures of Regions beyng vnder one paralele and one eleuation of the pole Of the Ilandes of Puta and Margarita and of the swyfte course or fall of the Ocean from the East to the West Of the gulfe called Os Draconis and of the conflicte betwene the freshe water and the salte Of a sea of freshe water and a mountayne inhabited onely with Monkyes and Marmasettes Of the fayre ryche and large region of Paria and howe frendly thinhabitantes entreated the Admirall and his men Also of pleasaunt wyne made of dyuers fruites and of great abundaunce of pearles and golde Of the regions of Cumana Manacapana Curiana being regiōs of y e large prouince of Paria of y e sea of hearbes or weeds A certayne secrete as touchyng the pole starres and the eleuation of the same also of the roundnesse of the earth Of the mountaynes of Paria in the toppes wherof Colonus earnestly affirmeth the earthly paradise to be situate and whether Paria be parte of the firme land or continent of India The contentes of the .vii. booke Fol. 39. HOwe Roldanus Xeminus with his confederates accused the Admirall to the kyng and howe he pourged hym selfe and accused them Howe kyng Guarionexius rebelled agayne and with hym kyng Maiobannexius also howe they with other kynges came agaynst the Lieuetenaunt with an armie of eyght thousande naked and paynted Ciguauians also two rare examples of frendshyp and faythfulnesse in barbarous princes Howe Colonus the Admirall and the Lieuetenant his brother were sent bound into Spayne and newe officers appoynted in theyr places The contentes of the eight booke Fol. 43. THe nauigation of Petrus Alphonsus from Spayne to Paria where in the region of Curiana he had in short space .xv. ounces of pearles great plenty of victuals for haukes belles pinnes lokyng glasses and such other tryfles Of certayne coniectures whereby Paria is thought to be part of the fyrme land of the golden region of Cauchieta where in the moneth of Nouember the ayre is temperate and not colde How Alphonsus had a conflict with the Canibales and how they are accustomed to inuade other countreys Of great abundaunce of salt in the region of Haraia and how the dead bodies of theyr princes are dryed reserued and religiously honoured Howe Alphonsus at his returne to Spayne from Curiana brought with him threscore sixteene pounde weyght of pearles whiche he bought for our tryfles amountyng only to the value of fyue shillynges The contentes of the nienth booke Fol. 47. THe nauigation of Vincentius Pinzonus and Aries Pinzonus and howe they sayled beyond the Equinoctiall line lost the syght of the north starre and founde the starres in other order Howe Vincentius passing the Equinoctial toward the South pole founde fierce and warlyke people of great stature and of the sea of freshe water Howe Vincentius directing his course towarde the Northwest from the Equinoctiall recouered the syght of the North-pole and by the regions of Mariatambal Camomorus and Pericora came to the fayre and rych prouince of Paria and to the regions of Os draconis Cumana Manacapana Curiana c. A coniecture that Paria wherby is ment that mayne lande nowe called America shoulde be part of the fyrme lande or continent of India beyonde the riuer of Ganges no Iland and of the exceeding great riuer Maragnonus replenished with Ilandes Of Boriostomea and Spiriostomea the mouthes of the famous ryuer of Dunabius called in old tyme Ister and of the commodities of the regions and Ilandes about Paria also of the woods of Brasile trees Of many fruitfull Ilandes wasted and left desolate by reason of the Canibales crueltie and of the trees of Cassia Fistula also of other trees of exceeding bygnesse The discription of a certayne monstruous beast and howe Vincentius lost two of his shyps by tempest Howe Vincentius at his returne to Spaine brought with hym Cinamome Ginger and certayne precious stones called Topases And of the nauigations of certayne other inhabitantes of the towne of Palos Of the precious medicine called Animae Album and of the diuers superstitions of the inhabitauntes of Hispniola also of theyr Idolatrie and howe they honour the Images of deuylles whiche they call Zemes. The Contentes of the tenth booke Fol. 54. OF great plentie of gold pearles and frankensence founde in the regions of Paria and of innumerable beastes in shape differyng from ours Howe the Spaniardes proffered them selues to conquere the new founde landes beyng in largenesse thryse as great as Europe besyde the South landes parteynyng to the Portingales and howe the nature of the place altereth the fourmes and qualities of thynges Of the Ilande of Cuba and of the golde mynes of the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis otherwyse called Burichena or Buchena Also of the ryche gold mynes of Hispaniola and of the order of workyng in the same Of the two chiefe golde mynes of Hispaniola and of a peece of golde weighing three thousande three hundred and ten pounde weyght How the gold is fined and distributed ▪ and howe that only in the melting shops of the two golden mines of Hispaniola is molten yeerely aboue three hundred thousand pounde weight of gold Howe thenterpryses of the Spanyardes are not inferiour to thactes of Saturnus or Hercules and howe the Admirall discouered the lande ouer agaynst the West corner of Cuba and the Ilande of Guanassa The Contentes of the bookes of the seconde Decade The
of the habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall and of the ryche golde mynes of the Ilande of Cuba Of the Gumme called Animae Album and of the Canibales also wherby it was thought that there were Ilandes of women Of hony founde in trees and rockes and of the generation of great Tortoyses and of theyr egges The contentes of the tenth booke Fol. 146. OF the expedition agaynst the kyng of the Ilande Dites in the South sea and howe after foure conflictes submitting hym selfe he gaue our men an hundred ten pounde weyght of great pearles also howe he agreed to paye yeerely a hundred pounde weyght of pearles for a tribute Howe axes and hatchettes are more esteemed then golde or pearles and of great plentie of Hartes and Cunnies also howe the kyng of Dites and his familie were baptised Of pearles of great pryse and howe Paule the Bishop of Rome bought a pearle for foure and fortie thousand ducades Diuers opinions of the generation of pearles and of a hundred pearles founde in one shel fyshe also of the birth of pearles Of the regions of the East syde of the gulfe of Vraba and of the originall of the Canibales Of certayne circumcised people which haue the knoweledge of letters and vse of bookes and what chaunced of the captaynes which Petrus Arias sent foorth diuers wayes also howe Iohn Solisius was slayne of the Canibales and of theyr fiercenesse Howe Iohn Pontius was repulsed of the Canibales and of the lewde behauiour of Iohn Aiora Of the variable fortune of Gonsalus Badaiocius and howe after he had geathered great ryches of gold he had the ouerthrow and was spoyled of all Of the golden region of Coiba Dites and how theyr slaues are marked in the face Of the Ilandes of the South sea and of the regions from whence the Portingales fetche theyr spyces Of a straunge kynde of fowlyng and of the trees that beare Gourdes Of the later opinions as touching the swift course of the Ocean towarde the West and of the continent or fyrme lande also of the viage from the newe landes to Spayne Of the golde mynes of Dariena and of the maner of geatheryng of golde in the same also of the dropsie of couetousnesse which is not satisfied with ryches For the contentes of the booke of the Ilandes of the West Indies seas reade the margent notes of the same FINIS ⧠Gonzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus of the west Indies R. E. To the Reader ALthough among dyuers which haue written of the Ocean and VVest Indies there is none to be compared to Peter Martyr of Angleria in declaryng by philosophicall discourses the secrete causes of naturall affectes both as touchyng the lande the sea the starres and other straunge workes of nature yet forasmuch as of later dayes those countreys haue been better knowne and searched and dyuers such particuler and notable thinges founde as are conteyned in the histories of later writers among the number of whom Conzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus whom learned Cardanus compareth to the ancient writers is doubtlesse the chiefe I haue therefore thought good to ioyne to the Decades of Peter Martyr certayne notable thinges which I haue geathered out of his booke intituled the Summarie or abridgement of his generall hystorie of the west Indies written in the firme lande of the same in the citie of Sancti Maria Antiqua in Dariena where he dwelt was gouernor many yeeres and dedicated to Themperours maiestie as may appeare by the Epistle folowyng To the most hygh and myghtie prince Charles the fyft o◠that name Emperor of Rome Kyng of Spaine of the two Cicilies of both the sydes of the streyght of Faro Kyng of Hierusalem and Hungarie Duke of Burgonie and Earle of Flaunders Lord and inheritour of the firme lande and Ilandes of the VVest Ocean c. Gonzalus Ferdinandus Ouiedus his most humble seruaunt wysheth health and perpetuall felicitie THe thinges which principally preserue and mayntayne the workes of nature in the memories of men are hystories and bookes composed of the same among the whiche certes those are esteemed most true and autentyke which haue been wrytten by wyttie and expert men well traueyled in the world as faythfull witnesses of such thinges as they haue partly seene and been partly informed by credible persons Of this mynde and opinion was Plinie who better then any other aucthor hath written in .xxxvii. bookes all that parteyneth to the naturall historie conteyned all in one volume dedicated to Vespasian Themperour Wherin as a prudent historiographer he declareth such thinges as hee had heard attributing the second authoritie to such as he had redde in aucthours that wrote before him And thyrdly ioyned to the same hystorie such thinges as he him selfe had seene as most certayne testimonie Whose example I folowyng will in this my breefe summarie reduce and represent to your maiesties memorie such thinges as I haue seene in your Empyre of the West Indies aswell in the Ilandes as in the firme lande of the Ocean sea where I haue serued now more then twelue yeeres in the place of surueyer of the golde mynes by the commaundement of the Catholyke kyng Don Fernando the fyft of that name and graundfather vnto your maiestie to whom God gaue great fame and glorie Since whose death also I haue lykewyse serued and trust whyle the rest of my lyfe yet remayneth to serue your maiestie as shall please you to commaunde As touchyng whiche thinges and suche other lyke I haue more largely written in an hystorie begun assoone as my age was rype to take such matters in hande Wherein furthermore I haue made mention of suche thinges as haue chaunced in Spayne from the yeere .1494 vnto this tyme addyng also therevnto suche thinges woorthy memorie as I haue obserued in other realmes and prouinces where I haue trauayled and haue lykewyse particulerly wrytten the lyues and worthy actes of the catholyke Princes of famous memorie Don Ferdinando and Lady Elizabeth his wyfe to theyr last dayes After whose fruition of heauenly Paradyse I haue noted such thinges as haue chaunced in your most fortunate succession not omittyng particulerly to wryte a large booke of suche thinges as haue seemed most woorthy to bee noted as touchyng your maiesties Indies But forasmuch as that volume remayneth in the citie of San. Dominico in the Ilande of Hispaniola where I dwell and am placed in housholde with wyfe chyldren and famylie I haue brought no more with me of that my writyng then I beare in memorie determynyng notwithstandyng for your maiesties recreation to make a breefe rehearsall of certayne notable thinges wherof I haue more largely entreated in my sayd generall historie and such as may seeme most woorthy to be redde of your maiestie Of the which although a great parte haue been written by other who haue also seene the same yet perhappes they are not so exactly and particulerly described as of mee forasmuche as in maner all that trauayle into these Indies haue
northerne lande but suche a one that ether is not to be traueyled for the causes in the first Obiection alleaged or cleane shut vp from vs in Europe by Groenland the South ende whereof Moletius maketh firme lande with America the north parte continent with Lapponlande and Norway Thyrdly the greatest fauourers of this voyage can not deny but that if any such passage be it lyeth subiect vnto Yse and snow for the most parte of the yeere whereas it standeth in the edge of the frostie zone Before the Sunne hath warmed the ayre and dissolued the Yse eche one well knoweth that there can bee no saylyng the Yse once broken through the continuall abode the Sunne maketh a certayne season in those partes how shall it be possible for so weake a vessell as a shyppe is to holde out amyd whole Ilandes as it were of Yse continually beatyng on eche syde and at the mouth of that goulphe issuyng downe furiously from the North safely to passe whan whole mountaynes of Yse and Snow shal be tombled downe vpon her Wel graunt the west Indies not to continue continent vnto the Pole graunt there be a passage betwyxt these two landes let the goulph lye neare vs than commonly in cardes we fynde it set namely betwyxt the .61 .64 degrees north as Gemma Frisius in his Mappes and Globes imagineth it and so left by our countriman Sebastian Cabote in his table the which my good Lorde your father hath at Cheynies and so tryed this last yeere by your Honours seruaunt as hee reported and his carde and compasse doe witnesse Let the way bee voyde of all difficulties yet doeth it not folowe that we haue free passage to Cathayo For examples sake You may trende all Norway Finmarke and Lapponlande and than bow Southwarde to sainct Nicolas in Moscouia you may lykewyse in the Mediterranean sea fetche Constantinople and the mouth of Tanais yet is there no passage by sea through Moscouia into Pont Euxine now called Mare Maggiore Agayne in the aforesayde Mediterranean sea we sayle to Alexandria in Egypt the Barbares bryng theyr pearle and spices from the Moluccaes vp the read sea and Arabian goulph to Sues scarsely three dayes iourney from the aforesayde hauen yet haue we no way by sea from Alexandria to the Moluccaes for that Isthmos or litle streicte of lande betwyxt the two seas In lyke maner although the northerne passage bee free at .61 degrees latitude and the West Ocean beyonde America vsually called Mar del zur knowen to be open at .40 degrees eleuation for the Ilande Giapan yea .300 leagues northerly aboue Giapan yet may there bee lande to hynder the through passage that way by sea as in the examples aforesayde it falleth out Asia and America there beyng ioyned togeather in one continent Ne can this opinion seeme altogeather friuolous vnto any one that diligently peruseth our Cosmographers doynges Iosephus Moletius is of that mynde not onely in his playne hemispheres of the worlde but also in his sea carde The French Geographers in lyke maner bee of the same opinion as by their Mappe cut out in fourme of a harte you may perceyue as though the West Indyes were parte of Asie Whiche sentence well agreeth with that olde conclusion in the scholes Quidquid praeter Africam et Europam est Asia est Whatsoeuer land doeth neyther appertayne vnto Afrike nor to Europe is parte of Asie Furthermore it were to small purpose to make so long so paynefull so doubtfull a voyage by such a new founde way if in Cathayo you should neyther be suffred to lande for silkes and siluer nor able to fetche the Molucca spices and pearle for piracye in those seas Of a lawe denying all Aliens to enter into China and forbiddyng all the inhabiters vnder a great penaltie to let in any stranger into that countreys shall you reade in the report of Galeotto Perera there imprisoned with other Portugalles as also in the Giaponyshe letters howe for that cause the woorthie traueyler Xauierus bargayned with a Barbarian Marchaunt for a great sum of Pepper to be brought into Cantan a porte in Cathayo The great and daungerous piracie vsed in that seas no man can be ignorant of that listeth to reade the Giaponishe and East Indian historie Finally all this great labour would bee lost all these charges spent in vayne if in the ende our traueylers myght not be able to returne agayne and bryng safely home into theyr owne natyue countrey that wealth and ryches they in forreyne regions with aduenture of goodes and daunger of theyr lyues haue sought for By the Northeast there is no way the Southeast passage the Portugalles doe hold as Lordes of that seas At the Southwest Magellanus experience hath partly taught vs and partly we are persuaded by reason howe the Easterne currant stryketh so furiously on that streicte and falleth with such force into that narrow goulphe that hardely any shyppe can returne that way into our West Ocean out of Mar del zur The which if it be true as truly it is than may we say that the aforesayde Easterne currant or leuant course of waters continually folowyng after the heauenly motions looseth not altogeather his force but is doubled rather by an other currant from out the Northeast in the passage betwyxt America and the North lande whyther it is of necessitie carryed hauyng none other way to maintaine it selfe in circular motion and consequently the force and fury thereof to be no lesse in the streict of Aniaâ— where it striketh South into Mar del zur beyond America if any such streicte of sea there be than in Magellane frete both streictes beyng of lyke breadth as in Belognine Zalterius table of new France and in Don Diego Hermano di Toledo his carde for nauigation in that region we doe fynde precisely set downe Neuerthelesse to approue that there lyeth a way to Cathayo at the Northwest from out of Europe we haue experyence namely of three brethren that went that iourney as Gemma Frisius recordeth and left a name vnto that streicte whereby nowe it is called Fretum trium Fratrum We do reade againe of a Portugal that passed this streicte of whom M. Furbisher speaketh that was imprisoned therefore many yeeres in Lesbona to veryfie the olde Spanyshe prouerbe I suffer for doyng wel Likewise An. Vrdaneta a fryer of Mexico came out of Mar del zur this way into Germanie his Carde for he was a great discouerer made by his owne experience and trauayle in that voyage hath been seene by gentelmen of good credite Now yf the obseruation and remembrance of thyngs breedeth experience and of experience proceedeth art and the certeine knowledge we haue in al faculties as y e best Philosophers that euer were do affyrme truly the voyage of these aforesayd trauaillers that haue gone out of Europe into Mar del zur and returned thence at the Northwest doo moste euidently conclude that way to be nauigable and that
We therefore asked the cause of this answered it was that in euery citie there is a great circuit wherein be many houses for poore people for blinde lame old folke not able to traueyle for age nor hauyng any other meanes to lyue These folke haue in the aforesayde houses euer plentie of rice duryng theyr lyues but nothyng els Such as be receyued into these houses come in after this maner Whan one is sicke blinde or lame he maketh a supplication to the Ponchiassi and prouyng that to be true he wryteth he remayneth in the aforesayde great lodgyng as long as he lyueth besides this they keepe in these places Swyne and Hennes whereby the poore be releeued without goyng a beggyng I sayd before that China was full of ryuers but now I mynde to confyrme the same anewe for the farther we went into the countrey the greater we found the ryuers Sometymes we were so farre of from the sea that where we came no sea fyshe had been seene and salt was there very deere of freshe water fyshe yet was there great aboundance that fysh very good they keepe it good after this maner Where the ryuers doe meete and so passe into the sea there lyeth great store of Boates specially where no salte water commeth and that in Marche and Apryll These Boates are so many that it seemeth wonderfull ne serue they for other than to take small fyshe By the ryuers sydes they make leyres of fine and strong nettes that lye three handfulles vnder water and one aboue to keepe and nourysh their fyshe in vntyll suche tyme as other fyshers doe come with Boates bryngyng for that purpose certayne great chestes lyned with paper able to holde water wherein they carry theyr fyshe vp and downe the ryuer euery day renuyng the chest with freshe water and sellyng theyr fyshe in euery citie towne and village where they passe vnto the people as they neede it most of them haue nette leyres to keepe fyshe in alwayes for theyr prouision Where the greater Boates can not passe any farther forwarde they take lesser and bycause the whole countrey is very well watred there is so great plentie of dyuers sortes of fyshe that it is wonderfull to see assuredly we were amazed to beholde the maner of their prouision Theyr fyshe is chiefly nourished with the dung of Bufles and Oxen that greatly fatteth it Although I sayde theyr fyshyng to be in March and Aprill at what tyme we sawe them doe it neuerthelesse they tolde vs that they fyshed at all tymes for that vsually they doe feede on fyshe wherfore it behoueth them to make theyr prouision continually Whan we had passed Fuquien wee went into Quicin shyre where the fine claye vessell is made as I sayde before and we came to a citie the one syde whereof is built vppon the foote of a hyll wherby passeth a ryuer nauigable there we tooke Boate and went by water towarde the sea on ech syde of the ryuer we found many cities townes and villages wherein we sawe great store of marchandyse but specially of fine clay there dyd wee lande by the way to buye victualles and other necessaryes Goyng downe this ryuer Southwarde we were glad that we drewe neare vnto a warmer countrey from whence wee had been farre distant this countrey we passed through in eyght dayes for our iourney laye downe the streame Before that I doe say any thyng of that shyre we came into I will fyrst speake of the great citie of Quicin wherin alwayes remaineth a Tutan that is a gouernour as you haue seene though some Tutans doe gouerne two or three shyres That Tutan that was condempned for our cause of whom I spake before was borne in this countrey but he gouerned Foquien shyre nothing it auayled him to bee so great an officer This countrey is so great that in many places where we went there had ben as yet no talke of his death although he were executed a whole yeere before At the citie Quanche whyther we came the riuer was so great that it seemed a sea though it were so litle where we tooke water that we needed smal boates One day about .ix. of y e clocke beginning to row neare the walles with the streame we came at noone to a bridge made of many barges ouerlinked all togeather with two mighty cheyns There stayed we vntil it was late but we saw not one go either vp theron or downe except two Louteas y t about the going downe of y e sun came set them downe there the one in one side the other in the other side Than was the bridge opened in many places barges both great smal to the number of .600 began to passe those that went vp the streame at one place such as came downe at an other Whā al had thus shot the bridge than was it shut vp againe We heare say that euery day they take this order in all principall places of merchandyse for paying of y e custome vnto the king specially for salt wherof the greatest reuenews are made that the king hath in this countrey The passages of the bridge where it is opened bee so neare the shore that nothing can passe without touching the same To stay the barges at their pleasure that they go no farther forward are vsed certayne yron instrumentes The bridge consisteth of .112 barges there stayed wee vntyll the euenyng that they were opened lothesomely oppressed by the multitude of people that came to see vs so many in number that we were enforced to goe asyde from the banke vntyl such tyme as the bridge was opened howbeit we were neuerthelesse thronged about w t many boates full of people And though in other cities and places where wee went the people came so importunate vpon vs that it was needfull to withdraw our selues yet were we heere much more molested for the number of people and this bridge the principal way out of the citie vnto an other place so well inhabited that were it walled about it myght bee compared to the citie Whan we had shot the bridge we kept along the citie vntill that it was nyght than met we with an other ryuer that ioyned with this we rowed vp that by the walles vntyll we came to an other bridge gallantly made of barges but lesser a great deale than that other bridge ouer the greater streame heere stayed we that nyght and other two dayes with more quiet being out of the prease of the people These riuers do meet without at one corner point of the citie In either of them were so many barges great and small that we all thought them at the least to be aboue three thousande the greater number therof was in the lesser ryuer where we were Amongst the rest here lay certayne greater vessels called in their language Parai that serue for the Tutan whan he taketh his voyage by other ryuers that ioyne with this towards Pachin where the king maketh
his abode For as many tymes I haue erst sayd all this countrey is full of riuers Desirous to see those Parai we got into some of them where we found some chambers set foorth with gilded beds very richly other furnished with tables and seates all other thinges so neate and in perfection that it was wonderfull Quiacim shyre as farre as I can perceiue lyeth vpon the south On that syde we kept at our first entry thereinto traueyling not far from the high mountaynes we saw there Asking what people dwelleth beyond those mountaynes it was told me that they be theeues men of a strange language And bycause that vnto sundry places neare this riuer y e mountaynes do approch whence the people issuing downe do many tymes great harme this order is taken at y e entry into Quiacim shyre To gard this riuer wheron continually go to fro Parai great small fraught with salt fish poudred with pepper and other necessaries for that countrey they do lay in diuers places certain Parai great barges armed wherin watch warde is kept day night in both sides of the riuer for the safetie of the passage securitie of suche Parai as doe remayne there though the traueylers neuer go but many in company In euery rode there be at the least thirtie in some two hundred men as the passage requyreth This garde is kept vsually vntyll you come to the citie Onchio where continually the Tutan of this shyre and eke of Cantan maketh his abode From that citie vpwarde where the ryuer waxeth more narrow and the passage more daungerous there be alwayes armed one hundred and fiftie Parai to accompany other vesselles fraught with marchandyse and all this at the king his charges This seemed vnto me one of the strangest thinges I dyd see in this countrey Whan we laye at Fuquien we dyd see certayne Moores who knewe so litle of theyr secte that they could say nothyng els but that Machomet was a Moore my father was a Moore and I am a Moore with some other wordes of theyr Alcorane wherewithall in abstinence from Swynes fleshe they lyue vntyll the deuyll take them all This whan I sawe beyng sure that in many Chinish cities the reliques of Machomet are kept as soone as we came to the citie where these felowes be I enfourmed my selfe of them and learned the trueth These Moores as they tolde me in tymes past came in great shippes fraught with marchandise from Pachin ward to a Porte graunted vnto them by the kyng as hee is wont to all them that traffike into this countrey where they beyng arriued at a litle towne standyng in the hauens mouth in tyme conuerted vnto their secte the greatest Loutea there Whan that Loutea with all his family was become Moorysh the rest began lykewyse to doe the same In this part of China the people be at libertie euery one to worshyp and folow what him lyketh best Wherefore no body tooke heede thereto vntyll such tyme as the Moores perceyuyng that many folowed them in superstition and that the Loutea fauoured them they began to forbyd wholy the eatyng of Swines flesh But all this countrymen and women chosing rather to forsake father and mother than to leaue of eatyng of porke by no meanes would yelde to that proclamation For besides the great desyre they all haue to eate that kynde of meate many of them doe lyue thereby and therefore the people complayned vnto the Magistrates accusing the Moores of a conspiracy pretended betwixt them and the Loutea agaynst theyr kyng In this countrey as no suspicion no not one trayterous worde is long borne withall so was the kyng speedily aduertised thereof who gaue comcommaundement out of hande that the aforesayde Loutea should be put to death and with hym the Moores of most importance the other to be layde fyrst in pryson and afterwarde to be sent abrode into certayne cities where they remayned perpetuall slaues vnto the kyng To this citie came by happe men and women threescore and odde who at this day are brought to fiue men and foure women for it is nowe twentie yeeres agoe this happened Theyr ofspryng passeth the number of .200 and they in this citie as the rest in other cities whyther they were sent haue theyr Moscheas wherunto they al resorte euery fryday to kepe theyr holydaye But as I thynke that wyll no longer endure then whiles they do lyue that came from thence for theyr posteritie is so confused that they haue nothing of a Moore in them but abstinence from Swynes fleshe and yet many of them do eate thereof priuilie They tell me that theyr natiue countrey hath name Camarian a fyrme lande wherein be many kynges and the Indishe countrey well knowen vnto them It may so be for as sone as they dyd see our seruauntes our seruauntes were Preuzaretes they iudged them to be Indians many of theyr woordes sounded vppon the Persike tongue but none of vs coulde vnderstand them I asked them whether they conuerted any of the Chinishe nation vnto theyr secte they answeared me that with much a do they conuerted the women with whom they do marry yeldyng me no other cause thereof but the difficultie they find in them to be brought from eating swines fleshe and drynking of wine I am perswaded therfore that if this countrey were in league with vs forbyddyng them neyther of both it would be an easy matter to draw them to our religion from theyr superstition wherat they them selues do laugth when they do their Idolatrie I haue learned moreouer that the sea wherby these Moores that came to China were woont to trauaile is a very great gulfe that falleth into this countrey out from Tartaria and Persia leauing on the other syde all the countrey of China and lande of the Mogorites drawyng alwayes towarde the south and of all lykelyhood it is euen so because that these Moores the whiche we haue seene be rather browne then white wherby they shewe them selues to come from some warmer countrey then China is neere to Pachin where the ryuers are frosen in the wynter for colde and many of them so vehemently that cartes may passe ouer them We dyd see in this citie many Tartares Mogorites Bremes and Laoynes both men women The Tartares are men very white good horsemen and archers confinyng with China on that side where Pachin standeth separated from thence by great mountaines that are betwyxt these kingdomes Ouer them be certaine wayes to passe and for both sydes Castelles continually keapte with souldiers in tyme past the Tartares were woont alwayes to haue warrs with the Chineans but these fourescore yeeres past they were quiete vntyll the seconde yeere of our imprysonment The Mogorites be in lyke maner whyte and heathen we are aduertised that of one syde they border vppon these Tartares and confine with the Persike Tartares on the other syde whereof we sawe in them some tokens
the continuall warres they haue with the Tartars of whom the greatest parte gyue obedience to the sayd great Cam as to theyr chiefe Emperour He made also demonstration in the sayde carde by the Northeast that being past the prouince of Permia and the ryuer Pescora which falleth into the North sea certeine mountaines named Catena Mundi there is thentraunce into the prouince of Obdora whereas is Vecchiadoro and the ryuer Obo whiche also falleth into the sayde sea and it is the furthest border of Th empyre of the Prince of Moscouia The sayde ryuer hath his originall in a great lake called Chethai which is the fyrst habitacion of the Tartars that paye tribute to the great Cane And from this lake for the space of two moneths vyage as they were credybly informed by certayne Tartares taken in the warres is the most noble citie of Cambalu beyng one of the chiefest in the dominion of the great Cane whom some call the great Cham. He also affyrmed that if shyppes should be made on the coastes of the sayde sea and sayle on the backe halfe of the coast thereof which he knew by many relations made to his Prince to reach infinitely towarde the Northeast they should doubtlesse in folowyng the same easily discouer that countrey Unto these woordes he added that although there were great difficultie in Moscouia by reason that the way to the sayde sea is full of thicke woods and waters whiche in the sommer make great maryshes and impossible to be traueyled aswell for lacke of victuals whiche can not there be founde not for certayne dayes but for the space of certayne monethes the place beyng desolate without inhabitauntes neuerthelesse he sayde that if there were with his Prince onely two Spanyardes or Portugales to whom the charge of this viage should be committed he no wayes doubted but that they would folowe it and fynde it forasmuch as with great ingeniousnesse and inestimable pacience these nations haue ouercome much greater difficulties then are these whiche are but litle in comparison to those that they haue ouerpassed and doe ouerpasse in all their viages to India He proceeded declaryng that not many yeeres since there came to the courte of his Prince an Ambassadour from pope Leo named maister Paulo Centurione a Genuese vnder dyuers pretenses But the princypall occasion of his commyng was bycause hee had conceyued great indignation and hatred agaynst the Portugales And therfore intended to proue if he could open any vyage by land wherby spyces myght be brought from India by the lande of Tartaria or by the sea Caspium otherwyse called Hircanum to Moscouia and from thence to be brought in shyppes by the ryuer Riga which runnyng by the countrey of Liuonia falleth into the sea of Germanie And that his Prince gaue eare vnto him and caused the sayde vyage to be attempted by certaine noble men of Lordo of the Tartars confinyng next vnto him But the warres which were then betweene them and the great desartes which they should of necessitie ouerpasse made them leaue of theyr enterpryse whiche if it had ben purposed by the coastes of this our North sea it might haue been easily fynyshed The sayde Ambassadour continued his narration saying that no man ought to doubt of that sea but that it may be sayled sixe monethes in the yeere forasmuche as the dayes are then very long in that clime and hot by reason of continuall reuerberation of the beames of the Sunne and shorte nyghtes And that this thing were as well woorthie to bee prooued as anye other nauigation whereby many partes of the worlde heeretofore vnknowen haue been discouered and brought to ciuilitie And heere makyng an ende of this talke he sayde Let vs now omyt this parte of Moscouia with his colde and speake somewhat of that parte of the newe worlde in whiche is the lande of Brytons called Terra Britonum and Baccaleos or Terra Baccalearum where in the yeere .1534 and .1535 Iaques Cartiar in two vyages made with three great French Gallies founde the great and large countreys named Canada Ochelaga and Sanguenai which reach from the .xlv. to the .51 degree beyng well inhabited and pleasaunt countreys and named by him Noua Francia And here staying a while and lyftyng vp his handes he sayde Oh what doe the Christian princes meane that in suche landes discouered they doe not assigne certayne colonies to inhabite the same to bryng those people whom God hath so blessed with naturall giftes to better ciuilitie and to embrase our religion then the whiche nothing can bee more acceptable to God The sayd regions also beyng so fayre and fruitfull with plentie of all sortes of corne hearbes fruites wood fyshes beastes metals and ryuers of suche greatnesse that shyppes may sayle more then .180 myles vpon one of them beyng on both sydes infinitely inhabited And to cause the gouernours of the sayde colonies to searche whether that lande towarde the North named Terra de Laborador doe ioyne as one firme lande with Norway Or whether there bee any streight or open place of sea as is most lyke there should be forasmuch as it is to bee thought that the sayde Indians dryuen by fortune about the coastes of Norway came by that streight or sea to the coastes of Germanie and by the sayde streight to sayle northwest to discouer the landes and countreys of Cathay and from thence to sayle to the Ilandes of Molucca and these surely should bee enterpryses able to make men immortall The which thing that ryght woorthie Gentleman maister Antony di Mendoza consideryng by the singular vertue and magnanimitie that is in him attempted to put this thyng in practyse For being viceroy of the countrey of Mexico so named of the great citie Mexico otherwyse called Temistitan now called new Spayne beyng in the .xx. degree aboue the Equinoctiall and parte of the sayde firme lande he sent certeyne of his Captaines by lande and also a nauie of shyppes by sea to search this secrete And I remember that when I was in Flaunders in Themperours court I saw his letter wrytten in the yeere .1541 and dated from Mexico wherein was declared howe towarde the Northwest he had founde the kyngdome of Sette Citta that is seuen Cities wheras is that called Ciuola by the reuerende father Marco da Niza and howe beyonde the sayde kyngdome yet further towarde the Northwest Captayne Francesco Vasques of Coronado hauing ouerpassed great desartes came to the sea syde where he founde certaine shyppes which sayled by that sea with merchandies and had in theyr banner vppon the prooes of theyr shyppes certayne foules made of golde and siluer which they of Mexico call Alcatrazzi and that theyr mariners shewed by signes that they were xxx dayes saylyng in commyng to that hauen whereby he vnderstoode that these shyppes could be of none other countrey then of Cathay forasmuch as it is situate on
the contrary parte of the sayde lande discouered The sayd maister Antonie wrote furthermore that by the opinion of men well practised there was discouered so great a space of that countrey vnto the sayde sea that it passed .950 leagues whiche make .2850 myles And doubtlesse if the Frenche men in this theyr newe Fraunce would haue passed by lande toward the sayd Northwest and by North they should also haue founde the sea whereby they myght haue sayled to Cathay But aboue all thynges this seemed vnto me most woorthie of commendation that the sayde maister Antonie wrote in his letter that he had made a booke of al the naturall and marueylous thinges whiche they founde in searchyng those countreys with also the measures of landes and altytudes of degrees A worke doubtlesse which sheweth a princely and magnificall mynd wherby we may conceiue that if God had giuen him the charge of the other hemispherie he would or now haue made it better knowen to vs. The which thing I suppose no man doth greatly esteeme at this tyme beyng neuerthelesse the greatest and most glorious enterpryse that may be imagined And heere makyng a certayne pause and turnyng him selfe towarde vs hee sayde Doe you not vnderstande to this purpose howe to passe to India towarde the Northwest wynde as dyd of late a citizen of Uenece so valiant a man and so well practised in all thinges perteynyng to nauigations and the science of Cosmographie that at this present hee hath not his lyke in Spayne insomuche that for his vertues hee is preferred aboue all other pylottes that sayle to the West Indies who may not passe thyther without his lycence and is therefore called Piloto Maggiore that is the graunde pylote And when we sayde that wee knewe him not hee proceeded saying that beyng certayne yeeres in the citie of Siuile and desirous to haue some knowledge of the nauigations of the Spanyardes it was tolde him that there was in the citie a valiant man a Uenecian borne named Sebastian Cabote who had the charge of those thinges beyng an expert man in that science and one that could make cardes for the sea with his owne hande and that by this reporte seekyng his acquayntaunce hee founde him a very gentle person who enterteyned him friendly and shewed him many thinges and among other a large Mappe of the worlde with certayne perticular nauigations aswell of the Portugales as of the Spanyardes and that hee spake further vnto him in this effecte When my father departed from Uenece many yeeres since to dwell in Englande to folowe the trade of merchandyes hee tooke mee with him to the citie of London whyle I was very young yet hauing neuerthelesse some knowledge of letters of humanitie and of the sphere And when my father dyed in that tyme when newes were brought that Don Christopher Colonus Genuese had discouered the coasts of India wherof was great talke in all the court of kyng Henry the seuenth who then reigned insomuche that all men with great admiration affirmed it to be a thing more diuine then humane to sayle by the West into the East where spyces growe by a way that was neuer knowen before By which fame and report there increased in my harte a great flame of desyre to attempte some notable thyng And vnderstandyng by reason of the sphere that if I should sayle by the way of the Northwest wynde I should by a shorter tracte come to India I therevppon caused the kyng to bee aduertised of my diuise who immediately commaunded two Carauels to be furnyshed with all thinges apperteynyng to the vyage which was as farre as I remember in the yeere .1496 in the begynnyng of sommer Beginning therefore to sayle toward Northwest not thinking to fynde any other lande then that of Cathay and from thence to turne toward India But after certayne dayes I founde that the lande ranne towarde the North which was to me a great displeasure Neuerthelesse saylyng along by the coast to see if I could fynde any gulfe that turned I founde the lande styll continent to the .56 degree vnder our pole And seeyng that there the coast turned toward the East dispayring to fynde the passage I turned backe agayne and sayled downe by the coast of that lande towarde the Equinoctiall euer with intent to fynde the sayde passage to India and came to that parte of this firme lande whiche is nowe called Florida Where my victualles faylyng I departed from thence and returned into Englande where I founde great tumultes among the people and preparance for warres in Scotlande by reason whereof there was no more consideration had to this vyage Whervppon I went into Spayne to the Catholyke kyng and queene Elizabeth who beyng aduertised what I had done enterteyned mee and at theyr charges furnyshed certayne shyppes wherewith they caused mee to sayle to discouer the coastes of Brasile where I founde an exceedyng great and large ryuer named at this present Rio della Plata that is the ryuer of siluer into the whiche I sayled and folowed it into the firme lande more then sixe hundred leagues fyndyng it euery where very fayre and inhabited with infinite people whiche with admiration came runnyng dayly to our shyppes Into this ryuer runne so many other riuers that it is in maner incredible After this I made many other vyages whiche I now permyt And wexyng olde I gyue my selfe to rest from suche traueyles bycause there are nowe many young and lusty Pylotes and mariners of good experience by whose forwardnesse I doe reioyce in the fruites of my labours and rest with the charge of this office as you see And this is as muche as I haue vnderstoode of maister Sebastian Cabote as I haue geathered out of dyuers nauigations written in the Italian tongue And whereas I haue before made mention howe Moscouia was in our tyme discouered by Richarde Chanceler in his viage towarde Cathay by the direction and information of the sayd maister Sebastian who long before had this secrete in his mynd I shall not neede heere to describe that viage forasmuche as the same is largely and faythfully written in the Latine tongue by that learned young man Clement Adams schoolemaister to the Queenes Henshemen as he receyued it at the mouth of the sayd Richard Chanceler Neuerthelesse I haue thought good heere to speake somewhat of Moscouia as I haue redde in the booke of Iohn Faber written in the Latine tongue to the ryght noble Prince Ferdinando Archeduke of Austria and Infant of Spaine of the maners and religion of the Moscouites as he was partly instructed by the Ambassadours of the Duke of Moscouie sent into Spayne to Themperours maiestie in the yeere .1525 He wryteth therefore as foloweth I thynke it fyrst conuenient to speake somewhat of the name of this region whereby it is called at this day and howe it was called in olde tyme. Conferryng therefore the moste
dominion remayned whiche opened licentiousnesse to thiniurie of the subiectes this folowed thereof that whereas the Danes by this occasion had no further trust or ayde in the loue of the people they prouided for thindempnitie of theyr owne estate by forcible extenuatyng the goods and power of them whom they desired to keepe in subiection This is the fortune of Norway whose edefices townes and cities can not defende theyr auncient amplitude and dignitie neyther is there any hope of repayryng theyr state For there are no consultations admitted for the redresse of the common welth No man dare shewe his aduice or attempte any thyng vncertayne of the myndes and consent of other To this difficultie is added the qualitie of the place For the Danes haue in theyr power al the nauigations of Norway wherby it may exercise no trade by sea neyther cary forth wares to other places So that in fine it may seeme most vnfortunate as lackyng the fauoure of heauen the sea and the lande From hence is brought into all Europe a fyshe of the kyndes of them whiche we call haddockes or hakes indurate and dried with cold and beaten with clubbes or stockes by reason whereof the Germans call them stockefyshe The takyng of these is most commended in Ianuarie that they may be sufficiently dryed and hardened with colde For suche as are taken in the more temperate monethes do corrupt and putrifie and are not meete to be caryed forth The description of the west coaste with the part thereof lying most towarde the north Wardhus that is the watche house or watche towre 54.70.30 It is a stronge Castell or fortresse appoynted to the Lapones The coaste folowyng .48.50.70 Matthkur c. All the coast from hence and the places neere about vnto the degree .45.69 beyng sometyme lefte desolate by the sedition and destruction of Norway the Lapones chose for their habitations as comming to amore beneficial heauen From y e castel of Wardhus vnto the degree .40.30.64.10 al the coast in the spring tyme is daungerous to passe by reason of whales of such huge byggenesse that some of them growe to an hundred cubites for these fyshes at that tyme of the yeere resort togeather for generation Such shyppes as chaunce to fall eyther vppon theyr bodies or into suche whyrlepooles as they make by theyr vehement motions are in great peryll The remedie to auoyde this daunger is to power into the sea Castoreum that is oyle made of the stones of the beaste called the Beuor myngeled with water For with this the whole hearde of whales vanysheth suddeynely to the bottome of the sea They make a terrible roryng and haue two breathyng places in the hyghest part of theyr forheads standyng foorth ryght a cubite in length and are brode at the endes beyng couered with a skynne through the whiche they blowe waters lyke showers or stormes of raine The prickes of theyr backes are founde conteynyng three els in circuite and euery knotte betwene them of one ell They are at the leaste of .lx. cubites in length and are salted and kept in store houses The greatest are vnprofitable to bee eaten by reason of theyr ranke and vnsauery taste whiche can not be qualified Nidrosia standyng vppon the south syde of the sea banke was the chiefe citie and Metropolitane churche throughout all Norway Iselande Gronlande and the Ilandes there about This citie was noble at the fyrst vnder the floryshyng Empire of Norway conteynyng in circuite .xxiiii. paryshes but it is now brought in maner to a village and is called in the Germane tongue Truthaim as the house of the Dryides There remayneth at this day a Cathedrall churche in token of the auncient felicitie beyng such that in bygnesse and workmanshyp of wrought stone the lyke is not in all Christendome The greeses or compasse about the Altar was destroyed by fyre and repared at the same time that we wrote this historie The charge of the reparation was esteemed to be seuen thousand crownes by which small portion an estimate may be made of the excellencie of the whole Churche The tract of all the sea coastes of Norway is very quiet and meeke the sea is not frosen the snowes endure not long This lande hath also a peculiar pestilence which they call Leem or Lemmer This is a litle foure footed beaste about the byggenesse of a Ratte with a spotted skynne these fall vppon the grounde at certayne tempestes and soddeyne showres not yet knowen from whence they come as whether they are brought by the wyndes from remote Ilandes or otherwyse engendred of thycke and feculent clowdes But this is well knowen that as soone as they fall downe greene grasse and hearbes are found in theyr bowels not yet digested They consume al greene thyngs as do Locustes and such as they only byte wyther and dye This pestilence lyueth as long as it doth not tast of the grasse newely sproong They come togeather by flockes as do Swalows and at an ordinarie time either die by heapes with great infection of the land as by whose corruption y e aire is made pestiferous and molesteth the Noruegians with swymmyng in the head and the Iaundies or are consumed of other beastes named Lefrat Towards the East it is included within the lyne that is drawen by the mountaynes whose endes or vttermoste boundes they are that lye toward the South aboue the mouthes of the riuer Trolhetta but that part that lieth toward the North passeth by the castel of Wardhus and is extended to the vnknowen lande of the Lapones The Lake called Mos and the Ilande of Hosfuen in the myddest therof is in the degree .45 30 61. In this Lake appeareth a straunge monster whiche is a serpent of huge byggenesse And as to all other places of the worlde blasing starres do portend thalteration and chaunge of thynges so doth this to Norway It was seene of late in the yeere of Christ .1522 appearyng farre aboue the water rowlyng lyke a great pyller and was by coniecture farre of esteemed to be of fyftie cubites in length Shortly after folowed the reiectyng of Christiernus kyng of Denmarke Suche other monstrous thyngs are sayd to be seene in diuers places of the world And doubtlesse except we should thynke that the diuine prouidence hauyng mercy vpon mortall men and hereby warnyng them of theyr offences doth send such strange thynges as also blasing starres and armies fyghtyng in the ayre with suche other portentous monsters whereof no causes can be founde by naturall thynges we myght els suspect that such syghtes were but imaginations of the sense of man deceyued On the East syde are exceedyng rough mountaynes which admit no passage to Suetia The sea betweene Norway and the Ilandes is called Tialleslund Euripus or the streyghtes The Iland of Lofoth whose middest .42 67 10. Langanas whose middest .41 67 Vastrall whose middest .41 30 67 30. The sea betwene these
these Barbarians of singular faith grauitie tolde vs of a marueylous in maner incredible thing that is seene among these Tartars And that his father being sent by the prince of Moscouia to the kyng of Sawolhense saw while he was in that legacie a certaine seede in that Iland somewhat lesse rounder then the seeds of Melones Of the which being hyd in the ground there groweth a fruite or plante very lyke a Lambe of the height of fiue spannes and is therefore called in theyr tongue Boranetz whiche signifieth a litle Lambe For it hath the head eyes eares and all other partes like vnto a Lambe newly eyued with also a very thyn skyn wherewith dyuers of the inhabitauntes of those regions are accustomed to lyue theyr cappes and hattes and other tyrements for theyr heades Many also confirmed in our presence that they had seene these skynnes He saide furthermore that that plant yf it may be called a plant hath blood and no fleshe but hath in the steade of fleshe a certayne substaunce lyke vnto the fleshe of Creuishes The hooffes also are not of horne as are the Lambes but couered with heare in the same fourme The roote cleaueth to the nauyl or myddest of the belly the plant or fruite lyueth vntil al the grasse hearbes growing about it being eaten the roote wythereth for lacke of nouryshment They say that it is very sweete to be eaten and is therfore greatly desyred and sought for of the Woolues and other rauenyng beastes And albeit I esteeme all that is sayde of this plant to be fabulous yet forasmuche as it hath been tolde me of credible persons I haue thought good to make mention hereof Of this strange fruite Mandeuile maketh mention where in the .lxxxiiii. Chapter of his Booke he wryteth thus Nowe shal I say of some landes countreys and Isles that are beyonde the lande of Cathay therefore whoso goeth from Cathay to India the hygh and the lowe he shall goe through a Kyngdome that men call Cadissen and is a great lande There groweth a manner of fruite as it were Gourdes and when it is rype mâ—n cut it asunder and fynde therein a beast as it were of fleshe bone and blood as it were a litle Lambe without wooll and men eate that beast and the fruite also whiche is a great marueyle neuerthelesse I sayde vnto them that I helde that for no marueyle for I sayde that in my countrey are trees that beare fruite that become byrdes fleeing which are good to be eaten and that that falleth into the water lyueth and that that falleth on the earth dyeth And they had great marueyle of this c. From the prince of Schidacke proceedyng twentye dayes iourney towarde the East are the people which the Moscouites cal Iurgenci whose prynce is Barack Soltan brother to the great Chan of Cathay In tenne dayes iourney from Barack Soltan they come to Bebeid Chan. And this is that great Chan of Cathay Names of dignities among the Tartars are these Chan signifieth a Kyng Soltan the sonne of a Kyng Bij a Duke Mursa the sonne of a Duke Olboud a noble man or counseller Olboadulu the sonne of a noble man Seid the hygh priest Ksi a priuate person The names of offices are these Vlan the seconde dignitie to the Kyng for the Kynges of the Tartars haue foure principal men whose counsell they vse in all their weyghtie affayres Of these the firste is called Schirni the seconde Barni the thyrde Gargni the fourth Tzipsan And to haue sayde thus muche of the Tartars it shal suffise Marcus Paulus wryteth that the great Chan is called Chan Cublai that is the great Kyng of Kynges as the great Turcke wryteth hym selfe in lyke maner as I sawe in a letter wrytten by hym of late in the citie of Ragusa in the whiche he vseth this subscription Soltan Soliman desclim Cham Signore de Signori en sempiterno The Nauigation by the frosen Sea AT my beyng in Moscouia when I was sent thyther by king Ferdinando my lorde and maister it so chaunced that Georgius Istoma the Duke of Moscouia his Interpreter a man of great experience who had before learned the latine tongue in the court of Iohn king of Denmarke was there present at the same tyme. He in the yeere of Christe .1496 beyng sent of his prince with maister Dauid a Scotte borne and then Ambassadour for the kyng of Denmarke whom also I knewe there at my firste legacie made me a breefe information of al the order of his iourney the which forasmuch as it may seeme difficult and laborious as wel for the distance as daungerous places I haue thought good to describe the same as I receyued it at his mouth Fyrst he sayde that beyng sent of his prince with the sayde Dauid they came fyrst to Nouogradia the great And whereas at that tyme the kyngdome of Suecia reuolted from the Kyng of Denmarke also the Duke of Moscouia was at discention with the Suetians by reason whereof they could not passe by the most accustomed way for the tumultes of warre they attempted theyr iourney by an other way longer but safer and came fyrst from Nouogradia to the mouthes of the ryuer of Dwina and Potiwlo by a very diffâ—cult and paynfull iourney For hee sayd that this iourney which can not be to muche detested for such labours and traueyles continueth for the space of three hundred leagues In fine takyng foure small shyppes or barkes at the mouthes of Dwina they sayled by the coast on the right hand of the Ocean where they sawe certayne hygh and rough mountaynes and at the length saylyng .xvi. leagues and passyng a great gulfe folowed the coast on the lefte hande and leauyng on the right hande the large sea whiche hath the name of the ryuer Petzora as haue also the mountaynes adiacent to the same they came to the people of Finlappia who although they dwell here there in low cottagies by the sea syde and leade in maner a beastly lyfe yet are they more meeke and tractable then the wylde Lappians He sayde that these also are tributaries to the prince of Moscouia Then leauing the lande of the Lappians and saylyng fourescore leagues they came to the region of Nortpoden vnder the dominion of the kyng of Suecia This the Moscouites call Kaienska Semla and the people Kaieni Departyng from hence and saylyng along by the coast of a wyndyng and bendyng shore reachyng towarde the ryght hande they came to a promontorie or cape called the Holy nose being a great stone reachyng farre into the sea to the similitude of a nose vnder the which is seene a caue with a whyrlepoole which swaloweth the sea euery syxe houres and castyng foorth the same agayne with terryble roaryng and violence causeth the sayde whyrlepoole Some call this the Nauell of the sea and other name it Charibdis He affyrmeth that the violence of this
stabiliendae amicitiae desiderio moti viri quidam regni nostri iter in remotas maritimas regiones instituerunt vt inter nostros et illos populos viam mercibus inferendis et eferendis aperirent nosque rogauerunt vt id illis concederemus Qui petitioni illorum annuentes concessimus viro honorabili et forti Hugoni Wilibeo et alijs qui com eo sunt seruis nostris fidis et charis vt pro sua voluntate in regiones eis prius incognitas eant quesituri ea quibus nos caremus et adducant illis ex nostris terris id quod illi carent Atque ita illis et nobis commodum inde accedat sitque amicitia perpetua et foedus indissolubile inter illos et nos dum permittent illi nos accipere de rebus quibus super abundant in regnis suis et nos concedemus illis ex regnis nostris res quibus destituuntur Rogamus itaque vos Reges et principes omnes quibus aliqua est potestas in terra vt viris istis nostris transitum permittatis per regiones vestras Non enim tangent quicquam ex rebus vestris inuitis vâ—bis Cogitate quòd homines et ipsi sunt Et si qua re caruerint oramus pro vestra beneficencia eam vos illis tribuatis accipientes vicissim ab eis quod poterunt rependere vobis Ita vos gerite erga eos quemadmodum cuperetis vt nos et subditi nostri nos gereremus erga seruos vestros si quando transierint per regiones nostras Atque promittimus vobis per Deum omnium quae coelo terra et mari continentur perque vitam nostrum et tranquillitatem regnorum nostrorum nos pari benignitate seruos vestros accepturos si ad regna nostra aliquando venerint Atque a nobis et subditis nostris ac si nati fuisseÌ„t in regnis nostris ita benignè tractabuntur vt rependamus vobis benignitatem quam nostris exhibueritis Postquam vos Reges Principes c. rogauimus vt humanitate et beneficentia omni prosequamini seruos nostros nobis charos oramus omnipotentem Deum nostrum vt vobis diuturnam vitam largiatur et pacem que nullam habeat finem Scriptum Londini quae ciuitas est regni nostri Anno. 5515. a creato mundo mense Iiar .xiiii. die mensis anno septimo regni nostri The copy of the letters missiue whiche the ryght noble prince Edwarde the .vi. sent to the Kynges Princes and other potentates inhabityng the Northest partes of the worlde to warde the myghty Empire of Cathay at such tyme as syr Hugh VVilloby knyght and Richard Chaunceler with theyr company attempted theyr voyage thyther in the yeere of Christ .1553 and the .vii. and last yeere of his reigne EDwarde the syxt by the grace of God king of England Fraunce and Ireland c. To all Kynges Princes Rulers Iudges and Gouernours of the earth and all other hauyng any excellent dignitie on the same in all places vnder the vniuersall heauen Peace tranquilitie and honour be vnto you and your landes and regions whiche are vnder your dominions and to euery of you as is conuenient Forasmuche as the great and almyghtie God hath geuen vnto mankynde aboue all other lyuing creatures such a hart and desyre that euery man desyreth to ioyne frendeshyp with other to loue and be loued also to geue and receyue mutuall benefites it is therefore the duetie of all men accordyng to theyr power to mayntayne and increase this desyre in euery man with well deseruing to all men and especially to shewe this good affection to such as beyng moued with this desyre come vnto them from farre countreis For in howe much the longer voyage they haue attempted for this intent so much the more do they thereby declare that this desyre hath ben ardent in them Furthermore also thexemples of our fathers and predicessours do inuite vs herevnto forasmuch as they haue euer gentelly and louyngly intreated such as of frendely mynde came to them aswell from countreys neere hand as far remote commending them selues to their protection And if it be ryght and equitie to shewe such humanitie towarde all men doubtlesse the same ought chiefely to be shewed to merchauntes who wanderyng about the worlde search both the lande and the sea to cary suche good and profitable thynges as are founde in theyr countreys to remote regions and kyngdomes and agayne to bryng from the same suche thynges as they fynde there commodious for theyr owne countreys both aswell that the people to whom they goe may not be destitute of suche commodities as theyr countreys bryng not foorth to them as that also they may be partakers of suche thynges wherof they abounde For god of heauen and earth greatly prouydyng for mankynd would not that al thinges should bee founde in one region to th ende that one should haue neede of an other that by this meanes frendshyp myght be establyshed among all men and euery one seeke to gratifie all For the establyshing and furtheraunce of whiche vniuersall amitie certayne men of our realme moued hereunto by the sayde desire haue instituted and taken vpon them a viage by sea into farre countreys to the intent that betweene our people and them a way be opened to bryng in and carry out merchandizes desiryng vs to further theyr enterpryse Who assentyng to theyr petition haue licenced the ryght valiaunt and worthy sir Hugh Wylloby Knyght and other our trusty and faythful seruantes which are with him accordyng to theyr desire to go to countreys to them heretofore vnknowen aswell to seeke suche thynges as we lacke as also to carry vnto them from our regions suche thynges as they lacke So that hereby not only commoditie may ensue both to them and to vs but also an indissoluble and perpetuall league of frendshyp be establyshed betweene vs both whyle they permit vs to take of theyr thyngs such whereof they haue aboundaunce in theyr regions and we agayne graunt them suche thynges of ours whereof they are destitute We therfore desire you Kyngs and Princes and all other to whom there is any power on the earth to permit vnto these our seruantes free passage by your regions and dominions for they shall not touche any thyng of yours vnwylling vnto you Consider you that they also are men If therefore they shall stande in neede of any thyng we desire you of all humanitie and for the nobilitie whiche is in you to ayde and helpe them with suche thynges as they lacke receyuyng agayne of them suche thynges as they shal be able to geue you in recompence Shew your selues so towards them as you would that we and our subiectes should shew our selues towards your seruantes if at any time they shall passe by our regions Thus doyng we promise you by the God of all thyngs that are conteyned in heauen earth and the sea and by the lyfe and tranquilitie of our kyngdomes
Arabia with the gulfe of Ormus on the syde of the firme lande with the mountaynes of Deli and on the side of Carmania and in maner by the confines of Babylon it extendeth towarde India it hath many kingdomes and cities subiecte vnto it The people of Persia are called Azemini It conteyneth foure principall prouinces which are these Coraconi Ginali Tauris Xitarim In the which also are these foure most famous cities That is Tauris Siras Samarcante Coraconi They are valiant and warlyke men of great estimation They of Samarcante haue in auncient tyme been Christians Tauris and Siras are cities as famous among them as is with vs Paris in France they are men of great ciuilitie and curtesie The women of Siras are of commendable beautie and behauour very neate and delicate and thereof commeth a prouerbe among the Mahumetans that Mahumet would neuer goe to Siras least if he had tasted the pleasures of those women he should neuer after his death haue gone to Paradyse The kyng of Persia is called Siech Ismael whom the Italians call Gualizador or Sophi His chiefe mansion place or court is at Tauris or Teueris which is distant from Ormus fiftie dayes iourney with Camelles He is called the great Mahumetan of the order of the red bonet that is of the secte of Hali which our men that came late from Persia call Mortus Ali wherof we haue spoken more before The region of Persia hath all sortes of domesticall or tame beastes suche as are in our countreys It hath furthermore Lions Onces and Tigers the people are muche giuen to pleasures and sportes and are honourably apparelled delighting greatly in perfumes and sweete sauours they haue many wyues and commit the keeping or charge of them to enuches or gelded men who for that seruice are oftentymes preferred to great promotion yet are they very ielous of theyr wyues Notwithstanding both the Persians and also their neighbours of Ormus are detestable Sodomites In tyme paste many great and valiant personages as Cyrus Darius Assuerus and great Alexander haue inuaded Persia. It is not baren as some haue written but hath aboundance of all sortes of victualles and pleasures and thinges necessarie for the lyfe of man The trafique of Persia with other countreys IN the region of Persia are many sortes of merchandies wherewith they vse great trafique in the countreys of Armenia Turchia and in the citie of Cair or Alcayr From the lande of Siras is brought great aboundance of silke whereof is made an infinite quantitie of all sortes of silken cloathes and fine chamolettes of diuers colours also great aboundance of roche Alume Uitrioll Alcoffare Likewise many horses victualles Turques stones wax hony butter c. Also great peeces of tapestrie of diuers sortes workes clothes of sundry colours veluets both high and lowe after theyr maner Likewyse cloth of golde of sundry sortes Pauilions and great aboundance of armure From the other syde of the mountaynes by the way of Siam are brought Muske Aloes Reubarbe Lignum aloes Camphora c. All these thinges and many other are caryed to Ormus for the which the returne is great quantitie of Pepper and other spices and drugges for the Persians vse much spices with their meats and especially Pepper Of the Gulfe of Persia or Sinus Persicus THe region and lande of Persia is situate betweene two ryuers whiche fall not into the Ocean sea but into the gulfe of Persia the which gulfe hath on euery syde many goodly countreys well inhabited The gulfe conteyneth in largenesse .lx. myles and is nauigable with great Barkes and is sometimes troubled with great tempestes There is taken great abundance of fishe which being salted or dryed is carryed into all partes of Persia. The gulfe is also very long and conteyneth from Ormus to the ende lx dayes iourney with Camelles 1 Articles of the Priuileges whiche the Sophie of Persia graunted to the Englyshe merchantes These articles were sent vnto the company of merchants from Mosko by maister Ienkinson graunted in the names of these persons Syr VVilliam Garret Syr VVilliam Chester gouernours Syr Thomas Lodge Maister Antonie Ienkinson Maister Thomas Nicolls and Arthur Edwardes merchantes of London as also in the names of the whole companie 2 FYrst it is graunted that you shall paye no maner of customes or tolles any kynd of wayes now nor in time commyng vnto his heires after him And that all Englyshe merchantes now present or hereafter may passe and repasse into all places of his dominions and other countreys adioyning to him in the trade of merchaundies to buye and sell all maner of commodities with all maner of persons 3 Item that in all places where any of our merchantes shal be chiefe gouernours rulers and Iustices to take heede vnto the Englishe merchantes and be their ayde and punishe them that shall doe them any wrong or hurte 4 Item that suche debtes as shal be owyng by any maner of person iustice to be done on the partie and to see all Englishe merchantes payde at the day 5 Item that no maner of person of what estate or degree they be of so hardie to take any kynde of wares or any gyftes without the Englyshe merchantes good willes 6 Item if by chaunce medley any of the merchauntes or seruauntes as God forbyd shoulde kyll any of his subiectes no partes of theyr goods to be touched or medled withal neither no person but the offender and being any of the merchaunts not to suffer without the princes knowledge advice 7 Item that all such debtes as shal be oweyng to be payde to any of the merchauntes in the absence of the other be the partie dead or alyue 8 Item that no person returne any kynde of wares backe agayne beyng once bought or solde 9 Item that when God shall sende the merchauntes goods to shore presently his people to helpe them alande with them The prosperous vyage of Arthur Edwardes into Persia and of the fauoure that he found with the Sophy and also what conference he had with that prynce WHen he came fyrst to the Sophies presence brynging his interpretour with hym and standyng farre of the Sophie syttyng in a seate royall with a great number of his noble men about hym badde him come neere and that thrise vntyl he came so neere him that he myght haue touched hym with his hand Then the fyrst demaund that he asked hym was from what countrey he came he answeared that he came from Englande Then asked he of his noble men who knew any such countrey But when Edwards sawe that none of them had any intelligence of that name he named it Inghilterra as the Italians cal England Then one of the noble men sayde Londro meanyng therby London which name is better knowen in far countreys out of Christendome then is the name of Englande When Edwardes harde hym name Londro he sayd that that was the name of the chiefe citie of Englande as
where Themperour is accustomed to remayne in the sommer season There is lykewyse a great citie named Barbaregaf and Ascon from whence it is sayde that the Queene of Saba came to Hierusalem to heare the wysedome of Salomon This citie is but little yet very fayre and one of the chiefe cities in Ethiope In the sayde kyngdome is a prouince called Manicongni whose kyng is a Moore and tributarie to Themperour of Ethiope In this prouince are manie exceedyng hygh mountaynes vppon the which is sayde to be the earthly Paradyse and some say that there are the trees of the Sunne and Moone whereof the antiquitie maketh mention yet that none can passe thyther by reason of great desartes of a hundred dayes iourney Also beyond these mountaynes is the cape of Bona Speranza And to haue sayde thus much of Afrike it may suffice The first vyage to Guiena IN the yeere of our Lord .1553 the .xii. day of August sayled from Porchmouth two goodly shyppes the Primrose and the Lion with a pynnesse called the Moone being all well furnished aswel with men of the lustiest sorte to the number of seuen score as also with ordinaunce and vyttayles requisite to such a viage hauyng also two Captaynes the one a stranger called Antoniades Pinteado a Portugale borne in a towne named the porte of Portugale a wyse discreete and sober man who for his cunnyng in saylyng beyng as well an experte pylot as politike Captayne was sometyme in great fauour with the kyng of Portugale and to whom the coastes of Brasile and Guinea were commytted to be kepte from the Frenchmen to whom he was a terrour on the sea in those partes and was furthermore a Gentelman of the kyng his maisters house But as fortune in maner neuer fauoureth but flattereth neuer promiseth but deceiueth neuer rayseth but casteth downe agayne and as great wealth and fauour hath alwayes companions emulation and enuie he was after many aduersities and quarels made agaynst him inforced to come into Englande where in this golden vyage he was euil matched with an vnequal companion and vnlyke matche of most sundrie qualities and conditions with vertues fewe or none adourned Thus departed these noble shyppes vnder sayle on their vyage But first Captayne Wyndam puttyng foorth of his shyp at Porchmouth a kynseman of one of the head merchants and shewyng herein a muster of the tragicall partes he had conceyued in his brayne and with suche small begynnynges nouryshed so monstrous a byrth that more happie yea and blessed was that young man being lefte behynde then if he had been taken with them as some doe wishe he had done the lyke by theyrs Thus sayled they on their vyage vntyl they came to the Ilandes of Madera where they tooke in certayne wynes for the store of their shippes and payde for them as they agreed of the price At these Ilandes they met with a great Galion of the kyng of Portugale ful of men and ordinance yet such as could not haue preuayled if it had attempted to withstande or resist our shippes for the which cause it was set foorth not only to let and interrupte these our shippes of their purposed viage but all other that should attempte the lyke yet chiefly to frustrate our vyage For the Kyng of Portugale was sinisterly informed that our shyppes were armed to his castell of Mina in these parties whereas nothyng lesse was ment After that our shyppes departed from the Ilandes of Madera forwarde on theyr vyage began this woorthie Captayne Pinteados sorowe as a man tormented with the company of a terrible Hydra who hytherto flattered with him and made him a fayre countenaunce and shewe of loue Then dyd he take vppon him to commaund all alone settyng nought both by Captayne Pinteado with the reste of the merchante factours sometymes with opprobrious woordes and sometymes with threatnynges most shamefully abusing them taking from Pinteado the seruice of the boyes certaine mariners that were assigned him by the order and direction of the woorshipfull merchauntes and leauyng him as a common mariner whiche is the greatest despite and greefe that can be to a Portugale or Spanyarde to be diminishte theyr honour which they esteeme aboue all riches Thus saylyng forwarde on theyr vyage they came to the Ilands of Canarie continuing theyr course from thence vntyll they arryued at the Ilande of Saincte Nicolas where they vyttayled them selues with freshe meate of the fleshe of wylde Goates whereof is great plentie in that Ilande and in maner of nothing els From hence folowyng on theyr course and tarying heere and there at the desarte Ilandes in the way bycause they would not come to tymely to the countrey of Guinea for the heate and tarying somewhat to long for what can be well mynistred in a common wealth where inequalitie with tyrannie will rule alone they came at the length to the fyrst lande of the countrey of Guinea where they fell with the great ryuer of Sesto where they myght for theyr merchandies haue laden their shyppes with the graynes of that countrey whiche is a very hot fruite and muche lyke vnto a fygge as it groweth on the tree For as the fygges are full of small seedes so is the sayde fruite full of graynes which are lose within the codde hauyng in the myddest thereof a hole on euery syde This kynde of spyce is much vsed in colde countreys and may there be solde for great aduantage for exchaunge of other wares But our men by the persuasion or rather inforcement of this tragicall Captaine not regardyng and settyng lyght by that commoditâ—e in comparison to the fine golde they thirsted sayled an hundred leagues further vntyll they came to the golden lande where not attemptyng to come neare the Castell parteynyng to the kyng of Portugale which was within the ryuer of Mina made sale of theyr wâ—re onely on this syde and beyond it for the golde of that countrey to the quantitie of an hundred and fyftie poundes weyght there beyng in case that they myght haue dispatched all theyr ware for golde if the vntame brayne of Wyndam had or could haue gyuen eare to the counsayle and experience of Pinteado For when that Wyndam not satisfied with the golde whiche he had and more might haue had if he had taried about the Mina commaundyng the sayde Pinteado for so he tooke vppon him to leade the shyppes to Benin beyng vnder the Equinoctiall lyne and a hundred and fyftie leagues beyonde the Mina where he looked to haue theyr shyppes laden with pepper and beyng counsayled of the sayde Pinteado consideryng the late tyme of the yeere for that tyme to goe no further but to make sale of their wares suche as they had for golde whereby they myght haue ben great gayners But Wyndam not assentyng herevnto fell into a sodayne rage reuilyng the sayde Pinteado callyng him Iewe with
Sesto beyng East The .xxi. day of the sayde moneth we fel with Cape Mensurado to the Southeast about two leagues of This Cape may be easely knowen by reason the rysyng of it is like a Porpose head Also toward the Southeast there are three trees whereof the Eastermost tree is the hyghest and the myddlemost is lyke a hie stacke and the Southermost lyke vnto a Gibet and vppon the mayne are foure or fyue hygh hylles rysyng one after an other lyke rounde hoommockes or hyllockes And the Southeast of the three trees is three trees lyke a brandierwyse and all the coast along is whyte sand The sayde Cape standeth within a litle in syxe degrees The .xxii. of December we came to the ryuer of Sesto and remayned there vntyll the .xxix. day of the sayde moneth Here we thought it best to send before vs the pynnesse to the ryuer of Dulce called Rio Dulce that they myght haue the begynnyng of the market before the commyng of the Iohn At the ryuer of Sesto we had a Tunne of graynes This riuer standeth in .vi. degrees lackyng a terce From the ryuer of Sesto to Rio Dulce is .xxv. leagues Rio Dulce standeth in fyue degrees and a halfe The ryuer of Sesto is easye to be knowen by reason there is a ledge of rockes on the Southeast parte of the Rode And at the entryng into the hauen are fyue or sixe trees that beare no leaues This is a good harborowe but very narow at the entrance into the ryuer There is also a rocke in the hauens mouth ryght as you enter And all that coast betweene Cape de Monte and cape de las Palmas lyeth Southeast and by East Northwest and by West being three leagues of the shore And you shall haue in some places rockes two leagues of and that betweene the riuer of Sesto and cape de las Palmas Betweene the ryuer of Sesto the ryuer Dulce is .xxv. leagues and the high lande that is betweene them both is called Cakeado being eight leagues from the ryuer of Sesto And to the Southeastwarde of him is a place called Shawgro and an other called Shyawe or Shauo where you may get freshe water Of this Shyawe lyeth a redge of rockes and to the Southeastwarde lyeth a hedlande called Croke Betweene Cakeado and Croke is .ix. or ten leagues To the Southeastwarde of is a harborowe called saint Vincent Ryght ouer agaynst sainct Vincent is a rocke vnder the water two leagues and a halfe of the shore To the Southeastwarde of that rocke you shall see an Ilande about three or foure leagues of this Ilande is not paste a league of the shore To the East Southeast of the Ilande is a rocke that lyeth aboue the water and by that rocke goeth in the ryuer of Dulce which you shall know by the sayde ryuer and rocke The Northwest syde of the hauen is flatte sande and the Southeast syde thereof is lyke an Ilande and a bare platte without any trees and so is it not in any other place In the Rode you shall ryde in xiii or .xiiii. fadomes good owes and sande beyng the markes of the Rode to bryng the Ilande and the Northeast lande togeather and here we Ankered the last of December The third day of Ianuary we came from the riuer of Dulce Note that cape de las Palmas is a fayre high lande but some lowe places thereof by the water syde looke lyke redde cliffes with whyte strakes lyke wayes a cable length a peece this is to the East parte of the cape This cape is the Southermost lande in all the coast of Guinea and standeth in foure degrees and a terce The coast from Cape de las palmas to Cape Trepoyntes or the tres Puntas is fayre and cleare without rocke or other daunger Twentie and fyue leagues from Cape de las Palmas the lande is hygher then in any place vntyl we come to Cape Trepoyntes And about ten leagues before you come to Cape Trepoyntes the land ryseth styll hygher and hygher vntyl you come to Cape Trepoyntes Also before you come to the sayde Cape after other fyue leagues to the Northwest part of it there is certayne broken grounde with two great rockes and within them in the byght of a bay is a castel called Arra parteining to the kyng of Portugale You shal know it by the sayd rockes that lye of it for there is none suche from Cape de las Palmas to cape Trepoyntes This coast lyeth East by North West by South From Cape de las Palmas to the sayd castel is fourscore and fyfteene leagues And the coast lyeth from the sayd castel to the westermost point of the Trepoyntes Southeast and by South Northwest and by North. Also the westermost poynt of the Trepoyntes is a low land lying halfe a myle out in the sea and vppon the innermoste necke to the land ward is a tuft of trees there we arryued the eleuenth day of Ianuary The twelf day of Ianuary we came to a towne called Samma or Samua beyng .viii. leagues from Cape Trepoyntes toward East Northeast Betweene Cape Trepoyntes and the towne of Samua is a great ledge of rockes a great way out in the sea We continued foure dayes at that towne the captayne therof would needs haue a pledge a shore But when they receiued the pledge they kept him still would trafficke no more but shot of theyr ordinance at vs. They haue two or three peeces of ordinance and no more The .xvi. day of the sayde mooneth we made reckonyng to come to a place called Cape Corea where captayne Don Ihon dwelleth whose men entertayned vs frendly This Cape Corea is foure leagues Eastwarde of the castell of Mina other wyse called La mina or Castello de mina where we arryued the .xviii. day of the moneth Here we made sayle of all our cloth sauing two or three packes The .xxvi. day of the same moneth we weighed anker and departed from thence to the Trinitie whiche was .vii. leagues Eastwarde of vs where she solde her wares Then they of the Trinitie wylled vs to go Eastwarde of that .viii or .ix. leagues to sell part of theyr wares in a place called Perecow and an other place named Perecow Grande beyng the eastermost place of both these whiche you shall knowe by a great rounde hyll neere vnto it named Monte Rodondo lying westward from it and by the water syde are many hygh palme trees From hence dyd we set forth homewarde the .xiii. day of February and plyed vp alongest tyll we came within .vii or .viii. leagues to Cape Trepointes About .viii. of the clocke the .xv. day at afternoone we dyd cast about to seawarde and beware of the currantes for they wyl deceiue you sore Whosoeuer shall come from the coaste of Mina homewarde let hym be sure to make
warres who in theyr language sayde thus vnto me Are you our friende Yea sayde I. Then we pray you in the way of friendship shewe vs that Christian which is muche hygher and stronger then any other of the Christians and kylled in maner euery day about twentie of the Mahumetans and resisted the dartes of fiftie Naeros these are of the garde and escaped without hurte I answered that that Christian was not nowe in the citie but was gone to Cucin to the Uiceroye But when I better considered the matter I sayde thus vnto them Are you my friendes Yea we are sayde they Then sayde I That souldier that fought so valiauntly in the battayle was no Portugale Then sayde they Of what countrey was he then I answered agayne that he was the God of the Portugales and the great God of all the world Then sayde they Uerily you speake the trueth For we heard the Mahumetans say that it was not the Portugales but the Portugales God that gaue them the ouerthrowe and therefore we thynke your God to bee better then theyrs although we know him not And by this meanes it was bruiâ—ed ouer all the countrey that the Mahumetans were ouercome rather by the assistaunce of God then by the strength of men For these people are very simple and ignoraunt and astonyshed in maner at euery thyng For some when they sawe one of our company hauyng a little bell in his hande and hearde the noyse of the bell when he moued his hand and no noyse when he set it downe they tooke it for a myracle saying one to an other doubtlesse theyr God is the greatest God for when they touche the bell it speaketh and when they touche it not it sayeth nothyng They tooke pleasure and admiration to beholde the solemnities of the Masse And when the priest lyfted vp the holy bread or host I sayde vnto them beholde here the God of the Portugales and of all the worlde Then sayde they You say truly but we can not perceyue it This haue I sayde that you may hereby knowe what simple and ignorant people these are yet are they very great inchaunters and can inchaunte Serpentes whose poyson is so strong that they kyll only with touchyng They are also of incredible agilitie and therefore excell in vautyng leapyng runnyng swymmyng tumblyng walkyng on ropes and such other exercises of lyghtnesse and agilitie The seuenth booke entreating of the viage or Nauigation of Ethiopia Cap. 1. THey that will take vppon them to wryte any hystorie had neede to beare well in memorie what they haue promysed and taken in hande lest for theyr paynes and well meanyng they be rewarde with shame and rebuke and therfore whereas in the beginnyng of this booke I promysed to wryte of the Nauigation of Ethiope I will with the description of this viage make an ende of my long traueyle and speake of such thinges as I sawe there by the way in my returne from India into my long desired countrey in the company of the Portugales Of diuers and many Ilandes of Ethiope Cap. 2. THerefore the seuenth day of December we directed our iourney towarde Ethiope trauersing fyrst the great gulfe and saylyng foure hundred myles came to an Ilande named Monzambrich vnder the dominion of the kyng of Portugale But before we arryued there we sawe by the way many townes parteining to the Portugales and also many strong fortresses in the kyngdomes of Melinda and Mombaza The kyng of Portugale hath also certayne fortresses in Monzambrich and Zaphala But if I should here speake of the memorable factes of the valiant knyght Tristan dè Cugna at his returne from India I should take in hande a thyng farre aboue my reache beyng suche as deserue rather the commendations of Homer Uirgil for he inuaded and subdued the great cities of Gogia Pati and Craua with also the goodly Ilande of Sacutara where the kyng of Portugale hath erected certayne fortresses and omit also to speake of many other Ilandes whiche we sawe in the way as the Ilande of Cumeris and sixe other which beare plentie of ginger suger dyuers other goodly fruites and abundance of fleshe also the most fruitfull Iland of Pende likewise subiect to the kyng of Portugale Of the Ilande of Monzambrich and the inhabitantes thereof Cap. 3. THis Ilande as we haue sayde is subiecte to the kyng of Portugale as is also Zaphala From the Ilande of Monzambrich is brought much golde and oyle but is brought thyther from the firme lande The Ilande is not byg and is inhabited with blacke Mahumetans lyuyng in maner in necessitie of all thinges yet hath it a commodious porte They haue no corne but that is brought from the continent where also we went alande to see the countrey where we sawe nothyng but a vagabunde and rascall kynde of blacke men coueryng only theyr priuities with leaues of trees and are besyde naked and the women in lyke maner Theyr lyppes are two fingers thicke theyr foreheades very large theyr teeth great and as white as snow They are fearefull at the sight of euery thyng and especially when they see armed men Therefore seeing theyr fearefulnesse knowing them to be without weapons that can doe any great hurte only sixe of vs well armed â–ª bearyng also with vs Hargabuses and hauyng in our companie a blacke slaue that somewhat knewe the countrey we began to enter further into the lande and when we had gone forwarde one dayes iourney we founde many heardes of Elephantes Here the slaue that was our guyde gaue vs counsayle to take fyrebrandes in our handes bycause these beastes feare fyre aboue all thinges But we once chaunced to fynde three Female Elephants which had very lately brought foorth theyr Calues and therefore feared not the fyre but without all feare folowed vs so farre that we were fayne to flee to a mountayne to saue vs from the beastes When we had entred about tenne myles into the land we found a certayne denne on the syde of a mountayne where some of the blacke inhabitauntes lurked These spake so confoundedly and chatteringly lyke Apes that I am not able to expresse theyr maner of speeche Yet to goe the nearest thereto that I can theyr speach is lykest to the euyll fauored voyce which the Muleters of Sicilia vse when they dryue theyr Mules and suche maner of blabberyng vse these people in theyr speache Heere the Pilot of the shyppe asked vs if wee woulde buye any kyne saying that here we should haue them good cheape But we thinking that eyther he had mocked vs or that agreeing with the inhabitauntes whom he knewe before he woulde haue deceyued vs of our money and wares sayde that we had no money Then sayde he vnto vs These people desire nothyng lesse then money hauyng muche more plentie of golde then we haue which is founde not farre hence
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
passing from one to an other appeare in the similitude of a lyght candel They are a token of securitie bycause they are litle not slowe or grosse whereby they myght haue ioyned altogeather in one and been thereby more malicious and lasted longer whereas beyng many and but little they are the sooner consumed Hytherto Cardanus But let vs nowe returne to the vyage When they had sayled paste the Equinoctiall lyne they loste the sight of the North starre and sayled by the southwest vntyll they came to a lande named the lande of Bressil whiche some call Brasilia beyng .xxii. degrees and a halfe towarde the south pole or pole Antartike This lande is continuate and one firme lande with the cape of saint Augustine whiche is .viii. degrees from the Equinoctiall In this lande they were refreshed with many good fruites of innumerable kyndes and founde here also very good suger canes and diuers kindes of beasts and other thinges which I omit for breuitie They entered into this hauen on saint Lucies day where the Sunne being theyr Zenith that is the poynte of heauen directly ouer theyr heades they felte greater heate that day then when they were vnder the Equinoctial lyne This lande of Brasile is very large and great and bygger then all Spayne Portugale Fraunce and Italie and is most abundaunt in all thinges The people of this countrey pray to no maner of thyng but lyue by the instincte of nature and to the age of C.xx and C.xl. yeeres Both the men and women goe naked and dwell in certayne long houses They are very docible and soone allured to the Christian fayth Thirtiene dayes after that they arryued at the sayde porte they departed from this lande and sayled to the xxxiiii degree and a halfe towarde the pole Antartike where they founde a great ryuer of freshe water and certayne Caniballes Of these they sawe one out of theyr shyppes of stature as byg as a Giant hauing a voice like a Bull. Our men pursued them but they were so swyfte of foote that they coulde not ouertake them About the mouth of this riuer are seuen Ilandes in the byggest whereof they founde certayne precious stones and called it the cape of sainct Marie The Spanyardes thought that by this ryuer they myght haue passed into the South sea but they were deceyued in theyr opinion For there was none other passage then by the riuer which is .xvii. leagues large in the mouth Thus folowing this coaste by the tracte of the lande towarde the pole Antartike they came to a place where were two Ilandes replenished with Geese and Wolues of the sea which some thinke to be those fyshes that we call Pikes These were in such number that in an houre all the fyue shyppes might haue ben laden with Geese being all of blacke colour and such as can not flee They liue of fish and are so fatte that they could scarsely flay them They haue no feathers but a certayne downe and theyr bylles lyke Rauens bylles These Woolues of the sea are of dyuers colours and of the bygnesse of Calues with theyr heades of golden colour Here were they in great danger by tempest But as soone as the three fyres called sainct Helen sainct Nycolas and saint Clare appeared vppon the cables of the shyppes sodaynely the tempeste and furie of the wyndes ceassed Departyng from hence they sayled to the .49 degree and a halfe vnder the pole Antartike where beyng wyntered they were inforced to remayne there for the space of two monethes all which tyme they sawe no man excepte that one day by chaunce they espyed a man of the stature of a Giant who came to the hauen daunsing and singyng and shortly after seemed to cast dust ouer his head The Captayne sent one of his men to the shore with the shyppe Boate who made the lyke signe of peace The which thyng the Giant seeyng was out of feare and came with the Captaynes seruaunt to his presence into a little Ilande When he sawe the Captayne with certayne of his company about him he was greatly amased and made signes holdyng vp his hande to heauen signifying thereby that our men came from thence This Giant was so byg that the head of one of our men of a meane stature came but to his waste He was of good corporature well made in all partes of his bodie with a large visage painted with diuers colours but for the most parte yelow Uppon his cheekes were paynted two Hartes and red circles about his eyes The heare of his head was coloured whyte and his apparell was the skynne of a beast sowde togeather This beast as seemed vnto vs had a large head and great eares lyke vnto a Mule with the body of a Camell and tayle of a horse The feete of the Giant were foulded in the sayde skynne after the maner of shooes He had in his hande a bygge and shorte bowe the stryng whereof was made of a sinewe of that beaste He had also a bundell of long arrows made of Reedes feathered after the maner of ours typte with sharpe stones in the steade of Iron heades The Captayne caused him to eate and drynke gaue him many thinges and among other a great lookyng glasse In the which as soone as he sawe his owne lykenesse was sodaynly afrayde and started backe with suche violence that hee ouerthrewe two that stoode nearest about him When the Captayne had thus gyuen him certayne Haukes belles and other great belles with also a lookyng glasse a combe and a payre of beades of glasse he sent him to lande with foure of his owne men well armed Shortly after they sawe an other Giant of somewhat greater stature with his bowe and arrowes in his hande As hee drewe neare vnto our men he layde his hande on his head and poynted vp towarde heauen and our men dyd the lyke The Captayne sent his shyppe Boate to bryng him to a litle Ilande beyng in the Hauen This Giant was very tractable and pleasaunte He soong and daunsed and in his daunsing lefte the print of his feete on the grounde He remayned long with our men who named him Iohan. He coulde well speake and playnely pronounce these woordes Iesus Aue Maria Iohannes euen as we doe but with a bygger voyce The Captayne gaue him a shert of linnen cloth a coate of white woollen cloth also a cappe a combe a looking glasse with diuers such other thinges and so sent him to his company The day folowing he resorted agayne to the shyppes and brought with him one of those great beastes which he gaue the Captayne But after that day they neuer saw him more supposing him to be slayne of his owne company for the conuersation he had with our men After other .xv. dayes were past there came foure other Giantes without any weapons but had hyd theyr bowes and arrowes in certaine bushes The Captaine retayned two of these
soules rest in Caues and to be that reflexion of the ayre the which we doe call Eccho Dec. 8. c. 9. The contention betwixte Garaius and Cortesius for ambition Dec. 7. c. 5. Dec. 8. cap. 1. .2 The great Cormorantes that deuoure fishe of fyue pounde weight at one morsel Dec. 7. c. 9. The shamelesse daunses of naked women at theyr funeralles and obsequies Dec. 7. c. 10. Theyr woorshipping of the crosse in Saltier .x. Or made thus x vppon theyr newe borne babes to dryue away deuylles as also in the nyght tyme if they feare any thyng imagining with that signe the place to be purified Dec. 8. c. 9. The Chiribikes follies in daunsing whole weekes togeather theyr language full of difficulties for leauyng out some sillables in speech theyr maner of mariage by clippyng the brydes heare Dec. 8. c. 8. The dead bodyes of gentlemen to be rosted so hanged vp to roofe for buttry goddes the bones of other that laye buried a whole yeere to be taken vp againe at the .xii. monethes ende and solempnely buried Decade 8. c. 9. To conclude How Captayne Olitus whom Cortesius feared not a litle therefore sent vnder the pretexte of honour as it were to discouer other landes tooke head him selfe agaynst Cortesius and miserably was murthered in the end Dec. 8. c 6 .10 These with some other the lyke thinges may the curious reader finde in many woordes set downe in the aforesayde .7 and .8 Decades spoken of all for the most parte before in P. Martyr his other doinges or mentioned in Ouiedus Summary or by R. Eden briefly noted or not greatly needfull to be set foorth at large in Englyshe except they were matters of greater weight One speciall thing I obserued amongst other in reading ouer these .6 7. and 8. Decades to wyt the West Indians not onely to be conquered by the Spaniardes but also to be theyr slaues and bondmen the cause why after the conquest made of them the Spanyardes doe in continuall bondage and slauery keepe them vnder is expresly brought foorth by Pe. Martyr Dec. 7. c. 4. in the spanysh tounge as it was read at the Indishe counsayle boorde in Spayne and may thus be Englished These be the Indians qualities in respecte whereof they deserue no libertie IN the continent or fyrme lande they eate mans fleshe they be more gyuen to Sodomye than any other nation of the world there is no order of iustice among them they goe naked they haue neyther loue nor honestie they bee fooles and furious there is no truth in them except it be for theyr owne profit inconstant without all discretion very vnkynde louers of nouelties they delyght to make them selues dronke with wynes made of diuers hearbes fruites and graine as ale and sider to ouercome their braynes as wel otherwise with hearbs as in making drinke thereof or eating them â–ª They are very bruitishe and doe make it a prayse to wallowe in vyces No obedience no reuerence at all sheweth the young man to the olde the childe to his father Neyther teaching nor chastning amendeth them they be traitors cruell so full of reuenge that they neuer forgyue any offence great enemyes vnto our religion They be slothfull theeues of iudgement very grosse and base without all honestie and good order Neither doe the men behaue them selues loyally with theyr wyues nor the wyues with their husbandes they be superstitiously giuen to soothsaying as fearful as Hares filthes eating lyse spiders woormes whersoeuer they finde them they haue no arte nor good condition of men Hauing learned any pointes of Christian religion they are woont to say that to be good in Spayne but in India nothing woorth for that they desire not to alter their maners They haue no beardes for they peele and plucke vp the heare as faste as it groweth They take no pietie on sicke folke suche as bee very sicke they gyue ouer to some one kynsman or neighbour of theyrs or els carry them to the mountaynes to dye there leauing with them some small portion of bread and water and so goe theyr way The elder they waxe the woorse they bee vntyll they be .xi. or .xii. yeeres olde some hope there is that they would prooue ciuil and vertuous when they grow elder they become bruit beasts In conclusion I say that god neuer created so corrupte a people for vice and beastlinesse without any mixture of goodnesse and ciuilitie they are as blockishe as Asses making no accompt at all to kyll them selues In the fyft Decade is written by P. Martyr or geathered rather by him out of Ferd. Cortesius relations the conquest of that portion of the West Indishe continent that lyeth in the hot zone neare the Tropike of Cancer betwyxte our Weste sea and Mar del zur the chiefe prouince wherein is Mexico and the principall citie Themistitan This region after that it was conquered by Cortesius beganne to be called Noua Hispania newe Spayne for the lykenesse thereof vnto the Spanysh kyngdome in nature of soyle greatnesse disposition of the ayre other such lyke thynges as Cortesius him selfe writeth vnto Charles the fifth humbly desiryng his maiestie to allowe of that name Some later wryters haue gyuen the particuler name of one shyre vnto the whole callyng it Mexico and the generall name of that whole shyre to the head citie therein calling Themistitan lykewyse Mexico howbeit in trueth Themistitan is the principal citie in Mexico prouince Mexico the chiefe prouince in all newe Spaigne Of this countrey the commodities it doeth yeelde the nature of the inhabiters partly you haue already seene in Gon. Ferd. Ouiedus historie Fol. 221. and chiefely Fol. 225. The kyng of this countrey bare name Monte Zuma or Muteezuma as Cortesius that conquered him writeth â–ª in P. Martyr his Decades printed in Spaigne An. d. 1530. Meteezuma in his .4 â–ª Decade entituled de insul nuper inuentis to no. orb p. 506. Multoxumam as also in the last edition thereof at Cullen ioyntly with the three first decades the which our Printer in the translation hereof hath folowed in the discourse of the West Indies Ilandes Straunge names are many tymes diuersly written though in effecte they meane all one Henricus say we with the Frenchmen Henry the Almans Henreich the Italians Arrigo the Portugales Henrico as Barros speaking of king Iohn the first his sonne whom Cadamust called in his Nauigation Huric This kyng was so welthie so mightie his dominions so large that the inhabiters knew no other prince in all the worlde of him Cortesius had intelligence by Montegius and Portucarrerius and from him certaine rich presentes for his maister Charles Themperour as in the aforesayd discourse of the west Indish Ilands it hath ben sayde Wherefore the .16 day of August in the yeere of our Lorde .1520 Ferdinandus Cortesius with .15 light horsemen and fyue hundred footemen well appoynted besides three noble men of the citie Cempoal named Teuchius Mamexus
Hercules and Alexander The colonies of the Romans in regions subdued The great Ilande of Saynct Laurence or Madagascar The Ilands of Taprobana or Giaua Plinie The historie of Cornelius Nepos Shyps of India driuen into the sea of Germanie An enterprise wherby Princes may obtayne true fame and glory Cathay discouered by Marcus Paulus The citie of Lubyke The kyng of Polonie The Duke of Moscouia An ambassadour from the Duke of Moscouia The woordes of the Ambassadour of Moscouia The way from Moscouia to the North Ocean Cathay Volochda Vstiug Iug. Succana Duina Colmogor The North Ocean Great woods Gothlande The Moscouites haue knowledge of the great Cam of Cathay Permia Pescora Catena mundi Obdora Vecchiadoro Obo The lake Chethay The Tartars The citie of Cambalu Note this secrete Difficult traueylyng in Moscouia Commendation of the Spanyardes and Portugales The hystorie of Paulus Centurio 〈◊〉 his reade more at large in the booke of Paulus Iomus Malice may doe more with some then vertue The Caspian sea Riga The Tartars of Lordo Desartes The vyage by the North sea The woorthinesse of this vyage The vyages of the Frenchmen to the lande of Baccalaos Pleasaunt countreys New France Apostrophe to to the Christian Princes Great ryuers A thyng woorthy to be searched The way to Cathay and the Ilandes of Molucca by the Northwest A notable enterpryse The noble enterprise of Antonie di Mendoza viceroy of Mexico The discoueryng of the Northwest partes Shyppes saylyng from Cathay by the North Hyperboream sea to the coastes of the Northwest parte of the lande of Baccaleos Cathay The sea from newe Fraunce or Tarra Britonum to Cathay A notable booke A great and glorious enterprise Sebastian Cabote the grand pylot of the West Indies Commendation of Sebastian Cabote Sebastian Cabote tolde me that he was borne in Brystow â–ª that at .iiii yeeres olde he was carryed with his father to Venice and so returned agayne into England with his father after certayne yeeres whereby he was thought to haue ben borne in Venice The fyrst vyage of Sebastian Cabote The lande of Florida The seconde vyage of Cabote to the land of Brasile and Rio della Plata Cabote tolde me that in a region within this ryuer he sowed .50 graynes of wheate in September and geathered therof .50 thousande in December as writeth also Francisco Lopes The viage to Moscouia The hystory of Moscouia The dyuers names of Moscouia Roxolani Rosolanâ— Ruthem The ryuer Mosco The ryuer Boristhenes Themperour of Cathay The frosen sea Lacus Cromicus Saturnus Amaltheum The dominion of the Duke of Moscouia The citie of Moscouia The chiefe cities of Moscouia The Duke of Moscouia Emperour of Russia The duke of Moscouia his tytle Duke Basilius Theyr power Theyr obedience to theyr prynce Theyr warres conquestes Gunnes Only the Moscouites haue not felt the commodiâ—â—s of peace Theyr language Dalmatia Pannonia Hungarie Their original The Sclauion tongue reacheth farre Great woods white beares and blacke woolues Abundance of hony and waxe Rych furres Theyr maner of bargayning Rude wylde people Tartares Ciuile people in cities Theyr money They embrase the Christian faith which they receyued of the Apostles The counsayle of Nicene Basilius Magnus Chrisostomus Their constancie in theyr religion The bishops define controuersies in religion Theyr bishops The Archbishop The patriarke of constantinople A notable example of a Christian Prince Theyr religion A monasterie of ccc Munkes Priestes Masse A misterie The primatiue churche A strange custome Sarmatia Asiatica The Scythian Ocean The ryuer of Volga Lacus albus The Caspian sea Theyr chiefe cities The wylde Tartars Hordas The bygnes of the citie of Moscouia Syluer The region of Moscouia Beastes A fayre and stronge castel in the citie of Mosca The Dukes pallaice Theyr drynke They are geuen to drunkennesse Corne and grayne Stoues The famous ryuer of Tanais The marishes of Meotis Volga Ocha The sea Euxinum The forest of Hircania Vri. Alces They trauayle in winter on sleades Causeys of tymber Trees and fruites Corne and graynes Hony in wods and trees Lakes or pooles of Hony A man almost drowned in hony A merueylous chaunce Beares feede of hony bees Beares inuade Bulles The Beares byrth The Beares denne Beares lyue without meate xl dayes The sleape of Beares The religion of the Moscouites The Scythians subiect to the Duke of Moscouia It was then an opinion that all ryuers sprong out of mountaynes The fruitfull region of Colmogora The great ryuer Diuidna Wheate without plowing The ryuer of Iuga Vstiuga Furres The naturall cause of much hony in colde regions Gummes and spyces in hoote countreys Floures in colde regions Floures of trees Blossomes of trees An example of the degrees of heate The generation of floures by moderate heate Long dayes and shorce nyghtes Bramble and fearne Spyces The sauour of floures What Plinie wryteth of hony Sirius is otherwyse called Canicula that is the Dogge of whom the canicular dayes haue theyr name What is hony Howe hony is corrupted â—ony of great quantitie in North regions Hot nyghtes in colde regions A simiâ—itude Naturall heat doeth subtyle and digest all thinges Subtyle vapours digested by heate Colde regions Ziglerus Ziglerus The qualitie of sommer in colde regions The course of the Sunne Vapours Short and warme nyghts Gothlande One day of .vi. monethes Howe the sommer is increased in colde regions Rome Colde nyghtes in hot regions The Romane wynter Our night of vi monethes Obiections The twylightes The lyght of the Moone The nyght vnder the pole A demonstration The Moone Remedies of nature art The olde writers persuaded by coniecture A brasen potte broken with frost Fyshes of the North seas The North sea The qualitie of water The land The diuine prouidence in moderatyng the elementes The nature of the sea Salt Generatyue heate Outward colde is cause of inwarde heate Metals Vapoures and exhalations Whales Beastes Hereby may be considered the cause of the death of our men that sayle directly to Guinea No passage from our extremitie to an other but by a meane Caues and Dennes Valleis The best furres Sables Beastes that lye hyd in wynter All beasts haue the nature of the place where they are engendred What exercise may do Vse maketh masteries Scondia Scone is fayre in the duch tongue The fertilitie of Schondia He meaneth Diodorus Siculus Thinuasions of the Gothes Transiluania The Gothes Lumbardes Fruitfull pasture Religion neglecteâ— Inchaunteâ—â— The viage of Sebastian Cabot to the frosen sea Gronelande Wardhus Lapponia and Gronelande Schoeni Cabot tolde me that this I se is of fresh water not of the sea A commixtion of salt water fresh The sea between Norway and Island Terra Viridis Pigmei Baccallaos Islande called Thyle Schoene is lx furlonges Myracles of nature in Islande Three marueylous mountaynes Helga Hecla Straunge visions Ise. A straunge thyng Foure spryngs oâ— contrary nature Aboundaunce of brymstone Dryed fyshe Scarsenesse of corne Haukes White Rauens