gladly embrased and tooke suche pleasure in hearynge the articles of owre beliefe that the teares fell from theyr eyes for ioye They were baptised The kynge of zibut is baptised and shortely after all the people of the Ilande They esteeme nothyng more precious then drynking glasses of Uenice woorke When they came to the citie they founde the kyng in his pallaice sittynge vppon a floure or stuorie made of the leaues of date trees wrought after a curious diuise lyke a certeyne kynde of mattes He had vppon his body none other apparell but only a cloth of bombasine cotton hangyng before his priuie partes The kynge of zubut his apparell On his heade he had a vayle of needle worke and abowte his necke a chaine of greate price At his eares hunge two rynges of golde wherein were inclosed many precious stones He was but of smaule stature but sumewhat grosse and had the residue of his body paynted with dyuers coloures wherof sum were lyke vnto flamynge fyre Before hym he had two vesselles made of the fine earth cauled Porcellana with sodden egges Also four vessels of Porcellana full of wyne made of date trees and couered with many odoriferous herbes The prince brought them to his house where he had foure doughters verye well fauoured and whyte lyke owres well fauored women He caused them to daunce all naked and therwith to synge and play on certeyne tymbrelles made of metall At this tyme it so chaunced that one of the Spanyardes dyed in one of the shyppes And when certeyne of theyr coompanye desyred the kynge to gyue them leaue to burie hym on the land he answered that forasmuch as he and all his were at the commaundement of theyr kynge and master how much more ought the grounde so to bee They greatly marueyled at the cerimonies perteynyng to the maner of owre funeralles and honoured the crosses whiche were set at bothe thendes the graue They lyue with iustice and vse waightes and measures Theyr houses are made of Timber and sawne boordes and are so buylded aboue the grownde vppon proppes and pyles that they ascende to the same by certeyne stayers Under theyr houses they keepe theyr hogges and hennes When they came to barterynge Barterynge they gaue golde rysse hogges hennes and dyuers other thynges for sume of owre tryfels of smaule value They gaue tenne Pesos of golde for xvi poundes weyght of men Pesus what One pesus is in value a ducate and a halfe The sunday folowynge the kynge was baptysed with great solemnitie At which tyme the Capitayne admonysshed him before not to bee afrayde at the shootyng of of the ordinaunce bycause it was theyr custome so to doo at such solemne feastes After this the Capitayne caused theym to breake all theyr Idoles They breake theyr Idoles and erecte the crosse and to set vppe the crosse in dyuers places prayinge to the same bothe mornynge and euenynge kneelynge on theyr knees and holdynge vp theyr handes ioyned togyther The kinge in his baptisme was named Charles after the Emperours name and the Prince Ferdinando after the name of his maiesties brother The kynge of Messana was named Iohn and the Moore Christopher To all other they gaue such names as are commonly vsed in Christendome And thus beefore masse was begunne were fiue hundreth men baptised Fyue hundreth men baptised When masse was fynysshed the Capitayne inuited the kynge to dyne with him in his shyppe and at his commynge caused the ordinaunce to bee discharged The queene of zubut The queene was also baptised with fortie of her gentlewomen and her doughter the Princes wife The queene was very younge and fayre hauynge her body couered with a white cloth Her lyppes were redde and she had on her head a hat on the toppe wherof was a triple crowne much lyke the papes This crowne the hat were made of the leues of dates trees Within the space of .viii. dayes thinhabitauntes of the Ilande were baptised excepte one vyllage of Idolaters who wolde not herein obey the kynges commaundement Wheruppon the Capitayne sent certeyne of his menne thyther who burnt the towne and erected a crosse in that place bycause the people of the vyllage were gentyles that is Idolaters But if they had byn Moores that is Machumetistes they wold haue erected a pyller of stone bycause the Moores are more stooberne and harder to bee conuerted then are the gentyles When the queene came to the place where shee shuld heare masse shee came surth with great pompe and solemnitie hauynge goinge before her three younge damoselles and three men with theyr cappes in theyr handes The queenes apparell whom shee folowed apparelled in whyte and blacke with a great vayle of sylke vppon her heade fringed abowte with golde whiche couered her hatte and hunge downe to her shoulders Shee had also a great trayne of women folowynge her beinge all barefooted and naked excepte that vppon theyr heades and priuie partes they wore certeyne vayles of silke and hadde theyr heare spredde Before the kynge of Zubut was baptised he was named Raia Humabuon When the Capitayne demaunded of hym why all the Idoles in the Ilande were not burnt accordynge to his promesse he answered that they esteemed thē no more as goddes but only made sacrifice to theym for the Princes brother who was very sycke and as noble and wyttie a man as was in the Ilande The Capitayne answered that if he wolde burne a◠his Idoles and beleue faythfully in Christ and bee baptised he shulde be immediatly restored to health and that he wolde els gyue them leaue to stryke of his heade By these woordes and persuasions of the Capitayne he conceaued such hope of health that after he was baptised he felt no more greefe of his disease And this was a manifest myracle wrought in owre tyme wherby dyuers infidels were conuerted to owre fayth A miracle and theyr Idoles destroyed and also theyr altares ouerthrowen on the whiche they were accustomed to eate the sacrifyced flesshe The people of the Ilande pay the kynge a portion of vittayles for theyr tribute by all theyr cities and vyllages Not farre from this Ilande of Zubut is the Iland of Mathan The Iland of Mathan whose inhabitauntes vse maruelous cerimonies in theyr sacrifices to the soonne and burying the deade They weare rynges of golde abowt theyr priuie members The Ilande is gouerned by two Princes wherof the one is named Zula and the other Cilapulapu And wheras this Cilapulapu refused to pay tribute to the kynge of Spayne the Capitayne went ageynst hym in his owne person with .lx. of his menne armed with coates of mayle and helmettes Cilapulapu diuided his army into three battayles hauynge in euery battaile two thousand and fiftie men armed with bowes arrowes dartes and iauelins hardened at the poyntes with fyer This continued longe and sharpe But the Capitayne beinge a valient man and presynge hym selfe in the brunte of the battayle was sore wounded and
lande by the which aswell the Christians as Indians doo trauel there are such marysshes and waters in the way that they are fayne to go withowt breeches amonge the herbes and weedes by reason wherof certeyne smaule beastes or woormes which they caule Garapates much lyke vnto tykes cleaue fast to theyr legges These wormes are as little as the pouder of beaten salt And cleaue so fast that they can by no meanes be taken away except the place bee noynted with oyle And after that the legges bee noynted awhyle with oyle or the other partes where these lyttle tykes are fastened they scrape the place with a knyfe and so take them away But the Indiâ—ns whiche haue no oyle smoke them and burne them with fyer and abyde great peynes in takynge them awaye by this meanes Of other lyttle beastes which trouble men and are engendein theyr heades or other pâ—rtes of theyr bodies I saye that the Christian men which trauell into these partes haue them but seldome tymes and that not past one or two and this also very seldome For passynge by the lyne of the Diameter where the compasse makethe difference of saylynge by the wynde cauled Greco that is North East and Magistral that is south west which is in the course of the Ilandes of Azori they sayle but a lyttle way folowing owre vyage by the west but that all the lyâ—e which the Christians cary with them or are engendered in theyr heades or other places of theyr bodies dye and vtterly consume by lyttle and lyttle and are not engendered in India excepte in the heades of lyttle chyldren in those partes aswel amonge the chyldren of the Christians which are borne there as also amonge the natural Indians who haue theym commonly in theyr heades and sumetymes in other partes of theyr bodyes and especially they of the prouince of Cueua which is a region conteynynge more then a hundreth leaques in length and embraseth the one and the other coast of the North sea and of the East When these Indians are infected with this fylthynesse they dresse and clense one an other And they that exercise this are for thâ— moste parte women who eate all that they take And haue herein such dexteritie by reason of theyr exercise that owre men can not lyghtly atteyne thâ—runto There is also another thynge greatly to bee consydered And this is how the Christian men beinge there cleane frome this fylthynes of India aswell in theyr heades as the reste of theyr bodyes yet when they returne to coomme ageyne into Europe and begyn to arryue in that place of the Ocean sea where wee sayde beforâ— that the lyse dyed and forsoke them suddenly in theyr repassynge by the same clyme as thoughe the lyse had taryed for them in that place they can by no meanes auoyde theym for the â—pace of certeyne dayes although they change theyr shertes two or three tymes in a day These lyse are at the fyrste as lyttle as nyttes and growe by lyttle and lyttle vntyl they bee of the byggenesse that they are in Spayne This haue I often tymes proued hauynge nowe foure tymes paâ—â—ed the Ocean sea by this vyage Besyde these woormes and vermyn wherof we haue spoken there is another lyttle mischeuous woorme whiche we may number amonge the kyndes of fâ—eas This pestilence the Indians caul Nigua Nigua And is much lesse then a flea It perseâ—h the fleshe of a man and so launseth or cutteth the same while in the meane tyme it can nother bee seene nor taken that froÌ„ sume it hath cutte of theyr handes and from other theyr fiete vntyll the remedy was founde to annoynt the place with oyle and scrape it with a rasoure In the firme lande in golden Castyle or Beragua there are many vypers lyke vnto them of Spayne Uypers They that aâ—e bytten of them dye in short space For fewe lyue to the fourthe day except present remedy Of these sume are of a leâ—â—e kâ—nd then other And haue theyr tayle sumwhat rounde and leape in the ayer to assayle men And for this cause sume caule this kynde of vypers Tyro Theyr bytyng is most venemous and for the moste parte incurable One of theym chaunced to byte an Indian mayde whiche serued me in my house to whome I caused the surgians to mynister theyr ordinarye cure but they coulde doo her no good nor yet get one droppe of bludde owt of her but only a yelowe water so that shee died the thyrd day for lacke of remedy as the like hath chaunced to dyuers other This mayde was of thage of .xiiii. yeares and spoke the Spanysshe toonge as yf shee had byn borne in Castyle Shee sayde that the vyper whiche bytte her on the foote was two spannes longe or lyttle leâ—se And that to byte her shee lepte in the ayer for the space of more then syxe pases as I haue harde the lyke of other credible persons I haue also seene in the firme lande a kynde of adders very smaule and of seuen or eyght foote longe Adders These are so redde that in the nyght they appeare lyke burnynge cooles and in the day seeme as redde as bludde These are also venemous but not so much as the vypers There are other much lesse and shorter and blacker These coome owt of the ryuers and wander sumtymes farre on the lande and are lykewyse venemous There are also other adders of a russet coloure These are sumwhat bygger then the vypers and are hurtful and venemous There are lykewyse an other sorte of manye coloures and very longe Of these I sawe one in the yeare of Christ 1515. in the Iland of Hispaniola nere vnto the sea costes at the foote of the mountaynes cauled Pedernales When this adder was slayne I measured her and founde her to be more then .xx. foote longe and sumwhat more then a mans fyst in byggenes And althoughe she hadde three or foure deadely woundes with a swoorde yet dyed shee not nor stoonke the same daye in so much that her bludde continued warme all that tyme. There are also in the marysshes and desertes of the firme lande many other kyndes of lysertes dragons Dragons and other dyuers kyndes of serpentes wherof I entende not here to speake much bycause I haue more particulerly entreated of these thynges in my generall historie of the Weste Indyes There are also spiders of marueylous bygnessse Spyders And I haue seene summe with the body and legges bygger then a mannes hande extended euery waye And I ones sawe one of suche bygnesse that onely her bodye was as bygge as a sparowe and full of that laune wherof they make their webbes This was of a darke russette coloure with eyes greates then the eies of a sparow They are venemous and of terrible shape to beholde There are also scorpions and dyuers other suche venemous wormes Wherby we maye see that where as natural causes and influence of the planettes are of strongest actiuitie they cease not to
engender and brynge foorthe bothe good and badde accordynge to the disposytion of the matter whiche they also doo partely dispose as the phylosophers affyrme Furthermore in the fyrme lande there are manye toades beyng very noyous and hurteful by reason of their great multitude They are not venemous They are seene in greate aboundance in Dariena where they are so bygge that when they dye in the time of drouth the bones of sum of them and especially the rybbes are of suche greatnesse that they appere too bee the bones of cattes or of summe other beastes of the same byggenesse But as the waters dyminishe and the moysture â—onsumeth in the tyme of drouth as I haue sayde they also consume therwith vntyll the yeare nexte folowing when the rayne and moysture increase at whiche tyme they are seene ageyne Neuerthelesse at this present there is no such quantitie of them as was wonte to bee by reason that as the land is better cultured by the Christians as well by the fellynge of wooddes and shrubbâ—s as also by the pasture of kine horses and other beastes so is it apparent that this poyson diminisheth dayly wherby that regyon becometh more holsome and pleasaunt These toades synge after three or foure sortes For summe of them synge pleasauntly other lyke owres of Spayne Summe also whistle and other summe make an other maner of noyse They are lykewyse of dyuers colours as summe greene summe russette or grey and summe almost blacke But of all sortes they are great and fylthye and noyous by reason of their great multitude yet are they not venemous as I haue sayde There are also a straunge kynde of crabbes Crabbeâ— â–ª whiche coome foorthe of certeyne holes of the earth that they them selues make The head and bodye of these make one rounde thing muche lyke vnto the hoode of a fawkon hauynge foure feete commyng owt of the one syde and as many owt of the other They haue also two mouthes like vnto a paire of smaule pinsers the one bygger then the other wherwith they byte but do no great hurte bycause they are not venemous Their skyn and bodye is smoothe and thynne as is the skynne of a man sauynge that it is sumwhat harder Their colour is russette or white or blewe and walke sydelonge They are very good to bee eaten In so muche that the Christians trauayling by the fyrme lande haue byn greatly nurysshed by them bycause they are founde in maner euery where In shape and forme they are muche lyke vnto the crabbe which we paynte for the sygne Cancer and like vnto those which are found in Spaine in Andalusia in the ryuer Guadalchiber where it entereth into the sea and in the sea coastes therabout sauynge that these are of the water and the other of the lande They are sumtymes hurtefull so that they that eate of them dye But this chaunceth onely when they haue eaten any venemous thyng or of the venemous apples wherwith the Canibale archers poyson their arrowes wherof I wyll speake hereafter And for this cause the Christians take hede howe they eate of these crabbes if they fynde them neare vnto the sayd apple trees Furthermore in these Indies aswell in the fyrme lande as in the Ilandes there is founde a kynde of serpentes which they caule Y. V. anas which summe caule Iuannas Serpentes cauled Iuanâ—i These are terrible and fearefull to syght and yet not hurtefull They are very delicate to bee eaten and it is not yet knowen whether they be beastes of the lande or fyshes bycause they lyue in the water and wander in the woddes and on the lande They haue foure feete and are commonly bigger then connies and in summe places bygger then otters with tayles lyke lisartes or eutes Their skynne is spotted and of the same kynd of smothnesse or barenesse although of dyuers colours Upon the ridge of their backes they haue many long prickes Theyr teethâ— are very sharpe and especially theyr fanges or dogge teeth Their throtes are longe and large reachynge from their beaâ—des to their breastes of the lyke skynne to the resydewe of their bodyes They are dumme and haue no voyce or make any noyse or crye although they bee kepte tyde to the foote of a cheste or any other thynge for the space of .xx. or .xxv. dayes withowt any thyng to eate or drynke excepte they gyue them nowe and then a lyttle of the breade of Cazabbi or summe such other thyng They haue foure feete and their fore feete as longe as a mans fynger with clawes lyke the clawes of a byrde but weaker and suche as can not grasple or take holde of any thynge They are muche better to bee eaten then to beholde For fewe that see them wyll haue desyre to eate of them by reason of their horrible shape excepte suche as haue byn accustomed to the beastes of these regyons whiche are more horrible and fearefull as this is not but onely in apparence Their fleshe is of much better tast then the fleshe of connyes and more holsome For it hurteth none but onely such as haue had the frenshe poxe In so much that if they haue onely byn touched of that infyrmitie although they haue byn hole of longe tyme neuerthelesse they feele hurte and complayne of the eatynge of these Iuannas as hath byn often tymes proued by experience There are founde in the fyrme lande certeyne byrdes so lyttle that the hole body of one of theym is no bygger then the toppe of the byggest fynger of a mans hande Byrdes and yet is the hare body withowt the fethers not paste halfe so bygge This byrde besyde her lyttlenes A very lyttle byrde is of such velocitie and swyftnes in flying that who so seeth her sleing in the ayer caÌ„ not se her flap or beate her winges after any other sort then do the dorres or huÌ„ble bees or betels so that there is no man that seeâ—h her flie that wold think her to be any other theÌ„ a dorre They make their nestes accordyng to the proportioÌ„ of their bâ—gnes And I haue scene that one of these byrdes with her nest put in a paire of gold weights altogether hath ward no more theÌ„ ii Tomini which are in poise .24 grams with the fethers wâ—th out the which she shulde haue wayed sumwhat leâ—se And doâ—bt lesse when I consider the fynenesse of the clawes and feete of these birdes I knowe not whervnto I may better liken them then to the lyttle byrdes whiche the lymmers of bookes are accustomed to paynte on the margentes of churche bookes and other bookes of deuine seruice Their fethers are of many faire colours as golden yelowe and greene beside other variable colours Theiâ— beake is verye longe for the proportion of theyr bodies and as fyne and subtile as a sowyng nedle They are very hardye so that when they see a man clyme the tree wheâ—e they haue theyr nestes they â—lye at hys face and stryke hym in the eyes
seeme to haue theyr boddyes paynted with dyuers colours And that amonge other there is one seene bygger then the residue who maketh great mirth and reioysynge This greaâ—e deuyll they caule Setebos and caule the lesse Chelâ—ule One of these giantes which they toke declared by signes that he had seene deuyls with two hornes aboue theyr heades with longe heare downe to theyr feete And that they cast furth fyre at theyr throtes both before and behynde The Capitayne named these people Patagoni Patagoni The most part of them weare the skynnes of suche beastes wherof I haue spoken before And haue no houses of continuaunce but make certeyne cotages whiche they couer with the sayde skynnes and cary them from place to place They lyue of raw flesshe and a câ—rteyne sweete roote whiche they caule Capar One of these which they had in theyr shippes dyd eate at one meale a basket of byskette The gyantes feedynge and drunke a bowle of water at a draught They remayned fyue monethes in this porte of saint Iuliâ—n where certeyne of the vnder capitaynes conspirynge the death of theyr general They cospire ageynst theyr Capitayne were hanged and quartered Amonge whom the treasurer Luigo of Mendozza was one Certeyne of the other conspiratours he left in the sayd land of Patogoni Departyng from hense to the .52 degree toward the pole Antartike lackynge a thyrde parte where they founde a ryuer of fresshe water and good fysshe Theyr shyppes were here in great daungiour They remayned twoo monethes in this porte where they made newe prouision of fresshe water fuell and fysshe Here the Capitayne caused all his men to bee confessed Confession Approchynge to the .52 degrees they founde the straight nowe cauled the straight of Magellanus The straight of Magellanus beinge in sum place L. x. leaques in length and in breadth sumwhere very large and in other places lyttle more then halfe a leaque in bredâ—h On both the sydes of this strayght are great and hygh mountaynes couered with snowe beyonde the whiche is the enteraunce into the sea of Sur. The South sea This enteraunce the Capitayne named Mare Pacificum Mare pacificuâ— Here one of the shyppes stole away punilie and returned into Spaine In this was one of the giantes who dyed as soone as he felt the heate that is abowte the Equinoctiall lyne When the Capitayne Magalianes was past the straight and sawe the way open to the other mayne sea The giantes diâ—d foâ— heat he was so gladde therof that for ioy the teares fell from his eyes and named the poynt of the lande from whense he fyrst sawe that sea Capo Dâ—siderato Capo Desideâ—ato Supposing that the shyp which stole away had byn loste they erected a croâ—â—e vppon the top of a hyghe hyll to directe their course in the straight yf it were theyr chaunce to coome that way They founde that in this strayght in the moneth of October the nyght was not past foure houres longe Short nights in the moneth of October They found in this strayght at euery three myles a safe hauen and excellent water to drynke woodde also and fysshe and greate plentie of goodherbes They thynke that there is not a fayrer strayght in the worlde Here also they sawe certeyne â—â—yinge fysshes Fâ—ying fyâ—â—hes The other giante which remayned with them in the shyp named breade Capar water Olâ— redde clothe Cherecaâ—red colour The gyantes language Cheiche blacke colour Amel And spoke al his wordes in the throte On a tyme as one made a crosse before him and kyssed it shewynge it vnto â—ym he suddeynely cryed Setebos and declared by signes that if they made any more crosses Setebos wold enter into his body and make him brust But when in fine he sawe no hurte coome thereof he tooke the crosse and imbrased and kyssed it oftentymes desyringe that he myght bee a Chrystian before his death He was therfore baptysed and named Paule The gyant is baptised Departynge owt of this strayght into the sea cauled Mare Pacificum the .xxviii. day of Nouember in the yeare .1520 they sayled three moonethes and .xx. dayes before they sawe any lande Three monethes sa yt lyng without the syght of lande And hauynge in this tyme consumed all theyr bysket and other vyttayles they fell into suche necessitie that they were inforced to eate the pouder that remayned therof beinge nowe full of woormes and stynkynge lyke pysse by reason of the salte water Extreme fâ—mâ—n Theyr fresshe water was also putrifyed and become yelowe They dyd eate skynnes and pieces of lether which were foulded abowt certeyne great ropes of the shyps But these skynnes beinge made verye harde by reason of the soonne rayne and wynde they hunge them by a corde in the sea for the space of foure or fiue dayes to mollifie them and sodde them and eate them By reason of this famen and vnclene feedynge summe of theyr gummes grewe so ouer theyr teethe Diâ—easeâ— of famen that they dyed miserably for hunger And by this occasion dyed .xix. men and also the giante with an Indian of the lande of Brasile otherwyse cauled Terra de papagalli that is the lande of popingiayes Besyde these that dyed .xxv. or .xxx were so sicke that they were not able to doo any seruice with theyr handes or armes for feeblenesse So that there was in maner none without sum disease In these three monethes xx dayes they sayled foure thousande leaques in one goulfe by the sayde sea cauled Pacificâ—m that is peaceable whiche may well bee so cauled forasmuch as in all this tyme hauyng no syght of any lande they had no misfortune of wynde oâ— any other tempest Durynge this tyme also they discouered only two little Ilandes vnhabited where they sawe nothing but birdes and trees and therefore named theym infortunate Ilandes Unfortunate Ilandes beinge one from the other abowte two hundreth leaques distante The firste of these Ilandes is from the Equinoctial toward the pole Antartike .xv. degrees and the other fyue Theyr sailinge was in suche sorte that they sailed daily betweene l.lx to .lxx. leaques what they sayled daylâ— So that in fine if god of his mercy had not gyuen them good wether it was necessary that in this soo greate a sea they shuld all haue dred for hunger Whiche neuerthelesse they escaped soo hardely that it may bee doubted whether euer the like viage may be attempted with so good successe They consydered in this nauigation that the pole Antartike hath no notable starre after the sorte of the pole Artike But they sawe many starres gathered togyther The â—tarreâ— abowâ— the south pole whyche are like two clowdes one separate a lâ—ttle from an other and sum what darke in the myddest Betweene these are two starres not very bigge nor muche shynninge whiche moue a little And these two are the pole Antartike The needell of theyr compasse varyed sumwhat
goulfe of Bothia â–ª but as nowe by owr commentaries brought to light And hauâ—ng sayde has much in maner of a preface we wâ—ll nowe procede to wryte of the north regions ¶ Schondia SChondia Sâ—hondama or Schondenmarchia is as much to say as fayre Dania or fayre Denmarke Scone is fayre in the duch toonge Plinie in one place nameth it Scandia and in an other Scandinauiâ— if there bee no fauce in the templers It was named Schondia by reason of the fayrenesse and true fulnesse therof And this aswell for that in beneficiall heauen fertilitie of gronnde The fertilitie of â—condia commodite of hauens and marte townes abundaunce of ryuers and fysshe plentie of beastes great quantitie of metall as golde syluer copper and leade diligent culturynge the grounde with townes and cities wel inhabited and gouerned by ciuile lawes it gyuethe place to none other fortunate region This was in maner vnknowen to the owlde Greekes and Latins as may appeare by this argomente that with one consente they affirmed that in these north regions the could zonâ— or clime was condemned to perpetuall snowe intollerable to all lyuynge creatures For few of theÌ„ haue made mention hereof as to be inhabited Amonge whom Plinie as one of the chiefe sayth in his fourth booke that Schondania is of vnknowen byggenesse and only that portion therof to be knowen which is inhabited with the nation of the Hilleuiâ—nes in fiftie vyllages Neyther yet is Eningia lesse in opinion he meaneth Diodorus Siculus Other more auncient then Plinie haue placed most fortunate regions with men of longe lyfe whiche the Greekes caule Macrobios and of moste innocente behauour vnder the tracte of those landes and that there came from thence to Delphos certeyne religious virginnes with vowes and gyftes consecrated to Apollo And furthermore that that nation obserued this institution vntyll the sayde virgins were violated of them of whome they were receaued as straungers These are most cleare testimonies of Antiquitie both of the greatnesse of Schondia and the people that inhabite the same althowgh they were sence vnknowen as lykewyse the Gothes departynge from these north landes althowghe they obteyned Thempire of the regions abowte the marisshes of Meotis and the coastes of the sea Euxinus â—hinuasions of the Gothes with the realme of Denmarke wherof that is thought to bee a portion which is nowe cauled Transiluania and the bankes of the ryuer of Danubius â—ransiluania and in fine inuaded the Romane Empire yet were not the regions wel knowen from whense they tooke theyr originall Therefore lyke as parte of the owlde wryters are vnsufficient wytnesses to testifie of owre narrations as touchynge these landes vnknowen to them Euen so the other parte which excluded the same as vnhabitable are to bee conuinced leaste theyr autoritie beinge admitted shuld ingender opinions not agreeable or conuenient to the nature of places Sigismundus Liberus in his commentaries of Moscouia wryteth thus Scandia or Scondia is no Iland as sume haue thought but parte of the continente or firme lande of Suetia which by a longe tracte reacheth to Gothlande And that nowe the kynge of Denmarke possesseth a great parte therof But wheras the wryters of these thinges haue made Scondia greater then Suetia that the Gothes and Lumbardes came frome thense The Gothes and Lumbardes they seeme in my opinion to comprehende these three kyngedomes as it were in one body only vnder the name of Scondia forasmuch as then that parte of lande that lyeth betwene the sea Balthrum whiche floweth by the coastes of Finlandia and the frosen sea was vnknowen And that by reason of so many marisshes innumerable ryuers and intemperatnesse of heauen it is yet rude vncultured and lyttle knowen Which thynge hath byn the cause that summe iudged all that was cauled by the name of Scondia to bee one great Ilande ¶ Gronlande GRonlande is interpreted greene lande so cauled for the great increase and frutefulnesse of pasture Frutefull pasture By reason wherof what great plentie of cat-cattayle there is it may hereby appere that at such tyme as shyppes may passe thyther they set furth great heapes of cheese and butter to bee sould wherby wee coniecture that the lande is not rowgh with barren mountaynes It hath two Cathedrall Churches vnder thordinaâ—ion of Nidrosia To one of these was of late yeares a bysshop appoynted onely by the tytle of a suffragane in consideration that while the metropolitane dooth neglect the direction of religion for the distance of the place and difficult nauigation the people is in maner faulne to gentilitie Religion neglected beinge of them selfe of mouable wyttes and gyuen to magical artes For it is sayde that they as also the people of Laponia doo rayse tempestes on the sea with magical inchauntmentes Inchaunters and brynge such shippes into daungeour as they intâ—â—de to spoile They vse lyttle shyppes made of lether and safe ageynste the brusynge of the sea and rockes and with them assayle other shippes Peter Martyr of Angletia writeth in his Decades of the Spanisshe nauigations that Sebastian Cabote sayling from Englande continually towarde the north The vyage of Sebastian Cabote to the frosen sea folowed that course so farre that he chaunsed vppon greate flakes of Ise in the mooneth of Iuly and that diuertynge from thense he folowed the coaste by the shore bendynge towarde the South vntyl he came to the clime of the Ilande of Hispaniola aboue Cuba an Iland of the Canibales Which narration hath giuen me occasion to extende Gronlande beyonde the promontory or cape of Huitsarch to the continente or firme lande of Lapponia aboue the castell of Wardhus Gronlande wardhus which thynge I did the rather for that the reuerende Archebysshoppe of Nidrosia constantely affirmed that the sea bendethe there into the forme of a crooked elbowe It agreeth herewith also that the Lapones consent with them in the lyke magical practises and doo neyther imbrase the Christian religion nor refuse it wherby I haue thowght this lykenesse of customes to bee betwene them bycause they ioyne togyther in one continent Lapponia Gronlande The distance lykewyse seemeth not to disagree For betwene both these people Schoeni the distance is not full twoo hundreth Schâ—ni euery one being a space of grounde conteinyng .lx. furlonges which make .vii. myles and a halfe It furthermore agreeth with this coniecture that Cabote chaunsed into such Ise. And albeit as touchynge the mooneth of Iuly Cabote tould me that this Ise is of fresshe water and not of the sea I wyll contend it is not well rehersed no althowghe he had sayled vnder the pole for such reasons as wee haue declared before to the contrary neuerthelesse that at sum tyme he sayled by Ise this testifieth in that he sayled not by the mayne sea but in places nere vnto the lande comprehendyng and imbrasyng the sea in forme of a goulfe A commixtioÌ„ of
of Cipango The Iland of Cipango which fauleth on the parte of great China or Cathay as wryteth Marcus Paulus Uenetus and other China Cathay And that he shulde sooner come thyther by folowyng the course of the soonne Westwarde then ageynst the same To the East by the west Albeit manye thynke that there is no suche Ilande or at the leaste not yet knowen by that name wheras also Marcus Paulus obserued no exacte description of the place eyther of this Ilande or of Cathay Marcus Paulus Uenetus ☞ The fyrste discouerynge of the Weste Indies A Certeyne caruell saylynge in the weste Ocean abowt the coastes of Spayne had a forcyble and continuall wynde from the East wherby it was dryuen to a land vnknowen and not descrybed in any mappe or carde of the sea A harde begynnyng and was dryuen styl alonge by the coaste of the same for the space of many dayes vntyll it came to a hauen where in a shorte tyme the most parte of the maryners beinge longe before verye weake and feeble by reason of hunger trauayle dyed So that only the pylot with thre or foure other remayned alyue And not only they that dyed dyd not inioy the Indies which they fyrst discouered to theyr mysfortune but the resydue also that lyued had in maner as lyttle fruition of the same not leauynge or at the least not openly publyshynge any memorie therof neyther of the place or what it was cauled or in what yeare it was founde Albeit the faute was not theyrs but rather the malice of other or the enuie of that which wee caule fortune I doo not therefore marueyle that the auncient hystories affirme that great thynges proceade and increase of smaul and obscure begynnynges Great thinges proceadyng of smaule and obscure begynnynges syth wee haue seene the same verefyed in this fyndyng of the Indies being so notable and newe a thynge Wee neede not bee curious to seeke the name of the pylot syth death made a shorte ende of his doinges Sum wyl that he came from Andaluzia and traded to the Ilands of Canaria and the Ilande of Madera when this large and mortal nauigation chauÌ„ced vnto hym The pylotte that fyrst founde the Indies Other say that he was a Byscayne and traded into Englande and Fraunce Other also that he was a Portugale and that eyther he wente or came from Mina or India Mina which agreeth well with the name of these newe landes as I haue sayde before Ageyne sum there bee that say that he browght the carauel to Portugale or to the Ilande of Madera or to sum other of the Ilandes cauled delos Azores Yet doo none of them affirme any thynge althowgh they all affirme that the pylotte dyed in the house of Chrystopher Colon with whome remayned al such wrytynges and annotacions as he hadde made of his vyage in the sayde carauell aswell of such thynges as he obserued both by lande and sea as also of the eleuation of the pole in those landes whiche he had discouered ¶ What maner of man Chrystopher Colon was and howe he Came fyrst to the knowleage of the Indies CHristopher Colon was borne in Cugureo or as sum say in Nerui a vyllage in the territorie of Genua in Italie He descended as sum thynke of the house of the Pelestreles of Placentia in Lumbardie He beganne of a chylde to bee a maryner of whose arte they haue great exercise on the ryuer of Genua Thus also began Rychard chaunceler He traded many yeares into Suria and other partes of the East After this he became a master in makynge cardes for the sea whereby he had great vantage He came to Portugale to knowe the reason and descrâ—ption of the south coaste of Affrica and the nauigations of the Portugales thereby to make his cardes more perfecte to bee solde He maryed in Portugale as sum say or as many say in the Ilande of Madera where he dwelt at suche tyme as the sayde caruell arryued there whose pylot suiorned in his house and dyed also there bequethynge to Colon his carde of the description of suche newe landes as he hadde founde wherby Colon had the fyrst knowleage of the Indyes Sum haue thowght that Colon was well lerned in the Latine tounge and the science of Cosmographie Colon was not much lerned and that he was therby fyrst moued to seeke the landes of the Antipodes and the ryche Ilande of Cipango whereof Marcus Paulus wryteth Also that he had redde what Plato in his dialoges of Timeus and Cricias wryteth of the greate Ilande Atlantide The Ilande â—tlantide and of a great lande in the West Ocean vndiscouered beinge bygger then Asia and Affrica Furthermore that he had knowleage what Aristotell and Theophrastus saye in theyr bookes of maruayles where they wryte that certeyne marchauntes of Carthage saylyng from the streyghtes of Gibraltar towarde the west and south The lande found by the Carthaginenses founde after many dayes a greate Ilande not inhabited yet replenyshed with al thinges requisite and hauynge many nauigable ryuers In deede Colon was not greately lerned yet of good vnderstandynge And when he had knowleage of the sayde new landes by the information of the dead pylot Colon conferred with lerned men made relation thereof to certeyne lerned men with whom he conferred as touchynge the lyke thynges mentioned of owlde autours He communicated this secreate and conferred chiefely with a fryer named Iohn Perez of Marchena that dwelt in the monastery of Rabida So that I verely beleue that in maner all that he declared and many thynges more that he lefte vnspoken were wrytten by the sayde Spanyshe pylot that dyed in his house For I am persuaded that if Colon by science atteyned to the knowleage of the Indies he wolde longe before haue communicate this secreate to his owne contrey men the Genueses that trauayle all the worlde for gaynes and not haue comme into Spayne for this purpose But doubtelesse he neuer thought of any such thyng before he chaunced to bee acquainted with the sayd pylot who founde those landes by fortune Chaunce and arte accordynge to the sayinge of Plinie Quod ars docere non potuit casus inuenit That is That arte coulde not teache chaunce founde Albeit the more Chrystian opinion is A Christian opinion to thinke that god of his singuler prouidence and infinite goodnesse at the length with eyes of compassion as it were lookynge downe from heauen vpon the sonnes of Adam so longe kepte vnder Sathans captiuitie intended euen then for causes to hym only knowen to rayse those wyndes of mercy whereby that caruell herein most lyke vnto the shyppe of Noe whereby the remanent of the hole world was saued as by this caruel this newe worlde receaued the fyrst hope of theyr saluation was dryuen to these landes The caruel coÌ„pared to the ship of Noye But wee wyll nowe declare what great thynges folowed
with theyr inuenemed arrowes and slaying the most parte caryed away the women With this euyll begynnynge Iohn Ponce departed frome hense to Boriquen and from thense to Florida wher he went alaude with his souldyers to espie a place moste commodious to inhabite and plant a colonie Boriquena But the Indians commynge furth ageynst hym to defende the enterance assayled the Spanyardes fiercely and slewe and wounded many of them At which conflicte also he hym selfe beinge wounded with an arrowe dyed shortely after in the Ilande of Cuba The deaâ—â— of Iohn Ponce and so endynge his lyfe consumed a great parte of the rychesse he had before begotten at saynt Iohannes of Boriquen This Iohn Ponce had before sayled with Chrystopher Colon to the Ilande of Hispaniola in the yeare .1493 He was a gentel souldier in the warres of this Ilande and capitayne of the prouince of Niguei for Nycolas de Quando â—hat conquested the same The region of Floryda is a poynt or cape of lande reachynge into the sea lyke vnto a tounge The land of Floryda beinge a famous and notorious place amonge the Indians by reaâ—on of many Spanyardes that haue bin slayne there But wheras by same this Floryda was estemed a ryche lande many valient and noble men desyred the conquest therof amonge whome Ferdinando de Soto who had before byn a capitayne in Peru and greatly inryched by thimprisonment of kynge Atabaliba atteÌ„pted Ferdinando de Soto a vyage thyther with a good bande of men and spente fyue yeare in seekynge of golde mynes supposynge that this lande hadde byn lyke vnto Peru. In fine he dyed there and was the destruction and vndoinge of all that went with hym withowt inhabytynge that lande The valiente myndes of the Spanyardes in the which the conquestours had hytherto neuer good successe forasmuche as these Indians are valiente archers and stronge and hardy men But the valiant myndes of the Spanyardes not discouraged by these mysaduentures after the death of Ferdinando Soto The thyrde attempte of the conqueste of Florida many woorthy gentelmen desyred this conquest in the yeare .1544 amonge whom was Iulyan Samano and Peter de Ahumada beinge brotherne and men of sufficient abilitie for such an enterprise But neyther themprour beinge then in Germanie neyther the prince Don Phylippe his sonne who gouerned all the kyngedomes of Castile and Aragonie neyther yet the counsayle of the Indies wolde in any case agree to the conqueste â—erteine fryers attempte the conquest onely with woordes but with euyll successe Neuerthelesse not vtterly contemnynge the matter which they were partly persuaded myght otherwyse bee browght to passe they sent thyther fryer Luys Cancell of Baluastro with other fryers of the order of saynt Dominike who offered them selues to conuerte the nations of that lande from theyr gentilitie to the fayth of Chryst and obedience to Themperoure onely with woordes The fryer therfore goinge forwarde on his vyage at the kynges charges in the yeare .1549 went aland with foure other fryers which he tooke with hym and certeyne maryners with owt harnesse or weapons vnto whom as he began his preachynge The fryers are slayne and eaten many of the Indians of the sayd Florida resorted to the sea syde where withowt gyuynge audience to his woordes they caryed hym away with three other of his companyons and dyd eate them whereby they suffered martyrdomâ— for the fayth of Chryst. The resydue that escaped made hast to the shyppe and kept them selues for confessours as sum say Many that fauoure thintente of the fryers doo nowe consyder that by that meanes the Indians coulde not be browght to owre frendeshippe and religion Neuerthelesse that if it coulde so haue byn browght to passe A new kynde of disgrading it had byn better There came of late from that shippe one that had byn the page of Ferdinando de Sodo who declared that the Indians hanged vp the skynnes with the heades and crownes of the sayd fryers in one of theyr temples ¶ An opinion that Europa Africa and Asia are Ilandes and of certeyne nauigations abowt the same THe anciente wryters diuided this owre worlde into Asia Africa and Europa by the ryuer Tanais as Isocrates declareth in his Panegyrico Afterwarde they diuided Asia and Africa by the â—urnynges and course of the ryuer Nilus thowghe the same had byn better by the sea Bermeto that is the redde sea which almoste trauerseth and passeth throwgh the lande from the Ocean to the sea Mediterraneum which diuideth Europa and Asia But Berosus the Caldean sayth that Noe gaue names to Africa Asia and Europa Noe gaue names to Africa Aâ—ia and Europa and gaue them to his sonnes Cham Sem and Iafet also that he sayled by the sea Mediterraneum ten yeres In fine we nowe conclude that the three sayde prouinces occupy this mydlande of the worlde All in geneâ—all say that Asia is greater then any of the other Aâ—ia and in maner as bygge as they both Albeit Herodotus in his Melpomene scorneth them that make Europe and Asia equall Europe affirmynge that Europe in longitude is equal to Asia and Afrike and that it passeeh them in latitude wherin he speaketh not greatly owt of square But to speake more of this elswhere not perteynynge to the matter wee haue in hande The hole earth is an Ilande I say that Homerus one of the most ancient wryters sayth that the world which is diuided into Asia Africa and Europa is an Ilande as reherseth Pomponius Mela in his thyrde booke Strabo in the fyrst boke of his Geographie sayth that the earth which is inhabited is an Ilande enuironed with the Ocean Hâ—ginius also and Solinus confirmed this sentence Althowghe Solinus doo erre in mystakinge the names of the seas supposynge that the Caspian sea was parte of the Ocean The Caspian sea beinge rather lyke vnto the sea Mediterraneum so named bycause it is in the mydlande as is the Caspian sea withowt participacion of the great Ocean Caliz is a ryuer Strabo wryteth that in the tyme of Tolomeus Euergetes one Eudoxus sayled three or foure tymes from Caliz to India â—auigations from the red sea to East India And that the guides of the redde sea cauled the goulfe of Arabie or Bermeio presented to the same kynge Tolomeus an Indian whome he brought frome thense Kynge Iuba also prooued this nauigation from Caliz to India as wryteth Solinus Whereby it appeareth that the nauigation to India by the Ocean was then wel knowen and frequented althowgh not so much as at this present the same beinge neyther then or nowe a thynge of gret difficultie or trauayle by the coastes of hotte regions The vyage to India by the noâ—th seas But to sayle from India to Caliz by the other parte of the north by a clyme and regions of extreme coulde shulde bee doubtlesse a difficult and daungerous thynge wherof is no memory amonge the owlde autours sauynge