not a lytle astonyshed to beholde our shippes with the sayles spread whereas they vse no sayles nor can vse but small ones yf they woulde by reason of the narownesse of theyr Canoas Swarmyng therefore about the shyppe with theyr Canoas whiche we may wel cal Monoxyla because they are made of one whole tree they feared not to shoote at our men beyng yet within their shyppes and keepyng them selues vnder the hatches as safely as yf they had ben defended with stone walles But when our men had shotte of certayne peeces of ordinaunce agaynst them they were so discomfited with the noyse and slaughter thereof that they droue them selues to flyght Being thus disparcled our men chased them with the ship boate toke many and slue many When the kynges heard the noyse of the gunnes and were certified of the losse of theyr men they sent ambassadours to Vincentius Agnes to entreate of peace fearyng the spoyle of theyr goodes and destruction of theyr people yf our men should come alande in theyr wrath and furie They desyred peace therefore as coulde be coniectured by theyr signes and poyntynges for our men vnderstoode not one woord of theyr language And for the better proofe that they desyred peace they presented our men with three thousande of those weyghtes of gold that the Spanyardes call Castellanum Aureum whiche they commonly call Pesum Also a great barrel of wood ful of moste excellent masculine Frankencense weighing about two thousande and sixe hundred poundes weight after eight ounces to the pounde whereby they knewe that that lande brought foorth great plentie of Frankencense for there is no entercourse of marchaundies betweene the inhabitauntes of Paria and the Sabeans being so farre distant wheras also they of Paria knowe nothing without theyr owne coastes With the golde and Frankencense whiche they presented to our men they gaue them also a great multitude of theyr peacockes both cockes and hennes dead and alyue aswel to satisfie theyr present necessitie as also to carry with them into Spayne for encrease lykewyse certayne carpettes couerlettes table clothes and hangyngs made of Gossampine silke finely wrought after a strange deuice with pleasant and variable colours hauyng golden belles and such other spangles and pendauntes as the Italians call Sonaglios and the Spanyardes Cascaueles hangyng at the purfles therof They gaue them furthermore speakyng popyngayes of sundry colours as many as they woulde aske for in Paria there is no lesse plentie of popyngayes then with vs of doues or sparows Thinhabitants of these regions both men women are apparelled with vestures made of gossampine cotton the men to the knees and the women to the calfe of the legge The fashion of theyr apparel is simple and playne muche lyke vnto the Turkes but the mens is double and quilted like that which the Turkes vse in the warres The princes of Paria are rulers but for one yeere but theyr auctoritie is no lesse among the people both in peace and warre then is thauctoritie of other kyngs in those regions Their villages are builded in compasse along by the bankes of al that great gulfe Fyue of theyr princes came to our men with theyr presentes whose names I thought woorthy to be put in this historie in remembrance of so notable a thing Chiaconus Chiauaccha that is the prince of Chiauaccha for they cal princes or kings Chiaconus Chiaconus Pintiguanus Chiaconus Chamailaba Chiaconus Polomus ▪ and Chiaconus Potto The gulfe beyng first found of the Admiral Colonus they cal Baia Natiuitatis because he entred into the same in the day of y e natiuitie of Christ but at that time he only passed by it without any further searchyng and Baia in the Spanyshe tong signifieth a gulfe Whē Vincentius had thus made a league with these princes folowyng his appoynted course he founde many regions toward y e East desolate by reason of diuers floods and ouerflowyngs of waters also many standyng pooles in diuers places and those of exceeding largenesse He ceassed not to folowe this tracte vntyl he came to the poynt or cape of that most long lande This poynt seemeth as though it would inuade the mount Atlas in Aphrica for it prospecteth towarde that part of Aphrike which the Portugales cal Caput bonae Sperantiae The poynte◠or capes of the mount Atlas are rough and sauage neere vnto the sea The cape of Bona Speranza geathereth thyrtie and foure degrees of the South pole called the pole Antartike but that poynt only seuen degrees I suppose this lande to be that whiche I fynde in olde wryters of Cosmographie to be called the great Ilande Atlantike without any further declaryng eyther of the situation or of the nature thereof The eight booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed continent WHen Iohn the king of Portugale liued whiche was predecessour to him that nowe raigneth there arose a great contention betweene the Castilians and the Portugales as concernyng the dominion of these newe founde landes The Portugales because they were the fyrst that durst attempt to searche the Ocean sea synce the memorie of man affirmed that al the nauigations of the Ocean ought to parteyne to them only The Castilians argued on the contrary part that whatsoeuer God by the ministration of nature hath created on the earth was at the begynnyng common among men and that it is therefore lawful to euery man to possesse such lands as are voyde of Christian inhabitours Whyle the matter was thus vncertaynelye debated both parties agreed that the controuersie shoulde be desyded by the byshop of Rome and plighted fayth to stande to his arbitrement The kyngdome of Castile was at that tyme gouerned by that great queene Helisabeth with her husband for the Realme of Castile was her dowrie She also and the kyng of Portugale were cosyn germanes of two systers by reason whereof the dissention was more easyly pacified By the assent therfore of both parties Alexander the bishop of Rome the .vi. of that name by thaucthoritie of his leaden bull drewe a right lyne from the North to the South an hundred leagues Westwarde without the paralels of those Ilandes whiche are called Caput Viride or Cabouerde within the compasse of this lyne although some denye it falleth the poynt of this lande whereof we haue spoken whiche they cal Caput Sancti Augustini otherwyse called Promontorium Sancti Augustini that is saint Augustines cape or poynt and therefore it is not lawful for the Castilians to fasten foote in the begynnyng of that land Vincentius Annez therefore departed from thence beyng aduertised of the inhabitantes that on the other syde of the hygh mountaynes towarde the South lying before his eyes there was a region called Ciamba whiche brought forth great plentie of golde Of certayne captiues whiche he tooke in the gulfe of Paria whiche certaynely parteyneth to the dominion of Castile he brought some with him to Hispaniola and left
sea and the next day all day and the next nyght after vntyl the thyrde day of the sayde moneth about noone makyng our way good dyd runne .60 leagues Item from .xii. of the clocke the thyrde daye tyll .xii. of the clocke the .iiii. day of the sayde moneth makyng our way good southest dyd runne euery three houres two leagues which amounteth to .xvi. leagues the whole Item from xâ—i of the clocke the .iiii. day to .xii. of the clocke the .v. day running southwest in the sea dyd runne .xii. leagues Item runnyng from .xii. of the clocke the .v day vntyll .xii. of the cloke the .vi. day runnyng southeast dyd runne xviii leagues And so from .xii. of the clocke the .vi. day vntyll .xii. of the clocke the .vii. day runnyng southsouthwest dyd runne euery houre .ii. leagues which amount to .xlviii. leagues the whole Item from .xii. of the clocke the .vii. day tyll .iii. of the clocke the .viii. day southsouthwest runnyng in the sea dyd runne .xxx. leagues Item from three of the clocke the .viii. day vntill .iii. of the clocke the .ix. day runnyng southsouthwest dyd runne .xxx. leagues Item from .iii. of the clocke the .ix. day tyll .iii. of the clocke the .x. daye dyd southsoutheast in runnyng in the sea the summe of .xxiiii. leagues Also from .iii. of the clocke the .x. day vntyll .xii of the clocke the .xi. daye dyd runne southsouthwest the summe of .xii. leagues and from .xii. of the clocke tyll .vi of the sayde daye dyd runne vi leagues Running south and by west in the sea from .vi. of the clocke the xi day til .vi. of the clocke the xii day dyd runne .xxxvi. leagues From .vi. of the clocke at after noone the .xii. daye tyll .vi. of the clocke the .xiii. daye at after noone dyd runne .xiii. leagues Item from .vi. of the clocke the .xiii. daye tyll .vi. of the clocke the .xiiii. day at after noone we were becalmed that we coulde lye southwest with a sayle And the .xv. daye in the mornyng the wynd came to the East and Eastnortheast The .xvii. daye in the mornyng we had syght of the I le of Madera whiche doth ryse to hym that commeth in the northnortheast part vpryght lande in the west part of it and very hygh and to the southsoutheast a lowe long lande and a long poynt with a saddle thorough the myddest of it standeth in the .xxxii. degrees and in the west part many sprynges of water runnyng downe from the mountayne and many whyte fieldes lyke vnto corne fieldes and some whyte houses to the southeast parte of it and the toppe of the mountayne sheweth very ragged if you may see it and in the northeast part there is a byght or bay as though it were a harborowe Also in the sayd part there is a rocke a litle distance from the shore and ouer the sayde byght you shall see a great gap in the mountayne The .xix. day at .xii. of the clocke we had syght of the I le of Palmes and Teneriffa and the Canaries The I le of Palme riseth round and lyeth southeast and northwest and the northwest part is lowest In the south is a round hyll ouer the head land and an other round hyll aboue that in the land There is betwene the Southeast part of the I le of Madera and the northwest part of the I le of Palme .lvii. leagues This I le of Palme lyeth in the .xxix. degrees And our course from Madera to the I le of Palme was south south and by west so that we had sight of Teneriffa of the Canaries The southeast part of the I le of Palme and the northnortheast of Teneriffa lieth southeast and northwest and betweene them is twentie leagues Teneriffa and the great Canarie called Grancanaria and the West part of Fortisuentura standeth in .xxvii. degrees and a halfe Gomera is a fayre Iland and very ragged and lyeth West Southwest of Teneriffa And who so euer wyll come betweene them two Ilandes must come South and by East and in the South part of Gomera is a towne and a good rode in the sayde parte of the Ilande and it standeth in twentie and seuen degrees and three terces Teneriffa is an hygh land a great hygh pycke lyke a suger loafe and vpon the said picke is snow throughout al the whole yeere And by reason of that pycke it may be knowen aboue al other Ilandes and there we were becalmed the .xx. day of Nouember from syxe of the clocke in the mornyng vntyl foure of the clocke at after noone Betweene Gomera and Cape de las Barbas THe .xxii. day of Nouember vnder the Tropyke of Cancer the Sunne goeth downe West and by South Upon the coast of Barbarie .xxv. leagues by North Cape blanke at three leagues of the mayne there is .xv. fadome and good shelly grounde sand among and no streames and two small Ilandes standyng in the .xxii. degrees a terce From Gomera to Cape de las Barbas is an hundred leagues and our course was South and by East The sayde Cape standeth in xxii and a halfe and all that coast is flatte .xvi. or xvii fadome deepe Uii. or .viii leagues of frâ—m the ryuer de Oro to cape de las Barbas there vse many Spanyardes and Portugales to trade for fyshyng duryng the moneth af Nouember and al that coast is very lowe landes Also we went from cape de las Barbas southsouthwest and southwest and by south tyl we brought our selues in .xx. degrees and a halfe reckonyng our selues .vii. leagues of and that was the least sholes of cape Blanke Then we went South vntil we brought our selues in thyrtene degrees reckonyng our selues twentie and fyue leagues of And in fyfteene degrees we did reare the crossiers and we myght haue reared them sooner if we had loked for them They are not ryght a Crosse in the moneth of Nouember by reason of the nyghtes are short there Neuerthelesse we had the syght of them the .xxix. day of the sayde moneth at nyght The fyrst of December out thyrteene degrees we set our course South and by East vntyl the fourth day of December at twelue of the clocke the same day Then we were in niene degrees and a terce reckonyng our selues thyrtye leagues of the sholes of the ryuer called Ria Grande beyng West Southwest of them the whiche sholes be thyrtie leagues long The fourth of December â–ª we began to set our course Southeast we beyng in syxe degrees and a halfe The nienth day of December we set our course East Southeast the fourteenth day of the sayde moneth we set our course East we beyng in fyue degrees and a halfe reckonyng our selues thyrtie and syxe leagues from the coast of Guinea The .xix. of the sayde moneth we set our course East and by North reckoning our selues .xvii. leagues distant from Cape Mensurado the sayde Cape beyng East Northeast of vs and the ryuer of
and the kyng of Portugale These Iudges gaue sentence vppon this matter callyng the contrary parte before them vppon the brydge of Caya in the yeere .1524 The Portugales could neyther disturbe or deferre the sentence nor yet would they allowe it to be iust and accordyng to ryght Saying that there was not sufficient processe made that they should passe to the giuyng of sentence and so departed threatenyng to sleye the Castilians as many as they should fynde in the Ilandes of the Malucas For they knewe ryght well that theyr countreymen the Portugales had already taken the shyppe called the Trinitie and had also taken the Castilians in Tidore Then also departed our men takyng theyr iourney to the Courte gyuyng vp to the Emperour all their writinges and declaration what they had done And according to this declaration must be signed and marked all Globes and Mappes whiche good Cosmographers maisters doe make The line also of the repartition and last diuision of the newe world of the Indies ought to passe litle more or lesse by the poyntes of Humos and Buen Abrigo as I haue sayde in an other place And thus shall it appeare euidently that the Ilandes of spices and also the great Ilande of Samotra doe parteyne to Castile But the lande of Brasile parteyneth to the kyng of Portugale where the Cape of sainct Augustine is being .viii. degrees beneath the Equinoctiall This lande reacheth from the poynte of Humos to the poynte of Buen Abrigo and is in length North and South .viii. hundred leagues being also some way two hundred leagues East and West And heere after these serious matters wee will rehearse one mery thyng whiche was this It so chaunced that as Frances de Melo Diego Lopes of Sequeyra and other of those Portugales of this assembly walked by the ryuers syde of Guadiana a litle boye who stoode keepyng his mothers clothes which shee had washed demaunded of them whether they were those men that parted the worlde with the Emperour And as they answered yea he tooke vp his sherte and shewed them his bare arse saying Come and drawe your lyne heere through the myddest Which saying was afterward in euery mans mouth and laughed at in the towne of Badaios yea euen among the Commissioners them selues of whom some were angry and some marueyled at the saying of the chylde The cause and aucthoritie whereby they diuided the Indies THe Castilians and Portugales had long debated and reasoned about the golde myne of Guinea which was found in the yeere of our Lorde .1471 in the tyme of the raigne of Don Alonso kyng of Portugale y e fyrst of that name This was a matter of great importaunce For the Negros or blacke Moores for thinges of no value gaue golde by whole handfulles whiche was at that tyme when the sayde kyng of Portugale pretended title and clayme to the kingdome of Castile in the ryght of his wife Queene Ioane called the excellent agaynst the Catholyke Princes Isabel and Don Fernando whose it was in deede But that stryfe was ended as soone as Don Fernando had vanquished Don Alonso at a place called Temulos nor farre from Toro whiche place Don Fernando chose rather to make warre agaynst the Moores of Granada then to buye and sell with the blacke Moores of Guinea And thus the Portugales remayned with the conqueste of Affryke from the streightes forwarde which beganne where the infante of Portugale Don Henrique sonne to Kyng Iohn the bastarde and maister of Auis dyd begyn to enlarge it When Pope Alexander the .vi. beyng a Ualentinian borne had knowledge hereof hee mynded to gyue the Indies to the kynges of Castile without any preiudice to the Portugales who had conquered the sea coastes of Affryke These Indies the Pope gaue of his owne mynde without the motion of any other with this burden charge that they should conuerte the Idolatours to the fayth of Christ and commaunded a lyne or meridian to bee drawen North and South from one hundred leagues Westward beyonde one of the Ilandes of Capo Verde towarde the Weste bycause the Spanyardes should not meddle in Affrike parteynyng to the conquest of the Portugales to the auoydyng of all stryfe betweene them Kyng Iohn of Portugale the seconde of that name was greatly offended when he red the Bull and donation of the pope although his owne Ambassadours had made the selfe same request vnto his holinesse He also founde him selfe agreeued with the Catholyke princes Isabel and Fernando that they had shortened the course of the landes he had discouered depriuyng him of the rychesse which belonged to him and therefore refused to stande to the Popes Bull in this case desiryng the Catholyke princes Isabel and Fernando to graunt him three hundred leagues more to the West besyde the one hundred which they had graunted before and thâ—rewith sent his shyppes to keepe the coastes of Affryke The princes Catholyke were content to satisfie his mynd and to please him according to theyr gentle nature and for the aliance that was betweene them And in fine with the consent agreement of the Pope graunted two hundred sixtie leagues more then the Bull made mention of at Tordesillas the seuenth day of Iune in the yeere of our Lorde .1494 And wheras our kynges thought that they shoulde haue loste grounde in graunting so many leagues that way they woon by that meanes the Ilandes of the Malucas with many other ryche Ilandes The kyng of Portugale also herein deceyued him selfe or was deceyued of his whom he put in trust hauyng no certayne knowledge of the situation of the Ilandes of the ryche Spicery in demaundyng that which the kyng dyd demaunde For it had ben better for him to haue requested the three hundred and sixtie leagues rather Eastwarde from the Ilandes of Capo Verde then towarde the Weste And yet for all that I doubt whether the Malucas should haue fallen within his conquest accordyng to the ordinarie accoumpte and dimension which the Pylottes and Cosmographers doe make And after this maner they diuided the Indies betweene them by aucthoritie of the Pope for the auoydyng of further stryfe and contention Howe and by what occasion the Emperour layde the Ilandes of Maluccas to pledge to the kyng of Portugale WHen the Kyng of Portugale Don Iuan the thyrd of that name had knowledge that the Cosmographers and pylottes of Castile had drawen the lyne from the place before named and that he could not deny the trueth fearyng also thereby to leese the trade of spices made suite request to the Emperour that he should not sende foorth Louisa nor Sebastian Cabote to the Malucas and that the Castilians should not attempte the trade of spices nor see suche euylles and miseries as his Captaynes had shewed in those Ilandes to them that aduentured that viage with Magallanes which thyng he greatly couered although he payde
thousande pounde of our money The starres about the south pole A similitude declaryng Antipodes The maner of of fyshyng for pearles Petrus Arias Wanton and superfluous pleasures The fyshyng place of kyng Chiapes Gold in maner in euery house The rych treasury of nature The golde mynes of Dariena King Teaocha enterteyneth Vaschus frendly Twenty pound weyght of wrought gold Desartes ful of wylde beastes Dryed fyshe Kyng Pacra a tyraunt Great heate in the moneth of Nouember Hurt by wylde beastes A Tyger Calidonia is a forrest in Scotlande Nemea is a wood in Greece Tigers whelpes Thus the Egiptians take Crocodiles The dogge tyger taken The roryng of the tyger Tigers flesh eaten The biâ—the tyger Tigers whelpes A straunge thyng Kyng Pacra Natural hatred of vice Foure Kynges deuoured of dogges The vse of dogges in warre against naked men The Canibales are expert archers Swoordes of wood Fiftie pound weight of gold Kyng Bononiama frend to the christians Wrought gold The oration of kyng Bononiama The sparke of the lawe of nature is the lawe written in the hartes of men Great plenty of golde A symilitude for the profe of plentye of golde Chaunge of dyet is daungerous Old souldiers A long lent Comogrus Two poore kynges Desartes Vessels of golde kyng Chiorisus sendeth Vaschus xxx dyshes of pure golde Axes of Iron more esteemed then any golde Plenty of gold and scarcenesse of meate A good policie The cause of vehement windes neere the Equinocciall Vaschus his Wordes to King Tumanama Oderuut quem metuunt Xxx. pounde weight of wrought gold Threescore poundes weight of gold They abhorrce labour The coloure of the golden earth and a triall of the same Tokens of great plentle of gold Feeblenesse of hunger and watching The riuer Comogrus Vaschus returneth to Dariena The good fortune of Vaschus O flatteryng fortune looke his death in the booke of the Iland lately found The earth is our generall mother The cout of infernal Pluto Manhuntees The fyersnessâ— of the Canibales Our duty to god and naturall loue to mankinde The office of Christian princes The haruest is great The fourth nauigation of Colonus the Admiral From Spaine to Hispaniola a thousande and two hundred leagues Simple people A great marchaunt Gentle people The regions of Tuia Maia Seuen kyndes of date trees Wilde vines Mirobalanes Byrdes and foules People of goodly stature They poynt theyr bodyes The swyft course of the sea from the East to the West Freshe water in the sea Fayre ryuers Great reedes Great Tortoyses Quatuor tempora The region of Quicuri The hauen of Cariai or Mirobalanus Ciuile and humane people Trees growing in the sea after a strange sort Plinie A strange kynd of Monkeys A Monkey fyghteth with a man A conflyct betwene a Monkey and a wyld Bore The bodyes of kynges dryed and reserued Crownes of beastes clawes Spytefull people Guns make peace Seuen golden ryuers Note wher the plentie of gold endeth Crocodiles of sweet sauour Alcayr or Babylon in Egypt Shyppes eaten with wormes Alexandria in Egypt Howe the kyng of Beragua entertayned the Lieuetenant Their reuereÌ„ce to their kyng Slynges and dartes Libertie more esteemed then ryches The Spanyardes are dryuen to flyght A miserable case Necessitie hath no lawe Howe farre life is to be estemed Sanctus Dominicus Landes founde by Colonus Themperat regions and holsome ayre Expert miners A godly nature in golde Golden haruest High and great mountaynes Tirrhenum is nowe called Tuscane The mouÌ„tayns of Beragua higher then the cloudes Mountaynes of fiftie myles heyght Ianus otherwase called Iaphet the son of Noe. By this coniecture the way shoulde open to Cathai by the Hiperboreans Looke the nauigation of Cabote Deca iii. lib. vi The great riuer Maragnonus The great riuer Dabaiba or sancti Iohannes The riuers haue theyr increase from the sprynges of the mountaynes The ryuer of Nilus in Egypt Maryshes and desolate wayes A superstitious opinion of the originall of the mountaynes of Dabaiba Dragons and Crocodiles in the maryshes The hauen Cerabaro Twentie golden ryuers Precious stones A precious Diamond of exceeding bignes Topasis The nauigation of Petrus Arias The Ilande of Canarie Prouision of freshe water and fuel The sea of hearbes These mountaines are called Montes Niuales or Serra Neuata Decade .ii. lib. 1. and .ii. Mountaynes couered with snowe The stoutnes of the Barbarians The Canibales fight in the water The vse of gunnes The generation of thunder and lyghtning Plentie of fysh Cunning fyshers Tapistrie This is he whom Cardanus praiseth Precious stones The Smaradge is the true Hâ—merode Another kynde of Amber is founde in Whales Golde and Brasile Marchasites are flowres of mettals by the colours whereof the kyndes of mettals are knowen These Locustes burne the corne with touching and deuoure the residue They are in India of three foote length Gardens Insubres are nowe called Lumbardes and Hetruci Tuscans One myriade is ten thousande The manner of plantyng the roote Iucca Earth turned into rootes Howe bread is made of rootes Panicum is a grayne somewhat lyke mil The Italians cal it Melica He meaneth the equal length of day and nyght which is continualy in regions vnder the Equinoctiall line Holsome ayre Gossampine Cotton Fethers Bowes and arrowes Dead bodies reserued Gonzalus Ouiâ—dus sayeth that they gylt marueylously with the iuce of a certayne hearbe White marble The great riuer Maragnonus This ioyneth with the mighty riuer called Flumen Amazonum founde of late Clokes of fethers The swift course of the water Fourtie leagues in one nyght Sundry opinions why the sea runneth with so swyft course from the East into the West The Equinoctial line Why al waters moue towarde the south or Equinoctial read Cardanus ae subtilit liber ii de elementis Strayghtes As by the strayght of Magelanus The north landes The frosen sea Sebastian Cabot The voyage of Sebastian Cabot from Englande to the frosen sea Demogorgon is the spirite of the earth People couered with beastes skynnes The Ilandes of the Canybales The Ilande Fortis Salte A strange thing Howe Vaschus receiued the newe gouernour Habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall line Where the new gouernour planteth his habitation A passinger shyp Decurians are officers deuided into tennes c. The gold mines of Dabaiba An errour The region of Saturma The Ilande of Dominica Difficult saylyng agaynst the course of the sea The daungerous straightes of Scylla and Charibdis The vehement course of the sea from the east to the west By what meanes the Sonne beames are cause of feruent heate The pernitious ayre of Dariena Toades and Flees engendred of drops of water Necessitie hath no lawe A house set on fyre with lightnyng A dogge deuoured of a Crocodile Tanquam canis de Nilo The bytyng of Battes Lions and Tygers Beastes waxe higher in theyr kynde Note Broma or Bissa are wormes which destroy shyppes A venemous tree Perhaps their venemous arrows are made of this wood A preseruatiue against poison The Ilandes of the
discription hereof then is sayde of the henne when she seeth her young chycken inwrapped in towe or flaxe The breadth of that lande from the North Ocean to the south sea is only sixe dayes iourney by relation of the inhabitauntes The multitude therfore and greatnesse of the riuers on the one syde and on the other syde the narownesse of the lande bryng me into suche doubt howe it can come to passe that in so lytle a space of three dayes iourney measuryng from the high toppes of those mountaynes I doo not vnderstande howe so many and so great ryuers may haue recourse vnto this North sea for it is to be thought that as many do flow toward thinhabitants of the south These riuers of Vraba are but small in comparison of many other in those coastes for the Spanyardes say that in the tyme of Colonus they found and passed by an other riuer after this whose gulfe fallyng into y e sea they affirme to be litle lesse then a hundred myles in the fyrst coastes of Paria as we haue sayde elsewhere for they say that it falleth from the toppes of high mountaynes with so swyft and furious a course that by the violence and greatnesse thereof it dryueth backe the sea although it be rough enforced with a contrary wynd They al affirme lykewyse that in al the large tracte therof they felt no sowre or salt water but that all the water was freeshe sweete and apt to be drunke Thinhabitauntes call this ryuer Maragnonum and the regions adiacent to the same Mariatambal Camamorus and Paricora besyde those riuers whiche I haue named before as Darien â–ª Grandis Dabaiba Beragua Sancti Mathei Boius gatti Delagartos Gaira they which of late haue searched those coastes haue founde many other Deliberatyng therefore with me selfe from whence these mountaynes beyng so narowe and neare vnto the sea on both sydes haue suche great holowe caues or dennes of such capacitie and from whence they are fylled to cast foorth suche abundance of water hereof also askyng them the opinions of the inhabitauntes they affirme them to be of diuers iudgementes herein alleaging fyrst the greatnes of the mountaynes to be the cause whiche they say to be verye high whiche thyng also Colonus the first fynder thereof affirmeth to be true addyng thereunto that the paradise of pleasure is in the tops of those mountaynes whiche appeare from the gulfe of Paria Os Draconis as he is fully perswaded They agree therefore that there are great caues within these mountaynes but it resteth to consyder from whence they are fylled If therfore al the riuers of freshe waters by the opinion of many do so flowe out of the sea as dryuen and compelled through the passages or pores of the earth by the ponderous weyght of the sea it selfe as we see them breake foorth of the sprynges and directe theyr course to the sea agayne then the thyng is lesse to be marueyled at here then in other places for we haue not read that in any other place two suche seas haue enuironed any lande with so narowe lymyttes for it hath on the ryght syde the great Ocean where the sunne goeth downe on the left hande and another on the other syde where the sunne ryseth nothyng inferiour to the fyrste in greatnesse for they suppose it to be myxte and ioyned as al one with the sea of East India This lande therfore beyng burdened with so great a weyght on the one syde on the other yf this opinion be of any value is enforced to swalowe vp such deuoured waters and agayne to cast foorth the same in open springes and streames But yf we shall denye that the earth draweth humours of the sea and agree that all fountaynes or sprynges are engendred of the conuersion or turnyng of ayre into water distilling within the holow places of the mountaines as the most part thinke we wyll geue place rather to thaucthoritie of them whiche stycke to those reasons then that our sense is satisfied of the ful trueth thereof Yet do I not repugne that in some caues of mountaynes water is turned into ayre for I mee selfe haue seene howe in the caues of manye mountaynes in Spayne in manner showres of rayne do fall continuallye and that the water geathered by this meanes doth sende foorth certayne riuers by the sydes of the mountaynes wherewith all suche trees as are planted on the steepe or foote of the mountaynes as vines oliue trees and suche other are watered and this especially in one place as the right honorable Lodouike the Cardinal of Aragonie most obsequious to your holynesse and two other bishops of Italy whereof the one is Siluius Pandonus and the other an Archbishop whose name and title I do not remember can beare me witnesse for when we were togeather at Granata lately deliuered from the dominion of the Moores and walked for our pastyme to certaine pleasant hilles by the whiche there ranne a fayre ryuer â–ª while Cardinal Lodouike occupied hym selfe in shootyng at byrdes whiche were in the bushes neere vnto the ryuer I thother two bishops determined to clime the mountaynes to searche the original and spryng of the ryuer for we were not farre from the toppes thereof Folowyng therfore the course of the ryuer we founde a great caue in which was a continual fal of water as it had ben a showre of rayne the water whereof fallyng into a trenche made with mans hande encreaseth to a ryuer and runneth downe by the sydes of the mountaynes The lyke is also seene in this famous towne of Valladoleto where we nowe soiourne in a certaine greene close not past a furlong distant from the walles of the towne I graunt therefore that in certayne places by conuersion of the ayrie deawe into water within the caues of suche mountaynes many springes and riuers are engendred but I suppose that nature was not sollicitate to bryng foorth suche great floods by this so small industrie Two reasons therfore do sounde best to my iudgement wherof the one is the often fal of rayne the other the continual autume or spryng tyme which is in those regions being so neere vnto the Equinoctial that the common people can perceiue no difference betweene the length of the day and the nyght throughout all the yeere where as these two seasons are more apt to engender abundance of rayne then eyther extreme wynter or feruent sommer An other reason in effect much like vnto the fyrst is this If the sea be ful of pores and that by the pores thereof being opened by the south wyndes we shal consent that vapours are lyfted vp whereof the watery cloudes are engendred this lande must needes be moysted with moe showres then anye other yf it be as narowe as they say and enuironed with two mayne seas collaterally beatyng on the same howsoeuer it be I can not but geue credite to the report of suche worthy men as haue
the woorkemen are but fewe As we haue sayde at the begynnyng your holynesse shal hereafter nouryshe many myriades of broodes of chyckens vnder your wynges But let vs nowe returne to speake of Beragua beyng the West syde of Vraba and first found by Colonus the Admiral then vnfortunately gouerned by Diego Nicuesa and nowe left in maner desolate with the other large regions of those prouinces brought from theyr wylde and beastly rudenesse to ciuilitie and true religion The fourth booke of the thyrde Decade I Was determined moste holy father to haue proceeded no further herein but y e one fyery sparke yet remaynyng in my minde would not suffer me to ceasse Whereas I haue therfore declared how Beragua was fyrst founde by Colonus me thynke I should commit a haynous crime if I shoulde defraud the man of the due commendations of his trauayles of his cares and troubles and finally of the daungers peryls whiche he susteyned in that nauigation Therfore in the yeere of Christ 1502. in the .6 day of the Ides of May he hoysed vp his sayles and departed from the Ilandes of Gades with foure shyppes of fyftie or threescore tunne a peece with a hundred threescore and ten men and came with prosperous wynde to the Ilandes of Canariae within fyue dayes folowyng From thence arryuyng the .16 day at the Ilande of Dominica being the cheefe habitation of the Canibales he saâ—led from Dominica to Hispaniola in fiue other dayes Thus within the space of .26 dayes with prosperous wynde and by the swyfte fall of the Ocean from the East to the West he sayled from Spayne to Hispaniola whiche course is counted of the mariners to be no lesse then a thousand and two hundred leagues He taryed but a whyle in Hispaniola whether it were wyllyngly or that he were so admonished of the Uice Roy. Directyng therefore his voyage from thence toward the west leauyng the Ilandes of Cuba and Iamaica on his ryght hand towarde the north he wryteth that he chaunced vppon an Ilande more southwarde then Iamaica whiche thinhabitantes call Guanassa so floryshyng and fruitefull that it might seeme an earthlye Paradyse Coastyng along by the shores of this Iland he mette two of the Canoas or boates of those prouinces whiche were drawne with two naked slaues agaynst the streame In these boates was caryed a ruler of the Iland with his wyfe and chyldren all naked The slaues seeyng our men a lande made signes to them with proud countenaunce in theyr maisters name to stand out of the way and threatned them if they woulde not geue place Their symplenes is such that they neyther feared the multitude or power of our men or the greatnes and straungenes of our shyppes They thought that our men woulde haue honoured theyr maister with lyke reuerence as they dyd Our men had entelligence at the length that this ruler was a great marchant which came to the marte from other coastes of the Ilande for they exercyse bying and sellyng by exchaunge with their confines He had also with hym good store of suche ware as they stand in neede of or take pleasure in as laton belles rasers knyues and hatchettes made of a certayne sharpe yellowe bryght stone with handles of a strong kinde of wood also many other necessary instrumentes with kytchen stuffe and vesselles for all necessary vses lykewyse sheetes of gossampine cotton wrought of sundrie colours Our men toke hym prysoner with al his family but Colonus commaunded hym to be loosed shortly after and the greatest part of his goodes to bee restored to wynne his frendshyppe Beyng here instructed of a land lying further toward the south he tooke his voyage thyther Therfore litle more then tenne myles distant from hence he founde a large land whiche thinhabitants called Quiriquetana but he named it Ciamba When he went a lande and commaunded his chaplaine to say masse on the sea bankes a great confluence of the naked inhabitantes flocked thither symply and without feare bringyng with them plenty of meate and freshe water marueylyng at our men as they had ben some straunge miracle When they had presentted theyr giftes they went somwhat backward and made lowe curtesy after theyr maner bowyng their heades and bodyes reuerently He recompensed their gentilnes rewardyng them with other of our thynges as counters braslettes and garlands of glasse and counterfet stones lookyng glasses needelles and pynnes with suche other trashe whiche seemed vnto them pretious marchandize In this great tracte there are two regions whereof the one is called Tuia and the other Maia He writeth that all that lande is very fayre and holsome by reason of the excellent temperatnesse of the ayre And that it is inferiour to no land in fruitefull ground beyng partly full of mountaynes and partly large playnes also replenyshed with many goodly trees holsome hearbes continuyng greene and floryshyng al the whole yeere It beareth also very many holly trees and pyneaple trees Also .vii. kyndes of date trees wherof some are fruitefull and some baren It bryngeth foorth likewyse of it selfe Pelgoras and wilde vines laden with grapes euen in the wooddes among other trees He sayth furthermore that there is such abundaunce of other pleasunt and profitable fruites that they passe not of vines Of one of those kindes of date trees they make certayne long and brode swoordes and dartes These regions beare also gossampyne trees here and there commonly in the woods Lykewise Mirobalanes of sundry kyndes as those which the phisitians call Emblicos and Chebulos Maizium also Iucca Ages and Battatas lyke vnto those which we haue sayd before to be founde in other regions in these coastes The same noorysheth also Lions Tygers Hartes Roes Goates and dyuers other beastes Lykewyse sundry kyndes of byrdes and foules among the whiche they keepe onely them to franke and feede which are in colour bygnes and tast muche lyke vnto our Pehennes He sayth that thinhabitantes are of hygh and goodly stature well lymmed and protioned both men and women coueryng theyr priuy partes with fyne breeches of gossampyne cotton wrought with diuers colours And that they may seeme the more comely and beautifull as they take it they paynt theyr bodies redde and blacke with the iuice of certayne apples whiche they plant in theyr gardens for the same purpose Some of them paynt theyr whole bodyes some but part and other some drawe the portitures of hearbes floures and knottes euery one as seemeth best to his owne phantasie Theyr language differeth vtterly from theyrs of the Ilandes neere about them From these regions the waters of the sea ran with as full a course towards the West as if it had byn the fail of a swift riuer Neuerthelesse he determined to searche the East partes of this land reuoluyng in his minde that the regions of Paria Os draconis with other coastes founde before towards the East shoulde be neere there about as
in deede they were Departyng therfore from the large region of Quiriquetana the .xiii. day of the calendes of September when he had sayled thyrtie leagues he found a ryuer within the mouth wherof he drewe freshe water in the sea where also the shore was so cleane without rockes that he founde grounde euery where where he myght aptly cast anker He writeth that the swift course of the Ocean was so vehement and contrary that in the space of fourtie dayes he coulde scarcely sayle threescore and tenne leagues and that with much dyfficultie with many fetches and compassynges fyndyng him selfe to be some tymes repulsed and dryuen farre backe by the violent course of the sea when he woulde haue taken lande towarde the euening leaste perhaps wanderyng in vnknowen coastes in the darcknesse of the nyght he myght be in daunger of shypwracke He wryteth that in the space of eyght leagues he found three great and fayre ryuers vpon the banckes whereof there grewe reedes bygger then a mannes thygh In these riuers was also great plenty of fyshe and great Tortoyses Lykewyse in many places multitudes of Crocodyles lying in the sande and yanyng to take the heate of the sonne besyde dyuers other kyndes of beastes wherunto he gaue no names He sayeth also that the soyle of that lande is verye diuers and variable beyng somewhere stonye and full of rough and craggie promontories or poyntes reachyng into the sea and in other places as fruitefull as may be They haue also diuers kynges and rulers In some places they call a kyng Cacicus in other places they call hym Quebi and somewhere Tiba Such as haue behaued them selues valyantlye in the warres agaynst theyr enemies and haue theyr faces full of scarres they call Cupras and honour them as the antiquitie dyd the gods whiche they called Heroes supposed to be the soules of suche men as in theyr lyfe tyme excelled in vertue and noble actes The common people they call Chiui and a man they call Homem When they say in theyr language take man they say Hoppa home After this he came to an other ryuer apt to beare great shippes before the mouth whereof lye foure small Ilandes full of floryshyng and fruitfull trees these Ilandes he named Quatuor tempora From hence sayling toward the East for the space of .xiii. leagues styl against the violent course of the water he found twelue other small Ilandes in the which because he founde a new kind of fruites much like vnto our Lemonds he called them Limonarâ—s Wanderyng yet further the same way for the space of .xii. leagues he founde a great hauen entryng into the lande after the maner of a gulfe the space of three leagues and in maner as brode into y e which fel a great riuer Here was Nicuesa lost afterward when he sought Beragua by reason whereof they called it Rio de los perdidos that is the ryuer of the lost men Thus Colonus the Admiral yet further continuyng his course agaynst the furye of the sea founde manye hygh mountaynes and horrible valleys with dyuers ryuers and hauens from all the which as he sayth proceeded sweete sauours greatly recreatyng and comfortyng nature Insomuche that in al this long tract there was not one of his men diseased vntyll he came to a region whiche thinhabitantes call Quicuris in the whiche is the hauen called Cariai named Mirobalanus by the Admirall bycause the Mirobalane trees are natiue in the regions thereabout In this hauen of Cariai there came about two hundred of thinhabitantes to the sea syde with euerye of them three or foure dartes in theyr handes yet of condition gentle yenough and not refusyng straungers Their commyng was for none other purpose then to knowe what this newe nation meant or what they brought with them When our men had geuen them sygnes of peace they came swymmyng to the shyppes and desyred to barter with them by exchaunge The Admiral to allure them to frendshyppe geue them many of our thynges But they refused them suspecting some disceyt thereby bycause he would not receiue theirs They wrought all by sygnes for one vnderstoode not a woord of the others language Suche gyftes as were sent them they left on the shore and woulde take no part thereof They are of suche ciuilitie and humanitie that they esteeme it more honorable to geue then to take They sent our men two young women beyng virgines of commendable fauour and goodly stature sygnifying vnto them that they myght take them away with them if it were their pleasure These women after the maner of their countrey were couered from their ancles somwhat aboue their priuye partes with a certayne cloth made of gossampine cotton but the men are all naked The women vse to cut their heare but the men let it growe on the hynder part of their heades and cut it on the fore part Their long heare they bynde vp with fyllettes and wynde it in sundry rowles as our maydes are accustomed to do The virgines whiche were sent to the Admirall he decked in fayre apparell and gaue them many gyftes and sent them home agayne But lykewyse all these rewardes and apparel they left vppon the shore bycause our men had refused their giftes Yet tooke he two men away with hym and those very wyllyngly that by learnyng the Spanyshe tongue he myght afterward vse them for interpretours He considered that the tractes of these coastes were not greatly troubled with vehement motions or ouerflowynges of the sea forasmuche as trees growe in the sea not farre from the shore euen as they doo vppon the bankes of ryuers the whiche thyng also other do affirme whiche haue latelyer searched those coastes declaryng that the sea ryseth and falleth but litle therabout He sayth furthermore that in the prospect of this land there are trees engendred euen in the sea which after that they are growen to any height bend downe the toppes of theyr braunches into the ground whiche embrasyng them causeth other braunches to spring out of the same and take roote in the earth bryngyng foorth trees in theyr kynd successiuely as dyd the fyrst root from whence they had theyr oryginall as do also the settes of vines when onely both the endes thereof are put into the grounde Plinie in the twelfth booke of his natural historie maketh mention of suche trees describyng them to be on the lande but not in the sea The Admiral wryteth also that the lyke beastes are engendred in the coastes of Cariai as in other prouinces of these regions and such as we haue spoken of before Yet that there is one founde here in nature muche differyng from the other This beast is of the bygnesse of a great Monkey but with a tayle much longer and bygger it lyueth in the wooddes and remoueth from tree to tree in this maner Hangyng by the tayle vppon the braunche of a tree and geatheryng strength by swaying her body twyse
white marble whereby they thynke that in tyme past some straungers haue come to those landes whiche haue dygged marble out of the mountaynes and lefte those fragmentes on the playne There our men learned that the ryuer Maragnonus descendeth from the mountaynes couered with snowe called Montes Niuales or Serra Neuata and the same to be encreased by many other ryuers whiche fall into it throughout all the lowe and waterly regions by the which it runneth with so long a tract from the sayd mountaynes into the sea and this to be the cause of the greatnesse thereof These thynges being thus brought to passe the gouernour commaunded the trumpeter to blowe a retraite Wheruppon they which were sent to lande beyng fiue hundred in number making a great shout for ioy of theyr victory set them selues in order of battayle and so keepyng theyr array returned to the shyppes laden with spoyle of those prouinces and shynyng in souldiers clokes of feathers with fayre plumes and crestes of variable colours In this meane tyme hauyng repaired theyr shyppes and furnyshed the same with all necessaries they loosed anker the .xvi day of the Calendes of Iuly directyng their course to the hauen of Carthagena in the whiche voyage they destroyed and wasted certaine Ilandes of the Canibales lying in the way accordyng as they were commaunded by the kyng But the swift course of the water deceiued both Iohannes Sarranus the chiefe Pilot of the gouernours shippe and all the other although they made their bost that they perfectly knewe the nature therof For they affyrme that in one night they were caried fourtie leagues beyond their estimation The syxte booke of the thyrde Decade HEere must we somewhat digresse frō Cosmography make a philosophical discourse to searche the secrete causes of nature For whereas they all affirme with one consent that y e sea runneth there from the east to the west as swiftely as it were a ryuer fallyng from hygh mountaynes I thought it not good to let suche matter slyppe vntouched The which whyle I consyder I am drawen into no small ambiguitie and doubt whyther those waters haue theyr course whiche flowe with so continuall a tract in circuite from the East as though they fledde to the west neuer to returne and yet neyther the west thereby any whit the more fylled nor the East emptied If we shall say that they fall to theyr centre as is the nature of heauie thynges and assigne the Equinoctiall line to bee the centre as some affyrme what centre shall we appoynt to be able to receiue so great abundance of water Or what circumference shall be founde wet They whiche haue searched those coastes haue yet founde no lyke reason to be true Many thynke that there shoulde bee certayne large straightes or entrances in the corner of that great lande whiche we described to be eyght tymes bygger then Italye and the corner thereof to be full of gulfes whereby they suppose that some strayghtes shoulde passe through the same lying on the west syde of the Ilande of Cuba and that the sayde strayghtes shoulde swalowe vp those waters and so conuey the same into the west and from thence agayne into our East Ocean or north seas as some thynke Other wyll that the gulfe of that great lande be closed vp and the lande to reache farre towarde the north on the backe syde of Cuba so that it embrace the north landes whiche the frosen sea encompasseth vnder the north pole and that all the lande of those coastes shoulde ioyne togeather as one firme lande Whereby they coniecture that those waters shoulde be turned about by the obiecte or resistaunce of that land so bendyng towarde the north as we see the waters turned about in the crooked bankes of certayne ryuers But this agreeth not in all poyntes For they also whiche haue searched the frosen sea and sayled from thence into the west do lykewyse affyrme that those north seas flowe continually towarde the west although nothyng so swiftely These north seas haue ben searched by one Sebastian Cabot a Uenetian borne whom beyng yet but in maner an infant his parentes caryed with them into Englande hauyng occasion to resort thither for trade of marchandize as is the maner of the Uenetians to leaue no part of the worlde vnsearched to obtaine rychesse He therfore furnished two shyppes in England at his owne charges And fyrst with three hundreth men directed his course so farre towarde the north pole that euen in the moneth of Iuly he founde monstrous heapes of Ise swymming on the sea and in maner continuall day lyght Yet sawe he the lande in that tract free from Ise whiche had ben moulten by heat of the Sonne Thus seeyng suche heapes of Ise before hym he was enforced to turne his sayles and folowe the west so coastyng styll by the shore that he was thereby brought so farre into the south by reason of the lande bendyng so muche southwarde that it was there almost equall in latitude with the sea called Fretum Herculeum hauyng the north pole eleuate in maner in the same degree He sayled lykewyse in this tract so farre towarde the west that he had the Ilande of Cuba on his left hande in maner in the same degree of longitude As he traueyled by the coastes of this great lande whiche he named Baccallaos he sayth that he founde the lyke course of the waters toward the west but the same to runne more softly and gentelly then the swifte waters whiche the Spanyardes founde in their nauigations southwarde Wherefore it is not onely more lyke to be true but ought also of necessitie to be concluded that betwene both the landes hitherto vnknowen there shoulde be certayne great open places wherby the waters should thus continually passe from the East into the west whiche waters I suppose to be dryuen about the globe of the earth by the vncessaunt mouyng and impulsion of the heauens and not to beswalowed vp and cast out agayne by the breathyng of Demogorgon as some haue imagined bycause they see the seas by increase decrease to flow reflow Sebastian Cabot hym selfe named those landes Baccallaos bycause that in the seas therabout he founde so great multitudes of certayne bygge fyshes muche like vnto Tunnies which thinhabitants cal Baccallaos that they somtymes stayed his shyppes He founde also the people of those regions couered with beastes skynnes yet not without the vse of reason He also sayth there is great plentie of Beares in those regions whiche vse to eate fyshe For plungeyng them selues into the water where they perceiue a multitude of these fyshes to lye they fasten theyr clawes in theyr scales and so drawe them to lande and eate them So that as he sayth the Beares beyng thus satisfied with fyshe are not noysome to men He declareth further that in many places of these regions he sawe great plentie of laton among the inhabitauntes
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
leagues beyonde thestimation of the best pilotes The contentes of the sixt booke Fol. 124. OF sundry opinions why the sea runnneth with so swyft a course from the East to the West and of the great gulfe of the North part of the fyrme lande The viage of Sebastian Cabot from England to the frosen sea â–ª and howe beyng repulsed with Ise in the moneth of Iuly he sayled farre Westwarde Of people apparelled with beastes skinnes and how Beares take fyshes in the sea and eate them How Sebastian Cabot after that he had discouered the lande of Baccallaos or Baccallearum was called out of Englande into Spayne where he was made one of the assistaunce of the counsayle of the affayres of India and of his second viage Of the Ilande Fortis and howe a great foule as bygge as a Storke lyghted in the gouernours shyp also howe he arryued at Dariena with the kinges nauie Howe Vaschus receyued the new gouernour and of habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall How Petrus Arias the new gouernour distributed his armie to conquere the South regions ryche in golde and to erect new colonies in the same Of the ryche golde mynes of Dabaiba and of the expedition agaynst the kyng of that region Of the violent course of the sea from the East to the West and of the difficult saylyng agaynst the same Of the pestiferous and vnholsome ayre of Sancta Maria Antiqua in Dariena and how the Spaniardes were of necessitie enforced to plant theyr fyrst colonie and habitation there The cause of the varietie of regions lying all vnder one degree or paralel and by what meanes the Sonne beames are cause of feruent heate Of toades and flees engendred of droppes of water and of a house set on fyre with lyghtnyng Of a Dogge deuoured of a Crocodyle and of venemous byting of great Bats also of Lions Tigers other wilde beasts How in these regions all foure footed beastes growe to a bigger quantitie then they which were of y e fyrst broode also of certayne trees of whose planckes if shyps be made they are safe from the wormes called Broma or Bissas Of a tree whose wood is present poyson yf it be only borne about and of an hearbe that is a preseruatiue agaynst the same Of the ryche Ilandes of the south sea and of certayne expeditions agaynst the Canibales The contentes of the .vii. booke Fol. 130. THe particuler description of the Ilande of Hispaniola and of the ryche Iland called Margaritea Diues lying in the South sea also of the great abundaunce of bygge pearles founde in the same Howe the auctoure compareth Hispaniola to the earthly Paradyse and howe it farre excelleth Italy in fertilitie and temperate ayre Of the fyrst inhabitours of Hispaniola and of the Ilandes of Canarie Howe thinhabitauntes of Hispaniola in theyr songues and rhymes had certayne prophesies that apparelled men shoulde come to theyr countrey and bryng them into seruitude and of theyr familiaritie with spirites also howe those spirites haue no more appeared to them since they were baptised Of theyr expertenesse in swymmyng and of theyr delicate Serpentes byrdes foules and Popingiays Of the fourme and situation of Hispaniola neere the Equinoctiall and howe colde is in some place thereof accidentall and not by the situation of the region Of the Oxen and Swyne of exceedyng bygnesse and of eares of wheat as bygge as a mans arme in the brawne also howe the Swyne are fedde with Mirobalanes c. Of plentie of golde Brasyle Mastix Gossampyne Electurum of thincommodities of intemperate regions Of dyuers languages in the Ilande and howe the prouinces are diuided into regions Howe Andreas Moralis sayled into a daungerous and darke caue within the rocke of a mountayne and of whole ryuers deuoured of suche caues also of the conflyct of the waters Of a standyng poole in the toppe of an hygh mountayne how fearne and bramble bushes growe onely in colde regions The Contentes of the .viii. booke Fol. 135. OF a great lake or standyng poole of sowre and salte water and of the sea fyshes in the same in the myd lande of the Ilande also of deuouryng fyshes called Tiburoâ—i Of the ryuers fallyng into the lakes and of CC. sprynges in the space of a furlong A marueylous hystorye of a kyng stryken dumbe and lame by a myracle and of the Indian language Howe suche as are drowned in the lake are neuer cast vp agayne and of the Ilande Guarizacca in the myddest of a standyng lake also of a lake of freshe water and an other of salte and freshe water Of a large playne of two hundred myles in length and an other of an hundred and twentie Of the marueilous fyshe or monster of the sea called Manati or Matum fedde with mans handes and howe she caryeth men ouer the lake Of the mountaynes vales hylles playnes and ryuers of Hispaniola and howe golde is founde in all mountaynes and golde and fyshe in all ryuers Of salte bayes and howe the ryuers haue theyr increase from the caues of the mountaynes also howe there is no hurtefull beast in the Ilande Of the pleasures of Hispaniola and of the region of Cotohi wel inhabited situate in a plaine in the toppes of mountaynes reachyng to the cloudes Of moderate colde in the mountaynes and of fearne of marueylous bygnesse Howe pure and massie golde is founde in the region of Cotoy or Cotohi and that the vaine of gold is a lyuyng tree also of the rootes branches and floures of the same and howe certayne caues are susteyned with pyllers of golde What gold is brought yeerely from Hispaniola into Spaine and of the salte of the mountaines being as hard as stones and cleare as crystall also sprynges of salte freshe sowre water Of certayne wylde men lyuing in caues and dennes without any certaine language and of their marueylous swiftnes a foote Of pytche of the rocke and two kyndes of trees and of the leafe of a tree vsed in the steede of paper also howe thinhabitants thynke that the Christians can make those leaues speake and disclose all secretes Of a strong coloure made of the iuice of a certayne apple and of the hearbe whose smoke is poyson The contentes of the nienth booke Fol. 142. OF the kindes of fruites wherewith the inhabitauntes of Hispaniola lyued fyrst and how they came to the knowledge of Iucca also how Ceres fyrst founde Wheate and Barley in Egypt Why theyr kynges are called by diuers names and by what names they salute the kynges chyldren when they are borne How they make theyr testamentes and how certayne of the kynges wyues and concubines are buried with them Of the variable motions of the elementes in Hispaniola and where it rayneth but litle and where muche Of the colonies and villages that the Spaniardes haue builded in Hispaniola and of the other Ilandes about the same Of a spryng whiche runnyng vnder the sea from Hispaniola breaketh foorth in the Iland of Arethusa also
learned men I am not satisfyed of the naturall cause hereof I content my selfe to knowe and beleeue that he whiche hath made these thynges dooth knowe this and many other which he hath not graunted to the reason of man to comprehende muche lesse to so base a wyt as myne is They therefore that are of greater vnderstandyng shall search the cause hereof for them and for me forasmuche as I haue onely put the matter in question as a wytnesse that haue seene thexperience of the thyng Of the strayght or narrowe passage of the land lying betweene the North and South sea by the which spyces may much sooner and easlyer be brought from the Ilandes of Molucca into Spaine by the VVest Ocean then by that way whereby the Portugales sayle into the East India IT hath been an opinion among the Cosmographers and Pilottes of late tyme and other whiche haue had practyse in thynges touchyng the sea that there shoulde be a strayght of water passing from the North sea of the fyrme into the South sea of Sur which neuerthelesse hath not been seene nor founde to this day And surely yf there be any such strayght we that inhabite those partes do thynke the same should be rather of land then of water For the fyrme land in some partes thereof is so strayght and narrowe that the Indians say that from the mountaynes of the prouince of Esquegua or Vrraca which are betweene the one sea and the other if a man ascend to the top of the mountaines and looke toward the North he may see the water of the North sea of the prouince of Beragua againe looking the contrary way may on the other syde towards the South see the sea of Sur and the prouinces which confine with it as do the territories of the two Lordes or kynges of the sayde prouinces of Vrraca and Esquegua And I beleeue that yf it be as the Indians say of all that is hytherto knowen this is the narrowest strayght of the fyrme land whiche some affirme to be full of rough mountaynes Yet do I take it for a better way or soo short as is that whiche is made from the port called Nomen Dei whiche is in the North sea vnto the newe citie of Panama beyng in the coast and on the bancke of the sea of Sur whiche way is lykewyse very rough full of thycke wooddes mountaynes ryuers valleyes and very difficult to passe through and can not be done without great labour trauaile Some measure this way in this part to be from sea to sea eighteene leagues whiche I suppose to be rather twentie not for that it is any more by measure but because it is rough and difficult as I haue sayde and as I haue founde it by experience hauyng now twise passed that way by foote countyng from the port and village of Nomen Dei vnto the dominion of the Cacique of Iuanaga otherwyse called Capira eyght leagues and from thence to the ryuer of Chagre other eyght leagues So that at this riuer beyng sixteene leagues from the sayde port endeth the roughnesse of the way then from hence to the marueilous brydge are two leagues and beyonde that other two vnto the port of Panama So that altogeather in my iudgement make twentie leagues And yf therefore this nauigation may be founde in the South sea for the trade of spyces as we trust in God to be brought from thence to the sayde port of Panama as is possible enough they maye afterwarde easely passe to the North sea notwithstandyng the difficultie of the way of the twentie leagues aforesayde Which thyng I affirme as a man wel trauayled in these regions hauyng twyse on my feete passed ouer this strayght in the yeere 1521. as I haue said It is furthermore to be vnderstoode that it is a marueilous facilitie to bryng spices by this way which I wil now declare From Panama to the ryuer of Chagre are foure leagues of good and fayre way by the which cartes may passe at pleasure by reason that the mountaines are but few and litle and that the greatest part of these foure leagues is a playne grounde voyde of trees and when the cartes are come to the sayde ryuer â–ª the spyces may be caried in Barkes and pynnesses For this riuer entreth into the North sea fyue or syxe leagues lower then the port of Nomen Dei and emptieth it selfe in the sea neere vnto an Iland called Bastimento where is a verye good and safe port Your maiestie may now therfore consyder howe great a thyng â–ª and what commoditie it may be to conuey spices this way forasmuch as y e riuer of Chagre hauing his originall only two leagues from the South sea continueth his course and emptieth it selfe into the other North sea This riuer runneth fast and is verye great and so commodious for this purpose as may be thought or desired the marueylous brydge made by the worke of nature beyng two leagues beyond the sayde ryuer other two leagues on this syde the port of Panama so lying in the mydde waye betweene them both as framed naturally in suche sort that none which passe by this viage doth see any such brydge or thinke that there is any such buyldyng in that place vntyll they be in the top thereof in the way towarde Panama But assoone as they are on the brydge lookyng towarde the ryght hande they see a litle ryuer vnder them whiche hath his chanell distant from the feete of them that walke ouer it the space of two speares length or more The water of this ryuer is very shalowe not passyng the deapth of a mans legge to the knee and is in breadth betweene thyrtie and fourtie pases and falleth into the ryuer of Chagre Towarde the ryght hand standyng on this brydge there is nothing seene but great trees The largenesse of the brydge conteyneth fyfteene pases and the length thereof about threescore or fourescore pases The arche is so made of most harde stone that no man can beholde it without admiration beyng made by the hygh and omnipotent creatour of all thinges But to returne to speake somewhat more of the conueying of spices I say that when it shall please almyghtie God that this nauigation aforesayde shall be founde by the good fortune of your maiestie and that the spyces of the Ilandes of the South sea whiche may also be otherwyse called the Ocean of the East India in the which are the Ilandes of Molucca shal be brought to the sayd coast and the port of Panama and be conueyed from thence as we haue sayde by the fyrme lande with cartes vnto the ryuer of Chagre and from thence into this our other sea of the North from whence they may afterwarde be brought into Spayne I say that by this meanes the viage shal be shortned more then seuen thousand leagues with muche lesse daunger then is by the viage nowe vsed by the
throughout al the valley within the earth as in a mine whiche they dygge and take out suche as they neede of al sortes The other marueylous thyng of this Ilande is this That farre from the sea there ishueth out of a mountayne a certayne lycour muche lyke the Cley of Babylon called Bitumen or lyke vnto pytche in great quantitie and suche as is very commodious for the calkyng of shyppes this falleth continually from the rocke and runneth into sea in suche aboundaunce that it is seene flotyng aboue the water on euerye syde of the sea there about as it is dryuen from place to place by the wynde or course of the water Quintus Cursius wryteth in his historie that great Alexander came to the citie of Memi where is a great Caue or Denne in the whiche is a spryng or fountayne that contynually auoydeth a great quantitie of Bitumen in suche sort that it is an easy thyng to beleeue that the stones of the walles of Babylon might be laid therewith according as the said auctour writeth I haue seene this myne of Bitumen not only in the Iland of Cuba but also such an other in new Spaine whiche was founde of late in the prouince of Panuco where it is much better then the other of Cuba as I haue seene by experience in calkyng of shyppes Of the lande of Baccalaos called Terra Baccalearum situate on the North syde of the firme lande SHortly after that your maiestie came to the citie of Toledo there arriued in the moneth of Nouember Steuen Gomes the pilot who the yeere before of .1524 by the commaundement of your maiestie sailed to y e North partes and founde a great part of lande continuate from that which is called Baccalaos discoursyng toward the West to the .xl. and .xli. degree from whence he brought certayne Indians for so call we all the nations of the newe found landes of the which he brought some with him from thence who are yet in Toledo at this present and of greater stature then other of the firme lande as they are commonly theyr coloure is muche lyke the other of the firme lande they are great archers and go couered with the skinnes of diuers beastes both wylde and tame In this lande are many excellent furres as Marterns Sables and such other ryche furres of the which the sayd pilot brought some with him into Spayne they haue syluer and copper certayne other metals they are Idolaters and honour the Sonne and Moone and are seduced with such superstition and errours as are they of the firme And to haue wryten thus much it may suffice of suche thynges as haue seemed to me most worthy to be noted in the Summarie of Gonzalus Ferdinandus wrytten to Themperours maiestie Particularly of newe Spayne called Noua Hispania or Mexico NEwe Spayne is that part of the continent or firme lande that lyeth West and South from the land of Florida this was subdued to thempire of Castile by the ryght noble gentelman Ferdinando Cortese y e marquesse of the vale of Quaraca In this lande are many prouinces conteynyng in them in maner innumerable cities among which that is the chiefe whiche the Indians cal Mexico or Temixtitan consystyng of more then fiue hundred thousand inhabitauntes It standeth in the middest of a lake of salte water as doth Uenece in the sea the lake conteyneth fourtie Persian miles called Parasange euery one consysting of .xxx. furlonges and more as some say In these regions is found great plentie of gold syluer pretious stones with innumerable other thynges both necessary for the lyfe of man pleasant as Silke Bombasine cotton Alame Safferne Woad with diuers other thinges wherwith cloth and Silke is dyed There is also such abundaunce of suger that certaine Spanishe shippes are yeerely fraighted therwith and bring the same into Smile from whence it is caryed in maner to al partes of Christendome Thinhabitantes of Mexico are subtile people and vse much craft in theyr bargaining they haue not the vse of gold and syluer mony but vse in the steade thereof the halfe shelles of Almonds which kind of Barbarous mony they cal Cacoa or Cacanguate In maner al kinds of corne are there very good cheape especially barly and wheate They haue great plentie of Hartes wylde Bores Lions Leopardes and Tigers whiche beastes wander in maner in euery place The region is most commodious for haukyng and huntyng for the great abundaunce it hath of beastes and foules But the people exercise al theyr cunnyng in makyng the images of their idolatry and in painting Theyr women are valiant and sumptuous in theyr apparell and other tyrementes for they so rychely frynge and beset the same with pearles precious stones and golde that nothyng can be more excellent they haue a kynde of paper greatly differyng from ours in this they expresse their mindes by certayne figures for they haue not otherwyse thuse of letters The nation is desyrous of warre and doth not long keepe the conditions of peace vnuiolated but delyteth rather in ciuile and most cruell battayle among them selues then to liue in peace and quietnesse Such as in the warres fal by any meanes into the handes of theyr enimies eyther by submyssion or otherwyse are partly sacryfised to the Idoles and the resydue geuen to the souldiers to be eaten in lyke maner as we rewarde dogges and haukes with part of theyr pray They haue innumerable Idoles whiche euery one maketh for his particuler god after the phantasie of his owne brayne and geueth therto diuine honour albeit at this day they do by litle and litle leaue of theyr barbarous fyercenesse with our religion imbrace better maners For they nowe professe the fayth of Christ and in his name pray vnto God the Father Of Peru. THe prouince called Peru was also named Noua Castilia by them that fyrst founde it This region is the West part of America and is situate in the longitude of .290 degrees proceeding from the West to the East and Southward begynneth fyue degrees beyonde the Equinoctiall line and is extended very farre into the South This is taken to be the rychest land in golde siluer pearles precious stones and spices that euer was founde yet to this day For gold is there in suche plentie that they make pyspots therof and other vessels applied to fylthy vses But this is more to be marueyled at that in a citie called Collâ—o was founde a house al couered with massie plates of gold In theyr warres also theyr harnesse is of gold and siluer Theyr weapons are bowes arrowes slyngs dartes and pykes The inhabitauntes are warrelyke people and of great agilitie They haue cities defended with lawes and armes The region is exceeding fruitfull and yeldeth corne twyse in the yeere It is so floryshyng with many fayre woods mountaynes ryuers and other both pleasaunt necessarie
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 north-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
Moscouia to Cathay THe great and large prouince of Permia is distant from Moscouia two hundred and fyftie or as some sai three hundred leagues directly betwene the East and North and hath a citie of the same name by the ryuer Vischora which runneth .x. leagues beneth Camam The iorney by land can scarsely be trauailed thither but in winter by reasō of mani riuers marishes ▪ and fens But in sommer this iorney is dispatched with more facilitie in boates or smal ships by Vuolochda Vstiug and the ryuer Vitzechda which runneth into Duina .xii. leagues from Vstiug But they that go from Permia to Vstiug must sayle vp the ryuer Vischora agaynst the course of the streame and passyng ouer certayne ryuers sometymes also conueying theyr boates into other ryuers by land they come at the length to Vstiug three hundred leagues distant from the citie of Permia There is smal vse of bread in this prouince For theyr yeerely tribute they pay to the Prince furres and horses They haue a priuate language and letters of theyr owne which one Stephen a Byshop who confirmed them yet waueryng in the fayth did inuent For before beyng yet infantes in the faith of Christ they slewe and fleyde an other Byshop that was appoynted to instruct them This Stephen afterward when Demetrius the sonne of Iohn reygned was taken for a Sainct among the Ruhens Of these people there yet remayne many Idolatours here and there in the woods whom the Munkes and Heremites that go thyther do not cease to conuert from theyr vaine errour In the winter they iorney to Artach as they do in many places of Russia Artach are certaine long patentes of wood of almost six handfulles in length which they make fast to theyr feete with Latchets and therwith perfourme theyr iorneis with great celeritie They vse for this purpose great Dogges in the steade of other beastes with the which they carry theyr fardels on sleades as other do with Hartes in other places as we wyl further declare hereafter They say that the prouince toward the East confineth with the prouince called Tumen parteining to the Tartars The situation of the prouince of Iugaria is apparent by that which we haue sayd before The Moscouites call it Iuhra with an aspiration and call the people Iuhrici This is that Iugaria from whence the Hungarians came in tyme past possessed Pannonia and vnder the conduct of Attila subdued many prouinces of Europe wherein the Moscouites doo greatly glorye that a nation subiect to them inuaded and wasted a great part of Europe Georgius Paruus a Greeke borne and a man of reputation with the Prince of Moscouia wyllyng to ascribe to the ryght of his Prince the great Dukedome of Lithuania and the kyngdome of Polonie ▪ with certayne other Dominions tolde me that the Iuhgarici or Iuhgarie beyng subiects to the great Duke of Moscouia came foorth of theyr owne countrey and fyrst inhabited the regions about the Fennes of Meotis and then Pannonie which was afterward called Hungarie by the ryuer of Danubius Also that in fine they possessed the region of Morauia so named of the ryuer and lykewyse Pollonie so called of Polle whiche signifieth a playne Furthermore that Buda was so called after the name of the brother of Attila They say also that the Iuhgarie vse the same tongue that do the Hungarians the whiche whether it be true or not I do not know For although I haue made diligent inquisition to knowe the trueth hereof yet could I fynde no man of that region with whom my seruaunt beyng expert in the Hungarian tongue might speake They also pay furres for theyr tributes to the Prince of Moscouia And albeit that pearles and precious stones are brought from thence to Moscouia yet are they not geathered in theyr Ocean but in other places especially about the coast of the Ocean neare vnto the mouthes of Duina The prouince of Sibier confineth with Permia and Vuiathka the whiche whether it haue anye castels or cities I do not yet certaynely knowe In this the ryuer Iaick hath his originall and falleth into the Caspian sea They say that this region is desart because it lyeth so neare the Tartars or that yf it be in any part inhabited the same to be possessed of the Tartar Schichmamai Thinhabitantes haue a peculiar language and haue theyr cheefe gaynes by the furres of Marternes whiche in fairnesse and greatnesse excel al the furres of that kynd that are found in any other prouinces Yet could I haue no greate plentie of them in Moscouia at my beyng there Note that long after the wrytyng of this historie at Richard Chaunceler his fyrst bryng in Moscouia Duke Iohn Vasiliuiche that nowe reygneth subdued all the Tartars with theyr regions and prouinces euen vnto the great citie and mart towne of Astrachan the Caspian sea At the same tyme also there was in the Dukes Court an ambassadour that came from this prouince of Sibier who declared that his father had been sent Ambassadour to the great Chan of Cathay and that the great citie of Cambalu where the great Chan kepeth his Court in wynter was in maner distroyed by Nigromancie and Magicall Artes wherein the Cathyans are very expert as wryteth Marcus Paulus Venetus There was also at the same tyme thambassadour of the kyng of Pertia called the great Sophie This Ambassadour was apparelled al in Scarlet and spake muche to the Duke in the behalfe of our men of whose kyngdome and trade he was not ignorant The people called Czeremisse dwell in the wooddes beneth Nouogradia the lower They haue a peculiar language and are of the secte of Machumet They were sometyme subiecte to the kyng of Casan but the greater part of them are nowe subiecte to the prince of Moscouia Many of them at my beyng there were brought to Moscouia as suspected of rebellion This nation doth inhabite a large region without houses from Vuiathka and Vuolochda to the ryuer of Rama All the nation aswell women as men are very swifte of foote and expert archers wherin they so delyght that theyr bowes are in maner neuer out of their handes and geue theyr chyldren no meate vntyll they hyt the marke they shoote at Two leagues distaunt from Nouogradia the lower were many houses to the similitud of a citie or towne where they were accustomed to make salte These a fewe yeeres since beyng burnt of the Tartars were restored by the commaundement of the prince Mordwa are people inhabytyng by the ryuer of Volga on the south banke beneth Nouogradia the lower and are in al thinges lyke vnto the Czeremisses but that they haue more houses And here endeth Thempire of the Moscouites Note here that Matthias of Michou in his booke of Sarmatia Asiatica writeth that the dominion of the Duke of Moscouia reacheth from the northwest to the southeast fyue hundred myles of Germanie
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 north-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
not vnlyke of heare They haue eyes lyke swyne the snout or trunke very long wherwith they put meate and drinke into their mouth and therefore may it well be called the hande of the Elephant The mouth is vnder the throte much lyke the mouth of a Sowe and the trunke is holowe and can therwith holde fast stickes or slaues and them rule as it were with a hande I sawe also the trunke of a tree ouerthrowen by an Elephant which xxiiii men attempting could not doe The two great teeth or tuskes are placed in the highest iawe Ech of their eares are two handfuls byg whether the beast be of the bygger or lesse kinde The feete are like vnto such round thicke trenchers of wood as he commonly vsed The foote conteineth fyue hoofes in roundnesse like vnto great Oysters The tayle is lyke to the tayle of a Bufle foure handfull long and of thyn heare The Females are also bigger then the Males they are of sundry bignes for some are of .xiii. handfuls high and other of .xiiii. handfuls and some also haue been seene of sixtiene handfuls They goe slowly and walowing and therfore some that haue not ben vsed to them are moued to vomite euen as it were on the sea Yet is it a pleasure to ryde on the young Elephantes bicause they goe softly like ambeling Mules When you mount on them they stoope bend their knees that you may easily ascende They are neuer brydeled neyther vse theyr keepers any halters to gouerne them Of the ingendering of Elephantes and of the magnificence riches of the king of Narsinga Cap. 10. WHen they ingender they resorte to the medowes or woods for by a certaine naturall shamefastnesse they doe it not but in secrete places Although some Aucthours haue written that Elephants engender backward Some take it for a great present to giue the king the member or pissell of an Elephant whiche perhappes they doe for the exceedyng great price of Elephantes For some are solde there for fyue hundred peeces of golde and some as they say for two thousande which peraduenture is not for theyr greatnesses of bodie but rather for certayne properties wyt docilitie wherein some farre exceede other euen as among men And I dare well say that I haue seene some men much inferior to Elephants in wyt and sense Therefore the kyng of Narsinga in riches and dominion farre exceedeth all kynges that euer I haue seene or hearde of The citie in situation and fayrenesse representeth the citie of Milane except only that it is in a declining place and lesse equal Other kingdoms which are subiect to this lye round about it as the kyngdome of Ausonia Venice lye about Milane Their Bramini so are the priestes named tolde me y t the king receiueth dayly of that citie for tribute or reuenue the summe of twelue thousandes of those peeces of golde whiche they call Pardios He maynteyneth an army of many thousandes of men for he liueth in continuall warre with his borderers He is an Idolatour and honoureth the deuyl euen as doth the kyng of Calecut They that are of the rychest sorte vse a slender inwarde apparell or peticote not very long and bynde theyr heades with a phillet or broade bande of sundry colours after the maner of the Mahumetans The common sorte couer only theyr priuities and are besyde all naked The kyng weareth a Cappe of cloth of golde of two handfulles long when he goeth to warre he weareth a vesture of bombasine and thereon a cloke adourned with plates of gold hauyng the borderer garde besette with all sortes of precious stones and Iewelles His horse with the furniture is esteemed to bee woorth as muche as one of our cities by reason of innumerable Iewelles of great price When he goeth a huntyng three other kynges beare him company whose office is to be euer neare him and guyde him When he maketh any iourney or rydeth abrode he is accompanyed with six thousand horsemen And therefore it is manifeste that not only for these thynges whereof we haue spoken but also for dyuers other of lyke magnificence hee is one of the greatest Kynges in the worlde He coyneth money and peeces of golde named Pardios Also other siluer money of lesse value whiche they call Fano conteynyng the value of sixtiene of the smallest money of copper Traueylers may here goe safely through all his dominions if they can auoyde the daunger of the Lions Of theyr dyet and order of lyuyng I will speake more largely where occasion shall serue to wryte of Calecut This kyng of Narsinga is a great friende to the Christians and is in great amitie with the kyng of Portugale and besyde him hee knoweth none other Christian Prince and therefore the Portugales are here friendly and honourably vsed When I had remayned in this citie many dayes I returned to the citie of Canonor And after I had remayned there three dayes I entered further into the lande and came to a citie named Trompata about twelue myles from Canonor The inhabitauntes are Idolatours It is neare vnto the sea and therefore there are seene many merchantes Mahumetans They lyue moderately haue in maner none other ryches then nuttes of India but there are very fayre trees to make shyppes There are in the citie aboue fiftiene thousande Mahumetans although the Kyng be an Idolatour Departyng from hence I came to the citie of Pandara and from thence passyng by the citie of Capagot I came at the length to the famous citie of Calecut And to be breefe I haue here ouerpassed to speake largely of many other people and kyngdomes as are these Chianul Dabul Bathecalo Onouè Bangolor Cauonor Cuchin Cacilon and Calonue which I haue done to the ende that I may entreat more largely of Calecut as the chiefest and as it were the head and metropolitane of all the cities of India For it is certayne that the Kyng of Calecut in royall maiestie exceedeth all the kynges of the East and is therefore in theyr language called Samory that is to say God on the earth The fyfth booke of East India and fyrst of the famous citie of Calecut Cap. 1. THe citie of Calecut is situate vppon the continent or firme lande and the sea beateth vppon the houses of the citie There is no porte but on the South syde about a myle from the citie is a ryuer which runneth into the Ocean sea by a narow mouth This runneth by many braunches into the playne feeldes and is of the inhabitantes by diuers trenches dispearsed to water the grounde It is not past the depth of three or foure foote of water The course of it bendeth towarde the citie and runneth into it The citie is not compassed with walles but conteyneth in circuite sixe thousande houses not adherent or ioynyng togeather after the maner of ours but by a
is the chiefe that the Catholyke fayth and Christian religion specially in this our tyme may in all places be exalted amplified and enlarged whereby the health of soules may be procured and the Barbarous nations subdued and brought to the fayth And therefore whereas by the fauour of Gods clemencie although not without equall desertes we are called to this holy seate of Peter and vnderstanding you to be true Catholyke princes as we haue euer knowen you and as your noble and woorthy factes haue declared in maner to the whole world in that with all your studie diligence and industry you haue spared no trauayles charges or peryls aduenturyng euen the shedyng of your owne blood with applying your whole myndes and endeuours herevnto as your noble expeditions achyued in recouering the kyngdom of Granata from the tyrrany of the Sarracens in these our dayes do plainly declare your factes with so great glory of the diuine name For the whiche as we thynk you worthy so ought we of our owne free wyl fauorably to graunt you al thynges whereby you may dayly with more feruent myndes to the honour of God and enlargyng the Christian Empire prosecute your deuout and laudable purpose most acceptable to the immortall God We are credibly infourmed that whereas of late you were determyned to seeke and fynde certayne Ilandes and fyrme landes farre remote and vnknowen and not heretofore founde by any other to the intent to bryng the inhabitantes of the same to honor our redeemer to professe the catholike fayth you haue hytherto been much occupied in the expugnation and recouerie of the kyngdome of Granata by reason wherof you coulde not bryng your sayde laudable purpose to the ende desyred Neuerthelesse as it hath pleased almyghtie God the foresayde kyngdome beyng recouered wyllyng to accomplishe your sayde desyre you haue not without great labour peryls charges appoynted our welbeloued sonne Christopher Colonus a man certesse wel commended as most worthy and apt for so great a matter well furnyshed with men and shippes and other necessaries to seeke by the sea where hytherto no man hath sayled suche firme landes and Ilandes farre remote and hytherto vnknowen who by Gods helpe makyng diligent searche in the Ocean sea haue founde certayne remote Ilandes firme landes whiche were not heretofore found by any other in the whiche as is sayde many nations inhabite lyuyng peaceably and goyng naked not accustomed to eate fleshe and as farre as your messengers can coniecture the nations inhabytyng the foresayd landes and Ilandes beleeue that there is one God creator in heauen and seeme apt to be brought to the imbrasyng of the catholyke fayth and to be imbued with good maners by reason wherof we may hope that yf they be well instructed they may easyly be induced to receyue the name of our sauiour Iesus Christe We are further aduertised that the forenamed Christopher hath now buylded and erected a fortresse with good munition in one of the foresayde principall Ilandes in the whiche he hath placed a garryson of certayne of the Christian men that went thyther with hym aswell to thintent to defende the same as also to searche other Ilandes and firme landes farre remote and yet vnknowen We also vnderstande that in these landes and Ilandes lately founde is great plentie of Golde and Spyces with diuers and manye other precious thynges of sundrye kyndes and qualities Therfore all thynges diligently consydered especially the amplyfying and enlargyng of the catholike fayth as i◠behoueth catholike princes folowyng the examples of your noble progenitours of famous memorie whereas you are determined by the fauour of almyghtie God to subdue and bryng to the catholyke fayth thinhabitantes of the aforesayde landes and Ilandes We greatly commendyng this your godly and laudable purpose in our Lorde and desyrous to haue the same brought to a due ende and the name of our sauiour to be knowen in those partes do exhort you in our Lorde and by the receiuyng of your holy baptysme wherby you are bound to Apostolical obedience earnestly require you by the bowels of mercie of our Lord Iesu Christ that when you intende for the zeale of the Catholyke fayth to prosecute the sayde expedition to reduce the people of the forsayde landes and Ilandes to the Christian relgion you shall spare no labours at any tyme or be deterred with any peryls conceiuyng fyrme hope and confidence that the omnipotent God wyll geue good successe to your godly attemptes And that beyng auctorysed by the priuilege of the Apostolycall grace you may the more freely and boldly take vppon you thenterpryse of so great a matter we of our owne motion and not eyther at your request or at the instant petition of any other person but of our owne mere liberalitie and certayne science and by the fulnesse of Apostolycall power do geue graunt and assigne to you your heyres and successours all the fyrme landes and Ilandes found or to be foūd discouered or to be discouered toward y e west south drawing a lyne from the pole Artik to y e pole Antartike that is from the North to the South Contaynyng in this donation whatsoeuer fyrme landes or Ilandes are founde or to be founde towarde India or towarde any other part what so euer it be beyng distant from or without the foresayde line drawen a hundred leagues towarde the West and South from any of the Ilandes whiche are commonly called De los Azores and Capo verde All the Ilandes therefore and fyrme landes founde and to be founde discouered and to be discouered from the sayde line towarde the West and South such as haue not actually ben heretofore possessed by any other Christian kyng or prynce vntyll the daye of the natiuitie of our Lorde Iesu Christ laste paste from the whiche begynneth this present yeere beyng the yeere of our Lorde M. CCCC.lxxxxiii when so euer any such shal be founde by your messengers and captaynes we by the aucthoritie of almyghty GOD graunted vnto vs in saint Peter and by the office whiche we beare on the earth in the steede of Iesu Christ do for euer by the tenor of these presentes geue graunt assigne vnto you your heyres and successours the kynges of Castyle and Legion all those landes and Ilandes with theyr dominions Territories cities castels towres places and villages with all the ryght and iurisdictions thereunto parteynyng constitutyng assignyng and deputyng you your heyres and successours the lordes thereof with full and free power aucthoritie and iurisdiction Decreeyng neuerthelesse by this our donation graunt and assignation that from no Christian Prince which actually hath possessed the foresayde Ilandes and fyrme landes vnto the daye of the natiuitie of our Lord beforesayd theyr ryght obteyned to be vnderstoode hereby to be taken away or that it ought to be taken away Furthermore we commaunde you in the vertue of holy obedience as you haue promysed and as we doubte not you wyll do vppon mere deuotion and princely
Cerabaro Decade iii.li.iiii The South sea A league contayneth foure myles by sea and but three by lande The golden region Coiba Dites Sande myxt with golde Howe theyr slaues are marked in the face Golde A fruitefull region left desolate by ciuile discorde Syxe thousand Castellans of golde kyng Taracuru Foure thousand pesos of gold Salte Theyr maner of warre Gonsalus Badaiocius hath the ouerthrowe and is spoiled of great riches of gold The inconstancie of fortune The expedition of Fraunces Bezarra aganst the Canibales Gunnes Valleius repulsed of his enemies The Ilands of the South sea In this sea lye the Ilandes of Mollucca most fruitfull of spyces Collacutea Cochinus and Camemorus from whence the Portugales haue their spyces He meaneth by the streight of Magellanus Howe they take Hartes and wylde Bores Stocke doues Theyr maner of foulyng Popingiayes are easily taken A straunge kynde of foulyng Fyshes and worms engendred of slyme Foules Gourdes of the tree Later opinions of the swyft course of the Ocean toward the West The continent or fyrme lande The vyages of Diegus Colonus The viage from the new lands to Spain The contrary course of waters The poynt of the pole starre The golde mynes of Dariena and the maner of geatheryng golde Our inclosers would leaue no such commens Auri sacra Fames The dropsie of couetousnesse Looke Decade 3. Liber 10. Cities fortifyed with walles The Ilande of Cuba or Fernandina The Spaniards of Cuba attempt new vyages The West angle of Cuba Note The Ilande of Iucatana A great citie well buylded Temples Humane people Cunnyng artifycers Apparelled people Circumcised Idolaters Campechium A towne of three thousand houses Plentie of beastes and foules Theyr Idoles and Idolatry Houses of lime and stone The prouince Aquanil Mosco The Spanyardes are put to flyght and many slayne An other expedition The Ilande of Cozumella Sweete sauoures A fruitefull Ilande Towres and temples Cozumella named Scancta Crux Idles lyke Beares Idolatry Gentle people Iucanata but fyue myles from Cozumella The Barbarians make resistance A conflict The length of Iucatana The region of Caluacam or Oloan. The riuer Grisalua 〈◊〉 and 〈…〉 Armur of gold Expert artificers Fyshe hokes of golde The Ilandes of Sacrifice Chyldren sacrificed to Idols Theyr Idoles of marble Golde and precious stones A stone of great price Ilandes of women Golde Houses lyke Towres .xv. great townes in the prouince of Coluacana Townes of .xx. thousand houses The region of Palmaria A token of frendshyp Priestes Chastitie The punishment of adulterie Mariage is honoured Fasting Kyng Ouandus Idoles iewels and ouches of golde Gold in mountaynes and riuers Theyr maner of geathering golde Sweete sauours A stone of great price Other viages from Cuba oâ— Fernandina Many Ilands betweene Cuba and the fyrme lande Sanctiago the chiefe citie of Cuba The Barbarians slep the Spaniardes with theyr own weapons The chiefe citie of the supposed continent The Spanyardes are slaine againe with their owne weapons The Barbarians are slayne and put to flyght A multitude of Ilandes Archipelagus â–ª An other viage xxvi Ilandes about Hispaniola Cuba Images of golde Rasers of stone Instruments and tooles Landes lyke vnto the earthly Paradyse An other vyage of ten Carauels and fyue hundred men Horses and mares Fernando Cortesius The Ilande of Cozumella Carpettes and sheetes Innumerable bookes Circumcised Idolaters They Sacrifyce Children The Ilandes of Destam and Sestam The sacrifice of dogges They are soone perswaded to our religion This people leauing one kynde of Idolatry be taught another An other viage Aquillaris .vii. yeeres captiue in the Ilande of Iucatana Valdiuia The shipwrack of Valdiuia The quicke sandes called vypers The course of the sea toward the West Valdiuia is sacrificed to Idoles How Aquillaris escaped Kyng Taxmarus The mouth of a ryuer stopped with sande Turky Hens A conflicte The Barbarians arâ— put to flyght The great towne of Potanchana or Victoria A towne of xxv thousande houses Gunnes and horses The men and the horse â–ª thought to be one beast Palaces of maruelous bygnes and well buylded They receyue our religion A towne of a thousand and fyue hundred houses Another voiage of two brigantines and fyftie men Where the sea runneth swyftly from the East to the West A conflict betweene the waters comming from the West and from the South A dangerous and payneful vyage The lande of Coluacana The lande of Baccalaos oâ— Baccalearum Rych presentes of golde and pretious stones A newe colonie This Cortesius hath written a booke of these thynges They weare rynges and plates at theyr lyppes The dyuers phantasies of men Syluer Note where golde and syluer are engendred I thinke this Laton to be some kynde of pure Copper or els Copper that holdeth golde For Laton is an artificial metall and hath no natural myne Theyr bookes Theyr letters What is conteyned in theyr bookes Temples richely adourned Prayer They sacrifice children and captiues A wrong way to heauen Bloody gods Villa Ricca Siuilla Noua The force of an old errour Theyr priests lyue chast Faggotes of bones A figure of baptisme The presentes sent into Spayne to the kyng Two Images of golde and siluer Two cheynes of golde marueylously beset with precious stones and iewelles Buskyns Myters How can we then call them beastly or Barbarous If they had chaunged theyr golde for our Iron â–ª they had not so soone been subdued Quylles Helmets A byrd Speares A scepter A braselet Shooes Glasses Bâ—â—ds foules and fyshes of golde A crowne of golde Images of beastes Sheetes Cloth of Arras A souldyers cloake Registers of th affayres of India Thaucthoritie of the Lieuetenaunt The Spanyardes of Dariena Sansta Maria Antiqua Petrus Arias whom the Spanyardes name Pediarias This sea the Spanyardes call Mardelser Contention betweene Vaschus and Petrus Arias Petrus Arias commaundeth that Vaschus be put to death Vaschus is accused Vaschus is put to death Petrus Arias Lupus Sosa The great ryuer of Dabaiba or Grandis The gulfe of Vraba The ryche mountaynes of Dabaiba Fierce waclyke people Dartes Swoordes of heauy wood Hispaniola Ouiedus wryteth that there are now fyue monasteries Newe and straunge diseases The suger of Hispaniola Suger of Valentia A token of marueylous fruitfulnes Wheat Vines Cassia Fistula Brasyle Myrobalanes Cap. 5. August A marke is a pounde of viii ounces summa xvi.li weyght .viii. ounces after xii ounces to the .li. Of this reade more largely in the decades By the computation of Venice foure granes make a Caract Doctrine not worthy for a christian man Vipers Adders Dragons Spiders Crabbes Serpentes called Iuanni Beâ—res Antes â–ª A strange beast which seemeth a kind of Cameleon Foules and byrdes Alcatraz Panama Passere sempie Picuti Folyshe sparowes Cazzuole Pintadelli Great foules Cocus I haue seene one of these fruites opened the whiche when it was whole if it were shaken the water was harde shogge therein as it were in a bottle but in tyme it consumed and was partly congeled into a saâ—te
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
not openly publyshyng any memorie thereof neyther of the place or what it was called or in what yeere it was founde Albeit the fault was not theyrs but rather the malyce of other or the enuie of that which we call fortune I do not therfore marueyle that the auncient histories affyrme that great thynges proceede and increase of small and obscure begynnynges syth we haue seene the same veryfied in this fynding of the Indies being so notable and newe a thyng We neede not be curious to seeke the name of the Pilot syth death made a shorte ende of his doynges Some wyl that he came from Andaluzia and traded to the Ilandes of Canaria and the Iland of Madera when this large and mortal nauigation chaunced vnto hym Other say that he was a Byscanne and traded into Englande and Fraunce Gther also that he was a Portugale that either he went or came from Mina or India which agreeth well with the name of these newe landes as I haue sayd before Agayne some there be that say that he brought the Carauel to Portugale or to the Iland of Madera or to some other of the Ilandes called De los Azores Yet do none of them affyrme any thyng although they al affirme that the Pilot dyed in the house of Christopher Colon with whom remayned all suche writynges and annotations as he had made of his voyage in the sad Carauell aswell of such thynges as he obserued both by land and sea as also of the eleuation of the pole in those landes whiche he had discouered VVhat maner of man Christopher Colon otherwyse called Columbus was and how he came fyrst to the knowledge of the Indies CHristopher Colon was borne in Cugureo or as some say in Nerui a vyllage in the territorie of Genua in Italie He descended as some thynke of the house of the Pelestreles of Placentia in Lumbardie He beganne of a chylde to be a maryner of whose arte they haue great exercise on the ryuer of Genua He traded many yeeres into Suria and other partes of the East After this he became a maister in makyng cardes for the sea whereby he had great vantage He came to Portugale to know the reason description of the south coastes of Affrica and the nauigations of the Portugales thereby to make his cardes more perfecte to be solde He maryed in Portugale as some say or as many say in the Ilande of Madera where he dwelt at suche tyme as the sayd Carauell arryued there whose Pilot soiorned in his house and dyed also there bequeathyng to Colon his carde of the description of suche newe landes as he had found whereby Colon had the fyrst knowledge of the Indies Some haue thought y t Colon was wel learned in y e Latine tongue and the science of Cosmographie and that he was thereby fyrst moued to seeke the lands of Antipodes and the rych Ilande of Cipango wherof Marchus Paulus wryteth Also that he had redde what Plato in his dialoges of Timeus and Cricias writeth of the great Ilande of Atlantide and of a great land in the west Ocean vndiscouered beyng bygger then Asia and Affrica Furthermore that he had knowledge what Aristotell and Theophrastus saye in theyr bookes of maruayles where they wryte that certayne merchauntes of Carthage saylyng from the streyghtes of Gibraltar towarde the West and South founde after many dayes a great Ilande not inhabited yet replenyshed with al thynges requisite and hauing many nauigable ryuers In deede Colan was not greatly learned yet of good vnderstanding And when he had knowledge of the sayde newe landes by the information of the dead Pilot made relation thereof to certeyne learned men with whom he conferred as touching y e like thinges mentioned of olde autours He communicated this secrete and conferred chiefely with a fryer named Iohn Perez of Marchena that dwelt in the monastery of Rabida So that I veryly beleeue that in maner all that he declared and many thynges more that he leaft vnspoken were written by the sayde Spanyshe Pilot that dyed in his house For I am persuaded that if Colon by science atteined to the knowledg of the Indies he would long before haue communicat this secreate to his owne countrey men the Genueses that trauayle all the worlde for gaynes and not haue come into Spayne for this purpose But doubtelesse he neuer thought of any such thyng before he chaunced to be acquainted with the sayde Pilot who founde those landes by fortune accordyng to the saying of Plinie Quod ars docere non potuit casus inuenit That is That arte coulde not teache chaunce founde Albeit the more Christian opinion is to thynke that God of his singuler prouidence and infinite goodnesse at the length with eyes of compassion as it were lookyng downe from heauen vppon the sonnes of Adam so long kept vnder Sathans captiuitie intended euen then for causes to hym onely knowen to rayse those wyndes of mercy whereby that Carauell herein most lyke vnto the shyppe of Noe whereby the remnante of the whole world was saued as by this Carauel this newe worlde receyued the fyrst hope of theyr saluation was dryuen to these landes But we wyll now declare what great thynges folowed of this small begynnyng and howe Colon folowed this matter reuealed vnto hym not without Gods prouidence VVhat labour and trauayle Colon tooke in attemptyng his fyrst voyage to the Indies AFter the death of the Pilot maryners of the Spanyshe Carauell that discouered y e Indies Christopher Colon purposed to seeke the same But in howe muche more he desyred this the lesse was his power to accomplyshe his desyre For besyde that of hym selfe he was not able to furnyshe one shyppe he lacked also the fauoure of a kyng vnder whose protection he myght so enioye the ryches he hoped to fynde that none other myght take the same from hym or defeate him therof And seyng the kyng of Portugale occupied in the conquest of Africa and the Nauigations of the East whiche were then fyrst attempted the kyng of Castyle lykewyse no lesse busyed in the warres of Granada he sent to his brother Bartholomewe Colon who was also priuie to this secrete to practise with the kyng of England Henry the seuenth beyng very ryche and without warres promysyng to bryng hym great ryches in short tyme if he woulde shewe hym fauour and furnyshe hym with shyps to discouer the newe Indies whereof he had certayne knowledge But neyther here beyng able to bryng his sute to passe he caused the matter to be moued to the kyng of Portugale Don Alonso the fyfth of that name at whose handes he founde neither fauour nor mony forasmuch as the Licenciat Calzadilla the bishop of Viseo and one maister Rodrigo men of credite in the science of Cosmographie withstoode hym and contended that there neither was nor coulde any golde or other ryches be founde in the west as Colon affirmed By reason whereof he was very sad and pensiue but
vp sande with theyr left handes from the bottome of the same they pycked out graynes of golde with theyr ryght handes without any more art or cunnyng and so deliuered it to our men who affirme that many of them thus geathered were as bygge as tares or fytches And I mee selfe sawe a masse of rude golde that is to say suche as was neuer moulten lyke vnto suche stones as are founde in the bottomes of ryuers weighyng niene ounces whiche Hoieda hym selfe founde Beyng contented with these signes they returned to the Admirall to certifie hym hereof For the Admirall had commaunded vnder payne of punyshment that they shoulde meddle no further then theyr commission whiche was only to searche the places with theyr signes For the fame went that there was a certayne kyng of the mountaynes from whence those ryuers had theyr fall whom they cal Cacicus Caunaboa that is the lord of the house of golde for they cal a house Boa golde Cauni and a kyng or lorde Cacicus as we haue sayde before They affirme that there can no where be founde better fyshe nor of more pleasant taste or more holsome then in these riuers also the waters of the same to be moste holsome to drynke Melchior him selfe tolde me that in the moneth of December the dayes nyghtes be of equal length among the Canibales but the sphere or circles of the heauen agreeth not thereunto albeit that in the same moneth some byrdes make theyr nestes and some haue alredye hatched theyr egges by reason of the heate beyng rather continuall then extreme He tolde me also when I questioned with him as concerning y e eleuation of the pole frō the horizontal line that al the starres called Plastrum or charles wayne are hyd vnder the North pole to the Canibales And surely there returned none from thence at this vioage to whom there is more credit to be geuen then to this man But if he had byn skilfull in Astronomie he shoulde haue sayde that the day was almoste equall with the night For in no place towarde the stay of the sonne called Solsticium can the night be equall with the day And as for them they neuer came vnder the Equinoctial forasmuch as they had euer the North pole theyr guyde and euer eleuate in sight aboue the Horizontal Thus haue I briefely written vnto your honour as muche as I thought sufficient at this tyme and shall shortly hereafter by Gods fauoure wryte vnto you more largely of such matters as shal be dayly better knowen For the Admiral hym selfe whom I vse famyerly as my very frende hath promised me by his letters that he wyl geue me knowledge of al such thinges as shall chaunce He hath nowe chosen a strong place where he may build a citie neare vnto a cōmodious hauen and hath alredy buylded many houses and a chapel in the which as in a newe worlde heretofore voyde of all religion God is dayly serued with .xiii. priestes accordyng to the maner of our churches When the tyme nowe approched that he promysed to sende to the king and queene and hauyng prosperous winde for that purpose sent backe the .xii. Carauelles wherof we made mention before which was no smal hynderance and greefe vnto hym especially consyderyng the death of his men whom he lefte in the ilande at the fyrst voyage wherby we are yet ignorant of many places and other secretes wherof we myght otherwyse haue had further knowledge but as tyme shall reueale them agayne so wyll I aduertyse you of the same And that you may the better knowe by conference had with the Apothecaries and marchaunt strangers Sirophenicians what this Regions beare how hot theyr ground is I haue sent you all kyndes of graines with the barke and inner partes of that tree whiche they suppose to be the Cinamome tree And yf it be your pleasure to taste eyther of the graynes or of the smal seedes the whiche you shoulde perceaue to haue fallen from these graynes or of the wood it selfe touch them fyrst softly moouyng them to your lyppes for although they be not hurtfull yet for theyr excesse of heate they are sharpe and byte the tongue yf they remayne any while thereon but yf the tongue be blystered by tastyng of them the same is taken away by drynkyng of water Of the corne also whereof they make theyr bread this brynger shall deliuer some graynes to your lordshyp both whyte and blacke and therwith also a trunke of the tree of Aloes the whiche yf you cut in peeces you shall feele a sweete sauour to proceede from the same Thus fare you hartily well from the Court of Methymna Campi the thyrde day before the Calendes of May. Anno Dom. 1494. The thyrde booke of the first Decade to Lodouike Cardinall of Aragonie and Neuiewe to the kyng YOu desyre that foolyshe Phaeton shoulde agayne rule the chariots of the Sunne and contende to drawe sweete licours out of the harde flynt wheras you require me to discribe vnto you the newe world found in the west by the good fortune and gouernaunce of the Catholique princes Ferdinandus and Elizabeth your Uncle and Aunte shewyng me also the letters of kyng Frederike your Uncle written to me in that behalfe But syth you haue layde this burden on my backe in whose power it is to commaunde me to take vppon me more then I am well able ye both shall receiue this precious stone rudely closed in lead after my manner of workemanshyp Wherefore when you shal perceiue the learned sort frendly the malitious enuiously and the backbyters furiously to bende theyr slaunderous dartes agaynst our fayre Nimphes of the Ocean you shall freely protest in howe short tyme and in the myddest of what troubles and calamities you haue enforced me to wryte of the same Thus fare you wel from Granata the nienth day before the Calendes of May. We haue declared in the booke herebefore how the Admiral passed by the coastes of the Canibales to the ilande of Hispaniola with his whole nauie But nowe we entende further to shewe what he founde as concernyng the nature of this ilande after that he had better searched the secretes of the same Lykewyse of the ilande of Cuba neare vnto it whiche he supposed to be the fyrme lande Hispaniola therefore whiche he affirmeth to be Ophir whereof we reade in the thyrde booke of the kynges is of latitude fyue south degrees hauyng the north pole eleuate on the north syde .xxvii. degrees and on the south syde as they say xxii degrees it reacheth in length from East to West seuen hundred and fourescore myles it is distant from the ilandes of Gades called Cales xlix degrees and more as some say the fourme of the ilande resembleth the leaffe of a Chesnutte tree Upon a hygh hyll on the North syde of the ilande he buylded a citie because this place was most apt for
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
not lyghtly ben hearde of For he affyrmeth it to be .xxviii. leagues A lytle further towarde the West yet somewhat more southwarde as the bendyng of the shore requyred he entered into a sea full of herbes or weedes The seede of the herbes whiche swymme on the water are muche lyke the berryes of the tree called Lentiscus whiche beareth the sweete gumme called Mastix they grewe so thycke that they somtyme in maner stayed the shyppes The Admiral reported that here there is not one daye throughout all the yeere much longer or shorter then an other and that the North pole is here eleuate onely fyue degrees as at Paria in whose tracte all these coastes lye He also declared certayne thinges as concernyng the variete of the north pole the whiche because they seeme contrarye to thopinyons of all the Astronomers I wyll touche them but with a drye foote as sayth the prouerbe But it is well knowen most noble prince that whiche we call the pole starre or north starre called of the Italians Tramontana is not the very poynt of the pole Artyke vppon the whiche the axes or extremities of heauens are turned about The whiche thing may well be proued if when the starres fyrst appeare you beholde the pole starre through any narowe hole For so applying your instrument therto in the mornyng somwhat before the daye spring haue blemished theyr light yf then you looke through the same hole you shall perceiue it to be moued from the place where you sawe it fyrst But howe it commeth to passe that at the begynnyng of the euenyng twilight it is eleuate in that Region only fyue degrees in the moneth of Iune and in the mornyng twylyght to be eleuate .xv. degrees by the same quadrant I doo not vnderstande nor yet doo the reasons whiche he bryngeth in any poynt satysfye me For he sayth that he hereby coniectured that the earth is not perfectly round but that when it was created there was a certayne heape raysed theron muche hygher then the other partes of the same So that as he sayth it is not rounde after the forme of an apple or a bal as other thinke but rather lyke a peare as it hangeth on the tree and that Paria is the Region which possesseth the superminent or hyghest part therof nearest vnto heauen In so muche that he earnestly contendeth the earthly Paradyse to be sytuate in the toppes of those three hylles whiche we sayde before that the watchman sawe out of the toppe castel of the shippe and that the outragious streames of the freshe waters whiche so violentlye isshue out of the sayde gulfes and stryue so with the salt water fall headlong from the toppes of the saide mountaynes But of this matter it shall suffyce to haue sayde thus muche Let vs nowe therefore returne to the hystorie from whiche we haue digressed When he perceiued him selfe to be thus inwrapped in so great a gulfe beyonde his expectation so that he had nowe no hope to fynde any passage towarde the north wherby he myght sayle directly to Hispaniola he was enforced to turne backe the same way by the whiche he came and directed his vyoage to Hispaniola by the north of that lande lying towarde the East They whiche afterwarde searched this lande more curyouslye wyll it to be parte of the continent or firme lande of India and not of Cuba as the Admiral supposed For there are many whiche affirme that they haue sayled round about Cuba But whether it be so or not or whether enuying the good fortune of this man they seeke occasyon of quarelyng agaynst hym I can not iudge But tyme shall speake whiche in tyme appoynted reuealeth both truth and falsehod But whether Paria be continent or not the Admirall doth not muche contende but he supposeth it to be continent He also affirmeth that Paria is more southwarde then Hispaniola by eyght hundred fourescore and two myles At the length he came to Hispaniola to see his souldiers which he left with his brethren the thyrd day of the calendes of September in the yeere .1498 but as often times chaunceth in humane thynges among his so many prosperous pleasaunt and luckye affayres fortune myngled some seedes of wormewood and corrupted his pure corne with the malicious weedes of cockle ¶ The seuenth booke of the fyrst decade to the same Lodouike Cardinal c. WHen the Admiral was now come to the Ilande of Hispaniola he founde all thynges confounded and out of order For Roldanus of whom we spake before refused in his absence to obey his brother trusting to the multitude of such as were confedered with hym and not onely behaued hym selfe proudely agaynst the Admiralles brother and Lieuetenant sometyme his maister but also sent letters to his reproche to the kyng of Spayne therin accusyng both the brethren laying heynous matters to theyr charges But the Admirall agayne sent messengers to the kyng whiche myght informe hym of theyr rebellyon instantly desyring his grace to sende hym a newe supplye of men wherby he might suppresse theyr lecentiousnes and punish them for theyr mischeuous actes They accused the Admirall and his brother to be vniust men cruel enimies and shedders of the Spanyshe blood declaryng that vppon euery lyght occasyon they woulde racke them hang them and head them and that they tooke pleasure therin and that they departed from them as from cruell tyrantes and wylde beastes reioycyng in blood also the kynges enimies affyrmyng lykewyse that they wel perceiued theyr entent to be none other then to vsurpe thempire of the Ilandes whiche thyng they sayde they suspected by a thousande coniectures and especially in that they woulde permit none to resorte to the golde mynes but only suche as were theyr familiers The Admirall on the contrary part when he desyred ayde of the kyng to infring theyr insolencie auouched that al those his accusers which had deuised suche lyes agaynst hym were noughtie felowes abhominable knaues and vilains theeues and bandes ruffians adulterers rauishers of women false periured vagaboundes and such as had ben eyther conuict in prysons or fledde for feare of iudgement so escaping punishment but not leauing vice wherin they styll contynued and brought the same with them to the iland lyuing there in like maner as before in thefte lechery all kyndes of mischeefe and so gyuen to Idlenes and sleepe that wheras they were brought thyther for myners labourers scullyans they would not now goe one furlong from theyr houses except they were borne on mens backes like vnto them whiche in olde time were called Ediles Curules For to this office they put the miserable iland mē whom they handled most cruelly For least theyr handes should discontinue from sheddyng of blood and the better to trye theyr strength and manhod they vsed now then for their pastyme to stryue among them selues and proue who coulde most cleanely with his swoorde at one stroke
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
them selues to leaue the land especialy because the inhabytantes had ouerthrowne the fortresse which Fogeda buylded and had burnt thyrtie houses of the vyllage as soone as Pizarrus and his company lefte of Fogeda and forsaken the land By this occasion therfore being dryuen to seeke further they had intelligence that the west syde of that goulfe of Vraba was more fruitfull better to inhabite Wherfore they sent the one halfe of theyr men thither with the brigandine and left the other neere to the sea syde on the east part This gulfe is fourteene myles in breadth and howe muche the further it entereth into the fyrme lande it is so much the narower Into the gulfe of Vraba there fall many ryuers but one as they saye more fortunate then the ryuer of Nilus in Egypt This ryuer is called Darien vpon the bankes whereof being very fruitfull of trees and grasse they entended to plante theyr newe colonye or habitation But the inhabytantes marueylyng at the brigandyne being bigger then theyr canoas and specially at the sayles therof fyrst sent away theyr chyldren and weakesse sort of theyr people with theyr baggage and houshould stuffe and assembled all suche togeather both men and women as were meete for the warres Thus beyng armed with weapons and desperate mindes they stoode in a redynesse to fyght and taryed the comming of our men vpon a lytle hyll as it were to take the aduauntage of the grounde our men iudged them to be about fiue hundred in number Then Ancisus the captayne of our men and Lieuetenaunt in the steede of Fogeda settyng his men in order of battayle aray and with his whole company kneeling on his knees they all made humble prayers to GOD for the victorie and a vowe to the image of the blessed virgin whiche is honoured in Ciuile by the name of Sancta Maria Antiqua promysyng to sende her many golden gyftes and a straunger of that countrey also to name the vyllage Sancta Maria Antiqua after her name lykewyse to erecte a temple called by the same name or at the least to dedicate the king of that prouince his pallace to that vse if it should please her to assist them in this dangerous enterprise This done al the souldiers toke an oth that no man should turne his backe to his enimies Then y e captayne commaunding them to be in a redynesse with theyr targets and iauelyns and the trumpetter to blowe the battayle they fiercely assayled theyr enimies with a larome but the naked barbarians not long able to abyde the force of our men were put to flight with theyr kyng and captayne Cemaccus Our men entred into the vyllage where they founde plentie of meate such as the people of the countrey vse sufficient to asswage theyr present hunger as bread made of rootes with certayne fruites vnlyke vnto ours whiche they reserue for store as we doo Chestnuttes Of these people the men are vtterly naked but the women from the nauel downewarde are couered with a fyne cloth made of gossampine cotton This region is vtterly without any sharpenesse of wynter for the mouth of this ryuer of Darien is onlye eyght degrees distaunt from the Equinoctiall lyne so that the common sorte of our men scarcely perceyue any dyfference in length betweene the day and nyght all the whole yeere but because they are ignoraunt in astronomie they can perceyue no small dyfference Therefore we neede not muche passe if the degree differ somewhat from theyr opinion forasmuche as the dyfference can not be great The day after that they aryued at the lande they sayled along by the ryuer where they founde a great thycket of reedes continuyng for the space of a myle in length supposing as it chaunced in deede that the borderers thereabout whiche had fled had eyther lyen lurkyng there or els to haue hid theyr stuffe among those reedes Whereupon armyng them selues with theyr targets for feare of the people lying in ambushe they searched the thycket diligently and founde it without men but replenyshed with housholde stuffe and golde They founde also a great multitude of shetes made of the silke or cotton of the gossampine tree lykewyse diuers kyndes of vessels tooles made of wood and many of earth also many brest plates of golde and ouches wrought after theyr manner to the summe of a hundred two pound weight for they also take pleasure in the beautie of golde and worke it very artificially although it be not the pryce of thyngs among them as with vs. They haue it out of other regions for exchaunge of such thynges as theyr countrey bringeth forth for such regions as haue plentie of bread and gossampine lacke golde and suche as bryng forth golde are for the most part rough with mountaynes and rockes and therefore barren and thus they exercise marchandies without the vse of money Reioysyng therefore with double gladnesse aswel in that they sawe great lykenesse of golde as also that fortune had offered them so fayre and fruiteful a countrey they sent for theyr felowes whom they had left before in the East syde of the gulfe of Vraha Yet some say that the ayre is there vnwholsome because that part of the region lyeth in a lowe valley enuironed with mountaynes and maryshes The seconde booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed continent I Haue described to your holynesse where Fogeda with his companye to whom the large tractes of Vraba was assigned to inhabite entended to fasten theyr foote Let vs nowe therefore leaue them of Vraba for a whyle and returne agayne to Nicuesa to whom the gouernaunce and Lieutenauntshyp of the moste large prouince of Beragua beyng the West syde of the gulfe of Vraba was appoynted We haue declared howe Nicuesa departyng with one Carauel and two Brigandines from Vraba the iurisdiction of his frend companion Fogeda directed his course Westwarde to Beragua leauing the bygger shyppes somewhat behind hym to folowe hym a farre of but he tooke this deuice in an euyl houre for he both lost his felowes in the nyght and went past the mouth of the riuer Beragua whiche he cheefely sought One Lupus Olanus a Cantabrian and gouernour of one of the great shyppes had the conduct of one of the Brigandines he commyng behynde learned of the inhabitauntes whiche was the way Eastwarde to the gulfe of Beragua ouerpassed and left behynde of Nicuesa Olanus therfore directyng his course toward the East met with the other Brigandine which had also wandered out of the way by reason of the darkenes of the night The gouernour of this Brigandine was one Petrus de Vmbria Thus both beyng glad of theyr meetyng they consulted what was best to be done and whiche way they coulde coniecture theyr gouernour had taken his voyage After deliberation they iudged that Nicuesa coulde no more lacke some to put hym in remembrance of Beragua then they them selues were mindful hereof hopyng also to
tooke the gouernour thereof prisoner and hanged him on the tree in whiche he dwelt him selfe commaundyng hym to be shotte through with arrowes in the syght of thinhabitantes and with hym foure other rulers to be hanged on gibbets to the example of other rebelles This punyshment thus executed vppon the conspiratours stroke the hartes of all thinhabitantes of the prouince with such feare that there is not nowe a man that dare styrre his fynger agaynst the wrath of our men They lyue nowe therefore quietly and the other kyngs by theyr example do the gladlyer lyue in subiection with lesse offence bearyng the yoke which they can by no meanes shake of The syxte booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed continent THese thynges thus fynyshed assembling al theyr company togeather they determined with one consent that a messenger shoulde foorthwith be sent to Hispaniola from whence they haue theyr lawes and ayde to declare the whole order of al these affayres fyrst to the Admiral and gouernour of the Ilande and afterward to the Kyng of Spayne and to perswade hym to sende those thousande men whiche young Comogrus sayde to be expedient to passe ouer the mountaynes lying betwene them and the golden regions toward the South â–ª Vaschus hym selfe dyd greatlye affect this embassage but neither would the residue of his felowes electe hym therto nor his factionaries suffer hym to departe aswell for that thereby they thought they should be left desolate as also that they murmured that if Vaschus should once go from them he woulde neuer returne to suche turmoyles and calamities by the example of Valdiuia and Zamudius who had ben now absent sence the moneth of Ianuary in so much that they thought they woulde neuer come agayne but the matter was otherwyse then they tooke it as I wyll shewe in his place for they were perished At the length after many scrutinies they elected one Iohn Quicedus a graue man wel in yeeres and treasourer of the kynges Exchequer in those prouinces they had conceiued a good opinion of this Quicedus that all thynges shoulde be well brought to passe by his meanes aswell for his wysdome as also that they were in good hope of his return because he had brought his wife with hym to those regions whom he left with his felowes for a pledge of his comming againe When they had thus elected Quicedus they were againe of diuers opinions whom they might ioyne with him for assistance affirming that it were a daungerous thing to committe so weightie a matter to one mans handes not that they mistrusted Quicedus but because the life of man is fraile the change of the ayre perillous especially to them hauyng now of long time ben accustomed to the temperature neere vnto the Equinoctial if they should be compelled to returne to y e North with alteration of ayre diet They thought it therfore good to appoynt a companion to Quicedus that if by chaunce the one should faile thother might remaine that if they both escaped the king should geue y e better credit to the relation of both After long consultation therfore they chose Rodericus Colmenaris a man of good experience of whom we haue oftentimes made mention for from his youth he had trauailed ouer al Europe by lande and by sea and was present at the doynges of al things in Italie agaynâ—â— the Frenche men of whose returne also they had no smal hope because he had many farmes and had tylled and sowne much grounde in Dariena by the increase wherof he myght get much gold by selling the same to his felowes He left therfore the charge of al his affayres in Dariena with his partner Alphonsus Nunnez a iudge of the lawe who also was lyke to haue ben chosen procuratour of this voyage before Colmenaris yf one had not put them in remembrance that he had a wife at Matritis fearing lest being ouercome with her teares he woulde no more returne Colmenaris therfore a free man at libertie being associate assystant with Quicedus they tooke shyppyng together in a Brigandine the fourth day of the Calendes of Nouember in the yeere of Christe .1512 In this voyage beyng tossed with sundry tempestes they were by the violence of the winde cast vpon the West coastes of that large Iland which in the fyrst Decade we called Cuba supposed to haue ben firme land They were sore oppressed with hunger for it was nowe three monethes synce they departed from theyr felowes by reason whereof they were enforced to take lande to prooue what ayde they coulde get among the inhabitauntes Theyr chaunce therefore was to arryue in that part of the Ilande where Valdiuia was dryuen aland by tempest But oh you wretched men of Dariena tary for Valdiuia whom you sent to prouide to helpe your necessities prouyde for your selues rather and trust not to them whose fortune ye knowe not For when he arryued in Cuba the inhabitantes slue hym with al his felowes and left the Carauel wherin they were caryed torne in peeces and halfe 〈◊〉 with sande on the shore where Quicedus and Colmenaâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the fragmentes thereof bewayled theyr felowes myâ—fortune but they founde none of theyr carcasses supposyng that they were eyther drowned or deuoured of the Canibales which oftentimes make incursions into that Ilande to hunt for men But at the length by two of the Ilande men which they had taken they had knowledge of Valdiuia his destruction and that the inhabitauntes the more greedily attempted the same for that they had heard by the babblyng of one of his felowes that he had great plentie of golde for they also take pleasure in the beautie of golde whiche they fourme artificially into sundry ouches Thus our men stricken with pensiuenesse for the cruell destenie of theyr felowes and in vayne seekyng reuenge for theyr iniuries determined to forsake that vnfortunate lande departyng from those couetous naked barbarians with more sorowe and necessitie then they were in before Or euer they had passed the South syde of Cuba they fel into a thousande mysfortunes and had intelligence that Fogeda arryued therabout leadyng a miserable lyfe tossed and turmoyled with tempestes and vexed with a thousande perplexities so that departyng from thence almost alone his felowes beyng for the most part al consumed with maladies and famine he came with much difficultie to Hispaniola where he dyed by force of the poyson of his venemous wounde which he had receiued in Vraba as we haue sayde before But Ancisus elected Lieutenant sayled by al those coastes with much better fortune for as he hym selfe tolde me he founde prosperous wyndes in those parties and was wel enterteyned of thinhabitantes of Cuba but this specially in the dominion of a certayne kyng whose name was Commendator for wheras he desyred of the Christian men whiche passed by to be baptised demaundyng the name of the gouernour of the Ilande next vnto Hispaniola beyng a
two of his ships and so tossed the other that they were enforced to heaue ouerboorde part of theyr vyttualles to lyghten them All suche as escaped sayled backe agayne to the coastes of Spayne where beyng newly furnyshed and refreshed by the kyngs officers they went forward on theyr voyage The master Pylote of the gouernours shyp was Iohannes Vesputius a Florentine the neuiew of Americus Vesputius who left him as it were by discent of inheritance thexperience of the Maryners facultie and knowledge of the sea carde and compasse But we were aduertised of late by certayne whiche came from Hispaniola that they had passed the Ocean with more prosperous winde for this marchaunt shyppe commyng from Hispaniola founde them landing at certaine Ilands neere therabout But in the meane time whyle my importunate callers on Galeaceus Butrigarius and Iohannes Cursius men studious by al meanes to gratifie your holynesse ceassed not to put me in remembrance that they had one in a redines to depart into Italy taried only to cary with him vnto your holines these my fayre Nereides although rudely decked lest I shoulde bestow much tyme in vayne I haue let passe many things wil reherse only such as seeme in my iudgement moste worthy memory although somwhat disordered as occasion hath serued So it is therefore that this Petrus Arias hath a wife named Helisabetha Boadilla beyng niese by the brothers syde to the marques of Boadilla whiche rendred the citie of Segouia to Fernando and Helisabeth princes of Spayne at suche time as the Portugales inuaded the kingdome of Castile by reason wherof they were encouraged fyrst to resyst and then with open warre to assayle and expulse the Portugales for the great treasure whiche kyng Henry brother to queene Helisabeth had geathered togeather there This marquesse while she liued did euer shewe a manly and stoute mynde both in peace and warre so that by her counsayle many noble thinges were brought to good effecte in Castile vnto this noble woman the wyfe of Petrus Arias was niese by her brothers syde She folowyng the magnanimitie of her aunt perceiuyng her husband nowe furnyshyng hym selfe to depart to the vnknowen coastes of the newe worlde and those large tractes of lande and sea spake these wordes vnto hym My most deare and welbeloued husbande we ought not nowe to forgeat that from our young yeeres we haue ben ioyned togeather with the yoke of holy matrimonie to thintent that we shoulde so lyue togeather and not asunder duryng the tyme of our natural lyfe wherefore for my part to declare my affection herein you shal vnderstande that whither soeuer your fatall destenie shall dryue you eyther by the furious waues of the great Ocean or by the manyfolde and horrible daungers of the lande I wyl surely beare you company there can no peryll chaunce to me so terrible nor any kynde of death so cruell that shal not be muche easyer for me to abyde then to liue so farre separate from you It were muche better for me to dye and eyther to be cast into the sea to be deuoured of the fyshes or on the lande to the Canibales then with continual mournyng and bewaylyng to liue in death and dye lyuyng whyle I consume in lookyng rather for my husbandes letters then for hym selfe This is my ful determination not rashly nor presently excogitate nor conceiued by the lyght phantasie of womans brayne but with long deliberation and good aduisement Nowe therefore choose to whether of these two you wyll assent eyther to thruste your swoorde in my throte or to graunt me my request As for the children which god hath geuen vs as pledges of our inseparable loue for they had foure sonnes and as many daughters shall not stay me a moment let vs leaue vnto them such goodes and possessions as haue ben left vs by our parentes and freendes whereby they may lyue among the woorshypfull of theyr order for other thynges I take no care When this noble matrone of manly vertue had finished these woordes her husbande seeyng the constant mynde of his wyfe and her in a redynesse to do accordyng to her woordes had no hart to denye her louyng petition but embracing her in his armes commended her intent and consented to her request She folowed hym therfore as did Ipsicratea her Mithridates with her heare hangyng loose about her shoulders for she loued her husband as dyd Halicarnassea of Caria hers being dead and as dyd Artemisia her Mausolus We haue also had aduertisment since theyr departure that she beyng brought vp as it were amōg soft fethers hath with no lesse stoute courage susteyned the roringes and rages of the Ocean then dyd eyther her husbande or any of the Maryners brought vp euen among the sourges of the sea But to haue sayde thus muche hereof this shall suffise let vs nowe speake of other thynges no lesse worthy memorie Therfore wheras in the first Decade we haue made mention of Vincentius Annez Pinzonus ye shal vnderstand ▪ that he accōpanied Christophorus Colonus the Admiral in his first voyage and afterwarde made an other voyage of his owne charges with only one shyppe Agayne the fyrst yeere after the departyng of the Captayne 's Nicuesa and Fogeda he ran ouer those coastes from Hispaniola and searched al the South syde of Cuba from the East to the West and sayled rounde about that Iland whiche to that day for the great length thereof was thought to haue ben part of the continent or firme land although some other say that they dyd the lyke Vincentius Annez therefore knowyng nowe by experience that Cuba was an Ilande sayled on further and found other landes Westwarde from Cuba but suche as the Admiral had first touched Wherfore beyng in manner encompassed with this newe lande turning his course towarde the left hande and rasing the coastes of that lande by the East ouerpassing also the mouthes of the gulfes of Beragua Vraba and Cuchibachoa he arryued at the region whiche in the first Decade we called Paria and Os Draconis and entred into the great gulfe of freshe water which Colonus discouered beyng replenyshed with great abundance of fyshe and famous by reason of the multitude of Ilandes lying in the same beyng distant Eastwarde from Curiana about an hundred and thirtie myles in the which tracte are the regions of Cumana and Manacapana whiche also in the sixt booke of the fyrst Decade we sayd to be regions of the large prouince of Paria where many affyrme to be the greatest plentie of the best pearles and not in Curiana The kynges of these regions whom they cal Chiacones as they of Hispaniola cal them Cacici beyng certified of the comming of our men sent certayne spyes to enquire what new nation was arryued in theyr coastes what they brought and what they would haue and in the meane tyme furnyshed a number of theyr Canoas whiche they call Chichos with men armed after theyr manner for they were
them with the young Admirall to learne our language but he hym selfe repayred to the court to make earnest suite to the kyng that by his fauour he myght be gouernour of the Iland of Sancti Iohannis otherwise called Burichena being distant from Hispaniola only .xxv. leagues because he was the fyrst finder of golde in that Ilande Before Vincentius made suite for this office one Don Christopher a Portugale the sonne of the countie of Camigna was gouernour of the Iland whom the Canibales of the other Ilandes slue with al the Christian men that were in the same except the Bishop and his familiers whiche fled and shyfted for them selues forsakyng the churche and al the ornamentes thereof for your holynesse hath consecrated fiue byshops in these Ilands at the request of the most catholique king In Sancto Dominico the chiefe citie of Hispaniola Garsia de Padilla a reguler Fryer of the order of saint Frauncis is byshop In the towne of Conception doctor Petrus Xuares of Deza and in the Ilande of saint Iohn or Burichena Alphonsus Mansus a licenciate being both obseruantes of the institution of saint Peter The fourth is Fryer Barnarde of Mesa a man of noble parentage borne in Toledo a preacher bishop of the Ilande of Cuba The fift is Iohannes Cabedus a fryer preacher whom your holynesse annoynted minister of Christe to teache the Christian fayth among the inhabitantes of Dariena The Canibales shal shortlye repent them and the blood of our men shal be reuenged and that the sooner because that shortly after they had commytted this abominable slaughter of our men they came agayne from theyr owne Ilande of Sancta crux otherwise called Ay Ay to the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis and slue a kyng whiche was a freende to our men and ate hym and al his family vtterly subuertyng his village vpon this occasion that violating the law of hostage he had slayne seuen Canibales whiche were left with hym by composition to make certayne Canoas because the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis beareth greater trees and apter for that purpose then doth the Iland of Sancti crux the cheefe habitatiō of the Canibales These Canibales yet remaynyng in the Iland certaine of our men saylyng from Hispaniola chaunced vpon them The thyng beyng vnderstoode by the interpretours our men quarelling with them and calling them to accompt for that mischeuous deede they immediatly directed theyr bowes and venemous arrowes against them and with cruell countenances threatned them to be quiet lest it shoulde repent them of theyr commyng thyther Our men fearyng theyr venemous arrowes for they were not prepared to fyght gaue them signes of peace Beyng demaunded why they destroyed the vyllage and where the king was with his familie they answered that they rased the vyllage and cut the kyng with his familie in peeces and ate them in the reuenge of theyr seuen woorkmen and that they had made faggottes of theyr bones to cary them to the wiues and children of theyr slayne woorkemen in wytnesse that the bodyes of theyr husbandes and parentes lay not vnreuenged and therewith shewed the faggottes of bones to our men who beyng astonyshed at theyr fiercenesse and crueltie were enforced to dissemble the matter and holde theyr peace quarellyng no further with them at that tyme. These and suche other thynges doo dayly chaunce the whiche I do let passe lest I should offende the eares of your holynesse with such blooddy narrations Thus haue we sufficiently digressed from the regions of Beragua and Vraba beyng the cheefest fundations of our purpose We wyll now therfore entreate somewhat of the largenesse and deapth of the ryuers of Vraba also declare both what they and the landes which they runne through do bryng foorth lykewyse of the greatnesse of the lande from the East to the West and of the breadth thereof from the South to the North and what theyr opinion and hope is of thynges yet vnknowen in the same We wil therefore begyn at the newe names wherwith the Spanyardes haue named these prouinces synce they were vnder the dominions of the Christians The nienth booke of the second Decade of the supposed continent BEragua therfore they called Castella Aure◠▪ that is golden Castile and Vraba they named Andalusia noua that is newe Andalusia And lyke as of many Ilandes whiche they subdued they chose Hispaniola for the cheefe place of theyr habitation so in the large tracte of Paria they appoynted theyr colonie or biding place in the two regions of Vraba and Beragua ▪ that al suche as attempt any voyages in those coastes may resort to them as to safe portes to be refreshed when they are weerie or dryuen to necessitie Al our seedes and plantes do now marueylously encrease in Vraba lykewyse blades settes slippes graffes suger canes and suche other as are brought from other places to those regions as also beastes and foules as we haue sayd before O marueylous fruitefulnesse Twentie dayes after the seede is sowen they geather rype cucumbers and such lyke but Colwoortes Beetes Lettuse Borage are rype within the space often dayes Gourdes Melones and Pompions within the space of .xxviii. dayes Dariena hath many natiue trees and fruites of diuers kinds with sundry tastes holsome for the vse of men of the which I haue thought it good to describe certaine of the best They nouryshe a tree whiche they call Guaiana that beareth a fruite muche resemblyng the kinde of Citrones which are commonly called Limones of taste somwhat sharpe myxt with sweetenes They haue also abundance of nuts of pinetrees and great plentie of Date trees which beare fruites bigger then the Dates that are knowen to vs but they are not apt to be eaten for theyr to much sowrenesse Wilde barren Date trees grow of them selues in sundry places the branches wherof they vse for beesomes and eate also the buddes of the same Guarauana being hygher and bygger then the orange tree bryngeth foorth a great fruite as bygge as pome Citrons There is another tree much like to a chestnut tree whose fruite is like to the bigger sorte of fygs beyng holsome and of pleasant taste Mameis is another tree that bringeth forth fruite as bygge as an orange in taste nothing inferior to the best kindes of Melones Guananala beareth a fruite lesse then any of the other but of sweete sauour like spice and of dilectable taste Houos is another tree whose fruite both in shape and taste is muche lyke to prunes but somewhat bygger they are surely perswaded that this is the Myrobalane tree These growe so abundantly in Hispaniola that the hogges are fedde with the fruite therof as with mast among vs. The hogges like this kynde of feedyng so wel that when these fruites waxe ripe the swineheards can by no meanes keepe them out of the woods of these trees by reason whereof a great multitude of them are become wilde They also affirme that in Hispaniola swines flesh is
of muche better taste and more wholsome then mutton for it is not to be doubted but that diuers kindes of meates doo engender sundry tastes and qualities in such as are nourished therwith The most puissant prince Ferdinandus declared that he had eaten of another fruite brought from those landes being full of scales with keyes much lyke a pineapple in fourme and colour but in tendernes equal to melow pepons and in taste exceedyng al garden fruites for it is no tree but an hearbe much like vnto an archichoke or Acantho The king him selfe gaue the cheefest commendation to this I haue eaten none of these fruits for of a great number which they brought from thence only one remayned vncorrupted the other being putrified by reason of the long voyage Al suche as haue eaten of them newly geathered in their natiue soyle do marueylously commende theyr sweetenesse and pleasaunt taste They dygge also out of the grounde certayne rootes growyng of them selues whiche they call Betatas muche lyke vnto the nauie rootes of Millane or the great puffes or mushromes of the earth Howsoeuer they be dressed eyther fryed or sodde they geue place to no suche kynde of meate in pleasant tendernes The skinne is somwhat tougher then eyther the nauies or mushromes and of earthy colour but the inner meate therof is very white These are nourished in gardens as we sayd of Iucca in the first Decade They are also eaten rawe and haue the taste of rawe chestnuts but are somewhat sweeter We haue spoken sufficiently of trees hearbes and fruites we wyl nowe therefore entreate of thynges sencitiue The landes and desolate pastures of these regions are inhabited and deuoured of wylde and terrible beastes as Lions Tygers and suche other monsters as we nowe knowe and haue ben described of olde auctours in tyme past But there is specially one beast engendred here in which nature hath endeuoured to shew her cunnyng This beast is as bygge as an Oxe armed with a long snoute lyke an Elephant and yet no Elephant of the colour of an oxe and yet no oxe with the hoofe of a horse and yet no horse with eares also muche lyke vnto an Elephant but not so open nor so much hangyng downe yet muche wyder then the eares of any other beast Of the beast which beareth her whelpes about with her in her second belly as in a purse beyng knowen to none of the olde wryters I haue spoken in the fyrst Decade which I doubt not to haue come to the handes of your holynesse Let vs nowe therefore declare what resteth of the flooddes and ryuers of Vraba The riuer of Dariena falleth into the gulfe of Vraba with a narow chanel scarcely able to beare the Canoas or Lighters of that prouince and runneth by the village where they chose theyr dwellyng place but the ryuer in the corner of the gulfe whiche we sayde that Vaschus passed by they founde to be .xxiiii. furlonges in breadth which they call a league and of exceedyng deapth as of two hundred cubits fallyng into the gulfe by diuers mouthes They say that this riuer falleth into the gulfe of Vraba lyke as the ryuer Ister otherwyse called Danubius and Danowe falleth into the sea Pontike and Nilus into the sea of Egypt wherefore they named it Grandis that is great whiche also they affyrme to nouryshe many and great Crocodiles as the old writers testifie of Nilus and especially as I haue learned by experience hauyng sayled vp and downe the riuer of Nilus when I was sent Ambassadour to the Souldane of Alcayâ— at the commaundement of the most catholique kyng What I may therefore geather out of the wrytynges of so many learned aucthours as concernyng the riuer of Nilus I knowe not for they say that nature hath geuen two ryuers of that name to water the lande whether they wyl them to spryng out of the mountaynes of the moone or the sunne or out of the tops of the rough mountaines of Ethiopia affyrmyng one of the same to fall into the gulfe of Egypt toward the North and the other into the south Ocean sea What shal we say in this place Of that Nilus in Egypt there is no doubt The Portugales also which sayle by the coastes of the Ethiopians called Nigritae and by the kyngdome of Melinda passyng vnder y e Equinoctial lyne among theyr marueylous inuentions haue found another toward the South and earnestly affirme the same to be also deriued from the mountaynes of the moone and that it is another chanel of Nilus because it bringeth forth Crocodiles whereas it hath not ben read before time that any other riuer nourished Crocodiles sauing only Nilus This riuer the Portugales cal Senega It runneth through the region of the Nigritas beyng very fruiteful toward the North shore but on the South syde sandie and rough Crocodiles are also engendred herein What shal we then say of this thirde yea I may wel say the fourth for I suppose them also to be Crocodiles whiche Colonus with his company found armed with scales as hard as shelles in the ryuer called Delagartos wherof we haue made mention before Shal we say that these ryuers of Dariena also and Vraba haue theyr original from the mountaynes of the moone wheras they spryng out of the next mountaynes and can by no meanes haue the same original with Nilus in Egypt or that in Nigrita or els that in the kyngdome of Melinda from whence so euer they are deryued whereas these other as we haue sayde spring out of the next mountaynes which diuide another South sea with no great distance from the North Ocean Wherefore it appeareth by experience of such as haue trauailed the world in our tyme that other waters besyde the riuer of Nilus in Egypt may lykewyse bryng foorth Crocodiles In the Maryshes also and fennes of the regions of Dariena are founde great plentie of Phesantes and Peacockes but not of variable colours with manye other kyndes of byrdes and foules vnlyke vnto ours aswel apt to be eaten as also to delyte the eares of men with pleasaunt noyse But our Spanyardes because they are ignoraunt in fowlyng take but fewe Also innumerable popingayes of sundry kyndes are founde chattering in the groues of those fennie places Of these there are some equall to Capons in bygnesse and some as lytle as sparowes But of the diuersitie of popyngayes we haue spoken sufficiently in the fyrste Decade for in the rase of this large lande Colonus hym selfe brought and sent to the courte a great number of euery kynde the whiche it was lawfull for all the people to beholde and are yet dayly brought in like manner There remayneth yet one thyng moste woorthy to be put in hystorie the whiche I had rather to haue chaunced into the handes of Cicero or Liuie then into myne for the thyng is so marueylous in my estimation that I fynde my wytte more entangled in the
to the cape or poynt of Cuchibacoa whiche being passed there is a gulfe on the left hande we measured three hundred leagues in one Carde much thereabout in another From this poynt of Cuchibacoa to the region of Caramairi in whiche is the hauen Carthago whiche some cal Carthagena we found about a hundred seuentie leagues From Caramairi to the Iland Fortis fyftie leagues From thence to the gulfes of Vraba among the whiche is the vyllage called Sancta Maria Antiqua where the Spanyards haue appoynted theyr habitation only .xxxiii. leagues From the ryuer of Vraba in the prouince of Dariena to y e riuer of Beragua where Nicuesa had intended to haue fastened his foote if God had not otherwyse decreed we measured a hundred and thirtie leagues From Beragua to that riuer which we said of Colonus to be called Sancti Matthei in the which also Nicuesa loosing his Carauel wandered in great calamities we founde in our Cardes only a hundred and fourtie leagues Yet many other whiche of late tyme haue come from these partes haue described many mo leagues in this tract from the ryuer of Sancti Matthei in whiche also they place diuers ryuers as Aburema with the Iland called Scutum Cateba lying before it whose kyngs name is Facies combusta Likewise another ryuer called Zobraba after that Vrida and then Duraba in the which golde is founde Furthermore many goodly hauens as Cerabaro and Hiebra so called of the inhabitauntes And thus yf your holynesse wyll conferre these numbers togeather you shall fynde in this accompt a thousand fyue hundred twentie and fiue leagues which amount to fyue thousande seuen hundred miles from the poynt of Sancti Matthei whiche they cal Sinum perditorum that is The gulfe of y e lost men But we may not leaue here for after this one Astur Ouetensis otherwyse named Iohannes Dias de Solis borne in Nebrissa whiche bryngeth foorth many learned men sayling from this riuer towarde the West ouerranne many coastes and leagues but the middest of that shore bendeth towarde the North and is not therefore directly placed in order with the other yet may we geather by a diameter or right lyne about three hundred leagues Hereby may you geather what is the length of this lande but of the breadth perhaps we shal hereafter haue further knowledge Let vs nowe speake somewhat of the varietie of the degrees of the eleuation of the pole starres This lande therefore although it reache foorth from the East into the West yet is it crooked and hath the poynt bendyng so towarde the South that it looseth the syght of the North pole and is extended beyonde the Equinoctial lyne seuen degrees towarde the South pole but the poynt hereof parteyneth to the iurisdiction of the Portugales as we haue sayde Leauing this poynt and saylyng towarde Paria the North starre is seene againe is so much the more lifted vp in how much the region enclineth more towarde the West The Spanyardes therfore haue diuers degrees of eleuations vntyll they come to Dariena being theyr cheefe station and dwelling place in those landes for they haue forsaken Beragua where they founde the North pole eleuate .viii. degrees but from hence the land doth so much bend towarde the North that it is there in manner equal with the degrees of the strayghtes of Hercules pyllers especially yf we measure certaine landes founde by them toward the North syde of Hispaniola among the which there is an Iland about three C. and .xxv. leagues frō Hispaniola as they say which haue searched the same named Boiuca or Agnaneo in the which is a continuall spring of running water of such marueilous vertue that y e water thereof being drunke perhaps with some diet maketh olde men young agayne And here must I make protestation to your honesse not to thynke this to be sayde lyghtly or rashly for they haue so spread this rumour for a trueth throughout al the courte that not onlye al the people but also many of them whom wysedome or fortune hath diuided from the common sort thynke it to be true but yf you shal aske my opinion herein I wyl answere that I wyll not attribute so great power to nature but that God hath no lesse reserued this prerogatiue to hym selfe then to searche the hartes of men or to geue substaunce to priuation that is beyng to no beyng except we shall beleeue the fable of Colchis of Eson renouate to be as true as the wrytynges of Sibylla Erythrea Albeit perhaps the scooles of Phisitions and natural philosophers wyll not muche stycke to affyrme that by the vse of certayne secrete medicines and dyet the accidentes of age as they cal them may be long hydden and deferred whiche they wyl to be vnderstoode by the renouation of age And to haue sayde thus much of the length and breadth of these regions and of the rough and hugious mountaynes with theyr waterye caues also of the diuers degrees of that lande I thinke it sufficient But I thought it not good to let passe what chaunced to these miserable men among theyr generall calamities I remember that when I was a chylde me thought my bowelles grated and that my spirites were marueylously troubled for very pitie when I read in the poete Uirgyl howe Achemenides was left of Vlysses vpon the sea bankes among y e giantes called Cyclopes where for the space of many dayes from the departyng of Vlysses vntyl the comming of Eneas he eate none other meate but only berries and hawes But our vnfortunate Spanyards whiche folowed Nicuesa to inhabite Beragua would haue esteemed hawes berries for great delicates What should I heare speake of the head of an asse bought for a great pryce and of such other extremities as men haue suffered in townes besieged After that Nicuesa had determined to leaue Beragua for the barrennesse of the soyle he attempted to searche Portum Bellum and then the coastes of the poynt called Marmor yf he myght there fynde a place more fortunate to inhabite In this meane tyme so greeuous famine oppressed his souldiers that they neyther absteined frō eating of mangie dogges which they had with them aswel for theyr defence as for huntyng for in the warre agaynst the naked people dogges stoode them in great steade nor yet sometyme from the slaine inhabitauntes for they found not there any fruitful trees or plentie of foules as in Dariena but a barren ground and not meete to be inhabited Here certaine of the souldiers made a bargayne with one of their felowes for the pryce of a leane dogge who also was almost dead for hunger they gaue the owner of the dogge many of those peeces of gold which they cal Pesos or golden Castellans Thus agreeing of the pryce they flayed the dogge to be eaten and cast his mangie skinne with the bones of the head hangyng thereto among the bushes The day folowyng a certayne
other hauyng in it but onely one kyng and hym of so great power that at suche tymes of the yeere as the sea is calme he inuadeth theyr dominions with a great nauie of Culchas spoylyng and cariyng away for a praye all that he meeteth This Ilande is distant from these coastes only twentie myles So that the promontories or poyntes thereof reachyng into the sea may be seene from the hylles of this continent In the sea neere about this Ilande sea muscles are engendred of such quantitie that many of them are as brode as bucklers In these are pearles founde beyng the hartes of those shell fysshes oftentymes as bygge as beanes somtymes bygger then Olyues and suche as sumptuous Cleopatra myght haue desyred Although this Ilande be so neere to the shore of this firme lande yet is the begynnyng thereof in the mayne sea without the mouth of the gulfe Vaschus beyng ioyful and mery with this rych communication fantasyng nowe in maner nothing but princes treasures beganne to speake fierce and cruell woordes against the tyrant of that Ilande meanyng hereby to wynne the myndes of the other kynges and bynde them to hym with a neerer bonde of frendeshyp Yet therefore raylyng further on hym with spytefull and approbrious woords he swore great othes that he woulde forthwith inuade the Ilande spoylyng destroying burnyng drownyng and hangyng sparyng neyther swoorde nor fyre vntyll he had reuenged theyr iniuries and therewith commaunded his Culchas to be in a redynes But the two kynges Chiapes and Tumaccus â–ª exhorted hym frendly to deferre this enterprise vntil a more quiet season bycause that sea was nor nauigable without great danger beyng nowe the begynnyng of Nouember Wherein the kynges seemed to saye true For as Vaschus hym selfe wryteth great roring of the sea was heard among the Ilands of the gulfe by reason of the ragyng and conflict of the water Great ryuers also descendyng from the toppes of the mountaynes the same tyme of the yeere and ouerflowyng theyr bankes dryuyng downe with theyr violence great rockes and trees make a marueylous noyse Lykewise the furie of the South and Northeast wyndes associate with thunder and lyghtnyng at the same season dyd greatly molest them Whyle the wether was fayre they were vexed in the night with colde and in the day tyme the heat of the Sonne troubled them wherof it is no marueyle forasmuche as they were neere vnto the Equinoctial line although they make no mention of the eleuation of the pole for in suche regions in the nyght the Moone and other colde planettes but in the day the Sonne and other hotte planettes doo cheefely exercyse theyr influence although the antiquitie were of an other opinion supposyng the Equinoctiall circle to bee vnhatable and desolate by reason of the heate of the Sonne hauyng his course perpendiculerly or directly ouer the same except a fewe of the contrary opinion whose assertions the Portugales haue at these dayes by experience proued to be true for they sayle yeerely to thinhabitantes of the south pole beyng in maner Antâ—podes to the people called Hyperborei vnder the North pole and exercise marchaundize with them And here haue I named Antipodes forasmuche as I am not ignorant that there hath ben men of singuler witte and great learnyng whiche haue denyed that there is Antipodes that is suche as walke feete to feete But it is most certaine that it is not geuen to any one man to knowe all thynges for euen they also were men whose propertie is to erre and be deceiued in many thynges Neuerthelesse the Portugales of our tyme haue sayled to the fyue and fyftie degree of the south pole where compassyng about the poynt therof they myght see throughout all the heauen about the same certeyne shynnyng whyte cloudes here and there among the starres lyke vnto them which are seene in the tract of heauen called Lactea via that is the mylke whyte way They say there is no notable starre neare about that pole lyke vnto this of oures which the common people thynke to be the pole of it selfe called of the Italians Tramontana and of the Spanyardes Nortes but that the same falleth beneath the Ocean WheÌ„ the Sonne descendeth from the myddest of the exiltree of the worlde from vs it ryseth to them as a payre of ballances whose weyght enclinyng from the equall payse in the myddest towarde eyther of the sydes causeth the one ende to ryse as much as the other falleth When therfore it is Autumne with vs it is spring tyme with them and sommer with vs when it is wynter with them But it suffiseth to haue sayde thus much of strange matters Let vs nowe therefore returne to the historie and to our men The seconde booke of the thyrde Decade VAschus by thaduice of king Chiapes and Tumaccus determined to deferre his voyage to the sayde Ilande vntyll the next spryng or sommer at which tyme Chiapes offered him selfe to accompany our men and ayde them therin al that he myght In this meane tyme Vaschus had knowledge that these kynges had nettes and fysshyng places in certeyne stations of that sea neare vnto the shore where they were accustomed to fyshe for sea muscles in the which pearles are engendred and that for this purpose they had certeyne dyuers or fysshers exercised from theyr youth in swimmyng vnder the water But they doo this onely at certeine tymes when the sea is calme that they may the eassier come to y e place where these shel fishes are wont to lye for the bygger that they are so much lye they the deeper neerer to y e bottome but the lesser as it were daughters to thother are neerer the brimme of the water likewise the least of al as it were their nieses are yet neerer to the superficial part therof To them of the byggest fort whiche lye lowest the fysâ—hers descende the depth of three mens heyght and somtyme foure but to the daughters or nieses as their succession they descende only to the mydde thygh Somtimes also after that the sea hath ben disquieted with vehement tempestes they fynde a great multitude of these fishes on the sandes beyng dryuen to the shore by the violence of the water The pearles of these which are founde on the sande are but lytle the fyshe it selfe is more pleasaunt in eatyng then are our oysters as our men report But perhaps hunger the sweete sause of all meates caused our men so to thynke Whether pearles be the hartes of sea muscles as Aristotle supposed or the byrth or spawne of their intrals as Plinie thought or whether they cleaue continually to the rockes or wander by companies in the sea by the guyding of the eldest whether euery fysshe bryng foorth one pearle or more at one byrth or at dyuers also whether they be fyled from the rockes wherunto they cleaue or may be easely pulled away or otherwyse fall of by them selues when they are come to theyr full
citie of Alexandria in Egypt and destroy the shyppes if they lye long at anker They are a cubit in length and somewhat more not passing the quantitie of a fynger in bignesse The Spanysh mariner calleth this pestilence Broma Colonus therfore whom before the great monsters of the sea could not feare now fearyng this Broma being also sore vexed with the contrary fall of the sea directed his course with the Ocean toward the west and came first to the riuer Hiebra distant only two leagues from the riuer of Beragua because that was cōmodious to harborowe great shyps This region is named after the riuer and is called Beragua the lesse because both the riuers are in the dominion of the kyng whiche inhabiteth the region of Beragua But what chaunced vnto hym in this voyage on the ryght hand and on the left let vs now declare While therfore Colonus the Admiral remayned yet in the riuer Hiebra he sent Bartholomeus Colonus his brother and Liefetenaunt of Hispaniola with the shyp boates and threescore and eyght men to the riuer of Beragua where the kyng of the region beyng naked and paynted after the maner of the countrey came towards them with a great multitude of men waytyng on hym but all vnarmed and without weapons geuyng also signes of peace When he approched neerer and entred communication with our men certayne of his gentlemen neerest about his person remembring the maiestie of a kyng and that it stoode not with his honour to bargayne standyng tooke a great stone out of the riuer washyng and rubbing it very decently and so put it vnder hym with humble reuerence The kyng thus sittyng seemed with signes and tokens to insinuate that it should be lawful for our men to search and viewe al the riuers within his dominion Wherfore the syxt day of the Ides of February leauing his boates with certayne of his company he went by land a foote from the bankes of Beragua vntyll he came to the ryuer of Duraba which he affirmeth to be rycher in gold then eyther Hiehra or Beragua For gold is engendred in all ryuers of that land insomuch that among the rootes of trees growing by the bankes of the ryuers and among the stones left of the water and also wheresoeuer they dygged a hole or pyt in the grounde not past the deapth of a handefull and a halfe they founde the earth beyng taken out therof myxte with golde whereuppon he determyned to fasten his foote there and to inhabit Whiche thing the people of the countrey perceiuing and smellyng what inconuenience and mischiefe myght thereof ensue to their countrey if they should parmit straungers to plant theyr inhabitations there assembled a great armie and with horrible outcryes assayled our men who had now begun to build houses so desperatly that they were scarcely able for to abyde the fyrst brunt These naked Barbarians at theyr fyrst approche vsed onely slynges and dartes but when they came neerer to hande strokes they fought with theyr woodden swoordes whiche they cal Machanas as we haue sayde before A man woulde not thynke what great malice and wrath was kyndled in theyr hartes agaynst our men and with what desperate myndes they fought for the defence of theyr libertie whiche they more esteeme then lyfe or riches For they were now so voyde of al feare and contemning death that they neyther feared long bowes or crosse bowes nor yet which is moste to be marueyled were any thyng discouraged at the terrible noyse of the gunnes shotte of from the shyppes They retyred once but shortly after encreasyng theyr number they returned more fiercely then at the fyrste They woulde haue ben contented to haue receiued our men frendly as straungers but not as inhabitours The more instant that our men were to remayne so much the greater multitude of borderers flocked togeather dayly disturbyng them both nyght and day sometymes on the one syde and sometymes on the other The shyppes lying at anker neare vnto the shore warded them on the backe halfe but at the length they were fayne to forsake this lande and returne backe the same way by the whiche they came Thus with much difficultie daunger they came to the Iland of Iamaica lying on the south side of Hispaniola Cuba with theyr shyppes as full of holes as syues and holes so eaten with wormes as though they had been bored through with wymbles The water entred so fast at the ryftes and holes that yf they had not with the paynful labour of theyr handes emptied the same as fast they were lyke to haue peryshed where as yet by this meanes they arryued at Iamaica although in manner halfe dead But theyr calamitie ceassed not heere For as fast as theyr shyppes leaked theyr strength diminished so that they were no longer able to keepe them from sinkyng By reason whereof fallyng into the handes of the Barbarians and inclosed without hope of departure they led theyr lyues for the space of tenne monethes among the naked people more miserablie then euer dyd Achemenides among the Giauntes called Ciclopes rather lyuyng then beyng eyther contented or satisfied with the strange meates of that Ilande and that onely at suche tymes as pleased the Barbarians to geue them part of theyrs The deadly enmitie and malice whiche these barbarous kynges beare one agaynst an other made greatly with our men For at suche tymes as they attempted warre agaynst theyr borderers they woulde sometymes geue our men part of theyr bread to ayde them But how miserable and wretched a thyng it is to liue onely with bread gotten by beggyng your holynesse may easly coniecture especially where al other accustomed foode is lackyng as wyne oyle fleshe butter cheese and mylke wherwith the stomackes of our people of Europe haue euer been norished euen from theyr cradels Therfore as necessitie is subiect to no law so doth it enforce men to attempt desperate aduentures and those y e sooner which by a certayne nobilitie of nature do no further esteeme lyfe then it is ioyned with some felicitie Bartholomeus Colonus therfore intendyng rather to prooue what God woulde do with hym and his companyons in these extremities then any longer to abyde the same commaunded Diegus Mendez his stewarde with two guides of that Ilande whom he had hyred with promises of great rewardes at theyr returne to enter into one of theyr Canoas and take theyr voyage to Hispaniola Beyng thus tossed on the sea to and fro from rocke to rocke by reason of the shortnesse and narownesse of the Canoa they arryued at the length at the last corner of Hispaniola beyng distant from Iamaica fourtie leagues Here his guydes departyng from hym returned agayne to Colonus for the rewardes whiche he had promised them but Diegus Mendez went on forward a foote vntyll he came to the citie called Sanctus Dominicus beyng the chiefe head citie of the Ilande The offycers and rulers of Hispaniola
beyng enfourmed of the matter appoynted hym two shyppes wherewith he returned to his maister and companions As he founde them so came they to Hispaniola very feeble and in maner naked What chaunced of them afterwarde I knowe not as yet Let vs now therefore leaue these particulers and speake somwhat more of generals In al those tracts whiche we sayd here before to haue been founde by Colonus the Admiral both he hym selfe writeth and all his companions of that voyage confesse that the trees hearbes and fruites are floryshyng and greene all the whole yeere and the ayre so temperate holesome that of al his companie there neuer fel one man sycke nor yet were vexed eyther with extreme colde or heate for the space of fyftie leagues from the great hauen of Cerabaro to the ryuers of Hiebra and Beragua Thinhabitantes of Cerabaro and the nations whiche are betwyxt that the sayde ryuers applie not them selues to the geatheryng of gold but only at certayne tymes of the yeere and are very expert and cunnyng herein as are our myners of syluer and Iron They knowe by long experience in what places golde is most abundantly engendred as by the colour of the water of the ryuers and such as fall from the mountaynes and also by the colour of the earth and stones They beleeue a certayne godly nature to be in golde forasmuche as they neuer geather it except they vse certayne religious expiations or purgyng as to absteyne from women and all kyndes of pleasures and delicate meates and drinkes during all the tyme that their golden haruest lasteth They suppose that men do naturally liue and die as other beastes do and therfore honour none other thyng as God Yet do they pray to the Sonne and honour it when it ryseth But let vs nowe speake of the mountains and situation of these landes From all the sea bankes of these regions exceedyng great and hygh mountaynes are seene towarde the South yet reaching by a continual tract from the East into the west by reason wherof I suppose that the two great seas wherof I haue spoken largely before are deuided with these mountaynes as it were with bulwarkes least they shoulde ioyne and repugne as Italie diuideth the sea called Tirrhenum from the sea Adriatike whiche is nowe commonly called the gulfe of Uenice For whiche way so euer they sayled from the poynt called Promontorium S. Augustini whiche parteyneth to the Portugales and prospecteth against the sea Atlantike euen vnto Vraba and the hauen Cerabaro and to the furthest landes founde hitherto westward they had euer great mountaynes in syght both neere hande and also farre of in all that long rase These mountaynes were in some place smooth pleasaunt and fruitfull full of goodly trees and hearbes and somwhere hygh rough ful of rockes and barren as chaunceth in the famous mountayne of Taurus in Asia and also in dyuers coastes of our mountaynes of Apennini such other of like bygnesse The rydgies also of these mountaynes are diuided with goodly and fayre valleys That part of the mountaynes which includeth the limittes of Beragua is thought to be hygher then the cloudes insomuch that as they say the tops of them can seldome be seene for the multitude of thicke cloudes whiche are beneath the same Colanus the Admiral the fyrst fynder of these regions affirmeth that the toppes of the mountaines of Beragua are more then fiftie myles in heyght He sayth furthermore that in the same region at the rootes of the mountaynes the way is open to the south sea compareth it as it were betwene Uenice and Genua or Ianua as the Genues wyl haue it called whiche fable that theyr citie was builded of Ianus He affirmeth also that this land reacheth forth toward the south and that from hence it taketh the begynning of breadth lyke as from the Alpes out of the narowe thygh of Italie we see the large and mayne landes of Fraunce Germanie and Pannonie to the Sarmatians and Scithians euen vnto the mountaynes and rockes of Riphea and the frosen sea and embrase therewith as with a continuall bonde al Thracia and Grecia with all that is included within the promontorie or poynt of Malea and Hellespontus southwarde and the sea Euzinus and the marysshes of Meotis in Scithia northwarde The Admiral supposeth that on the left hande in saylyng towarde the west this lande is ioyned to India beyonde the ryuer of Ganges and that on the ryght hande towarde the North it is extended to the frosen sea beyonde the Hyperboreans and the North pole So that both the seas that is to meane that south sea which we sayd to bee founde by Vaschus and our Ocean shoulde ioyne and meete in the corners of that lande and that the waters of these seas do not onely inclose and compasse the same without diuision as Europe is inclosed with the seas of Hellespontus and Tanais with the frosen Ocean and our sea of Tyrrhenum with the Spanyshe seas But in my opinion the vehement course of the Ocean toward the west doth signifie the let that the sayd two seas shoulde not so ioyne togeather but rather that that lande is adherent to the firme landes towarde the North as we haue sayde before It shall suffice to haue sayde thus muche of the length hereof Let vs nowe therefore speake somwhat of the breadth of the same We haue made mention before howe the south sea is diuided by narowe limittes from our Ocean as it was proued by thexperience of Vaschus Nunnez and his companions which fyrst made open the way thyther But as dyuersly the mountaynes of our Alpes in Europe are somwhere narowe and in some place brode euen so by the lyke prouidence of nature this land in some part therof reacheth farre in breadth and is in other places coarcted with narowe limittes from sea to sea with valleys also in some places whereby men may passe from the one syde to the other Where we haue described the regions of Vraba and Beragua to be situate these seas are diuided by small distaunce Yet ought we to thynke the region whiche the great ryuer of Maragnonus runneth through to be very large if we shall graunt Maragnonum to be a ryuer and no sea as the freshe waters of the same ought to perswade vs. For in suche narowe caues of the earth there can be no swalowyng gulfes of suche bygnesse as to receiue or nooryshe so great abundance of water The lyke is also to be supposed of the great ryuer of Dabaiba whiche we sayde to be from the corner of the gulfe of Vraba in some place of fourtie fathomes depth and somwhere fiftie also three myles in breadth and so to fall into the sea We must needes graunt that the earth is brode there by the which the ryuer passeth from the high mountaines of Dabaiba from the East and not from the west They
say that this ryuer consisteth and taketh his encrease of foure other ryuers fallyng from the mountaynes of Dabaiba Our men call this ryuer Flumen S. Iohannis They say also that from hence it falleth into the gulfe of Vraba by seuen mouthes as dooth the ryuer of Nilus into the sea of Egypt Lykewyse that in the same region of Vraba there are in some places narowe streyghtes not passing fyfteene leagues and the same to be sauage and without any passage by reason of dyuers maryshes and desolate wayes whiche the Latines call Lamas but the Spanyardes accordyng to theyr varietie call them Tremedales Trampales Cenegales Sumideros Zabondaderos But before we passe any further it shall not be greatly from our purpose to declare from whence these mountaynes of Dabaiba haue theyr name accordyng vnto thantiquities of thinhabitantes They sayd that Dabaiba was a woman of great magnanimitie and wysedome among theyr predecessours in olde tyme whom in her lyfe all thinhabitantes of those prouinces dyd greatly reuerence and beyng dead gaue her diuine honour and named the region after her name beleeuyng that she sendeth thunder and lyghtnyng to destroy the fruites of the earth yf she be angred and to sende plentie if shee be well pleased This superstition hath been persuaded them by a craftie kynde of men vnder pretence of religion to thintent that they myght enioy suche gyftes and offeringes as were brought to the place where she was honoured This is sufficient for this purpose They say furthermore that the maryshes of the narowe land whereof we haue spoken bring forth great plentie of Crocodiles Dragons Battes and Gnats beyng very hurtfull Therefore whensoeuer they take any iourney towarde the south they go out of the way toward the mountaynes and eschewe the regions neere vnto those perylous fennes or maryshes Some thynke that there is a valley lying that way that the ryuer runneth which our men cal Rio de los perdidos that is the ryuer of the lost men so named by the misfortune whiche there befell to Nicuesa and his company and not farre distant from the hauen Cerabaro whiche diuideth those mountaines toward the south But let vs now finishe this booke with a fewe other thinges woorthy to be noted They say therefore that on the ryght hand and left hande from Dariena there are twentye ryuers in all the whiche great plentye of gold is found Beyng demaunded what was the cause why they brought no greater aboundance of golde from thence they answeared that they lacked miners and that the men whiche they tooke with them from Spayne thyther were not accustomed to labour but for the most part brought vp in the warres This land seemeth also to promise many precious stones For besyde those which I sayde to be founde neere vnto Cariai and Sancta Martha one Andreas Moralis a pilot who had trauayled those coastes with Iohannes de la Cossa whyle he yet lyued had a precious Diamonde whiche he bought of a naked young man in the region of Cumana in the prouince of Paria This stone was as long as two ioyntes of a mans myddle fynger and as byg as the fyrst ioynt of the thumbe beyng also paynted on euery syde consisting of eyght squares perfectly fourmed by nature They say that with this they made scarres in anuylles and hammers and brake the teeth of fyles the stone remayning vnperyshed The young man of Cumana wore this stone about his necke among other ouches solde it to Andreas Moralis for fyue of our counterfect stones made of glasse of diuers colours wherewith the ignorant young man was greatly delyted They found also certayne Topases on y e shore But the estimation of gold was so farre entred into the heades of our men that they had no regarde to stones Also the most part of the Spanyardes do laugh them to scorne which vse to weare many stones specially such as are common iudging it to be an effeminate thyng and more meete for women then men The noble men onely when they celebrate solemne mariages or set foorth any triumphes weare cheynes of gold beset with precious stones and vse fayre apparel of silke embrodered with golde intermixt with pearles and precious stones and not at other tymes They thynke it no lesse effeminate for men to smel of the sweete sauours of Arabie and iudge hym to be infected with some kynde of fylthy lechery in whom they smel the sauour of muske or Castoreum But lyke as by one apple taken from a tree we may perceiue the tree to be fruiteful and by one fyshe taken in a ryuer we may knowe that fyshe is ingendred in the same euen so by a litle gold and by one stone we ought to consyder that this lande bringeth foorth great plentie of golde and precious stones What they haue founde in the porte of Sancta Martha in the region of Cariai when the whole nauie passed thereby vnder the gouernaunce of Petrus Arias and his company with certayne other of the kynges officers I haue sufficiently declared in his place To be short therefore al thynges do so floryshe growe encrease and prosper that the last are euer better then the fyrst And surely to declare my opinion herein whatsoeuer hath heretofore ben discouered by the famous trauayles of Saturnus and Hercules with suche other whom the antiquitie for their heroical factes honoured as gods seemeth but litle and obscure if it be compared to the Spanyardes victorious labours Thus I bydde your holynesse farewell desyryng you to certifie me howe you lyke these fyrst fruites of the Ocean that beyng encouraged with your exhortations I may the gladlyer and with lesse tediousnesse wryte suche thinges as shall chaunce hereafter The fyfth booke of the thyrde Decade AL suche lyuyng creatures as vnder the cyrcle of the moone bring foorth any thing are accustomed by thinstincte of nature as soone as they are delyuered of theyr byrth eyther to close vp the matrice or at the least to be quyet for a space But our most fruitefull Ocean and newe worlde engendreth and bryngeth foorth dayly new byrthes wherby men of great wyt and especially such as are studious of new and marueylous thynges may haue somewhat at hand wherwith to feed theyr myndes Yf your holynesse do aske to what purpose is all this ye shal vnderstand that I had scarsly finished the historie of such thynges as chaunced to Vaschus Nunnez and his companie in theyr voyage to the south sea when sodenly there came new letters from Petrus Arias the new gouernour whom the kyng had appoynted the yeere before with an army of men and a nauy of shyps to sayle to these newe landes He signified by his letters that he with his nauie and company arryued al safely Furthermore Iohannes Cabedus whom your holinesse at the request of the most catholique kyng had created Bishop of that prouince of Dariena and three other of the cheefe officers ioyned in commission
systers If she fayle to theldest of the seconde syster and so of the thyrde if the seconde also fayle For they are out of doubte that those chyldren come of theyr blood but the chyldren of theyr owne wyues they counte to be not legitimate If there remayne none of theyr systers chyldren they leaue thinheritaunce to theyr brothers and if they fayle it descendeth to theyr owne sonnes Last of all if all these faile they assigne it to the woorthiest as to him that is of greatest power in all the Ilande that he may defende theyr subiectes from their auncient enimies They take as many wyues as them lysteth They suffer the best beloued of the kynges wyues and concubines to be buryed with hym Anachaona the syster of Beuchius the kyng of Xaragua being a woman of such wisedome and cunnyng that in makyng of rhymes and balattes she was counted a prophetisse among the best commaunded that among all the wyues and concubines of the kyng her brother the fayreest whose name was Guanahattabenechina shoulde be buried alyue with hym and two of her waytyng maydes with her She would surely haue appointed diuers other to that offyce if she had not been otherwyse perswaded by the prayers of certayne fryers of saint Fraunces order whiche chaunced then to be present They saye that this Guanahattabenechina had none in all the Ilande comparable to her in beautie She buryed with her all her iewels and twentie of her best ornamentes Their custome is to place besyde euery of them in their sepultures a cuppe full of water a portion of the fyne bread of Cazabbi In Xaragua the region of this kyng Beuchius and in Hazua part of the region of Caiabo also in the fayre vale of salt and freshe lakes and lykewyse in the region of Yaquino in the prouince of Bainoa it rayneth but seldome In al these regions are fosses or trenches made of olde tyme whereby they conueye the waters in order to water theyr fieldes with no lesse art then do thinhabitours of newe Carthage and of the kingdome of Murcien in Spartaria for the seldome fall of rayne The region of Maguana diuideth the prouince of Bainoa from Caiabo and Zauana from Guaccaiarima In the deepe vales they are troubled with rayne more often then nedeth Also the confines of the chiefe citie named saint Dominike are moister thē is necessary In other places it raineth moderatly There are therfore in the Iland of Hispaniola diuers and variable motions of the elementes as we reade the lyke of many other regions Of theyr colonies or mantions which the Spaniardes haue erected in this Iland we haue spoken sufficiently before They haue since that tyme builded these villages Portus platae Portus Regalis Lares Villanoua Azuam and Salua terra Hauing sayde thus much of the Iland of Hispaniola the mother and lady of the other Ilandes and as it were Tethys the most beautifull wyfe of Neptunus the god of the sea let vs nowe entreate somewhat of her Nymphes and fayre Nereides which wayte vppon her and adourne her on euery syde We wyll therfore begyn at the nearest called the newe Arethusa so named of the fountaine Arethusa in the Iland of Sicilie This is famous by reason of a spring but otherwyse vnprofitable Our men named it of late Duas Arbores because it hath onlye two trees growing in it neere vnto the which is a fountayne that commeth from the Iland of Hispaniola through the secrete passages of the earth vnder the sea and breaketh foorth in this Inde as the ryuer Alpheus in Achaia runneth vnder the sea from the citie of Elde and breaketh foorth in y e Iland of Sicilie in the fountayne Arethusa That the fountayne of this newe Arethusa hath his originall from the Ilande of Hispaniola it is manifest heereby that the water issuyng out of the fountayne bryngeth with it the leaues of many trees whiche growe in Hispaniola and not in this Iland They saye that the fountayne hath his originall from the ryuer Yiamiroa in the region of Guaccaiarima confinyng with the lande of Zauana This Ilande is not past a myle in circuite and commodious for fishermen Directly towards the East as it were the porter keepyng the entrye to Tethys lieth the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis otherwyse called Burichena whereof we haue spoken largely before this aboundeth with gold and in fruitefull soile is equall with her mother Hispaniola in this are many colonies or mansions of Spaniardes which apply them selues to geatheryng of golde Towards the west on the North syde great Cuba for the longnesse thereof long supposed to be continent or fyrme lande wardeth our Tethys on the backe halfe This is much longer then Hispaniola and from the East to the west is diuiuided in the middest with the circle called Tropicus Cancri Hispaniola and the other lying on the South syde of this are encluded almost in the mydde space betweene the sayde Tropike and the Equinoctiall line which many of the olde wryters supposed to be vnhabitable and defart by reason of the feruent heate of the Sonne in that clyme as they coniectured but they were deceyued in theyr opinion They affirme that rycher golde mynes are founde in Cuba then in Hispaniola They say also that euen now whyle I wryte these thynges there is golde geathered togeather redy to the meltyng amountyng to the quantitie of a hundred and fourescore thousand Castellans of golde an argument surely of great rychesse Iamaica is more towards the South then these and is a pleasaunt and fruitful Ilande of soyle apt for corne graffes and settes it consisteth of onely one mountayne the inhabitantes are warrelyke men and of good wyt Colonus compared it to Scicilie in bygnesse They whiche of late searched it more exactly say that it is somewhat lesse but not muche It is thought to be without golde and precious stones as the lyke was supposed of Cuba at the begynning The Ilande of Guadalupea fyrst named Caraqueira lying on the South syde of Hispaniola is foure degrees nearer the Equinoctiall It is eaten and indented with two gulfes as we reade of great Britanie nowe called England and Calidonia nowe called Scotland beyng in maner two Ilandes It hath famous Portes In this they founde that gumme whiche the Apothecaries call Animae Album whose fume is holsome agaynst reumes and heauinesse of the head The tree whiche engendreth this gumme beareth a fruite much like vnto a Date beyng a spanne in length When it is opened it seemeth to conteyne a certayne sweete meale As our husbandmen are accustomed to reserue Chestnuts and such other harde fruites all the winter so do they the Dates of this tree beyng muche lyke vnto a Fygge tree They founde also in this Ilande Pyne trees of the best kynde and such other dayntie dyshes of nature whereof we haue spoken largelye before Yea they
enemies to this kyng of the Ilande got the vpper hande by reason they assayled the kyng sodeinly and vnawares Yet was he determined to assemble a greater power and once agayne to attempt the fortune of warre but that he was otherwyse perswaded by the kynges his borderers whiche counselled him to geue ouer and submit him selfe sometyme by thexample of them selues other threatnyng the destruction of his flooryshyng kyngdome and otherwhyles declaryng vnto him the humanitie and gentlenesse of our men by whose friendship hee might obteyne honour and quietnesse to him and his willyng him furthermore to consider what chaunced vnto them which the yeere before resisted and aduentured the hasarde of the battayle as dyd these kynges Poncha Pocchorrosa Quarequa â—hiapes and Tumacchus with such other By these persuasions the kyng submitted him selfe and came friendly to our men whom he conducted to his palace which they say to bee marueylously adourned and princelyke As soone as they entred into the pallace hee brought foorth a basket of curious workemanshyp and full of pearles which he gaue them The summe of these pearles amounted to the weight of a hundred and ten poundes after .viii. vnces to the pounde being agayne rewarded of our men with such tryfles as they brought with them of purpose as garlandes of Christall and glasse and other counterfet stones of dyuers colours with lookyng glasses also and laton belles and especially two or three Iron hatchets whiche they more esteeme then great heapes of golde hee thought him selfe abuntdantly recompenced They laugh our men to scorne that they will depart with so great and necessarie a thing for any summe of golde affyrmyng an axe or hatchet to bee profitable for many vses of men and that golde serueth onely for wanton pleasures and not to be greatly necessary Beyng therefore ioyfull and glad of the friendship of our men he tooke the captayne by the hande and brought him with certayne of his familiars to the hyghest towre of his palace from whence they might prospecte the mayne sea then castyng his eyes about him on euery syde and lookyng towarde the East he sayde vnto them Beholde heere lyeth open before you the infinite sea extended beyonde the sunne beames then turnyng hym towarde the South and West he signified vnto them that the lande which laye before their eyes the toppes of whose great mountaynes they myght see was exceedyng large then commyng somewhat neerer hee sayde Beholde these Ilandes on the ryght hande and on the left which all obey vnto our empyre and are ryche happye and blessed if you call those landes blessed whiche abounde with golde and pearle We haue in this Ilande litle plentie of golde but the deepe places of all the seas about these Ilandes are full of pearles whereof you shall receyue of mee as many as you will requyre so that yee persist in the bonde of friendshyp which you haue begunne I greatly desyre your friendshyp and woulde gladly haue the fruition of your thinges whiche I set muche more by then millions of pearles You shall therefore haue no cause to doubt of any vnfaythfulnesse or breache of friendshyp on my behalfe Our men gaue hym lyke friendly wordes and encouraged him with many fayre promyses to doe as hee had sayde When our men were now in a readynesse to depart they couenaunted with him to paye yeerely to the great kyng of Castyle a hundred pounde weyght of pearles Hee gladly agreed to theyr request and tooke it for no great thyng nor yet thought him selfe any whit the more to become tributarie With this kyng they founde suche plentie of Hartes and Cunnies that our men standyng in theyr houses myght kyll as many as them lyst with their arrowes They lyue heere very pleasauntly hauyng great plentie of all thinges necessary This Iland is scarsely sixe degrees distant from the Equinoctiall lyne They haue the same maner of bread made of rootes and the graine of Maxium and wyne made of seedes and fruites euen as they haue in the region of Comogra and in other places aswell in the Ilandes as in the firme lande This kyng is now baptised with all his family and subicctes His desyre was at his baptisme to bee named Petrus Arias after the name of the gouernour When our men departed he accompanied them to the sea syde and furnyshed them with boates to returne to the continent Our men diuided the pearles among them reseruyng the fift portion to bee delyuered to thoffycers of the kynges Excheker in those parts They say that these pearles were maruelous precious faire orient exceeding byg insomuch that they brought many with them bygger then hasell nuttes Of what pryce value they myght bee I consider by one pearle the which Paulus predicessour to your holines bought at the second hand of a marchant of Uenice for foure fourtie thousand ducates Yet among those which were brought from this IlaÌ„d there was one bought euen in Dariena for a thousand two hundred Castellans of gold this was almost as byg as a meane walnut came at y t length to the handes of Petrus Arias the gouernour who gaue it to that noble and faythfull woman his wyfe of whose maner of departure with her husbande we haue made mention before We must then needes thinke that this was very precious whiche was bought so deare among such a multitude of pearles where they were not bought by one at once but by poundes and at the least by ounces It is also to be thought that the Uenecian marchaunt bought his for no great summe of money in the East partes But he solde it the dearer for that he chaunced to lyue in those lasciuious and wanton dayes when men were giuen to such nyse and superfluous pleasures and met with a marchant for his purpose But let vs now speake somewhat of the shelfyshes in the which pearles are engendred It is not vnknowne to your holynesse that Aristotle and Plinie his folower were of dyuers opinions as concernyng the generation of pearles But these Indians and our men rest onely in one assertion not assentyng to them in any other as eyther that they wander in the sea or that they moue at any tyme after they are borne They will therefore that there be certayne greene places as it were meadowes in the bottome of the sea bringing foorth an hearbe much lyke vnto Tyme and affyrme that they haue seene the same and that they are engendred noryshed and growe therein as wee see thincrease and succession of Oysters to grow about them selues Also that these fyshes delyghteth not in the conuersation or company of the sea dogges nor yet to bee contented with onely one two or three or at the most foure pearles affyrmyng that in the fyshyng places of the kyng of this Ilande there was founde a hundred pearles in one fyshe the whiche Caspar Moralis the captayne him selfe and his
companions diligently numbred For it pleased the kyng at theyr beyng there and in their presence to commaunde his dyuers to goe a fyshyng for those kynde of fyshes They compare the matrices of these fyshes to the places of conception in Hennes in the whiche theyr egges are engendred in great multitudes and clusters and beleue that these fyshes bryng foorth theyr byrth in lyke maner For the better proofe whereof they say that they founde certayne pearles commyng foorth of their matrices as beyng nowe come to the tyme of theyr full rypenesse and moued by nature to come out of theyr moothers wombe openyng it selfe in tyme conuenient lykewyse that within a whyle after they sawe other succeede in lyke maner So that to conclude they sawe some commyng foorth and other some yet abydyng the tyme of theyr perfection which beyng complete they also became loose and opened the matrice They perceyued the pearles to bee inclosed in the myddest of theyr bellyes there to bee nourished and increase as an infant sucking his moothers pappes within her wombe before hee moue to come foorth of her priuie places And if it chaunce any of these shelfyshes to bee founde scattered in the sande of the sea as I my selfe haue seene Oysters disparcled on the shores in dyuers places of the Ocean they affyrme that they haue been violently dryuen thither from the bottome of the sea by force of tempestes and not to haue wandered thither of them selues But that they become whyte by the clearenesse of the mornyng deawe or waxe yelowe in troubled weather or otherwyse that they seeme to reioyce in fayre weather and cleare ayre or contrarywyse to bee as it were astonyshed and dymme in thunder and tempestes with suche other the perfect knowledge hereof is not to bee looked for at the handes of these vnlearned men whiche handle the matter but grossely and enquyre no further then occasion serueth Yet doe they affyrme by thexperience and industrie of the dyuers that the greatest pearles lye in the deepest places they of the meane sort hygher and the least hyghest of all and neerer to the brymme of the water And say therfore that the greatest doe not wander but that they are created nouryshed and increase in the deepest places of the sea whyther fewe dyuers and that but seeldome dare aduenture to diue so deepe to geather them aswell for feare of the sea crabbes whiche wander among these pearle fyshes to feede of them and for feare of other monsters of the sea as also least their breath should fayle them in to long remayning in the water And this they say to bee the cause why the oldest therfore byggest sea muscles inhabite y e deepest places from whence they are not lightly moued by tempestes Furthermore how much the bygger older these fyshes are they say that in their larger matrices the greater number bigger pearles are founde that for this cause there are fewer founde of the byggest sort They thinke also that when they first fall from their fyshes in the deepe places they are deuoured of other fyshes bycause they are not yet hearde Againe the smallest differ from the byggest in a certaine swelling or impostumation which y e Spaniardes call a tympany For they deny that to be a pearle which in olde muscles cleaueth faste to the shell but that it is a wart which being rased from the shell with a fyle is rounde bryght but onely of one syde and not precious being rather of the nature of the fyshe it selfe then of a pearle They confesse that they haue seene certayne of these muscles cleauyng on rockes yet these but fewe and nothyng woorth It is also to bee thought that the pearle fyshes or sea muscles which are founde in India Arabia the redde sea or Taprobana are ruled in suche order as the aforenamed famous aucthours haue written For their opinion herein is not vtterly to bee reiected forasmuch as they were learned men and trauayled long in the searchyng of these thinges But wee haue nowe spoken sufficiently of these sea fyshes and of their egges which the fonde nysenesse and wantonnesse of men haue made deerer then the egges of hennes or geese Let vs therefore entreate somewhat of other perticular thinges which are come to our knowledge of late Wee haue elswhere largely described the mouthes of the gulfe of Vraba with sundry and variable regions diuided with the manifolde gulfes of that sea But as concernyng the West coastes in the which our men haue buylded houses and planted their habitations on the bankes of Dariena I haue no newe matter to wryte Yet as touchyng the East partes of the gulfe I haue learned as foloweth They say that the vniuersall lande of the East region of the gulfe from the corner thereof farre reachyng into the sea and from the extreme or vttermoste mouth of the same receyuyng the waters of the sea whiche fall into it euen vnto Os Draconis and Paria is by one generall name called Caribana of the Caribes or Canibales whiche are founde in euery region in this tract But from whence they had theyr perticuler originall and howe leauyng theyr natiue soyle they haue spredde theyr generation so farre lyke a pestiferous contagion we wyll nowe declare Therefore from the fyrst front reachyng foorth into the sea in whose tract we sayde that Fogeda fastened his foote towarde the corner about niene myles distant there lyeth a village of Caribana named Futcraca three myles distant from this is the village of Vraba of the whiche it is thought that the whole gulfe toke his name bycause this village was once the head of the kyngdome About syxe myles from this is Feti Niene myles from Feti is Zerema And about twelue myles from this Sorache Our men founde all these villages full of people al the whiche gyue them selues onely to manhuntyng Insomuche that if they lacke enimies agaynst whom they may keepe warre they exercise crueltie agaynst them selues and eyther slaye the one the other or els dryue the vanquyshed to flyght Whereby it is apparant that by these theyr continuall warres and dryuyng the one the other out of theyr countreys this infection hath gone so farre not onely on the fyrme lande but also into the Ilandes I was also aduertised of an other thyng the whiche to my iudgement seemeth woorthy to be put in memorye One Coruales a iudge in causes of lawe among the Spanyardes of Dariena sayth that on a tyme walkyng abrode with his booke in his hande he met by the way with a fugityue whiche had fledde from the great landes lying farre towarde the west and remayned here with a Kyng with whom he was entertayned When this man perceyued the lawyer lookyng on his booke marueylyng thereat he came runnyng vnto hym and by interpretours of the kyng whom he serued spake thus vnto hym Haue you also bookes wherein you may reserue thynges in
perpetual memory and letters whereby you may declare your mynde to suche as are absent And herewith desyred that the booke myght be opened vnto hym supposyng that he shoulde therein haue founde the letters of his owne countrey But when he sawe them vnlyke he sayde further that in his countrey there were cities fortified with walles and gouerned by lawes and that the people also vsed apparell but of what religion they were I dyd not learne Yet had our men knowledge both by the woordes and signes of this fugitiue that they were circumcised What nowe thynke you hereby most holy father Or what do you diuine may come hereof when tyme shall subdue all these vnder your throne Let vs nowe entermyngle certayne small thynges among these great matters I haue not thought good to pretermit that which chaunced to Iohannes Solisius who to searche the South syde of the supposed continent departed with three shyppes from the port Ioppa not farre distant from the Ilandes of Gades or Cales in the Ocean the fourth day of the Ides of September in the yeere M.D.xv. or what successe Iohannes Pontius had whom the newe gouernour Petrus Arias appoynted to vanquyshe and destroy the Caribes or Canibales deuourers of mans fleshe also to what ende the voyages of the other captaines came which were sent foorth diuers waies at the same tyme as Gonzalus Badaiocius Franciscus Bezarra and Valleius Iohannes Solicius tooke the matter in hand in an euyll houre He sayled beyond the point of saint Augustine which they cal Cabo S. Augustini toward the South side of the supposed continent beyond the Equinoctial line For as we haue said before that poynt reacheth Southwarde to the seuenth degree of the South pole called the pole Antartike He proceeded in that vyage syxe hundred leagues and found the lande from the poynt to extende so farre towarde the South beyonde the Equinoctial that he came to the thirtieth degree of y e South pole As he sayled thus forwarde hauyng nowe on his backe halfe the starres named Caput Draconis that is the Dragons head and the regions of Paria lying northwarde from hym prospectyng towarde the pole Artyke he chaunced to fall into the handes of the filthy Canibales For these craftie foxes seemed to make signes of peace when in theyr myndes they conceyued a hope of a daintie banquet espying their enimies a farre of began to swalowe theyr spettle as their mouth watered for greedines of theyr pray As vnhappy Solisius descended with as many of his company as coulde enâ—er into the boate of the byggest shyppe sodenly a great multitude of thinhabitantes brust foorth vppon them and â—lue them euery man with clubbes euen in the syght of theyr felowes They caried away the boate and in a moment broke it all to fytters not one escaping Theyr furie not thus satisfied they cut the slayne men in peeces euen vppon the shore where theyr felowes myght behold this horrible spectacle from the sea But they beyng stricken with feare through this example durst not come foorth of their shyppes or deuise how to reuenge the death of theyr Captayne and companyons They departed therefore from these vnfortunate coastes and by the way ladyng theyr shyppe with brasell returned home agayne with losse and heauie cheare Of these thynges I was aduertised of late by theyr owne letters What they haue els doone I shall haue more perticular knowledge heereafter Iohannes Pontius was also repulsed by the Canibales in the Iland of Guadalupea beyng one of the chiefe Ilandes of theyr habitation For when they sawe our men a farre of on the sea they lay in ambushe sodenly to inuade them when they shoulde come alande Our men sent foorth a fewe foote men and with them theyr Laundresses to washe theyr shertes and sheetes For from the Iland of Ferrea beyng one of the Ilandes of Canarie euen vnto this Iland for the space of foure thousand and two hundred myles they had seene no land where they myght fynde any fresh water forasmuche as in all this large space the Ocean is without Ilandes At theyr commyng therefore to lande the Canibales assayled them caried away the women and put the men to suche distresse that fewe of them escaped By reason whereof Pontius beyng greatly discomfited durst not inuade the Canibales fearyng theyr venomed arrowes which these naked man-hunters can direct most certaynely Thus good Pontius fayling of his purpose was fayne to geue ouer the Canibales whom being safe vnder the house roofe he threatned to vanquish and destroy Whyther he went from thence or what new thyngs he founde I haue as yet no further knowledge By these mysfortunes Solisius lost his lyfe Pontius his honour Let vs nowe speake of an other whose enterpryse came to lyke purpose the same yeere Iohannes Aiora borne in the citie of Corduba a man of noble parentage sent in steade of the Lieuetenant as we haue saide more couetous of gold then careful of his charge or desirous of prayle for well deseruing sought occasions of quarelyng agaynst the kynges and spoyled many violentlye extortyng gold of them agaynst ryght equitie and further handeled them so extremely that of frendes they became most cruel enemies insomuch that they ceassed not with desperat myndes by al meanes they coulde to slay our men openly or priuilie By reason whereof it is come to passe that where before they bartered quietly exchanging ware for ware they are nowe fayne to do all thynges by force of armes When he had thus exacted a great quantitie of golde of them as it is sayde he fled priuilye and tooke away a shyp with hym by stealth as the common rumour goeth nor yet hytherto haue we hard whyther he went or where he is arryued Some suspect that Petrus Arias the gouernour should consent to his departure because this Iohannes Aiora is brother to Gonsalus Aiora the kynges historiographer a man both learned and expert in the discipline of warre and so much the gouernours frend that these two among a fewe may be counted examples of rare amitie I my selfe also am greatly bounde vnto them both and haue long enioyed theyr frendshyp yet shall I desire them both to pardon me in declaring my phantasie heerein that in al the turmoyles and tragical affayres of the Ocean nothyng hath so muche displeased me as the couetousnesse of this man who hath so disturbed the pacifyed myndes of the kynges Nowe among these troublous chaunces let vs rehearse the variable fortune of Gonsalus Badaiocius and his felowes whose prosperous begynninges ended with vnfortunate successe Gonsalus therfore in the moneth of May in the yeere of Christ .1515 departed from Dariena with fourscore armed men directing his voyage toward the South and resting in no place vntyll he came to the region of Cerabaro which our men named Gratia Dei distaunt from Dariena about a hundred and
and whole head besyde being couered therewith and thus entreth hee into the poole euen vnto the chynne For being from theyr infancie exercised in swymmyng and accustomed to the waters they refuse not to continue therein a long space the foules thynking this Gourde to bee one of the other that swymme vppon the water the fouler goeth softly to the place where hee seeth the greatest flocke of foules and with waggyng his head counterfeyting the mouyng of the waueryng Gourdes draweth neare to the foules where softly puttyng foorth his ryght hande he sodainly snatcheth one by the legges and plungeth her into the water where hee putteth her into a bagge whiche hee hath with hym of purpose The other foules supposyng that this dyued into the water of her owne motion to seeke for foode as is theyr maner are nothyng moued heereby but goe forwarde on their way as before vntyll they also fall into the same snare I haue heere for this cause entred into the declaration of theyr maner of huntyng and foulyng that by these more pleasaunt narrations I may somewhat mittigate and asswage the horrour conceyued in your stomake by the former rehearsal of theyr blooddy actes and cruell maners Let vs nowe therefore speake somewhat agayne of the newe and later opinions as concernyng the swyft course of the sea towarde the West about the coastes of Paria also of the maner of geatheryng of golde in the golde myne of Dariena as I was aduertised of late and with these two quiet and peaceable thinges we will make an ende of the tragicall affayres of the Ocean and therewith byd your holynesse farewell So it is therfore that Andreas Moralis the pilot and Ouiedus of whom wee haue made mention before repayred to mee at my house in the towne of Matrite As we met thus togeather there arose a contention betweene them two as concernyng this course of the Ocean They both agree that these landes and regions parteynyng to the dominion of Castile doe with one continual tract perpetual bond embrase as one whole firme lande or continent all the mayne lande lying on the North side of Cuba the other Ilands being also Northwest both from Cuba Hispaniola Yet as touching the course of the water they varry in opinion For Andreas wil that this violent course of water be receiued in the lappe of the supposed continent which bendeth so much and extendeth so farre towarde the North as wee haue sayde and that by the obiect or resistance of the lande so bending and crookyng the water should as it were rebounde in compasse and by force thereof bee driuen about the North syde of Cuba and the other Ilands excluded without y e circle called Tropicus Cancri where the largenes of y e sea may receiue the waters falling from the narow streames therby represse that inordinate course by reason that the sea is there very large and great I can compare his meanyng to nothing more aptely then to the swyft streame commyng foorth of a myll and fallyng into the myll poole For in all such places where waters runne with a violent fall through narowe chanelles and are then receyued in large pooles they are sodeynly disparcled and theyr violence broken So that whereas before they seemed of suche force as to ouerthrowe all thinges beyng in theyr way it can not then be perceyued which way they runne The Admirall him selfe Diegus Colonus sonne and heyre to Christiphorus Colonus the fyrst fynder of these landes who had nowe in commyng and going foure tymes passed through these seas being demaunded of me what he founde or perceyued in saylyng too and fro answered that there was muche difficultie in returnyng the same way by the which they goe But whereas they fyrst take the way by the mayne sea towarde the North before they directe theyr course to Spayne he sayth that in that tract hee felt the shyppe sometymes a lyttle dryuen backe by the contrary course of the water Yet supposeth that this chaunceth onely by the ordinary flowyng and reflowyng of the sea and the same not to bee enforced by the circumflection or course of the water reboundyng in compasse as wee haue sayde But thinketh rather that this mayne lande or supposed continent should somewhere bee open and that the sayde open place should bee as it were a gate entrie or streyght diuyding the North partes of that lande from the South by the which also the Ocean runnyng towarde the West may by the rotation or impulsion of the heauens bee dryuen about the whole earth Ouiedus agreeth with Andreas Moralis as touchyng the continuall adherence and closenesse of the sayde continent Yet neyther that the waters should so beate agaynst the bendyng backe of the West lande or bee in such sort repulsed and driuen into the mayne sea But sayth that he hath diligently considered that the waters runne from the deepest and myddest of the mayne sea towarde the West Also that saylyng neere vnto the shore with small vessels hee founde the same waters to returne againe towarde the East so that in the same place they runne togeather with contrary course as we oftentymes see the lyke to chaunce in ryuers where by the obiect of the bankes dyuers whirlepooles and turnynges aryse in the water By reason whereof if any chaffe strawe wood or any other thyng of lyght substance be cast in any such places in ryuers it foloweth that all suche as runne with the water in the myddest of the chanell proceede well forwarde but suche as fall into the bendyng gulfes and indented margentes of the crooked bankes are caryed ouerthwart the chanell and so wander about vntyll they meete with the full and directe course of the ryuer Thus haue we made you partener of suche thinges as they haue giuen vs and written their dyuers opinions We will then giue more certayne reason when more certayne trueth shal be knowne We must in the meane tyme leane to opinions vntill the day come appointed of God to reueale this secrete of nature with the perfect knowledge of the pointe of the pole starre Hauyng sayde thus muche of the course of the Ocean a briefe declaration of the golde mynes of Dariena shall close vp our Decades and make an ende of our trauayles Wee haue sayde that niene myles distant from Dariena are the sydes of the hylles and the drye playnes in the whiche golde is geathered both on the drye lande and also on the bankes and in the chanelles of ryuers Therefore to all suche as are wyllyng to geather golde there is of ordinarie custome appointed to euery man by the suruoyers of the mynes a square plotte of grounde conteynyng twelue pases at the arbitrement of the chooser so that it be not grounde alredy occupyed or left of other The portion of grounde being thus chosen as it were assigned of the augures to buylde a temple they inclose their slaues within the same whose helpe the
had been that attempted the first voyage the yeere before At the fyrst they were gentlye receiued and required to resort to the towne but shortly after they repented that they had bydden them and thereupon willed them to stay about a stones cast from the towne and to proceede no further When our men desired that they myght make prouision for freshe water before theyr departure they assigned them to a certayne well whiche they had left behynde them declaring further that it shoulde be lawfull for them to take water there or els no where Our men rested that nyght in the feelde adioyning to the well the whiche thyng the Barbarians suspectyng assembled an army of three thousand men and encamped not farre from them Both partes passed a way the nyght without sleepe they fearyng lest our men shoulde breake into the towne and our men lest the Barbarians shoulde inuade them sodenly on the one part with Trumpettes and on the other syde with the noyse of Tymbrels kept them styll wakyng that were disposed to sleepe At the spryng of the day the Barbarians approched to our mens campe and called for the interpretours of Cuba whose language is much agreable vnto theirs They had deuised to lyght a Torche of franckensence and to place the same betweene both the armies to the intent that yf our men dyd not depart before the Torche were consumed to stand to theyr peryll The Torche was wasted and the matter came to hand strokes They slue only one of our men with an arrowe because his Target failed him but many were wounded After this conflict our men resorted to theyr ordinaunce whiche they had planted neere vnto the wel When they had discharged certayne peeces the Barbarians fled backe into the towne and our men were of fierse and greedie courrage to haue pursued them but that Grisalua the gouernour would not suffer them From thence they proceeded to the last ende of Iucatana which they founde to reach more then two hundred myles from the East to the West Here they founde a commodious hauen and named it Portus desideratus From hence they sailed to other landes came to the region next to Iucatana Westward which they doubt whether it be an Iland or part of the fyrme lande but thinke it rather to be annext to y e continēt in this there is a gulfe whiche they suppose to be incompassed with both the landes but of this there is no certentie The inhabitauntes call this region Caluacam or otherwise Oloan. They found here also a great riuer whiche by his violent course and fall driueth freshe water two myles into the sea this they called Grisalua after the name of the gouernour The Barbarians marueylyng at the huge greatnesse and mouing of our shyps came swarmyng on the bankes of both sydes the riuer to the number of syxe thousande men armed with targettes and brest plates of golde bowes and arrowes brode swoordes of heauie wood and long iauelyns hardened at the endes with fyre Thus standyng in battayle raye to defende theyr coastes and with proude countenaunces forbyddyng our men to come alande both parties watched all that nyght in armes In the dawne of they daye our men espyed about a hundred Canoas whiche we haue sayde to bee theyr boates full of armed men Here also the language of thinterpretours of Cuba agreed well yenough with theirs When they had admitted the peace profered them by thinterpretours al the Canoas staied except one which approched towarde the shyppes A certayne ruler that was in this Canoa demaunded of our men what they sought in other mens landes They answeared Gold and that for permutation of other ware and not of gift or violently The Canoa returned and the ruler certified the king hereof who came gladly to the shippes When he had saluted the gouernor he called his chamberlaine vnto him commaundyng hym to bryng his armur and other ornamentes of gold wherewith he armed Grisalua from the toppe of the head to the sole of the foote insomuche that what so euer any man of armes armed at all partes is among vs accustomed to weare of Iron or steele when he commeth into the fielde all such kynde of furnitures made of golde and wrought with woonderfull art the kyng gaue to the gouernour He recompenced hym with vestures of sycke cloth lynnen and other of our thynges In the begynnyng of this Iucatana when they sayled to Cozumella they chaunced vpon a Canoa of fishermen to the number of niene fyshyng with hookes of golde they tooke them all prysoners One of them was knowen to this kyng who promysed the day folowyng to send the gouernour as much gold for his raunsome as the man hym selfe waighed But the gouernour denied that he could release hym without the consent of his felowes and therefore kept hym styll to proue what he coulde further knowe of hym Departyng from hence and saylyng styll westwarde they founde a great gulfe in the which three small Ilandes were situate Of these they went to the byggest But oh abhominable crueltie oh most corrupted myndes of men and diuilyshe impietie Let euery godly man close y e mouth of his stomake lest he be disturbed They offer young chyldren of both kyndes to their Idoles of marble earth Among their Idoles of marble there standeth a Lion hauyng a hole through the necke into the whiche they poure the blood of the miserable sacrifyce that it may from thence runne downe into a syncke of marble Let vs nowe declare with what ceremonies they sacrifice the blood of these poore wretches They cut not theyr throtes but open the very brestes of these seelye soules and take out theyr hartes yet pantyng with the hot blood whereof they annoynt the lippes of theyr Idoles and suffer the resydue to fall into the syncke This doone they burne the harte and bowels supposyng the smoke thereof to be acceptable to theyr goddes Of theyr Idoles one is made to the shape of a man bowyng downe his head and lookyng towarde the syncke of blood as it were acceptyng the offeryng of the slayne sacrifyce They eate the fleshe of the armes thyghes and legges especially when they sacrifice an enimie taken in the warres They founde a streame of coniealed blood as though it had runne from a boochery For this mischeuous purpose they bring these wretches from the next Ilandes They sawe also innumerable heades and trunkes of bodies thus mangled besyde many other yet remainyng whole and couered with certayne mattes Al the tractes of these regions abound with gold and pretious stodes One of our men wandryng in the Ilande chaunced to fynde two water pottes of alabaster artificially wrought and full of litle stones of dyuers colours They say also that they founde a stone of the value of two thousande Castellans of golde which the sent to the gouernour This Iland they named the Iland of sacrifice Thinhabitauntes are circumcised There
nauie of ten Carauelles and fyue hundred men with two small brigantines as it were in the steade of lyght horsemen or forerunners whose ayde they myght vse as scoutes to search the wayes for daunger of rockes and shalow sandes or shelfes They shipte also certayne horses as fyue stoned horses and .xxvi. mares apt for the warres For theyr generall gouernour and Admirall of the nauy they elected Fernando Cortesius who at y t tyme was y e chief ruler of the citie of Sanctiago For vnder Capitaynes they appoynted Alfons Portucareius Francis Montegius Alfons Auila Aluerado Spatense Iohn Velasquen and Diegus Ordassus They styll folowed the same wynde from the last angle of Cuba towarde the West Assoone as Francis Fernandes of Corduba and then Iohn Grisalua came within prospecte of the Ilande of Sacrifyces whereof wee haue made mention before sodeinly a tempest of contrary wynde prohibited them to take lande and droue them backewarde to Cozumella lying on the East syde of Iucatana this Ilande hath onely one hauen named sainct Iohns porte and hath in it onely syxe townes also none other water then in welles and cesternes bycause it lacketh ryuers and sprynges by reason it is playne conteynyng onely .xlv. myles in circuite At the commyng of our men thinhabitauntes fledde to the thicke woods and forsooke theyr townes for feare Our men entred into theyr houses where they founde plentie of vittayles and many ornamentes parteynyng to the furnyshyng of theyr houses as hanginges and carpettes of dyuers colours sheetes also of gossampine cotton whiche they call Amaccas and muche apparell They haue furthermore innumerable bookes of the which with many other thinges sent to our newe Emperour wee will speake more largely heereafter The souldiers wandered about the Ilande and viewed all thinges diligently keepyng them selues styll in battayle raye least they myght bee sodeinly inuaded They founde but a fewe of thinhabitauntes and onely one woman in theyr company By thinterpretours of Cuba and other which the Spaniardes tooke first from Iucatana they perswaded the woman to call the kynges that were absent They came gladly and made a league of friendshyp with our men whereby they were restored to theyr houses and a great parte of their stuffe They are circumcised Idolatours and sacrifyce children of both kyndes to their Zemes which are the Images of their familiar and domesticall spirites whiche they honour as goddes When I enquired of Alaminus the pilot also of Francis Montegius and Portucarerius from whence they had the children they offered in sacrifyce they answered that they bought them in the Ilandes thereabout by exchaunge for golde and other of their trafycke For in all this so large a space of land the deuilyshe anxietie for the desyre of wicked money hath not yet oppressed thinhabitauntes They say the same also of the Ilandes lately founde whereof two are named Destam and Sestam whose inhabitants go naked and for scarcenesse of children sacrifice dogges which they nouryshe aswell for that purpose as also to eate as wee doe Cunnies these dogges are dumme can not barke hauing snoutes lyke vnto Foxes Suche as they destinate to eate they gelde while they are whelpes whereby they waxe very fat in the space of foure monethes They reserue all the bytches for increase and but fewe dogges Our men diswaded them from these superstitions declaryng howe they were abhominable and detested of God They were soone perswaded and desyred a lawe which they myght folowe Our men therfore declared vnto them that there was onely one God which made heauen and earth the giuer of all good thinges beyng of one incomprehensyble substaunce vnder triplicitie of person Assoone as they heard these wordes they broke their Zemes and pared scraped and washed the pauements and walles of their temples Our men gaue them a paynted picture of the blessed virgine which they placed reuerently in their temple about it a crosse to be honoured in the remembraunce of God and man and the saluation of mankynde They erected also an other great crosse of wood in the toppe of the temple whyther they oftentymes resorte togeather to honour the Image of the virgine Thinhabitauntes signifyed by thinterpretours that in the Ilande of Iucatana not farre from them there were seuen Christians captiues which in tyme past were driuen thither by tempest The Ilande of Cozumella is onely fyue myles distant from Iucatana The gouernour Cortesius being aduertised hereof furnished two Carauels with fiftie men willing them incōtinent to direct their viage thither to make search for these mē They tooke w t them iii. interpretors of Cozumella whose lāguage agreeth w t theirs with letters to the Christians if any might be founde He further declared vnto them howe goodly a matter they should bryng to passe if they coulde bryng away any of them For hee no wayes doubted but that by their information he should be fully certified of the commodities of all those tractes the maners of thinhabitauntes Thus they departed with commaundement to returne within the space of six dayes But when they had remayned there now .viii. dayes heard no word of their Cozumellane interpretours whom they had sent alande with the message and letters our men returned to Cozumella without them suspectyng that they were either slaine or deteyned And where as the whole nauie was now determined to depart from Cozumella but that they were hyndered by contrary wynde they sodeinly espied towarde the west a Canoa commyng from Iucatana and in it one of the Christian captiues named Hieronimus Aquillaris who had lyued seuen yeeres in that Ilande With what ioye they embrased the one the other the chaunce may declare They were no lesse desyrous to heare then he to tell of the mysfortune which befell to him and his companions And heere it shall not bee greatly from my purpose briefely to rehearse howe the thing chaunced In my Decades I haue made mention of a certayne noble man named Valdiuia whom the Spanyardes which inhabited Dariena in the supposed continent of the gulf of Vraba sent to the Iland of Hispaniola to Colonus the Admirall and viceroy with the residue of the Senate and counsaile there to whom parteyneth the redresse and orderyng of all thinges in these new landes to signifie vnto them in what extreme necessitie and penurie they lyued Unhappy Valdiuia therefore takyng this matter in hande in an euyll houre was with a sodeine and violent whirle wynde dryuen vppon certayne quickesandes in the prospecte of the Ilande of Iamaica lying on the South syde of Hispaniola and Cuba These blynde and swalowyng sandes the Spaniardes call vypers and that by good reason bycause in them many shyppes are entangled as the Lisertes are implycate in the tayles of the vypers While the Carauell thus wresteled with the water it was so burst in sunder that Valdiuia with thirtie of his felowes could scarcely with
shall dryue vs and among these so many pleasaunt and fruitfull prouinces of this large lande let vs choose one in the whiche wee maye with libertie spende that portion of our lyues which yet remayneth Who can fynde vs or shal be able to profer vs violence When these or the lyke wordes were declared to Petrus Arias hee sent to the South partes for Vaschus wyllyng him by the vertue of his commission to repayre to him foorthwith Vaschus obeyed and at his commyng was cast in pryson yet constantly denying that euer hee entended any such thyng Witnesses were brought agaynst him and his wordes rehearsed from the begynnyng To conclude hee was iudged woorthy death and was put to execution And this is the rewarde wherewith the blynde goddesse oftentymes recompenseth such as haue susteyned great trauayles and daungers to bee hyghly in her fauour Petrus Arias leauyng hys wyfe in Dariena embarked him selfe in the shippes left of Vaschus to thintent to search those coastes But whether hee bee returned or not wee haue yet no certayne knowledge He hath also his fortune Yet is there an other gouernour assigned whose name is Lupus Sosa the viceroye of the Ilandes of Canarie What stomake Petrus Arias may haue if he returne let good men iudge There was nothing done vnder him woorthy glorie Some thynke that hee was at the beginnyng to slacke and negligent in his office and not seuere in correctyng errours and misorders But we will leaue him and rehearse somewhat whereof we haue been lately infourmed as touchyng the great and deepe ryuer of Dabaiba the whiche for the greatnesse and largenesse thereof our men named Grandis that is great as we haue noted in our Decades This ryuer falleth into the furthest corner of the gulfe of Vraba by seuen portes or mouthes as doth the ryuer of Nilus into the Egyptian sea whose large description you may also reade in our Decades That the mountaynes on euery syde about this ryuer are ryche in golde wee haue learned by thinformation of thinhabitauntes of whom wee made diligent inquisition Vaschus and besyde him other gouernours and Lieuetenauntes haue fouretymes entred into this ryuer with theyr armies in battayle array and with dyuers kyndes of shippes fyrst for the space of fourtie myles then fyftie and at the last fourescore and at an other tyme also ouerthwarte the ryuer Oh shamefull chaunce and detestable cowardnesse of our men A naked nation encountryng with them that had apparell the armed against the vnarmed had the ouerthrow in maner in all conflictes and were either all slayne or wounded They vse inuenomed arrowes and are such experte archers that if they espy any place of theyr enimie bare or vnarmed they will not lyghtly fayle to stryke him there They vse also many dartes which in the tyme of the battayle they hurle so thicke a farre of that they take the lyght of the sunne from theyr enemies as it were with a cloude They haue lykewise brode long swoordes made of a heauy and harde kynde of wood wherewith they fight fiercely neare at hand Vaschus him selfe receiued many woundes in encountryng with them And thus by reason of the fiercenesse of these Barbarians the ryuer of Dabaiba is yet left vnsearched Wee will nowe speake somewhat more of the Ilande of Hispaniola which the Spanyardes call Spagnuola the mother and chiefe of all other landes or Ilands wherof we entended to write In it the Senate is now restored and fyue Iudges assigned to giue lawes to all thinhabitauntes of those tractes But in short tyme they shall ceasse geathering of gold although there bee great plentie by reason they shall lacke labourers and myners forasmuch as thinhabitauntes whose helpe they vsed heerein are brought to a small number consumed partely by warre and many more by famine that yeere that they dygged vp the rootes whereof they made theyr best bread and lefte of sowyng their grayne of Maizium which is their common foode supposing hereby to haue dryuen our men out of the Ilande who had vittayles sent them from Spayne A great number of them also dyed of new and straunge diseases which in the yeere of Christ a thousande fyue hundred and eightiene consumed them lyke rotten sheepe And to say the trueth our mens vnsaciable desyre of golde so oppressed these poore wretches with extreme labour and toyle where as before they lyued pleasauntly and at libertie gyuen onely to playes and pastymes as daunsyng fyshyng foulyng and huntyng of little Cunnies that many of them peryshed euen for very anguyshe of mynde the which with theyr vnaccustomed labour are thinges of them selues sufficient to engender many newe diseases But the kyng and the Senate haue nowe determyned that they bee reduced to a people and to gyue them selues onely to increase and tyllage of the grounde and that onely suche as are bought or taken out of other regions be appoynted to labour in the gold mynes But it shall suffyse to haue sayde thus muche of the pestiferous hunger of golde therfore I wil speake of other matters It is a marueylous thyng to consider how all thinges increase and prosper in this Ilande There are nowe .xxviii. suger presses wherewith great plentie of suger is made The canes or reedes wherein the suger groweth are bygger and hygher then in any other place and are as bygge as a mans arme in the brawne and hygher then the stature of a man by the halfe This is more wonderfull that where as in Ualentia in Spayne where a great quantitie of suger is made yeerely where so euer they applye them selues to the great increase thereof yet doeth euery roote bryng foorth not past fyue or syxe oâ— at the most seuen of those reedes whereas in Hispaniola oâ—e roote beareth twentie and oftentymes thirtie Foure footed beastes and cattayle are marueylously increased in this Ilande And albeit that the rauenyng hunger of golde hath hitherto greatly hyndered our men from tyllage of the grounde yet is there great plentye of wheate whiche prospereth so well that it yeeldeth some tyme a hundred folde and this especially on the hylles or rydges of the mountaynes prospectyng towarde the North Uines doo also encrease here with no lesse fruitefulnesse What shoulde I speake of the trees that beare Cassia fistula brought fyrst into this Ilande from the other Ilandes neere vnto the supposed Continent as we haue noted in our Decades There is nowe suche plentie hereof that after a fewe yeeres we shall haue a pounde of the pryce that we paye nowe for an ounce Of the Brasyle and Mirobalane trees with other innumerable prerogatiues and benefytes which nature hath plentifully geuen to this blessed Ilande we haue spoken sufficiently in our Decades Yet haue I thought good to repeate parte of the same because I thynke that the wittes of many readers haue diuerted from the weight of great affaires to
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
sentence against him and how apt the Barbarous nations are to embrase the Christian fayth The contentes of the seuenth booke Fol. 81. HOwe Quicedus and Colmenaris the procuratours of Dariena were honourably enterteyned at the court and brought to the kynges presence and howe theyr complexion was chaunged by alteration of the ayre Howe Petrus Arias a noble man was elected gouernour and Lieuetenaunt of Dariena and howe other of the court laboured for the same office also howe the bishop of Burges spake to the kyng in his behalfe Howe Petrus Arias had a thousande and two hundred souldyers appoynted him at the kynges charges and of the kynges custome house in the citie of Ciuile called the house of the contractes of India Howe a great number of Spanyardes profered them selues to goe at theyr owne charges and of a restraint made that no straunger myght passe without the kyngs licence also how the aucthour reproueth Aloisius Cadamustus a wryter of the Portugales viages Howe Petrus Arias shortly after his departure from Ciuile lost two of his shyppes and was dryuen backe agayne by tempest and howe beyng newly furnyshed he passed the Ocean with more prosperous wyndes The thyrd viage of Vincentius Pinzonus and howe he came to the regions of Paria where encountryng with thinhabitauntes he put them fyrst to flyght but after fallyng to intreatie of peace they gaue him great plentie of golde and abundaunce of masculine frankensence with dyuers other princely presentes Of the great multitude of Popingiayes whiche are in the region of Paria and howe thinhabitours are apparelled also of the fyue kynges that made a league of friendshyp with Vincentius Howe Vincentius sayled Eastwarde by the tracte of the region of Paria vntyl he came to the poynt of that long lande which the aucthour supposeth to be the great Ilande Atlantike wherof the olde wryters make mention The contentes of the .viii. booke Fol. 86. A Contention betweene the Castilians and Portugales as concernyng the diuision of the new founde landes and howe the controuersie was fynished by the bishop of Rome Howe Don Christopher the gouernour of the Ilande of Sancti Iohannis was slayne by the Caniballes and the bishop put to flyght also of the other bishops of the Ilandes Howe the Caniballes of the Ilande of Sancta Crux slue and ate a kyng with certayne of his men beyng friendes to the Christians and made faggottes of theyr bones and howe quarellyng with our men they put them to silence The contentes of the .ix. booke Fol. 87. OF the marueylous fruitfulnesse of the regions of Beragua Vraba and Dariena and of the dyuers kyndes of trees and fruites also of the pleasaunt taste of swynes fleshe beyng fedde with the fruites of Mirobalane trees Of Lions and Tygers and other wylde beastes and of a beast of straunge fourme Of the ryuers of the gulfe of Vraba as the ryuer of Dariena and Rio Grandis and howe the great serpentes called Crocodiles are founde in other ryuers besyde Nilus in Egypt also howe thaucthour of this booke was sent Ambassadour to the Soldane of Alcayr in Egypt Of the Portugales nauigations and of the ryuer Senega found by them to bee a chanell of Nilus also of the multitude of byrds and foules being in the maryshes of Dariena A phylosophicall discourse of thoriginall and generation of sprynges and ryuers and of the breadth of the lande diuydyng the North and South Ocean Of the great ryuer Maragnonus and of the earthly Paradyse and how springs are engendred by cōuertion of ayre into water Of the often fall of rayne vnder the Equinoctiall line and of the pores of the sea opened by the South wyndes Of the great ryuers of Tanais Ganges Danubius and Eridanus famous to the olde wryters and howe certayne ryuers runnyng through the caues of the earth breake foorth into spryngs a farre of The contentes of the .x. booke Fol. 91. HOwe the newe founde landes discouered by the Spanyards in the West Ocean are eyght tymes bygger then Italie besyde that which the Portugales possesse and of the cardes of the sea drawen by Colonus and Americus Vesputius The order of measuryng the lande and howe a league conteyneth foure myles by sea and but three by lande The Nauigation of Iohannes Dias and of the sundry eleuations of the pole starre Of the Ilande of Boiuca or Agnaneo and of the spryng whose water being drunke causeth olde men to looke young How Nicuesa and his souldyers were so oppressed with famine that they were driuen to eate mangie dogges Toades and dead men and howe a broth made of a dogge skynne was solde for many peeces of golde The Contentes of the bookes of the thyrd Decade The contentes of the fyrst booke Fol. 94. OF the desperate aduenture and good fortune of Vaschus and howe with a hundred fourescore and ten men hee brought that to passe for the which Petrus Arias was sent with a thousand and two hundred freshe souldyers Howe Iron serueth for more necessary vses then golde and howe superfluities hynder libertie Howe Vaschus in one conflicte slue sixe hundred Barbarians with theyr kynges and howe he founde the house of kyng Quarequa infected with vnnaturall lechery commaundyng that the kyng and fourtie such as he kept for that purpose should bee gyuen for a pray to his dogges which he vsed to serue in the warres agaynst these naked people Of a region of blacke Moores and howe Vaschus came to the toppes of the mountaynes where gyuyng thankes to God hee behelde the newe South Ocean neuer before seene nor knowne to men of our world Howe Vaschus put kyng Chiapes to flyght and after made a league of friendshyp with him and how the kyng gaue him .iiii. hundred poundes weyght of wrought golde Howe kyng Coquera was put to flyght who also being receyued to friendshyp gaue Vaschus sixe hundred and fyftie poundes weyght of wrought golde Of the gulfe called Sinus S. Michaelis beyng full of inhabited Ilandes and of the manly courage and godly zeale of Vaschus also of the rysyng and fallyng of the South sea Howe kyng Tumacchus beyng dryuen to flyght and afterwarde reconciled gaue Vaschus sixe hundred and fourtiene peeses of golde and two hundred and fourtie of the greatest and fayrest pearles and howe the kyng caused his men to fyshe for pearles Of the Ilande called Margaritea Diues and of the abundance of fayre and great pearles founde therein Of habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall line and of the Portugales nauigations to the Antipodes inhabityng the fyue and fyftie degree of the South pole also a declaration of Antipodes and of the starres about the South pole The contentes of the seconde booke Fol. 101. OF the maner of fyshyng for pearles and of the three kyndes thereof also dyuers other questions concernyng pearles Of the multitude of the shell fyshes wherein pearles are ingendred and founde in maner in all places in the South sea and of abundaunce of golde founde almost in
euery house also howe the treasurie of nature is in those coastes and of the golde mynes of Dariena Howe kyng Teaocha gaue Vaschus .xx. poundes weyght of wrought golde and two hundred pearles also of desartes full of wylde beastes and howe Vaschus was troubled with great heate in the moneth of Nouember Howe a dogge Tyger was taken and his whelpes tyed in cheynes and torne in peeces also how Vaschus gaue .iiii. kynges to his dogges to be deuoured Of the vse of dogges in theyr warres and of the fiercenesse of the Caniballes How kyng Bononiana fauoured the Christians gaue Vaschus xx pound weyght of wrought golde also his oration to Vaschus A similitude prouyng great plentie of golde in the regions of the South sea and of the trauayles which olde souldyers are able to susteyne The contentes of the thyrd booke Fol. 105. HOwe kyng Buchibuea submitted him selfe to Vaschus sent him certayne vesselles of golde also how kyng Chiorisus sent him .xxx. dyshes of pure golde Howe Iron serueth for more necessary vses then golde also an example of the lyfe of our fyrst parentes Howe kyng Pocchorrosa submitted hym selfe and gaue Vaschus fyftiene pounde weyght of wrought golde also how Tumanama the great kyng of the golden regions towarde the South sea is taken prysoner lykewyse howe he gaue Vaschus .xxx. pounde weyght of pure and wrought golde and his noble men .lx. pounds weyght of golde Of the cause of vehement wyndes neere vnto the Equinoctiall lyne and of the coloure of the earth of the golden mynes Of the large and fruitefull playne of Zauana and of the ryuer Comogrus also howe kyng Comogrus baptised by the name of Charles gaue Vaschus .xx. pounde weyght of wrought golde Of the good fortune of Vaschus and howe he was turned from Goliath to Elizeus from Anteus to Hercules with what facilitie the Spaniardes shall hereafter obtayne great plentie of golde and pearles Of the Spanyardes conquestes and fiercenesse of the Canibales also an exhortation to Christian princes to set forwarde Christes religion The contentes of the fourth booke Fol. 110. THe fourth viage of Colonus the Admiral from Spayne to Hispaniola and to the other Ilandes and coastes of the firme lande also of the floryshyng Ilande Guanassa Of the seuen kyndes of Date trees wylde vines and Mirobalanes also of byrdes and foules Of people of goodly stature whiche vse to paynt theyr bodyes and of the swyfte course of the sea from the east to the west also of freshe water in the sea Of the large regions of Paria Os Draconis and Quiriquetana and of great Tortoyses and reedes also of the foure fruitefull Ilands called Quatuor Tempora and .xii. Ilands called Limonares Of sweete sauoures and holsome ayre and of the region Quicuri and the hauen Cariai or Mirobalanus also of certayne ciuil people Of trees growyng in the sea after a straunge sort and of a straunge kynde of Monkyes whiche inuade men and feyght with wylde Bores Of the great gulfe of Cerabaro replenished with many fruitefull Ilandes and of the people whiche weare cheynes of golde made of ouches wrought to the similitude of dyuers wylde beastes and foules Of fyue villages whose inhabitauntes geue them selues onely to geatheryng of golde and are paynted vsyng to weare garlandes of Lions and Tygers clawes also of seuen ryuers in al the which is founde great plentie of golde and where the plentie of gold ceasseth Of certayne people whiche paynt theyr bodyes and couer theyr priuie members with shelles hauyng also plates of gold hangyng at theyr nosethrylles Of certayne woormes whiche beyng engendred in the seas neere about the Equinoctial eate holes in the shyppes and howe the Admirals shyppes were destroyed by them Howe the king of Beragua entertayned the Lieuetenaunt and of the great plentie of golde in the ryuer of Duraba and in al the regions there about also in rootes of trees and stones and in maner in al ryuers Howe the Lieuetenaunt and his company woulde haue erected a colonie besyde the ryuer of Beragua was repulsed by thinhabitauntes Howe the Admiral fel into the handes of the Barbarians of the Iland of Iamaica where he liued miserably the space of tenne monethes and by what chaunce he was saued and came to the Ilande of Hispaniola Of holsome regions temperate ayre and continual spryng al the whole yeere also of certayne people which honour golde religiously duryng theyr golden haruest Of the mountaynes of Beragua beyng fyftie myles in length and higher then the cloudes also the discription of other mountaynes and regions thereabout comparyng the same to Italy Colonus his opinion as touchyng the supposed continent and ioynyng of the north and south Ocean also of the breadth of the sayde continent or firme lande Of the regions of Vraba Beragua and the great ryuer Maragnonus and the ryuer of Dabaiba or Sancti Iohannis also of certayne maryshes and desolate wayes and of Dragons and Crocodiles engendred in the same Of .xx. golden ryuers about Dariena and of certayne precious stones especially a Diamonde of marueylous byggnesse bought in the prouince of Paria Of the heroical factes of the Spanyardes and howe they contemne effeminate pleasures also a similitude prouing great plentie of golde and precious stones The contentes of the fyft booke Fol. 119. THe nauigation of Petrus Arias from Spayne to Hispaniola and Dariena and of the Ilandes of Canarie also of the Ilands of Madanino Guadalupea and Galanta Of the sea of hearbes mountaynes couered with snow also of the swyft course of the sea towards the West Of the ryuer Gaira the region Caramairi and the port Carthago and Sancta Martha also of Americus Vesputius and his expert cunnyng in the knowledge of the carde compasse and quadrant How the Canibales assayled Petrus Arias with his whole nauie and shot of theyr venomous arrowes euen in the sea also of theyr houses and housholde stuffe How Gonsalus Ouiedus founde a Saphire bygger then a goose egge also Emerodes Calcidonies Iaspers and Amber of the mountaynes Of woods of Brasyle trees plentie of gold and marchasites of metals founde in the regions of Caramairi Gaira and Saturma also of a straunge kynde of marchaundies exercised among the people of Zunu That the region of Caramairi is lyke to an earthy Paradise of the fruitfull mountaynes and pleasaunt gardens of the same Of many goodly countreis made desolate by the fiercenesse of the Canibales and of diuers kyndes of bread made of rootes also of the maner of plantyng the roote of Iucca whose iuise is deadly poyson in the Ilandes and without hurt in the continent or fyrme lande Of certayne golden ryuers Hartes wylde Boores foules gossampine whyte marble and holsome ayre also of the great ryuer Maragnonus discending from the mountaynes couered with snowe called Serra Neuata How Petrus Arias wasted certaine Ilands of the Canibales how by the swyft course of the sea his shyps were caried in one night fourtie
is nearest to this Ilande and lyeth directly agaynst San Dominico the passage is finished in the tyme aforesayde But it shal be much better to remit all this to the carde of these nauigations and the new Cosmographie of the whiche no parte was knowne to Ptolome or any other of the olde wryters Of two notable thinges as touching the west Indies and of the great rychesse brought from thence into Spayne AFter my vniuersall discription of the historie of the Indies there commeth to my remembraunce two thinges chiefly to be noted as touchyng Thempire of these West Indies pertaining to the dominion of your maiestie and these besyde the other perticulars whereof I haue sufficiently spoken are to be considered as thinges of great importaunce Whereof the one is the shortnesse of the way with what expedition your maiesties shyppes may passe beyonde the mayne firme lande of these Indies into the new South sea called Mare del Sur lying beyond the same this to thintent to come to the Ilandes where the spices grow beside the other innumerable rychesse of y e kingdomes seigniories which confine with the said sea where are so many people nations of dyuers tongues maners The other thing is to consider howe innumerable treasures are entred into Spayne by these Indies aswell that which commeth dayly from thence as also that is continually to be looked for both of gold pearle other marchaundies which are first brought into this your realme of Spayne before they are seene of other nations or traded into other realmes Whereby not onely this your realme is greatly inriched but also the benefite thereof redoundeth to the great profite of other countreys which are neare therevnto A testimonie of this are the double ducades which your maiestie haue caused to bee coyned and are dispearsed throughout the whole worlde But after they are once passed out of this your realme they neuer returne againe because they are the best currant money of the worlde And therefore if after they haue been in the handes of straungers they chaunce to bee returned agayne into Spayne they come disguised in an other habite and are diminished of the goodnesse of theyr golde with the stampe of your maiestie chaunged So that if it were not for theyr suche defacynges in other realmes for the cause aforesayde there should not bee founde so great quantitie of fyne golde of the coyne of any prince in the world as of your maiesties and the cause of all this are your Indies Of the mynes of golde and the maner of workyng in them THis particuler of the mynes of gold is a thing greatly to bee noted and I may much better speake hereof thē any other man forasmuch as there are nowe .xii. yeeres past since I serued in the place of the surueier of y e melting shops parteyning to the gold mynes of y e firme land and was the gouernour of the mynes of the Catholike kyng Don Ferdinando after whose departure from this lyfe I serued long in the same roome in the name of your maiestie By reason wherof I haue had great occasion to know how gold is found and wrought out of the mynes and doe know ryght well y t this land is exceeding rych hauing by my accompt and by the labour of my Indians slaues geathered and fyned a great portion of the same may therfore the better affyrme this by testimony of sight For I am well assured that in no part of Castilia del oro that is golden Castile otherwise called Beragua no man coulde aske mee of the mynes of golde but that I durst haue bounde my selfe to haue discouered them in the space of ten leagues of the countrey where it should haue been demaunded me and the same to be very rych for I was alowed all maner of charges to make search for the same And although gold be found in maner euery where in these regions of golden Castile yet ought we not in euery place to bestow the trauel charge to geat it out because it is of lesse quantitie and goodnesse in some place then in some And the myne or veyne which ought to be folowed ought to be in a place which may stand to saue much of y e charges of the labourers and for the administration of other necessary thinges that the charges may be recompenced with gaynes for there is no doubt but that gold shal be found more or lesse in euery place And the golde whiche is founde in golden Castile is very good of .xxii. caractes or better in fynesse Furthermore besyde this great quantitie of gold which I haue sayd to be found in the mynes there is also from day to day found or otherwyse gotton great treasure of such wrought gold as hath ben in y e custodie of the subdued Indians theyr kynges aswel of such as they haue geuen for theyr fyne and raunsome or otherwyse as frendes to the Christians besyde that whiche hath ben violently taken from the rebelles but the greatest parte of the wrought golde whiche the Indians haue is base and holdeth somewhat of copper of this they make braslettes and chaynes and in the same they close theyr iewels whiche theyr women are accustomed to weare esteemed more then al the richesse of the worlde The maner howe golde is geathered is this eyther of suche as is founde in Zauana that is to saye in the playnes and ryuers of the champion countrey beyng without trees whether the earth be with grasse or without or of suche as is sometymes founde on the land without the ryuers in places where trees growe so that to come by the same it shal be requisite to cut downe many and great trees But after which so euer of these two maners it be founde eyther in the ryuers or breaches of waters or els in the earth I wyl shewe howe it is founde in both these places and howe it is separate and pourged Therefore when the myne or veyne is discouered this chaunceth by searchyng and prouyng in such places as by certaine signes and tokens do appeare to skylful men apte for the generation of golde and to holde golde and when they haue found it they folowe the myne and labour it whether it be in the ryuer or in the playne as I haue sayde And if it be founde on the playne fyrst they make the place very cleane where they entende to dygge then they dygge eyght or tenne foote in length and as muche in breadth but they goe no deeper then a spanne or two or more as shal seeme best to the maister of the myne dyggyng equally then they washe all the earth whiche they haue taken out of the sayde space and if herein they fynde any golde they folowe it and if not they dygge a spanne deeper and washe the earth as they dyd before and if then also they fynde nothyng they continue in diggyng and washyng y e earth as before vntyl
to poyson theyr arrowes wherewith they kyll all that they wounde These venomes they mingle togeather and make thereof a blacke masse or composition whiche appeareth lyke vnto very blacke pytch Of this poyson I caused a great quantitie to be burnt in Sancta Maria Antiqua in a place two leagues and more within the lande with a great multitude of theyr inuenomed arrowes and other munition with also the house wherein they were reserued This was in the yeere .1514 at suche tyme as the army arryued there with captayne Pedrarias da villa at the commaundement of the Catholyke kyng Don Ferdinando But to returne to the hystory These Apples as I haue sayde growe neare vnto the sea And whereas the Christians whiche serue your maiestie in these parties suppose that there is no remedy so profytable for such as are wounded with these arrowes as is the water of the sea if the wound be much washed therwith by which meanes some haue escaped although but fewe yet to say the trueth albeit the water of the sea haue a certaine caustike quality against poyson it is not a sufficient remedy in this case nor yet to this day haue the Christians perceyued that of fyftie that haue been wounded three haue recouered But that your maiestie may the better consider the force of the venome of these trees you shal further vnderstand that if a man doe but repose him selfe to sleepe a litle whyle vnder the shadow of the same he hath his head eyes so swolne when he ryseth that the eye lyddes are ioyned with the cheekes and if it chaunce one droppe or more of the deawe of the sayde tree to fall into the eye it vtterly destroyeth the syght The pestilent nature of this tree is suche that it can not be declared in fewe wordes Of these there groweth great plentie in the gulfe of Vraba towarde the North coast on the West and East syde The wood of these trees when it burneth maketh so great a stynke that no man is able to abyde it by reason it causeth so great a payne in the head Among other trees whiche are in these Indies aswell in the Ilandes as in the firme lande there is an other kynde whiche they call Xagua whereof there is great plentie they are very hygh and streyght and fayre to beholde Of these they vse to make â—ykes and Iauelyns of dyuers lengthes and bygnesse they are of a fayre colour betweene russet and whyte this tree bryngeth foorth a great fruit as bygge as Papauer or Poppie and muche lyke therevnto it is very good to bee eaten when it is rype Out of this they get a very cleare water wherewith they washe their legges and sometymes all theyr bodyes when they feele theyr fleshe weery faynt or loose the which water besyde that it hath a byndyng qualitie it hath also this propertie that whatsoeuer it toucheth it steyneth it blacke by litle and litle vntyll it bee as blacke as gete which colour can not bee taken away in lesse space then tenne or twelue dayes And if the nayle bee but touched therewith it is so steyned that it can by no meanes bee taken away vntyll it eyther fall of or grow out and bee clypped away by litle litle as I my selfe haue oftentymes seene by experience There is an other kynde of trees which they call Hohi these are very great and fayre and cause holesome ayre where they growe and a pleasaunt shadowe and are founde in great aboundaunce theyr fruit is very good and of good tast and sauour and much lyke vnto certayne damsons or prunes beyng litle and yelowe but theyr stone is very great by reason whereof they haue but litle meate theyr barke or rynde boyled in water maketh a holesome bathe for the legges because it byndeth and stayeth the loosenesse of the fleshe so sensibly that it is a marueyle to consider It is surely a holesome and excellent bathe agaynst suche fayntnesse and is the best tree that may be founde in those parties to sleepe vnder For it causeth no heauinesse of the head as doe dyuers other trees which thyng I speake because the Christians are muche accustomed in those regions to lye in the fieldes It is therefore a common practise among them that wheresoeuer they fynde these trees there they spreade theyr mattresses and beddes wherein they sleepe There are also a kynde of hygh Date trees and full of thornes the woodde of these is most excellent beyng very blacke and shynyng and so heauye that no parte thereof can swymme aboue the water but synketh immediatly to the bottome Of this woodde they make theyr arrowes and dartes also Iauelyns speares and pykes and I say pykes because that in the coastes of the sea of Sur beyonde Esquegua and Vracha the Indians vse great and long pykes made of the wood of these Date trees Of the same lykewyse they make clubbes and swoordes and dyuers other weapons Also vesselles and housholde stuffe of dyuers sortes very fayre and commodious Furthermore of this wood the Christians vse to make dyuers musicall instrumentes as Claricymballes Lutes Gitterns and suche other the which besyde theyr fayre shynyng colour lyke vnto gete are also of a good sounde and very durable by reason of the hardnesse of the wood After that I haue sayde thus much of trees and plants I haue thought good also to speake somewhat of hearbes You shal therfore vnderstand that in these Indies there is an hearbe much like vnto a yelow Lilie about whose leaues there growe and creepe certayne cordes or lases as the lyke is partly seene in the hearbe which we call lased sauery but these of the Indies are much bigger and longer and so strong that they tye theyr hangyng beds thereby whiche they call Hamacas whereof we haue spoken elsewhere these cordes they call Cabuia and Henequen whiche are all one thyng sauyng that Henequen is lesse and of a fyner substance as it were line and the other is grosser lyke the weeke or twyst of hempe and is imperfect in comparison to the other they are of colour betweene whyte and yelow lyke vnto abarne and some also whyte With Henequen whiche is the most subtyle and fyne threede the Indians sawe in sunder fetters cheynes or barres of Iron in this maner They moue the threed of Henequen vppon the Iron which they intende to sawe or cutte drawyng the one hande after the other as doe they that sawe puttyng euer nowe and then a portion of fyne sande vppon the threede or on the place or parte of the Iron where they continue rubbyng the sayde threed so that if the threed be worne they take an other and continue in theyr worke as before vntyll they haue cutte in sunder the Iron although it be neuer so bygge and cut it as if it were a tender thyng and easy to be sawne And forasmuche as the leaues of trees may bee counted among
litle these are called Volatori that is fleeyng fyshes they ryse by great companies and flockes in suche multitudes that it is an astonyshment to behold them Sometimes they ryse but litle from the water as it chaunceth continue one flyght for the space of an hundred paces and sometimes more or lesse before they fall agayne into the sea sometymes also they fall into the shyppes And I remember that on an euenyng when al the company in the shyp were on theyr knees syngyng Salue regina in the hyghest part of the Castell of the poupe and sayled with a full wynde there passed by vs a flocke of these fleeyng fyshes and came so neare vs that many of them fell into the shyppe among the whiche two or three fel hard by me whiche I tooke alyue in my hand so that I myght well perceyue that they were as bygge as Sardines and of the same quantitie hauyng two wynges or quilles growing out of theyr synnes lyke vnto those wherewith all fyshes swym in ryuers these wynges are as long as the fyshes them selues As long as theyr wynges are moyst they beare them vp in the ayre but assoone as they are drye they can contynue theyr flyght no further then as I haue sayde before but fall immediatlye into the sea and so ryse agayne and flee as before from place to place In the yeere a thousand fyue hundred and fyfteene when I came fyrst to enfourme your Maiestie of the state of the thynges in India and was the yeere folowyng in Flaunders in the tyme of your most fortunate successe in these your kyngdomes of Aragonie and Castyle whereas at that viage I sayled aboue the Ilande Bermuda otherwyse called Garza beyng the furthest of all the Ilandes that are founde at this daye in the worlde and arryuyng there at the deapth of eyght yardes of water and distaunt from the lande as farre as the shotte of a peece of Ordinaunce I determyned to sende some of the shyp to lande aswell to make searche of suche thynges as were there as also to leaue in the Iland certayne Hogges for encrease But the tyme not seruing my purpose by reason of contrary wynde I coulde bryng my shyppes no nearer the Ilande beyng twelue leagues in length and syxe in breadth and about thyrtie in circuite lying in the three and thyrtieth degree of the North syde Whyle I remayned heere I saw a stryfe and combat betweene these fleeing fyshes and the fyshes named Gylt heades the foules called Seamewes and Cormorantes which surely seemed vnto me a thyng of as great pleasure and solace as coulde be deuised while the Gylt heades swam on the brymme of the water and sometymes lyfted theyr shoulders aboue the same to rayse the fleeyng fyshes out of the water to dryue them to flyght and folowe them swymmyng to the place where they fal to take and eate them sodenly Againe on the other side the Seamewes and Cormorantes take many of these fleeyng fyshes so that by this meanes they are neyther safe in the ayre nor in the water In the selfe same peryll and danger doo men lyue in this mortall lyfe wherein is no certayne securitie neyther in hyghe estate nor in lowe Which thyng surely ought to put vs in remembraunce of that blessed and safe restyng place whiche God hath prepared for suche as loue hym who shall acquiete and fynishe the trauailes of this troublous worlde wherein are so many dangers and bryng them to that eternall lyfe where they shall fynde eternall securitie and rest But to returne to the hystorye these byrdes and foules whiche I sawe were of the Ilande of Bermuda neere vnto the whiche I sawe these fleeyng fyshes for they coulde be of no other lande forasmuche as they are not accustomed to wander farre from the coastes where they are bredde Of thincrease and decrease that is rysyng and fallyng of our Ocean sea and South sea called the sea of Sur. I Wyll nowe speake of certayne thynges whiche are seene in the Prouince or at the least in the citie of golden Castyle otherwyse called Beragua and in the coastes of the North sea of the South sea called the sea of Sur not omitting to note one synguler and marueylous thyng whiche I haue consydered of the Ocean sea wherof hytherto no Cosmographer Pilot or Maryner or any other haue satisfyed me I say therefore as it is well knowen to your maiestie and all such as haue knowledge of the Ocean sea that this great Ocean casteth from it selfe the sea Mediterraneum by the mouth of the strayght of Gibilterra in the which the water from th end furthest part of that sea euen vnto the mouth of the sayde strayght eyther in the East toward the coaste commonly called Leuante or in any other part of the sayde sea Mediterraneum the sea doth not so fall nor increase as reason woulde iudge for so great a sea but increaseth very litâ—e and a small space Neuerthelesse without the mouth of the â—trayght in the mayne Ocean it increaseth and falleth very muche and a great space of grounde from syxe houres to syxe houres as in all the coastes of Spayne Britanâ—â— Flaunders Garmanie and England The selfe same Oâ—ean sâ—a in the firme lande newly founde in the coastes of the same lying towarde the North doth neyther ryse nor fall nor lykewyse in the Ilandes of Hispaniola and Cuba and al the other Ilandes of the same lying towarde the north for the space of three thousande leagues but onely in lyke maner as dooth the sea Mediterraneum in Italy which is in maner nothyng in respecte to that increase and decrease whiche the sayde Ocean hath in the coastes of Spayne and Flaunders But this is yet a greater thyng that also the selfe same Ocean in the coastes of the sayde fyrme lande lying towarde the South in the citie of Panama and also in the coast of that lande whiche lyeth towarde the East and West from that citie as in the Ilande of pearles or Margaritea whiche the Indians call Tarrarequi and also in Taboga and Otoque and in all other Ilandes of the south sea of Sur the water ryseth and falleth so muche that when it falleth it goeth in maner out of syght whiche thyng I my selfe haue seene oftentymes And here your maiestie may note an other thing that from the north sea to the south sea being of such difference the one from the other in rysyng and fallyng yet is the lande that deuideth them not past eyghteene or twentie leagues in breadth from coaste to coaste So that both the sayde seas beyng all one Ocean this strange effecte is a thyng worthy greatly to be consydered of all suche as haue inclination and desyre to knowe the secrete woorkes of nature wherein the infinite power and wysedome of God is seene to be suche as may allure al good natures to reuerence and loue so diuine a maiestie And whereas by y e demonstrations of
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
requisite for theyr Nauie There stayed Balthasar Gagus a great traueyler fiue monethes who describeth that place after this maner Ainan is a goodly countrey full of Indishe fruites and all kynde of victualles besydes great store of Iuelles and pearle well inhabited the â—ownâ—s buylte of stone the people rude in conditions apparelled 〈◊〉 diuersly coloured rugges with two Oxe hornes as it 〈◊〉 made of fyne cypres hangyng downe about theyr 〈◊〉 and a payre of sharpe cyzers at theyr foreheades The cause wherefore they goe in suche attyre I could not vnderstande except it be for that they doe counterfaite the deuyll in the fourme of a bruite beast offeryng to him vp them selues Santianum is an Isle neare vnto the hauen Cantan in the confines lykewyse of China famous for the death of that woorthie traueyler and godly professour and paynefull doctor of the Indyshe nation in matters concernyng religion Francis Xauier who after great labours many iniuries and calamities infinite suffred with much pacience singular ioye and gladnesse of mynd departed in a cabben made of bowes and rushes vppon a desarte mountayne no lesse voyde of all worldly commodities than endued with all spirituall blessinges out of this lyfe the seconde day of December the yeere of our Lorde .1552 after that many thousandes of these Easterlynges were brought by him to the knowledge of Christ. Of this holy man his perticular vertues and specially traueyle and wonderfull workes in that region of other many litle Isles yet not so litle but that they may ryght well be written of at leasure all the later histories of the Indyshe regions are full FINIS Of the Northeast frostie Seas and kyngdoms lying that way declared by the Duke of Moscouia his ambassadour to a learned Gentleman of Italie named Galeatius Butrigarius likewise of the viages of that worthie old man Sebastian Cabote sometymes gouernour of the companie of the Merchantes of Cathay in the Citie of London IT is doubtlesse a marueilous thyng to consyder what changes and alterations were caused in all the Romane Empyre by the Gothes and Vandales and other Barbarians into Italy For by their inuations were extinguyshed all artes and sciences and all trades of Merchandies that were vsed in dyuers partes of the worlde The desolation and ignoraunce whiche insued hereof continued as it were a cloude of perpetuall darkenesse among men for the space of foure hundred yeeres and more insomuche that none durst aduenture to goe any whyther out of theyr owne natiue countreys whereas before the incursions of the sayde Barbarians when the Romane Empyre floryshed they myght safely passe the seas to all partes of East India whiche was at that tyme as well knowen and frequented as it is nowe by the nauigations of the Portugales And that this is true it is manifest by that whiche Strabo wrytteth who was in the tyme of Augustus and Tiberius For speakyng of the greatnesse and ryches of the citie of Alexandria in Egypt gouerned then as a prouince of the Romanes he wryteth thus This onely place of Egypt is apte to receyue all thynges that come by sea by reason of the commoditie of the hauen and lykewyse all suche thynges as are brought by lande by reason of the ryuer of Nilus whereby they may bee easely conueyed to Alexandria beyng by these commodities the rychest citie of merchauntes that is in the worlde The reuenues of Egypt are so great that Marcus Tullius sayth in one of his orations that kyng Ptolomeus surnamed Auleta the father of queene Cleopatra had of reuenues twelue thousande and fyue hundred talentes whiche are seuen millions and a halfe of golde If therefore this kyng had so great reuenues when Egypt was gouerned of so fewe and so negligently what myght it then be woorth to the Romanes by whom it was gouerned with great diligence and theyr trade of merchandies greatly increased by the traffike of Trogloditica and India wheras in tyme past there coulde hardly be founde .xx. shyppes togeather that durst enter into the gulfe of Arabie or shewe theyr prowesse without the mouth of the same But at this present great nauies sayle togeather into India and to the furthest partes of Ethiope from whence are brought many rich and pretious merchandies into Egypt and are caried from thence into other countreys And by this meanes are the customes redoubled aswel by such thynges as are brought thither as also by suche as are caryed from thence forasmuche as great customes aryse of thinges of great value And that by this voyage infinite and pretious merchaundies were brought from the redde sea and India and those of dyuers other sortes then are knowen in our tyme it appeareth by the fourth volume of the ciuile lawe wherein is described the commission of Themperours Marcus and Commodus with the rehearsall of al such stuffe and merchandies wherof custome shoulde be payde in the redde sea by suche as had the same in fee farme as were payde the customes of all other prouinces partaynyng to the Romane Empyre and they are these folowyng Cinamome Long pepper Whyte pepper Cloues Costus Cancomo Spikenarde Cassia Sweete perfumes Xilocassia Myr. Amome Ginger Malabatrum Ammoniac Galbane Lasser Agarike Gumme of Arabie Cardamome Xilocinamome Carpesio Sylkes of diuers sortes Lynnen cloth Skynnes and Furres of Parthia and Babylon Iuorie Wood of Heben Pretious stones Pearles Iewelles of Sardonica Ceraunia Calamus Aromaticus Berille Cilindro Slaues Cloth of Sarmatia The sylke called Metaxa Uestures of sylke Died cloth and sylke Carbasei Sylke threede Gelded men Popingayes Lions of India Leopardes Panthers Purple Also that iuyce or lyquour whiche is geathered of wooll and of the heare of the Indians By these woordes it doeth appeare that in olde tyme the said nauigation by the way of the red sea was wel knowen muche frequented perhaps more then it is at this present Insomuch that the ancient kynges of Egypt consyderyng the great profite of the customes they had by the viages of the red sea and wylling to make the same more easie commodious attempted to make a fosse or chanel which should begin in the last part of the said sea where was a citie named Arsinoe which perhappes is that that is nowe called Sues and shoulde haue reached to a branch of the riuer of Nilus named Pelusio whiche emptieth it selfe in our sea towarde the East about the citie of Damiata They determined also to make three causeys or hygh wayes by land which shoulde passe from the sayd branch to the citie of Arsinoe but they founde this too difficult to bryng to passe In fine king Ptolomeus surnanamed Philadelphus ordeyned another way as to sayle vppon Nilus agaynst the course of the riuer vnto the citie of Copto and from thence to passe by a desart countrey vntyl they come aboue the red sea to a citie named Berenice or Miosormo where they imbarked
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
of the Iland of Hispaniola aboue Cuba an Ilande of the Canibales Which narration hath geuen me occasion to extende Groneland beyond the promontorie or cape of Huitsarch to the contynent or fyrme lande of Lapponia aboue the castell of Wardhus whiche thyng I dyd the rather for that the reuerende Archebyshop of Nidrosia constantly affirmed that the sea bendeth there into the fourme of a crooked Elbowe It agreeth herewith also that the Lapones consent with them in the lyke Magicall practises and do neyther embrace the Christian religion nor refuse it wherby I haue thought this lykenesse of customes to be betweene them because they ioyne togeather in one continent The distance lykewyse seemeth not to disagree For beetweene both these people the distance is not full two hundred Schoeni euery one beyng a space of ground conteining threescore furlonges which make seauen myles a halfe It furthermore agreeth with this coniecture that Cabot chaunced into such yse And albeit as touching the Moneth of Iuly I wyll contend it is not well rehearsed no although he had sailed vnder the poole for such reasons as we haue declared before to the contrary neuerthelesse that at some tyme he sailed by yse this testifieth in that he sayled not by the mayne sea but in places neare vnto the land comprehending embrasing the sea in fourme of a gulfe whereas for the same cause the gulfe of Gothland is frosen because it is streyght and narrow ▪ in the which also the litle quantitie of salte water is ouercome by the abundance of fresh water of many and great ryuers that fall into the gulfe But betweene Norway and Island the sea is not frosen for the contrary cause forasmuch as the power of freshe water is there ouercome of the abundance of the salte water There is a fame but of vncertayne aucthoritie that the Spaniardes sayle at this present to Gronelande and to an other lande whiche they call Terra Viridis that is the greene lande bringyng from thence suche wares as are founde in Gronelande Towards the North ▪ it reacheth to the vnknowen land vnder the pole from whence also the theeues and robbers of the Pigmei come into this lande Which is an argument that the regions vnder the pole are inhabited almost enuironed with the sea as are they whiche the Cosmographers call Chersonnesi or Peninsulae that is almost Ilandes The description of Gronlande The description of the East syde which lyeth towarde Norway Wardhus Castle 54.  70. 30. Towarde the North. 53. 30. 71. 30. The fyrst extention 40.  71. 40. The second extention 28.  72.  Huitsarch promont 22.  67.  The extention 5.  61. 45. It is continued from thence by the coastes of the lande of Baccallaos 356. 60.   Towarde the West and North it is termined with an vnknowen ende of landes and seas     Islande ISlande is interpreted the land of Ise and is called of the olde wryters Thyle It is extended betweene the South and the North almost two hundred schoenes in longitude It is for the most parte full of mountaynes and vncultured But in the playnes it hath such fruitfull pastures that they are fayne sometymes to dryue the beastes from theyr feedyng least they should be suffocate with to much fatnesse This Ilande is famous by the strange myracles of nature of the whiche Saxo Grammaticus in his hystorie of Denmarke and Olanus Gothus in his description of the North landes doe make mention There are in it three mountaynes of marueylous height the toppes whereof are couered with perpetuall snowe but the nether partes of them are of lyke nature to the mountayne Etna in the Ilande of Sicilie boylyng with continuall flames of fyre and castyng foorth brymstone One of these is named Helga and the other Mons Crucis that is the mounte of the crosse The thyrd is named Hecla whose flames neyther consume flaxe or tow matters most apte to take fyre nor yet are quenched with water And with lyke force as the shot of great artillerie is driuen foorth by violence of fyre euen so by the commixtion and repugnance of fyre colde and brymstone great stones are heere throwne into the ayre Neare vnto these mountaynes are three chynkes or open places in the earth of huge bygnesse and such depth especially at the mount Hecla that no sight can attayne thereto But to such as looke into them there first appeare men as though they were drowned and yet breathyng foorth theyr soules who beyng exhorted by theyr friendes to resorte to theyr owne they answere with mournyng voyce and greeuous sighes that they must departe from thence to the mount Hecla and therewith sodaynely vanyshe out of sight He floweth about the Ilande for the space of seuen or eight monethes makyng by runnyng togeather a certayne miserable waylyng and gronyng noyse not vnlyke the voyce of man Thinhabitauntes thynke that in this Ise and the mount Hecla are the places where the euyll soules of theyr people are tormented If any man take a great portion of this Ise and keepe it as diligently as may be in a close vessell or cofer the same doeth so vanyshe at the tyme when the other Ise about the Ilande dissolueth that not so much as one droppe of water or Ise can thereof be founde Not farre from these mountaynes reachyng towarde the sea coastes are foure sprynges of water of most dyuers and contrary nature The fyrst by reason of his perpetuall and feruent heate sodaynely turneth all bodyes that are cast therein into stones reseruyng neuerthelesse theyr fyrst forme and shape The seconde is of intollerable coldnesse The thyrd is sweeter then hony and most pleasaunt to quench thyrst The fourth is playne poyson pestilent and deadly There is furthermore in these sprynges suche aboundaunce of brymstone that a thousande pounde weight thereof is bought for litle as for the tenth parte of a ducate Theyr chiefe wares are dryed fyshe as Soles Maydens Playces Salpas Stockefyshes and such other whiche they exchange for wheat and such other thinges as are brought thyther from Lubecke Hamborowe and Amsterdam For they haue oftentymes such scarsenesse of corne that they vse dryed fysh in the steade of bread although in sommer the Iland so florysheth with greene and fruitfull medowes that they are fayne somtimes to dryue theyr beastes from pasture least they should suffocate for to much fatnesse as I haue sayde before They make very good butter and apte to be vsed in matters of phisicke There are found diuers kindes of good Haukes as Faulcons Gerfaulcons Lanners and Sperhaukes Also Rauens Crowes Beares Hares and Foxes both white and blacke They haue most swift horses and such as run .xxx. miles continually without rest or baite They haue many churches houses builded of the bones of Whales
marke that they see a far of Which doubtlesse is a token both of the marueylous swyftnesse great strength of these beastes beyng able to continue runnyng for so great a space in the meane whyle also spendyng some tyme in feedyng I suppose that this thyng was somewhat knowen to the olde wryters although receyued in maner by an obscure and doubtfull fame For they also wryte that certayne Scythians doe ryde on Hartes They neyther folow the Christian religion nor yet refuse it or are offended therewith as are the Iewes but doe sometymes receyue it fauourably to gratifie the princes to whom they obey And that no more of them imbrase the Christian fayth the faulte is somewhat to be imputed to the Byshoppes and Prelates that haue eyther reiected this cure charge of instructyng the nation or suffered the fayth of Christ to bee suffocate euen in the fyrst spryng For vnder the pretence of religion they would haue aduaunced theyr owne reuenues and ouerburdened the people by an intollerable example none otherwyse here then in all Christendome which thyng is doubtlesse the cause of most greeuous defections I heard Iohn a byshop of Gothlande say thus We that gouerne the churche of Vpsalia and haue vnder our diocesse a great parte of that nation lyke as it is not conuenient to declare many thinges of our vigilance and attendaunce ouer the flocke committed to our charge euen so absteynyng from myscheeuous couetousnesse whereby religion is abused for luker we doe in all places our diligent endeuour that wee minister none occasion whereby this nation as offended by our sinnes may be the lesse wyllyng to embrase the Christian fayth This is the state of the religion among the Lapones although of theyr owne institution and custome receyued of theyr predicessours they are Idolatours honouryng that lyuyng thyng that they meete fyrst in the mornyng for the God of that day and diuinyng thereby theyr good lucke or euyll They also erecte Images of stone vppon the mountaynes whiche they esteeme as Goddes attributyng to them diuine honour They solemne mariages and begyn the same with fyre and flynt as with a mysterie so aptely applyed to the Image of stone as if it had been receyued from the myddest of Grecia For in that they adhibite a mysterie to fyre as they doe not this alone forasmuch as the Romanes obserued the same custome euen so are they herein partly to be commended in that they vse the ceremonies of so noble a people The mysterie of the flinte is no lesse to be praysed both forasmuch as this is domesticall philosophie and hath also a neare affinitie and signification to these solemnities For as the flynt hath in it fyre lying hyd whiche appeareth not but by mouyng force so is there a secrete lyfe in both kynds of man and woman which by mutuall coniunction commeth foorth to a lyuyng byrth They are furthermore experte inchaunters They tye three knottes on a stryng hangyng at a whyp When they lose one of these they rayse tollerable wynds When they lose an other the wynde is more vehement but by losyng the thyrd they rayse playne tempestes as in olde tyme they were accustomed to rayse thunder and lyghtnyng This arte doe they vse agaynst such as sayle by theyr coastes and staye or moue the ryuers and seas more or lesse as they lyst to shew fauour or displeasure They make also of leade certayne shorte magicall dartes of the quantitie and length of a fynger These they throwe agaynst such of whom they desyre to bee reuenged to places neuer so farre distant They are sometymes so vexed with the canker on theyr armes or legges that in the space of three dayes they dye through the vehemencie of the payne The Sunne falleth very lowe in these regions and prolongeth one continuall nyght for the space of three monethes in wynter duryng whiche tyme they haue none other lyght but lyke vnto the twilight of eueninges morninges This is very cleare but continueth but fewe houres and is lyke the bryght shynyng of the Moone Therefore that day that the Sunne returneth to the hemispherie they keepe holy day and make great myrth with solemne festiuitie And these are the maners of this nation not so brutyshe or saluage as woorthy therefore to be called Lapones for theyr vnaptenesse or simplicitie as when they lyued vnder theyr owne Empyre and vsed no familiaritie or entercourse with other nations knew not the commoditie of their owne thinges neyther the pryce and estimation of theyr furres in our regions by reason whereof they solde great plentie of them for some of our wares of small value The boundes or limittes of Laponia beyng the extreme land of Scondia knowen towarde the North pole are extended towarde this parte of the North to the world yet vnknowen to vs And furthermore towarde the same parte of the vttermost sea accordyng to this description The fyrst coast 70 72. The coast folowyng 80 7. That that yet foloweth 90 70. From the fyshyng places and store houses of this sea they carry foorth to Nordbothnia and whyte Russia landes confinyng to them great plentie of fyshe Whereby we may coniecture that this sea is extended on euery syde towarde the North. Towarde the West it is limitted with the most inwarde gulfe at the Castle of Wardhus at the degree .54 70 30. Towarde the South it is limitted by a lyne drawen from thence vnto the degree .90 69. Norwegia or Norway NOrdway is as muche to say as the Northway This was sometyme a floryshyng kyngdome whose dominion comprehended Denmarke Friselande and the Ilandes farre about vntyll the domesticall Empyre was gouerned by the succession of inheritaunce In the meane tyme whyle this gouernance ceassed for lacke of due issue it was instituted by consent of the nobilitie that the kynges should be admitted by election supposing that they would with more equitie execute that office forasmuche as they were placed in the same by suche auctoritie and not by obteynyng the kyngdome by fortune and newe aduauncement But it came so to passe that as euery of them excelleth in rychesse ambition and fauoure by consangiuitie so were they in greater hope to obteine the kyngdome and were by this meanes diuided into factions attemptyng also occations to inuade foraigne realmes whereby they myght strenghten theyr parties It is therefore at this present vnder the dominion of the Danes who do not onely exact intollerable tributes but also bryng al theyr ryches and commodities into Denmarke constitutyng the continuance of theyr gouernaunce in thinfirmitie and pouertie of the subiectes whiche exemple some other princes do folowe at this day in the Christian Empire For after that the princes had forsaken such vertues as should haue shyned in them as to be Patres patriae that is the fathers of their countreys and that in the place hereof onely the proude countenaunce of
Paulus Centurio a citizen of Genua with letters whereby you doe exhort vs to ioyne in power counsayle with you other Princes of Christendome against the enemies of the christian fayth that a free passage redy way may bee opened for both your Ambassadours ours to come go to fro wherby by mutual dutie and indeuour on both parties we may haue knowledge of the state of thinges parteynyng to the wealth of vs both VVe certes as we haue hytherto happely by the ayde and helpe of almightie God constantly and earnestly resisted the cruell wicked enemies of the christian faith so are we determined to doe hereafter and are likewise redy to consent with other christian princes to graunt free passage into our dominions In consideration wherof we haue sent vnto you our faithful seruant Demetrius Erasmus with these our letters with him haue remitted Paulus Centurio desiring you also shortly to dismisse Demetrius with safegard and indemnitie vnto the borders of our dominions And we wil likewise do the same if you send your Ambassadour with Demetrius whereby both by communication and letters we may be better certified of thorder and administration of such things as you require so that being aduertised of the mindes and intent of all other christian princes we may also consult what is best to be done herein Thus fare ye wel Giuen in our dominioÌ„ in our citie of Moscouia in the yeere from the creation of the world .vii. thousand and .300 the third day of Aprill But Demetrius as he is experte in diuine and humane thinges and especially of holy scripture seemed to haue secrete commaundement of greater matters whiche we thinke he will shortly declare to the senate in priuate consultations For he is now deliuered of the feuer into the which he fell by change of ayre and hath so recouered his strength natiue colour that being a man of .lx. yeeres of age he was not only present at the Popes masse celebrated with great solemnitie in the honour of S. Cosmus Damian but came also into the Senate at such tyme as Cardinal Campegius commyng first from the legacie of Pannonia was receiued of the Pope all the nobilitie of the court And furthermore also viewed the Temples of the holy citie with the ruines of the Romane magnificence and with woondring eyes beheld the lamentable decay of the auncient buildinges So that we thinke that shortly after he hath declared his message he shal return to Moscouia with the byshop of Scarense the Popes legate not vnrecompensed with iust rewardes at the handes of his holinesse The name of the Moscouites is nowe newe although the Poete Lucane maketh mention of the Moschos confynyng with the Sarmatians and Plinie also placeth the Moschos at the sprynges of the great ryuer of Phasis in the region of Colchos aboue the sea Euxinus towarde the East Theyr region hath very large boundes and is extended from the Aultars of great Alexander about the sprynges of Tanais to the extreme landes and North Ocean in maner vnder the North starres called charles wayne or the great Beare beyng for the most parte playne of fruitfull pasture but in sommer in many places full of marishes For whereas all that lande is replenyshed with many and great ryuers which are greatly increased by the wynter snowe and I se resolued by the heate of the sunne the playnes and fieldes are thereby ouerflowen with marishes and all iourneys incombred with continuall waters and myrie slabbynesse vntyll by the benefite of the newe wynter the ryuers and marishes be frosen agayne and giue safe passage to the sleades that are accustomed to iourney by the same The wood or forest of Hercynia and not Hyrcania as is red in some false copies occupyeth a great parte of Moscouia and is heere and there inhabited with houses builded therein and so made thinner by the long labour of men that it doeth not now shewe that horrour of thicke impenetrable woods and landes as many thinke it to haue But beyng replenished with many wylde beastes is so far extended through Moscouia with a continuall tract betweene the East and the North towarde the Scythian Ocean that by the infinite greatnesse thereof it hath deluded the hope of suche as haue curiously searched the ende of the same In that parte that reacheth towarde Prussia are founde the great and fierce beastes called Vri or Bisontes of the kynde of Buâ—les Also Alces lyke vnto Hartes which the Moscouites call Lozzi and are called of the Germaynes Helenes On the East syde of Moscouia are the Scythians which are at this day called Tartars a wandryng nation and at all ages famous in warres In the stead of houses they vse wagons couered with beastes hydes whereby they were in olde tyme called Amaxouii For cities and townes they vse great tentes and pauilions not defended with trenches or walles of tymber or stone but inclosed with an innumerable multitude of archers on horsbacke The Tartars are diuided by companyes which they call Hordas which worde in theyr tongue signifieth a consentyng company of people geathered together in forme of a citie Euery Horda is gouerned by an Emperour whom eyther his parentage or warlyke prowes hath promoted to that dignitie For they oftentimes keepe warre with theyr borderers and contende ambiciously and fiercely for dominion It doeth hereby appeare that they consist of innumerable Hordas in that the Tartars possesse the most large desartes euen vnto the famous citie of Cathay in the furdest Ocean in the East They also that are nearest to the Moscouites are knowen by theyr trade of marchaundies and often incursions In Europe neare vnto the place called Dromon Achillis in Taurica Chersoneso are the Tartars called Precopites the daughter of whose prince Selymus the Emperour of the Turkes tooke to wyfe These are most infest to the Polones and waste the regions on euery syde betweene the ryuers of Boristhenes and Tanais They that in the same Taurica possesse Caffam a colonie of the Ligurians called in olde tyme Theodosia doe both in religion and all other thinges agree with the Turkes But the Tartars that inhabite the regions of Asia betweene Tanais and Volga are subiect to Basilius the kyng of the Moscouites and choose them a gouernour at his assignement Among these the Cremii afflicted with ciuile seditions where as heeretofore they were ryche and of great power haue of late yeeres lost theyr dominion and dignitie The Tartars that are beyonde the riuer of Volga do religiously obserue the frendship of the Moscouites and professe them selues to be theyr subiectes Beyond the Cassanites towarde the North are the Sciambani rych in heardes of cattaylle and consistyng of a great multitude of men After these are Nogai whiche obteyne at this day the chiefe fame of ryches and warly affayres Theyr Horda although it
exceedyng hygh mountaynes reachyng euen vnto the bankes whose rydges or toppes by reason of continuall wyndes are in maner vtterly barren without grasse or fruites And although in diuers places they haue diuers names yet are they commonlye called Cingulus mundi that is the worlde In these mountaynes doo Ierfalcons breede whereof I haue spoken before There growe also Cedar trees among the whiche are founde the best and blackest kynde of Sables and onely these mountaynes are seene in all the dominions of the prince of Moscouia whiche perhappes are the same that the olde wryters call Rhipheos or Hyperboreos so named of the Greeke woorde Hyper that is Under and Boreas that is the North for by reason they are couered with continual snowe and frost they can not without great difficultie be trauayled and reache so farre into the North that they make the vnknowen land of Engreonland The Duke of Moscouia Basilius the sonne of Iohn sent on a tyme two of his captaynes named Simeon Pheodorowitz Kurbski and Knes Peter Vschatoi to searche the places beyonde these mountaynes and to subdue the nations thereabout Kurbski was yet alyue at my beyng in Moscouia and declared vnto mee that he spent .xvii. dayes in ascending the mountayne and yet could not come to the toppe therof which in theyr tongue is called Stolp that is a pyller This mountayne is extended into the Ocean vnto the mouthes of the ryuers of Dwina and Petzora But now hauyng spoken thus much of the sayde iourney I will returne to the dominions of Moscouia with other regions lying Eastwarde and South from the same toward the myghtie Empyre of Cathay But I will fyrst speake somewhat briefly of the prouince of Rezan and the famous ryuer of Tanais The prouince of Rezan situate betweene the ryuers of Occa and Tanais hath a citie buylded of wood not far from the banke of Occa there was in it a Castle named Iaroslaw whereof there now remayneth nothing but tokens of the olde ruine Not farre from that citie the ryuer Occa maketh an Ilande named Strub which was somtyme a great Dukedome whose prince was subiecte to none other This prouince of Rezan is more fruitful then any other of the prouinces of Moscouia Insomuche that in this as they say euery grayne of wheate bringeth foorth twoo and sometymes more eares whose stalkes or strawes grow so thicke that horses can scarsly goe through them or Quayles flee out of them There is great plentie of hony fyshes foules byrdes and wylde beastes The fruites also doe farre exceede the fruites of Moscouia The people are bolde and warlyke men Of the famous ryuer of Tanais FRom Moscouia vnto the Castle of Iaroslaw and beyonde for the space of almost xxiiii leagues runneth the ryuer of Tanais at a place called Donco where the marchauntes that trade to Asoph Capha and Constantinople fraight theyr shyppes and this for the most parte in Autumpe beyng a rayney tyme of the yeere For Tanais heere at other tymes of the yeere doeth not so abounde with water as to beare shyppes of any burden This famous ryuer of Tanais dyuydeth Europe from Asia and hath his orygynall or sprynges almost .viii. leagues from the citie of Tulla towarde the South inclynyng somewhat towarde the East and not out of the Riphean mountaynes as some haue writen But out of a great lake named Iwanwosero that is the lake of Iohn beyng in length and bredth about .1500 Werstes in a wood which some call Okonitzkilles and other name it Iepipbanoulies And out of this lake spryng the two great ryuers of Schat and Tanais Schat towarde the West receyuyng into it the ryuer of Vppa runneth into the riuer of Occa betwene the West and the North But Tanais at the fyrst runneth directly East and continueth his course betwene the kyngdomes of Casan and Astrachan within syxe or seuen leagues of Volga and from thence bendyng towarde the South maketh the fennes or maryshes of Meotis Furthermore nexte vnto his sprynges is the citie of Tulla and vppon the banke of the ryuer almost three leagues aboue the mouthes of the same is the citie of Asoph whiche was fyrst called Tanais Foure dayes iorney aboue this is a towne called Achas situate harde by the same ryuer whiche the Moscouites call Don. I can not sufficiently prayse this ryuer for the exceedyng abundaunce of good fyshes and fayrenesse of the regions on both sydes the bankes with plentie of holesome hearbes and sweete rootes besyde dyuers and many fruitefull trees growyng in suche coomly order as though they had been set of purpose in gardens or orchardes There is also in maner euery where such plentie of wylde beastes that they may easely be slayne with arrowes Insomuch that such as trauaile by those regions shall stande in neede of none other thyng to mayntayne theyr lyfe but only fyre and salte In these partes is no obseruation of myles but of dayes iorneys But as farre as I coulde coniecture from the fountaynes or sprynges of Tanais vnto the mouthes of the same iorneying by lande are almost fourescore leagues And sayling from Donco from whence I sayde that Tanais was fyrst nauigable in scarsely .xx. dayes voyage they come to the citie of Asoph tributarie to the Turkes which is as they say fyue dayes iorney from the streight of Taurica otherwyse called Precop In this citie is a famous marte towne vnto the whiche resort many merchauntes of dyuers nations and from dyuers partes of the worlde For that all nations may the gladlyer haue recourse thyther free lybertie of bying and sellyng is graunted vnto all and that without the citie euery man may freely vse his owne and accustomed maner of lyuyng without punyshement Of the alters of great Alexander and Iulius Cesar whiche many wryters make mention of in this place or of theyr ruines I coulde haue no certayne knoweledge of thinhabitauntes or any other that had oftentymes trayuayled these places Furthermore the souldyers whiche the prince of Moscouia mayntayneth there yeerely to oppresse thincursions of the Tartars being of me demaunded herof answeared y t they neuer saw or heard of any such thing Neuerthelesse they said that about y e mouths of Tanais the lesse foure dayes iorney from Asoph neere vnto a place called Sewerski by the holy mountaynes they sawe certayne images of stone and marble Tanais the lesse hath his springes in the Dukedome of Sewerski whereof it is called Donetz Sewerski and falleth into Tanais three dayes iorney aboue Asoph But such as iorney from Moscouia to Asoph by lande they passyng ouer Tanais about the olde and ruinate towne of Donco do somwhat turne from the South to the East In the which place if a ryght line be drawne from the mouthes of Tanais to the sprynges of the same Moscouia shal be founde to be in Asia and not in Europe More directly from
dismissed So that the murderer by the losse of a vyle Horse or a Bowe is discharged of the Iudge with these woordes Get thee hence and goe about thy businesse They haue no vse of gold and syluer except only a few merchauntes but exercyse exchaunge of ware for ware And yf it so chaunce that by sellyng of suche thynges as they haue stolne they get anye money of theyr borderers they bye therewith certayne apparrell and other necessaries of the Moscouites The regions of theyr habitations the feelde Tartars I meane are not lymitted with any boundes or borders There was on a tyme a certayne fatte Tarter taken prysoner of the Moscouites to whom when the Prince sayde howe art thou so fat thou dogge syth thou hast not to eate the Tartar aunswered Why should not I haue to eate syth I possesse so large a lande from the East to the West whereby I may be abundantly nouryshed But thou mayest rather seeme to lacke syth thou inhabytest so small a portion of the woorlde and dooest dayly stryue for the same Casan is a kyngdome also a citie and a castle of the same name scituate by the riuer Volga on the further banke almoste threescore and tenne leagues beneath Nouogradia the lower Along by the course of Volga towarde the East and South it is termined with desart feeldes towarde the Sommer East it confineth with the Tartars called Schibanski â–ª and Kosatzki The kyng of this prouince is able to make an armie of thyrtie thousande men especially footmen of the which the Czeremisse and Czubaschi are moste expert Archers The Czubaschi are also cunnyng Mariners The citie of Casan is threescore leagues distant from the principall castle Vuiathka Furthermore Casan in the Tartars language signifieth a brasen pot boylyng These Tartars are more ciuill then the other for they dwell in houses tyl the grounde and exercise the trade of marchandies They were of late subdued by Basilius the great Duke of Moscouia â–ª and had their Kyng assigned them at his arbitrement But shortlye after they rebelled agayne and associate with other Tartars inuaded the region of Moscouia spoyled and wasted many cities and townes and ledde away innumerable captiues euen from the citie of Moscouia which they possessed for a tyme and had vtterly destroyed the same yf it had not been for the valeauntnesse of the Almaine Gunnners whiche kept the castle with great ordinaunce They also put Duke Basilius to flyght and caused hym to make a letter of his owne hand to Machmetgirei theyr Kyng to acknowledge hym selfe for a perpetuall tributarie to them wherevpon they dissolued the siege and gaue the Moscouites free libertie to redeeme their captiues goods and so departed But Basilius not long able to abyde this contumelie and dishonour after that he had put to death suche as by flying at the first encountryng were the cause of this ouerthrow assembled an armie of an hundred and fourescore thousande men shortly after in the yeere .1523 and sent forwarde his armie vnder the conduct of his Lieuetenant and therewith an Heralde at armes to bydde battell to Machmetgirei the Kyng of Casan with woordes in this effecte The last yeere lyke a theefe and robber without byddyng of battel thou dyddest priuily oppresse mee wherefore I nowe chalenge thee once agayne to proue the fortune of warre if thou mystruste not thyne owne power To this the Kyng answered that there were manye wayes open for him to inuade Moscouia and that the warres haue no lesse respecte to the commoditie of tyme and place then of armure or strength and that hee would take the aduauntage thereof when and where it should seeme best to him and not to other With whiche woordes Basilius beyng greatly accensed and burnyng with desyre of reuenge inuaded the kingdome of Casan whose Kyng beyng stryken with sodayne feare at the approche of so terrible an army assigned the gouernaunce of his kyngdome to the yong Kyng of Taurica his Nâ—uie whyle he him selfe went to requyre ayde of the Emperour of the Turkes But in â—ine the Kyng of Casan submytted him selfe vppon certayne conditions of peace which the Moscouites dyd the gladlyer accept for that tyme because their victualles fayled them to mayneteyne so great a multitude But whereas Duke Basilius him selfe was not present at this last expedition hee greatly suspected Palitzki the Lieuetenant of the army to bee corrupted with brybes to proceede no further In this meane tyme the Kyng of Casan sent Ambassadours to Basilius to intreate of peace whom I sawe in the Dukes courte at my beyng there but I coulde perceyue no hope of peace to be betweene them For euen then Basilius to endomage the Casans translated the marte to Nouogradia whiche before was accustomed to be kepte in the Ilande of marchauntes neare vnto the citie of Casan Commaunding also vnder payne of greeuous punyshement that none of his subiectes shoulde resorte to the Ilande of marchauntes thynkyng that this translation of the marte shoulde greatly haue endomaged the Casans and that only by takyng away their trade of salte which they were accustomed to buye of the Moscouites at that marte they should haue been compelled to submyssion But the Moscouites them selues felte no lesse inconuenience heereby then dyd the Casans by reason of the dearth and scarsenesse that folowed heereof of all suche thinges as the Tartars were accustomed to bryng thyther by the ryuer of Volga from the Caspian sea the kyngdomes of Persia and Armenia and the marte towne of Astrachan especially the great number of most excellent fyshes that are taken in Volga both on the hyther and further syde of Casan But hauyng sayde thus muche of the warres betweene the prince of Moscouia and the Tartars of Casan we will nowe proceede to speake somewhat of the other Tartars inhabiting the regions towarde the Southeast and the Caspian sea Next beyond the Tartars of Casan are the Tartars called Nagai or Nogai which inhabite the regions beyonde Volga about the Caspian sea at the ryuer Iaick runnyng out of the prouince of Sibier These haue no kynges but Dukes In our tyme three brethren deuydyng the prouinces equally betweene them possessed those Dukedomes The first of them named Schidack possesseth the citie of Scharaitzick beyonde the ryuer of Rha or Volga toward the East with the region confinyng with the ryuer Iaick The seconde called Cossum enioyeth all the lande that lyeth betweene the ryuers of Kaman Iaick and Volga The third brother named Schichmamai possesseth parte of the prouince of Sibier and all the region about the same Schichmamai is as much to say by interpretation as holy or myghtie And in maner all these regions are ful of woods except that that lieth toward Scharaitz which consisteth of playnes and fieldes Betweene the riuers of Volga and Iaick about the Caspian sea there sometimes inhabited the kinges called Sawolhenses Demetrius Danielis a man among
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
or rather against the charitie that ought to be among Christian men that such as violentlye inuade the dominions of other shoulde not permit other frendly to vse the trade of merchandies in places neerer or seldome frequented of them whereby theyr trade is not hyndred in such places where they them selues haue at theyr owne election appointed the martes of theyr trafficke But forasmuch as at this present it is not my entent to accuse or defend approue or improue I wil ceasse to speake any further hereof proceade to the discription of the first viage as breefely and faithfully as I was aduertised of the same by the information of such credible persons as made diligent inquisition to know the trueth hereof as much as shal be requisite omittyng to speake of many partiticuler thinges not greatly necessarie to bee knowen whiche neuerthelesse with also the exacte course of the nauigation shall be more fully declared in the seconde vyage And if herein fauour or friendshyp shall perhappes cause some to thynke that some haue been sharpely touched let them laye a parte fauour and friendshyp and gyue place to trueth that honest men may receyue prayse for well doyng and lende persons reproche as the iust stipende of theyr euyll desartes whereby other may bee deterred to doe the lyke and vertuous men encouraged to proceede in honest attemptes But that these vyages may be more playnely vnderstoode of all men I haue thought good for this purpose before I intreate hereof to make a breefe description of Affrica beyng that great parte of the worlde on whose Weste syde begynneth the coaste of Guinea at Cabo Verde about the twelue degrees in latitude on this syde the Equinoctiall line and two degrees in longitude from the measuryng lyne so runnyng from the North to the South and by East in some places within v.iiii and .iii. degrees and a halfe within the Equinoctiall and so foorth in maner direcly East and by North for the space of xxxvi degrees or there about in longitude from the West to the East as shall more playnely appeare in the description of the seconde vyage A breefe description of Affrike IN Affrica the lesse are these kyngdomes the kingdome of Tunes Constantina which is at this day vnder Tunes and also the region of Bugia Tripoli and Ezzah This part of Afrike is very baren by reason of the great desartes as the desartes of Numidia Barcha The principall portes of the kingdome of Tunes are these Goletta Bizerta Potofarnia Boua and Stora The chiefe cities of Tunes are Constantina and Boua with diuers other Under this kyngdome are many Ilands as Zerbi Lampadola Pantalarea Limoso Beit Gamelaro and Malta where at this present is the great maister of the Rodes Under the South of this kyngdome are the great desartes of Libia All the nations in this Africa the lesse are of the secte of Mahumet a rusticall people lyuyng scattered in villages The best of this parte of Afrike is Barbaria lying on the coast of the sea Mediterraneum Mauritania now called Barbaria is diuided into two partes as Mauritania Tingitania and Cesariensis Mauritania Tingitania is nowe called the kyngdome of Fes and the kyngdome of Marrocko The principall citie of Fes is called Fessa and the chiefe citie of Marrocko is named Marrocko Mauritania Cesariensis is at this daye called the kyngdome of Tremisen with also the citie called Tremisen or Telensin This region is full of desartes and reacheth to the sea Mediterraneum to the citie of Oram with the porte of Massaquiber The kyngdome of Fes reacheth vnto the Ocean sea from the West to the citie of Argilla and the porte of the sayde kyngdome is called Salla The kyngdome of Marrocko is also extended aboue the Ocean sea vnto the citie of Azamor and Azafi which are aboue the Ocean sea towarde the West of the sayde kyngdome In Mauritania Tingitania that is to say in the two kyngdomes of Fes and Marrocko are in the sea the Ilandes of Canarie called in olde tyme the fortunate Ilandes Towarde the South of this region is the kyngdome of Guinea with Senega Iaiofo Gambra and many other regions of the blacke Moores called Ethiopians or Negros all whiche are watered with the ryuer Negro called in olde tyme Niger In the sayde regions are no cities but only certayne lowe cotages made of boughes of trees plastered with chauke and couered with strawe In these regions are also very great desartes The kyngdome of Marrocko hath vnder it these seuen kyngdoms Hea Sus Guzula the territory of Marrocko Duchala Hazchora and Telde The kyngdome of Fes hath as many as Fes Temesne Azgar Elabath Errifi Garet and Elcauz The kyngdome of Tremisen hath these regions Tremisen Tenez and Elgazaet all which are Machometistes But all the regions of Guinea are pure Gentyles and Idolatours without profession of any religion or other knowledge of God then by the lawe of nature Africa the great is one of the three partes of the worlde knowen in olde tyme and seuered from Asia on the East by the ryuer Nilus on the West from Europe by the pillers of Hercules The hyther parte is now called Barbarie and the people Moores The inner parte is called Libia and Ethiopia Afrike the lesse is in this wyse bounded On the West it hath Numidia On the East Cyrenaica On the North the sea called Mediterraneum In this countrey was the noble citie of Carthage In the East side of Africke beneath the redde sea dwelleth the great and myghtie Emperour and Christian kyng Prester Iohn well knowen to the Portugales in theyr vyages to Calicut His dominions reache very farre on euery syde and hath vnder hym many other kynges both Chrystian and heathen that pay hym tribute This mightie prince is called Dauid Themperour of Ethiopia Some wryte that the kyng of Portugale sendeth hym yeerely .viii. shyppes laden with marchaundies His kingdome confineth with the redde sea and reacheth farre into Afrike toward Egypte and Barbarie Southwarde it confineth with the sea towarde the cape de Buona Speranza and on the other syde with the sea of sande called Mare de Sabione a very dangerous sea lying betweene the great citie of Alcayer or Cairo in Egypt and the countrey of Ethiopia In the whiche way are many vnhabitable desarts cōtinuing for the space of fiue dayes iorney And they affirme that if the sayd Christian Emperour were not hyndered by those desartes in the whiche is great lacke of victualles and especially of water he woulde or nowe haue inuaded the kingdome of Egypt and the citie of Alcayer The cheefe citie of Ethiopia where this great Emperour is resident is called Amacaiz being a faire citie whose inhabitantes are of the colour of an Olyue There are also many other cities as the citie of Saua vpon the ryuer of Nilus
of hyghe stature and blacke and on the other syde of browne or tawnie coloure and lowe stature whiche thyng also our men confyrme to be true There are also other people of Libia called Garamantes whose women are common for they contracte no matrimonie neyther haue respecte to chastitie After these are the nations of the people called Pyrei Sathiodaphnite Odrangi Mimaces Lynxamate Dolopes Agangine Leuce Ethiopes Xilicei Ethiopes Calcei Ethiopes and Nubi These haue the same situation in Ptolomie that they nowe geue to the kyngdome of Nubia Here are certayne Christians vnder the dominion of the great Emperour of Ethiopia called Prester Iohn From these towarde the west is a great nation of people called Aphricerones whose region as farre as may bee geathered by coniecture is the same that is nowe called Regnum Orguene confinyng vppon the east partes of Guinea From hence Westwarde and somewhat towarde the North are the kyngdomes of Gambra and Budomel not farre from the ryuer of Senega And from hence towarde the inlande regions and along by the sea coast are the regions of Ginoia or Guinea which we commonly call Gynnee On the West syde of these regions towarde the Ocean is the cape or poynt called Gabouerde or Caput viride that is the greene cape to the whiche the Portugales fyrst directe theyr course when they sayle to America or the lande of Brasile Then departyng from hence they turne to the ryght hande towarde the quarter of the wynde called Garbino whiche is betwene the west and the south But to speake somewhat more of Ethiopia Although there are many nations of people so named yet is Ethiopia chiefely diuided into two partes whereof the one is called Ethiopia vnder Egypte a great and ryche region To this parteyneth the Ilande of Meroe imbrased rounde about with the streames of the ryuer Nilus In this Ilande women reigned in olde tyme. Iosephus writeth that it was somtyme called Sabea and that the queene of Saba came from thence to Hierusalem to beare the wysedome of Salomon From hence towarde the East reigneth the sayde Christian Emperour Prester Iohn whom some call Papa Iohannes and other saye that he is called Pean Iuan that is great Iohn whose Empire reacheth farre beyonde Nilus and is extended to the coastes of the redde sea and Indian sea The myddle of the region is almost in the .66 degrees of longitude and .xii. degrees of latitude About this region inhabite the people called Clodu Risophagi Babilonij Axiunite Molili and Molibe After these is the region called Trogloditica whose inhabitauntes dwell in caues and dennes for these are theyr houses and the flesh of serpents theyr meate as writeth Plinie and Diodorus Siculus They haue no speache but rather a grynnyng and chatteryng There are also people without heades called Blemines hauyng theyr eyes and mouth in theyr breste Lykewyse Strucophagi and naked Ganphasantes Satyrs also which haue nothyng of men but onely shape Moreouer Oripei great hunters Mennones also and the region of Smyrnophora which bringeth forth myrre After these is the regiō of Azania in the which many Elephantes are founde A great part of the other regions of Afrike that are beyond the Equinoctiall line are nowe ascrybed to the kyngdome of Melinde whose inhabitauntes are accustomed to traffike with the nations of Arabie and theyr kyng is ioyned in frendshyp with the kyng of Portugale and payeth tribute to Prester Iohn The other Ethiope called Ethiopia Interior that is the inner Ethiope is not yet knowne for the greatnesse thereof but onely by the sea coastes yet is it described in this maner Fyrst from the Equinoctiall towarde the South is a great region of Ethiopians which bryngeth foorth whyte Elephantes Tigers and the beastes called Rhinocerontes Also a region that bryngeth foorth plentie of Cinamome lying betwene the braunches of Nilus Also the kyngdome of Habech or Habasia a region of Christien men lying both on this syde and beyonde Nilus Here are also the Ethiopians called Ichthiophagi that is suche as lyue only by fyshe were sometymes subdued by the warres of great Alexander Furthermore the Ethiopians called Rhapsii and Anthropophagi that are accustomed to mans fleshe inhabite the regions neare vnto the mountaynes called Montes Lunae that is the mountaynes of the Moone Gazatia is vnder the Tropyke of Capricorne After this foloweth the front of Affrike the Cape of Buena Speranza or Caput Bonae Spei that is the Cape of good hope by the which they passe that sayle from Spaine to Calicut But by what names the Capes and gulfes are called forasmuche as the same are in euery globe and carde it were here superfluous to rehearse them Some wryte that Affrica was so named by the Grecians because it is without colde For the Greeke letter Alpha or A signifieth priuation voyde or without and Phrice signifieth colde For in deede although in the steade of wynter they haue a cloudy and tempestious season yet is it not colde but rather smootheryng hotte with also hotte shewres of rayne and somewhere suche scorchyng wyndes that what by one meanes and other they seeme at certayne tymes to lyue as it were in fornaces and in maner alredy halfe way in Purgatorie or hell Gemma Phrisius wryteth that in certayne partes of Affrica as in Atlas the greater the ayre in the nyght season is seene shynyng with many strange fyers and flames rysyng in maner as hyghe as the Moone and that in the element are sometyme hearde as it were the sounde of pypes trumpettes and drommes Which noises may perhaps be caused by the vehement and sundry motions of suche fyrye exhalations in the ayre as we see the lyke in many experiences wrought by fyre ayre winde The holownesse also diuers reflexions and breaking of the cloudes may be great causes hereof beside the vehement cold of the middle region of the ayre wherby the said fyrie exhalations ascendyng thither are sodenly strycken backe with great force For euen commen and dayly experience teacheth vs by the whyssyng of a burning Torche what noyse fyre maketh in the ayre much more where it stryueth when it is inclosed with ayre as appeareth in gunnes and as the like is seene in only aire enclosed as in Orgen pipes and such other instrumentes that go by winde For wynd as say the Philosophers is none other then aire vehemently moued as we see in a payre of bellowes and such other Some of our men of good credit that were in this last viage to Guinea affirme ernestly that in the night season they felt a sensible heate to come from the beames of the Moone The which thyng although it be strange and insensible to vs that inhabite colde regions yet doth it stand with good reason that it may so be forasmuche as the nature of starres and
seeme to contemne his so friendly a profer but deferred it to a more conuenient tyme. Therefore departyng from thence within eight dayes after we returned to Ormus and sayled from thence into India arryuing there at a certayne porte named Cheo Here foloweth the fourth booke which entreateth of India and of the cities and other notable thynges seene there Of the citie of Cambaia in India most fruitefull in maner of all thinges Cap. 1. FOrasmuche as in the begynnyng of this woorke we promised that we would declare all thynges briefely we intende nowe heere to speake onely of thynges whiche may seeme most woorthye to be knowen Entryng therefore into India we came to a certaine porte which the great and famous ryuer Indus passeth by and is not far from the citie of Cambaia It is situate three myles within the lande towarde the South The Brigantines or Foystes can haue no accesse to it excepte the fludde ryse hygher then commonly it is woont to do which sometymes ouerfloweth the lande the space of foure myles But heere the fluddes haue contrarye courses of increasyng for heere they increase in the wane of the Moone but with vs in the full Moone The citie is walled after our maner and aboundeth with al necessarie thynges especially with wheate and al sorts of holesome and pleasaunt fruites There are also certayne kyndes of spyces the names whereof I knowe not It hath also abundaunce of gossampine or bombassine cotton Merchaunts bryng from thence yeerely so much bombassine and silke that somtime they lade fourtie or fyftie shyps to cary into other countreys In this region is also a mountayne where the Onyx stone commonly called Corneola is founde and not farre from thence also an other mountaine where the Calcedony and Diamant are found The maners of the people of the citie of Cambaia and of the Soltan thereof Cap. 2. THe Soltan of Cambaia at my beyng there was named Macamut and had raygned fourtie yeeres after he had expulsed the kyng of Gugerat They thynke it not lawefull to kyll any lyuyng beaste to eate or to eate fleshe They are no Mahumetans neyther Idolaters and therefore I beleeue that if they were baptised they were not far from the way of saluation for they obserue the exquisite rule of iustice doyng no worse to other then they woulde to be done to them As touchyng theyr apparell some of them go naked and other couer onely theyr priuities On theyr heades they weare fyllettes of purple colour They them selues are of darke yelowe coloure commonly called Leonell coloure This Soltan maynteyneth an army of .xx. thousande horsemen Euery mornyng resort to his pallace fyftie men syttyng on Elephantes Their office is with all reuerence to salute the king or Soltan the Elephantes also kneelyng downe In the mornyng assoone as the kyng waketh is hearde a great noyse of Drummes Tambartes Tymbrelles Waytes and also Trumpettes with dyuers other musicall instruments in reioycyng that the kyng lyueth The lyke do they whyle he is at dinner and then also the men sytting on the Elephantes make hym the lyke reuerence as before We wyll in due place speake of the wytte customes and docilitie of these beastes The Soltan of this citie hath his vpper lyppe so grosse that it is a monstrous thyng to beholde Insomuche that sometyme he beareth it vp with a fillet as women do the heare of theyr heades his bearde is whyte and long euen vnto the nauell He is so accustomed to poyson from his infancie that he dayly eateth some to keepe it in vse And although he hym selfe feele no hurte thereof by reason of custome yet doth he thereby so impoyson hym selfe that he is poyson to other for when he is disposed to put any of his noble men to death he causeth hym to be brought to his presence and to stande naked before hym Incontinentâ— he eateth certayne fruites whiche they call Chofolos lyke vnto Nuttemegges and eateth also the leaues of certayne hearbes whiche they call Tambolos addyng also thereto the pouder of beaten oyster shelles And a whyle chawyng al these togeather in his mouth he spitteth it vpon hym whom he desyreth to kyll who being sparkled therwith dyeth by force of the poyson within the space of halfe an houre He entertaineth about foure thousand concubines for when soeuer he hath lyue with any of them shee with whom he hath lyen dyeth the daye folowing beyng by hym impoysoned And therefore when he changeth his shyrt or other apparrel no man dare weare it and for this cause he hath great change of apparrell My companion enquired diligently of the merchants by what meanes he was of so venomous nature They answered that the Soltan his father brought him so vp of a childe with poison by litle and litle with preseruatiues so accustomyng hym thereto But let vs nowe returne to speake of the maners of the people For the most part they weare but only one syngle vesture and are very warrelyke men also greatly geuen to merchandies The fruitfulnesse and plentifulnesse of the region can not be spoken It is frequented almost of al nations Therfore from this citie and from an other wherof we wyll speake hereafter diuers and innumerable sortes of merchandies are transported to almost all the regions of the worlde and especially to the Turkes Syrians Arabians Indians also to diuers regions of Affricke and Ethiopia principally exceedyng abundance of sylke and Bombasyne and therefore is this Soltan marueylous rych He keepeth in maner contynuall warre with the kyng of Ioga whose realme is fyfteene dayes iorney from Cambaia and reacheth very farre euery waye This kyng mayntayneth an armie of .xxx. thousand fyghtyng men he and all his people are Idolatours He lyueth in contynual progresse with a mightie trayne at the charges of the people and contynually carrieth about with hym foure thousand tentes and pauilions also his wyfe chyldren concubines slaues furthermore foure or fiue of most couragious horses likewyse muskattes moonkeys Parrottes Leopardes haukes And in this order he walketh almost ouer all India The kynges apparell is a double gotes skinne one coueryng his brest and the other his backe with the hearysyde outward he is of wesel colour enclining to blackenesse as are the most part of these Indians beyng in maner scorched with heate of the Sunne They weare al earerings precious stones and iewels of sundry forts some couer theyr body with a single light thinne vesture puttyng out one arme naked The kyng and certaine of his noble men paynt their faces with certaine sweete gommes spices and some also other partes of their bodies They are ledde with many vayne superstitions for some professe neuer to lye on the grounde some to lyue in continual silence as though they were speechelesse hauing two or three appointed by signes to serue them meate and drynke They haue all hornes hangyng
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
distant from Giaua maior Here they were informed that aboue Giaua maior towarde the north is a great gulfe called the gulfe of China in the whiche are trees of exceedyng byggnesse inhabited with foules of such greatnesse that they cary great beastes in the ayre The fruites of these trees are as byg as Cucummers The cape of Malacha is one degree and a halfe aboue the Equinoctiall line toward the pole Artike On the east syde of this cape runneth a very long coast in the which are many regions cities wherof some are called by these names Cingaporla whiche is the cape Also Pahan Calantan Patani Braalin Benu Longon and Odia wherin is the citie in the whiche dwelleth the kyng of Sian named Zacabedera Theyr cities are buylded as ours are and subiect to the kyng of Sian After the realme of Sian are the regions of Iamgoma and Campaa where Reubarbe groweth of the whiche are diuers opinions some supposyng it to be a roote and other a putrified tree affyrming that if it were not putrified it should not haue so great a sauour They call it Calama Next vnto this is founde the great China whose kyng is thought to be the greatest prince in the worlde and is named Santoa Raia Furthermore all that is written hereafter of this kyng and these regions they learned by thinformation of a Moore that was in the Iland of Timor He affirmed that the sayd kyng hath threescore and tenne crowned kynges vnder his empyre and hath a port in the sea named Canthan and two principall cities named Nauchin and Connulaha where he remaineth hym selfe and hath euer foure of his chiefe princes lying about his palace on euery syde towarde the east west north and south geuyng dilygent attendaunce what is done in euery of theyr quarters All the princes of the greater India called India Maior and of that whereof I haue spoken before are obedient to this kyng And in token that they are true subiectes they keepe in theyr palaces which are in the myddest of theyr cities the beast called Linx beyng fayrer then a Lion and is the great kynges signet whiche all such as intende to go to China beare with them sealed in waxe or on a peece of Iuerye for theyr safe conducte without the whiche they may not enter into the hauen When any of his kynges rebell or are disobedient he causeth them to be flayen and salted and dryed at the Sunne then to be stuffed with chaffe and set vp on some hygh thyng in the myddest of the chiefe streate of the citie where al the people may see it He neuer suffereth his owne person to be openly seene to any man But when his noble men of the courte are desyrous to see hym he commeth downe from his palace into a ryche pauilion accompanyed with syxe of his principall concubines apparelled with lyke vestures as he hym selfe is All this way he is not seene by reason of the pauilion When he hath passed through the pauylyon he entereth into a Serpent named Nagha beyng the most marueylous and ryche woorke of the worlde and placed in the greatest courte of the palace When the kyng entereth into this with the women to the intent that he may not be knowen among them he causeth the sayde noble men onely to looke in at a glasse whiche is in the breste of the Serpent where they see the kyng among the women but can not discerne whiche is he He ioyneth in maryage with his syster that the blood royall be not myxte with any other His palace is enuironed with seuen large walles the one beyng farre distant from the other and hath in euery suche circuite tenne thousand men for the garryson of his palace who haue theyr waytyng dayes appoynted them course by eourse with fresshe men in theyr places and thus keepe theyr watche continually both day and nyght In this palace are .lxxix. haules in the whiche is an infinite number of women that serue the kyng hauyng euer lyght torches in theyr handes for the greater magnificence He that woulde see all the palace shoulde spende a whole daye therein Among other there are foure principal haules where somtimes the kyng geueth audience to his noble men Of these one is couered both aboue and beneath with metall an other all ouer with syluer the thyrde with golde and the fourth with pearles precious stones These people of China are whyte men appareled as we are and eate theyr meate on tables as we do They haue the crosse in some estimation but knowe not the cause whye Beyonde the coaste of China are dyuers other nations and people as Cheneby where Pearles and Sinamonie are founde also the people named Lickij where reigneth the great kyng of Mien hauyng vnder hym .xxii. kynges and is subiecte to the kyng of China Here is also founde the great citie of Cathay â–ª in the East and dyuers other nations in the sayde fyrme lande of the which some are bruityshe and beastiall whiche vse to kyll and eate theyr parentes when they be olde thynkyng thereby that they shall reuyue in them All these people are Gentyles The .xi. daye of February in the yeere .1522 they departed from the Ilande of Timos and were ingulfed by chaunce in the great sea called Lantchidol and tooke theyr course betweene the west and southwest leauyng the north coastes on theyr ryght hande fearyng least if they shoulde sayle towarde the firme land they myght be seene of the Portugales who are of great power in Malacha and therefore dyrected theyr course without the Ilande of Sumatra called in olde tyme Taprobana leauyng also on theyr ryght hand vppon the fyrme lande the prouinces and regions of Pegu Bengala Calecut Canonor Coa Cambaia the gulfe of the Iland of Ormus and all the coastes of the greater India And more safely to passe the cape of Buona Speranza beyng aboue Affrike they sayled about .xlii. degrees towarde the pole Antartike remayned seuen weekes about that cape with many fetches compassyng the wynde with theyr sayles continually alofte because they had a west and northwest wynde in the proos of theyr shyppe whiche woulde not suffer them to passe The cape of Buona Speranza is toward the pole Antartike beneath the Equinoctiall line .34 degrees and a halfe and .1600 leagues from the cape of Malacha and is the greatest and most daungerous cape that is founde at this daye in all the worlde When they had by these peryls ouerpassed this cape certaine of them aswell for lacke of vyttayles as also by reason of syckenesse were mynded to sayle to a hauen of the Portugales named Monzambique aboue Affryke But the other answeared that they woulde rather dye then go to any other place then directly to Spayne They folowed theyr course therefore saylyng toward the Southwest two monethes continually without touchyng at any port in
magnanimitte to sende to the sayde fyrme landes and Ilandes honest vertuous and learned men suche as feare GOD and are able to instruct thinhabitantes in the Catholyke fayth and good maners applying all theyr possible deligence in the premisses We furthermore streightly inhibite all maner of persons of what state degree order or condition soeuer they be although of Imperiall and regall dignitie vnder the payne of the sentence of excommunicatiō which they shal incurre if they do to the contrary that they in no case presume without speciall lycence of you your heyres and successours to trauayle for merchaundies or for any other cause to the sayde landes or Ilandes founde or to be founde discouered or to be discouered towarde the West and South drawyng a lyne from the pole Artyke to the pole Antartike whether the firme landes and Ilandes founde and to be founde be situate toward India or toward any other part beyng distant from the line drawen a hundred leagues toward the west from any of the Ilands commonly called De los Azores and Capo Verde Notwithstandyng constitutions decrees and Apostolycall ordinaunces whatsoeuer they are to the contrary In hym from whom Empyres dominions and all good thynges do proceede Trustyng that almyghtie GOD directyng your enterprices if you folowe your Godly and laudable attemptes your labours and trauayles herein shall in shorte tyme obtayne a happie ende with felicitie and glory of all Christian people But forasmuche as it shoulde be a thyng of great difficultie these letlers to be caryed to all suche places as shoulde be expedient we wyll and of lyke motion and knowledge do decree that whyther so euer the same shal be sent or wheresoeuer they shal be receiued with the subscription of a common notarie thereunto requyred with the seale of any person constitute in ecclesiasticall dignitie or suche as are aucthorised by the Eclesiasticall court the same fayth and credite to be geuen thereunto in iudgement ▪ or els where as shoulde be exhibyted to these presentes It shal therefore be lawefull for no man to infrynge or rashly to contrary this letter of our commendation exhortation request donation graunt assignation constitution deputation decreee commaundement inhibition and determination And if any shall presume to attempte the same he ought to know that he shal therby incurre the indignation of almyghty God and his holy Apostles Peter and Paule Geuen at Rome at saint Peters In the yeere of thincarnation of our lorde M. CCCC.lxxxxiii The fourth day of the nones of Maye the fyrst yeere of our seate An Abridgement of P. Martyr his .5.6.7 and .8 Decades and particulerly of Ferd. Cortesius conquest of Mexico by R. VV. THe fyrst foure Decades of P. Martyr you haue already seene done into Englyshe by R. Eden as also certayne parcelles of the foure last P. Martir made eight decades of the west Indish newes in lesse labour these may be run ouer speciall regarde being had vnto that Decade wherein the more principall matter is expressed I meane the fyrst and that chiefly for the famous conquest of the citie Themistitan in Mexico prouince yea of all that great region we doe nowe vsually call newe Spaine As for the sixte Decade it conteyneth very little matter woorth the rehearsal except it be certeine reportes of the Spaniards how they found where they traueyled in the West Indies plough stuffe of gold that the prince of Nicoragua with his family became christian that certaine beardles Indians greatly feare suche men as haue beardes that they vse to sacrifice lyue men vnto their Idolles eyther taken in the warres or fatted vp at home bountefully for that purpose that Nicoragua Mere for the greatnesse and vnknowen length thereof for the ebbes and fluddes and many Ilandes therin myght woorthely be called a freshe water sea This freshet hath ben thought to run into the Northwesterne streicte rather of ignorance the course therof being not throughly knowen than that it so falleth out in deede as P. Martyr wryteth Finally in the .9 .10 bookes of the sixt Decade newes is sent to Rome of the controuersie betwixt the Spaniardes Portugales concernyng the Moluccaes handled more effectually in more ample maner by R. Eden Fol. 448. than P. Martyr in this place penned it Wherfore it were a needlesse woorke and actum agere in deede to trouble the reader therewith any further especially whereas in this volume mention hath ben made therof euen by P. Martyr him selfe as you haue already seene The lyke opinion am I also of touching the .vii. .viii. decades some parcels wherof the Aucthour doth repeate out of his former writinges as Dec. 7. c. 2. the ruine of the Ilandes Iucaies out of his fourth Dec. c. 3. Item out of the second Decade c. 10. the nature of that spring in the Ilande Boiuca otherwyse called Agnaneo the water whereof who so drinketh by reporte of an old man becommeth young agayne is in many woordes repeated by P. Martyr Dec. 7. c. 7. the whole summe of whose seconde discourse thereof is expressed in the former place by R. Edens addition of this clause Perhappes with some diet the which woordes are not in P. Martyr his texte to be shorte the two kindes of breade the Indians doe make of the rootes Iucca and a kynd of graine called Maiz suffitiently declared Dec. 1. lib. 1. Dec. 3. lib. 5. lib. 9. Dec. 3. be repeated againe Dec. 8. c. 3. Other parcelles of these aforesayd Decades wherein the subtelties of theyr Magicians and Coniurers Peaces or Pages are discribed their Tigres crueltie their sundry kindes of wylde beastes foule Serpents their diuers sortes of trees and fruites partly may you reade of in the breuiarie of Gonzal Ferd. Ouiedus historie as of the fountayne of pytch the stone pellets naturally made for Gunnes Fol. 224. out of the .7 Decade c. 7. and the Glowoormes out of the same c. 9. partly in R. Eden his notes of newe Spayne Peru Rio de la Plata Baccaleos and Florida set downe in this volume Fol. 225. as particulerly of the Nutshelles vsed in steede of money taken out of P. Mart. Dec. 8. c. 4. Partly in Theuetus woorkes of the newe founde worlde Englished long since and finally in those bookes which sundry learned Simplicistes haue lately written principally to ayde the Phisitians of our tyme. Some other curiosities there be conteyned in P. Martyr his two last Decades namely the Iucaien women to be so fayre that for theyr loue other countrey Barbares seeke to inhabite those Ilandes Dec. 7. c. 1. The Spanyardes well vsed of the Iucaiens contrary to all curtesie to haue carried away many of those Ilanders into slauery and misery Agayne certayne traueylers to haue ben seene there that had tayles lyke fyshe Dec. 7. c. 2. Fonde fantasies of mens soules departed Dec. 7. c. 3. wandring first North and than South about the worlde afterwarde to growe young agayne in iolitie Agayne other to imagine that the departed
Weakenesse of hunger Cape Marmor Nomen Dei The nauigation of Rodericus Colmenaris An exceedyng high mountayne couered with snowe Apparelled men Spanyardes slayne with venemous arrowes A remedie agaynst venemous arrowes The hauen of Vraba Nicuesa is founde in a miserable case Insolencie oftâ— muche felicitie The death of Nicuesa Famine enforseth them to fal to spaylyng Careta kyng of Coiba Kyng Careta is taken and spoyled Mine thine the seedes of al myscheefe Ancisus Lieuetenant for Fogeda is cast in pryson Ancisus taketh his voyage to Hispaniola The reuengâ— of God The inconueniences of discorde King Poncha Swordes of wood Kyng Careta conspireth with the Spaniards agaynst kyng Poncha The region of Comogra distant from Dariena .xxx. leagues Kyng Comogrus The kynges pallace Wine syder Blacke wine The carcasses of men dâ—yed The distribution of golde Young Comogrus his oration The hunger of golde A region flowing with golde Kyng Tumanama Canibales The golde mines of the mountaynes Vnwrought golde not estemed Abundance of golde Housholde stuffe of golde Naked people tormented with ambition A vehement perswasion A token of hunger Kyng Comogrus is baptised with his familie Horrible thunder and lyghtnyng in the moneth of Nouember Maryshe grounde Ancisus bitten of a Batte A tempest King Turui The Ilande of Cannafistula King Abibeiba dwelleth in a tree The rysyng of the Ocean sea Trees of marueilous height Plinie Fruitefull grounde Abibeiba the kyng of the tree yeeldeth to Vaschus Golde no more esteemed then stones Canibales Men good yenough yf they had iron Captiues A garryson of thirtie men Eightene Spanyardes slayne and drowned The kinges which conspired the death of the Christians A straunge chaunce Women can keepe no counsayle An armie of an hundred Canoas and fyue M. men Triumph before victorie Affection corrupteth true iudgement The conspiracie of the kyngs is detected Kyng Cemaechus conspireth the death of Vaschus Vaschus pursueth the kings with threescore and ten men Colmenaris sacketh the vyllage of Tichiri Fyue rulers hanged shot through with arrowes Iohan. Quicedus is sent to Spayne A wife is a hinderaunce The death of aldiuia Hurt of lauyshnesse of the tongue The calamities and death of Fogeda Maladies and famine The prosperous voyage of Ancisus A king of Cuba baptised by the name of Commendator A marueylous hystorie howe God wrought myracles by the simple faith of a Maryner Be not rashe in iudgement A Chappell builded to the pycture of the virgin Marie One superstititious religion turned into an other holdeth stil many thinges of the fyrst Zeale without knowledge is neuer godly Marke this blyndnesse This ignorance is to be lamented The deuil dissembleth to keepe his in blyndnesse styll A notable lye of a papistical heretike One blasphemie vpon another The deuyll appeareth in his lykenesse What likenes A strange myracle not to be credited Another myracle Wise men Math. xiiii This is another matter The deuyl appeareth againe The virgin Mary in her owne person ouercommeth the deuyl The priestes rewarde Why name you Capons Ancisus voiage to Spayne Ancisus complayneth of Vaschus Marke to whoÌ„ this fayned myraculous storie was written The procuratours of Dariena are honourably receiued at the court The great master of the kings ships Petrus Arias is elected gouernour of Dariena The oration of the Byshop of Burges in the defence of Petrus Arias The warres of Aphryca A house in Ciuile appoynted to the affayres of India Perulariae The Portugales inuentions The nauigation of Petrus Arias A shipwracke Americus Vesputius A notable example of a valiant woman The wyfe of Petrus Arias Plentie of pearles The vse of gunnes Great abundance of gold frankencense â–ª Olibanum Sabea is a couÌ„trey in â—rabia which bringeth foorth Frankencense Rulers for one yeere The great gulfe of Paria The great Iland Atlantike Contention betweene the Castilians Portugales for the newe landes The bishop of Rome diuideth the lande The golden regioÌ„ of Ciamba The Ilande of S. Iohannis Fyue byshops of the Ilande made by the bishop of Rome The Canibales of the Iland of Sancta Crux The ryuers of Vraba The fruitfulnesse of Vraba The fruitefulnes of Dariena Swynes fleshe of better taste more holsome then mutton Fruites putrified on the sea Betatas Lions and Tygers A strange beast The ryuers of Vraba A league is xxiiii furlonges Danubius A Crocodile is muche lyke a Neute but of exceedyng kygnesse The Portugales nauigations A philosophical discourse as concerning thoriginal of springes and ryuers The breadth of the lande at Vraba from the North Ocean to the South sea The sea The lande enclosed with two seas Conuersion of ayre into water in the caues of mountaynes The often fal of rayne and continuall spryng tyme. The Equinoctiall The pores of the sea and the south wynde The fludde Eridanus The ryuer Alpheus Longe caues in the mountaines The length and forme of the Iland Cardes of the sea The carde of Americus Vesputius The carde of Colouns The carde of Iohannes de la Cossa The carde of Andreas moralis The maner of measuring the cardes A league The nauigation of Iohannes Dias The eleuation of the pole The iurisdiction of the Portugales Hercules pyllers The Ilande Boiuca or Agnaneo The renouation of age A water of marueilous vertue The accidentes of age may be hydden Extreme hunger This was at the siege of Hierusalem Many dogges eaten A mangie dog â—â—are solde Broth of a mangie dogs skynne Toades eaten A dead man eaten Note Petrus Arias whoÌ„ the Spanyardâ—s call Pedâ—arias Vaschus Nunnez gouernor of Dariena The new south Ocean Commendation of the Spanyardes A valiant mynd can not be ydle Vaschus his voyage toward the golden mountaynes â–ª Careta kyng of Coiba King Poncha Strange thinges are counted precious Lacke of Iron A stone in the steede of Iron Superfluities hynder libertie Carpenters Brydges The region of Quarequa kyng Quarequa is dryuen to flyght Hargabusies Crossebowes vi C. Barbarians are slaine The vse of dogges in the warre agaynst the naked Barbarians Natural hatred of vnnatural sinne I woulde al men were of this opinion The haruest is great and the woorkemen but fewe Warlyke people The higher the colder A region of blacke Moores Diseases of change of ayre and dyet The south sea Prayer God rayseth the poore from the dounghyl Hanniball of Carthage King Chiapes A battayle Chiapes is driuen to flyght Vaschus sendeth for kyng Chiapes Chiapes submitteth hym selâ—e to Vaschus A gulfe of threescore myles Saint Michaels gulfe The manly corage and godly zeale of Vaschus Ryches are the synewes of warre The faythfulnes of kyng Chiapes A tempest on the sea The increasing of the South sea The Northe Ocean Hard shyft in necessitie The region Tumacca Kyng Tumaccus is driuen to flyght Golde and pearles Muscles of the sea Fyshyng for pearles The thyrst of golde Ambition among naked men A kyng of greaâ— power Byg pearles Cleopatra queene of Egypt resolued a pearle in vineger drunke it Price fiue
south sea The rich Iland called Dites Cap. sancti Augustini Of the euill successe of these viages reade decade 3. Liber 9. An expedition to destroy the Canibales Looke decade .3 Lib. 9. The nauigations of Andreas Moralis A perticular description of the Ilande of Hispaniola Nereides are nymphes of the sea he meaneth Ilandes Tethis the wyfe of Neptunus goddesse of the sea Great pearles Hispaniola like vnto the earthy paradise The fyrst inhabitours of Hispaniola Hierusalem Mecha The Ilandes of Canarie Betanchor a frenchman The first names of Hispaniola Their maner of learnyng Ballets and rhymes Singyng and daunceyng Songes of loue and mournyng Prophesses Note Their familiaritie with spirites The deuyl is driuen away by baptisme Surueyers Serpentes A Crocodile is muche lyke to our Ewte or Lyserte Cipanga Italy called Latium Isabella The fourme of the Ilande of Hispaniola A particuler carde of Hispaniola Hispaniola compared to Itaâ—ie The temprature of Hispaniola The Equinoctiall Cold accidental and not by the situation of the region Perpetuall spring and sommer Maruelous fruitfullnesse Beastes Oxen and swine of exceeding bignesse Swine fed with Mirobalanes An eare of wheat as bigge as a mans arme in the brawne Great plentie of cattayle Incommodities of intemperate regions Holsome ayre and water Golde euery where The citie of S. Dominick Of prouinces diuided into regions The pronunciation of the Hebrues and Arabians The Moores and Arabians possessed Spayne How the aspiration chaungeth the signification of woords Diuers languages in the Iland Riuers denoured of caues Whirlepooles and conflict of waters Cloudes in the caue The Cataracts of Nilus A standing poole in the top of a high mountayne Fearne and bramble bushes growe only in colde regions The Caspian and Hircanian sea A great lake of soure and salte water Sea Fysshes in lakes of the midlande The deuouring Fyshe called Tiburonus The ryuers that fall into the lake Caspium CC. springeâ— within the space of a furlong A myracle The Indian language A kyng striken dumme and lame by a myracle Such as are drowned in the lake are not cast vp againe A lake of salt freshe water A lake of freshe water A lake of ten myles in length A playne of a hundred and twenty myles A plaine of two hundred myles in length The marueylous fyshe Manati A monster of the sea fedde with mans hande Matum A fyshe caryeth men ouer the lake A marueilous thing The ryuer Attibunicus The great vale of Guarionexius Golde in all mountaynes â–ª and golde and fyshe in all ryuers Salte bayes The ryuers haue their increase from the caues of the mountaynes No hurtfull or rauening beast in the Ilande The aucthours excuse By what meanes the people of the Ilande are greatly consumed The pleasures of Hispaniola The region of Cotobi situate in the cloudes A plaine in the toppes of mountaynes The hygher the colder Moderate colde in the mountaynes Golde Thinhabitantes of Hispaniola can abyde no labour nor colde The Ilande of Creta or Candie vnder the dominion of the Uenetians Pure and massie golde in the region of Cotoby The vaine of golde is a lyuyng tree These colours of floures are called Marchasites The roote of the golden tree The branches of the golden tree Caues susteyned with yyllers of golde The stones of the golde mynes What golde is brought yerely from Hispaniola into Spayn Salt of the mountaynes very harde and cleare Salt as harde as stones Springes of salt freshe and sower water Hollow caues in the grounde Certaine wyld men lyuing in caues and dennes Men without a certayne language Men as swift as Grehounds A wylde man runnech away with a chylde Pitch of the rocke Pitch of two kyndes of trees The Pyne tree The tree Copeia The leafe of a tree in the stedâ— of paper They beleeue that leaues do speake A pretie storie Ignorance causeth admiration The leafe wherein they wryte A stronge coloure of the iuice of an apple An hearbe whose smoke is poyson The kyndes of fruites wherewith thinhabitauntes lyued fyrst Necessitie the mother of al artes The fyne bread Cazabbi made of the rootes of Iucca How Ceres fyrst founde wheate and barly in Egypt The rootes of Ages The aucthours excuse Plinie By what names they salute the kyngs children when they are borne The names and tytles of the Romane Emperours Howe they make theyr testamentes So dyd great Alexander The kynges wyues concubines are buryed with him They burye theyr iewels with them A dreame of an other lyfe after this Where it rayneth but seldome Where it rayneth much Variable motions of the Elementes The colonies and villages whiche the Spaniardes haue builded The other Ilandes about Hispaniola The Iland of Arethusa A spring runnyng vnder the sea from Hispaniola to Arethusa The Iland of Sancti Iohannis The Ilande of Cuba Habitable regions vnder the Equinoctial The riche golde mineâ— of Cuba The Iland of Iamaica The Iland of Guadalupea England and Scotland The gum called Anime album Dates Pine trees The Canibales Whereby it was thought that there were Ilandes of women Hony in trees and rockes The Ilande Desiderata The Ilande Galanta The Ilandes of Todos Sanctos or Barbata The Ilande Monsserratus The Ilande Antiqua The Ilande Portus Bellus Great Tortoyses The generation of Tortoyses The Egges of Tortoyses Innumerable Ilandes Troyans Tyrians Greekes Phenitians The North Ilandes The Ilandes of the south sea The Ilande of pearles Wylde beastes must be tamed with the rod. An expedition to the Ilande of Dites in the south sea The Ilande of Margaritea Os Draconis Paria A conflict The kyng of the Ilande of Dites submitteth him selfe The kynges pallace A hundreth and ten pounde weight of pearles Axes and hatchets more esteemed then golde The kynges wordes Ilandes rych in golde and pearles C. pounde weyght of pearles yeerely for a tribute Plentie of Hartes and Cunnies Wyne of fruits and seeds The kyng is baptised The fyft part of pearles due to the kyng Byg pearles A pearle for a Pope An other pearle of great price Nyse and superfluous pleasures Dyuers opinions of the generation of pearles Hearbes in the bottome of the sea A hundred pearles in one shell fyshe The matrice of the pearle fyshe The byrth of pearles Where the biggest meane and least pearls are engendred Sea crabbes The sea muscles wherein pearles are engendred The regions of the East syde of the gulfe of Vraba The region of Caribana The original of the Canibales The villages of Caribana Manhunters Bookes Loke in the begynnyng of the booke of the landes lately founde Circumcised people What chaunced to the Capitaynes whiche the gouernour sent dyuers wayes Looke decade iii. liber vi The vioage of Iohannes Solisius Cab. S. Augustini Iohn Solisius is slayne of the Canibales The fyrcenes of the Canibales Brasyle Iohannes Pontius is repulsed by the Canibales The voyage of Iohannes Aiora Looke Decade iii. liber vi The lewde behauiour of Iohn Aiora The variable fortune of Gonsalus Badaiocius
substaunce Great trees A marueylous tree Kyndlyng of fyre without fyre Putrified woodde shynyng in the nyght Plinie Trees whiche continue euer greene Cassia A secrete thyng Radycall moysture Platani Fygges Tunas Bihaos Hauas Dying of cotton A strange thyng Note Caniballes archers Wherwith they inuenome theyr arrowes Petrus Arias The water of the sea The gulfe of Uraba Xagua Hohi Some thinke these to be mirobalanes Date trees Thinhabitauntes of the sea of Sur. An hearbe that beareth cordes Cabuia and Henequen A strange thing Leaues A leafe of great vertue Tiburons Manates Great Tortoyses Tiburons Plinie Crocodiles Manates The fyshe Manate A remedy agaynst the stone The swoorde fyshe Tunnye Turbut Note Fleeyng fyshes The Iland of Bermuda Not to hie for the Pye nor to lowe for the Crowe Beragua The west Ocean The sea Mediterraneum Hispaniola Cuba The South sea The power and wysedome of God is sene in his creatures Esquegua and Vrraca Nomen Dei Panama The ryuer of Chagre The Ilande Bastimento The marueylous brydge The Ilandes of Molucca The commoditie of this viage Tigers Plantes and hearbes Birdes Men. Sheepe Bulles Iucca Battes Plinie The Tiger The huntyng of Tigers A rewarde for kyllyng of Tygers Colonus compared to Hercules The pyllers of Hercules The strayghtes of Gibilterra Note Plus Vltra Howe farre the Emperours maiestie excelleth Hercules A Tyger made tame The Indian women The men of India The kyng is borne on mens backes Lettyng of blood They haue no beardes They paynte their bodies The Canibals Armure of golde Their galantnesse in the Warres Theyr Iuelles Howe the women beare vp theyr teates with barres of golde The stature colour of the Indians The Indians called Coronati The Ilande of Giantes Iucatos The sculles of the Indians heades Newe Spaine The houses of the Christians in India Dariena Gardens Men are desirous of newe thynges The commodities of Hispaniola Englande and Sicilie Golde mynes Cotton Cassia Suger Plantes and hearbes Great thynges hyndred by respect of present gaynes Oranges Pomegranats Fygges all the yeere Dates Beastes Great heardes of cattayle Good pasture The effect of continuall and moderate heate The cause of fat nouryshment Beastes of long lyfe in regions about the Equinoctial line Trees whose leaues do not wyther The canker of the tree Long lyued men in India Paradise neare the Equinoctiall line Sheepe and Hogges Dogges and Cattes become wylde The situation of Hispaniola The citi of San Domenico The ryuer Ozama The Hauen A cathadrall churche and monasteris in Hispaniola An Hospitall The people Glowormes Crowes stinkyng sweete Sainct Iohn his Ilande â–ª Iamaica Partriches Pellettes for Gunnes wrought by nature A fountayne of the pytche of Bitumen Quintus Cursius Bitumen of Babylon Panuco Baccalaos Indians Ryche furres and syluer Idolaters The citie of Mexico or Temixtitan Golde and syluer Sylke Cotton Alame Woade Suger Shelles for mony Corne. Beastes Haukyng and huntyng Payntyng WomeÌ„ sumptuously appareled A warlyke nation Captiues sacrificed to Idoles Peru is the rychest land that is knowen A house couered with golde Harnesse of golde A fruitfull region Great sheepe The dutie of Christian Princes Paraue Iohn Dias Solis The Iland Martinus Gratias The viage of Sebastian Cabot to the riuer of Plata Charlis Ophir Cipango Cathay The ryuer of Plata Marueylous fruitefulnes Mountaynes conteynyng golde and syluer Great sheepe Theyr colour Men with deformed legges The way to the Ilandes of Molucca by the north sea The Spanyardes Gasper Cortesreales Insula Cortesreales Snowe and Ise. Furres Fyshe Gryfes Beares The Britons Sebebastian Cabot The lande of Baccallaos The viage of Cabot in the dayes of king Henry the seuenth I se in Iuly Baccallaos Brytons Danes Iaques Cartyre The people of Baccallaos Fyshing for Tunnies Laborador Iohn Ponce Water of great vertue of this reade in the Decades Bemini Guaccana The Canibales Boriquen The death of Iohn Ponce The lande of Florida Ferdinando de Soto The valiant myndes of the Spanyardes The thyrd attempt of the conquest of Florida Certayne Fryers attempt the conquest onely with wordes but with euyll successe The Fryers are slayne and eaten A newe kynde of disgradyng 1. By the southeast 2. By the southwest 3. By the northeast Ortel tab Asiae 3. 4. By the Northwest Ob. 1. In Theatro Ob. 2. Ob. 3. Ob. 4. 5. Ob. Ob. 6. Cic. i. de orat Arist. pri Metaph. Lib. i. Geog. Cap. 2. Sol. i. Sol. 2. Oued 1. Meta. Sol. 3. Sol. 4. Lib. Geog. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lib. 2. Meteor Cap. 1. Plin. lib. 2. Cap. 67. Sol. 5. Sol. 6. Luc. lib. 1. Pharsal VVhat the easterne currant is Lib. 1. Geog. Cap. 2. Fuquien Cinceo Cantan Chequeam Xutiamfu Chelim Quianci rather Quinzi Pachin al. Pochang Theyr monethes Loutea Chian al. Chaen Ponchiassi Anchiassi al. Hexasi Tuzi Taissu Licentiates Doctors Dutch lyke We that is the Italians and Spaniardes After the Dutch fation Pithigorian lyke The Italians call it the strapadâ— A pylleâ—â— boorde Of like the first lenders be the more welthier Fuquieo Hereof to fore Parai Tamen the proper name of China Pochang al. Theyr enemies Maryage of the kynges children He speaketh not here of all China but of the cities for in other places there be beggers as you haue seene already swarmyng out of trees He speaketh of Fuquien shyre Aliis Cenchi The kynges reuenues Parai That is theyr temples It shoulde seeme by their voyage to be Cardandan in Ortelius It seemeth they came vp the riuer from the Caspian sea At cacan Ali. Auoins Tartares Mounte Vsont Mogorites Bremes Southwarde from Chenchi to the sea Auoins Chenchi Goa is a citie of the Portugales in East Indie Theyr gouernement Tundi P. 231. But his almes are very good Inambuxu Genguis The Giaponish Funerals Ainan 〈…〉 Santianum The Romane Empyre 4. hundreth yeeres of ignoraunce East India well knowen in olde time Strabo The great rychesse of Egypt The citie of Alexandria Marueylous rychesse The gouernaunce and reuenues of the Romanes Trogloditica and India The gulfe of Arabia Ethiope Rych customs The rychesse whiche were brought in olde time from India and the redde sea The commision of Themperours Marcus and Comodus The great riches the kings of Egypt had by customes The noble enterpryses of the kings of Egypt Arsinoe Damiata Pelusio Nilus Copto Berenice A nauigable trenche made from Egypt to the red sea Lacus amari King Sesostre King Psammiticus Kyng Darius Kyng Ptolomeus The citie Heroum What Plinie writeth of the nauigable trenche The largenesse and length of the trenche The viage by land from Egypt to the red sea What kyng Ptolomeus discouered Alcayre The viage to East India frequented in olde tyme. The customes and maners of the Indians The voyage to Cathay Rycharde Chaunceler A learned descourse of dyuers voyages The voyages of the Portugales The worlde hangyng in the ayre What is knowen of the lower hemispherie The lande of Brasile Peru. The charg and dutie of Christian princes Note
fyghting Fruitefull Gotes Rammes with buckes hornes Canonisyng of saintes The wyfe burneth her selfe after the death of her husband Daunsyng deuylles Sacrifice to the deuyll The hygh way to hell Great respecte of fame and honestie Writyng Mecha The citie of Bangella An army of two hundred thousand men Spices and silke Riche merchantes Precious stones Christians Lignum Aloes Laserpitium Belzoi Castoreum Christian Princes vnder the great Cham of Cathay Christian Princes neare the Turkes dominions Corall of great pryce Rubies Pego. Idolaters White men Christians Great Reedâ—â— â–ª Muske catteâ— â–ª Precious stones and spices Capela Smaragdes or Emeraldes Great riches of Iewelles and precious stones A kyng shinyng with earthly starres The kyng sacrifyceth to the deuyll Corall The kyng and the merchant contende of liberalitie Commendation of the Persians A casket full of Rubies A Princely gyfte Colours A ryuer of .xxv. myles brode The Ilande of Sumetra or Taprobana Chini or China Popingayes Sandalum Tyn. Spices and silke Vnruly people Anarchia The Ilande of Samatra or Samotra Foure kynges in one Iland Women burns them selues Iustice. Coyned mony of golde syluer and tynne Elephantes Long Pepper Cathay or Catai a colde region Sylke of the trees Laserpitium or Belzoe Litle true Aloes or Laserpitium Sarnau Cathay and other rych countreys Aloes of very sweete sauour The proofe of Laserpitium Lacca merchantes waxe Shyppes of a straunge fashion Swymmers Great hydes of fyshes Great teeth of Elephantes Great Serpentes The name of Hierusalem in reuerence Anarchia Lawlesse people Idolaters The Nuttemegge tree Mace All thynges common Nuttemegges of small price The lawe of nature These Ilandes of spyces are called Moluccdae and in them is seene the rare byrde named Manucodiata or paradisea The Cloue tree Cloues dearer then Nutmegs The Ilande of Gyaua Bornei â–ª Veronica or Vernacle The headdes of Peter and Paule The Ilande of Bornei Idolaters Camphora The north star The starres about the pole Antartike The lode stone serueth in the south regions beyonde the Equinoctiall line Antipodes Idolaters The Image of the deuyll Sylke of trees Smaragdes Golde Copper Whyte men good people Byrdes and foules Impoysoned arrowes Trunkes Anthropophagi eate mans fleshe In the West India they are called Caniballes A straunge pittie Rather to butchers then woormes Emeraldes of great price Gelded children Sana Seuen thousande Ilandes Malacha or Melacha Colon. Portugales Two Christians of Milan in Calecut The Christians haue made a rodde for their owne arsse The Nauie of Portugale A great peece of ordinaunce A Iewe that made Gunnes and shyppes was drowned Repentaunce Predestination A fortresse of the Portugales in the citie of Canonor Hipocrisie A Sainct by hipocrisie A glister A straunge ministring of a glister More good happe then cunnyng Sely soules Trumpettes in the steede of belles Not all thac say Lord Lord. c. Some of them say that he is rysen God the father The virgin Marie Merchantes of Calecut Noeros are gentlemen of the kynges garde The Gouernoure of Portugales fortresse The Viceroy of the kyng of Portugall in India Concubineâ— and slaues 〈…〉 Beware of couetousnesse The Byshop of the Mahumetans The Mahumetans conspire the death of the Christians An Oration The death of Iohn Maria and Peter Antonye The frenche poxe The nauie of the kyng of Calecut agaynst the Portugals â–ª The Mahumetan soldiers The oration of the gouernour to the Christian soldiers The nauie of the Mahumetans The Admirall of the Christians The quarel and occasion of the warre The Mahumetans geue the onset The valyantnesse of the Admirall A great slaughter of the mahumetans The valiantnesse of Iohn Seranus Fewe Chrians slayne The valiantnesse of Simon Martin A Stratageme Tenne Mahumetan shyps soonke with the shot of great artillerie The Christians had the victorie An other great conflicte The Mahumetans slayne in swimming The Mahumetans experte in swimmyng The kyng of Canonor The valiantnesse of the Portugales The death of the kyng of Canonor A newe expedition against the Christians Long warres Great oddes The Mahumetans artillerie The order of the Mahumetans Campe. Instrumentes Outragious out crye The arryuyng of a newe Nauie of Portugales The Mahumetans seeke to make peace with the Christians The peace concluded A pleasaunt fable Sainct Christopher the Christian Giant The enemyes confesse that God gaue the victorie Simple and ignorant people Messis multa sed operarii pauci c. The Masse No more can wyser men then they Inchaunters and of great agilitie The Ilande of Monzambrich Melinda The kyng of Portugales dominion in Ethiopia The conquestes of Tristan dè Cugna Sacutara Cumeris Pendè Zaphala Golde Blacke Mahumetans Trogloditae Ethiopes Heardes of Elephantes Elephantes are afrayde of fyre An Apyshe language Rych merchandies for golde Kyne very good cheape Trogloditae Cabo dè Buena Speranza The Ilande of Sainct Laurence or Madagascar The kyng of Portugale The Christian religion spreadâ—th in India Tempest An exceedyng great shyppe and great ryches of spyces Great Whale fyshes The Ilande of Ascention Saylyng by the north starre in regioÌ„s beneath the Equinoctiall lyne Malacha Tachola The Ilandes of Malucha The Alande of Samotra Spices Calecut Ceilam Cathay China Pretious stones Sylke Cantan One caratte is iiii graynes â–ª Which is one crowne of golde Which are .iii. crownes of golde A Marcell is a siluer coyne of Venice of .xi. vnâ—es iii.d with 〈◊〉 wherof .x. make an ounce Don Peter Martyr Rome sacked A daye lost in three yeeres one moneth It is now found with one master Harold a prebend in wyndsor Antonie Pigafetta Iacobus Faber Maximilian Transiluane The rewarde of noble enterprise The antiquitie had no such knowledge of the world as we haue The Ilandes of Molucca Aurea Chersonesus Malaccha Spices The Ilandes of Spices vnknowen in olde tyme. The Phenix Plinie The nauigations of great Alexander Ethiope Trogloditi The nauigation about the worlde The olde autours Monsters The wages of the Spanyards and Portugales Sebastian Munster The Ilandes of Molucca Controuersie betweene the Spanyardes and Portugales Ferdinando Magalianes The Cape of saint Vicent The Ilandes of Canarie Water engendred of a clude The Iland of S. Thomas Capo verde Guinea in Ethiope Fyshes and monsters of the sea The fyre of S. Helene and S. Nicolas A tempest The natural cause of suche fyres as fall in the shyppes Cardanus Two kyndes of fiers engendred of exhalations True fyre and false fyre Castor and Pollux The lightes of Sainct Peter and Sainct Nicolas They lost the sight of the North starre The Ilande of Brasile The South pole Suger The greatnesse of the lande of Brasile Caniballes Giantes Insulae gemmarum Cap. S. Marie The pole Antartike Geese Sea woolues The .xlix. degree of the South pole Giantes The bygnesse of the Giantes An other Giant Foure other Giantes Two Giantes are taken by a pollicie The deuyll Setebos Deuyls appeare to the Giantes when they dye Patagoni The Giantes feeding They conspire against theyr Captayne Confession The straight of Magellanus The South sea
Mare pacificum The Giants died for heate Capo Desiderato Short nightes in the moneth of October Fleeing fyshes The Giantes language The Giant is baptised Three moneths saylyng without the sight of lande Extreme famyne Diseases of famyne Vnfortunate Ilandes What they sayled dayly The starres about the South pole The needle of the compase The lode stone The Equinoctiall line The Ilands of Cipanghu and Sumbdit Insulae Latronum People with long heare The Ilande of zamall Wyne of Date trees The maruilous fruite Cocus The Iland of zuluan The sea called Archipelago di san Lazaro Gentiles Foure Ilands The Iland of Buthuan The Ilande of Caleghan Plenty of gold The kyng of Buthuan A combatte Moores and Gentiles Mani Ilands The Iland of Messana Battes as byg as Eagles Fowles with hornes Egges hatched in sande The Ilande of zubut A shyppe laden with gold and slaues Calecut Malacha Sheaddyng of blood is a token of frendshyp The kyng of zubut is baptised The kyng of Zabut his apparell Well fauoured women Barteryng Pesus what it is They breake theyr Idolles and erecte the Crosse. Fyue hundred men baptised The Queene of Zabut The Queenes apparell A miracle The Ilande of Mathan The Captayne Magellanus is slayne The Ilande of Bohol They burnt one of theyr shyppes Blacke men The Ilande of Chippit The Ilande of Caghaian The Ilande of Pulaoan The Ilande of Burnei or Porne A great citie Elephantes The Ilande of Cimbulon Leaues of trees which seeme to lyue A sea full of weedes Pearles Men ouergrowen with heare The Ilandes of Molucca The Portugales are reproued Tidore one of the Ilandes of Molucca A vision in the Planettes The fyue Ilandes of Molucca Tarenate The Ilande of Gilolo Moores and Gentyles Golde Water in Reedes Theyr maner of barteryng Water of a straunge qualitie Byrdes of a straunge fourme They leaue one of theyr shippes behinde them The Ilandes of Molucca Hony of flyes Popingayes The Ilande of Tidore Terenate Mutir Macchian Bacchian Many Ilands The Iland of Mallua Pepper Litle men with long eares The Ilande of Timor White Saunders and Gynger The dyuell appeareth Saint Iob his disease Cinamome The Ilandes of Giana Malaccha The great gulfe of China The cape of Malacha The names of many regions Rubarbe The great kyng of China The greater India The beast called Linx The punishment of rebels The kyng is not seene but at a glasse A thyng of strange workemanshyp The kyng marieth his syster His palace A marueylous garde Women serue the kyng Foure maruelous haulles The people of China The great kyng of Mien Cathay The sea of Lantchidol Malacha The Iland of Sumetra Pegu. Bangala Calecut Canonor Coa Cambala Ormus East India Cap. de Buona Speranza The port of Monzambique The ingratitude of the Portugales The port of S. Lucar neere vnto Siuile What became of the other shyppe Dariena The Cape of Cattigara The voyage hardly performed They bye slaues for lacke of helpe Maryners woorthy immortal fame Iohn Sebastian The trade of spices parteineth to Themperour Iohn kyng of Portugale The trade of Spices The controuersie determined by Cosmographers and Pilots The arbytrers on the Emperours syde Sebastian Cabote Instruments of Cosmographie The Ilandes of Maluca The Arbitrers on the Portugales syde The place where they mette The order of theyr proces The Portugales Contention for drawyng the lyne of the diuision Howe the Portugales were deceyued The Spanyardes allegations Samatra Malacha China Magallanes Buena Vista The Ilandes of Cabo Verde The Portugales cauillations The lyne of diuision The sentence The Portugales threaten death to the Castilians The line of the last diuision The great Ilande of Samotra The lande of Brasile parteyneth to the Portugales A mery tale The gold mine of Guinea Alonso kyng of Portugale Golde for thinges of small value Contention for the kingdome of Castile Warre against the Moores of Granada The conquests of the Portugales in Affrike Pope Alexander The Pope maâ—keth the diuision The kyng of Portugale refuseth to stande to the Popes Bull. The agreement of the last diuision Wherein the Portugales were deceyued Sebastian Cabote The Emperour and the kyng of Portugale ioyned in aliance by maryage The Portugales robbe the Castilians The coronation of the Emperour The gagyng of â—he Ilandes of Malucas Zamatra and Malaca Tascalteca Churultecal Kyng Metuzuma his oration to the Spanyards A note A note Mexico Themestitan The Courtiers The kynges houses The seruice of the kyng Corteâ—ius returneth to Themistitan Muteezuma slayne A Parle Cortesius fleeeth out of Themistitan Cortesius returneth to the siege of Themistitan Themistitan conquered agayne The fyrst part The second part The third part