or shall chaunce to them the day folowynge or many dayes to coome For the deuyll beinge so auncient an Astronomer knowethe the tymes of thynges and seeth howe they are naturally directed and inclinâ—d And makethe theym beleue that they come so to passe by his ordynaunce as though he were the lorde and mouer of all that is and shal be And that he gyueth the day lyght and â—ayne causeth tempest and ruleth the stations of tymes gyuyng lyfe or takynge awaye lyfe at his pleasure By reason wherof the Indians being deceaued of hym and seing also such effectes to coome certeynely to passe as he hath tolde them before beleue hym in all other thynges and honoure hym in many places with sacrifyces of the bludde and liues of men and odoriferous spices And when god disposeth the contrary to that whiche the deuell hath spoken in oracle wherby he is proued a lyer he causeth the Taquinâ—s to perswade the people that he hath chaunged his mynde and sentence for summe of their synnes or deuiseth summe suche lye as lyketh hym beste beynge a skylfull maister in suche subtile and craftie deuises to deceyue the symple and ignorant people whiche hath smaule defence against so mighty and craftie an aduersarie And as they caule the deuell Tuyra so doo they in many places caule the Christians by the same name thynkyng that they greatly honoure them therby as in deede it is a name very feete and agreable to many of them hauynge layde aparte all honestie and vertue lyuynge more lyke dragons then men amonge these symple people Before thinhabitauntes of the Ilande of Hispaniola had receaued the Christian faithe there was amonge them a secte of men whiche liued solytarily in the desertes and wooddes and ledde their lyfe in sylence and abstinence more straightly then euer dyd the phylosophers of Pythagoras secte absteinyng in lyke maner from the eatyng of al thynges that liue by bludde contented onely with suche fruites herbes and rootes as the desertes and wooddes mynistred vnto them to eate The professours of this secte were cauled Piaces They gaue them selues to the knowleage of naturall thynges and vsed certeine secreate magicall operations and superstitions wherby they had familiaritie with spirites whiche they allured into theyr owne bodyes at suche tymes as they wolde take vppon them to tell of thynges to coome whiche they dyd in maner as foloweth When any of the kâ—nges had occasyon to caule any of them owte of the desertes for this purpose their custome was to sende them a portion of their fyne breade of Caxabbi or Mâ—azium and with humble requeste and sute to desyre them to tell them of suche thynges as they woulde demaunde After the request graunted and the place and daye appoynted the Plari coometh with twoo of his disciples waytynge on hym wherof the one bryngeth with hym a vessell of a secreate water and the other a lyttle syluer bell When he coommeth to the place he sytteth downe on a rounde seate made for hym of purpose Where hauynge his disciples the one standynge on the one hande and the other on the other euen in the presence of the kyng and certeyne of his nobles for the common people are not admytted to these misteries and turnynge his face toward the deserte he begynneth his inchauntment and cauleth the spirit with loude voyce by certeyne names which no man vnderstandeth but he and his disciples After he hath dooen thus a while if the spirite yet deferre his coommyng he drynketh of the sayde water and therwith waxeth hotte and furious and inuerteth and turneth his inchauntement and letteth hym selfe bludde with a thorne marueilously turmoylyng hym selfe as wee reade of the furious Sybilles not ceasynge vntyl the spirite bee coome who at his coommyng entereth into hym and ouerthroweth hym as it weare a grehounde shulde ouerturne a squerell Then for a space he seemeth to lye as thoughe he were in great payne or in a rapte wonderfully tormentynge hym selfe durynge whiche agonie the other disciple shaketh the syluer bell contynually Thus when the agonie is paste and he lyeth quietly yet withowte any sence or feelyng the kynge or summe other in his steade demaundeth of hym what he desyreth to knowe and the spirite answereth by the mouth of the rapte Piaces with a directe and perfecte answere to all poyntes In so muche that on a tyme certeyne Spanyardes beynge presente at these mysteries with one of the kinges and in the Spanyshe tounge demaundynge the Piaces of their shyppes whiche they looked for owte of Spayne the spirite answered in the Indian toonge and toulde them what daye and houre the shâ—ppes departed from Spayne how many they were and what they brought withowt faylynge in any poynte If he be also demaunded of the eclypse of the soonne or moone which they greatly feare and abhorre he geueth a perfecte answere and the lyke of tempestes famen plentie warre or peace and suche other thinges When all the demaundes are fynysshed his disciples caule hym aloude rynging the syluer bell at his eare and blowynge a certeyne pouder into his nosethrilles wherby he is raysed as it weâ—e from a deadesscape beinge yet sumewhat heauy headed and faynt a good whyle afect Thus beinge ageyne râ—wâ—â—â—ded of tâ—â—ckyâ—ge with more breade he departeth ageyne to the desert is with his disciples But sence the Christian fayth hath byn disparsed throwghe owte the Ilande these deuyll 〈◊〉 prâ—ouses haue ceased and they of the members of the deuyll are made the members of Chryste by baptisme forsakynge the deuyll and his workes with the vaine curiositie oâ— desyre of knowleage of thynges to coome wherof for the most part it is better to be ignorant then with vexation to knowe that which can not be auoyded Furthermore in many places of the firme lande when any of the kynges dye all his housholde seruauntes aswell women as men which haue continually serued hym kyl them selues beleauynge as they are taught by the deuyl Tuyra that they which kyll them selues when the kynge dyeth go with hym to heauen and seene hym in the same place and office as they dyd before on the earth whyle he lyued And that all that refuse so to doo when after they dye by theyr naturall death or otherwyse theyr soules to dye with theyr bodyes and to bee dissolued into ayer and become nothynge us do the soules of hogges byrdes or fysshes or other brute beastes And that only the other may enioy the priuileage of immortalitie for euer to serue the kynge in heauen And of this false opinion commeth it that they which sowe corne or set rootes for the kynges breade and gather the same are accustomed to kyll them selues that they may enioy this priuileage in heauen And for the same purpose cause a portion of the graine of Maizium and a bundle of Iucca wherof theyr breade is made to bee buryed with them in theyr graues that the same maye serue them in heauen if perhappes there shuld lacke seedes to sowe And therfore
whiche he named Baccallaos he sayth that he found the like course of the waters toward the west Baâ—â—â—llaos or Terra Baccalleaâ—um but the same to runne more softely and gentelly then tâ—e swifte waters whiche the Spanyardes found in their nauigations southeward Wherefore it is not onely more lyke to bee trewe but ought also of necessitie to bee concluded that betwene both the landes hetherto vnknowen there shulde bee certeyne great open places wherby the waters shulde thus continually passe from the East into the weste which waters I suppose to bee dryuen about the globe of the earth by the vncessaunt mouynge and impulsion of the heauens The mouyng of heuen causeth the sea to moue and not to bee swalowed vp and cast owt ageyne by the breathynge of Demogorgon as sume haue imagined bycause they see the seas by increase and decrease Demogorgon is the spirite of the earth to flowe and reâ—â—owe Sebastian Cabot him selfe named those landes Baccallaos bycause that in the seas therabout he founde so great multitudes of certeyne bigge fysshes much lyke vnto â—umes which thinhabitantes caule Baccallaos that they sumtymes stayed his shippes He founde also the people of those regions couered with beastes skynnes People couered with beastes skâ—nâ— Yet not without thuse of reason He saythe also that there is greate plentie of beares in those regions whiche vse to eate fysshe howe beares take and eate fysshes of the sea For plungeinge theym selues into the water where they perceue a multitude of these fysshes to lye they fasten theyr clawes in theyr scales and so drawe them to lande and eate them So that as he saith the beares beinge thus satisfied with fysshe are not noysom to men He declareth further that in many places of these regions Perhappes this laton is copper which hoâ—deth gold For latoÌ„ hath no myne and is an artificiall metal and not natural Cabot cauled owt of Englands into Spayne he sawe great plentie of laton amonge thinhabitantes Cabot is my very frende whom I vse famylierly and delyte to haue hym sumtymes keepe mee company in myne owne house For beinge cauled owte of England by the commaundement of the catholyke kynge of Castile after the deathe of Henry Kynge of Englande the seuenth of that name he was made one of owre counsayle and assystance as touchynge the affayres of the newe Indies lookynge dayely for shippes to bee furnysshed for hym to discouer this hyd secreate of nature This vyage is appoynted to bee begunne in March in the yeare next folowynge The Second viage of Cabot beinge the yeare of Chryst M. D. Xâ—I What shall succeade yowre holynes shal be aduertised by my letters if god graunte me lyfe Sume of the Spanyardes denye that Cabot was the fyrst fynder of the lande of Baccallaos And affirme that he went not so farre westewarde But it shall suffice to haue sayde thus much of the goulfes strayghtes and of Cebastian Cabot Let vs nowe therefore returne to the Spanyardes At this tyme they let passe the hauen of Carthago vntouched with all the Ilandes of the Canibales there aboute The Ilandes of the Canybales whiche they named Insulas Sancti Bernardi Leauynge also behynde theyr backes all the region of Caramairi Heare by reason of a sooden tempeste they were caste vppon the Ilande Fortis The Ilande Fortis beinge about fyftie leagues distante from the enteraunce of the goulfe of Vraba In this Ilande they founde in the houses of thinhabitantes many baskets made of certeyne greate sea reedes ful of salte For this Ilande hath in it many goodly salte bayes by reason whereof they haue greate plentie of salte which they sell to other nations for such thynges as they stande in neede of Salte Not farre from hense A straunge thynge a great curlewe as bygge as a storke came flying to the gouernours shippe and suffered her selfe to bee â—easely taken which beinge caryed about amonge all the shippes of the nauie dyed shortly after They sawe also a great multytude of the same kynde of foules on the shore a farre of The gouernour his shyppe whiche we sayde to haue loste the rudder beinge nowe sore broosed and in maner vnprofytable they lefte behynde to folowe at leasure The nauie arriued at Dariena the twelfth day of the Calendes of Iuly how Petrus Arias with the kynges nauy arriued at Dariena and the gouernour his shippe beinge voyde of men was dryuen a lande in the same coastes within foure dayes after The Spanyardes whiche nowe inhabited Dariena with theyr Capitayne and Lieuetenant Vuschus Nunnez Balboa of whom we haue largely made mention before beinge certified of tharryual of Petrus Arias and his coompanye howe Uaschus receaued the new gouernour wente foorthe three myles to meete him receaued him honorably religiously with the psalme Te deum Laudamus giuing thankes to god by whose safe coÌ„ducte they were brought so prosperously thether to al theyr confortes They receaued them gladly into theyr houses builded after the maner of those prouinces I may well caule these regions Prouinces whye these regions are cauâ—ed proâ—â—â—ces a Procul victis that is such as are ouercome farre of forasmuch as owre men doo nowe inhabite the same all the barbarous kynges and Idolatours beinge eiected They enterteyned them with such chere as they were able to make them as with the frutes of those regions and newe breade bothe made of rootes and the grayne Maiâ—ium Other delicates to make vp the feast were of theyr owne store whiche they brought with theym in theyr shyppes as poudered flesshe salted fysshe and breade made of wheate For they brought with them many barrelles of wheate meale for the same purpose Barrelles of meale Here maye yowre holynes not withowt iuste cause of admiracion beholde a kynges nauie and great multitude of Christians inhabytinge not onely the regions situate vnder the circle of heauen cauled Tropicus Cancri but also in maner vnder the Equinoctiall lyne habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall lyne contrary to thopinion of the owlde wryters a fewe excepted But after that they are nowe mette togyther let vs further declare what they determyned to doo Therefore the daye after that the nauie arriued there assembled a coompany of the Spanyardes thinhabitoures of Dariena to the number of foure hundreth and fyftie men Petrus Arias the gouernour of the nauie and his coompany conferred with them bothe priuilie and openlye of certeyne articles wherof it was the kynges pleasure he shulde enquire And most especially as concernyng such thynges wherof Vaschus the fyrste fynder and Admirall of the Southe sea made mentioÌ„ in his large letter sent froÌ„ Dariena to Spayn In this inquisition they founde all thynges to bee trewew herof Vaschus had certifyed the kynge by his letters And there vppon concluded that in the dominions of Comogra Pocchorrosa Tumanama at thassignement of Vaschus certeine fortresses shuld bee erected
they take this with them to begyn with all vntyl Tuyra who maketh them all these fayre promisses prouyde them of greater quantitie This haue I my selfe sene in the toppe of the mountaynes of Guaturo where hauynge in pryson the kynge of that prouince who rebelled from thobedience of yowre maiestie and demaundynge of hym to whom perteyned those sepultures or graues whiche I sawe in his houâ—e he answered that they were of certeyne Indians whiche â—â—ewe them selues at the death of his father And bycause they are oftentymes accustomed to burye greate quantities of wrought golde with them I caused twoo graues to bee opened wherein was nothynge founde but a vessell full of the grayne of Maizium and a bundell of Iucca as I haue sayde And demaundyng the cause hereof of the kinge and the other Indians they aunswered that they that were buryed there were the labourers of the grounde and men skylful in sowynge of seedes and makynge of breade and seruauntes to the kynges father And to th ende that theyr soules shoulde not dye with theyr bodyes they slewe them selues at the deathe of the kynge theyr master to lyue with hym in heauen And to thintent that they myght seene him there in the same office they reserued that Maizium and Iucca to sowe it in heauen Wherunto I aunswered them in this maner Beholde howe your Tuyra deceaueth yowe And howe all that he teacheth yow is false Yowe see how in so long a tyme sence they are deade they haue not yet taken awaye this Maizium and Iucca which is nowe putrified and woorth nothynge and not lyke to bee sowen in heauen To this the kynge replyed sayinge In that they haue not taken it away nor sowen it in heauen the cause is that they chaunced to fynde enowgh there by reason wherof they had no neade of this To this errour manye thynges were sayde which seemed of lyttle force to remoue hym from his false opinion and especially any such as at that age are occupyed of the deuyll whom they paynt of the selfe same forme and coloure as he appereth vnto theym in dyuers shapes and formes They make also Images of golde copper and woodde to the same similitudes in terrible shapes and so variable as the paynters are accustomed to paynt them at the feete of saynte Mychaell tharchangell or in anye other place where they paynt them of most horrible portiture Lykewyse when the deuyll greatly intendeth to feare theym he threteneth to sende them great tempestes which they caule Fuâ—acanas or Haurachanas and are so vehement that they ouerthrowe many howses and great trees And I haue seene in montaynes full of many and greate trees thâ—t for the space of three quarters of a league the mâ—untayne hathe byn subuerted and the trees ouerâ—hrowen and plucked owte of the earthe with the rootes a thynge doubtelesse so fearefull and terryble to behold that it may verely appere to be doen by the hand of the deuyll And in this case the Christian men ought to consider with good reason that in al places where the holy sacrament is reserued the sayd tempestes are no more so owtragious or so perelous as they were wonte to bee ¶ Of the temperature of the regions vnder or neare to the burnt lyue cauled Torrida zona or the Equinoctiall and of the dyuers seasons of the yeare THe landes and regions that are neare about the clymes of the Equinoctiall lyne are naturally hotte althowghe they bee otherwise temperate by the diuine prouidence And therfore suche flesshe or fyshe as is taken and kylled in these regions can not bee preserued from putrefaction except it be tosted sodden or perboylde the same daye that it is kylde And wheras I haue sayde that such regions are naturally hot and yet temperate by the prouidence of god it is so in deede And therfore not without cause the auncient autours were of opinion that the burnte lyne or Torrida zona where passeth the lyne of the Equinoctiall shulde be vnhabitable by reason the soonne hath greater dominion in that place then in any other of the sphere remaynynge continually betwene the two tropykes of Cancer and Capricorne For when in these regions the earth is opened or dygged froÌ„ the superficial parte therof to the depth of a mans heyght it is founde temperate And within this space the trees and plantes fasten and spreade their rootes and no dieper Extendynge the same as farre in breadth in the ground as do theâ—r braunches in the ayer And enter no dieper into the grounde then I haue sayde bycause that beneth the depth of the said space of a mans heyght the earth is verye hotte the vppâ—r parte beinge temperate and verye moyste aswell by reason of thaboundaunce of water whiche fauleth from heauen vppon that earth at certeyne ordinarie seasons of the yeare as also for the multitude of great ryuers brokes sprynges and marysshes wherby the myghtie and supreme lorde which made theâ—e landes hath moste prudently prouyded for the preseruation of the same R. E. As touchynge this poynt whiche was vnknowen to the owlde wryters and withowt consideration wherof reaâ—on can not perfectly conceaue howe temperate regione shulde be vnder the Equinoctiall lyne I haue thought good for the better manifestynge of this â—ecreate woorke of nature to note owte of Cardanus his booke de Elementis howe all waters haue theyr courâ—e toward the South as to the lowest part of the earth he wayteth therefore as foloweth The water was made of lesse quantitie then the earth and only in maner in the superficiall parte therof that place might bee lefte for the habitation of beastes and that water by his couldnesse myght temperate and not destroy the lyfe of beastes And bicause this generation of lyuynge creatures was only necessary on the superficiall partes of the earth in comparison to the hole therfore was the water made to occupie onely the superficiall parte in the which metals plantes beastes and fysshes shulde bee nuryshed And bycause there was great perell least it shulde be to much conâ—umed by the ayer and heate of the soonne continuall mouinge was ioyned to it wherby it gathereth couâ—denes and is preserued from sodeyne resolution For suche waters as doo not moue â–ª doo soone putrifie and are easely resolued into ayer By reason wherof nature prouyded for the generation of water in couâ—de places as vnder the coles and mountaynes And whereas the earth vnder the Equinoctiall shuâ—de otherwiâ—e for lacke of moyster haue bin to much burned and scorched â–ª nature also prouyded that that parte of the earth shulde bee lowest by reason whâ—reof all waters haue theyr course towarde the South to mitigate with moyster thextremitie of heate which otherwise shulde haue byn intollerable in that câ—yme And by this reason the famous ryuer of Nilus in Egypte albeit it haue his originall and â—prynge owt of the mountaynes of the mone cauled Montes Lunae nere vnto the cyrcle of Capricoâ—ne yet runnynge with all his braunches vnder and
Uerde .700 leaques although Isuppose that we sayled more then .800 by reason of the cruel tempest and ignoraunce of the Pylottes and mariners whereby wee were lyke to haue byn cast away The ignorance of Pylots and mariners For wee were in suche daungerous places wanderynge in vnknowen coastes that if I had not byn skylfull in the science of Cosmographie we had suerly peryshed The vse of Cosmographie forasmuch as there was not one pylot that knewe where wee were by the space of fiftie leaques In so much that if I had not in tyme prouyded for the safegarde of myne owne lyfe and them that were with me with my quadrant and Astrolabie instrumentes of Astronomie The vse of the â—uadrant and Astrolabie wee had styl wandered lyke blynde men But when in fine I had persuaded the pylots by demonstrations perteynynge to that arte they gaue me great honour and confessed that the ordinarie pilottes and mariners ignorant in Cosmographi are not to bee compared to men of speculatiue knowleage c. Wee sayled by the coaste of the sayde lande .600 leaques And went oftentymes alande where wee were frendely and honorably interteyned of thinhabitauntes In so much that considerynge theyr innocent nature we sumtymes remayned with them .xv. or .xx. dayes This firme lande begynneth beyonde the Equinoctiall line .viii. degrees towarde the pole Antartike Wee sayled so farre by the sayde coaste that wee passed the wynter Tropyke towarde the pole Antartike by xvii degrees and a halfe The pole Antartike where we had the Horizontal line eleuate fiftie degrees Such thynges as I sawe there are not yet knowen to men of owre tyme as the people theyr customes and maners the fertilitie of the lande the goodnes of the ayer the fauourable influence of heauen and the planettes and especially the order of the starres of the eyght sphere in the inferioure hemispherie or lower halfe circle of heauen towarde and abowt the South pole The starreâ— abowt the south pole wherof neyther the owlde or newe wryters haue made any mention to this daye To wryte particularly of the commodities and felicities of these regions it wolde requyre rather a hole volume then a booke And that such as if Plinie had had knowleage of these thynges Most pleasant frutfull regions he myght greatly haue increased his bookes of naturall histories The trees gyue from them continually such sweete sauours as can scarsely bee imagined And on euery part put furth such gummes liquours and iuses that yf we knewe theyr vertues I suppose we myght fynde in them marueylous medicins ageinst diseases and to mainteyne health And suerly in my opinion yf there bee any earthely Paradyse in the worlde The earthlye Paradyse it can not bee farre from these regions of the south where the heauen is so beneficiall and the elementes so temperate that they are neyther bytten with coulde in wynter nor molested with heate in summer Continual teÌ„peratnesse The ayer also and the heauen is seldome darkened with clowdes so that the dayes and nyghtes are euer cleare Yet haue they sumtymes moyst dewes in the mornynge and euenyng for the Moyst dewes space of three houres whereby the grounde is marueylously refresshed Lykewyse the firmament is marueylously adourned with certeyne starres which are not knowen to vs wherof I noted abowt .xx. to bee of suche clearenesse as are the starres of Uenus and Iupiter when they are nere vnto vs. Starres vnknowen to vs And wheras hauynge the knowleage of Geometrie The vse of Geometri I considered theyr circuite and dyuers motions and also measured theyr circumference and diameter I am well assured that they are much greater then men thynke them to bee Amonge other I sawe three starres cauled Canopi wherof two were exceadynge cleare and the thyrde sumwhat darke The pole Antartike hath nother the greate beare nor the lyttle as is seene abowte owre pole Notable stars in the inferiour hemispherie But hath foure starres whiche compasse it abowt in forme of a quadrangle I sawe also there manye other starres the dyuers motions wherof diligently obserued I made a particular boke of the same wherin I made mention of al such notable thyngs as I sawe and had knoweleage of in this nauigation The whiche booke I deliuered to the kynges maiestie trustynge that he wyll shortly restore it me ageyne In this hemispherie or halfe coompasse of the heauen The inferiour hemisphâ—rie I diligently considered many thinges which are contrarie to thoppinions of philosophers And amonge other thynges I sawe a whyte raynebowe abowt mydnyght The raynebowe wheras other affirme that it hath foure colours of the foure elementes as redde of the fyer greene of the earth whyte of the ayer and blewe of the water But Aristotle in his booke intiteled Meteora Aristotle his opinion of the raynebowe is of an other opinion For he sayth that the raynebowe is a reflection of the beames of the soonne in the vapoure of a clowde directly ageynste the soonne as the shynyng of the same on the water is reflected on a waule And that the sayde clowde or vapoure tempereth the heate of the soonne and beinge resolued into rayne maketh the grounde fertyle and pourgeth the ayer Also that is a token of abundaunt moysture By reason wherof A stranâ—e opinion sum are of opinion that it shall not appeare .xl. yeares before th ende of the worlde which shal be a token of the drynesse of the elementes approchynge to the tyme of theyr confâ—agration or consumyng by fyer It is a pledge of peace betwene god and men and is euer directly ouer ageynst the soonne It is therfore neuer seene in the South bycause the soonne is neuer in the North. Neuerthelesse Plinie sayth that after the Equinoctial in Autumne it is seene at al houres And thus much haue I gathered owte of the commentaries of Landâ—nus vppon the fourth boke of Uirgyl his Eneades bycause I wold defraude no man of his trauayle I sawe the sayd raynebowe twoo or three tymes And not I onely but also many other which were in my coompany Lykewyse wee sawe the newe moone the selfe same day that shee ioyned with the soonne The newe mone Wee sawe furthermore vapours and burnynge flames flyinge abowt heauen euery nyght Fyery exhalations A lyttle before I cauled this countrey by the name of Hemispherium that is the halfe sphere hemispheriuÌ„ Which neuerthelesse can not bee so named but by spekynge improperlie in comparyson of owres Yet forasmuche as it seemeth to represent suche a forme I haue improperlye so named it Departynge therfore from Lisbona as I haue sayde beinge from the Equinoctiall line towarde the North abowt .xl degrees Lisbona wee sayled to this countrey whiche is beyonde the Equinoctiall .l. degrees The fouâ—th part of the worlde All which summe maketh the number of lxxxx beinge the fourth part of the greatest circle accordynge to the
Cales or Gades of Hercules pyllers hercules pyllers directly to the Lieuetenaunt his brother These shyppes by chaunce arryued fyrst on that syde of the Ilande where Roldanus Xeminus ranged with his coompanyons Roldanus in shorte tyme hadde seduced them promysinge them in the steade of mattockes A violente persasion wenches pappes for laboure pleasure for hunger abundance and for wearynes and watchinge sleepe and quietnes Guarionexius in the meane tyme The furie of guarionexius assemblynge a power of his freendes and confetherates came oftentymes downe into the playne and slewe as many of the Christian men as he coulde meete conuenientlye and also of the Ilande menne whiche were theyr freendes wastynge theyr grounde destroyinge theyr seedes and spoylinge theyr vylages But Roldanus and his adherentes albeit they had knowleage that the Admiral wolde shortly coome yet feared they nothynge bycause they had seduced the newe menne which came in the fyrste shippes Whyle the Lieuetenaunt was thus tossed in the middest of these stormes in the meane tyme his brother the Admyrall set forwarde froÌ„ the coastes of Spayâ—e But not directly to Hispaniola For he turned more towarde the southe In the which vyage The thyrde vyage of â—olenus the Admirall what he dyd what coastes both of the lande and sea he coompased and what newe regions he discouered wee wyl fyrst declare For to what ende and conclusion the sayde tumultes and seditions came wee wyll expresse in th ende of the booke folowynge Thus fare ye well ¶ The syxte booke of the fyrste decade to Lodouike Cardinall of Aragonie COlonus the Admyral the thyrde day of the Calendes of Iune in the yeare of Christe .1498 hoysed vp his sayles in the hauen of the towne Barramedabas not farre distante from Cales and set forwarde on his vyage with eyght shippes laden with vytayles and other necessaries He diuerted from his accustomed rase which was by the Ilandes of Canarie by reason of certeyne frenchemen pirates and couers on the sea Frenche meÌ„ pyrats whiche laye in the ryght way to meete with hym In the way froÌ„ Cales to the Ilandes of Canarie abowte foure score and ten myles towarde the lefte hande is the Ilande of Madera The Iland of Madera more southwarde then the citie of Ciuile by foure degrees For the pole artyke is eleuate to Ciuile xxxvi degrees But to this Iland as the mariners saye only .xxxii. He sayled therfore fyrste to Madera And sendinge from thense directly to Hispaniola the resydue of the shippes laden with vytayles and other necessaries he hym selfe with one shyppe with deckes and two marchaunt carauelles coasted towarde the southe to coome to the Equinoctial lyne The Admiral ayleth to the Equinoctiall and so furth to folowe the tracte of the same towarde the West to thintent to searche the natures of suche places as he coulde fynde vnder or nere vnto the same leauinge Hispaniola on the north syde on his ryght hande In the myddle of his rase lye xiii Ilandes of the Portugales whiche were in owlde tyme cauled Hesperides And are nowe cauled Caput Viride or Caboeurde â—ixii Ilandes of hesperides now cauled Cabouerde These are situate in the sea ryght ouer ageynst the inner partes of Ethiope Westwarde two dayes saylinge One of these the Portugales caule Bonauista With the snayles or rather tortoyses of this Ilande many leprous men are healed and clensed of theyr leprositie healynge of the leper Departing sodainly from hense by reason of the contagiousnes of the ayre he sayled CCCCLXXX myles towarde the Weste southwest which is the myddest betwene the weste and the southe There was he so vexed with maladies and heate for it was the moneth of Iune that his shyppes were almoste sette on fyre Contagious ayre and extreeme heate The hoopes of his barrels cracked and brake and the fresshe water ranne owte The men also complayned that they were not able to abyde that extremitie of heate Here the northe pole was eleuate only .v. degrees from the Horizontall The pole eleuate .v. degrees For the space of .viii. dayes in the which he suffered these extremites only the fyrst day was fayre but all the other clowdy and rayny yet neuerthelesse feruent hotte Wherefore it oftentymes repented hym not a little that euer he tooke that way Beinge tossed in these dangiours and vexations eyght contynuall dayes at the lengthe an Eastsoutheaste wynde arose and gaue a prosperous blaste to his sayles Which wynde folowinge directly towarde the weste he fownde the starres ouer that paralelle placed in other order The starres placed in other order and an other kynde of ayer as the Admirall hym selfe towlde me And they al affirme that within three dayes saylinge they fownde moste temperate and pleasaunte ayre The Admirall also affirmeth that from the clime of the great heate and vnholsome ayer he euer ascended by the backe of the sea as it were by a hygh mountayne towarde heauen A sea rysyng lyke a mountayne Yet in all this tyme coulde he not once see any lande But at the length the day before the Calendes of Iuly the watcheman lookynge foorth of the toppecastell of the greatest shyppe cryed owte alowde for ioy that he espyed three excedynge hyghe mountaynes Exhortinge his felowes to bee of good cheere and put away all pensiuenes For they were very heauy and sorowfull as well for the greefe which they susteyned by reason of thintollerable heate as also that their freshe water fayled them which ranne owte at the ryftes of the barels caused by extreme heate as we haue sayde heate causeth the barrels to breke Thus beinge wel conforted they drewe to the lande Yet at theyr fyrst approche they coulde not arryue by reason of the shalownes of the sea nere the shore Yet lookyng owte of theyr shyppes they might well perceaue that the Region was inhabyted and well cultured For they sawe very fayre gardens and pleasaunte medowes frome the trees and herbes wherof when the mornynge dewes beganne to ryse there proceaded manye sweete sauoures Swete sauours proceadynge frome the lande Twentie myles distant from hense they chaunced into a hauen verye apte to harborowe shippes but it had no ryuer runninge into it Saylinge on yet sumwhat further he fownde at the lengthe a commodious hauen wherin he might repayre his shippes and make prouision of fresshe water and fuell Arenalis cauleth this lande Puta The Iland of Puta They fownd no houses nere vnto the hauen but innumerable steppes of certeine wilde beastes feete of the which they fownde one deade much lyke a goate The day folowynge People of ly corporature longe heare nere the Equinâ—ctiall they sawe a Canoa commynge a farre of hauinge in it .xxiiii younge men of godly corporature high stature al armed with targets bowes arrowes The heare of theyr heds was loÌ„ge plaine cutte on the forheade much after the maner of the Spanyardes Theyr priuie
yowe looke throwgh the same hole yowe shall perceaue it to bee moued from the place where yowe sawe it fyrst But howe it commeth to passe that at the beginnynge of the euenyng twilight it is eleuate in that Region only fyue degrees in the moneth of Iune and in the morninge twylight to bee eleuate .xv. degrees by the same quaadrante A maruelous secreate I doo not vnderstande Nor yet doo the reasons which he bringeth in any poynt satysfye me For he sayth that he hereby coniectured that the earth is not perfectlye rownde But that when it was created there was a certeyne heape reysed theron That the earth is not perfectly rownde much hygher theÌ„ the other partes of the same So that as he saith it is not rownde after the forme of an apple or a bal as other thynke but rather lyke a peare as it hangeth on the tree And that Paria is the Region which possesseth the supereminente or hyghest parte thereof nereste vnto heauen In soo muche that he ernestly contendeth the earthly Paradyse to bee situate in the toppes of those three hylles paradise is in the mountaynes of paria which wee sayde beefore Looke the ninâ—h booke seconde decade that the watche man sawe owte of the toppe castell of the shippe And that the outragious streames of the freâ—he waters whiche soo violentlye isshewe owte of the sayde goulfes and stryue soo with the salte water faule headlonge from the toppes of the sayde mountaynes But of this matter it shall suffice to haue sayde thus muche Lette vs nowe therfore returne to the historye from which we haue dygressed When he perceaued hym selfe to bee thus inwrapped in soo greate a goulfe beyonde his expectacion soo that he had now no hope to fynde any passage towarde the northe whereby he myght sayle directly to Hispaniola he was enforced to turne backe the same way by the which he came and directed his viage to Hispaniola by the northe of that lande lyinge towarde the Easte They which afterwarde searched this lande more curiouâ—lye wyll it to bee parte of the continente or firme lande of India Paria is part of the firme lande of india and not of Cuba as the Admiral supposed For there are many which affirme that they haue sayled rownd abowt Cuba But whether it bee so or not or whether enuyinge the good fortune of this man they seeke occasions of querelinge ageynste hym I can not iudge But tyme shall speake which in tyme appoynted reuealeth both truth and falsehod Tyme reuealeth al things But whether Paria bee Continent or not the Admirall dothe not muche contende But he supposeth it to bee Continente He also affirmeth that Paria is more southewarde then Hispaniola Paria more southewarde then hispaniola by eyght hundreth fourescore and two myles At the length he came to Hispaniola to see his souldiers which he left with his brethren the thyrde day of the calendes of September In the yeare 1498. But as often tymes chaunceth in humayne thynges amonge his soo many prosperous pleasaunte and luckye affayres fortune mengeled sume seedes of wormewoodde and corrupted his pure corne with the malicious weedes of coccle ¶ The seuenth booke of the fyrst decade to the same Lodouike Cardinall c. WHen the Admirall was nowe coome to the Ilande of Hispaniola he fownde all thynges confounded and owte of order For Roldanus of whom wee spake beefore refused in his absence to obey his brother The spanyardes rebeâ—l in the Admirals absence trustinge to the multitude of such as were confethered with him And not onely behaued hym selfe proudely ageynst the Admiralles brother and Lieuetenaunt sumtyme his maister but also sente letters to his reproche to the kynge of Spayne therin accusinge bothe the brehtren leying heynous matters to theyr charges But the Admirall ageyne sent messengers to the kynge which myght informe hym of theyr rebellion Instantly desyringe his grace to sende hym a newe supplye of men wherby he myght suppresse theyr liceÌ„ciousnes and punyshe them for theyr mischeuous actes They accused the Admirall and his brother to bee vniust men The Spanyardes accuâ—e the Admirall cruel enemies and sheaders of the Spanyshe bludde declarynge that vppon euery lyght occasion they wolde racke them hange them and heade them And that they tooke pleasuâ—e therin And that they departed from them as from cruell tyrantes and wylde beastes reioysinge in bludde also the kynges enemyes Affyrminge lykewyse that they well perceaued theyr intente to bee none other then to vsurpe Thempire of the Ilandes whiche thynge they sayde they suspected by a thousand coniectures And especially in that they wolde permitte none to resorte to the golde mynes but only suche as were theyr familiers The Admirales answere The Admirall on the contrary parte when he desyred ayde of the kynge to infringe theyr insolencie auouched that al those his accusers which had deuised suche lyes ageynste hym were nowghtye felowes abhominable knaues and vylaynes theues and baudes ruffâ—ans aduouterers and rauishers of women faulse periured vagabundes and suche as had byn eyther conuict in prysons or fledde for feare of Iudgment soo escaping punyshement but not leauinge vice wherin they styll contynued and browght the same with them to the Ilande lyuinge there in lyke maner as before in thefte lechery and all kyndes of myscheefe And soo gyuen to Idlenes and sleepe Inâ—olencie idelnes of libertie that wheras they were browght thyther for myners labourers scullyans they wolde not nowe goo one furlonge from theyr houses except they were borne on mens backes lyke vnto theÌ„ whiche in owlde tyme were cauled Ediles Curules For These had the custâ—â—â—es of the teÌ„pâ—ts to this office they put the miserable Ilande men whom they handeled moste cruelly For leaste theyr handes shulde discontinewe from sheadinge of bludde and the better to trye theyr strength and manhod they vsed nowe and then for theyr pastyme to stryue amonge them selues and proue who coulde most cleanely with his swoorde at one stroke stryke of the heade of an innocente A cruel and deuelâ—she pastyme Soo that he which coulde with moste agilitie make the heade of one of those poore wretches to flye quyte and cleane from the body to the grounde at one stroke he was the best maÌ„ and counted moste honorable These thynges and many suche other the one of them layde to the others charge beefore the kynge Whyle these thynges were doinge the Admirall sente his brother the lieuetenaunt with an army of foure score and tenne footemen and a few horsemen with three thousande of the Ilande men which were mortall enemies to the Ciguauians to meete the people of Ciguaua with Kynge Guarionexius theyr graunde capitayne kynge Guarionerius is capitaine of .vi. thousand Ciguauians who had doone muche myscheefe to owre men and suche as fauoured theym Therefore when the Lieuetenaunt had conducted his army to the bankes of a certeyne
nyght vppon the toppes of the rockes Thus the fyers beinge kyndeled he commaunded all the gunnes to bee shotte of at one instante by the horrible noyse whereof the goulfe of Vraba was shaken The gouâ—fe of Uraba althowghe it were .xxiiii. myles distante for soo brode is the goulfe This noyse was harde of theyr felowes in Dariena Dariena And they aunswered them ageyne with mutual fyers Wherfore by the folowynge of these fyers Colmenaris browght his shippes to the Weste syde Here those wretched and miserable men of Dariena which nowe tho rowgh famen and feeblenes helde theyr wery sowles in theyr teethe redy to departe from theyr bodies by reason of the calamities which beefell vnto them after Ancisus shippewracke Famen lyftinge vp theyr handes to heauen with the teares runnynge downe theyr cheekes bothe for ioye and sorowe embrased Rodericus and his felowes with such kynde of reioysinge as their presente necessitie seemed to requyre For whereas they were before his comminge withowte vytayles and almoste naked he brought them abundance of meate drynke and apparell It restethe nowe moste holy father to declare what came of the dissention amonge them of Vraba what became of the contencion of Uraba as concernynge the gouernaunce after the losse of theyr capitaynes ¶ The thyrde booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed continent ALl the chiefe officers in Beragua Beragua and such as were most politike in counsayle determyned that Nicuesa shulde bee sowght owte if by any meanes he coulde bee founde Where vppon they tooke from Ancisus the gouernoure refusinge the commynge of Nicuesa a brygantyne whiche he made of his owne charges And agreed ageynst bothe the wyll of Ancisus and the master of fence Vaschus Nunnez that Nicuesa shulde bee sowght foorthe to take away the stryfe as touchinge the gouernement Nicuesa is sought foorth They elected therfore Colmenaris of whom we spake before to take this matter in hande wyllynge hym to make diligent search for Nicuesa in those coastes where they supposed he erred For they harde that he had forsaken Beragua the region of an vnfrutefull grounde They gaue hym therfore commaundement to brynge Nicuesa with hym and further to declare vnto hym that he shulde doo ryght good seruice to coome thether in takyng away thoccasion of theyr seditions Colmenaris tooke the thynge vppon hym the more gladly bycause Nicuesa was his very frende Supposinge that his commynge with vytayles shulde bee noo lesse thankefull to Nicuesa and his coompanie then it was to them of Vraba Furnysshynge therefore one of his owne shippes whiche he browght with hym and also the brigantyne taken frome Ancisus he frayghted the same with part of the vytayles and other necessaries which he browght with hym before from Hispaniola to Vraba Thus coursynge alonge by all the coastes and goulfes nere there abowte at the length at the poynte cauled Marmor he founde Nicuesa Nicuesa is founde in a miserable case of all lyuynge men most infortunate in maner dryed vppe with extreeme hunger fylthye and horrible to beholde with onely three score men in his company lefte alyue of seuen hundreth They al seemed to hym soo miserable that he noo lesse lamented theyr case then yf he had founde them deade But Colmenaris conforted his frende Nicuesa and embrasinge hym with teares and cherefull woordes relyued his spirites and further encoraged hym with greate hope of better fortune declarynge also that his commynge was looked for and greatelye desyred of al the good men of Vraba for that they hoped that by his autoritie theyr discorde and contention shulde bee fynysshed Nicuesa thanked his frende Colmenaris after such sorte as his calamitie requyred Thus they tooke shyppe to gyther and sayled directly to Vraba But so variable and vnconstant is the nature of man that he soone groweth owte of vse becommeth insolente and vnmyndful of benefites after to much felicitie Inâ—olencie of to much felicitie For Nicuesa after thus many teares and weepynges after dyuers bewaylinges of his infortunate desteny after so many thankes geuynge ye after that he had faulen downe to the grounde and kyssed the feete of Colmenaris his sauioure he beganne to quarel with hym before he came yet at Vraba reprouinge hym and them all for thalteracion of the state of thynges in Vraba and for the gatheringe of golde Affirming that none of them owght to haue layde hande of any golde with owte the aduice of hym or of Fogeda his coompanion When these sayinges and suche lyke came to the eares of theym of Vraba they soo stoured vp the myndes of Ancisus Lieuetenaunte for Fogeda and also of Vaschus Nunnez of the contrary parte ageinste Nicuesa Nicuesa fauleth from one miserie into an other that shortely after his arryuall with his three score men they commaunded hym with threatenynge to departe froÌ„ thense But this pleased not the better sort Yet fearynge least tumult shulde bee amonge the people whom Vaschus Nunnez had stered to factions the best parte was fayne to giue place to the greatest The greatest part ouercommeth the best This wretched man therfore Nicuesa thus drowned in miseries was thruste into the brigantyne whiche he hym selfe browght and with hym only seuentene men of his three score which remayned alyue He tooke shyppe in the Calendes of Marche in the yeare .1511 intendynge to goo to Hispaniola to coomplayne of the rasshenes of Vaschus Nunnez and of the violence doone to hym by Ancisus The death of Nicuesa But he entered into the brigantine in an vnfortunate houre for he was neuer seene after They suppose that the brigantine was drowned with all the men therin And thus vnhappie Nicuesa faulynge headlonge owte of one miserye into an other ended his lyfe more myserablye then he lyued Nicuesa beinge thus vylely reiected Famen enforseth them to faule to spoylynge al theyr vytayles consumed which Colmenaris browght them faulynge in maner madde for hunger they were enforced lyke raueninge woolues seakynge theyr praye to inuade suche as dwelte abowte theyr confynes Vasâ—hus Nunnez therefore Uaschus vsurpeth thautoritâ—e of the Lieuetenantshippe theyr newe capitayne of theyr owne election assembling togyther a hundreth and thirtie men and settinge them in order of battell after his swoordeplayers fasshion puffed vppe with pryde placed his souldiers as pleased hym in the forewarde and rereward and sume as pertisens abowt his owne person Thus associatinge with hym Colmenaris he wente to spoyle the kynges which were bortherers there abowte and came fyrst to a Region abowte that coaste cauled Coiba wherof we made mencion before imperiously and with cruel countenaunce commaundinge the kynge of the region whose name was Careta Careta kâ—nge of Coiba of whome they were neuer troubled as often as they passed by his dominions to gyue them vytayles But Careta denyed that he coulde gyue them any at that tyme alleagyng that he had oftentymes ayded the Christians as they
spytefull and opprobrious woordes he swore great othes that he woolde furthwith inuade the Ilande spoylynge destroyinge burnynge drownynge and hangynge sparinge neyther swoorde nor fyre vntyll he hadde reuenged theyr iniuries And therwith commaunded his Culchas to bee in a redynes But the twoo kynges Chiapes and Tumaccus exhorted hym frendly to deferre this enterprise vntyll a more quiete season bycause that sea was not nauigable withowte greate daunger beinge nowe the begynnynge of Nouember Wherin the kynges seemed to saye trewe For as Vaschus hym selfe wryteth great roryng of the sea was harde amonge the Ilandes of the goulfe by reasoÌ„ of the raginge and conflicte of the water Great ryuers also descending from the toppes of the mountaynes the same time of the yeare Great ryuerâ— faulyng from mountaâ—nes ouerflowyng theyr bankes dryuyng downe with theyr vyolence greate rockes and trees make a marueylous noyse Lykewise the furie of the South and Northeast wyndes associate with thunder and lyghtnynge at the same season dyd greatly moleste them Thunder and lyghtnynge in Nouember Whyle the wether was fayre they were vexed in the night with could and in the day time the heate of the sonne troubled them wherof it is noo maruaile forasmuche as they were neare vnto the Equinoctiall lyne Colde in the nyght nere the Equinoctial although they make noo mention of the eleuation of the pole For in such regions in the nyght the mone and other coulde planettes but in the daye the soone and other hotte planettes doo chiefely exercise theyr influence Althowghe the antiquitie were of an other opinion habitable regions vnder the Equinoctiall lyne supposinge thâ— Equinoctiall circle to bee vnhabitable and desolate by reason of the heate of the soonne hauinge 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 bee trewe The natiuitations of the Portiugales towarde the southe pole Antipodes he meaneth S. Augustine and Lectautius For they saile yearely to thinhabitantes of the south pole being in maner Antipodes to the people cauled Hyperborei vnder the North pole and exercise marchaundies with them And here haue I named Antipodes forasmuch as I am not ignorant that there hath byn men of singular witte and great lernyng which haue denyed that there is Antipodes that is such as walke feete to feete But it is most certeyne that it is not gyuen to anye one man to knowe all thynges For euen they â—lso were men whose propertie is to erre and bee deceaued in many thynges Neuerthelesse the Portugales of owre tyme haue sayled to the fyue and fyftie degree of the south pole The starres â—bâ—iâ—â—e the southe pole Where coompasinge abowte the poynt thereof they myght see throughowte al the heauen about the same certeyne shynynge whyte cloudes here there amonge the starres lyke vnto theym whiche are seene in the tracte of heauen cauled Lactea via Lactea via that is the mylke whyte waye They say there is noo notable starre neare about that pole lyke vnto this of owres which the coÌ„mon people thynke to bee the pole it selfe cauled of the Italians Tramontana and of the Spanyardes Nortes but that the same fauleth benethe the Ocean A simyliâ—ude declarynge Antipodes When the sonne descendeth from the myddeste of the exiltree of the woorlde frome vs it rysethe to them as a payre of balances whose weyght inclynynge from the equall poyse in the myddest towarde eyther of the sydes causeth the one ende to ryse as much as the other fauleth When therefore it is autumne with vs it is sprynge tyme with theÌ„ And summer with vs when it is wynter with them But it suâ—fiseth to haue sayde thus much of strange matters Let vs now therfore returne to the historie and to owre men ¶ The seconde booke of the thyrde Decade VAschus by thaduice of kynge Chiapes and Tumacus determyned to deferre his vyage to the sayde Ilande vntyll the nexte sprynge or summer at which tyme Chiapes offered hym selfe to accoompany owre men and ayde theÌ„ therin all that he myght In this meane tyme Vaschus had knowleage that these kynges had nettes and fysshynge places in certeyne stations of that sea nere vnto the shore where they were accustomed to fyshe for sea musculs in the which perles are engendred The maner of fysshynge for perles And that for this purpose they had certeyne dyuers or fysshers exercised frome theyr youthe in swymmynge vnder the water But they doo this onely at certeyne tymes when the sea is calme Tâ—â—e kindes oâ— perâ—es that they may theselyer coome to the place where these shell fyshes are woonte to lye For the bygger that they are soo much ly they the deaper and nerer to the bottome But the lesser as it were dowghters to the other are nerer the bryme of the wâ—ter Lykewyse the leaste of all as it were their nieses are yet nearer to the superficiall parte therof Too them of the byggeste sorte whiche lye loweste the fysshers descende the depthe of three mens heyght and sumtyme foure But to the doughters or nieses as their succession they descend onelye to the mydde thygh Sumtymes also after that the sea hathe byn disquyeted with vehemente tempestes they fynde a greate multytude of these fysshes on the sandes beyng dryuen to the shore by the vyolence of the water The perles of these whiche are founde on the sande are but lytle The fisshe it selfe is more pleasaunte in eatynge then are owre oysters as owre men report But perhappes hunger the sweete cause of all meates caused owre men soo too thynke Whether perles bee the hartes of sea musculs as Aristotell supposed or the byrthe or spaune of there intrals as Plinye thought Or whether they cleaue contynually to the rockes Dyuers questiâ—s as coÌ„cernynge perles or wander by coompanies in the sea by the guydinge of theldeâ—e Whether euerye fysshe brynge foorthe one perle or more at one byrthe or at dyuers Also whether theye bee fyled frome the rockes wherunto theye cleaue or maye bee easylye pulled awaye or otherwyse faule of by them selues when theye are coomme to there full grouth Lykewyse whether perles bee harde within the shelle or softe owre men haue as yet noo certayne experyence But I truste or it bee longe too knowe the truth hereof For owre men are euen nowe in hande with the matter Also as soone as I shall bee aduertysed of the arryuall of Petrus Arias the capytayne of owre men Petrus arias I wyll desyre hym by my letters to make diligent searche for these thynges and certifye me therof in all poyntes I knowe that he wyll not bee slacke or omytte any thynge herein For he is my verye frende and one that taketh greate pleasure in consyderynge the woorkes of nature And surelye it seemeâ—h vnto me vndecente that wee shoulde with sylence ouerslyppe so greate a thynge whiche aswell
entereth into the North sea fyue or .vi leaques lower then the port of Nomen dei and emptieth it selfe in the sea nere vnto an Ilande cauled Bastimento The Ilande Bastimento where is a very good and safe port Yowr maiestie may now therfore consyder howe great a thynge and what commoditie it maye bee to conuey spices this way forasmuch as the ryuer of Chagre hauyng his originall only two leaques from the South sea contineweth his course emptieth it selfe into the other North sea This ryuer runneth fast and is very greate and so commodious for this purpose as may be thowght or desyred The marueilous bridge made by the worke of nature The maruelous bridge being two leaques beyonde the sayd ryuer and other twoo leaques on this syde the porte of Panama so lyinge in the mydde way betwene them both is framed naturally in such sort that none which passe by this viage see any such bridge or thynke that there is any such buyldyng in that place vntyll they bee in the toppe therof in the way toward Panama But as soone as they are on the brydge lookynge towarde the ryght hande they see a lyttle ryuer vnder them which hath his chanell distante from the feete of them that walke ouer it the space of twoo speares length or more The water of this ryuer is very shalowe not passyng the depth of a mans legge to the knee and is in breadth beâ—wene thyrtie and fortie pases and faulethe into the ryuer of Chagre Towarde the ryght hand standyng on this brydge there is nothyng seene but great trees The largenesse of the brydge conteyneth .xv. pases and the lâ—ngth â—herof about threescore or fourescore pases The arche is so made of moste harde stone that no man can beholde it without admiration beinge made by the hyghe and omnipotent creatour of all thynges But to returne to speake sumwhat more of the conueying of spices I say that when it shal please almyghty god that this nauigation aforesayde shal bee founde by the good fortune of yowre maiestie and that the spices of the Ilandes of the South sea which may also bee otherwyse cauled the Ocean of the East India in the whiche are the Ilandes of Molucca shal be browght to the sayd coaste and the porte of Panama The Ilandes of Molucca and bee conueyed from thense as we haue sayde by the firme lande with cartes vnto the ryuer of Chagre and from thense into this owr other sea of the North from whense they may afterward bee browght into Spayne I say that by this meanes the vyage shall bee shortened more then seuen thousande leaques The commoditie of this viage with muche lesse daunger then is by the viage nowe vsed by the way of Commendator of Aysa capitayne vnder yowre maiestie who this present yeare attempted a vyage to the place of the sayde spyces And not only the way is thus much shortened but also a thyrde parte of the tyme is abbreuiate To conclude therfore if any had hetherto attempted this vyage by the sea of Sur to seeke the Ilandes of spyces I am of firme opinion that they shuld haue byn founde longe sence as doubtelesse they maye bee by the reasons of Cosmographie ¶ Howe thynges that are of one kynde dyffer in forme and qualitie accordynge to the nature of the place where they are engendred or growe And of the beastes cauled Tygers IN the firme lande are fownde many terryble beastes which sum thinke to be Tigers Tigers Which thynge neuerthelesse I dare not affirme consyderynge what auctoures doo wryte of the lyghtnes and agilitie of the Tyger whereas this beast beynge other wyse in shape very like vnto a Tyger is notwithstandynge very slowe Yet trewe it is that accordynge to the maruayles of the worlde and differences which naturall thynges haue in dyuers regions vnder heauen and dyuers constellations of the same vnder the whiche they are created wee see that sum suche plantes and herbes as are hurtfull in one countrey Plantes and herbes are harmelesse and holsome in other regions And byrdes which in one prouince are of good taste Birdes are in other so vnsauery that they may not bee eaten Men likewyse which in sum countreys are blacke are in other places whyte and yet are both these and they men Men. Euen so may it bee that Tygers are lyght in sum region as they wryte and maye neuerthelesse bee slowe and heauy in these Indies of yowr maiestie wherof we speake The sheepe of Arabie drawe theyr tayles longe and bigge on the ground Sheepe and the bulles of Egypt haue theyr heare growynge towarde theyr headdes yet are those sheepe and these bulles Bulles Men in sum countreys are hardy and of good courage and in other naturally fearefull and brutyshe All these thynges and many more which may bee sayde to this purpose are easy to bee proued and woorthy to bee beleued of suche as haue redde of the lyke in autours or trauayled the worlde whereby theyr owne syght may teache theym thexperience of these thynges wherof I speake It is also manifest that Iucea wherof they make theyr breade in the Ilande of Hispaniola Iucea is deadely poyson yf it bee eaten greene with the iuse And yet hathe it no suche propertie in the firme land where I haue eaten it many times founde it to bee a good frute The bats of Spayne although they bite Battes yet are they not venemous But in the firme lande many dye that are bytten of them And in this fourme may so many thynges bee sayde that tyme shall not suffice to wryte wheras my intent is only to proue that this beast may be a Tiger or of the kind of Tigers although it be not of such lyghtnesse and swiftnes as are they wherof Plinie and other autours speake Plinie discrybynge it to bee one of the swyftesse beastes of the lande and that the ryuer of Tigris for the swift course therof was cauled by that name The first Spaniardes which sawe this Tyger in the firme lande dyd so name it Of the kynde of these was that which Don Diego Columbo the Admirall sent yowre maiestie owte of newe Spayne to Toledo the Tiger Theyr heades are lyke to the heades of Lyons or Lionesses but greater The reste of all theyr boddies and theyr legges are full of blacke spottes one nere vnto an other and diuided with a circumference or frynge of redde colour shewinge as it were a fayre woorke and correspondent picture Abowt theyr croopes or hynder partes they haue these spots bydgest and lesse and lesse towarde theyr bellies legges and headdes That which was brought to Toledo was younge and but lyttle and by my estimation of thage of three yeares But in the firme lande there are many founde of greater quantitie For I haue seene sum of three spannes in heyght and more then fyue in length They are beastes of greate force with stronge legges
slayne The capitaine Magellanus is slayne forasmuch as the moste of the Barbarians directed all theyr force ageynst hym Besyde the Capitayne were slayne of owre men abowt .viii. or .ix. Of the Barbarians were .xv. slayne and many sore wounded After the death of the Capitayne they chose two other in his place of the which one was Odoardo Barbessa a Portugale and the other Iohn Serrano who was shortely after betrayde by thinterpretour and taken prisoner with dyuers other Certeyne dayes before the Capitaynes death they hadde knowleage of the Ilandes of Molucca whiche they chiefely sought Departynge therfore from the Ilande of Mathan they sayled farre and came to the cape of an other Ilande named Bohol The Iland of Bohol In the myddest of this mayne sea whiche they named Archipelagus they consulted to burne the shyppe named Conception They burnte one of theyr shyppes bycause they were nowe fewe in number and to furnyshe the other two shyppes with thartillerie therof Thus directynge theyr course towarde Southewest they came to an other Ilande named pauiloghon where they founde blacke men lyke vnto the Sarasins Shortly after they arryued at an other great Iland Blacke men whose kyng named Raia Calauar intreated them very frendely in all thynges as dyd the kyng of Messana This Ilande is ryche in golde and hath plentie of rysse gynger hogges goates hennes and dyuers other thynges It is named Chippit The Ilande of Chippit and is .viii. degrees aboue the Equinoctiall line towarde owr pole And in longitude from the place from whense they first departed .170 degrees And abowt .50 leaques from Zubut Departinge frome hense they came to an other Iland named Caghaian beinge 40. leaques frome Chippit as they sayled betwene the weste and Southe weste The Iland of Caghaian This Ilande is very greate and in maner vnhabited The people are moores and were banyssshed owt of the Ilande of Burnei whiche sum caule Porne Frome this Ilande aboute xxv leaques betwene the west and northe weste they founde a maruelous frutefull Ilande named Pulaoan The Iland of Pulaoan beinge towarde owre pole aboue the Equinoctiall ix degrees and a thirde parte And C.lxxix degrees and a third parte in longitude frome the place of theyr departing Frome this Ilande .x. leaques towarde the South weste they sawe an other Ilande whiche seemed to them sumtymes to mounte as they sayled by the coastes therof The Ilande Burneâ— or Pone As they were enteringe into the porte there arose a boystious and darke teÌ„peste which ceased as soone as the fiers of the three sayntes wherof we haue spoken before appeared vppon the cabells Frome the beginninge of this Ilande to the porte are fyue leaques This Ilande is greate and riche and the chiefe citie therof conteyneth .xxv. thousande houses A great citie The kynge interteyned owre men very frendlye and sent them bysyde many other presentes two elephantes trapped with silke to bring them to his pallaice that brought the presentes which the Capytaynes sent hym Elephantes He hath a magnyfycalle courte and a greate garde Also a multitude of concubynes He is a moore and is named Raia Siripada He is a kynge of great poure and hath vnder hym many other kynges Ilandes and cities This Ilande of Burnei is aboue the Equinoctiall toward owre pole fyue degrees and a quarter And in longitude frome the place of theyr departing C.lxxvi degrees and two thirde partes Departinge frome Burnei they came to an Ilande cauled Cimbubon The Iland of Cimbulon beinge .viii. degrees aboue the Equinoctiall lyne Hete they remayned .xl. days to calke theyr shyppes and furnysshe them with fresshe water and fuell whiche was to them great payne and trauayle because they were in maner all bare footed theyr shooes and in maner theyr other apparell being worne by reason of the longe vyage In the wooddes of this Ilande they founde a tree whose leaues as soone as they faule on the grounde doo slurre and remoue frome place to place as though they were alyue Leaues of trees which seeme to liue They are muche lyke the leaues of a mulbery tree And haue on euery syde as it were two short and blunt fiete When they are cut or broken there is no bludde seene come furth of them Yet when any of them are touched they suddeynely moue and starte away Antonie Pigafetta kâ—pte one of them in a platter for the space of .viii. dayes And euer when he touched it it rannt rounde abowt the platter He supposeth that they liue only by ayer Departynge from hense they directed theyr course by the Weste quarter towarde the South easte to fynde the Ilandes of Molucca and sayled not farre from certeyne mountaynes where they founde the sea full of great weedes and herbes A sea full of weedes From hense they came to the Ilandes of Zolo and Taghima in the which are founde perles of exceadyng biggenesse Perles Folowyng theyr course toward the north East they came to a great citie named Mangdando lyinge aboue the Ilandes of Buthuan and Calaghan where they tooke a canoa of certeyne of thinhabitaunts by whome being informed of the Ilandes of Molucca they lefte theyr course towarde the north Easte and folowed the South easte nere vnto a cape of the Iland of Buthuan they were aduertised for certentie that on the bankes of a certeyne ryuer there dwelte men ouergrowen with heare Men ouergrowen with heare and of high stature Folowyng still theyr course by the south easte and passyng by many smaule Ilandes they came to the Ilandes of Molucca the syxte daye of Nouember and the .xxvii. monethe after theyr departure owt of Spayne The Ilandes of Molucca Beinge therfore ioyfull and gyuyng thankes vnto god they discharged all theyr ordynaunce In the coaste of all these Ilandes euen vnto the Ilandes of Molucca soundyng with theyr plummet they founde the deapthe of the sea to bee no lesse then a hundreth and two yardes which is contrary to the saying of the Portugales who affyrme that no shyppe can passe that way with out great daungioure by reason of the shalownes and rockes or shelues The Portugales are reproued and for the darkenesse which the clowdes cause in the heauen All which thyngs they fayned to thintent that none other shulde haue knoweleage of theyr vyagies The .viii. day of Nouember in the yeare .1521 before the rysinge of the soonne they entered into the porte of the Ilande of Tidore Tidode one of the Ilandes of Molucca being one of the chiefe Ilandes of Molucca where they were honorably interteyned of the kynge who declared that he had longe before seene a sygne in heauen that certeyne shyppes shuld comme from a farre contrey to the Ilandes of Molucca And that wheras for the better certificat therof he consydered the starious of the moone A vision in the planettes he sawe therin the commyng of owre shyppes and that we were
graunt him three hundreth leaques more to the Weste besyde the one hundreth which they had graunted before and therwith sent his shyppes to kepe the coastes of Affryke The princes Catholyke were content to satisfie his mynde and to please hym accordynge to theyr gentle nature and for the aliance that was betwene theym And in fine with the consent and agreement of the pope The agreement of the last diuision graunted twoo hundrech .lxx. leaques more then the bull made mention of At Tordefillas the .vii. day of Iune in the yeare of owr lord 1494. And wheras owr kynges thought that they shulde haue lost grounde in grauntynge so many leaques that way they woonne by that meanes the Ilandes of the Malucas with many other ryche Ilandes The kynge of Portugale also herein deceaued him selfe or was deceaued of his whom he put in trust wherin the Portugales were deceaued hauynge no certeyne knowleage of the situation of the Ilandes of the riche Spicery in demaundyng that which the kynge dyd demaunde For it hadde byn better for hym to haue requested the three hundreth and .lxx. leaques rather Eastwarde from the Ilandes of Cabo Uerde then towarde the west And yet for all that I doubte whether the Malucas shulde haue faulen within his conquest accordynge to the ordinarie accoumpte and dimension which the pylotes and Cosmographers doo make And after this maner they diuided the Indies betwene them by thautoritie of the pope for the auoydynge of further stryfe and contention ⧠Howe and by what occasion Themperoure layde the Ilandes of the Malucas to pledge to the kynge of Portugale WHen the kynge of Portugale Don Iuan the thyrde of that name had knowleage that the Cosmographers and pylottes of Castile hadde drawen the line from the place before named and that he could not denye the truth fearing also therby to liese the trade of Spices made sute and request to Themperoure that he shulde not send furth Loaisa nor Sebastian Cabote to the Malucas Sebastian Cabote and that the Castilians shulde not attempte the trade of spices nor see such euyls and miseries as his capitaynes had shewed in those Ilandes to them that aduentured that viage with Magalanes Which thynge he greatly couered although he payde all the charges of those two fleetes and made other great bargens In the meane tyme Themperoure maryed the Lady Isabell syster to kynge Iohn and kynge Iohn maryed the lady Catharine syster to Themperour Themperour and the kinge of portugale ioyned iâ— aliance by mariage whereby this matter waxed coulde although the kynge ceased not to speake hereof euer mouynge the particion Themperour by the meanes of a certeine Biscaine that was with Magallanes in the gouernours shyppe had knowleage what the Portugales had doone to the Castilians in the Iland of Tidore The portugales robbe the Castilians wherof he tooke great displeasure and brought the sayde maryner face to face before thambassadours of Portugale who denyed all that he sayde one of them beinge the chiefe capitayne and gouernour of India when the Portugales tooke the Castilians in Tidore and robbed them of theyr Cloues and Cinamome and such other thynges as they had in the shyppe named the Trinitie But as the kynge of Portugales trade was greate and owre necessitie greater in the meane tyme Themperoure who was nowe goinge into Italie to bee crowned in the yeare .1529 gagied the Malucas and the spicerie to the kynge of Portugale The coronation of Themperour for three hundreth and fiftie thousande ducades withowt any tyme determyned otherwyse then the controuersie was defined vppon the brydge of the ryuer of Caya The gageing of the Ilands of Malucas zamatra and Malaca for the which thynge kynge Iohn punyshed the licentiate Azeuedo bycause he payde the money withowt declaration of the time The couenaunt of the pledge was blyndely made and greatly ageynst the myndes of the Castilians as men that wel vnderstode the profite commoditie and rychesse of that trade Affirmynge that the trade of spices myght haue byn rented for one yeare or for two for syxe tymes as much as the kinge gaue for it Peter Ruiz of Uillegas who was twyse cauled to the bargeyne as once at Granada and an other tyme at Madrid sayde that it had byn muche better to haue pledged Estremadura or Serena or other greater landes and cities rather then the Malucas Zamatra or Malaca or other riche landes and ryuers in the Easte not yet well knowen forasmuche as it maye so chaunce that eyther by continuaunce of tyme or aliance the pledge myght bee forgotten as thowgh it perteyned to the ryght of Portugale In fine Themperour considered not the iewel that he pledged nor the kyng what he receaued Themperour was often tymes counsayled to release the pledge of those Ilandes in coÌ„sideration of the great vantage he myght haue therby in fewe yeares Furthermore in the yeare .1548 the procuratoures of Cortes being in Ualladolid made peticion to Themperour to surrender the spiceâ—ie to the kyngedoome of Castile for .vi. yeares and that they wold repay to the kyng of Portugale his .350 thousaÌ„d crownes and after those yeares restore the trade to the crowne that his maiestie myght inioye the same as was agreed at the begynnynge But Themperour beinge then in Flaunders sente woorde to the counsayle that they shulde not asseÌ„t to Cortes his request nor speake any more hereof Wherat sum marueyled other were sory all held theyr peace ¶ Of the Pole Antartike and the starres abowt the same And of the qualitie of the regions and disposition of the Elementes abowt the Equinoctiall line Also certeyne secreates touchyng the arte of saylynge AMericus Uesputius in the Summarie of his vyages wryteth in this maner as foloweth Departynge frome Lisbona commonlye cauled Lusheburne the .viii. day of May in the yeare .1501 we sayled fyrst to the Ilandes of Canarie and from thense to Capouerde which the Ethiopians or blacke Moores caule Bisineghe Cabouerde Besenegha beinge .xiiii. degrees on this syde the Equinoctiall line From whense directynge owre course towarde the South pole by the Southwest we sawe no more land for the space of three moonethes and three dayes Of whiche tyme durynge .xl. dayes we had cruell fortune In so muche that for that space A tempest the heauen in maner neuer ceased thunderyng rorynge and lyghtenynge with terrible noyse and fearefull syghtes of fyery exhalations flyinge abowt in the ayer and in maner continuall showers of rayne with darke clowdes couerynge the heauen in such sorte that aswell in the day as in the nyght we coulde see none otherwyse but as when the moone giueth no lyght by reason of thicke and darke clowds The sea was in lyke case vnquieted with surgies and monsters After these greuous cruel days it plesed god to haue coÌ„passion on owr liues For wee suddenly espied land wherby we recouered owr spirites and strength This land which wee founde is from Capo
trewe reason of the number tawght by the owlde autours And by this demonstration it is manifest that wee measured the fourth parte of the worlde Forasmuch as we that dwell in Lisbona on this syde the Equinoctial line abowt .xl. degrees towarde the Northe sayled frome thense lxxxx degrees in lengthe meridionale angularly by an ouerthwart line to thinhabitantes .l. degrees beyond the Equinoctiall And that the thynge may bee more playnely vnderstode imagine a parpendicular line to faule from the poyntes of heauen which are Zenith that is the pricke ouer the head to vs both standynge vpryght in the places of owre owne habitacions and an other ryght line to bee drawne frome owre Zenith to theyrs Zâ—nith Then grauntynge vs to bee in the ryght line in comparyson to them it must of necessitie folowe that they are in the ouerthwart line as halfe Antipodes in comparyson to vs In suche sorte that the figure of the sayde lines make a triangle which is the quarter or fourth parte of the hole circle as appeareth more playnely by the fygure here folowynge As touchyng the starres and reasons of Cosmographie I haue gathered thus much owt of the vyage of Americus Uesputius And haue thought good to ioyne hereunto that whiche Andreas de Corsali writeth in his vyage to East India as concernynge the same matter The vyage of Andreas de Corsali After that we departed frome Lisbona wee sayled euer with prosperous wynde not passynge owt of the Southeast and Southwest And passyng beyonde the Equinoctial line The Equinoctial line we were in the heyght of .37 degrees of the other halfe circle of the earth And trauersynge the cape of Bona Speranza a coulde and wyndy clime bycause at that tyme the soonne was in the north signes Cap. de Speranza wee founde the nyght of .xiiii. houres Here we sawe a marueylous order of starres so that in the parte of heauen contrary to owre northe pole The starres of the vnder hemispherie to knowe in what place and degree the south pole was we tooke the day with the soonne and obserued the nyght with the Astrolabie and sawe manifestly twoo clowdes of reasonable bygnesse mouynge abowt the place of the pole continually nowe rysynge and nowe faulynge Cloudes abowt the south pole so keepynge theyr continuall course in circular mouynge with a starre euer in the myddest which is turned abowt with them abowte .xi. degrees frome the pole Aboue these appeareth a marueylous crosse in the mydddest of fyue notable starres which compasse it abowt as doth charles wayne the northe pole with other starres whiche moue with them abowt .xxx. degrees distant from the pole A crosse of fyue starres and make their course in .xxiiii. houres This crosse is so fayre and bewtiful that none other heuenly signe may be compared to it as may appeare by this fygure A. The pole Antartike B. The Crosse. Hetherto Andreas de Corsali OF the lyke matters and of the straunge rysynge of the soonne in the mornynge and of the dyuers seasons of the yeare and motions of the Elementes in the coaste of Ethiope abowt the ryuer of Senega The coastes of Ethiope and the riche region of Gambra where plentie of golde is founde Golde â—n Ethâ—ope sumewhat beyonde Capo Uerde Aloisius Cadamustus wryteth in this effecte Durynge the tyme that wee remayned vppon the mouth of the ryuer The vyage of Aloisius Cadamustus we sawe the north starre but once which appered very lowe aboue the sea the height of a iauelen We saw also syxe cleare bryght and great starres verye lowe aboue the sea And considerynge theyr stations with owre coompasse The chariote of the south pole we founde them to stande ryght south fygured in this maner WE iudged them to bee the chariotte or wayne of the south But we sawe not the principall starre as we coulde not by good reason except we shuld first lose the syght of the north pole In this place wee founde the nyght of the length of a .xi. houres and a halfe And the day of .xii. houres and a halfe at the begynnynge of Iuly This countrey is euer hotte al times of the yeare Yet is there a certeyne varietie which they caule wynter The wynter abowt the Equinoctiall For from the moneth of Iuly to October it rayneth continually in maner dayly abowt none after this sorte There ryse continually certeyne clowdes aboue the lande betwene the northeast and the south east Raine and clowdes or from the east and southeast with greate thunderynge and lyghtnynge and exceadynge great showers of raine At this tyme the Ethâ—opians begynne to sowe theyr seedes Thunder lyghtnynge They lyue commonly with hony herbes rootes flesshe and mylke I had also intelligence that in this region by reason of the great heate of the ayer the water that raineth in hotte hot showres of rayne And that the soonne rysynge in the mornynge makethe no cleare daylyght as it dooth with vs But that halfe an houre after the rysynâ—e it appeareth troubeled dymme and smoky The whiche thynge The day and rysynge of tâ—e soâ—â—ne I knowe not to proceade of any other cause then of the lowenesse of the grounde in this contrey beinge without mountaynes ¶ A discourse of dyuers vyages and wayes by the whiche Spices Precious stones and golde were brought in owlde tyme from India into Europe and other partes of the world Also of the vyage to CATHAY and East India by the north sea And of certeyne secreates touchynge the same vyage declared by the duke of Moscouie his ambassadoure to an excellent lerned gentelman of Italie named Galeatius Butrigarius Lykewyse of the vyages of that woorthy owlde man Sebastian Cabote yet liuynge in Englande and at this present the gouernour of the coompany of the marchantes of Cathay in the citie of London IT is doubtlesse a marueylous thynge to consyder what chaunges and alterations were caused in all the Romane Empire by the Gothes and Uandales The romaine empyre and other Barbarians into Italy For by theyr inuasions were extinguyshed all artes and sciences and all trades of Marchaundies that were vsed in dyuers partes of the worlde The desolation and ignoraunce which insued hereof continued as it were a clowde of perpetuall darkenesse amonge men for the space of foure hundreth yeares and more iiii hundreth yeares of ignoraunce in so much that none durst aduenture to go any whyther owt of theyr owne natiue countreys whereas before thincursions of the sayde Barbarians when the Romane Empire florysshed they might safly passe the seas to al partes of East India which was at that time as wel knowen and frequented as it is nowe by the nauigations of the Portugales Easte India well knowen in owld time And that this is trewe it is manifest by that which Strabo wryteth Strabo who was in the tyme of Augustus and Tiberius For speakynge of the greatnesse and ryches of
nature of the sea And salte as wytnesseth Plinie yeldeth the farnesse of oyle But oyle by a certeyne natiue heate is of propertie agreable to fyre The sea then beinge all of such qualitie Salte poureth furth it selfe far vppon thextreme landes whereby by reason of the saltenesse therof it moueth and stereth vp generatiue heate Generatiue heate as by fatnesse it noryssheth the fecunditie of thynges generate It gyueth this frutfulnes to the earth at certeyne fluds although the earth also it selfe haue in his inner bowels the same liuely and nurysshynge heate wherby not only the dennes caues and holowe places Owtwarde could is cause of inwarde heate but also sprynges of water are made warme And this so much the more in howe muche the wynter is more vehement This thyng dooth more appere by this exemple that the mountaynes of Norway and Suethlande are fruteful of metals in the which syluer and copper are concocte and molten into veynes which can scarsely bee doonne in fornaces By this reason also the vapours and hotte exhalations perceinge the earthe and the waters Uapours and exhalations and throwghe both those natures breathynge furth into the ayer tempereth the qualitie of heauen and maketh it tollerable to beastes as wytnesseth the huge byggenesse of the whales in those seas whales with the strength of bodye and longe lyfe of suche beastes as liue on the lande Beastes whiche thynge coulde not bee excepte all thynges were there commodiously nurysshed by the benefite of the heauen and the ayer For nothyng that in the tyme of increase is hyndered by any iniurie or that is euyll fedde all the tyme it lyueth can prosper well hereby maye bee considered the cause of the deathe of owr men that sayle dirâ—ctly to Guinea Neyther are such thynges as lyue there offended with theyr naturall wynter as thowgh an Egiptian or Ethiopian were suddeynly conueyed into those coulde regions For they were in longe tyme by lyttle and lyttle browght fyrst acquaynted with the nature of that heauen as may be proued both by the lyfe of man and by the historie of holy scripture They that were led from Mesopotania and that famous towre of Babilon towarde the north partes of the worlde in the fyrst dispertion of nations dyd not immediatly passe to thextreme boundes No passage from one extremitie to another but by a meane but planted theyr habitations fyrst vnder a myddle heaueÌ„ betwene both as in Thracia and Pontus where theyr posteritie was accustomed the better to susteyne the rygoure of Scythia and Lanais as he 〈◊〉 at commeth from winter to soommer maye the better after abyde Ise and snowe beinge fyrst hardened therto by the frostes of Autumne In lyke maner mortall men accustomed to beare the hardenesse of places nexte vnto theym were therby at the length more confirmed to susteyne the extremes And here also if any sharpenesse remayne that maye seeme intollerable nature hathe prouyded for the same with other remedies For the lande and sea hathe gyuen vnto beastes diepe and large caues dennes Caues and dennes and other holowe places and secreate corners in mountaynes and rockes bothe on the lande and by the sea bankes in the which are euer conteyned warme vapoures so much the more intent and vehement in howe much they are the more constrayned by extreme could Nature hath also gyuen valleys diuerted and defended frome the north wyndes Ualleys Shee hath lykewise couered beastes with heare so much the thicker in howe muche the vehemencie of could is greater by reason wherof the best and rychest furres are browght frome those regions The best furres as Sables whose price is growne to great excesse nexte vnto gold and precious stones Sables and are estemed princely ornamentes The beastes that beare these furres are hunted chiefely in wynter whâ—ch thynge is more straunge bycause theyr heare is thenne thicker and cleaueth faster to the skyn Howe greauous then shall we thinke the winter to bee there where this lyttle beast lyueth so well and where the hunters may search the dennes and hauntes of such beastes throwghe the wooddes and snowe Beastes that lye hyd in wynter But suche beastes the condition of whose bodies is so tender that they are not able to abyde thiniurie of coulde eyther lye hydde in wynter or chaunge theyr habitation as do certeyne beastes also in owre clime Nature hath furthermore gyuen remedie to man bothe by arte and industry to defende him selfe both a brode and at home Abrode with a thicke vesture and the same well dowbeled At home with large fyers on harthes chymyneys and in stooues for the day with close chambers and couches softe and warme beddes for the nyght by whiche remedies they mirigate the winters which seeme rigorous to straungers All beastes haue the nature of the place where they are engendereâ— althowghe they are to thinhabitauntes more tollerable then owre opinion as in deede by the fyrst natural mixture or composition of theyr bodies such thinges are agreable to them as seeme very harde to other The lion in Affrike and the beare in Sarmatia are fierce as in theyr presente strength and vigoure but translated into a contrary heauen are of lesse strength and courage The foule cauled Ciconia which sum thinke to bee the storke dooth not tary the winter yet doo the cranes coomme at that tyme. The Scythian wyll accuse the Romane heauen as induccinge feuers wheras neuerthelesse there is none more holsoome what exercise may doo Such as haue byn tenderly browght vp if they coomme suddenly in to the campe can not away with hunger watchynge heate passages throwgh ryuers baâ—tayles sieges and assaultes But the owld souldier exercised in the warres vseth these as meditations of the fielde as hardened therto by longe experience He that hath byn accustomed to the shadowe of the citie and wyll attempte the sayinge of the poet Uirgil Nudus ara sere nudus that is naked and bare withowt house home shall to his perell make an ende of the verse Use maketh masteries Hâ—bebis frigora febrem that is he shall haue the coulde ague Suche thynges therfore as seeme harde vnto vs beinge accustomed by lyttle and lyttle becomme more tollerable In so much that this exercise of suâ—feraunce by such degrees dooth oftentymes grow to prodigious effectes facte beyonde owre expectation And thus wee seeme to haue made sufficient demonstration by heauen nature and arte wherby it may appere that no part of the lande or sea is denyed to lyuynge creatures The reader may also perceaue how large matter of reasons and exemples may bee opened for the declarynge of owre opinion wherein wee rest Let theâ—fore thautoritie of the ancient autours gyue place and the consent of the newe wryters agree to this hystory not as nowe at the length comprehendâ—d whereas before many hundreth yeares Germanie and Scondia had entercourse of Scondia marchaundâ—es not seuered by the large
goulfe of Bothia â–ª but as nowe by owr commentaries brought to light And hauâ—ng sayde has much in maner of a preface we wâ—ll nowe procede to wryte of the north regions ¶ Schondia SChondia Sâ—hondama or Schondenmarchia is as much to say as fayre Dania or fayre Denmarke Scone is fayre in the duch toonge Plinie in one place nameth it Scandia and in an other Scandinauiâ— if there bee no fauce in the templers It was named Schondia by reason of the fayrenesse and true fulnesse therof And this aswell for that in beneficiall heauen fertilitie of gronnde The fertilitie of â—condia commodite of hauens and marte townes abundaunce of ryuers and fysshe plentie of beastes great quantitie of metall as golde syluer copper and leade diligent culturynge the grounde with townes and cities wel inhabited and gouerned by ciuile lawes it gyuethe place to none other fortunate region This was in maner vnknowen to the owlde Greekes and Latins as may appeare by this argomente that with one consente they affirmed that in these north regions the could zonâ— or clime was condemned to perpetuall snowe intollerable to all lyuynge creatures For few of theÌ„ haue made mention hereof as to be inhabited Amonge whom Plinie as one of the chiefe sayth in his fourth booke that Schondania is of vnknowen byggenesse and only that portion therof to be knowen which is inhabited with the nation of the Hilleuiâ—nes in fiftie vyllages Neyther yet is Eningia lesse in opinion he meaneth Diodorus Siculus Other more auncient then Plinie haue placed most fortunate regions with men of longe lyfe whiche the Greekes caule Macrobios and of moste innocente behauour vnder the tracte of those landes and that there came from thence to Delphos certeyne religious virginnes with vowes and gyftes consecrated to Apollo And furthermore that that nation obserued this institution vntyll the sayde virgins were violated of them of whome they were receaued as straungers These are most cleare testimonies of Antiquitie both of the greatnesse of Schondia and the people that inhabite the same althowgh they were sence vnknowen as lykewyse the Gothes departynge from these north landes althowghe they obteyned Thempire of the regions abowte the marisshes of Meotis and the coastes of the sea Euxinus â—hinuasions of the Gothes with the realme of Denmarke wherof that is thought to bee a portion which is nowe cauled Transiluania and the bankes of the ryuer of Danubius â—ransiluania and in fine inuaded the Romane Empire yet were not the regions wel knowen from whense they tooke theyr originall Therefore lyke as parte of the owlde wryters are vnsufficient wytnesses to testifie of owre narrations as touchynge these landes vnknowen to them Euen so the other parte which excluded the same as vnhabitable are to bee conuinced leaste theyr autoritie beinge admitted shuld ingender opinions not agreeable or conuenient to the nature of places Sigismundus Liberus in his commentaries of Moscouia wryteth thus Scandia or Scondia is no Iland as sume haue thought but parte of the continente or firme lande of Suetia which by a longe tracte reacheth to Gothlande And that nowe the kynge of Denmarke possesseth a great parte therof But wheras the wryters of these thinges haue made Scondia greater then Suetia that the Gothes and Lumbardes came frome thense The Gothes and Lumbardes they seeme in my opinion to comprehende these three kyngedomes as it were in one body only vnder the name of Scondia forasmuch as then that parte of lande that lyeth betwene the sea Balthrum whiche floweth by the coastes of Finlandia and the frosen sea was vnknowen And that by reason of so many marisshes innumerable ryuers and intemperatnesse of heauen it is yet rude vncultured and lyttle knowen Which thynge hath byn the cause that summe iudged all that was cauled by the name of Scondia to bee one great Ilande ¶ Gronlande GRonlande is interpreted greene lande so cauled for the great increase and frutefulnesse of pasture Frutefull pasture By reason wherof what great plentie of cattayle there is it may hereby appere that at such tyme as shyppes may passe thyther they set furth great heapes of cheese and butter to bee sould wherby wee coniecture that the lande is not rowgh with barren mountaynes It hath two Cathedrall Churches vnder thordinaâ—ion of Nidrosia To one of these was of late yeares a bysshop appoynted onely by the tytle of a suffragane in consideration that while the metropolitane dooth neglect the direction of religion for the distance of the place and difficult nauigation the people is in maner faulne to gentilitie Religion neglected beinge of them selfe of mouable wyttes and gyuen to magical artes For it is sayde that they as also the people of Laponia doo rayse tempestes on the sea with magical inchauntmentes Inchaunters and brynge such shippes into daungeour as they intâ—â—de to spoile They vse lyttle shyppes made of lether and safe ageynste the brusynge of the sea and rockes and with them assayle other shippes Peter Martyr of Angletia writeth in his Decades of the Spanisshe nauigations that Sebastian Cabote sayling from Englande continually towarde the north The vyage of Sebastian Cabote to the frosen sea folowed that course so farre that he chaunsed vppon greate flakes of Ise in the mooneth of Iuly and that diuertynge from thense he folowed the coaste by the shore bendynge towarde the South vntyl he came to the clime of the Ilande of Hispaniola aboue Cuba an Iland of the Canibales Which narration hath giuen me occasion to extende Gronlande beyonde the promontory or cape of Huitsarch to the continente or firme lande of Lapponia aboue the castell of Wardhus Gronlande wardhus which thynge I did the rather for that the reuerende Archebysshoppe of Nidrosia constantely affirmed that the sea bendethe there into the forme of a crooked elbowe It agreeth herewith also that the Lapones consent with them in the lyke magical practises and doo neyther imbrase the Christian religion nor refuse it wherby I haue thowght this lykenesse of customes to bee betwene them bycause they ioyne togyther in one continent Lapponia Gronlande The distance lykewyse seemeth not to disagree For betwene both these people Schoeni the distance is not full twoo hundreth Schâ—ni euery one being a space of grounde conteinyng .lx. furlonges which make .vii. myles and a halfe It furthermore agreeth with this coniecture that Cabote chaunsed into such Ise. And albeit as touchynge the mooneth of Iuly Cabote tould me that this Ise is of fresshe water and not of the sea I wyll contend it is not well rehersed no althowghe he had sayled vnder the pole for such reasons as wee haue declared before to the contrary neuerthelesse that at sum tyme he sayled by Ise this testifieth in that he sayled not by the mayne sea but in places nere vnto the lande comprehendyng and imbrasyng the sea in forme of a goulfe A commixtioÌ„ of
lye lurkynge in caues and dennes to auoyde the sharpenesse of coulde as the Affricanes doo the lyke to defend them selues from the heate On the toppe of a certeyne mountayne cauled Weyszarch lyinge betwene Islande and Gruntland or Gronlande is erected a shypmans quadrant of marueilous byggenesse A shipmans quadranâ— made by two pirates named Pinnigt Pothorst in fauour of such as sayle by those coastes that they may therby auoyde the daungerous places lyinge towarde Gronland The myddest of the Ilande 7 0 65 30. The citie Harsol c. 7 40 60 42. Laponia THe region of Laponia was so named of the people that inhabâ—te it For the Germayns caule all suche Lapones as are simple or vnapte to thynges This people is of smaule stature and of such agilitie of bodie that hauynge theyr quyuers of arrowes gerte to them theyr bowes in theyr handes People of great agilitie they can with a leape caste thâ—ym selues throwgh a circle or hope of the diameter of a cubite They seyght on foote armed with bowes and arrowes and after the maner of the Tartars They are exercised in hurlynge the darte and shootynge from theyr youth in so muche that they giue theyr chyldren no meate vntyll they hit the marke they shoote at as dyd in owlde tyme thinhabitauntes of the Ilandes cauled Balâ—ares They vse to make theyr apparell streight and close to theyr boddies that it hynder not theyr woorke A straunge apparell Theyr winter vestures are made of the hole skinnes of seales or beares artificially wrought made supple These they tye with a knotte aboue theyr heades leauynge onely two holes open to looke through and haue all the residue of theyr bodies couered as thoughe they were sowed in sackes but that this beinge adapted to all partes of theyr bodies is so made for commoditie and not for a punisshement as the Romans were accustomed to sowe paricides in sackes of lether with a cocke The cauâ—e of an owlde erroure an ape and a serpent and so to hurle them alyue all togither into the ryuer of Tyber And hereby I thinke it came to passe that in owlde tyme it was rasshely beleued that in these regioÌ„s there were men with rowgh hery bodies wilde beastes as parte made relation throwghe ignoraunce parte also takynge pleasure in rehearsall of suche thynges as are straunge to the hearers The Lapones defended by this arte and industry go abrode and withstande the sharpenes of wynter and the north wyndes with all the iniuries of heauen They haue no houses but certeyne tabernacles like tentes or hales wherwith they paâ—se from place to place change theyr mansions So doo the Tartars Sum of them liuâ— after the maner of the people of Sarmaria cauled in owlde tyme Amaxobii which vsed waynes in the steade of houses They are much gyuen to huntynge and haue such plentie of wylde beastes that they kyll them in maner in euery place Plentie of wyld beastes It is not lawfull for a woman to go furth of the tente at that doore by the whiche her husbande wente owte on huntynge the same daye nor yet to touche with her hande any part of the beaste that is taken vntyll her husbande reache her on the spitte suche a portion of flesshe as he thinketh good They tyll not the grounde The region nuryssheth no kynde of serpentes No serpents yet are there greate and noysoome gnattes Great gnats They take fysshe in greate plentieâ— by the commoditie wherof they lyue after the maner of the Ethiopians cauled Ichthiophagi For as these drie theyr fisshe with feruent heate so doo they drye them with coulde and grynde or stampe them to pouder as smaule as meale or floure They haue such abundaunce of these fysshes Abunâ—aunce of fysshe that they hâ—ued great plentie therof in certeyne store houses to cary them vnto other landes nere abowt them as Northbothnia whyte Russia Theyr shyppes are not made with nayles but are tide togyther and made fast with cordes and wyththes Ships withowt nayles With these they sayle by the swyft ryuers betwene the mountaines of Laponia beinge naked in sommer that they may the better swymme in the tyme of perell and gather together such wares as are in daunger to bee lost by shipwracke Part of them crereise handiecraftes as imbrotherynge and weauynge of cloth interlaced with golde and syluer Science honoured Suche as haue diuised any necessary arte or doo increase and amende thinuentions of other are openlye honoured and rewarded with a vesture in the which is imbrothered an argument or token of the thynge they deuised And this remayneth to the posteritie of theyr famelie in token of theyr desertes They frame shippes buylde houses and make diuers sortes of housholde stuffe artificially and transporte them to other places neare abowte They bye and sell bothe for exchaunge of wares and for monâ—y Bargeinynge withowt woordes And this only by consent of both parties withowt communicacion yet not for lacke of wytte or for rudenesse of maners but bycause they haue a peculiar language vnknowen to theyr bortherers It is a valiant nation and lyued longe free and susteyned the warres of Norwaye and Suecia vntyll at the length they submitted them selues and payde ryche furres for theyr tribute They chose them selues a gouernour whom they caule a kynge But the kyng of Suetia gyueth hym autoritie and administration Neuerthelesse the people in theyr sutes and doubtfull causes resorte to Suecia to haue theyr matters decised In theyr iorneys they go not to any Inne nor yet enter into any house but lye all nyght vnder the firmament They haue no horses No horses but in the sâ—eade of them they tame certeyne wyld beastes which they caule Keen beinge of the iuste byggenesse of a mule A beast of marueylous strength and swyftnesse wiâ—lyrowgh heare lyke an Asse clouen feete and braâ—nthed horâ—es lyke a harte but lower and with fewer antlettes They wyll not abyde to bee rydden But when theyr pestrels or drawynge collers are put on them and they so ioyned to the chariotre or sleade they runne in the space of .xxiiii. hâ—â—res a hundreth and fiftie myles or .xxx. schâ—nos shat Schoenus is loke 〈◊〉 Gronland The whiche spare they affirme to chaunge the horizon thryse The change of the horizoÌ„ that is theyse to coome to the furthest signe or marke that they see a farre of Which doubtlesse is a token both of the marueylous swiftnesse and great strength of these beastes beinge able to continewe runnynge for so great a space in the meane whyle also spendynge sumtyme in feedynge I suppose that this thynge was sumewhat knowen to the owlde wryters although receaued in maner by an obscure and doubtful fame For they also wryte that certeyne Scythians doo ryde on hartes The owld autours cauled all the north people Scythyans They neyther folowe the Christian religion nor yet refuse it or are offended
like is sene in only ayer inclosed as in orgen pipes and such other instrumentes that go by winde For wynde as say the philosophers is none other then ayer vehemently moued wynde as we see in a payer of belowes and suche other Sum of owre men of good credit that were in this last vyage to Guinea affirme ernestly that in the nyght season they felt a sensible heate to coomme from the beames of the moone The heate of the moone The which thynge althoâ—ghe it be straunge and insensible to vs that inhabite coulde regions yet doothe it stande with good reason that it may so be forasmuche as the nature of the starres and planets as wryteth Plinie consysteth of fyre The nature of â—he stars and conâ—eyneth in it a spirite of lyfe whiche cannot be wiâ—hout heate And that the moone gyueth heate vpon the earth the prophete Dauyd seemeth to confirme in his Cxx. Psalme where speakynge of such men as are defended from euyls by goddes protection he sayth thus Per diem sol non exuret te necluna per noctem That is to say In the day the soonne shall not burne the nor the moone by nyght They say furthermore that in certeyne places of the sea they sawe certeyne stremes of water which they caule spoutes faulynge owt of the ayer into the sea Spoutes of water fauling out of the ayer And that sum of these are as bygge as the greate pyllers of churches In so muche that sumtymes they faule into shyppes and put them in greatâ— daungiour of drownynge Sum phantasie that these shulde bee the â—arractes of heauen whiche were all opened at Noes fludde Cataracts of heauen But I thynke them rather to be suche fluxions and eruptions as Aristotle in his boke de Mundo saith to chauÌ„se in the sea For speakynge of suche straunge thynges as are seene often tymes in the sea Uehement motions in the sea he wryteth thus Often tymes also euen in the sea are seene euaporations of fyre and suche eruptions and breakyng furth of sprynges that the mouthes of ryuers are opened whyrlepooles and fluxions are caused of such other vehement motions not only in the middest of the sea but also in creekes and streyghtes At certeyne tymes also a great quantitie of water is suddeynly lyfted vp and caryed abowt with the moone c. By which woordes of Arystotle it dooth appere that such waters maye bee lyfted vp in one place at one tyme and suddeynly faule downe in an other place at an other tyme. And hereunto perhappes perteyneth it that Kycharde Chaunceler toulde me that he harde Sebastian Cabot reporte A straunge thynge that as farre as I remember eyther abowt the coastes of Brasile or Rio de Plata his shyppe or pinnes was suddeinly lyfted from the sea and cast vpon the land I wotte not howe farre The which thynge and suche other lyke woonderfull and straunge woorkes of nature whyle I consyder and caule to rememberaunce the narownes of mans vnderstandynge and knowleage in comparyson of her mighty poure The poure of nature I can but cease to maruayle and confesse with Plinie that nothynge is to her impossible the leaste parte of whose poure is not yet knowen to men Many thynges more owre men sawe and consydered in this vyage worthy to bee noted wherof I haue thought good to put sum in memory that the reader maye aswell take pleasure in the varietie of thynges as knowleage of the hystorye Amonge other thynges therefore touchynge the maners and nature of the people this may seeme straunge that theyr princes and noble men vse to pounse and rase theyr skynnes with prety knottes in diuers formes as it were branched damaske They â—ase their â—kinnes thynkynge that to be a decent ornament And albeit they go in maner all naked yet are many of them and especially their women in maner laden with collars braslettes hoopes and chaynes eyther of golde copper or Iuery Fine iewells I my selfe haue one of theyr braselettes of Iuery wayinge twoo pounde and vi ounces of Troye weyght whiche make .xxxviii. ounces A braslet This one of theyr women dyd weare vppon her arme It is made of one hole piece of the byggest parte of the toothe turned and sumwhat carued with a hole in the myddest wherin they put theyr handes to weare it on theyr arme Sum haue of euery arme one and as many on theyr legges â—hackelles wherewith sum of theym are so galded that althoughe they are in maner made lame therby yet wyll they by no meanes leaue them of sum weare also on theyr legges great shackels of bryght copper which they thynke to bee no lesse cumly They weare also collars braslets garlandes and gyrdels of certeyne blewe stones lyke beades Lykewyse sum of theyr women weare on theyr bare armes certeyne foresleeues made of the plates of beaten golde â—inges On theyr fyngers also they weare rynges made of golden wyres with a knotte or wrethe lyke vnto that whiche chyldren make in a rynge of a russhe Amonge other thinges of golde that owr men bowght of them for exchaunge of theyr wares were certeyne dogges chaynes and collers Dogs chainâ— of golde They are very ware people in theyr bargenynge and wyl not lose one sparke of golde of any value They vse weyghtes and measures and are very circumspecte in occupyinge the same They that shall haue to do with them must vse them â—entelly â–ª for they wyl not trafike or brynge in any wares if they be euyll vse At the fyrst vâ—age that owr men had inâ—o theâ—e parties it so chaunsed that at theyr departure from the fyrste place where they dyd trafike one of them eyther stole a muskâ— catte or tooke her a way by force A muâ—ke cat not inâ—strustynge that that shulde haue hyndered theyr bargenynge in an other place whyther they intended to go But for al the hast they could make with full sayles the fame of theyr mysusage so preuented theÌ„ that the people of that place also offended therby wold bring in no wares In so muche that they were inforced eyther to restore the catte or pay for her at theyr price before they could trafike there Theyr houses are made of foure postes or trees Their housâ—s and couered with bouwes Theyr common feedynge is of rootes and such fysshes as they take Their feding wherof they haue great plentie There are also such flyinge fysshes as are seene in the sea of the Weste Indies Fleing fishes Owre men salted of theyr fysshes hopynge to prouyde store therof But they wolde take no salte And muste therefore be eaten furthwith as sum say Howe be it other affirme that if they be salted immediatly after they be taken they wyl last vncorrupted .x. or .xii. dayes But this is more straunge that parte of such flesshe as they caryed with them owte of Englande and putrifyed there A straunge thyng became sweete ageyne at theyr