which the tide entereth with a violent stream the other between the said Cuba and the farthest part of Florida at which the tide with the like violence goeth forth the Sea is very tempestuous and hath only two safe Havens viz. Havana on the North side and St. John de Luna on the South which are strongly fortified by the Spaniards The Country of Mexico is inferior to Peru in the plenty and purity of gold and silver but far exceeding it both in the Mechanical and ingenious arts here professed and in the abundance of fruits and cattel of which last there is such store that many a private man hath forty thousand Kine and Oxen to himself Fish also are very plentiful that only which is caught in the Lake whereon Mexico stands being reputed worth twenty thousand Crowns per annum Mexico was conquered by Ferdinando Cortez Anno Christi 1521. His Army consisting of one hundred thousand Americans nine hundred Spaniards eighty horsemen seventeen small peeces of Ordnance thirteen Brigandines and six thousand Wherrie-boats which from the Lake assaulted Mexico In Quivira another Province the riches of the people consists in cattel whose hides yeeld them coverings for their houses their bones bodkins their hair thred their sinewes ropes their horns mawes and bladders vessels their dung fire their Calf-skins budgets to draw and keep water in their blood drink and their flesh meat Nova Albion lyeth on the West towards Tartary It was discovered by Sir Francis Drake Anno Christi 1585. The King whereof did willingly resign himself and land to our Queen In it is a Hare resembling a Mole in his feet a Cat in his tail under whose chin nature hath fastened a little bag as a store-house for in it when hee hath filled his belly hee reserveth the rest of his provision It abounds in good fruits Jucutan is a Peninsula in circuit nine hundred miles a fruitful Country situated over against Cuba Florida hath on the East the Northern Sea on the West Mexico on the North New-France and on the South Virginia It abounds with goodly fruits and hath some quantity of gold and silver Emeralds are also found there and Turquesses and Pearls Women when their Husbands dye cut off their hair close to their heads strewing it upon their husbands graves and may not marry again till their hair bee grown to cover their shoulders Virginia described Virginia is seated between four and thirty and four and forty degrees of Northerly latitude It s bounded on the East with the great Ocean with Florida on the South New-France on the North and the Western limits are unknown The Summer is as hot as in Spain the VVinter is as cold as in France and England It was discovered by the English by the direction and at the charge of Sir VValter Rawleigh Anno Christi 1584. and in honour of our Virgin Queen called Virginia It yeelds store of Tobacco and now they get Silk-worms and plant store of Mulberry trees which is like to bee a good commodity There is but one entrance by Sea into this Country at the mouth of a goodly Bay The Capes on both sides are named Henry and Charles The water floweth in this Bay near two hundred miles and hath a Channel for one hundred and forty miles between seven and fifteen fathom deep and ten or fourteen miles broad At the head of the Bay the land is mountainous from which proceed great brooks which make five navigable rivers the mountains have in them Milstones Marble and some peices of Christal The earth is generally black and sandy The river neer to the mouth of the bay is called Powhatan the mouth whereof is neer three miles broad and it is Navigable one hundred miles Hence their Emperor is called Powhatan In a Peninsula on the North side thereof is placed James Town No place in Summer affords more Sturgeons whereof threescore and eight have been caught at one draught In Winter they have abundance of Fowl Fourteen miles from Powhatan is the River Pamaunk seventy miles navigable with big vessels Then Toppahanock which is Navigable one hundred and thirty miles Then Patawomeck one hundred and twenty miles navigable At the mouth of Powhatan are the Forts Henerico and Charles forty two miles upward is James Town seventy miles beyond that the Town of Henerico ten miles higher are the falls where the River falls down between Mineral rocks twelve miles beyond that there is the Crystall Rock wherewith the Indians head their Arrows The Commodities are silk-grass Hemp and Flax surpassing ours A certain Sedg which by boiling yeilds skeines of good strength and length some like silk some like flax and some like hemp There is also Allom Terra Sigillata Pitch Tar Rozen Turpentine Sassafras Cedar Grapes Oil Iron Copper c. Sweet Gums Dies Timber Trees of sweet wood of fourteen kinds Besides plenty of Fowl Fishes Beasts Fruits Plants Hearbs Berries Grains especâ—ally Maiz whereof one acre of ground will yeild two hundred Bushels of Corn Roots c. Their chief Beasts are Bears Deer a beast like a Badger but living in trees like a Squirrel Flying Squirrels another beast headed like a Swine tailed like a Rat as big as a Cat and hath under her belly a Bag wherein shee carrieth her young Their Dogs bark not their Wolves are little bigger than our Foxes their Foxes like our silver haired Conies and smell not as ours They have Eagles Hawks wild Turkies c. The People are cloathed in Deer skines about their middles else all naked Their houses are round of small poles fastened at the tops and covered with bark or mats they are good Archers so that they will kill birds flying fish swiming and beasts running Their chief God is the Devil which they call Oke whose Image is made ill-favouredly On the North of it lyes New-England planted with many English Towns especially New-Boston an haven Town and a place of good trading The other Countryes in this tract of ground have little that is remarkable in them Florida Described The length of Florida extends to twenty and five degrees It runs with a long point into the Sea and into land it stretches Westward unto the borders of New-Spain and to those Countries which are not yet fully discovered On other parts it s washed with a dangerous sea It is very rich with Silver Gold and stones of great value In it are great variety of Trees fruits fowls Beasts as Bears Leopards Ounces Wolves Wild Dogs Goats Hares Conies Deer Oxen c. Their Towns are paled about with Posts fastened in the ground having no more entrance than for two men to passe at a time where stand two watch Towers for defence their houses are round their apparrel nakedness except a skin about their secrets they paint and rase their skin curiously which they rub over with the juice of an herb that cannot bee gotten out they let their nailes on their fingers and toes grow long they are tall nimble
hound four teeth hanging out almost a span long like the tusk of a Boar and their nostrils are like a Calves Pur. Pil. v. 2. p. 1546. Upon the coasts of Brasile are often found Meer-Men which are like unto men of a good stature but that their eyes are very hollow Captain Richard VVhitburn in his description of Newfound-land writes that Anno Christi 1610. early in a morning as hee was standing by the water side in the harbour of St. Johns hee espied a strong Creature swimming very swiftly towards him like a woman looking chearfully upon him Her face eyes nose mouth chin ears neck and forehead were like a womans It was very beautiful and in those parts well proportioned having hair hanging down round about the head He seeing it come within a pikes length of him stepped back whereupon it dived under the water swimming to another place whereby hee beheld the shoulders and back down to the middle which was as square white and smooth as the back of a man from the middle to the hinder part it pointed in proportion like a broad hooked Arrow Afterwards it came to a Boat wherein some of his men were attempting to come in to them till one of them struck it a full blow upon the head Others of them saw it afterwards also About Brasile are many Meer-Men and Meer-VVomen that have long hair and are very beautiful They often catch the Indians as they are swimming imbracing them and kissing them and clasp them so hard that they crush them to death and when they perceive that they are dead they give some sighs as if they were sorry Pur. Pil. v. 4. p. 1315. There are also another sort of them that resemble Children and are no bigger that are no wayes hurtful Idem The Torpedo is a strange kind of fish which a man holding in his hand if it stir not it produceth no effect but if it move it self never so little it so torments the body of him that holds it that his arteries joints sinews and all his members feel exceeding great pain with a certain numness and as soon as he layeth it out of his hand all that pain and numnesse is gone also P. Pil. v. 2. p. 1183. See more of it afterwards In Sofala are many River-horses as big as two of our horses with thick and short hinder legs having five clawes on each fore-foot and four on the hinder the mouth is wide and full of teeth four of which are above two spans long a peece that two lower stand upright the two upper are turned like a Boars tush they live in the water but feed on the land upon grass they have teats wherewith they nourish their young ones Their Hides are thicker than an Oxes they are all of an ash colour gray with white strakes on their faces or white stars in their foreheads Idem p. 1544. In the mouth of the River of Goa there was taken a fish of the bigness of a Cur-Dog with a snout like an Hog small eyes no ears but two holes in stead thereof It had four feet like an Elephant the tail was flat but at the end round and somewhat sharp It snorted like a Hog the body head tail and legs were covered with broad scales as hard as Iron so that no weapon could peirce them when hee was beaten hee would rowle himself round like an Urchin and could by no strength bee opened till hee opened of his own accord Idem p. 1774. There are also Toad-Fishes of about a span long painted having fair eyes when they are taken out of the water they snort and swell much their poison lies only in the skin and that being flaid off the Indians eat them Idem p. 1314. The Cuttle-Fish hath a hood alwayes full of black water like Ink which when shee is pursued by other fishes that would devoure her shee casts it forth which so darkens and soileth the water that shee thereby escapeth Idem There are a sort of fishes whose wonderful making magnifieth their Creator who for their safety hath given them sins which serve in stead of wings they are of such a delicate skin interlaced with fine bones as may cause admiration in the beholder These fishes are like to Pilchards only a little rounder and bigger they flye best with a side wind but longer than their wings are wet they cannot flye so that their longest flight is about a quarter of a mile The Dolphins and Bonitos do continually hunt after them to prey upon them whereupon for safety they take the air but then there is a Fowle called an Alcatrace much like a Hern which hovers in the air to seize upon them Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Caribdim Out of the frying Pan into the fire as our Proverb hath it There is often a strange fight in the Sea between the VVhale and his enemies viz. The Swordfish and the Thresher The Swordfish is not great but strongly made and between his neck and shoulders he hath a bone like a Sword of about five inches broad and above three foot long full of prickles on either side The Thresher is a bigger fish whose tail is broad and thick and very weighty The fight is in this manner the Swordfish placeth himself under the belly of the VVhale and the Thresher above with his tail thresheth upon the head of the Whale till hee forceth him to give way which the Swordfish perceiving wounds him in the belly with the Sword and so forceth him to rise up again In this manner they torment him that the fight is sometimes heard above three leagues off the Whales roaring being heard much further his onely remedy in this case is to get to the shore which hee laboureth to do as soon as hee sees his enemys for then there can fight but one with him and for either of them hand to hand hee is too good Pur. Pil. v. 4. p. 1377. Mr. Herbert in his East-Indy voyage relates of a Shark taken by one of their men that was nine foot and an half in length and they found in her paunch fifty and five young ones each of them a foot in length all which go out and in at their pleasures Shee is armed with a double row of venemous teeth and is guided to her prey by a little Musculus or Pilot fish that scuds to and fro to bring intelligence the Shark for his kindnesse suffering it to suck when it pleaseth The Sea Tortoise is not much differing from those at land only her shell is flatter by overturning them they are easily taken being thereby dis-inabled either to sink or help themselves they taste waterish and cause Fluxes they superabound in eggs one of them having in her neer two thousand which eggs are pale and round and will never be made hard with boiling Herberts Travels p. 26. In the Indion sea is an Eagle-fish whose eyes are five quarters asunder from the end of one fin to the end of the
and the other to Arabia They have no water but what remains in certain channels after the inundation of Nilus In the other Cities there is nothing remarkable The Egyptian Pyramids Described In Egypt are diverse stupendious structures called Pyramids the greatest whereof is situated on the top of a rocky hill which riseth above the plain about an hundred feet with a gentle and easy ascent the height of the situation adding beauty to the work and the solidity of the rock giving the superstructure a permanent and stable support each side of this Pyramid is six hundred ninety three feet according to the English Standard so that the whole Basis contains four hundred eighty thousand two hundred and fourty nine square feet or eleven English acres of ground The height is the same with the breadth viz. six hundred ninety three feet The ascent to the top is contrived in this manner From all the sides without the ascent is by degrees the lowermost step or degree is about four foot in height and three in breadth which running about the Pyramid in a level makes on every side of it a long but narrow walk the second row is like the first retiring inward from the first three feet and so runs about the Pyramid In the same manner is the third row placed above the second and so in order the rest like so many stairs rising one above another to the top which contains about nine foot square The degrees by which men ascend are not all of an equal depth for some are about four foot others scarcely three and the higher they ascend the more they diminish both in breadth and thicknesse so that a right line extended from any part of the Basis to the top will equally touch the outward angle of every degree These are all made of Massie and polished stones hewn out of the Arabian Mountains which bound the upper part of Egypt being so vast that the breadth and depth of every step is one single and intire stone so that in most of them is contained thirty feet of stone The number of these steps is two hundred and seven On the North side ascending thirty eight feet upon an artificial bank of earth there is a square and narrow passage leading into the inside of this Pyramid containing in length ninety two feet and an half The structure of it hath been the labour of an exquisite hand as appears by the smoothnesse and evennesse of the work and by the close knitting of the joynts it is now an habitation for great ugly batts of about a foot long At the end of this entrance you must climb up a massy stone eight or nine foot in height where you enter into a Gallery the pavement consisting of smooth and polished white Marble the breadth is about five foot and the height the like the length of this Gallery is an hundred and ten feet At the end whereof begins a second Gallery a very stately peece of work and not inferiour either in respect of the curiousity of Art or richnesse of materials to the most sumptuous or magnificent buildings It s divided from the former by a wall at the end whereof is a Well about three feet in the diameter the sides whereof are lined with white Marble it s eighty six cubits in depth hewn through the Rock on which the Pyramid stands Beyond the Well about fifteen foot is a square passage the stones whereof are exceeding massie and exquisitely joyned which contains one hundred and ten feet at the end whereof is an arched Vault or little Chamber the length about twenty feet the breadth seventeen the height about fifteen The length of this second Gallery before mentioned is one hundred fifty and four feet of white and polished Marble both roof walls and bottome the joynts are so well knit that they are scarce discernable The height of this Gallery is twenty six feet the breadth six feet bounded on both sides with two banks like benches of polished Marble At the end of this Gallery you enter into a square hole which brings you into a little room lined with rich and speckled Thebaick Marble out of which through another passage being all of Thebaick Marble most exquisitely cut you land at the North end of a very sumptuous and well proportioned room wherein Art seems to contend with Nature the curious work not being inferiour to the rich materials It stands in the heart or center of the Pyramid equidistant from all the sides and in the midst between the Basis and the top The floor sides and roof are all made of vast and exquisite tables of Thebaick Marble from the top to the bottome are but six ranges of stone all of an equal height The stones which cover this room are of a strange and stupendious length like so many huge beams lying flat and traversing the room and bearing up that infinite weight and Masse of the Pyramid above Of these there are nine which cover the roof the length of this room is thirty four English feet the breadth somewhat above seventeen feet the height nineteen feet and a half In the midst of this glorious room stands the Tomb of Cheops of one peece of Marble hollow within and sounding like a bell but empty For saith Diodorus although the Egyptian Kings intended these for their Sepulchres yet it happened that they were not buried therein For the people being exasperated against them by reason of the toilsomenesse of these works and for their cruelty and oppression threatned to tear in peeces their dead bodies and with ignominy to throw them out of their Sepulchres wherefore theâ— commanded their friends when they were dead to bury them in some obscure place The Tomb is cut smooth and plain without any sculpture and ingraving The outsides contain in length seven foot three inches and a half In depth its three foot and almost four inches and the same in breadth The hollow part within is something more than six foot long the depth is somewhat above two feet whereby it appears that mens bodies are now as big as they were three thousand years ago For it is almost so long since this Tomb was made This Pyramid was twenty years in making and yet there were three hundred threescore and six thousand men continually working about it who only in Radishes Garlick and Onions are said to have consumed eighteen hundred Talents Collected out of Mr. Greaves a curious observer of it The Egyptian Mummi's described Not far from this Pyramid in Egypt are the Mummi's which were the graves of the ancient Egyptians into which are discents not unlike to the narrow mouthes of Wells some near ten fathomes deep leading into long vaults hewn out of the Rock with pillars of the same Between every Arch lie the Corpses ranked one by another of all sizes which are innumerable shrowded in a number of folds of Linnen and swathed with bands of the same the breasts of divers being
causeth great swelling also there is a worm that creepeth into the soles of mens feet which causeth great swelling and pain for which they have no remedy but to lance the flesh and so to dig them out They have a certain kinde of Beetles which have four lights that shine much in the dark two in their eyes and two under their wings when they flye they use to bring them into their houses where they do them double service First by killing the Gnats secondly by giving them light which is so great that they can see to read by it Kine in this Island carried thither by the Spaniards are so multiplied and grown wild that they kill them for their hides and Tallow leaving their flesh to bee devoured by dogs and fowl Almost forty thousand of them have been transported in one year Anno Christi 1519. Ants were as noisome to them as Grashoppers in other parts of the world they spoiled their fruits and fruit trees they could keep nothing in their houses which was fit to bee eaten from them and had they continued they would have unpeopled the Island There are worms also which do such harm in Timber that a house will scarce stand here thirty years when the King in this Countrey died they buried the best beloved of his Concubines with him who also had other women buried for to attend upon them in the other World together with their Jewels and Ornaments they had also set in their Sepulchre a Cup of water and some of their Cassavi bread Anno Christi 1508 here happened such an Hurricane as threw down most of the houses in Domingo and Bona ventura destroied twenty sail of ships lifted up many men into the air who falling down again were miserably bruised Newfound-land described Newfound-land is an Island bordering upon the continent of America no farther distant than England is from the nearest part of France It lies between six and forty and three and fifty degrees of Northerly latitude It s near as big as Ireland and is near half the way between Ireland and Virginea even in winter it s as pleasant and healthful a place as England The natural Inhabitants are not many and those rude ignorant of God and living under no kinde of civil Government In their habits customes and manners they resemble the Indians which live upon the continent They are ingenious and tractable and take great pains in helping those Christians which yearly fish upon their coasts to kill cut and boil their Whales expecting nothing for their labour but a little bread or some other trifles All along the coast of this Country there are many spacious and excellent Bayes some of them stretching into the land more than twenty leagues And round about the Coast and in the Bayes there are many small Islands all within a league of the land which are both fair and fruitful neither doth any Country in the world afford greater store of good harbours nor those more safe commodious and free from danger The soil of the Country in the Vallies and sides of the Mountains is so fruitful that without the labour of man it naturally produceth great plenty of Pease and Vetches as full and wholesome as ours in England Other places produce plenty of Grass There are Strawberries red and white and Rasberries as fair and good as ours in England Multitude of Bilberries and other delicate Berries in great abundance There are also Pears Cherries Filbeards c. There are Herbs for Sallets and broth as Parsley Alexander Sorrel c. As also Flowers as Red and Damask-Roses with others beautiful and delightful both to the eye and smell There are also diverse Physical Herbs and Roots Some Corn that our men have sowed proved very good and yeelded great increase so do Cabbages Carrats Turneps Lettice c. In the Country there are great store of Deer Hares Foxes Squirrels Beavers Wolves Bears and other kindes of Beasts both for necessity profit and delight Besides great numbers of small Birds there are Hawks great and small Partridges Thrustles Nightingals c. As also Ravens Gripes Crowes c. besides plenty of water-Fowle as Geese Ducks Gulls Penguines Pigeons c. Of these there is such abundance that the Fisher-men which yearly trade thither finde great refreshing by them The Country yeelds store of Rivers and Springs pleasant delightful and wholesome together with abundance of fuel for the fire besides Timber Trees as Fir Spruce fit for Masts of ships from whence also comes abundance of Turpentine Pines also and Birch-Trees c. The Rivers and Harbours are stored with delicate Fish as Salmons Pearles Eeles Herrings Makarel Flounders Cods Trouts as large fat and sweet as any in the world Besides Lobsters Crab-fish Muscles c. There are also Beavers Otters c. The Seas along the shore yeeld Whales Spanish-Makarel Dorrel Pales Herring Porposses Seales c. Especially by their Cod-fishing both our own and other Nations are much enriched Two hundred and fifty sail of Ships go thither usually in one year from England New-Scotland described New-Scotland lyeth on the East of St. Croix on the North it s compassed with the great River Canada and hath the main Ocean on the South It hath many safe harbours and great Rivers having on the sides of them delicate medows where the earth of it self bringeth forth Roses red and white and Lillies having a dainty smell The soil is fat producing several sorts of Berries as Goos-berries Straw-berries Hind-berries Ras-berries c. as also Pease Wheat Barley and Rye The Rivers abound with Lobsters Cockles and other small fishes There are great store of wild fowle as Geese Herons Ducks Wood-cocks Pigeons The Coast hath store of Cod and other great fishes The Land is full of wood mostly of great Oaks the rest Fir-trees Spruce Birch and many other sorts here unknown Groenland described Groenland is accounted part of America and is high mountainous and full of broken Islands along the Coast It hath good Baies and navigable Rivers that are full of fish Between the mountains are pleasant plains and vallies there aâ—e store of fowle black Foxes and Deer The people wander up and down in the Summer time without fixed habitations for hunting and fishing carrying their Tents and baggage with them they are of a middle stature brown active warlike eating raw flesh or a little perboiled in blood oil or a little water which they drink Their apparrel are Beasts or Fowles skins the hairy or feathered side outward in summer and inward in winter Their Arrows and Darts have but two feathers and a bone-head no wood growes there they worship the Sun Their Winter-houses are built of Whales-bones covered with earth and vaulted two yards deep under the earth within land they have a King that is carried upon mens shoulders They have Hares as white as Snow with long fur Dogs which live on fish whose pizzels as also of the Foxes are bony Their Summer work is
in one of the most populous Regions in the World saith Casas there remain not above four or five thousand persons Cortes used to have four Kings to wait upon him hee burned sixty Kings their children looking on Another Spaniard cast four of their Kings to bee devoured by his dogs In New-Spain from the year 1518 to 1530. within the compasse of four hundred and eighty miles about Mexico they destroyed above four millions of people by fire and sword besides those that dyed by miserable servitude and drudgery In the Province of Naco and Honduras in the space of eleven years two millions of men perished by the same ways In Guatimala in sixteen years space were destroied five millions of souls Alvarado who was the instrument of this destruction dyed by the fall of his horse and had his City of Guatimala destroyed and overwhelmed by a threefold deluge of Earth water and stones In his expeditions he forced the Indians by ten or twenty thousand at a time to go with him allowing them no other sustenance but the flesh of their slain enemys keeping in his Army Shambles of mans flesh In Panuco and Xalisco they exercised the like cruelties One of the Spaniards forced eight thousand of the Indians to wall about his Garden and suffered them all to perish with Famine In Machuachan they tortured the King that came forth to meet them that they might extort gold from him they set his feet in the stocks and put fire thereto binding his hands to a Post behind him and then had a boy standing by that basted his roasted feet with Oil Another stood with a Cross-bow bent against his breast and a third stood with Dogs ready to devour him by these tortures hee dyed They forced the Indians to bring them their gods hoping they had been of gold but when their golden hopes failed they forced them to redeem them again with Gold Yea where the Fryers had forced the Indians to cast away their gods the Spaniards brought more from other places to sell them In the Province of St. Martha they laid utterly waste and desolate four hundred and fifty miles of land by destroying the Inhabitants The like they did in the Kingdome of Venezula where they destroyed four or five millions Besides they carried of them Captive out of the Continent into the Islands a million of People They spared no sort of persons plucked the Children from the breasts to quarter them to their dogs tortured Kings with new devices borrowed either from the Inquisition or from hell they used to cut off the Noses and hands of men and women that lived peaceably with them they sold Fathers Mothers Children asunder into diverse places and to diverse persons never to meet again they used to ly with the women that being with child they might yeild them the more mony in their sale The Spanish Priests used to devote them with Curses to the Devil and taught them vices by their evil practises and examples insomuch as one said Hee would perswade the King of Spain to send no more Priests into America They teach them Usury Lying Swearing Blasphemy A Caciques son that was towardly in his youth and proved after dissolute being asked the reason of it said since I was a Christian I have learned to swear several sorts of Oaths to Dice to Lye to swagger and now I want nothing but a Concubine to make mee a compleat Christian This made them to say that of all Gods the Christians God was the worst which had such bad servants and to wish for their own gods again of whom they never received so much hurt as from the Christians A Christian said one of them is one that impiously demands Maiz Honey Silk Raiment an Indian woman to lye with they call for gold and silver are idle and will not work are Gamesters Dicers wicked Blasphemers Backbiters Quarrellers c. And taking a peece of Gold hee said Loe this is the Christians God For this they kill us and one another for this they play blaspheme curse steal and do all manner of villanies In Peru they had publike places of torture whereinto they might put a thousand of the miserable Creatures at once by exquisite tortures to force them to a confession of their hidden treasures such as escaped these used to hang themselves in the Mountains and their wives by them and their little children at their feet By Dogs at Land they worried them and in their Pearl fishings exposed them to the ravenous Sharks in the seas by fire and sword consuming twenty millions of people since the Jesuits went amongst them These and infinite more have been the cruelties which the cruel Spaniards have exercised upon the poor naked innocent people Our Author a Papist that relates these things least any should think that hee wrote too much protests that they were a thousand times worse than hee had set down the Reading whereof might astonish the sence of the Reader amaze his Reason exceed his faith and fill his heart with horror and uncouth passions It is no marvel that God follows such bloody beasts with his vengeance as lately hee hath done if the relation be true which cometh from the mouths of some of themselves lately taken by some of our Frigots upon the Coast of Spain as they came out of these Countryes whereof the Narrative follows The Marquesse of Baydex now taken by our Fleet neer Cadiz upon examination saith that above five months since there happened in Lima a fearfull Earthquake and a most miraculous rain of fire in Peru insomuch that the whole City of Lima is swallowed up and destroyed as also the City of Calao in which places there perished above eleven thousand Spaniards and through the wonderful distinguishing hand of God not above one hundred Indians In the City of Lima the King of Spain hath lost by the Earthquake one hundred Millions of silver ready wrought up Also the famous Mines of Potozi where they had their greatest quantities of silver are destroyed in a wonderfull manner so that the hill is not to be seen but all is plain nor is there any further possibility of having gold or silver in Peru Some of the Spaniards themselves acknowledge that this judgement is justly befaln them for their cruelty to the poor Indians who crying to God for vengeance have pulled down this visible hand of God upon them Lima and Potosi Described In Lima no houses are covered on the tops because it never rains and is a hot Countrey no City in India is richer Over the top of the Mountain of Potosi there always hangs a cloud even in the clearest day The hill riseth in the form of a Pyramis being three Leagues high environed with cold air at the foot of it standeth the fair City of Potosi within six leagues about grows no grasse Corn nor wood the entrance and Mine works are so dangerous that few that go in return again The metal lies above two
other are above four yards Its mouth and teeth resemble a Portcullis it hath a long small tail and it is rather to be wondred at than to be eaten In Le Maires voyage about the world a certain fish or Sea monster with an horn struck against the ship with such violence that shook it whereupon the Master looking overboard saw the sea all bloody but knew not what should be the cause till coming into Port Desire where they cleansed and trimmed their ship they found seven foot under water a Horn sticking in the ship for bignesse and fashion like an Elephants tooth yet not hollow but all solid of hard bone which had pierced through three double planks and was entred into a rib of the ship it stuck about half a foot deep in the ship and by great force was broken off which caused that great monster to bleed so much as discoloured the water Pur. Pil. v. 1. p. 90. The Mannaty is a strange fish resembling a Cow Her face is like a Buffalo's her eyes small and round having hard gums instead of teeth they feed much on the shore which makes them taste like flesh of veal their intrails differ little from a Cows their bodies are commonly three yards long and one broad they swim slowly wanting fins in the place wherof they have two things like paps which are their stilts when they creep on shore to graze where they sleep long sucking in the cool air they cannot keep under water above half an hour The stone generated in their head is most esteemed being soveraign against choller adust the stone collick and dissenteryes if beaten small infused in wine and drunk fasting Herb. Trav. p. 26. See more afterwards The Carvel comes of the foam of the sea every where floating upon the surface of the Ocean of a round form throwing abroad her strings like so many lines which shee can spread at pleasure therewith angling for small fishes which shee catches at leisure you may call her a sea Spider for when shee sees her webb too weak she can blow an infectious breath foming death or such a sting as if she had borrowed it from a Scorpion Idem In the East-Indies is a trade wind which they call a Briese or Monson which blows West all April May June July August and part of September and East the rest of the year Only on the East of Sumatra it blows five months East and five months West and the other two variable This is well known to our East-Indy Merchants The Torpedo is a Fish like a Bream but somewhat thicker some Marriners having one of them in a net went to take it forth but one of them presently cryed out that hee had lost the use of his hands and armes another that was bare legged putting his foot to it lost the sence of his leg but after a while their feeling returned again whereupon calling their Cook they bade him to take and dresse it who laying both his hands thereon made grievous moan that hee felt not his hands but when its dead it produceth no such effect but is good meat Pur. Pil. p. 1568. About Jamica in the West-Indies is a Fish called a Manati which is of a strange shape and nature It brings forth her young ones alive and nourisheth them with Milk from her teates feeding upon grass in the fields but lives for the most part in the water the hinder parts of it are like unto a Cow and it eats like veal Idem v. 3. p. 930. In Brasile are Oxe-fishes which are very good meat For head hair skin cheeks and tongue they are like Oxen their eyes small with lids to open and shut which no other fish hath It breatheth and therefore cannot bee long under water Instead of fore-feet it hath two arms of a cubit long with two round hands and on them five fingers close together with nails like a mans Under these arms the female hath paps wherewith she nourisheth her young she brings forth but one at once It hath no fins but the tail which is also round and close their bones are all massie and white like Ivory of this Fish they make great store of sweet Oil they feed most upon the land Idem v. 4. p. 1313. In Sir Francis Drakes voyage about the world when they came to the Island of Celebes which is wholly overgrown with wood amongst the Trees night by night they saw infinite swarms of fiery wormes flying in the air their bodies no bigger than of our English Flyes which made such a shew and gave such a light as if every twig or tree had been a burning candle In which place also were great store of Bats as big as large Hens Pur. Pil. v. 1. p. 56. In Captain Saris his voyage to Bantam about midnight they fell into the strangest and fearfullest water that ever any of them had seen the water giving such a glaring light about the ship that they could discern letters in a book thereby whereas a little before it was so dark that they could discern nothing This made them fear that it had been the breach of sunken ground But finding that they had failed half an hour in it and saw no alteration they perceived at length that it was a multitude of Cuttle-fish that made this fearful shew Pur. Pil. p. 352. CHAP. V. The wonderful works of God in the Creatures Of strange Fowls and Birds IN one of the Scottish Islands there is a rare kinde of Fowl unknown to other Countrys called Colca little lesse than a Goose They come thither every year in the spring hatch and nourish their young ones About which time they cast all their feathers and become stark naked all their bodies over and then they get themselves to the Sea and are no more seen till the next spring Their feathers have no quill as other feathers have but are all like unto Down wherein is no hardness Descr. of Scot. In the North Seas of Scotland are great loggs of Timber found in which are ingendred after a marvellous manner a sort of Geese called Claik-geese and they do hang by the beak till they are grown to perfection and then they receive life and fall off they are many times found and kept in admiration for their rare manner of Generation They are very fat and delicious to bee eaten Idem Some question the truth hereof Storks are so careful of their parents that when they grow old and so are unable to help themselves the young ones feed them and when in passing the Sea their wings fail them the young ones will take them on their backs and carry them over And this is remarkable about them The Town of Delph in the Low-Countries is so seated for the breeding and feeding of these Birds that it is hard to see an house wherein they do not build In this Town upon the third of May Anno Christi 1536. a great fire happened when the young Storks were grown pretty big