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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69916	A voyage to the East-Indies giving an account of the Isles of Madagascar, and Mascareigne, of Suratte, the coast of Malabar, of Goa, Gameron, Ormus : as also A treatise of the distempers peculiar to the eastern countries : to which is annexed an abstract of Monsieur de Rennefort's History of the East-Indies, with his propositions for the improvement of the East-India Company / written originally in French by Mr. Dellon ...; Relation d'un voyage des Indes Orientales. English	Dellon, Gabriel, b. 1649.; M. C. Treatise of the distempers relating in particular to the eastern countries.; Crull, J. (Jodocus), d. 1713?; Rennefort, Souchu de, ca. 1630-ca. 1690. Histoire des Indes orientales. English. Selections.; Dellon, Gabriel, b. 1649. Traité des maladies particulières aux pays orientaux et dans la route et de leurs remèdes. English.	1698 (1698)	Wing D943A; ESTC R22348	179,184	326

large as that four of them serve for a Coverlid to a Bed of five foot long they make of them Umbrella's or as the Portuguese call them Somb●arios which are very useful both against the Rain and heat of the Sun CHAP XXII Of the two Fruits called the Jacque and the Mangos THE Jacque is of so prodigious a bigness that one of them is sometimes a good Burthen for a Man though the Tree seldom exceeds our Apple-trees in Bulk Its leaves are not unlike to the Laurel but something larger The Fruit is fastned to the Stemm because the Branches are not strong enough to bear it it buds out at first sight most like Moss is of a green Colour till it comes to maturity its Skin is most like that of the Anana's it is pretty thick but soft and may easily be cut with a Knife provided you dip it first in Oil or any other oleaginous substance which prevents the Gumm from sticking to it The Fruit is divided within by many partitions containing a certain substance not unlike our Plums and of the bigness of an ordinary Pullet's Egg there are sometimes two hundred of them the Pulp that surrounds it is about an inch thick of a Yellow Colour and tastes almost like our best Melons In the very midst of the Fruit there appears something not unlike our Chesnuts which being the Seed of the Jacque is never eaten and the whole substance it self is very unwholesome unless you drink a good quantity of Water after it The Mangos is a much more excellent Fruit The Mangos resembling our Nectarins they are of different colours to wit Red White and Green when they are Ripe Some are of the bigness of an Egg some bigger than our largest Pears their Skin is pretty hard but the Pulp soft they are to be met with all over the Indies but are much better in some places than in others those on the coast of Malabar are of the worst sort About Suratte and Daman they are indifferently good but the best are in the Isle of Goa they are not ripe till September they are most excellent preserved whilst they are Green they also pickle them with Vinegar the Tree is of the bigness of our Wallnut-tree and the Wood very fit for all sorts of Joyners Work CHAP. XXIII Of Pepper Cardamon Cinnamon and Bethel THE Shrub which bears the Pepper is always planted near other great Trees which keep it upright its leaves are very like the Ivy whose smell is as biting to the Nostrils as the Fruit is to the Tongue The Pepper sprouts forth in small Bunches its colour is Green at first but turns Red when it comes to Maturity and after it has been dry'd in the Sun appears such as we see it in Europe There is but one kind the difference betwixt the Black and White according to the opinion of the vulgar being nothing else but that the first retains its native husk whereas the other is peeled which they do by thrashing it with small sticks before it be quite dry or after it is dryed by soaking it for a little while in Water and then rub off the outward peel by which means every body that has black Pepper may soon convert it into White if he will take the trouble to do it The Indians preserve it with Sugar whilst it is Green Pepper preserved and make also a Pickle of it with Vinegar which they call Achar a name they give to all their Pickles made with Vinegar The Pepper grows in a great many places but no where in such abundance as from Rajapour as far as to Cape Comorin the largest sort comes from Visapour and Canara the Pepper that grows on the Coast of Malabar that is from Mount Eli to the most Southern part of the Coast is not so big as the other but it multiplies faster and most Nations furnish themselves with Pepper in those parts to transport it into their respective Countries The Cardamom grows in the Kingdom of Cananor near a certain Mountain Cardamom about six or seven Leagues distant from the Sea-side this being the only place in the whole World where it grows this spot of Ground produces a vast yearly revenue to the owners They need neither Sow nor Plant it all the pains they are obliged to take is to burn the Herbs after the rainy Season is over which grow there abouts the Ashes of which produce the Cardamom It is transported from hence all over the Indies into Persia and Arabia the Inhabitants of these Countries never relishing their Rice well unless it be season'd with the Cardamom so that the greatest part of it is consumed in the East the rest is bought up by the Europeans who chiefly make use of it in Physick It is three times as dear as the Pepper There also grows Cinnamon on this Coast Cinnamon but does not come in goodness near to that which the Isle of Ceylon produces which the Hollanders formerly took from the Pertuguese The Leaves which by the Malabars are called Betle The Leaves of Bethel by the Portuguese Bethel and the other Indians Panthle ought not to be pass'd by in silence in this place They grow on Shrubs like the Pepper and are not unlike the Ivy Leaves as well as the others but they have a pleasant aromatick flavour their natural Colour being Green They whiten them without the least prejudice to their native vertue by laying them in Wooden Casks made out of the Bananas Tree and by sprinkling them with Water once a day They never chew them without the Areque this is a small Fruit Areque very like our Green Wall-Nuts which they lay in water to make the Peel rotten The Areque has a very offensive smell whilst it is fresh but being dried retains nothing of its ill scent it is a little biting upon the Tongue and promotes Spitting The Chaw made of the Bethel they prepare thus Indian Chaw. They take about the quantity of a Pea of Chalk or Lime which they put among 3 or 4 Leaves of Bethel and mix with it a fourth part of an Areque Nut which they will use together and chaw it at pleasure There are some of the Indians who add to it a few Grains of Cardamom a small quantity of Cloves and Cinnamon which gives it a very agreeable taste The Tree which produces the Areque grows straight without Branches only a few Leaves on the Top the Wood is tolerably good for Building but most us'd for Masts of Barges they being not strong enough for large Vessels The Chaw being thus prepared fortifies the Stomach promotes Digestion and leaves a good smell behind it moistens the Mouth and dyes the Spittle and Lips red from whence without Question is arisen this vulgar error that some have affirmed it makes the Gums Bleed It is a great Specifick against the Stone as I my self have Experienc'd several times when I prescribed it to some of my

Acquaintance in that case And what may serve as a confirmation of what I have asserted as to this particular it is to be observed that in those places where it is frequently used I never met with any body that was Afflicted with this Distemper Before a Man is used to this Chaw it will cause a Dizziness occasioned by the Areque but this may in a great measure be prevented by well cleansing the said Fruit from a certain white substance which is within it The Europeans who have for some time lived in the Indies are generally as fond of this Chaw as the Indians themselves and the Leaves of the Bethel as common as they are are nevertheless in great esteem as well among Persons of the first Rank as the meanest Peasants If you pay a Visit to any body here the first thing which is presented is a Roll of this Chaw if you should let a Friend go out of your House without it he would take it as a gross Affront and so it would be look'd upon on the other hand if he should refuse to accept it nevertheless no body is oblig'd to take it upon the spot the Asiaticks in general being very jealous of one another and extreamly fearful of Poyson There is a certain Tree all over the Indies but more especially in Malabar which grows to a considerable height its Leaves are like those of the Laurel or at least very little different it bears a whitish Flower of a very good scent out of the Stem distills a Gum which is very useful for Ships but what is particularly remarkable in this Tree is that its Branches after they are grown up to some height turn downwards again to the Ground where as soon as they touch they take root and in process of time grow equal in bulk to the first Stem If the Inhabitants did not prevent the spreading of this Tree by continually cutting down its Branches one Tree would in time be sufficient to spread it self all over the Country Malabar abounds in almost all the same sorts of Pulse we have in these parts besides which it has some peculiar to it self among these are certain Beans of four Fingers long Large Peans the Cod containing in length a foot and half They come very quickly to maturity are of no good taste and only used by the poorer sort They are never seen in Gardens unless it be to cover and shadow their Arbours or Summer-Houses Besides which they have on both sides of their Walks Hedge-rows of a certain Shrub which spreads and twists it self in a little time to admiration it is very full of Leaves resembling those of the Garden Burnet and bears a great quantity of Flowers of a right Red Colour not unlike the Jessamine Flowers but having not the least scent serve only to please the Eye They begin to blow at Sun-rising and fall off at Sun-set Notwithstanding which these Hedges never want Flowers the whole Year round without the trouble of Sowing or Planting them after the first time because they scatter certain Grains upon the Ground which immediately taking root furnish the Hedge with an immediate supply of new Shrubs and Flowers The Malabars are not such great admirers of Flowers as the Indians who are subject to the Great Mogul and tho' their Country is not destitute of these materials from whence they draw their essences in the Indies yet their Women seldom make use of any thing else than the Oil drawn from the Cocoes they not being inclined so much to the vanity of perfumes as the rest of the Indian Women CHAP. XXIV Of the Elephant and some other Animals of Malabar THE Birds which are found in Malabar are the same which you meet with in other parts of the Indies Perroquets or Perrots of all sizes and Colours are here in great numbers they catch them with Nets sometimes 200 at a time but the Indians never take any pains to teach them to Speak as we do in Europe They do abound in all sorts of Wild fowl which they take with a great deal of ease unless it be the Wild-Peacock which is very difficult to be catch'd which makes him to be look'd upon as a rarity not only for the Tail but also for his Feathers which are in great esteem among all the Asiaticks they make Umbrella's Shrines and Fans of them for persons of Quality which they adorn with Gold and Precious Stones They have also good store of Tame-Fowl The Elephant ought to hold the first rank among the Beasts which are to be found on the Coast of Malabar Elephant tho' it be brought thither from other parts of the Indies It is the biggest among all the Terrestrial Creatures the Head is not proportionable in bigness to the Body its Ears are in shape not unlike to the Wings of a Flitter-Mouse Its Legs round and thick and of an equal bigness but is not destitute of Joynts He makes use of his Snout to take hold of any thing that is offered him this he can draw in or extend at pleasure and where-ever he lays hold with it no Man alive is able to wrest it from him against his will he will handle a Cimetar with the same dexterity as if he had the use of Hands this Trunk or Snout is hollow within so that when the Elephant drinks he draws the Water through it into his Mouth I have seen them returning from the River side when some of them had kept in their Trunks near a Pailful of Water which they would spout into the Faces of such persons as they bore a grudge to no Creature alive is more intelligible nor has a greater memory than the Elephant of which I have been sufficiently convinced upon several occasions Each City in the Indies entertains a certain number of young Fellows who 's Business it is to sweep their Houses and Streets A Boy of about 12 or 13 Years of Age who belonged to those employed in this drudgery in the City of Suratte having swept together some excrements and seeing an Elephant coming that way took up as many of them as he could hold in both his Hands and threw it directly at the Elephant's Eyes who went on his way without showing the least sign of resentment But several days after meeting the same Boy in a narrow Street he took hold of him with his Trunk round the Waste and so tost him above 100 times at a great heighth in the Air to the no small surprize of all that beheld it I did not imagine otherwise but that it would have cost the Boy his Life but after some time we were agreeably surprized to find that the Elephant only intended to put him into a fright in retalliation for the Affront he had received from him some days before for after he had thus sported with him as long as he thought convenient he laid him gently again in the same place where he had taken him up and without more

you are obliged to make very deep Incisions and sometimes to take away a considerable quantity of corrupted Flesh and Matter which not only loosens the Teeth but also often makes them fall out This Distemper discovers it self also frequently by certain black Spots Its Symptoms and Signs which appear upon the Arms Legs and Thighs and last of all over the whole Body and it is to be observed that the broader these Spots are and nearer the Heart the more dangerous is the Distemper This Corruption of the Gums and the breaking out into Blotches is commonly preceded or immediately follow'd by a nauseousness in the Stomach a Laziness by fainting and swooning Fits pains in the Head Arms and Legs and a Looseness but seldom by any Fever I having often observed that the Pulse commonly appears very little declining from its natural State and Motion The Blood being for Reasons above-alledged rendred thick and terrestrious do's not circulate freely in the lesser Vessels which are spread in the Gums the extremities of our Bodies and all over our Skin so that its motion ceasing in those parts they are depriv'd of their usual supply of Spirits what wonder is it if the coagulated Blood go's into a Corruption from whence proceed those Tumors and Blotches And as the said Corruption is augmented in proportion and communicated to other parts the circulation of the Blood is by degrees also obstructed in the larger Vessels from whence proceed those violent Symptoms but especially those frequent Swoonings which are commonly the fore-runners of Death To prevent this Evil so destructive to Mariners Precaution against the Scurvy the Officers to whose management the Ship is committed ought before their Embarquement to take effectual care that their Ships be Victuall'd with good and sound Provision that the Biscuits be not mouldy or the Victuals tainted which is too frequently practised to the great detriment of the whole Ships-Crew when either the Captain dares not contradict those who have the Victualling of the Ship or when out of covetousness he shares with others the Profits arising by this Malversation When they are out at Sea the Officers belonging to the Ship ought to be very careful to have her kept 〈◊〉 neat and clean to cause her to be well swept and wash'd with Sea-Water every day and to be sprink●'d and sweetn'd two or three times a Week with good strong Vinegar which purifies the Air and renders it more subtil and thin Each particular Person on board the Ship ought as far as is possible provide himself with the Juice of Citrons Limons Ros solis preserv'd and dry'd Fruits but especially with good Store of Prunes to abstain as much as can be from all sorts of Meat which are in the least tainted from Salt-Flesh and Fish unless they be well fresh'd out to feed much upon Rice Barley and Prunes drink Wine mix'd with Water and not to abstain from drinking if you be thirsty unless it be in case of the highest necessity to change frequently your Linen and to wash often your Mouths and the whole Body to cleanse it from all the Filth and ill Scents which are engendred by the continual Sweats and which hindring the insensible Transpiration do not a little contribute towards the production of the Scurvy But if a body be already seiz'd with this pernicious Disease which will soon appear by the swelling and blackness of the Gums no time ought to be neglected to stop the progress of this Evil which in a little time will spread all over the Body If it be in a plethorick and vigorous Body it will not be amiss to lett a little Blood to facilitate the circulation of the Blood but this ought not to be done in great quantity for fear of impairing the Patient's Spirits who in this Distemper stands in need of all his strength to support him against his Enemy Some days after Remedies against the ●●rvy you may make use of a gentle Purge but above all you ought frequently to apply Clysters if you have conveniency to do it but this is sometimes not to be put in practice by reason of the scarcity of fresh Water on board 〈◊〉 these Ships The next thing you have to do is to mix some good Vinegar or Juice of Limons or Citrons with some Salt wherewith you must carefully wash your Mouth and rub your Gums till they bleed which being nothing but the gross and terrestrious part of the Blood setl'd in these parts ought to be remov'd by these means If the Scurvy appears in its true colours I mea● by the black Blotches upon your Arms Legs and Thighs you must often wash them with warm Sea-Water and rub them soundly till they sma●●● again If you catch any of your Sea-Hogs 〈◊〉 sure to bathe them well with their Blood 〈◊〉 having been found by experience that it has a specifick Quality against this Evil at least to stop its progress which is as much as can be expect●● to be done at Sea it being impossible entirely 〈◊〉 eradicate this Distemper unless it be on sho●● where those who have been seiz'd with it at 〈◊〉 are commonly Cur'd and recover their forme● Health in a little time oftentimes without any other Remedies unless they be brought so 〈◊〉 before they have the good fortune to reach 〈◊〉 Land as to want strength and spirits to overcom● the frequent Swoonings and other violent Symptoms which are often occasioned by the ch●ng● of the Air. But if inspite of all the Remedies the Distemper increases and the Heart begins to be infect● by the malignant Vapours that are convey'd ●●●her from the corrupted parts you must have 〈◊〉 course to such Cordials as are commonly prescrib● in those Cases and of which there is always a sufficient provision made for Ships that are to go upon such long Voyages But above all things 〈◊〉 heed as soon as the Scurvy appears to abstain from any thing that is Salted and if you have no fresh Meat and Fish feed as I said before upon Rice and Barley and I can assure you that if you follow this Rule by being thus careful in your Diet and to drink only a little Wine mix'd with Water this alone I say will stand you in more stead to hinder the further progress of this Evil than all the Cordials are able to do if you don't abstain from Salt Diet and such other Victuals as are not easily digestible and of ill Nourishment It is of great help to those who are afflicted vvith this Distemper to go on shoar in a hot Country or in the Summer Season but if you happen to come to an Anchor in a cold Climate you must take care not to expose them to the cold Air but to keep them up close and very vvarm Svveating being very beneficial and much conducing to the Cure of this Evil especially if back'd by a good Diet such as are all sorts of Meats of a kind Digestion and good

Nourishment It is very proper when they are upon recovery to lett them Blood to purge and to bathe them in luke-warm Water but above all not to neglect to give them Clysters which make up a great part of the Cure CHAP. III. Of the Colicks of Madagascar SUch of our Ships-Crew as were used to drink Wine and could not meet with any in the Isle Dauphine used frequently to debauch themselves in Brandy and Aqua vitae Their Cause which with the heat of the Climate and the violent motion they used in travelling up and down the Isle putting the bilious Humor into a ferment prov'd the cause of these violent Colicks which used frequently to seize upon those who were given to Drunkenness whereas those who led a sober Life scarce ever felt the effects of this Evil or if they did it was not with near so much violence as the rest These Colicks are accompanied with very violent Symptoms Symptoms they are never without a Fever you observe a great alteration in the Pulse and the Patient is often troubled with a stoppage of the Urine The tormenting Pains cause frequent Convulsions and Palsies in several parts of the Body which continue sometimes after the Colick is pass'd To cure this Disease Cu●e I always order'd them to be let Blood in the Foot next to which I used to have some Anodine Clysters apply'd and often repeated besides Fomentations and bathing the inferior part of the Body up to the Navel with lukewarm Water But above all you must have recourse to the Pills of Laudanum without which the Patients will have but little rest For it is to be observ'd that the choierick Humour being setled betwixt the Tunicks of the Intestines you must be very careful of irritating them by strong Remedies wherefore it is most advisable to abstain from all sorts of Purges even those that perfect their Operation very gently I having been convinc'd by experience that they cannot be made use of without danger as long as the pain of the Colick continues The Negro's in those Parts whose Bodies are accustom'd and inur'd to the heat of the Climate and who consequently travel with less fatigue and trouble and who having no Aqua vitae of their own but only such as we used now and then to treat them withal and consequently not being in a capacity to drink it to any excess and that but seldom were seldom afflicted with this Distemper or if they sometimes were the Cure was much easier with them than with the Frenchmen CHAP. IV. Of the Venereal Distemper in the Isle Dauphine THis Distemper is as common and appears with the same Symptoms among the Frenchmen living in those Parts as among the Negro's they being equally given to Debauchery The Europeans commonly make use of their own Chirurgeons who cure them in the same manner as is usual among us The Negro's are never so careful as to cure themselves when they see the fore-runners of this Evil which is needless to be named here to appear they never trouble themselves to be cur'd till the whole mass of Blood being infect●d with the malignan●y of the Distemper its symptoms appear so terrible that they think it no longer time to delay the Cure Mercury and Guaiacum are unknown to them if the Distemper have not taken too deep root they only purge themselves and sweat frequently But if it be inveterate they take a broad red hot Iron which they thus apply to the bottom of their Feet How the Negro's cure the French-Pox which producing an Ulcer they let it run for thirty or forty days keeping an exact Diet by which means they pretend to evacuate the malignant Humour But as these people are extreamly debauch'd and consequently seldom without some Symptoms of this Distemper it is hard to be judged whether they are perfectly cur'd by this cruel Remedy or not CHAP. V. Of the Distempers of the Indies and first of their Fevers MAlignant Fevers are not frequent in the Indies but the simple continual Fevers are much in vogue Among the intermitting Fevers the Tertians and double Tertians are the most common and as their Cure is very difficult in those Parts Italian Physicians so they prove often mortal The Pagan Physicians whom they call Pandites are a sort of People without Learning or any Knowledge or insight into Anatomy All their Skill is confin'd to a certain number of Receipts which they have receiv'd by Tradition from their Ancestors these they apply promiscuously without making the least Alteration as often as they meet with a Patient af●licted with the same Distemper against which their Receipt was intended without making the least reflection upon the different Age Sex Constitution o● Strength of their Patients They are very timorous and rather will let a Patient perish than run the hazard of a Remedy which as they believe not being sufficiently approved by experience appears doubtful to them though they judge the Distemper to be mortal or incurable without it Nevertheless it is observable that by their long experience they have made such Observations concerning certain Distempers peculiar to those Countries that they practise with better success than the most learned foreign Physicians who upon certain occasions must follow their footsteps if they expect to succeed in their Cures in this Climate They never allow their Patients afflicted with any kind of Fever in the Indies neither Meat neither Eggs or Broath this would be as much as the Patient's life is worth if they should give them any of these things They allow them no other Drink but fair Water and for the rest for their sustenance they give them a Cange which is made in the following manner They beat about half a Pound of Rice in two or three quarts of Water which they boil so long till the Rice be well broken which is commonly done in an hours time Then they strain it thro' a Linen-Cloth and squeeze it well to draw out all the goodness from the Rice of this they give a Spoonful at a time four or five times a day to the Patient making it always warm and putting a little Salt into it to make it the more savory I shall have occasion to tell you anon upon what occasion they put Pepper into this Cange This Cange besides that it nourishes well The Cange of the Indians serves also to squench the Thirst I must confess I prefer this much before our Jelly-Broaths it coming much nearer to the Diets prescribed us by the antient Physicians in these cases than what is used now a-days in France rather by the connivance than the approbation of the Physicians For is it not very strange to see a sick body to take more Nourishment whilst he is sick than perhaps he used to do when he was in Health It being beyond all question that Jelly-broath taken perhaps seven or eight times a day and new-laid Eggs which we give our Patients contain more

alledged just now Its signs are great Droughts Heats Inquietudes a continual Fever with a nauseous sme●l in the Stomach The Pulse beats uneven sometimes very high and by and by so low as to be sca●●e discernable Their Urine is red but clear This being a common Distemper in those parts which if treated like other Fevers would doubtless prove fatal A Physician therefore when call'd to a Pa●ient ought to act with a great deal of circumspection for fear of committing a mistake not to be repair'd afterwards by all his Skill For which reason he ought very strictly to examine his Patient concerning his former course of Life especially if it be a young body who perhaps is unwilling to discover his Faults in the pre●ence of his Friends or Parents For this Fever without duly pondering all the circumstances may ●eceive the most expert Physician I having known Examples of those that died of this Distemper because they were but once let blood The chief Indication of the whole Cure con●ists in restoring the decayed strength and spirits of the Patient which is best to be done by giving him Meats of an easie Digestion and of good Nourishment as good Jelly Broths New-laid Eggs and other Meats prepared with all sorts of good Gravies Let them drink good Wine mix'd ●ess or more with Water according as they were used to drink it when they were in health but let them by no means drink common Water or Barley Water for fear that the abovementioned Diet should augment the Fever it being so far from it that it will certainly remove it CHAP. IX Of the Small-Pox IN the Indies they know no other Plague or Infectious Distemper besides the Small-Pox they are as contagious there as in Europe and tho' one might suppose them to be less dangerous in a Climate where the Pores of our Bodies being always open consequently facilitate the Expulsion of the venomous Matter they make worse havock here than in Europe by the unsk ilfulness of the Pandites who being ignorant of the true way of assisting Nature in her efforts by proper Remedies let her be oppress'd by the weight of the Di●temper These Pagan Physicians used to be extreaml● scandaliz'd when they saw us let blood and orde● Clysters before the cruption of the Small-Pox and tho' they found the success for the most par● answerable to the intention for which they wer● put in practise yet they could not overcome their own obstinacy so far as to follow our footsteps The Malabars use those infected with this Distemper more cruelly than any others of th● Eastern-Nations For they are not contented to let them lie alone without giving them the least attendance or any other manner of assistance 〈◊〉 fear of an infection but they won't even 〈◊〉 th●m in their Houses but expose them at a good distance from their dwelling-places under some Tree or another All the ca●e they take of them is to bring them every day some Cange whic● they leave near them without taking the least Care whether they take it or not For they can't be perswaded to touch any body that is af●●●cted with the Small-Pox for fear of catching them till they are fully restor'd to H●alth which is the reason as it is easie to be judged that they prove so fatal among them CHAP. X. Of the Bitings of the Adders AMong the several kinds of Adders which are to be found in the Indies some are of so pernicious a nature that whenever they infect any Person he dies in an instant without the least hope of relief Of this kind are the green ones of which I have spoke before when I treated of the Coast of Malabar The Poyson which issues from the rest being not altogether of so quick an operation give one sometimes leisure to obviate the Evil by proper Antidotes They make use in the Indies of a certain Stone which they say is found in the Heads of some Adders and for that reason is call'd by the Portugeses The Adder-sto●● Pedra de Cobre or Adders Stone This they apply to the place where the Adder has fixed her Poyson where the Stone fastens it self without any other help and having suck'd in as much of the Poyson as it is able to contain it falls off Then they put it in Milk where having discha●g'd the Poyson it had attracted before it is apply'd afresh in the same manner as before till such time that it will not fasten no longer which is an evident sign that the Poyson is removed and the Danger past It is observable that when this Stone is put in Milk to discharge the Poyson the Milk appears as if Excrements had been put into it and of several Colours I have been frequently an eye-witness of the stupendious effects of this Stone but the worst is that it is a great Rarity to meet with a good one there being abundance of Counterfeit ones who have not the same Vertue If it therefore happen that any one be bitten by an Adder and you have not any of these true Stone at hand the best way is to have that part where the Wound is scarified and by the help of Cups to draw as much Blood from thence as you can afterwards apply to the place such Remedies as have a peculiar Vertue to attract Poyson from the Center of the Body to it Circumference For which purpose it is convenient to keep the Wound open for a considerable time to use Juice of Citrons or Limons in every thing you eat drink Wine and take inwardly the true Powder of Vipers provided it may be had unadulterated These are in my Opinion the most proper Antidotes to be made use of upon such an occasion The Poyson of these pernicious Creatures being so volatile and of so subtil a nature as to be soon conveyed to the Heart many times before it is possible to apply proper Antidotes a great many die miserably for want of present Conveniency to obviate the Evil before it siezes their Vitals It is upon this score that we have seen some of the Indians who were sensible of their present danger on such an occasion cut off themselves immediately that Member which they knew to be infected by the Poyson Of this I remember an instance in a certain Naher during my stay at Tilcery This Gentleman being a little overcome by the Tary or Palm-tree Wine found one of these small green Adders the most pernicious kind of all which he took by the Tail and play'd with her so long till she found means to bite him in the Finger The Naher notwithstanding he was in drink being sensible of the present danger of loosing his Life kill'd the Adder and in an instant cut off his Finger CHAP. IV. Of the Distemper call'd by the Portugeses Bicho THE Word Bicho signifies in the Portugese Language as much as an Earth-worm or a small Creature besides which the Portugueses use it for three several sorts of Distempers peculiar to the