Purchas his pilgrimage. Or Relations of the vvorld and the religions obserued in all ages and places discouered, from the Creation vnto this present In foure partes. This first containeth a theologicall and geographicall historie of Asia, Africa, and America, with the ilands adiacent. Declaring the ancient religions before the Floud ... With briefe descriptions of the countries, nations, states, discoueries, priuate and publike customes, and the most remarkable rarities of nature, or humane industrie, in the same. By Samuel Purchas, minister at Estwood in Essex.

CHAP. I.

Of the Southerne AMERICA, and of the Countries on the Sea-Coast betwixt Dariene and Cumana.

THis Peninsula of the New World extending it selfe into the South, is in forme somewhat like to Africa, and both a to some huge Pyramis. In this, the Basis or ground is the Northerly part, called Terra Fir∣ma, from whence it lesseneth it selfe by degrees, as it draweth neerer the Magellan Straits, where the toppe of this Spire may fitly be placed. On the East side it is washed with the North Ocean, as it is ter∣med: On the West with that of the South, called al∣so the Peaceable. It is b supposed to haue sixteene thousand myles in compasse, foure thousand in length; the breadth is vnequall. The Easterne part thereof, betweene the Riuers Maragnon and Plata, is chalenged by the Portugalls; the rest by the Spaniard. From the North to the South are Ledges of Mountaines, the toppes whereof are said to be higher then that Birds will visit; the bottomes yeeld the greatest Riuers in the World, and which most enrich the Oceans Store-house. Orenoque, Maragnon, and Plata seeme to be the Indian Triumviri, Generals of those Riuer-Armies, and Neptunes great Collectors of his waterie tributes. Orenoque for Shippes is nauigable a thousand myles; for

lesse Vessells, two thousand; in some places twentie myles broad; in some, thirtie. Berreo affirmed to Sir Walter Raleigh, That a hundred Riuers fell into it, marching vnder his name and colours, the leaft as bigge as Rio Grande one of the greatest Ri∣uers of America. It extendeth two thousand myles East and West, and commaun∣deth eight hundred myles, North and South. Plata, taking vp all the streames in his way, is so full swolne with his encreased store, that he seemeth rather with bigge lookes to bidde defiance to the Ocean, then to acknowledge homage, opening his mouth fortie leagues wide, as if he would deuoure the same, and with his vomited a∣bundance maketh the salt waters to recoyle, following fresh in this pursuit, till in salt sweates at last hee melteth himselfe in the Combate. Maragnon is farre greater, whose water hauing furrowed a Channell of six thousand myles, in the length of his winding passage, couereth threescore and tenne leagues in breadth, and hideth his Bankes c on both sides from him which sayleth in the middest of his proud Current, making simple eyes beleeue, that the Heauens alway descend to kisse and embrace his waues. And sure our more-straitned world would so farre be accessorie to his as∣piring, as to style him with the royall title of Sea, and not debase his greatnesse with the meaner name of a Riuer? This Southerne halfe of America hath also, at the Ma∣gellane Straits, contracted, and (as it were) shrunke in it selfe, refusing to be exten∣ded further in so cold a Climate. The manifold riches of Mettalls, Beasts, and o∣ther things, in the beginning of the former Booke haue beene declared; and in this, as occasion moueth, shall be further manifested. The Men are the worst part, as being in the greatest parts thereof inhumane and brutish. The Spanish Townes in this great Tract, and their Founders, are set downe by Pedro de d Cieza; I ra∣ther intend Indian Superstitions then Spanish Plantations in this part of my Pil∣grimage.

Of the Townes of e Nombre de Dios, seuenteene leagues from Panama, the one on the North Sea, the other on the South, and of Dariene, we last tooke our leaues, as vncertaine whether to make them Mexican, or Peruvian, being borderers, and set in the Confines betwixt both. The moorish soyle, muddie water, and grosse Ayre conspire with the heauenly Bodies to make Dariene vnholesome: the myrie streame runneth (or creepeth rather) very slowly; the water f but sprinkled on the house∣floore, engendreth Toades and Wormes.

They g haue in this Prouince of Dariene store of Crocodiles, one of which kinde, Cieza sayth, was found fiue and twentie foot long; Swine without tayles, Cats with great tayles, Beasts clouen-footed like Kine, otherwise resembling Mules, sauing their spacious eares, and a trunke or snout like an Elephant: there are Leopards, Ly∣ons, Tygres. On the right and left hand of Dariene are found twentie Riuers, which yeeld Gold. The men h are of good stature, thinne haired; the women weare Rings on their eares and noses, with quaint ornaments on their lippes. The Lords marrie as many wiues as them listeth, other men one or two. They forsake, change, and sell their wiues at pleasure. They haue publike Stewes of women, and of men also in ma∣ny places, without any discredit; yea, this priuiledgeth them from following the Warres. The young girles hauing conceiued, eate certaine herbes, to cause abortion. Their Lords and Priests consult of Warres after they haue drunke the smoke of i a certaine hearbe. The women follow their husbands to the Warres, and know how to vse a Bow. They all paint themselues in the Warres. They need no Head-peeces, for their heads are so hard k , that they will breake a Sword, being smitten there∣on. Wounds receiued in Warre, are the badges of honour, whereof they glorie much, and thereby enioy some Franchises. They brand their prisoners, and pull out one of their teeth before. They will sell their children; are excellent swimmers, both men and women; accustoming themselues twice or thrice a day thereunto. Their Priests are their Physicians, and Masters of Ceremonies; for which cause, and because they haue conference with the Deuill, they are much esteemed. l They haue no Temples, nor Houses of deuotion. The Deuill they honor much, which in terrible shapes doth somtimes appeare vnto thē; as I (saith Cieza) haue heard some of them say.

They beleeue, that there is one GOD in Heauen, to wit, the Sunne, and that the Moone is his wife; and therefore worship these two Planets. They worship the De∣uill also, and paint him in such forme as hee appeareth to them, which is of diuerse sorts. They offer Bread, Smoke, Fruits, and Flowers, with great deuotion. Any one may cut off his arme which stealeth Mais. Enciso, with his Armie of Spaniards, seeking to subdue these parts, vsed a Spanish tricke, telling the Indians, That hee sought their conuersion to the Faith, and therefore discoursed of one GOD, Creator of all things, and of Baptisme; and after other things of this nature, lesse to his pur∣pose, he told them, That the Pope is the Vicar of CHRIST in all the World, with absolute power ouer mens Soules and Religions; and that he had giuen those Coun∣tries to the most mightie King of Spaine, his Master, and hee was now come to take possession, and to demaund Gold for tribute. The Indians answered, That they liked well what he had spoken of one GOD, but for their Religion, they would not dis∣pute of it, or leaue it: And for the Pope, he should be liberall of his owne; neyther seemed it, that their King was mightie, but poore, that sent thus a begging. But what wordes could not, their Swords effected, with the destruction of the In∣dians.

The soyle of Vraba is so fattened with a streame therein, that in eight and twentie dayes the Seedes of Cucumbers, Melons, and Gourds, will ripen their Fruits. There is m a Tree in those Countries, whose leaues, with the bare touch, cause great blisters: the sauour of the Wood is poyson; and cannot be carried without danger of life, ex∣cept by the helpe of another hearbe, which is an Antidote to this venomous Tree. King n Abibeiba had his Pallace in a Tree, by reason of the moorish situation and of∣ten inundation of his Land. Vasques could not get him downe, till he began to cut the Tree, and then the poore King came downe, and bought his freedome at the Spa∣niards price.

Carthagena was so called, for some resemblance in the situation to a Citie in Spaine of that name. Sir Francis Drake tooke it. The Indians thereabouts vsed poysoned Arrowes: the women warre as well as the men. Enciso tooke one, who with her owne hands had killed eight and twentie Christians. They did eate the enemies which they killed. They vsed to put in their Sepulchres gold, feathers, & other riches.

Betweene Carthagena and Martha runneth a swift Riuer, called Rio Grande, which maketh the Sea-water to giue place; and they which passe by, may in the Sea take in of this water fresh.

In the Valley of Tunia o , or Tomana, are Mines of Emeralds. The people worship the Sunne for their chiefe God, with such awfull deuotion, that they dare not looke stedfastly vpon it: the Moone also they worship, but in an inferiour degree. In their Warres, in stead of Ensignes, they tye the bones of certaine men (who in their liues had beene valiant) vpon long staues, to prouoke others fo the like fortitude. They bu∣rie their Kings with golden Neck-laces, set with Emeralds, and with Bread and Wine. The people about Rio Grande are Caniballs, as also about S. Martha. The Tunians vse poysoned Arrowes: and when they goe to the Warres, they carrie their Idoll Chi∣appen with them; vnto whome, before they enter into the Field, they offer many sacri∣fices of liuing men, being the children of slaues, or of their enemies, painting all the Image with bloud; which done, they eate the flesh. Returning Conquerors, they hold great Feasts, with Dauncing, Leaping, Singing, drinking themselues drunke, and a∣gaine besmeare their Image with bloud. If they were ouercome, they sought by new Sacrifices to appease Chiappen. They demaunded counsell of their Gods for their Marriages, and other Affaires. For these consultations they obserued a kind of Lent two moneths, in which they lay not with women, nor eate Salt. They had Monaste∣ries of Boyes and Girles, where they liued certaine yeares. They corrected publike faults, as Stealing, and Killing, by cutting off the eares, and nose; hanging; and if he were a Nobleman, by cutting off his haire. In gathering Emeralds, they first vsed certaine Charmes. They vsed to sacrifice Birds, and many other things.

S. Martha standeth about fiftie leagues from Carthagena, at the foot of certaine Hills, alway crowned with Snow. The Indians p here are very valorous, and vse poy∣soned Arrowes. They make bread of Iucca, a Root as bigge as a mans arme, or legge, the iuice whereof is poyson in the Islands, and therefore they presse it betweene two stones: but in the firme Land they drinke it raw; and both heere and there sodden, they vse it for Vineger; and being sodden till it be very thicke, for Honey. This bread is their Casaui, not so good as that of Mais. I haue seene a Plant of this herbe grow∣ing in M. Gerards q Garden, the picture whereof he hath expressed in his Herball. The people are abhominable Sodomites, a badge whereof they ware about their neckes; a chayne, with the resemblance of two men committing this villanie. In Gayra the Sodomites were attyred like women, others were shauen like Friers. They had wo∣men which preserued their Virginitie: these addicted themselues to Hunting, with Bow and Arrowes, alone: they might lawfully kill any that sought to corrupt them. These people were Caniballs, and eate mans flesh, fresh and pouldered: the young boyes which they tooke they gelded, to make them fatter for their Tables, as wee doe Capons. They set vp the heads of those they killed, at their gates, for a memoriall, and wore their teeth about their neckes for a brauerie. They worship r the Sunne and Moone, and burne thereto perfumes of Herbes, and Gold, and Emeralds. They sacri∣fice slaues.

Venezvel•• is so called, because it is built vpon a plaine Rocke, in the waters of a Lake. The women of this Countrey paint their breasts and armes: all the rest of their bodie is naked, except their priuie parts. The maids are knowne by their colour, and greatnesse of their girdle. The men carrie their members in a shell. There are many filthie Sodomites. They pray to Idols, and to the Deuill, whome they paint in such forme as he appeareth to them. They paint their bodies in this sort. He that hath kil∣led one enemie in the Warres, paints one of his armes; the second time his breast; and when he hath killed a third, he painteth a line from his eyes to his eares: and this is his Knight-hood. Their Priests are their Physicians, who being sent for by a sicke man, aske the patient, if he beleeue that they can helpe him; and then lay their hands vpon the place where they say their paines are: if he recouer not, they put the fault in him, or in their Gods. They lament their dead Lords in Songs in the night time, made of their prayses: that done, they rost them at a fire, and beating them to poulder, drinke them in Wine, making their bowells their Lords Sepulchres. In Zonpaciay they burie their Lords with much Gold, Iewells, and Pearles, and set vpon the graue foure stickes in a square, within which they hang his weapons, and many viands to eate.

From the Cape Vela, the space of two thousand myles alongst the Coast, is the fishing for Pearles, discouered by Christopher Columbus, in the yeare 1498, which say∣led all along this Coast. In s Curiana they receiued the Spaniards with great ioy, and for Pinnes, Needles, Bells, Glasses, and such trifles, gaue them many strings of Pearles: for foure Pinnes they would giue a Peacocke; for two, a Phesant; for one, a Turtle-doue: And when they asked, What they should doe with this new Merchan∣dise of Pinnes and Needles, seeing they were naked? they shewed them the vse to picke their teeth, and to picke out thornes in their feet. These Indians had Rings of Gold, and Iewells made with Pearles, after the formes of Birds, Fishes, and Beasts: They had also the Touch-stone for their Mettall, and Weights to weigh the same, things not elsewhere found in India. They make their teeth white with an hearbe, which all the day they chew in their mouthes.

Notes

• a

  Gas.Ens, l.3.c.24.
• b

  Botero, part.1. l.6.
• c

  Caelum undiq, & undiq pontus Nil nisi pontus & aer.
• d

  Pedro de Cieza de Leon.Chron. del Peru.
• e

  Eastward frō this Towne certain Negro∣slaues made a head, and ioy∣ning with the Indians, vsed to robbe the Spaniards. Benzo.l.2.c.9.
• f

  Linschoten. P.Mart.Dec.3.l.6.
• g

  Gomar.Gen.Hist.c.67.
• h

  P.M.Dec.3. lib.4.
• i

  Tobacco.
• k

  Ouiedo calls these Hard∣heads Cor••••ati.
• l

  P.Cieza chron. Per. p.1.c.8.
• m

  P. Mart. Dec.3.l.6.
• n

  P.Mart. Dec.2.l.4.
• o

  Linschot. l.2.
• p

  Nic.Monard, c.53. Gomar. Hist. Gen. c.71.
• q

  M.Gerard.
• r

  P.Messia, l.5. c.13.
• s

  P.M.Dec.1.lib.••. Gomar.c.74. to c.84.