Hesselius Gerardus hath largely set forth the Petition or Memoriall of
Peter Fer∣dinandez
de Quir, vnto the King of Spaine, about his Discouerie of those Southerne
vnknowne Lands, for the Plantation of the same: wherein hee declareth vnto his
Maiestie, that fourteene yeares space hee had busied himselfe to no small endamage∣ment
of his State and Person about the same. The length thereof hee equalleth vnto
all Europe, and as much of Asia, as thence extendeth to the Caspian Sea: and for the
wealth and riches he calls it a Terrestriall Paradise.
The Inhabitants, he affirmeth, are innumerable, some white, some like the Mula∣tos,
and some otherwise, in colour and habite of bodie diuersified. They neither haue
King, nor Lawes, nor Arts. They are diuided and warre one vpon another, with
Bowes, Arrowes, and other weapons, all of wood. They haue their Oratories and
Places of Buriall. Their bread is made of three forts of rootes. They haue varietie of
fruits, Cocos, Almonds of foure sorts, Pome-citrons, Apples, Dates: there are also
Swine, Goats, Hennes, Partriches, and other Fowles; and as the Indians report,
Kine, and Buffals. He saw amongst them siluer, and pearles, others added, gold: and
the Coast-Countries seemed to promise great wealth within Land: Many Riuers, Su∣gar
Canes, Bayes, Hauens, and other commodities of Lands and Seas, making shew
of an other China: the aire very holsome and temperate.
He tooke possession thereof in the name of the King, and set vp a Crosse & a Chap∣pell,
in the name of The Ladie of Loretto. These Regions trend euen as high as the
Aequinoctiall. When this Discouerie was made he mentioneth not; only hee sueth
to the King for employment therein. It is rightly called Terra Australis Incognita,
and therefore I will not take vpon me to be your guide: in an other sense one
of our
Countrymen hath wittily and learnedly (according to his wont) described this
Countrie, and parallelled therewith the Countries of Europe, and hath let vs see
that we are acquainted in those coasts too much, and neede no Pilot or guide to
conduct vs.
But let vs come backe to our Streits of Magellane, that wee may coast from
thence and visit the Countries of Chili and Peru: for of the Westerne borders of
Chica, girt in betweene the salt waues and cold Hills, little can bee said fitting our
purpose.
Hauing sayled out of the Streits, we haue a wide Sea before vs, and on our right
hand the Countrie is so barren and cold, that I would not hold the Reader in any
cold or tedious Narration thereof. We will hasten rather nearer to the Sunne, where
we first encounter with Chili. This name
some extend euen to the Straits, where
we haue placed Chica and the Patagones, others
straiten it in shorter bounds; be∣tweene
Chica on the South; Charchas and Collao, on the North; Plata, on the East;
and the Sea on the West: it is called Chill of the chilling cold, for so the word is sayd
to signifie. The Hills with their high lookes, cold blasts, and couetous encrochings,
driue it almost into the Sea: only a narrow Valley vpon lowly submission to her swel∣ling
aduersaries, obtayneth roome
for fiue and twentie leagues of breadth, where
it is most, to extend her spacious length of two hundred leagues on that shore: and
to withstand the Oceans furie, shee paies a large Tribute of many streames, which
yet in the
night time shee can
hardly performe; the miserable Hills in their Fro∣zen
charitie, not imparting that naturall bountie and dutie, till that great Arbiter the
Sunne ariseth, and sendeth Day with his light-horse troupe of Sunne-beames, to
breake vp those Icie Dungeons and Snowie Turrets, wherein Night, the Mountaines
Gaoler, had locked the innocent Waters. Once, the poore Valley is so hampered be∣twixt
the Tyrannicall Meteors and Elements, as that shee often
quaketh with feare,
and in these chill Feuers shaketh off and looseth her best ornaments.
Arequipa
one of her fairest Townes, by such disaster, in the yeare one thousand
fiue hundred fourescore and two, fell to the ground. And sometimes the neighbour hils
are infected with this pestilent Feuer, and tumble downe as dead in the plaine, there∣by
so amazing the fearefull Riuers, that they runne quite out of their Channells