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IN this Page he first describeth the beast called in that tongue Aiotochli, in Spanish Armadillio. Then he describeth the 2. Prouinces Peruana, and Magella∣nica, then hee sheweth which hee the most mightie Princes of the world, and finally the diuers qualities of the people inhabiting the world.
THe beast Armadillio is found in the Realme of Mexico, and he is no bigger than a cat, hee is headed like a Swine, and hath the féet of a Herison, and a long tayle, he is armed with scales, whereof he taketh his name, he keepeth for the most part within the ground, and as some suppose, doth liue by the earth, by reason that he is neuer seene to eat abroad out of his den, the bones of his tayle are medicinable, and do remedie the paine and deaffnes of the eares.
Though Plancius saith that this beast is armed with scales, yet my countryman William Greenway, who is a proper seruiter both by sea and land, and hath bene in the West Indies, and hath eaten of this beast, affirmeth his flesh to be white & verie delicate, and that he hath no scales, but that his skin is white and smooth like to a pig new scalded, and that sometime hée will shrinke vp the skin vpon his backe into diuers plates, and specially towards his fore partes and hinder partes, in such sort, as hee will make them almost to méete, and the former plates do hang downe vpon his shoulders like vnto two Poldrons, and his haire is white and short, growing thin here and there one, and he is eared and tailed like a rat, euen as he is here portraide, sauing that he is through∣out of one selfe collour, and without scales.
PErvana being the fift part of the world, is also enuironed on all sides with the sea, saue wheras the foresaid landstrait doth ioyne the same to Mexicana, and the chiefe prouinces which it containeth are these, Brasilia, Tisnada, Caribana, Cartha∣gena, Peru, Charchas, Chili, Chica, & the land of the Patagones▪ The most renowmed Iles are these, Hispaniola, otherwise called S. Domingo, Boriquen, & Margarita, which is the Ile of pearls.
The Merchandizes which are transported out of Pervana in∣to Europe are these, gold, siluer, Emeralds, Pearls, the medicina∣ble stone called Bezoar, Baulme, Ginger, Sugar, wood of Brasill, wood of Guaicum, called Lignum vitae, long Pepper, Pepper of Brasill, Cassia solutiva and hides of Oxen.
THis is the sixt part of the worlde, which as yet is but little knowne, in such sort as we cannot write any thing touching
the prouinces of the same, notwithstanding it is thought the pro∣uince of Beach is verie rich, and hath aboundance of Golde, the chiefe Iles of Magellanica are these, Iava maior, and Iava minor, Timor, Banda, the Molucques, Romeros, the Iles of Salomon.
From the Ile Timor doth come into Europe, the white and pale medicinable simple called Sandalum.
From the Iles Banda doth come Nutmegs and Maces.
And from the Iles Molucques Cloues.
THe most mightie Princes of the world are these fiue, that is, the King of China, otherwise called the great Cham 1. the king of Persia 2. the great Turke 3. the Emperour of Aethiopia 4. the Emperor of Russia, otherwise called the great Duke of Mus∣covia 5. amongst which the king of China is a Pagan or Hea∣then: and the great Turke and the king of Persia are Mahome∣tists: but the Emperour of Aethiopia and the great Duke of Mus∣covia do make profession of the Christian religion. Now as tou∣ching the king of Spaine, his puissance should bee much greater than it is, if his prouinces were not so seperated, and so farre di∣stant on from another.
AS touching the qualities of peoples, though God almigh∣ty hath created al men of one selfe blood, and that all do take their beginning from the Arke of Noah, and that all men be of one selfe qualitie and shape of body, yet they differ in greatnesse, in proportion of members, and in collour: for the Pa∣tagones doe excéede all other creatures in greatnes. Againe, the men of China haue most commonly broad faces, little cies, flatte noses, and little beards, and those that haue smallest féete, are counted amongst them to be most beautifull, those of Africa haue grosser and thicker lippes than other people, the inhabitants of Agysimba, and of Guinea, and speciallie of the lands that be nigh vnto Cape de bona esperanza, are blacke, from whome the Ori∣entall Indians do not much differ.
The Abassines or Moores of Aegypt, be of a duskish collour lyke to the Oliffe, the Inhabitants of Barbarie, be called white Moores, and those that dwell betwixt them and the Nigrites or blacke Moores be of a yellowish collour, the Spaniardes haue not found eyther in Mexicana, or in Pervana any Nigrites or Blackmoores, but onely in certaine villages nigh vnto Carque, the other nations vnder the hotte Zone, bee of collour browne bay, lyke a chessenut, and the nigher that they dwell to eyther of the Poles Arctique or Antarctique, the whiter most common∣ly they be, and as touching the rest all are like in qualities, shape, and fashion of bodie, as hath bene said before, wherfore they are méere lies that are woont to be told of the Pigmeans, in that they should bee but a foote and a halfe high, and likewise that which hath bene spoken of people, that shuld haue their heads their noses, their mouthes, and their eies in their breastes, or of those that are headed lyke a dog, or of those that haue but one eie, and that in their forehead, or of those that haue but one foote and that so great, as that it couereth and shadoweth all their bo∣die, or of those that haue greate eares hanging downe to the ground. All these are méere lyes, inuented by vaine men to bring fooles into admiration, for monsters are as well borne in Eu∣rope, as in other partes of the world.