The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes, with the particular description of the moste ryche and large landes and ilandes lately founde in the west ocean perteynyng to the inheritaunce of the kinges of Spayne. ... Wrytten in the Latine tounge by Peter Martyr of Angleria, and translated into Englysshe by Rycharde Eden.

¶ Of Reedes or Canes.

I Haue not thought it conuenient in the chapi∣ture before to speake of that whereof I in∣tende nowe to intreate of reedes or canes to thintente that I woolde not mengle theym with plantes or trees, beinge thynges of thē selues woorthy to bee particularly obserued. So it is therfore, that in the firme land there are many sortes of reedes, so that in many places they make theyr howses therof, couerynge them with the toppes of the same, and makynge theyr waules of them in lyke maner, as I haue sayde before. And amonge these kyndes of reedes, there is one so greate, that the canes therof are as bygge as a mans legge in the knee, and three spannes in length frome ioynt to ioynt or more: in so much that euery of them is of ca¦pacitie to conteyne a lyttle bucket of water. In this kynde, here are founde sum greater and sum lesse, of the which sum they vse to make quyuers for arrowes. There is founde an other kynde which suerly is marueylous, beynge lyttle byg∣ger then a Iauelen, the canes whereof are longer then twoo spannes. These reedes growe one farre from an other, as sum¦tymes twentie or thirtie pases, and sumetymes also twoo or three leaques. They growe in maner in all prouynces in the Indies: And growe nere to very hygh trees whereunto they leane, and creepe vp to the toppes of theyr braunches, which they imbrase and descende ageyne downe to the earth. Theyr canes are full of moste cleare water without any maner of tast or sauoure eyther of the canes or of any other thynge: And suche as yf it were taken owte of the fressheste sprynge in the worlde. Nor yet is it knowen that euer it hurte any that droonke therof. For it hath oftentymes so chaunced that as the Chrysten men haue trauayled in these regions in desolate wayes where for lacke of water they haue byn in great daun∣ger

to dye for thyrste, they haue escaped that perell by reason that they founde the sayde reedes, of the water of whose ca∣nes they haue droonke a great quantitie withowt any hurte thereof ensewynge. Therefore when they fynde these in any place, they make water vesselles of the canes therof, and cary as many of them ful of water as may suffice for one dayes ior¦nay. And sumtyme they cary so many, that they take for eue∣ry man two or three quartes of water which may serue them for many dayes bycause it doth not corrupte, but remaynethe styll fresshe and good.

There are also certeine plantes which the Christians caul Platani.* 1.1 These are as hygh as trees, and become as bygge in the trunke as the knee of a man or more. Frome the foote to the toppe, they beare certeyne longe and large leaues, beinge more then three spannes in largenes, and about ten or twelue in length: The whiche when they are broken of the wynde, the stalke remayneth hole in the myddest. In the myddeste of this plant in the hyghest parte thereof, there groweth a clu∣ster with fortie or fyftie Platans abowt it, euery of them be¦inge a spanne and a halfe in length, and as bygge as a mans arme in the smau••e, or more or lesse accordynge to the good∣nesse of the soyle where they growe. They haue a rynde not very thycke, and easy to bee broken: being within altogither full of a substaunce lyke vnto the marye of the bone of an oxe as it appeareth when the rynde or barke is taken frome the same. This cluster owght to bee taken from the plant, when any one of the Platans begynne to appere yelowe. At which tyme they take it and hange it in theyr houses where all the cluster waxeth rype with all his Platans. This cluster is a very good frute: And when it is opened and the rynde taken of, there are founde within it many good drye fygges which beynge rosted or stewed in an ouen in a close pot or sum suche other thynge,* 1.2 are of pleasaunte taste muche lyke the conserue of hony. They putrifie not on the sea so soone as sume other frutes do: but continue fyfteene dayes and more yf they bee gathered sumwhat greene. They seeme more delycate on the sea then on the lande, not for that they any thinge increase in goodnesse on the sea, but bycause that whereas on the sea o∣ther thynges are lackyng wherof is plentie on the land, those meates seeme of beste taste which satisfie presente necessitie.

This troonke or sprygge whiche bryngeth foorth the sayde cluster is a hole yeare in growyng and brynging foorth frute. In whiche tyme it hath put foorth rounde abowte it tenne or twelue sprygges as bygge as the fyrst or principall, and mul∣tiplieth no lesse then the pryncipall in bryngynge foorthe of clusters with frutes lykewyse at theyr tyme, and also in bryn∣gynge foorth other and many sprygges as is sayde beefore. From the which sprygges or trunkes, as soone as the cluster of the frute is taken away, the plante begynneth to drye and wyther, which then they take owt of the grounde bycause it doth none other then occupie it in vayne and without profyt. They are so many and doo so maruelously increase and multi∣plie, that it is a thynge in maner incredible. They are excea∣dynge moyste. In so much that when they are plucked vp frō the place where they gro••••, there issheweth forth a great quan¦••••tie of water as well owte of the plante as owte of the place where it grewe: In suche sorte that all the moysture of the earth farre abowte, myght seeme to bee gathered to gyther a∣bowte the trunke or blocke of the sayde plante: with the frutes whereof, the antes are so farre in loue, that they are seene in great multitudes in the branches of the plantes. So that for the multitude thereof it sumetyme so chaunceth that men are inforced to take away the Platans frome theyr pos∣session. These frutes are founde at all tymes of the yeare.

There is also an other kynd of wyld plantes that groweth in the fyeldes: which I haue not seene but in the Ilande of Hispaniola, althowgh they be founde in other Ilandes of the Indies. These they caule Tunas.* 1.3 They growe of a thistle full of thornes, and brynge foorth a fruite muche lyke vnto great fygges, which haue a crowne lyke medlers, and are within of a hyghe coloure, with graynes and the rynde lyke vnto a fygge. They are of good taste: And growe abundant∣ly in the fyeldes in many places. They woorke a straunge ef∣fecte in suche as eate them. For if a manne eate two or three or more, they cause his vrine to bee of the verye coloure of bludde, which thynge chaunced once to my selfe. At whiche tyme as I made water and sawe the colour of my vrine, I en∣tered into a great suspition of my lyfe, beinge so astonysshed for feare, that I thought the same had chaunced to me vpon sum other cause. In so muche that surely my imagination

myght haue doone me hurte, but that they whiche were with me dyd conforte me immediately, declarynge the cause therof as they knewe by experience beinge auncient inhabitours in those regions.

There groweth also an other plante whiche the people of the countrey caule Bihaos.* 1.4 This putteth forth certeyne streight braunches and very brode leaues which the Indians vse for dyuers purposes. For in sum places they couer theyr houses with the leaues therof cowched and layde after the maner of thetche, wherunto it serueth very well. Sumtymes also whē it rayneth, they cast these ouer theyr heades to defende theim from the water. They make also certeyne chestes whiche they caule Hauas,* 1.5 weaued after a straunge sorte and intermixt with the leaues of this Bihaos. These chestes are wrought in such sort, that although it rayne vpon them, or they chaunce to faule into the water, yet are not such thynges wette as are within them. They are made of the braunches of the sayde Bihaos with the leaues weaued togyther therwith. In these they keepe salte and other subtyle thynges. They vse theym also for an other purpose, which is this: That findyng them in the fieldes at such tyme as they haue scarsenesse of vyttay∣les, they dygge vp the rootes of these plantes whyle they are yet younge, or eate the plante it selfe in that parte where it is moste tender, which is from a foote vnder the grounde, where it is as tender and whyte as a reede or bulrusshe.

And forasmuch as wee are nowe coomme to thend of this narration,* 1.6 it commeth to my rememberaunce to make menti∣on of an other thynge which is not farre from my purpose. And this is howe the Indians do stayne or dye cloth of bom∣bage cotton, or any other thynge which they intende to dye of dyuers coloures: as blacke, tawny, greene, blewe, yelowe, and redde, whiche they doo with the barkes or ryndes, and leaues of certeyne trees, whiche they knowe by experience to bee good for this practise. And by this arte they make colours in such perfection and excellencie that no better can bee diuy∣sed. But this seemeth a straunge thynge,* 1.7 that they doo all this in one selfe same vessell: So that when they haue caused the sayde ryndes and leaues to boyle togyther, they make in the same vessell without any chaunge (as I haue sayde) as many colours as them lysteth. Whiche thynge I suppose to

coomme to passe by the disposition of the coloure whiche they haue fyrste gyuen to the thynge that they intende to dye or co¦lour, whether it bee threede, webbe, or clothe, or any thynge that they intende to coloure.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Platani.
• * 1.2

  Figges.
• * 1.3

  ••unas.
• * 1.4

  Bihaos.
• * 1.5

  Hauas,
• * 1.6

  Dying of cot¦ton.
• * 1.7

  A straunge thynge.