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 venemous apples wherwith they poyson theyr arrowes.

THe apples wherewith the Indian Canibales inueneme theyr arrowes, growe on certeyne trees couered with many braunches and leaues beinge very greene and growyng thicke. They are laden with abundaunce of these euyll fru∣tes, and haue theyr leaues lyke the leaues of a peare tree, but that they are lesse and rounder. The frute is much lyke the muscadell peares of the Ilande of Sicilie or Naples in forme and byggenesse: And are in sum partes stey∣ned with redde spottes, and of very sweete sauours. These trees for the moste parte, growe euer by the sea coastes and neare vnto the water: And are so fayre and of pleasaunte sa∣uour, that there is no man that seethe theym but wyll desyre to eate therof.

In so much that if it may bee spoken of any frute yet grow¦ynge on the earth,* 1.1 I wolde saye that this was the vnhappy frute wherof owre fyrste parentes Adam and Eue tasted, wher¦by they both lost theyr felicitie and procured death to them & theyr posteritie. Of these frutes, and of the greate antes whose bytynge causeth swellynge (whereof I haue spoken els where) and of the eutes or lysartes, and vypers, and such other venemous thynges, the Canibales which are the chyefe archers amonge the Indians,* 1.2 are accustomed to poyson theyr arrowes wherwith they kyll all that they wounde.

* 1.3These venemes they mengle togyther and make thereof a blacke masse or composition which appeareth lyke vnto very blacke pytche. Of this poyson I caused a great quantitie to be burnt in Sancta Maria Antiqua in a place two leaques and more within the lande, with a greate multitude of theyr inuenemed arrowes and other munition, with also the house wherein they were reserued. This was in the yeare .1514. at suche tyme* 1.4 as tharmy arriued there with capitayne Pedrarias da villa at

the commaundemente of the Catholyke kynge Don Ferdinando. But to returne to the hystory. These apples (as I haue said) growe neare vnto the sea. And wheras the Christians which serue yowr maiestie in these parties, suppose that there is no remedy so profytable for such as are wounded with these ar∣rowes, as is the water of the sea if the wounde be much was¦sted therwith,* 1.5 by which meanes sum haue escaped although but fewe, yet to saye the trewthe, albeit the water of the sea haue a certeyne caustike qualitie agenyst poyson, it is not a suf¦ficient remedy in this case: nor yet to this day haue the Chri¦stian perceaued that of fiftie that haue byn wounded, three haue recouered. But that yowr maiestie may the better consy∣der the force of the veneme of these trees, yowe shall further vnderstande that yf a man doo but repose hym selfe to sleepe a lyttle whyle vnder the shadow of the same, he hath his head and eyes so swolne when he ryseth, that the eye lyddes are ioyned with the chekes. And if it chaunce one droppe or more of the dewe of the sayde tree to faule into the eye, it vtterly destroyeth the syght. The pestilent nature of this tree is such that it can not bee declared in fewe woordes. Of these there groweth greate plentie in the goulfe of Vraba towarde the North coast on the Weste and Easte syde.* 1.6 The wood of these trees when it burneth, maketh so greate a stynke that noo man is able to abyde it, by reason it causeth so great a peyne in the headde.

Amonge other trees which are in these Indies as well in the Ilandes as in the firme lande, there is an other kynde which they caule Xagua,* 1.7 wherof there is great plentie. They are very hygh and streyght, and fayre to beholde. Of these they vse to make pykes and iauelyns of dyuers lengthes and byggenesse. They are of a fayre colour betwene russette and whyte. This tree bryngeth foorth a greate frute as bygge as Papauer or poppie and much lyke therunto. It is very good to be eaten when it is ••ype. Owte of this they gette a very cleare water wherwith they wasshe theyr legges and sume∣tymes all theyr boddyes when they feele theyr flesshe werye, faynt, or loose. The which water, bysyd•• that it hath a byn dynge qualitie, it hath also th••s propertie, th••t what so euer it toucheth, it steyneth it blacke by ly••tle and lyttle vntyll it bee as blacke as giete, which coloure can not be taken away

in lesse space then tenne or twelue dayes. And if the nayle bee but touched therwith, it is so steined that it can by no meanes bee taken away vntyll it eyther faule of, or growe owte and bee clypped away by lyttle and lyttle, as I my selfe haue of∣tentymes seene by experience.

There is an other kynde of trees whith they caule Hobi.* 1.8 These are very great and fayre,* 1.9 & cause holsome ayer where they growe and a pleasaunt shadow, and are founde in great abundaunce. Theyr frute is very good, and of good tast and sauoure, and much lyke vnto certeyne damsons or prunes be¦inge lyttle and yelowe. But theyr stone is very great: by rea¦son wherof they haue but lyttle meate. Theyr barke or rynde boyled in water, maketh a holsome bathe for the legges, by∣cause it bindeth and steyeth the loosenesse of the flesshe so sen¦cibly that it is a marueyle to consyder. It is suerly a holsome and excellent bathe ageynst such fayntnesse: And is the beste tree that may bee founde in those parties to sleepe vnder. For it causeth no heauinesse of the headde as doo dyuers other trees. Whiche thynge I speake bycause the Christians are muche accustomed in those regions to lye in the fyeldes. It is therfore a common practice amonge them, that where so euer they fynd these trees, there they spreade theyr mattresses and beddes wherin they sleepe.

There are also a kynde of hyghe date trees and full of thornes.* 1.10 The woodde of these is moste excellent: beinge ve∣ry blacke, and shynynge, and so heauy that no parte thereof can swymme aboue the water, but synketh immediatly to the bottome. Of this woodde they make theyr arrowes and dar¦tes: Also iauelyns, speares, and pykes. And I saye pykes, bycause that in the coastes of the sea of Sur,* 1.11 beyonde Esquegus and Vracha, the Indians vse great and longe pykes made of the woodde of these date trees. Of the same lykewyse they make clubbes and swoordes and dyuers other weapons. Also vesselles and housholde stuffe of dyuers sortes very fayre and commodious. Furthermore of this woodde the Christians vse to make dyuers musicall instrumentes, as clarisimbals, lutes, gyterns, and suche other, the whiche bysyde theyr fayre shy∣dynge coloure lyke vnto giete, are also of a good sounde and very durable by reason of the hardenesse of the woodde.

After that I haue sayde thus much of trees and plantes,

I haue thought good also to speake sumwhat of herbes.* 1.12 You shall therefore vnderstande that in these Indies there is an herbe much lyke vnto a yelowe lyllie, abowte whose leaues there growe and creepe certeyne cordes or laces, as the lyke is partly seene in the herbe which we caule lased sauery. But these of the Indies are muche bygger, and longer: and so stronge that they tye theyr hangynge beddes thereby whiche they caule Hamacas wherof we haue spoken elswhere. These cordes, they caule Cabuia and Henequen,* 1.13 which are al one thing sauynge that Henequen is lesse and of a fyner substaunce as it were line: And the other is grosser lyke the wycke or twyste of hempe, and is imperfecte in comparison to the other. They are of coloure betwene whyte and yelowe lyke vnto abarne, and sum also whyte. With Henequen whiche is the moste sub∣tyle and fyne threede, the Indians sawe in sunder fetters,* 1.14 cheynes, or barres of Iren in this maner. They moue the threede of Henequen vppon the iren which they intende to saw or cutte, drawynge the one hande after the other as doo they that sawe, puttynge euer nowe and then a portion of fyne sande vppon the threede, or on the place or parte of the Iren where they continue rubbynge the sayde threede. So that yf the threede be worne, they take an other, and continewe in theyr woorke as before vntyl they haue cutte in sunder the i∣ren although it bee neuer so bygge: and cut it as yf it were a tender thynge and easye to bee sawne.

And for asmuch as the leaues of trees may bee counted a∣monge herbes,* 1.15 I wyll here speake sumewhat of the qualitie of the leaues of certeyne trees which are founde in the Iland of Hispaniola. These trees are so full of thornes, that there is no tree or plante that seemeth more wylde and deformed: so that I can not well determyne whether they bee trees or plan¦tes. They haue certeyne braunches full of large and defor∣med leaues, which braunches were fyrste leaues lyke vnto the other. As the braunches made of these leaues growe foorthe inlength, there commeth other leaues of them. So that ••n fine it is a dyfficult thyng to descrybe the forme of these trees except the same shulde bee doone by a paynter wherby the eye myght conceaue that wherein the toonge fayleth in this be∣halfe. The leaues of this tree are of such vertue,* 1.16 that beyng well beaten and spreadde vppon a cloth after the maner of a

playster, and so layde to a legge or arme that is broken in ma¦ny pieces, it healeth it in fyftene dayes, and maketh it as hole as though it had neuer byn broken. Durynge the tyme of this operation, it cleaueth so fast to the flesshe that it can not without much difficultie bee taken away. But as soone as it hath healed the sore and wrought his operation, it loo∣seth it selfe from the place where it was layde, as I my selfe and dyuers other which haue proued it, knowe by experience

Notes

• * 1.1

  Note.
• * 1.2

  Canibales ar¦chiers.
• * 1.3

  wherwith they inuenym¦ther arrowes
• * 1.4

  P••trus Arias.
• * 1.5

  The water of the sea.
• * 1.6

  The goulf of vraba.
• * 1.7

  Xagua.
• * 1.8

  Hobi.
• * 1.9

  Sum thynke these to be mi¦••obalanes.
• * 1.10

  Date trees,
• * 1.11

  Thinhabitan¦••es of the sea of Sur.
• * 1.12

  An herb that bearethe cor∣des.
• * 1.13

  Cabuia & he••••∣quen.
• * 1.14

  A straūg thi••∣ge.
• * 1.15

  Leaues,
• * 1.16

  A leafe of great vertue.