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.

¶ Howe thynges that are of one kynde, dyffer in forme and qualitie, accordynge to the nature of the place where they are engendred or growe. And of the beastes cauled Tygers.

IN the firme lande are fownde many terryble beastes which sum thinke to be Tigers.* 1.1 Which thynge neuerthelesse, I dare not affirme, con∣syderynge what auctoures doo wryte of the lyghtnes and agilitie of the Tyger, whereas this beast beynge other wyse in shape very like vnto a Tyger, is notwithstandynge very slowe. Yet trewe it is, that accordynge to the maruayles of the worlde and diffe¦rences which naturall thynges haue in dyuers regions vnder heauen and dyuers constellations of the same vnder the whi¦che they are created, wee see that sum suche plantes and her¦bes as are hurtfull in one countrey,* 1.2 are harmelesse and hol∣some

in other regions. And byrdes which in one prouince are of good taste,* 1.3 are in other so vnsauery that they may not bee eaten. Men likewyse which in sum countreys are blacke, are in other places whyte: and yet are both these and they men.* 1.4

Euen so may it bee that Tygers are lyght in sum region as they wryte, and maye neuerthelesse bee slowe and heauy in these Indies of yowr maiestie wherof we speake. The sheepe of Arabie drawe theyr tayles longe and bigge on the ground,* 1.5 and the bulles of Egypt haue theyr heare growynge towarde theyr headdes: yet are those sheepe and these bulles.* 1.6 Men in sum countreys are hardy and of good courage, and in other naturally fearefull and brutyshe. All these thynges and ma∣ny more which may bee sayde to this purpose, are easy to bee proued and woorthy to bee beleued of suche as haue redde of the lyke in autours or trauayled the worlde, whereby theyr owne syght may teache theym thexperience of these thynges wherof I speake. It is also manifest, that Iucea wherof they make theyr breade in the Ilande of Hispaniola,* 1.7 is deadely poy∣son yf it bee eaten greene with the iuse: And yet hathe it no suche propertie in the firme land where I haue eaten it many times & founde it to bee a good frute. The bats of Spayne al¦though they bite,* 1.8 yet are they not venemous. But in the firme lande many dye that are bytten of them. And in this fourme may so many thynges bee sayde that tyme shall not suffice to wryte, wheras my intent is only to proue that this beast may be a Tiger or of the kind of Tigers although it be not of such lyghtnesse and swiftnes as are they wherof Plinie and other autours speake,* 1.9 discrybynge it to bee one of the swyftesse beastes of the lande, and that the ryuer of Tigris for the swift course therof was cauled by that name. The first Spaniardes which sawe this Tyger in the firme lande, dyd so name it. Of the kynde of these was that which Don Diego Columbo the Admirall sent yowre maiestie owte of newe Spayne to Tole∣do.* 1.10 Theyr heades are lyke to the heades of Lyons or Lio∣nesses, but greater. The reste of all theyr boddies and theyr legges, are full of blacke spottes one nere vnto an other and diuided with a circumference or frynge of redde colour shew∣inge as it were a fayre woorke and correspondent picture. Abowt theyr croopes or hynder partes, they haue these spots bydgest: and lesse and lesse towarde theyr bellies, legges, and

headdes. That which was brought to Toledo, was younge and but lyttle, and by my estimation, of thage of three yeares But in the firme lande there are many founde of greater quan∣titie. For I haue seene sum of three spannes in heyght, and more then fyue in length. They are beastes of greate force, with stronge legges, and well armed with nayles and fanges which we caule dogge teeth. They are so fierce that in my iudgement no reall lyon of the byggest sorte is so stronge or fierce. Of these, there are many founde in the firme land whi∣che deuour many of the Indians & do much hurte otherwyse. But syns the comming of the Christians, many haue byn kyld with Crossebowes after this maner. As soone as the archer hath knowlege of the haunt of any of these Tygers,* 1.11 he gothe searchynge theyr trase with his crossebowe and with a lyttle hounde or bewgle and not with a greehounde, bycause this beast wolde soone kyll any dogge that wolde venter on hym. When the hounde hath founde the Tyger, he runneth about hym bayinge continually, and approcheth so neare hym snap∣pynge and grynnynge with so quicke flyinge and returnyng, that he hereby so molesteth this fierce beaste that he dryuethe hym to take the next tree, at the foote whereof he remayneth styl baying and the Tyger grynnyng and shewyng his teeth, whyle in the meane tyme the archer commeth neare, and .xii. or .xiiii. pases of, stryketh hym with the querel of his crosse∣bowe in the breste, and flyeth incontinent, leauynge the Ty∣ger in his trauayle for lyfe and death, bytynge the tree and ea∣tynge earth for fi••rcenesse. Then within the space of twoo or three houres or the day folowynge, the archer returneth thy∣ther, and with his dogge fyndeth the place where he lyethe deade.

In the yeare, 1522. I with the other rulers & magistra∣tes of the citie of Sancta Maria Antiqua in Dariena, toke order in owr counsayle, A rewarde of foure or fyue pieces of golde to bee giuen to euery man that kylde any of these Tygers:* 1.12 by reason wherof many were kylde in shorte space both with crosse∣bowes and also with dyuers snares and ingens. But to con∣clude, I wyll not obstynately stand in opinyon whether these beastes bee Tygers or Panthers, or of the number of any o∣ther such beastes of spotted heare, or also peraduenture sum other newe beaste vnknowen to the owlde wryters as were

many other wherof I haue spoken in this booke. Of which thynge, I doo not greately meruayle, For asmuche as vnto owre tyme thys greate parte of the worlde was vnknowen to the antiquitie: In so muche that none of the wryters of that age, nor yet Ptolomie in his Cosmographie, or any other sence hym, haue made any mention herof, vntill the fyrst Ad¦myrall Don Chrystopher Colonus discouered the same.

A thynge doutelesse without comparyson muche greater then that whyche is sayd of Hercules,* 1.13 that he fyrste gaue thente∣rance of the sea Mediterraneum into the O••ean,* 1.14 whiche the Grekes coulde neuer doo before hym. And herof rysethe the fable that the mountaynes of Calpe and Abila (which are di∣rectly one agaynst an other in the strayght of Gibilterra,* 1.15 the one beyng in Spayne and the other in Affryke) were ioyned togi¦ther before they were opened by Hercules,* 1.16 who erected those hys pyllers whiche your maiestye gyue in token of prehemy∣nence and lyke enterpryses with lykewyse these hys wordes PLVS VLTRA:* 1.17 wordes doutelesse worthy for so greate an vnyuersall an Emperoure, and not conuenyent for any other Prynce.* 1.18 Forasmuche as your holy Catholyke Maiestye haue spredde them in so straunge and remote regyons, so manye thousande leaques further than euer dyd Hercules. And cer∣teynlye syr, If there had byn an Image of golde made in the prayse and fame of Colonus, He had as well deserued it as any of those men to whom for theyr noble enterpryse the antiquy¦tie gaue deuyne honoure, if he had byn in their tyme. But to returne to the matter whereof I began to speake: I neede say no more of the forme of thys beaste, for as muche as your Maiestye haue seene that whych is yet alyue in Tolledo. And suerly the keper of your Maiesties lyons, who hath taken vp¦pon hym the charge to tame this beaste, myght better haue be∣stowed his paynes in an other thynge that myght haue bynne more profitable for the safegarde of his lyfe bycause this Ty∣ger beinge yet but younge, wyl dayly bee stronger and fiercer and increase in malyce. The Indians (and especially they of the firme lande in the prouince whiche the Catholyke Kynge Don Ferdinando commaunded to bee cauled golden Castyle) caule this beaste Oobi. This thinge is straunge that chaunced of late: that wheras the Tiger wherof we haue made mention before,* 1.19 wolde haue kylde his kee•••••• that then kept hym in a

cage, was in fewe dayes after made so tame that he ledde her tyed only with a smaule corde and playde with her so family∣arly that I maruayled greatly to see it, yet not without cer∣teyne belefe that this frendshyp wyll not laste longe without daunger of lyfe to the keeper, forasmuch as suerly these bea∣stes are not meete to bee amonge men for theyr fiercenes and cruell nature that can not bee tamed.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Tigers.
• * 1.2

  Plantes and herbes.
• * 1.3

  Birdes.
• * 1.4

  Men.
• * 1.5

  Sheepe.
• * 1.6

  Bulles.
• * 1.7

  Iucea.
• * 1.8

  Battes.
• * 1.9

  Plinie.
• * 1.10

  the Tiger.
• * 1.11

  The huntyng of tigers.
• * 1.12

  A reward for kyllinge of ••i¦gers.
• * 1.13

  Colocus com∣pared to Her∣cules.
• * 1.14

  The pillers of hercules.
• * 1.15

  the straightes of Gibilterra.
• * 1.16

  Note.
• * 1.17

  PLVS VLTRA.
• * 1.18

  howe farre Themperou•• maiestie excel¦leth hercules.
• * 1.19

  A tiger made ••ame.