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 the maner of fyshynge for perles.

THe Indians exercise this kynde of fysshynge for the moste parte in the coastes of the North in Cubagua and Cumana. And manye of theym which dwell in the houses of certeyne particu∣lar lordes in the Ilandes of San Dominico and Sancti Iohannis, resort to the Ilande of Cubagua for this purpose. Theyr custome is to go fyue, syxe, or seuen, or more in one of theyr Canoas or barkes erly in the mornynge to sume place in the sea there about where it appeareth vnto thē that there shulde bee greate plentie of those shell fyshes (which sume caule muscles and sume oysters) wherin perles are engen¦dered. And there they plonge them selues vnder the water, euen vnto the bottome, sauynge one that remaynethe in the Canoa or boate which he keepeth styll in one place as neare as he can, lookynge for theyr returne owte of the water. And when one of them hath byn a good whyle vnder the water, he cyseth vp and commeth swymmynge to the boate, enterynge into the same, and leauynge there all the oysters whiche he hath taken and brought with hym. For in these, are the perles founde. And when he hathe there rested hym selfe a whyle, and eaten parte of the oysters, he returneth ageyne to the water, where he remaynethe as longe as he can endure, and then ryseth ageyne, and swimmeth to the boate with his pray, where he restethe hym as before, and thus continueth course by course, as doo all the other in lyke maner, being all

moste experte swymmers and dyuers. And when the nyght draweth neare, they returne to the Ilande to theyr houses, and presente all the oysters to the master or stewarde of the house of theyr lorde who hath the charge of the sayde Indi∣ans. And when he hath gyuen them sumwhat to eate, he lay¦eth vp the oysters in safe custodie vntyll he haue a great quan¦titie therof. Then hee causeth the same fyssher men to open them. And they fynde in euery of theym pearles other great or smaul, two or three or foure, and sumtymes fiue and syxe, and many smaule graines accordyng to the lyberalitie of na∣ture. They saue the pearles bothe smaule and great whiche they haue founde••: And eyther eate the oysters if they wyl, or caste them away, hauynge so great quantitie therof that they in maner abhorre them. These oysters are of hard fleshe, and not so plesaunt in eatyng as are owres of Spayne. This Ilande of Cubagua where this maner of fysshing is exercised, is in the Northe coaste, and is no bygger then the Iland of Zelande. Oftentymes the sea increaseth greatly, and muche more then the fyshers for pearles wold, bycause where as the place is very depe, a man can not naturally rest at the bottome by reason of the aboundaunce of aery substaunce whiche is in hym, as I haue oftentymes proued. For althoughe he may by vyolence and force descende to the bottome, yet are his feete lyfted vp ageyne so that he can continue no tyme there. And therfore where the sea is verye deepe, these Indian fys∣shers vse to tye two great stoones aboute them with a corde, on euery syde one, by the weyght wherof they descend to the bottome and remayne there vntyl them lysteth to ryse ageine: At which tyme they vnlose the stones, and ryse vppe at their pleasure. But this their aptenesse and agilitie in swimming, is not the thynge that causeth men moste to maruaile: But rather to consyder howe many of them can stande in the bot∣tome of the water for the space of one hole houre, and summe more or lesse, accordynge as one is more apte hereunto then an other. An other thynge there is whiche seemeth to me ve∣ry straunge. And this is, that where as I haue oftentymes demaunded of summe of these lordes of the Indians, if the place where they are accustomed to fy••••e for pearles beynge but lyttle and narrowe, wyll not in shorte tyme bee vtterly withowt oysters if they consume them so faste, they al answe∣red

me, that althoughe they bee consumed in one parte, yet if they go a fysshynge in an other parte or an other coaste of the Ilande, or at an other contrary wynd, and continue fysshing there also vntyll the oysters be lykewyse consumed, and then returne ageyne to the fyrste place, or any other place where they fysshed before and emptied the same in lyke maner, they find thē ageine as ful of oysters as though they had neuer bin fysshed.* 1.1 Wherby we may iudge that these oysters eyther re∣moue from one place to an other as do other fysshers, or elles that they are engendered and encrease in certeyne ordinarie places. This Iland of Cumana and Cubagua where they fyshe for these perles, is in the twelfe degree of the part of the said coaste which incline••h toward the North. Lykewise pearles are founde and gathered in the South sea cauled Mare del Sur. And the pearles of this sea are verye bygge. Yet not so bigge as they of the Ilande of pearles cauled de las perlas, or Marga∣ritea, whiche the Indians caule Terarequi, lyinge in the goulfe of saincte Michael, where greatter pearles are founde and of greater price then in any other coaste of the Northe sea, in Cumana, or any other parte. I speake this as a trewe testi∣monie of syght, hauyng byn longe in that South sea, and ma¦kynge curious inquisition to bee certenly informed of al that perteyneth to the fysshynge of pearles. From this Ilande of Tararequi,* 1.2 there was brought a pearle of the fasshyon of a peace, wayinge .xxxi. carattes, whiche Petrus Arias had a∣monge a thousande and soo many poundes weight of other pearles whiche hee had when capitayne Gaspar Morales (before Petrus Arias) passed to the saide Ilande in the yeare .1515. whiche pearle was of great prise. From the saide I∣lande also, came a great and verye rounde pearle, whiche I brought owte of that sea. This was as bygge as a smaule pellet of a stone bowe, and of the weight of .xxvi. cacattes. I bought it in the citie of Panama in the sea of Sur: And paide for it syxe hundreth and fyftie tymes the weyght therof of good gold, and had it thre yeares in my custodie: and after my returne into Spaine, soulde it to therle of Nansao Marquesse of Zenete, great chamberleyne to yowre maiestie, who gaue it to the Marquesse his wyfe, the ladye Mentia of Mendozza. I thyncke verely that this pearle was the greatest, fayrest, and roundest that hath byn seene in those partes. For yowre

maiestie owght to vnderstande that in the coaste of the sea of Sur, there are founde a hundreth greate pearles rounde after the fasshyon of a peare, to one that is perfectely rounde and greate. This Ilande of Terarequi, which the Christians caule the Ilande of pearles, & other caule it the Ilande of floutes, is founde in the eyght degree on the southe syde of the firme lande in the prouince of golden Castyle or Beragua. And these are the coastes of the firme lande where pearles are founde euen vnto this day. I vnderstande also that there are pooles founde in the prouince and Ilandes of Cartageni••. And ••ence yowr maiestie appoynted me a gouernour and capytayne, I haue made further searche, and am aduertised that peatles are founde in dyuers other places as about the Iland of Gode¦go which lyeth ageynst the mouth of that porte of the Ilande of Carta••enia which the Indians caul Coro. The which Iland and porte, are on the North syde in the tenthe degree of the coastes of the firme lande.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of this reade more largely in the deca∣des.
• * 1.2

  By the com∣putation of ve¦nice .iiii. gra••∣nes make a carette.