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 landes of Laborador and Baccalaos, lyinge west and northwest from Englande, and beinge parte of the firme lande of the West Indies.

MAny haue trauayled to search the coast of th•• lande of Laborador, aswell to thintente to knowe howe farre or whyther it reachethe, as also whether there bee any passage by sea through the same into the sea of Surand the Ilandes of Maluca which are vnder the E∣quinoctiall line:* 1.1 thinkynge that the way•• thyther shulde greatly bee shortened by this vyage. The Spa¦nyardes as to whose ryght the sayde Ilandes of spices per∣teyne,* 1.2 dyd fyrst seeke to fynde the same by this way The Por¦tug••les also hauynge the trade of spices in theyr handes, dyd trauayle to fynde the same: although hetherto neyther anye such pa••sage is founde or the ende of that lande. In the yeare a thousande and fiue hundreth. Basper Cortesreales,* 1.3 made a vyage thyther with two carauelles: but founde not the

••••reyght or passage he sought. At his beinge there, he named the Ilandes that lye in the mouth of the goulfe Quadrado, after his name Cortesreales,* 1.4 lyinge in the .L. degrees and more: and browght from that lande abowt three score men for slaues. He greatly maruayled to beholde the houge quan¦titie of snowe and Ise.* 1.5 For the sea is there frosen excedyng∣ly. Thinhabitauntes are men of good corporature, although tawny lyke the Indies, and laborious. They paynte theyr bodyes, and weare braselettes and hoopes of syluer and cop∣per.* 1.6 Theyr apparel is made of the skynnes of marternes and dyuers other beastes, whiche they weare with the heare in∣warde in wynter, and owtwarde in soommer. This apparell they gyrde to theyr bodyes with gyrdels made of cotton, or the synewes of fysshes and beastes. They eate fysshe more then any other thynge, and especially salmons,* 1.7 althoughe they haue foules and frute. They make theyr houses of tim∣ber wherof they haue great plentie•• and in the steade of tyles, couer them with the skynnes of fysshes and beastes. It is sayde also that there are grifes in this lande:* 1.8 and that the beares and many other beastes and foules are whyte.* 1.9 To this and the Ilandes abowt the same, the Britons are accustomed to resorte:* 1.10 as men of nature agreable vnto them and borne vn¦der the same altitude and temperature. The Norwayes also sayled thyther with the pylot cauled Iohn Scoluo: And the Englysshe men with Sebastian Cabot.* 1.11

The coaste of the lande of Baccallaos,* 1.12 is a greate tracte: and the greatest altitude therof, is .xiviii. degrees and a halfe Sebastian Cabot was the fyrst that browght any knowleage of this lande. For beinge in Englande in the dayes of kyng Henry the seuenth,* 1.13 he furnysshed twoo shippes at his owne charges or (as sum say) at the kynges, whome he persuaded that a passage might bee founde to Cathay by the north seas, and that spices myght bee brought from thense soner by that way, then by the vyage the Portugales vse by the sea of Sur He went also to knowe what maner of landes those Indies were to inhabite. He had with hym three hundreth men, and directed his course by the tracte of Islande vppon the cape of Laborador at .lviii. degrees:* 1.14 affirmynge that in the monethe of Iuly there was such could and heapes of Ise that he durst passe no further: also that the dayes were very longe and in

maner withowt myght, and the nyghtes very cleare. Cer∣teyne it is, that at the. lx. degrees, the longest day is of .xviii. houres. But consyderynge the coulde and the straungenes of th•• vnknowen lande, he turned his course from thense to the West, folowynge the coast of the lande of Baccalaos vnto th•• xxxviii. degrees,* 1.15 from whense he returned to Englande. To conclude, the Brytons and Danes haue sayled to the Bacca∣laos:* 1.16* 1.17 and Iaques Cartier a frenche man was there twyse with three galeons:* 1.18 as one in the yeare .xxxiiii. and the other in the .xxxv. and chose the lande to inhabite frome the .xlv. degrees to the. li. beinge as good a lande as Fraunce, and al thynges therein commune to such as fyrst possesse the same.

Of these lands, Iacobus Gastaldus wryteth thus: The newe lande of Baccalaos,* 1.19 is a coulde region, whose inhaby∣tauntes are Idolatours and praye to the soonne and moon•• and dyuers Idoles. They are whyte people and very rustical. For they eate flesshe and fysshe and all other thynges rawe. Sumtymes also they eate mans flesshe priuilye so that theyr Laciqui haue no knowleage therof. The apparell of both the men and women, is made of beares skynnes, althowgh they haue sables and marternes, not greatly estemed bycause they are lyttle. Sum of them go naked in soommer, and weare ap¦parell only in wynter. The Brytous and Frenche men are ac¦customed to take fysshe in the coaste of these landes where is founde great plentie of Tunnyes which thinhabitauntes caul Baccalaos wherof the lande was so named.* 1.20 Northwarde from the region of Baccalaos, is the lande of Laborador,* 1.21 all full of mountaynes and great wooddes in whiche are manye beares and wylde bores. Thinhabitauntes are Idolatoures and warlike people, appareled as are they of Baccallaos. In all this newe lande, is neyther citie or castell: but they lyue in companies lyke heardes of beastes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The way to the Ilandes of Maluca by the north sea.
• * 1.2

  The Spany∣••••des.
• * 1.3

  Ba••per Cor∣te••reales.
• * 1.4

  〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.5

  Snowe and Ise.
• * 1.6

  Furre••.
• * 1.7

  Fysshe.
• * 1.8

  Gryfes.
• * 1.9

  Beares.
• * 1.10

  The britons.
• * 1.11

  Sebastian Cabot.
• * 1.12

  The land of Baccall••os.
• * 1.13

  The vyage of Cabot in the dayes of kyng henry the seuenth.
• * 1.14

  Ise in Iuly.
• * 1.15

  Baccallaos.
• * 1.16

  Bry••ons.
• * 1.17

  ••anes.
• * 1.18

  Iaques Car∣tyer.
• * 1.19

  The people of Baccallaos
• * 1.20

  Fysshynge for tunnyes.
• * 1.21

  Laborador.