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.

¶ The preface to the book•• of Metals.

TO this booke of the Indies and nauigations I haue thowght good to adde the booke of metals, for three causes especially me mouynge: whereo•• the fyrst is, that it seemeth to me a thynge vnde∣cent to reade so much of golde and syluer, and to knowe lyttle or nothynge of the naturall generation thereof, beinge neuerthelesse thynges not onely most desyred, but also such withowt the which at this age the lyfe of man can not bee passed ouer withowt many aduersities, forasmuch as po∣uertie is hatefull to all men, and vertue no further esteemed then it is supported by ryches, syth nowe that lady that reig¦ned in Saturns dayes, is becomme the slaue to hym that was then her bondeman in that golden worlde, so named, not for the desyre that men had to golde, but for thinnocencie of ly∣uynge in those dayes, when Mars was of no poure, and men thought it crueltie by breakynge the bones of owre mother the earth, to open a way to the courte of infernal Pluto from thence to get golde and syluer the seedes of al mischiefes and angels of such a god, whom the antiquitie (not without good consyderation) paynted blynde, affirmynge also that of hym golde and syluer haue receaued the propertie to blynde the eyes of men. But syth it is nowe so that we shalbe inforced to seke ayde by that which was sumtymes a myschefe, it resteth to vse the matter as doo cunnynge phisitians that can myni∣ster poyson in proportion with other thynges in such sort qua¦lyfyinge the maliciousnesse therof, that none shall therby bee intoxicate. Forasmuch therfore as golde and syluer haue ob¦teyned this prerogatiue that they are suche necessarie euyls

which the lyfe of man can not lacke withowt detriment, not only they but other metals also perhappes more necessarie al∣thowgh not so precious, are thynges woorthy to bee better knowen then only by name, syth they are thinstrumentes of ••ll artes, the prices of all thynges, the ornamentes of al dig∣nities, and not the least portion of nature, wherby the contē∣plation of them is no lesse pleasaunte then necessary. But for¦asmuch as it is not here my intent to intreate much of metals, I wyll speake of the seconde cause: which is, that if in tra∣uaylyng strang and vnknowen countreys any mans chaunce shalbe to arryue in such regions where he may knowe by thin¦formation of thinhabitauntes or otherwyse, that suche regi∣ons are frutefull of riche metals, he may not bee without sum iudgement to make further searche for the same. The thyrde cause is, that althowgh this owre realme of Englande be ful of metals not to bee contemned and much rycher then men sup¦pose, yet is there fewe or none in Englande that haue anye greate skyll thereof, or any thynge wrytten in owr tounge, whereby men maye bee well instructed of the generation and fyndyng of the same: as the lyke ignorance hath byn amonge vs as touchynge Cosmographie and nauigations vntyll I at∣tempted accordinge to the portion of my talent and simple ler¦nynge to open the ••yrst dore to the enteraunce of this knowe∣leage into owre language, wherin I wolde wyshe that other of greater lernynge wolde take sume peynes to accomplysshe and bringe to further perfection that I haue rudely begunne, not as an autour but a translatoure, leaste I bee iniurious to any man in ascrybyng to my selfe the trauayles of other. And wheras as concernynge the knowleage of metals, I was once mynded to haue translated into Englyshe the hole woorke of Pyrotechnia wherof I fynysshed .xxii. chapitures nowe more then three yeares sence, and lefte the copie therof in the han∣des of one of whom I coulde neuer get it ageyne (omyttynge to speake of other ingratitudes) I was therby discouraged to proceade any further in that woorke. Neuerthelesse, sythe this hystory of the Indies hath ministred occasion to intreate sumwhat of metals, I haue ageyne translated three of the fyrst chapitures of that booke, which seeme most necessary to bee knowen in this case. And hereof to haue sayde thus much in maner of a preface it may suffice.