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 fyfte booke of the seconde Decade of the supposed continent.

IN the meane tyme whyle these thynges were doone alonge by the shores or bankes of the ryuer, a certeyne Decurian, that is a capy∣tayne ouer tenne, of the coompanye of those which Vascus and Colmenaris had lefte for a gar¦ryson in Riuo Nigro in the dominion of kynge Abinamachei, whether it were that he was com¦pelled throwgh hunger, or that his fataule dayes was nowe coome, he attempted with his souldiers to searche the coun∣treys nere there about, and entered into the vyllage of a king cauled Abraiba.* 1.1 This capitaynes name was Raia: whom Abrai∣ba slewe, with twoo of his felowes: but the resydue fledde. Within a fewe dayes after, Abraiba hauinge compassion of the calamitie of his kynseman and neyghbour Abenamacheius being dryuen from his owne possessions (whose arme also we sayd before that one of the souldiers cut of at the riuer of Riuo Nigro

and nowe remaynynge with Abraiba to whome he fledde by stelth after he was taken, went to Abibeiba thinhabitour of the tree, who had nowe lykewyse forsaken his contrey for feare of owre men, and wandered in the desolate mountaynes and wooddes. When he had therfore founde him, he spake to him in this effecte.* 1.2 What thynge is this Oh vnfortunate Abibeiba? or what nation is this that soo tormenteth vs that wee can not enioye owre quyet lybertie? Howe longe, howe longe I say shall wee suffer theyr crueltie? were it not much better for vs to die, then to abide such iniuries and oppre••sions as yow, as Abinamacheius owre kynseman, as Cemacchus, as Careta, as Pon∣cha, as I and other princes of owr order doo susteyne? Canne any thinge bee more intollerable then to see owre wyues, owre chyldren, and owre subiectes, to bee ledde awaye cap∣tiues, and owre goodes to be spoyled euen before owre faces.

I take the goddes to wytnes, that I speake not soo much for myne owne part as I doo for yowe whose case I lament. For albeit they haue not yet touched me, neuer••helesse, by the example of other, I owght to thynke that my destruction is not farre of.* 1.3 Let vs therfore (yf wee bee men) trye owre stren∣gthe and proue owre fortune ageynst them whiche haue delte thus cruelly with Abenam••cheius, and dryuen hym owte of his contrey. Let vs set on them with all owre poure, and vtterly destroy them And yf wee can not sleye them al, yet shall wee make them afrayde eyther to assayle vs ageyne, or at the least dimynysshe theyr poure. For what soo euer shall befaule, no∣thynge can chaunce woorse vnto vs then that which we now suffer. When Abibeiba harde these wordes and such other like, he condecended to doo in al thinges as Abraiba wolde requyre: Where vppon they appoynted a day to brynge theyr conspira∣cie to passe. But the thynge chaunced not accordynge to their desyre. For of those whiche wee sayde to haue passed to the Canibales, there returned by chaunce to Riuus Niger the nyght before the day appoynted to woorke theyr feate, thirtie men to the ayde of theym whiche were lefte there yf anye sedition shulde ryse they suspected.* 1.4 Therfore at the daunyng of the day, the confetherate kynges with fyue hundreth of theyr di∣tionaries armed after theyr maner, beseaged the vyllage with a terrible alarome, knowynge nothynge of the newe menne which came thether the same nyght. Here owre target men

came foorth ageynst them, and fyrst assayled them a farre of with theyr arrowes, then with theyr pykes, and laste with theyr swoordes: But the naked seely sowles, perceauinge a greater number of theyr aduersaries thē they looked for,* 1.5 were soone dryuen to flyght, and slayne for the most parte lyke sca∣terynge sheepe. The kynges escaped, they slewe manye, and tooke many captiues whiche they sente to Dariena where they vse them for labourers to tyll and sowe theyr grounde. These thynges thus happely atchyued, and that prouince quyeted, they returned by the ryuer to Dariena, leauinge theyr thyrtie men for a garryson vnder the gouernance of one Furatado a ca∣pitayne.* 1.6 This Furatado therfore, sente from Riu•• Nigro where he was appoynted gouernoure, twentie of his felowes & one woman, with, xxiiii. captiues to Vaschus and his company, in one of the byggest Canoas of that prouince. As they rowed downe by the ryuer,* 1.7 there came foorth soodenly ouerthwarte the ryuer ageynst them, foure greate Canoas, which ouerthrew theyr boate and slewe as many of them as they coulde coome by, bycause they were vnprepared suspecting noo such thinge. Owre men were all drowned and slayne excepte twoo, which hyd them selues amonge certeyne fagottes that swamme on the water, in the whiche they laye lurkynge, and soo escaped to theyr felowes in Dariena: who by them beinge aduertysed hereof, beganne to caste theyr wyttes what this thyng might meane: beinge no lesse solicitate for them selues, then medita¦tynge in what daunger theyr felowes had byn in Riuo Nigro, excepte by good fortune, those thirtie newe men which were sente to them, had coome to the vyllage the nyght before the conspiracie shulde haue byn wrought. Consultinge therefore what was best to bee doone herein, at the lengthe with dyly∣gent searchynge they had intelligence that fyue kynge, that is to wytte, Abibeiba the inhabitoure of the tree,* 1.8 and Cem••cchus dryuen from his vyllage whiche owre menne nowe possessed, Abraiba also and Abenamacheius, kynsemen, with Dabaiba the king of the fysher men inhabytinge the corner of the goulfe whiche we cauled Culata, were all a••sembled to conspire the Christian mens destruction at a day assigned. Which thynge had surely coome to passe, if it had not byn otherwyse hyndered by gods prouidence. It is therfore ascrybed to a myracle:* 1.9 And trewly not vnwoorthely if wee weye howe chaunce detected and be∣wrayed

wrayed the counsayle of these kynges. And bycause it is wor¦thy to bee harde, I wyll declare it in fewe woordes. Vaschus Nunnez therfore,* 1.10 who rather by poure then by election, vsur∣ped the gouernaunce in Dariena, beinge a master of fence, and rather a rasshe royster then politike capitayne (althowgh for∣tune sumtyme fauoureth fooles) amonge many women which in dyuers of these regions he had taken captyue, had one whi¦che in fauoure and bewtie excelled all other. To this woman her owne brother often tymes resorted,* 1.11 who was also dryuen owte of his contrey with kynge Cemacchus, with whom he was very familier and one of his chiefe gentelmen. Amonge other communication which he had with his syster whom he loued entierly, he vttered these woordes. My deare and welbeloued syster, gyue care to my sayinges, and keepe moste secreatelye that whiche I wyll declare vnto yowe, yf yowe desyre yowre owne wealth and myne, and the prosperitie of owre contrey and kynsefolkes. The insolencie and crueltie of these menne whiche haue dryuen vs owte of owre possessions, is soo intol¦lerable, that the princes of the lande are determyned noo lon∣ger to susteyne theyr oppressions.

By the conductinge therfore of fyue kinges (which he named in order) they haue prepared a hundreth greate Canoas,* 1.12 with fyue thousande men of warre by lande and by sea, with vitai∣les also in the village of Tichiri, sufficient to maintayne such an army. Declaringe further, that the kinges by agremente, had diuided emonge theym the goodes and headdes to owre men:* 1.13 And therfore admony••hed her, at the daye appoynted by sume occasion to conueigh her selfe owte of the way, leste shee shuld bee slayne in the confusion of the bataile. For the souldier victourer, is not woonte to spare any that commethe in his rase. And thus shewinge his syster the daye a••••igned to the slawghter,* 1.14 he departed. But the younge woman (for it is the swoord that women feare and obserue more then the grauitie of Cato,) whether it were for the loue or feare that shee had to Vaschus, forgettinge her parentes, her kynsfolkes, her countrey and all her frendes, ye and all the kinges into whose throtes Vaschus, had thruste his swoorde shee opened all the matter vn∣to hym, and conceled none of those thinges whiche her vndis∣crete broother had declared to her. When Vaschus therfore had hard the matter, he caused Fuluia, (for soo had they named her)

to sende for her brother, who came to her immediatly, was ta¦ken, and enforced to tell the hole circunstances of the matter. Where vppon, he playnely confessed that kinge Cemacchus hys lorde and master, sente those foure canoas to the destruction of owre men, and that these newe conspiraces were attempted by his consaile.* 1.15 Likewise that Cemacchus sowght the destructi∣on of Vaschus hym selfe when he sent hym fortie men vnder pre¦tence of fren••shippe to tyll and sowe his grownd after the ma¦ner of the contrey, gyuinge them in commaundement to sleye Vaschus at Marris, whyther he resorted to comforte his laboures as the maner is of all good husbandes. Yet durste they at noo tyme execute theyr lordes commaundemente vppon hym, by∣cause Vaschus came neuer emonge them afoote or vnarmed,* 1.16 but was accustomed to ryde to theym in harnes with a iauelen in his hande and a swoorde by his syde. Wherfore Cemacchus be∣inge frustrate of his particu••er con••aile, tooke this laste thing in hande to his owne destruction and his neighbours. For the conspiracie beinge detected, Vaschus cauled threescore and tenne souldiers,* 1.17 commaundinge them to folow him, but decla∣red nothing vnto them whether hee wente or what hee enten¦ded to do. He wente forwarde therfore fyrste towarde Cemac∣chus which ley from hym, onely tenne myles. But he had know¦leage that he was fledde to Dabaiba the kinge of the marishes of Culata. Yet searchinge his village, he founde a noble man a ruler vnder hym and also his kinsseman, whome he tooke pri∣soner with many other of his familiers and frendes both men and women. The same houre that he sette forwarde to seeke for Cemacchus, Rodericus Colmenaris rowed vp the ryuer with foure of theyr biggeste Canoas and threescore men by the conduction of the maydes brother who browght hym to the village of ••i∣chiri,* 1.18 in the which we sayd all their vitailes to remayne whiche were prepared for theyr armye. Colmenaris therfore, sacked the village, and possessed all their vitayles and wyne of sundry colours: likewise tooke the gouernoure thereof prisoner, and hanged hym on the tree in whiche he dwelte hym selfe, com∣maundinge hym too bee shotte throwgh with arrowes in the sight of thinhabitantes,* 1.19 and with hym foure other rulers to bee hanged on iebbettes to the exemple of other rebelles. This punysshmente thus executed vppon the conspiratours, s••rooke the hartes of all thinhabitantes of the prouince wych suche

feare, that there is not nowe a man that dare stoore his finger ageynst the wrathe of owre men. They lyue nowe therefore quietly: And the other kinges by theyr exemple doo the glad∣lyer liue in subiection, with lesse offence bearinge the yoke whyche they can by noo meanes shake of.

Notes

• * 1.1

  kyng Abraib••
• * 1.2

  Abraiba cau∣seth the kyn∣ges to rebell.
• * 1.3

  Men good enowgh yf they had ••ren
• * 1.4

  The kynges are dryuen to flyght.
• * 1.5

  Captyues.
• * 1.6

  A garyson of xxx. men.
• * 1.7

  xviii. Spany∣ardes slayne and drowned
• * 1.8

  The kinges which conspi¦red the death of the Christi∣ans.
• * 1.9

  A strange chaunce.
• * 1.10

  Vaschus.
• * 1.11

  women can keepe no coun••ayle.
• * 1.12

  An army of C¦••anoas and lyue. W••men
• * 1.13

  Tryu••phe before victory
• * 1.14

  Affection cor∣ru••teth trew iudgement.
• * 1.15

  The con••pi∣r••ti•• of the kynges is de∣tected.
• * 1.16

  kyng Cemac∣chus, con••••••¦reth the o••th of Uaschus.
• * 1.17

  Ua••chus pur¦seweth the kynges with threescore & ten men.
• * 1.18

  Colmenaris ••acketh the vylage of Ci¦chiri.
• * 1.19

  Fyue rulers hanged and shot th••owgh with arrows.