The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Qualitie.

THe aire of this countrie is sweet & pleasant, and the soyle fertile, hauing both moun∣taines and valleis which yeeld store of fruit. The chiefe towne (which beares the same name) is in a pleasing valley, the which is alwaies full of hearbes, and pleasing fruits. Among other fruits it abounds in Cacao, the which is like vnto an Almond, but it is round, and this fruit serues the Indians for meat, drinke, and money, especially in many parts of New Spain; twentie thousand Cacaos, which make a charge, are worth one hun∣dred [ D] and twentie Ryals in Guatimala, and two hundred in Mexico. This tree flies the Sunne, and loues the water; so as to the end it may grow, and carrie aboundance of fruit, they plant in the water, vnder some other tree that may shadow it, and keepe it from the Sun beames. The towne was first built at the foot of a certaine hill, which did vomit forth flames of fire, and is called at the Indies a Vulcano. But for that in the yeare of our Lord 1540, on the six and twentieth day of December, a lake hidden in the bowels of this mountaine, brake forth in diuers places, and did ouerflow (with a fearefull violence) and ruine the greatest part of the towne, it was transported two miles from thence into a better scituation, and with it the kings Councell and the Bishoppes See. But in the yeare of our redemption 1581, there was so great an irruption of fire out of another [ E] Vulcano some two miles from the towne, as it seemed all would haue beene consumed. The day following, it cast forth such aboundance of ashes, as they filled the valley, and had almost buried vp the towne. But this was not the end of the feares and miseries of Guatimala, for that the yeare following, this Vulcan or Montgibel did cast forth such aboundance of fire, as running for the space of foure and twentie houres like a furious tor••ent downewards, it did burne stones and rockes, and did so heat fiue small riuers or streams, as no man could passe them, yea, some write that it dried them vp. In the meane time they did heare fearefull thunders, and they saw lightnings and flames of fire wauing in the ayre, which did strike a wonderfull terrour. There is a Lake in this countrie which [ F] is one hundred miles long, and twentie broad.