Purchas his pilgrimes. part 3 In fiue bookes. The first, contayning the voyages and peregrinations made by ancient kings, patriarkes, apostles, philosophers, and others, to and thorow the remoter parts of the knowne world: enquiries also of languages and religions, especially of the moderne diuersified professions of Christianitie. The second, a description of all the circum-nauigations of the globe. The third, nauigations and voyages of English-men, alongst the coasts of Africa ... The fourth, English voyages beyond the East Indies, to the ilands of Iapan, China, Cauchinchina, the Philippinæ with others ... The fifth, nauigations, voyages, traffiques, discoueries, of the English nation in the easterne parts of the world ... The first part.

Of the manner of fishing for Pearles.

THe Indians exercise this kind of fishing for the most part in the Coasts of the North in Cu∣bagua [ 10] and Cumana, and many of them which dwell in the Houses of certaine particular Lords in the Ilands of San Dominico and Sancti Iohannis, resort to the Iland of Cubagua, for this purpose. Their custome is to goe fiue, sixe, or seuen, or more in one of their Canoas or Barkes, earely in the morning to some place in the Sea thereabout, where it appeareth vnto them that there should be great plentie of those shell fishes (which some call Muscles, and some Oysters) wherein Pearles are ingendred, and there they plunge themselues vnder the water, euen vnto the bottome, sauing one that remayneth in the Canoa or Boat, which hee keepeth still in one place as neere as he can, looking for their returne out of the water: And when one of them hath beene a good while vnder the water, he riseth vp, and commeth swimming to the Boat, entring into the same, and leauing there all the Oysters which he hath taken and brought with him (for [ 20] in these are the Pearles found) and when he hath there rested himselfe a while, and eaten part of the Oysters, he returneth againe to the water, where hee remayneth as long as hee can en∣dure, and then riseth againe, and swimmeth to the Boat with his prey, where hee resteth him as before, and thus continueth course by course, as doe all the other in like manner, being all most expert Swimmers and Diuers: and when the night draweth neere, they returne to the I∣land to their houses, and present all the Oysters to the Master or Steward of the house of their Lord, who hath the charge of the said Indians, and when he hath giuen them somewhat to eate, he layeth vp the Oysters in safe custodie, vntill he haue a great quantitie thereof, then he causeth the same Fishermen to open them, and they find in euery of them Pearles, other great or small, two, or three, or foure, and sometimes fiue or sixe, and many small graines, according to the li∣beralitie [ 30] of nature. They saue the Pearles both small and great which they haue found, and either eate the Oysters if they will, or cast them away, hauing so great a quantitie thereof, that they in manner abhorre them. These Oysters are of hard flesh, and not so pleasant in eating as are ours of Spaine. This Iland of Cubagua▪ where this manner of fishing is exercised, is in the North Coast, and is no bigger then the Iland of Zeland. Oftentimes the Sea increaseth greatly, and much more then the Fishers for Pearles would, because whereas the place is very deepe, a man cannot naturally rest at the bottom, by reason of the abundance of airie substance which is in him, as I haue oftentimes proued. For although he may by violence and force descend to the bottome, yet are his feet lifted vp againe, so that hee can continue no time there: and therefore where the Sea is very deepe, these Indian Fishers vse to tye two great stones about them with a coard, on [ 40] each side one, by the weight whereof they descend to the bottome, and remayne there vntill them listeth to rise againe, at which time they vnlose the stones, and rise vp at their pleasure. But this their aptnesse and agilitie in swimming, is not the thing that causeth men most to mar∣uell:* 1.1 but rather to consider how many of them can stand in the bottome of the water for the space of one whole houre, and some more or lesse, according as one is more apt hereunto then an other. An other thing there is which seemeth to me very strange: and this is, that whereas I haue oftentimes demanded of some of these Lords of the Indians, if the place where they are ac∣customed to fish for Pearles, being but little and narrow, will not in short time be vtterly with∣out Oysters, if they consume them so fast: They all answered mee, that although they be consu∣med in one part,* 1.2 yet if they goe a fishing in an other part, or an other Coast of the Iland, or at an [ 50] other contrary wind, and continue fishing there also vntill the Oysters bee likewise consumed, and then returne againe to the first place, or any other place where they fished before, and emp∣tied the same in like manner, they find them againe as full of Oysters as though they had neuer beene fished.* 1.3 Whereby we may iudge, that these Oysters either remoue from one place to an o∣ther, as doe other fishes, or else that they are ingendred and increase in certaine ordinarie places. This Iland of Cumana and Cubagua, where they fish for these Pearles, is in the twelfth degree of the part of the said Coast which inclineth toward the North. Likewise Pearles are found and gathered in the South Sea, called Mare del Sur, and the Pearles of this Sea are very bigge, yet not so bigge as they of the Iland of Pearles, called de las Perlas, or Margarita, which the Indians call Terarequi, lying in the Gulfe of Saint Michael, where greater Pearles are found, and of [ 60] greater price, then in any other Coast of the North Sea, in Cumana, or any other part. I speake this as a true testimonie of sight, hauing beene long in that South Sea, and making curious inqui∣sition to be certainly informed of all that pertayneth to the fishing of Pearles. From this Iland of Terarequi,* 1.4 there was brought a Pearle of the fashion of a Peare, weighing thirtie and one

Caracts, which Petrus Arias had among a thousand and so many pounds weight of other Pearles, which he had when Captaine Gaspar Morales (before Petrus Arias) p••ssed to the said Iland in the yeare 1515. which Pearle was of great price. From the said Iland also,* 1.5 came a great and ve∣ry round Pearle, which I brought out of the Sea, this was as bigge as a small pellet of a Stone∣bow, and of the weight of twentie and sixe Caracts: I bought it in the Citie of Panama, in the Sea of Sur, and paid for it sixe hundred and fiftie times the weight thereof of good Gold, and had it three yeeres in my custodie, and after my returne into Spaine, sold it to the Earle of Nan∣sa•• Marquesse of Zenet•••• great Chamberlaine to your Maiestie, who gaue it to the Marquesse his Wife, the Ladie Mentia of Mendoza. I thinke verily that this Pearle was the greatest, fairest, [ 10] and roundest that hath beene seene in those parts. For your Maiestie ought to vnderstand, that in the Coast of the Sea of Sur,* 1.6 there are found a hundred great Pearles round after the fashion of a Peare, to one that is perfectly round and great.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Men continue an houre vnder water.
• * 1.2

  Naturall suc∣cession.
• * 1.3

  Of this read more largely in the Decads.
• * 1.4

  Huge Pearle.
• * 1.5

  By the compu∣tation of Ve∣nice, foure graines make a Caract.
• * 1.6

  Peare-pearles▪