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 Trees, Fruits, and Plants.

THere is both in the firme Land and the Ilands a certaine Tree called Coco,* 1.1 being a kind of Date Trees, and hauing their leaues of the selfesame greatnesse, as haue the Date Trees which beare Dates, but differ much in their growing, for the leaues of this Coco grow out of the trunkes of the Tree, as doe the fingers out of the hand, wreathing themselues one within ano∣ther, [ 30] and so spreading abroad: these Trees are high, and are found in great plentie in the Coast of the Sea of Sur, in the Prouince of Cacique Chiman. These Date Trees bring forth a Fruit after this sort: being altogether vnite as it groweth on the Tree, it is of greater circumference then the head of a man, and from the superficiall part to the middest, which is the fruit, it is inuolued and couered with many Webs much like vnto those Hirds of Towe which they vse in Andalusia. Of this Towe or Web, the East Indians make a certaine kind of Cloth, of three or foure sorts, and Cordes for the Sayles of Ships: but in these Indies of your Maiestie, they passe not for these Coards, or this Cloth that may be made of the Fruit of Coco, by reason of the great plentie that they haue of the Bombage or Cotton of Gossampine Trees. The Fruit which is in the middest of the said Tow, is (as I haue said) as bigge as a mans fist, and sometimes twice as bigge, and more: [ 40] It in forme like vnto a Walnut, o•• some other round thing, somewhat more long then large, and very hard, the rinde or burke hereof, is as thicke as the circle of Letters of a Riall of Plate, and within, there cleaueth fast to the rinde of the Nut a carnositie or substance of coornell, of the thicknesse of halfe a finger, or of the least finger of the hand, and is very white, like vnto a faire Almond, and of better taste and more pleasant. When this Fruit is chewed, there remayne cer∣taine crummes, as doe the like of Almonds: Yet if it be swallowed downe, it is not vnpleasant. For although that after the iuyce or moysture be gone downe the throat before the said crummes be swallowed, the rest which is eaten, seeme somewhat sharpe or sowre, yet doth it not so great∣ly offend the taste, as to be cast away. While this Cocus is yet fresh and newly taken from the Tree, they vse not to eate of the said carnositie and Fruit, but first beating it very much, and then [ 50] strayning it, they draw a Milke thereof, much better and sweeter then is the Milke of Beasts, and of much substance, the which the Christian men of those Regions put in the Tartes or Cakes which they make of the grain of Maiz whereof they make their Bread,* 1.2 or in other Bread as we put Bread in Pottage: so that by reason of the said Milke of Cocus, the Tartes arm more ex∣cellent to be eaten without offence to the stomacke: they are so pleasant to the taste, and leaue it aswell satisfied as though it had beene delighted with many delicate Dishes. But to proceed further, your Maiestie shall vnderstand, that in the place of the stone or coornell, there is in the middest of the said carnositie a void place, which neuerthelesse is full of a most cleere and excel∣lent water, in such quantitie as may fill a great Egge shell, or more, or lesse, according to the big∣nesse of the Cocos, the which water surely, is the most substantiall, excellent and precious to bee [ 60] drunke, that may be found in the World: insomuch that in the moment when it passeth the pa∣late of the mouth, and beginneth to goe downe the throate, it seemeth that from the sole of the foot, to the crowne of the head, there is no part of the bodie but that feeleth great comfort thereby: as it is doubtlesse one of the most excellent things that may bee tasted vpon the earth, and such as I am not able by writing or tongue to expresse. And to proceed yet further, I say that

when the meate of this fruit is taken from the Vessell thereof, the vessell remayneth as faire and neate as though it were polished,* 1.3 and is without of colour inclining toward black, and shineth or glistereth very faire, and is within of no lesse delicatenesse. Such as haue accustomed to drinke in these Vessels, and haue beene troubled with the Disease called the fretting of the guts, say that they haue by experience found it a maruellous remedie against that Disease, and that it breaketh the stone, and prouoketh vrine. This fruit was called Coca, for this cause, that when it is taken from the place where it cleaueth fast to the Tree, there are seene two holes, and aboue them two other naturall holes, which altogether doe represent the gesture and figure of the Cattes called Mammons, that is, Monkeyes, when they cry, which cry the Indians call Coca, but in very deed, this Tree is a kind of Date Tree, and hath the same effect to heale fretting of the [ 10] guts, that Plinie describeth all kinde of Date trees to haue. There are furthermore in the firme Land, Trees of such bignesse that I dare not speake thereof, but in place where I haue so many witnesses which haue seene the same as well as I.* 1.4 I say therefore, that a league from Dariena or the Gitie of Sancta Maria Antiqua, there passeth a Riuer very large and deepe, which is called Cuti, ouer the which the Indians laid a great Tree, so trauersing the same, that it was in the stead of a bridge, the which I my selfe with diuers other that are at this present in your Maiesties Court, haue oftentimes passed ouer. And forasmuch as the said Tree had lyen long there, and by the great weight thereof was so shrunke downeward, and partly couered with water, that none could passe ouer it, but were wet to the knee, I being then in the yeere 1522. the officiall or Iu∣stice in that Citie at your Maiesties appointment, caused another great Tree to bee laid in that [ 20] place, which in like manner trauersed the Riuer, and reached more then fiftie foote ouer the further side: This Tree was exceeding great, and rested aboue the water more then two Cubits, in the fall, it cast downe all such other Trees as were within the reach thereof, and discouered certaine bynes, which were so laden with blacke Grapes of pleasant taste, that they satisfied more then fiftie persons which ate their fill thereof. This Tree, in the thickest part thereof, was more then sixteene spannes thicke, and was neuerthelesse but little in respect of many other trees which are found in this Prouince. For the Indians of the Coast and Prouince of Cartagenia, make Barkes or Boates thereof (which they call Canoas) of such bignesse, beeing all one whole Tree,* 1.5 that some containe a hundred men, some a hundred and thirtie, and some more, hauing ne∣uerthelesse such void space within the same, that there is left sufficient roome to passe to and fro [ 30] throughout all the Canoas. Some of these are so large, beside the length, that they conteine more then tenne or twelue spannes in breadth, and saile with two sailes, as with the Master saile and the trincket, which they make of very good Cotton. The greatest Trees that I haue seene in these parts, or in any other Regions, was in the Prouince of Guaturo, the King whereof rebel∣ling from the obedience of your Maiestie, was pursued by me, and taken Prisoner: at which time I with my company, passed ouer a very high Mountaine, full of great Trees, in the top whereof, we found one Tree, which had three roots, or rather diuisions of the roote aboue the Earth, in forme of a Triangle, or Treuet, so that betweene euery foot of this Triangle or three feet, there was a space of twentie foot betweene euery foot,* 1.6 and this of such height aboue the Earth, that a laden Cart of those wherewith they are accustomed to bring home Corne in time of Haruest in [ 40] the Kingdome of Toledo in Spaine, might easily haue passed through euery of those partitions or windoores which were betweene the three feet of the said Tree. From the Earth vpward to the trunke of the Tree, the open places of the diuisions betweene these three feete, were of such height from the ground, that a Footman with a Iauelin was not able to reach the place where the said feet ioyned together in the trunke or bodie of the Tree, which grew of great height in one piece, and one whole bodie, or euer it spread in branches, which it did not before it excee∣ded in height the Towre of Saint Romane in the Citie of Toledo: from which height and vp∣ward, it spread very great and strong branches. Among certaine Spaniards which climbed this Tree, I my selfe was one, and when I was ascended to the place where it begunne to spread the branches, it was a maruellous thing to behold a great Countrey of such Trees toward the Pro∣uince [ 50] of Abrayme. This Tree was easie to climbe, by reason of certaine Besuchi, (whereof I haue spoken before) which grew wreathed about the Tree, in such sort that they seemed to make a scaling Ladder. Euery of the foresaid three feet which bore the bodie of the Tree, was twentie spannes in thicknesse, and where they ioyned altogether about the Trunke or bodie of the Tree, the principall Trunke was more then fortie and fiue spannes in circuite. I named the Mountaine where these Trees grow, the Mountaine of three footed Trees. And this which I haue now declared, was seene of all the company that was there with mee when (as I haue said before) I took King Guaturo Prisoner in the yeere 1522. Many things more might here be spoken as touching this matter, as also how there are many other excellent Trees found of diuers sorts and difference, as sweet Cedar Trees, blacke Date Trees, and many other, of the which some are [ 60] so heauie that they cannot float about the water, but sinke immediately to the bottome, and o∣ther againe as light as a Corke. As touching all which things I haue written more largely in my generall Historie of the Indies.

And for as much as at this present I haue entred to entreate of Trees, before I passe any fur∣ther

to other things, I will declare the manner how the Indians kindle fire,* 1.7 onely with Wood and without fire, the manner whereof is this. They take a peece of wood, of two spannes in length, as biggeas the least finger of a mans hand, or as an arrow well pullished, and of a strong kinde of wood which they keepe onely for this purpose: and where they intend to kindle any fire, they take two other peeces of wood, of the driest and lightest that they can finde, and binde them fast together one with another, as close as two fingers ioyned: in the middest or between these, they put the point of the first little staffe made of hard and strong wood, which they hold in their hands by the top thereof, and turne or rubbe it round about continually in one place betweene the two peeces of wood which lye bound together vpon the earth, which by that vn∣cessant [ 10] rubbing and chasing, are in short space kindled, and take fire.* 1.8 I haue also thought good here to speake somewhat of such things as come to my remembrance of certaine Trees which are found in this Land, and sometime also the like haue beene seene in Spaine. These are cer∣taine putrified trunkes, which haue l••en so long rotting on the earth, that they are very white, and shine in the night like burning firebrands, and when the Spaniards finde any of this wood, and intend priuily in the night to make warre and inuade any Prouince, when case so requireth that it shall be necessarie to goe in the night, in such places where they know not the way, the formost Christian man which guideth the way, associate with an Indian to direct him therein, taketh a little starre of the said wood, which he putteth in his cap, hanging behinde on his shoulders, by the light whereof he that followeth next to him, directeth his iourney, who also [ 20] in like manner beareth another starre behinde him, by the shining whereof the third followeth the same way, and in like manner doe all the rest, so that by this meanes none are lost or stragle out of the way. And for as much as this light is not seene very farre, it is the better policie for the Christians, because they are not thereby disclosed before they inuade their enemies. Further∣more, as touching the natures of Trees, one particular thing seemeth worthy to be noted, where∣of Plinie maketh mention in his naturall Historie,* 1.9 where he saith that there are certaine Trees which continue euer greene and neuer loose their leaues, as the Bay-tree, the Cedar, the Orange-tree, and the Oliue-tree, with such other, of the which in altogether he nameth not past fiue or six. To this purpose, I say, that in the Ilands of these Indies, and also in the firme land,* 1.10 it is a thing of much difficultie to finde two Trees that lose or cast their leaues at any time: for although [ 30] I haue diligently searched to know the truth hereof, yet haue I not seene any that lose their leaues, either of them which we haue brought out of Spaine into these regions, as Orange-trees, Limons, Cedars, Palmes, or Date-trees, and Pomegranate-trees,* 1.11 or of any other in these regi∣ons, except onely Cassia, which loseth his leaues,* 1.12 and hath a greater thing appropriate to it selfe onely: which is, that whereas all other Trees and Plants of India spread their rootes no deeper in the earth then the depth of a mans height, or somewhat more, not descending any further into the ground, by reason of the great heate which is found beneath that depth, yet doth Cassia pearse further into the ground, vntill it finde water: which by the Philosophers o∣pinion should be the cause of a thinne and watery radicall moisture to such things as draw their nourishment thereof, as fat and vnctuous grounds with temperate heate, yeelde a fast and firme moisture to such things as grow in them, which is the cause that such Trees lose not their [ 40] leaues, as the said thinne and waterish moisture is cause of the contrarie, as appeareth by the said effect which is seene onely in Cassia, and none other Tree or Plant in all these partes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cocos.
• * 1.2

  I haue seene one of these Fruits opened, the which when it was whole, if it were shaken the water was hard shogge therein as it were in a Bot∣tle, but in time it consumed & was partly congealed into a salt substance
• * 1.3

  Good against the wind and stone Collick.
• * 1.4

  Great Trees.
• * 1.5

  Great Canoas
• * 1.6

  A maruellous Tree.
• * 1.7

  Kindling of fire without fire.
• * 1.8

  Putrified wood shining in the night.
• * 1.9

  Plinie.
• * 1.10

  Almost ••ll In∣dian trees con∣tinue euer greene.
• * 1.11

  Cassia.
• * 1.12

  E••rth hot low∣er then a fa∣dome.

  A secret thing. Radicall moi∣sture.