Purchas his pilgrimes. part 2 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.

CHAP. II.

A description and historicall declaration of the golden Kingdome of Guinea, otherwise called the golden Coast of Myna, lying in a part of Africa, shewing [ 20] their beliefe, opinions, traffiquing, bartering, and manner of speech; together with the situation of the Countrie, Townes, Cottages, and Houses of the same; with their Persons and Proportions, Hauens and Riuers, as they are now found out and discouered: all perfectly viewed and curiously discouered, and written by one that hath oftentimes beene there. Translated out of Dutch, conferned also with the Latine Edition, * 1.1 and contracted.

§ I. [ 30]

What course the ships hold which seeke to goe to the Gold Coast of Guinea. Of Cape Verde, and the course from thence.

SVch ships as passe by the Ilands of Canadai, must thence (if they will haue traf∣fique at Cap•• Verde) hold 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉 South and by East, and South South-east, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they be vnder fifteene degrees, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 seeing no Land, they must hold their course East, till they find 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 not South because of stormes, which al∣wayes [ 40] come from the East and 〈…〉〈…〉ing 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Cape Verde, they must hold their course somewhat South and by West, vntill they be a good way from the Land, or at least without it, for that commonly they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hardly got from the Land, by reason of the stormes, and the wind that comes out of the Sea, which alwayes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them to the Land, whereby commonly men are nee••er to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉 they thinke they are. And those that meane also to traffique on the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Ma••igette, when they are aboue the Bassis of Rio grande, then they, must seeke to get to the Land, that they may enter into Sierra Leona, and other Riu, is there to make t••••••r pro••••t▪ ••••d ••ll along th•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 other Riuers and Townes, vn∣till they come to Cape 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 then they 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 their course along by the Cape de [ 50] tres punctus. But they 〈…〉〈…〉 not to 〈…〉〈…〉 or the Graine * 1.2 Coast, but on∣ly seeke to goe right 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to the 〈…〉〈…〉 course by the Ilands of Ca∣nari••, * 1.3 and sayle South 〈…〉〈…〉 Cape V••••d••, leauing them commonly on Bagh-boord, or as the wind serueth them, being vnder ten, nine, or eight degrees, then they begin 〈…〉〈…〉 the Land, 〈…〉〈…〉 course South and by East, and by the same course to seeke to g••t 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all B〈…〉〈…〉 and sha•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 without altering their course▪ for they that fall vpon Saint Annes shallow 〈…〉〈…〉, haue much labour and pain before they can get off 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them 〈…〉〈…〉 they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 great deale of time, oftentimes thinking that they 〈…〉〈…〉 from th•• shallo〈…〉〈…〉, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 their: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is still vpon them, which is because it is no continuall shallow, but ••••ll of deepe pits: for in one place you shall [ 60] haue three f••t••••me deep〈…〉〈…〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉 then againe 〈…〉〈…〉 and then againe, the fireame driues you still to Land so that 〈…〉〈…〉 of the 〈…〉〈…〉 what to do, and are put to much trouble 〈…〉〈…〉 their Voyage 〈…〉〈…〉. Now, sayling further, and comming vnder seuen and 〈…〉〈…〉 specially, when

it is not a time of Trauadoes, which is in Aprill, May, and Iune, whereof men are in great feare. It fell out so with vs, that beeing vnder those highthes, we were twentie dayes driuing in a calme, without winning any great highth, and that which we wonne with the Current, the next day we lost it againe with a contrary wind; so that you must beware of the Land in any hand, specially, those that goe to Brasilia, for they must take heed, not to goe too neere the Land, left the calme taketh them: I once found a ship thereabouts, which thought to sayle to the Bay, de Todos los Sanctos, and thinking that the streame draue him vpon the Coast of West * 1.4 India, fell there vpon the Graine Coast, so that hee was forced to goe backe againe, and beeing not able to fall into his right course, hee was constrayned to leaue it, and in stead of sayling to Brasilia, he was forced to goe to Saint Thomas, so that vnder those highthes, you can doe nothing [ 10] with the wind, but onely by the current, which alwaies runnes East with the bough.

They that sayle to East India, also shunne this calme as much as possible they may, to get a∣boue the sand, or rife of Brasilia, for otherwise they must whether they will or not, goe to Cape T••xes Gonsalues, and then sayle along vnder the Equinoctiall Line, at least three or foure hun∣dred miles, before they can get againe into their right course, as it happened not long since to some of our ships, which was a great hinderance vnto their Voyage, further hauing past this * 1.5 calme, and towards the Land about Cape de las Palmas, or to some other places, which you know, then you must hold your course along by the Land, but no neerer to the Land then eight and twentie fathomes deepe, till you come to Cape de tres punctus, where the Golden Coast begins, and where the Hollanders traffique with the Negroes.

First, passing the Riuer of Senega, you begin to draw neere to Cape Verde, which is a piece [ 20] of Land easily to be knowne, for the first point sheweth it selfe with two hillockes or houels, and lyeth farre into the Sea, and on both the North and South-side thereof loseth the Land, but Southward from the point, about halfe a mile from the Land, there is an Iland seene, whereon many Fowles breed, and great numbers of Egges are found therein, behind this Iland there ly∣eth a great Rocke, a little separated from the Land. This Iland is very vnfit to rayse shallops on, you may sayle betweene the Land and this Iland, with a ship of three hundred and twentie tuns, but not without great feare, for that there are many Rockes lying vnder the water, but for the best securitie of ship and goods, it is better to sayle on the West side of the Iland to the other Iland, where shallops may be set together, which you may see being right against the first Iland, lying about three miles Southeast from the other: these Ilands are not inhabited, and there is nothing to be had in them but great store of ballast and wood to burne, but for that there is a [ 30] conuenient Valley to make shallops in, therefore those places are much vsed, and are the cause that many ships sayle to them, but on the firme Land there are great store of Negroes inhabi∣ting, which traffique with all Nations.

The Countrey people goe naked, only that they hang a piece of Linnen cloth before their * 1.6 priuie members, but their Gouernours (as Captaines and Gentlemen) are better apparelled then the common sort of people, and are well knowne by their Garments to be such. They go in a long Cotton Garment close about them like a womans smocke, full of blue stripes, like feather bed tikes, on their armes they weare many foure-cornerd leather bagges, all close ioy∣ned together, and the like vpon their legges, but what is within them, I know not, be••••use they [ 40] will not let vs see. About their neckes they weare Beads made of Sea-horse Teeth, and some Corals, or Beades which wee bring them, on their heads they weare Caps of the same stuffe that their clothes are, they are people that are very industrious and carefull to get their liuings, their chiefest Trade is Husbandry, to sowe Rice and Corne: their great riches is in Cowes, which there are very scant and deare, but further into the Countrey there are great store, for that men lade whole ships full of Salt hides at Porta dallia, which they take in exchange or bar∣ter for Iron, which place lyeth but seuen or eight miles from Cape Verde. They make very faire Iron worke, and in that Countrey, there is great store of Iron spent, specially faire long barres, whereof they are as curious as any man in the World can be, those they vse to make Instruments of, wherewith to fish, and to labour vpon the Land, as also to make weapons, as Bowes, Ar∣rowes, [ 50] Aponers; and * 1.7 Assagayen they haue no knowledge of God, those that traffique and are conuersant among strange Countrey people, are ciuiller then the common sort of people, they are very greedie eaters, and no lesse drinkers, and very lecherous, and theeuish, and much addi∣cted to vncleanenesse: one man hath as many wiues as hee is able to keepe and maintaine.

The women also are much addicted to leacherie, specially, with strange Countrey people, of * 1.8 whom they are not iealous, as of their owne Countrey people and Neighbours; their Religion is after the manner of Mahomets law, for circumcision and such like toyes. They are also great Lyers, and not to be credited, the principall Commodities that men traffique for there, are * 1.9 Hides, Amber-greece, Gumme of Arabia, Salt, and other wares of small importance, as Rice, [ 60] Graine, Teeth, and some Ciuet. The Portugals also dwell there, with other Nations, where∣with they may freely traffique, because they are not subiects to the King of Spaine; and besides, that they are not Masters of the Countrey, and haue no command but ouer their slaues. The Negroes are vnder the command of their owne Gouernours, which are called Algaier in their Language, which is a Captain of a Village, for euery Village hath his seuerall Algaier, and when

any ship come to anchor there, then the Captaine comes presently aboard with a Canoe, to aske Anchoridge money, which is commonly three barres of Iron, but of such as know not their cu∣stome, they take as much as they can; their bodies are very blacke, and of a good proportion. When they speake, they put out their neckes, like Turkie Cockes, and speake very fast. They haue a speech by themselues.

Leauing Cape Uerde, to saile to the Golden Coast of Myna, the course is best (if the wind will serue) along by the land, to the place where you will Trafique, and deale with the Negros: * 1.10 from Cape Verde to Rio de Gambra, it is fiue and twenty miles, from Rio Gambra to the Baixos of Rio Grande thirty miles, from thence to Sierra Liona, threescore miles; there is a good place to lie in the Winter time, for in the entrie of the Riuer, you haue fiue fathome deepe at the least, [ 10] and so for the space of fourteene miles going South-east towards the Roade, you haue sixteene, fourteene, twelue, ten, and eight fathome water: from the Riuer of Sierra Liona, to Rio de Gali∣nas, (that is, the Riuer of Hens, because there arne many Hens, and very good cheape, at a Mes∣ken a peece) fourty miles, from Rio de Galinas to Cape de Monte eighteene miles, the land of Cape de Monte reacheth South-east, and by South, it is a low land, but the Cape is high land, like a hill, or like a horse necke, with a falling in: from Cape de Monte, to Cape dos Baixos, fiftie miles; from Cape de Bassis to Cape de das Palmas, fiftie miles. These are the three principallest Capes of all the gold Coast; this Cape lieth vnder foure Degrees, and is the furthest land of all the Coast, which reacheth towards the Equinoctiall line, all the land for the most part lieth South-east, and North-west, low ground, sometimes rising, but no high hils to be seene inward [ 20] to the land; from Cape das Palmas, to Cape dc Apollonia, and so to Cape de tres Punctus sixtie miles, from Cape de Monte, to Cape de Miserade, * 1.11 sixteene miles (this Cape is a high land) from Cape de Miserade to Rio de Ceste, foure and twentie miles, all along hither to you, haue good Anchor ground at twelue fathome, the West point is rising land, like to a hill that riseth and sheweth it selfe within the Countrey, when you are North) from it you are then right a∣gainst Rio de Cestes, before in the mouth of the Riuer, there lieth a small Iland, and the Village where you Traffique, lieth a mile vpwards within the Riuer. From Rio de Cestes to Cape das Baixos fiue miles, this Cape sheweth like a saile, and it is a white Rocke which lieth out into the Sea, being two miles from the Cape you saw, foure and thirty, and fiue and thirty fathome water, good Anchor ground, you may hold your course along by the land at two and thirty, [ 30] three & thirty, and foure & thirty fathome deepe; but go no neere if you desire not to go to the gold Coast, because of stormes, with a wind out of the Sea, as also because of Rockes, and foule ground, that are, and is found to be there, which will rather hurt, then doe you good. From Cape de Bassis to Sanguin three miles, thereis much Graine to be bought, and good Traffique to be made. From Sanguin to Bofoe a mile and a halfe, there also is Traffique; from Bofoe to Ser∣tres two miles, there also you may Traffique, and it is a good place: from Sertres to Botowa two * 1.12 miles, it is also a good place to Traffique in: from Bottowa to Synno, fiue miles. There also is Traffique; from Synno to Sonweroboe three miles, from Sonweroboe to Baddoe two miles, from Baddoe to Crou two miles; from Crou to Wappa foure miles; from Wappa to Granchetre two miles: This the French men call Paris (from Granchetre to Goyaua, foure miles, thither there [ 40] commet•• great store of Graine to sell, and it is a good place to Traffique in with the Negros, from Goyaua to Cape de das Palmas three miles, all this from Cape Uerde to Cape de das Palmas is called the Graine or golden Coast (otherwise Mellegette) wherein the Kingdome * 1.13 of Mellie is contained, which by vs that are the Netherlanders is called the Graine Coast: but by others it is called the Coast of Mellegette: This Kingdome of Mellie hath an other Kingdome vnder it, called Bitonni, which lieth not farre from Rio Cestes.

The Kingdome of Mellie is rich of Corne, Graine, Rice, Co••ten, and Flesh, and some Ele∣phants, where by they sell many of their teeth vnto strangers. The inhabitants are mischieuous and cruell, (yet better in one place then in another) alwayes seeking to spoile and intrap strangers, that come thither, and cruelly to murther them; but some Countri-men are better welcome vnto them then others, and those are Frenchmen, because of their long Traffique [ 50] into those Countreys. The Portugalls come very little thither, one Countrey men are better entertained in one place then in another, & that by reason they haue sometimes swaggred there abouts, and for that cause the Negros seeke to be reuenged. The greatest Traffique here is Graine, Teeth, and some Rice; other Wares that are there to be had cannot be bartered for in any great quantity, as gold and Teeth, for there is little to be had, but other necessaries for sustenance of man, are there reasonably to be had, and wine of Palme, which they draw out of the trees, is there very delicate, exceeding sweet, and as excellent as any can be found in those Coasts. The Inhabitants are subiects to their Captain, whom they call Taba, and are very submis∣siue and ready to obey his commandement. The Kings or Captaines of their Villages, are very [ 60] graue, and rule with great seueritie, holding their subiects in great subiection. Their Language differereth in the one place from the other: but most of them speake a little French, by reason, that they are vsed to deale much with the French men, and so get some part of their speech, as they on the gold Coast also doe, who likewise speake a little Portugall, by reason also that the Portugalls in times past vsed to Traffique much there. They are very expert in husbandry, as to

some Graine, wherewith they haue a great Traffique, they are also very cunning, and fine work∣men to make many fine things; specially, very faire Canoes or small Scutes, wherewith they also rowe into Sea, which they cut out of a whole tree (like to a Venetian Goudel) which are very swift to goe; the men haue as many wiues as they can maintaine, but they keepe them very short, and looke neere vnto them. They are likewise very Iealous of their wiues: for if they perceiue that any of their wiues haue plaid false with them, they will seeke great reuenge a∣gainst the partie that hath done them the wrong, and will make warre vpon him, and for that cause, raise all their Countrey, so that the women are not here so common, as on the golden Coast of Mina, and else where. Passing further from Cape das Palmas, you find many Riuers, where you may barter for great store of Teeth, to Cape de Tres Punctas, and for that cause it is [ 10] called the tooth Coast.

Passing Cape de Apolonia, (which lieth betweene Cape las Palmas, and Cape de Tres Punstas) fiue miles further: there lieth a small Castle, but not strong, which is held by the Portugalls, the Village is called Achombeue, and the Castle Ariem, there many Negros dwell, but come sel∣dome aboord our ships that lie there at Anchor, which the Portugalls forbid them to doe. Thus you haue read the Description of the Graine or gold Coast, as also the Tooth Coast, and now you shall read of the Coast of Mina. * 1.14 And first of the Iron people in this golden Coast.

§. II. [ 20]

How they marrie each with other, and what goods their Fathers giue with their Children; their House-keeping together; the womans lying in; educa∣tion of their Children: Their proportions, industrie and conditions.

WHen their children begin to attaine to yeeres of discretion, and are able to be married to a wife, Then the father seeketh out a wife for his Son, which he thinks wil like his Son well, and yet he neuer saw, nor knew her before, & without wooing each o∣ther. Who being thus brought together, the Father giueth nothing at all with his * 1.15 [ 30] son towards houshold: but if he hath gotten any thing himselfe, by fishing or carrying Merchants aboord the ship, that is his owne to begin houshold withall. But the Brides friends, giue the value of fourteene Gulderns in gold with their daughter, for their marriage good; which is to be vnderstood, that if they be any thing worth, then the Father giueth his daughter a Peso and a halfe of gold, and the mother halfe a Peso of gold: which after our reckoning altogther, is * 1.16 halfe an ounce of gold Troy weight, which they giue them to buy wine de Palme; to keepe their Bridall withall: for she hath nothing else, but that which her Father and Mother giueth her, for she getteth nothing in her youth, as her husband did. And if it be a Kings sonne or daughter, they also giue no more with them to their marriage; for it is a common custome with them to giue no more with their daughters in marriage, then they giue them as a liberalitie, but [ 40] when they goe to keepe house, they giue them a slaue to serue them. Besides this, the Bride in the presence of her friends which come to the Banquet, maketh a promise, and sweareth, to be * 1.17 true to her husband, and not to vse the bodily company of any other man; but the man taketh no such oath, but is free thereof.

Now, if she chanceth to commit whoredome with an other man, either willingly or against * 1.18 her will, and that her husband heareth thereof, then he must put her away for it; and the man that hath committed the act, shall forfeit to the King foure and twenty Pesos (which after our account is nine ounces) of gold. But if it be a Dutch man, he payeth no fine, because he is a stranger, and knew not whether the woman was married or not, which excuseth him: yet the fault is laid vpon the woman that hath done such an offence, and she must pay to her husband [ 50] foure Pesos, or halfe an ounce of gold, because she committed adultery with another man. If she hath gotten any thing; but if she hath nothing, and cannot pay the fine to her husband, it excuseth her not: for if he hath no great fantasie to his wife, or that they haue little affection one vnto the other; if he will, he may put her away from him, and as then the band of Matri∣monie is broken betweene them, and he may take an other wife when he will.

But if he cannot learne that his wife hath committed such a fact, by information of other men, but presumeth it of himselfe, or suspecteth that his wife hath laine with any other man, * 1.19 he chargeth her with it, and making her eate certaine Salt, vseth other Ceremonies of their Idolatrous Fetissos, wherewith the woman knowing her selfe to be cleere, and not to haue com∣mitted adultery with an other man, willingly taketh her oath. But knowing her selfe to bee [ 60] faulty, she dare not take her oath fearing, that if she should forsweare her selfe, her Fetisso would make her die, whereby oftentimes the wife discouers her owne o••••ence, and prooureth the means to mooue her husband to be deuorced from her, which chiefely hapneth, by meanes of the Ielousie; which the man hath of his first wife, for it causeth a great hatred and contention be∣tweene

them, because it is a great scandall vnto him, and oftentimes there groweth so great strife about it, that he seeketh to murther the man that doth the fault, and although he hath paid the fine imposed vpon him, the married man hath the Priuiledge to driue him out of the Towne.

Further, when they keepe house together, if the man beginneth to thriue, and hath meanes to buy an other wife, he may not buy her without the consent of his first wife, vnlesse he * 1.20 were at controuersie with her, and put her away, for some thing that he could charge her with∣all; but with her good will he may buy another. He giueth his first wife sixe Englishen of gold, or two, three, foure or fiue, as much as he can get, or hath need of, keeping his other wife for his slaue, or to serue him, or for his Etigufou, or in our Language, his Whore or Concubine, to [ 10] whom he beareth not so great affection, nor is not so iealous of her, as of, and to his wife, and those serue for euery man, for he may complaine of no man for her, nor cause him to pay any fine for her. His first wife waxing old, and her mind being not so much addicted vnto lust, if he perceiueth it, then he cleaueth to his yonger wife, to haue his pleasure with her, and euer after esteeming most of her, maketh his old wife doe the houshold worke, giuing her meat and drinke as long as she liueth, and putteth her not away, but she is forced to serue the yong wife, and shall neuer trouble her selfe with any thing, but onely to eate and drinke well, to haue a care to please her husband, and to doe whatsoeuer he commandeth.

Although a man hath as many wiues as he is able to keepe, yet all are not of one, but of seue∣rall ages, the one yonger then the other, that they may be the better serued by their wiues. For [ 20] when the eldest can doe no more for age, (that he may not want worke) and that the yongest wiues might doe him more pleasure, they make most of the yongest: and euery wife dwelleth in a house by her selfe, although he had ten wiues, as many of them haue. The wife keepes her * 1.21 husbands money, and when he needeth any, he fetcheth some of her. They eate not one with the other, but either of them alone by themselues; the husband eateth with one of his compa∣nions that he dealeth with, or with whom he goeth to Sea: his wiues also eate with their friends or neighbours, euery one bringing their meat with them, and so make good cheare toge∣ther, and at euening, the women goe home to their houses againe, and are together but in the day time. The man and wife lie each of them in a seuerall roome, at night, spreading a mat vp∣on the ground, and lay a wooden stoole vnder their heads, in stead of a pillow, and then making [ 30] * 1.22 a little fire of wood, when it burneth they lie downe, with the soles of their feet before it, that the heat thereof might draw out the cold, which they by day haue drawne vp into them from * 1.23 the earth (by going bare-footed, esteeming it to be very good for them, which we must also ac∣knowledge. Now, when he hath a desire to vse any of his wiues, either he calleth or fetcheth her, and that night helieth with her, & the next day, she goeth to her house againe, where she dwel∣leth, not once making any of the rest acquainted, what she did that night, or that her husband lay with her; for then they would be too 〈…〉〈…〉ealous.

Being with child, when their time of deliuerance, and bringing foorth of their child into the world commeth, when she is in labour, both men, women, maids, yong men & children, run vn∣to * 1.24 her, and she in most shamelesse manner, is deliuered before them all. I would say much more hereof, but in respect of the credit of women, I will leaue it. When the child is borne, she goes to [ 40] the water to wash & make cleane her selfe, not once dreaming of a moneths lying in, nor of ma∣king Caudles of Ipocras, and other wines, as women here with vs vse to doe: they vse no Nurses to helpe them when they lie in child-bed, neither seeke to lie dainty and soft; but they present∣ly take a spoonefull of Oyle, and a handfull of Manigette or Graine, whereof they make a drinke, and drinke it vp.

The next day after, they goe abroad in the streets, to doe their businesse, as other women doe. They giue their child such a name, as they thinke good to themselues, and blesse the same * 1.25 with their Fetissos, and other witchcrafts, and when time serueth, circumcise both boyes and girles: at which time they make a great feast, whereof they make great account. But where [ 50] the women are most shamelesse at the time of the birth of their children, the men in three mo∣neths after, lie not with that wife, nor once haue the vse of her body, which neuerthelesse, I thinke they doe not, for any shame or regard that they haue, to deale with that woman, but onely because they haue other wiues enough. They take the yong child as soone as it is borne, and wrapping a cleane cloth about the mid••le thereof, lay it downe on a mat vpon the ground, and not in a cradle, and there let it turne and sprawle about, and doe what it will, and when it is two or three moneths old, the mother ties the child with a peece of cloth at her backe, and so lets it hang there, as the high Dutches wiues vse to follow their husbands in the warres. When the child crieth to sucke, the mother casteth one of her dugs backeward ouer her shoulder, and so the child suckes it as it hangs. The women goe vp and downe from place to place, and still car∣ry [ 60] their children in that sort, as lightly, as if they had nothing at their backes, the childs head lies iust vpon her shoulder, and so she goes shaking of the child most pitifully to behold, where∣by * 1.26 we wondered that they brake not the childs ioynts, by bearing them in that sort, being so young, and yet you find very few or no lame persons in those Countreys. They teach their chil∣dren

to goe very young, for they make no reckoning thereof, and suffer them to creepe and runne abroad when they are very little, and teach them to speake very soone, whereby you find many children there among them that can both goe and speake ere they bee a yeare old, and some of them speake so plainly, that you may vnderstand what they say in their Language, for they speake and goe farre sooner then our children doe, which we wondred at, besides this, they are strong, fat and well disposed, whereof we will speake hereafter in another place.

The children being a moneth or two old, then they hang a Net about the bodie thereof, like * 1.27 a little shirt, which is made of the barke of a tree, which they hang full of their Fetissos, as gol∣den Crosses, strings with Corall about their hands, feet, and neckes, and their haire is filled full of shels, whereof they make great account, for they say, that as long as the young childe hath [ 10] that Net about him, the Deuill cannot take nor beare the child away, and leauing it off, the De∣uill would carrie it away, for they say, the childe being so little, it would not bee strong enough to resist the Deuill, but hauing that Net vpon the bodie, it is armed, and then the Deuill hath no * 1.28 power ouer it; the Corals which they hang about the child, which they call a Fetisso, they esteeme much, for that hanging such a Fetisso about the childes necke, they say, it is good against vomi∣ting; the second Fetisso, which they hang about his necke, they say, it is good against falling the third, they say, is good against bleeding; the fourth, is very good to procure sleepe, which; they hang about the necke thereof, in the night-time, that it may sleepe well; the fift, is good against wild beasts, and the vnwholsomenesse of the Aire, with diuers other such like Fetissos, each ha∣uing a name a-part, to shew what vertue it hath, and what they are good for, and they credibly [ 20] beleeue them to be good against vomiting, falling, bleeding, (which they presently helpe) and for sleeping, they feed their young children with all kind of grosse meates, almost from the first, for when they leaue suckling (they suffer them not to suck long) then they beginne to learne the childe to eate of their grosse meates, and to drinke water; when they be vsed thereunto, then they take little heed to them, but beate the children lying downe in their house, like Dogges, rooting in the ground like Hogges, whereby it falleth out that the young children soone learne to goe.

Euery woman bringeth vp her owne children, and each child knoweth the Mother, and re∣mayneth with her, vntill the Father either buyeth it of her, or that it goeth away from the Mother, it oftentimes falleth out, that the Husband taketh the child from the Mother, & selleth [ 30] it to other men for a slaue. When they begin to goe, they presently learne to swimme, and to * 1.29 runne into the water, and when they are first borne they are not blacke, but reddish, as the Bra∣silians are; and then by little and little begin to be blacke; and at last, to bee as blacke as Pitch, and growing bigger, run vp and downe like Sauage men, Boyes and Girles together, fighting one with another, taking each others meate from them, and from their child-hood vpwards, be∣gin to be enuious one against the other, and so grow bigger and exercise all kind of villanie and knauerie, their Parents not once teaching them any ciuilitie, nor shewing them what they should doe, suffering both Boyes and Girles to goe starke naked as they were borne, with their priuie members all open, without any shame or ciuilitie.

They vse to beate and chasten their children most cruelly, striking them with great staues, in * 1.30 [ 40] such sort that we wondred that they did not breake their bones, which they doe not, but for some great cause (whereby their children respect them much) and for that they beate them cruelly, so that they doe not easily forget it. Other good Discipline they teach them not, but they grow vp like wild trees: hauing spent their time thus vnciuilly, and beginning to be eight, ten, or twelue yeares old, then their Parents begin to instruct and teach them to do some thing, and to labour with their hands, the Fathers teach their Sonnes to spinne Thred made of barkes of Trees, and to knit Nets, which hauing learned they goe to Sea with their Fathers to fish, and when they know how to rowe, and to guide a Boat, then two or three Boyes will goe out to∣gether * 1.31 in a Canoe or Almadia to fish, and that which they take they carrie to their Parents for food, but when they are eighteene or twentie yeares old, then their Sonnes beginne to deale for [ 50] themselues, and leaue their Fathers, and go and dwell two or three of them together in a house, buying or hyring a Canoe, (which is one of their Boats) and therewith goe to Sea together, and what fish they get they sell for Gold, first, keeping as much as serueth for food for them∣selues, with that they sell, they buy a fathome of Linnen cloth, which they hang about their * 1.32 bodies, and betweene their legges, wherewith they couer their priuie members, for then they begin to be shame-faced; whence they proceed further and beginne to deale and traff••que with Merchandize, and to carrie it aboord the ship in their Canoes, and serue Merchants to carry them to and from their ships, and so learne to deale with Gold, and to get some thing. After that, be∣ginning to be amorous, and to looke after young Wenches, then they are esteemed to bee men, which when their Fathers perceiue, they looke them out Wiues, and then they marrie, which * 1.33 they doe very young, so that in those Countries, Children get Children. Touching the G••rles, [ 60] they also begin to worke, and that some-what sooner then the Boyes, they learne to make Baskets, Mats and str••w Hats of greene Rushes, which they fold with their hands, they also learne to make Caps, Purses, and apparell made of barkes of Trees, dyed with all kinds of co∣lours,

most cunningly done, as if they were fastened together with cords, much to bee wondred at, they also learne to grind their Corne or Millia, and thereof make Bread, which they goe and sell for their Mothers, and bring them the money to buy other meate withall, and whatsoe∣uer they get, they giue it to their Mothers, who for that (when they marrie) giue them some gift, as I haue said before. In this sort the Girles begin to labour, and to learne to doe houshold worke, wherein according to their manner of house keeping, they are very curious, and exceed the men in cunning workmanship.

The men in those Countries are of a very good proportion, with faire members, strong legs, and well-shaped bodies, which is easily to be seene, for that they goe almost naked of their bo∣dies, [ 10] they haue round faces, and no great lips, nor wide mouthes, as the Barbarian Moores haue, but their Noses are flat, which they make flat when they are young, for they esteeme a * 1.34 flat Nose to be a great ornament vnto them, and to say truth, it doth not amisse in them, for that according to the proportion of bodie, it beautifieth their faces: their eares are small, their eyes white, their eye browes very great, white teeth in their mouthes, (for they keepe their teeth very cleane, scouring them with small stickes, and thereby make them very smooth, and shi∣ning like Iuorie) they haue little beard, and are at least thirtie yeares of age, before they haue a∣ny. They haue broad sholders, thicke armes, great hands, and long fingers, and let their nailes * 1.35 grow very long, which they keepe very cleane with scraping, for some of them let them grow as long as the ioynt of a mans finger, which they esteeme for a great ornament, for that cause thinking themselues to be Gentlemen. The Merchants also that dwell within the Land, vse [ 20] those long nailes for a great shew, for they keepe them as white as Iuorie, by scraping them, and againe they haue good vse for them, for that sometimes when they haue not a Spoone by them, and that they vntie their Purses to weigh Gold, and wanting a Spoone to take it out, for haste they vse their long nailes, and therewith put the Gold into the Scales, and I haue seene some of them at one time, take at least halfe an ounce of small Gold like sand out of their Purses. They haue small bellies, long legs, broad feet, and long toes, little haire vpon their bodies, curled haire vpon their heads, but not so much curled as the Tawnie Moores, for theirs is almost like bristels, and not like Wooll. In the palmes of their hands, vnder their feet, and vnder their lips, they are very white, their skins are as soft as Veluet, and smooth, which they raze not, they likewise haue a great priuie member, whereof they make great account, therein they much sur∣passe [ 30] our Countrimen.

As they grow in yeares, they become blacker and blacker, at thirtie yeares of age beeing in their best time, but when they are seuentie or eightie yeares old, then their blacknesse beginnes to decay, and their bodies become yellowish, and their skins begin to be rugged, and to wrinkle like Spanish Leather; they exceed all other Moores in Africa, for proportion and stature of bodie.

The men are industrious and subtill persons as can be, good Workmen or Labourers, strong of bodie, strait, and very vpright, ingenious to learne any thing, and readie to conceiue it: for any thing whatsoeuer they see done before them, they will soone imitate and counterfeit; they are of a very sharpe fight, and see further then our Netherlanders, for if there be any ships at the [ 40] * 1.36 Sea, they will see them sooner then we, they are subtill Merchants to traffique with all, and e∣uerie day more and more learne of the Netherlanders, so that in time they will surpasse them, for they haue good skill and knowledge in the Merchandizes which we sell them, they are hard of complexion, and haue very hot stomackes, for they are able to disgest raw and most strange meates (whereat we wondred) for if they had an Ostridge maw, they could not better disgest * 1.37 such raw meate as they many times eate, as I will further declare, when I speake more of their manner of feeding. They are very enuious and spitefull one against the other, and will beare * 1.38 malice against a man ten yeares together, and when they haue the meanes to be reuenged, then they will make their malice knowne, and vntill then keepe it secret.

They are Idolatrous, and very superstitious in their Religion. They haue a strong complexion [ 50] or sauour of their bodies, much like Oyle of Palme, wherewith they often anoint themselues. * 1.39 They are very curious to keepe their bodies cleane, and often wash and scoure them. They are much troubled with Lice and Fleas. They are not ashamed to shew their naked bodies, but they are very carefull not to let a Fart, if any bodie be by them; they wonder at our Netherlanders, that vse it so commonly, for they cannot abide that a man should Fart before them, esteeming it to be a great shame and contempt done vnto them; when they ease themselues, they commonly goe in the morning to the Townes end (where there is a place purposely made for them) that * 1.40 they may not bee seene, as also because men passing by should not bee molested with the smell thereof, they also esteeme it a bad thing that men should ease themselues vpon the ground, and therefore they make houses which are borne vp aboue the ground, wherein they ease themselues, [ 60] and euery time they doe it, they wipe; or else they goe to the water side, to ease themselues in the sand, and when these Priuie-houses are full, they set fire in them, and let them burne to ashes; they pisse by Iobs as Hogs doe, and not all at one time; they are very couetous, and much * 1.41 addicted thereunto, and they can begge so well, and are so expert therein, that they surpasse all

the beggers in our Countrey, who although they had set ten or twelue yeeres ordinarily at the Church doores, in Holland or Zeland; or gone from doore to doore to begge an almes: yet they cannot haue their lessons so perfectly as these. And although they are very hard and nigardly, and will giue but little, yet when they haue gotten any thing by their begging, then they will be somewhat liberall thereof, when it costs them nothing.

They are very lecherous, and much addicted to vncleannesse; especially with yong women, * 1.42 whereby they are much subiect to the Poxe, and other vncleane diseases, that are gotten there∣by; which they make small account of, and are nothing ashamed of them. They are no lesse gi∣uen to drinking; for they are great drunkards, and dainty mouthed, and can eate and drinke * 1.43 of the best. In their feeding, they are very greedy. They cannot endure that any raine should fall vpon their bodies, and therefore they shun it. They are very great liers, and not to be credited. [ 10] They are likewise much inclined to theft, for they will steale like dogs, for their Kings and * 1.44 Captaines practise it, and they are so well vsed thereunto, that they cannot leaue stealing. They are very expert and cunning to fish, and to till the land, and in their apparell, and going very proud, they are very stout, proud and curious in all their actions. They are not to be tru∣sted nor credited, for they are no good pay-masters, you were as good giue it, as trust them with any thing. They are of a very good memorie, and will remember a thing long. They are by nature warme and hott, and therefore cannot endure cold, they are not fru∣gall, for whatsoeuer they get, they spend it presently: for it grieues them to keepe it, so that therein they are like to little children, that can keepe nothing. They are excellent Swimmers and Diuers in the water, and are so expert therein, that they much surpasse our Coun∣trey [ 20] men.

§. III.

Of their Apparell, Customes within doores, Manner of diet, Merchandising, the vse of Dache; Wares carried thither.

ALthough their apparell and manner of dressing is not variable, yet they take a great * 1.45 pride therein; as first, in cutting their haire, euery one of a seueral fashion, and as finely [ 30] as he can deuise it: some with a halfe moone, some crosse wise, others with three or foure hornes vpon their heads, and euery one a seuerall way, so that among fiftie men, you shall scarce find two or three that are cut alike. On their armes they hang Iron rings, three * 1.46 or foure vpon one arme cut, some round, others flat, which are raced, and markt as we make fai∣rings for children. About their neckes they were a string of Beades, of diuers colours, which our Netherlanders bring them; but the Gentlemen weare Rings of gold about their necks, on their feet, they weare many strange wreathes, which they call Fetissos, (which name they deriue from * 1.47 their Idolatry) for when they eate or drinke, then they power meat and drinke vpon them; and first giue them to eate and drinke. At their knees also they weare a string of Uenice beades, with some gold among them, of diuers fashions, much after the manner that our yong maids [ 40] weare their Corall bracelets about their armes. They weare caps made of Barkes of trees, with a long string hanging at them, which they bind about their heads, after the Turkish manner, in stead of a hat-band, painted and dyed of diuers colours. They also make caps of Reeds, they * 1.48 likewise haue hats of Straw, as we haue, and some of greene Rushes, they also make caps of Dogs and Goats skins; which they spread vpon a blocke of wood, all finely made, they weare at least two fathome of Linnen about the middle of their bodies, and betweene their legs, and round a∣bout them like a girdle, and let it hang downe beneath their knees, like the Portugals Breeches; and when they goe out of doores, they take a fathome of Linnen cloth, Sey, or Stuffe, and weare it about their neckes, and crosse vnder their armes like a Cloake, and in their hands they weare an Assagaie or two, and when they goe in this manner in the streets, they haue a Boy or a Slaue [ 50] following them, which carrieth a stoole after them, and where they stay, there their slaues sets downe their stooles for them to sit and prate; they are very proud in their going, for they goe * 1.49 very slowly, and vse a long pace as they goe along through the streets, they looke forward, and neuer cast vp their eyes, vntill some body that is better then themselues, speaketh vnto them, and with them they will stand and talke, and make them an answere; but if they be such as are of meaner qualitie then themselues, to them they will make no answere: but with an angry countenance, and dispitefully, saying, hold your peace, speake not to me, esteeming themselues embased, by speaking to a meaner person then themselues in the streets; for there are very great men among them, very proud in speech, and doe much honour and reuerence to strangers, to the end you should doe the like to them. [ 60]

When they goe to Sea, then they put off their clothes, and taking a little peece of Linnen or cloth, about a handfull broad, tie that about their bodies, and betweene their legs, before their priuy members, and when they goe on land againe, then they put it off, and wash them∣selues

from head to feet, and anoint their bodies with Oyle of Palme, or fat of beasts, to make them shine; and betweene their toes put Soape, to keepe them cleane: they also vse to anoint their bodies to keepe them from the biting of Flies. In the morning, when they goe out and meet with any of their friends or acquaintance, they salute each other very solemnly, bidding * 1.50 them good morrow, embracing each other in their armes, & putting forth the two fore-fingers of their right hands, one to the other, they hold each other fast by them, and kinckling them twice or thrice together, at euery time bowing their heads, they say, Auzy, Auzy, which in their Language is good morrow.

The Portugals in Mina marry Mullato women, halfe white, halfe blacke, because white wo∣men * 1.51 cannot liue there. These weare their haire short, as the men, weare many Corals, and are [ 10] brauely apparelled. But of the Natiue women of these parts. First, I will tell you of their Na∣tures, Complexions, and Conditions: from their youths vpwards, they are giuen to Lust and vncleannesse, for a great while they goe with their priuie members vncouered, as I said before; and as they had no shame at all, so when they begin to weare some thing vpon their bodies, they begin to expresse shamefac'tnesse, but then begin to be Iecherous, which they naturally learne from their youth vpwards: and before the Netherlanders and Portugals dwelt among them, and * 1.52 Traffique in that Countrey, the women were not so proud nor curious, as they are now; but that they haue learned much of vs, by seeing that we rather desire a handsome, then an euill fa∣uoured wench; and for that cause, they giue themselues thereunto, that they might be beloued of vs; for they esteeme it to be good fortune for them to haue carnall copulation with a Nether∣lander, [ 20] and among themselues, brag and boast thereof. In former time, they vse to goe starke naked vntill they were very great, as yet they doe among those that dwell within the land, as the Negros themselues haue told vs; but on the Sea side they are growne more shamefac't, by meanes of such as comes out of Europe to Traffique with them. They are also theeuish, but there∣of they haue not so much need as the men. They are very proud in their gate and apparell, they curle and fold the haire of their heads, making a hill in the middle of their heads like a Hat, such as the Dutch Gentlewomen vse to weare, and round about the same, they make round strikes as bigge as a Dollor, which they dresse and trim so long, till it be as they would haue it; and then they anoint it with Palme Oyle, which makes it very much frizled, They haue long Combes with two teeth onely, each tooth being a finger long, which they thrust into their [ 30] haire, and combe it therewith; for they are troubled with Lice: they vse their combes also for a kind of salutation or reuerence, which they doe vnto men; for when they bid one good mor∣row, and kincke fingers together, they put their combes out of their haire, and put them in a∣gaine, which they vse for a kind of reuerence, in stead of bowing their heads. Vpon their fore∣heads they cut three or foure slashes in the flesh, about the length of the ioint of a mans finger, and also on their cheekes not farre from their eares, which they suffer to swell, and rise vp, about the breadth of a knife, which they couer ouer with painting, and vnder their eye browes, they * 1.53 also make white strikes, and on their faces they set white spots, which a farre off shew like Pearles. They also race their armes and their breasts with diuers kinds of cuts, euery morning putting diuers colours vpon them, whereby they shew like blacke silke doublets cut and pinckt, [ 40] * 1.54 or like a womans Sattin stomacher, they weare eare rings of Copper or Tin, and Copper brace∣lets about their armes, and some of Iuorie, and vpon their legs also they weare many red and yellow Copper Rings. But a yong maid that is vnmarried, weareth many Iron Rings about her armes, sometimes thirty or forty vpon one arme: a Whore (by them called Etigafou) often∣times weare Copper Rings vpon her legs, with Bels hanging at them, which she goes ringing through the streets. They are well proportioned and membred, much surpassing our women, in strength and agility of body, both when they are deliuered of their children, and otherwise, as I haue said before. They are very wise and diligent in house keeping, good House-wiues and Cookes, but not very skilfull to make cleane & scoure their Copper Kettles & Dishes, to make them shine. They keepe no more Houshold-stuffe then they haue need of, you find the women [ 50] more at home in their houses, then the men commonly are; for they vse not to goe abroad to prate with their neighbours, they are not ouer fruitfull: for commonly it is two orthree yeers before they are with child, which I thinke proceeds from their hot natures, and the aire of the Countrey, and secondly, because their husbands haue so many wiues, two, three, foure, fiue, and sixe, and some more, e〈…〉〈…〉h one as he hath power and abilitie to keepe them; and with them, he * 1.55 lieth according to their manner, euery one her turne, and vseth no•• one onely, but hath so much to doe with them all, that it is long before some of them are gotten with child. Their men are diligenter therein then we are, & the first thing they will tell you, is of their wifes and children, for he that among them hath many wiues and children, hee is a rich man. The women teach [ 60] their daughters from their youths vpwards, to bake bread, and to grind Millia, with other Housewiuery; whereby it commeth to passe, that they haue good skill in house-keeping, because they are brought vp therein from their youths. They are alwaies rubbing their teeth with a certaine kind of wood, where with they make them so smooth that they shine, as is before said, as white as Iuory: and in truth those white teeth make a faire shew in their blacke faces. They

weare a fadome and some a fadome and a halfe of linnen cloth about their bodies, which han∣geth from beneath their brests or their nauels down to their knees, then they take a piece of red, * 1.56 blue, or yellow cloth, whereof they make a Girdle, and put it about them, and on it they hang their Kniues, Purses with monie, and some Keies, and although they haue but few Chests or Cubboords, yet they hang Keies at their Girdles, because it makes a faire shew. They also hang diuers Wispes of straw about their Girdles, which they tie full of Beanes, and other Uenice Beades, esteeming them to be their Fetissos, or Saints, some of them take a piece of cloth, others a Mat made of barkes of Trees, others a piece of a Carpet, and weare it about their bodies, and so euery one weares something, and this they doe within the house, but when they goe to Mar∣ket to buy something, then they put off those things, and goe and wash themselues in a Kettle [ 10] of water from the head to the feet, and then they take another piece of Linnen to put about their bodies and another Girdle, and another fathome or two of Linnen Cloth, and hang it about their bodie, from their brests downe to their feet like a Gowne, and vpon it weares ano∣ther thing of Sey or of striped linnen, and that she carries vpon her shoulders, and vnder her arme like a Cloake, and carries a woodden Platter in her hand which she beares vp a high, and so goes to Market, and when she comes home againe from the Market or other places where she hath beene, she puts off those cloathes, and put on worse, for they are more sparing then the men, and therefore they carrie the Purse, and when their Husbands will haue any monie, they must come to them for it.

The women haue the gouernment of their Houses, and the men take care as much as lyes in * 1.57 them, to earne something, but the women prouide the meate to serue for their daily food, al∣though [ 20] they eate a part, they buy no more meate euery day, then serueth them for that day, or they can eate at a meale. In the euening they goe to their houses that stand without the Towne, * 1.58 and are full of Millia (which is their kind of Corne) where they take a certaine quantitie, as much as they need for their House, and with a staffe stampe it, as wee vse to stampe Spice in a Grocers shop, and that is their manner of threshing, then they fanne it in a woodden dish, till it be cleane, but such as haue slaues make them doe it. This Millia is a faire white Seed, when it is broken, as hereafter I will shew, ouer night they steepe this Millia with a little Mais in faire water, and in the morning after they haue washt, and made themselues readie, they take the Millia and lay it vpon a stone, as Painters doe when they grind their colours, then they take an∣other stone about a foot long, and with their hands grind the Millia as small as they can, till in a manner it be dough, and then it sheweth like baked Buckway Cakes, they temper their dough [ 30] with fresh water and Salt, and then make Rowles thereof as bigge as two fists, and that they lay vpon a warme harth, whereon it baketh a little, and this is the bread which they vse. The Negroes of the Castle Damina, bake faire bread of Mais, which is almost like our wheaten bread, * 1.59 and that they cut in Rowles: they can also bake it so hard, that it will keepe two or three monethes sweet and hard, for they furnish their ships and Iacts with such bread, when they send them to the Ilands of Saint Thomas, or to Angola, others that haue not the meanes to haue such bread, they goe to Market to buy it, and call it Kangues, when the Fisher-men come out of the Sea with their fish, then the women carrie it to the Market, where euerie one comes to buy that and flesh, fruite, and other things. They vse altogether raw and strange kind of meates, [ 40] as handfuls of Graine or Manigette, (and will drinke vp whole Romers full of Aquauite at a * 1.60 draught) Dogs, Cats, and filthy stinking Elephants, and Buffolds flesh, wherein there is a thou∣sand Maggets, and many times stinkes like carrion, in such sort that you cannot indure the smel thereof; there are likewise little Birds as bigge as a Bul-finch, of a grey colour, with red bills, which very cunningly make their Nests vpon the smallest ends of the branches of trees, thereby to preserue themselues from Snakes or other venomous beasts. Those they eate aliue, feathers and all.

I haue beene told by some of the Moores, that the Countrie people dwelling within the Land, eate dried Snakes, and the Boores or Slaues, as also the common people which dwell vp∣on the Sea-side, although they haue better prouision of meate then those that dwell further in∣to [ 50] the Land, yet they are of so hot a nature, that they eat raw Dogs guts, and neuer seethe nor roast them, which we our selues saw: And there was one of their Boyes left aboord a Nether∣landers ship for a pawne for debt, which Boy was so greedie to eate raw meate, that although he had sufficient meate with them in the ship, yet hee would eate the Hens meate out of their Troughes. This Boy made a sticke, and at the end thereof hee draue a naile with the point vp∣wards, * 1.61 and went and lay by the Hens Cage, and when any of them put out their heads to eate meate, he strooke them in the heads, and killed them, and then hee went and shewed the Sai∣lers, that some of the Hens were dead, which he did to the end he might eate their raw guts, and would not stay so long vntill the guts were made cleane, but tooke them and eate them raw as [ 60] they came out of the Hens bellies. They eate also great store of old stinking fish, which is dried in the Sunne, but to say, that they eate such kind of raw meates for necessitie and no other, were vntruth; for they also are very daintie, and can eate good meate when they haue it. There are

women that dwell in the Castle among the Portugals that can dresse meate well, they eate also many Hens, Goats, Oxen, and Hartes, but such meate is not eaten by the common people, but those that eate them are Gentlemen, or such as are rich, and are able to buy them; they also eate Iugnamis, Bannanas, and Patates. They haue three kind of trees, as the Palme-trees, whereof * 1.62 some are Females which yeeld no wine, but beare Grapes as bigge as Plummes, of an Orange colour, at the one end being some-what blackish: those Grapes they peele to the stones, and * 1.63 thereof they make Oile, which they call Palme Oile, which is verie delicate and good, which they vse to dresse their meate withall, and make good sawce thereof for their fish, the thickest of this Oile they vse to anoint their bodies withall, to make them cleane, and the women vse it to frizell their haire, the veines are as great as Acornes, and as hard as a stone, at the end thereof [ 10] hauing three round holes, they beate them in pieces, and within them find certaine Nuts, like little earthen pellets, much like hazell-nuts, but when you eate them, they taste of the wood, and are verie drie.

They likewise haue many Beanes and Pease, whereof some are like Turkie Beanes of a purple colour, those Beanes are good and fat, which they dresse with Oile of Palme, and it is a very ex∣cellent meate and nourisheth well, but the other kind of Beanes and Pease, they vse not to eate, for they haue no great quantitie of them, growing thereabouts. The Iugnamis also they vse in many places in stead of bread. Their drinke commonly is nothing but water, but yet in some places they brew a little Mais in water, which beeing sodden together, is almost like a kind of beere, which they also vse much to drinke and call it Poitou, others buy a pot of Palme-wine, [ 20] and because that will not continue long, therefore foure or fiue of them goe together, and buy a * 1.64 pot or two: a pot of theirs is ten pots of ours, and that they pay for together, which they powre into a great Cabas, which growes vpon Trees, whereof some are halfe as big as a Kilderkin, and will hold at least twelue Kans, and then sit downe round about it to drinke, whereof euerie man sendeth his louingest and truest wife a little pot full home to drinke, and the first draught that they drinke, they take it out of the Cabas with a smaller Cabas, and when the first man drinkes, the rest stand vp, and taking his Cap or Hat off, lay their hands vpon his head, and with a loud voice cries, Tautosi, Tautosi; at the first draught, they drinke not the Cabas full out, but leaue a little in it, which they throw vpon the ground, saying, I. OV, as giuing their Fetissos that to drinke, and if they haue other Fetissos on their armes or feete, they spit drinke out of their [ 30] * 1.65 mouthes vpon them, as if they gaue them drinke also; for they are of opinion, that if they doe it not, or forget to doe it, they should not drinke their wine quietly together, but that their Fe∣tissos would let them. Naturally they are great Drinkers, and vse no lesse vnseemelinesse in their feeding, but eate as vnmannerly and greedily, as if they were a companie of Hogs: for sitting down vpon the ground to eate, they stay not till they haue eaten one morsell vp, but still cramme * 1.66 in, and they put not their meate into their mouthes, but pull their meate in pieces, and take it vp with their three middlemost fingers, and gaping, cast it so right into their mouthes, that they neuer faile nor cast it beside their mouthes, whereat we wondred much. They are alwayes hun∣grie, and would willingly eate all day long, which shewes that they haue very hot mawes, and although the Countrey is very hot, whereby the heate of the Aire commonly should fill mens [ 40] stomakes, yet they are hungrie, and wee Netherlanders are not weake stomaked there, but al∣waies haue good appetites, whereby I am of opinion, that heate in those Countries makes men hungrie: but because I am no Doctor of Physicke, I will not intreate thereof. And because they make great account of that drinking together, they are verie earnest and industrious to get some∣thing, and to make prouision of Gold, which hauing gotten, they cannot be frugall or sparing, * 1.67 but presently goe and drinke it with their companions, now one, and then another, euerie one his turne, and if one gets more then his fellowes, then hee must be liberaller then his fellowes, that is, when they begin to deale with the Merchants, and to goe aboord the ships, and he that is poore or hath not much, can hardly beare companie to drinke, because they are not sparing, when they haue gotten any thing.

As I haue vnderstood by the Inhabitants of those Countries, before the Portugals came thi∣ther [ 50] to deale with them, they had very little or no kind of Merchandize to traffique withall, or * 1.68 to liue by, but liue vpon that which they got from others by force, which was not much, speci∣ally to get any thing to apparell themselues; for before that time they went all naked, as I said before, much lesse had they any cattle or victuals for their maintenance, but only such as the Portugals brought thither, and by that meanes the Countrie was filled and replenished with di∣uers kinds of beasts and Corne, whereby at this day, there is almost all kind of things that are * 1.69 necessarie and needfull for mans sustenance, and otherwise to bee had in those Countries. And within a while after, the Portugals began to traffique and deale with the Sauage Inhabitants, they likewise began to know their Merchandize. [ 60]

At the first, in former time they came and brought their Gold vnto the Portugals, and bought of them such things as they wanted, as Linnen Cloth, &c. but the people dwelling further within Land, durst not venture to come to the Portugals to deale with them, as wondring at * 1.70

them, it being a fearefull thing vnto them to see white men apparelled, and they themselues blacke and vnapparelled, (as the like happened vnto our men; for at the first they were afraid to see Blacke Moores) and therefore they brought their monie to those that dwelt on the Sea side, where the Portugals traffique, and told them what wares they would haue, and they went to the Castle, and bought such things as they desired, as Iron, Tinne, Copper Basons, Kniues, Cloth, Linnen, Kettles, Corals; and such like wares, and the Merchants that sent them to the Portugals, paid them for their paines, vpon euery Peso of Gold by them disbursed, so that if they bestowed many Pesoes, they receiued a good deale of monie for their Factoridge, and by that meanes they got their liuings.

But after that, when we began to traffique thither, (the first that went from hence thither * 1.71 [ 10] out of Holland, to deale with the Negroes, beeing called Barent Erickson of Medenblicke) and found what profit the Portugals did there, we increased our Trade thither, and sent more ships with the said Baront, as a fit man for it, because he knew the Coast; as hauing beene there with the Portugals. But hauing no place vpon the Land (as the Portugals had) to carrie our wares a∣shoare, and to lay it in Ware-houses to traffique with them as time serued, and durst not, or else might not goe on Land, we were constrained to stay with our shippes at anchor before their Townes, attending for the Merchants, that came aboord our ships with their Canoes, at which time the Negroes seeing that wee had Merchandize aboord, imboldened themselues to traffique with vs, and brought their Gold aboord our ships, and for that at this present they deale but little with the Portugals, but only with our Countrimen, therefore I will shew in what man∣ner [ 20] they deale with vs.

In the morning betimes, they come aboord our ships with their Canoes, or Scutes to traffique with vs: and the cause why their Merchants came so early aboord, is, for that in the morning the wind, which they call Bofone, blowes off from the Land, and then it is calme smooth water, for * 1.72 about noone the wind which they call Agom Brettou, begins to blow out of the Sea, and then they row to Land againe: for the people that dwell within the Land, can hardly brooke the Seas, for when they are aboord the ship, they can scarce goe or stand, but lie downe and spue like Dogges, and are verie Sea-sicke; but their Rowers and Pilots that bring them aboord, are hardie enough, and neuer are sicke, by reason of their daily vsing to the Seas. But some of their Merchants when they come aboord our ships, are so sicke, that they cast out all they haue within [ 30] their bodies; and by reason of their beeing so sicke infaire weather, they are so afraid of the wind (when the waues goe any thing high) that they make as much haste home as they can, and some of them dare not venture vpon the Seas to goe aboord the ships, but deliuer their monie to the Pilots or Factors, telling them what Merchandize they desire to buy, and those Tolken come with the Gold aboord the ships, hauing a Purse which hangeth about their middles, wherein they put their Gold, and euery seuerall mans Gold is in a piece of Cloth or Paper by it selfe, and they can tell which is euerie mans, and what wares hee desireth to haue for it, and some∣times they haue twelue or ten mens Gold to bestow, which is called an English of Gold, and of some two, three, or foure, and when any of their monies is not waight, then they put it into their Purse, and carrie it to the man againe, for if they should put any thing to it, to make it full [ 40] waight, the Merchant would not giue it them againe, for they weigh their Gold first vpon the Land, and know how much it is before they send it aboord the ship, for they credit not one the other, and when they haue bestowed their monie, then we must giue them some-what to boot, which they call Dache. * 1.73

When we began to traffique here in the Countrie with two or three ships, as one of Middle∣burgh, * 1.74 one of Amsterdam, and one of Schiedam, and that all our ships met and lay at anchor together to sell our wares, the one ship seeing that the other traffiqued more, and vented more wares then his fellowes, to find the meanes to get the Merchants aboord their ships, they wil∣led the Pilots (with whom they must hold friendship, for they carrie the Merchants aboord) to bring them aboord their ships, and they would giue them something for their labours, and the Pilots accordingly to get something, brought them aboord that ship, which had made them that [ 50] offer, for they are verie couetous, which the other ships perceiuing, willed the Pilots to bring the Merchants aboord their shippes, and they would likewise giue them something: and they made them answere, that if they would giue them as much as the other did, they would come aboord their ships, which they promised to doe, and gaue them more Dache then the other, and by that meanes driue the Merchants, Pilots, and Tolken aboord their ships, which the other ships seeing, and thinking that their Merchants wares cost them no more then the others, gaue them more Dache then the others, and by that meanes striuing one with the other, they deminished one and the others gaine, and in fine, their gifts grew to such a rate, that at this day, their Da∣che amounteth vnto sixe or seuen per cento.

And now it is come to passe, that whereas the Countrie people and Merchants were wont [ 60] to pay the litridge and brokeridge to the Pilots and Tolken, to carrie them aboord the ships, they sought to the Merchants and Countrie Moores to get them into their Canoes, for greedinesse of Dache, which they got of the Factors for their labours, to bring the Merchants aboord, and

thereby in stead of paying them for going aboard, they giue the Merchants much Dache, in re∣gard of the great profit they get thereby.

Many Merchants comming to the Sea side to buy wares, some of them a hundred or two hun∣dred miles from within the land, bring great store of gold, & haue diuers slaues with them, which they lade with the wares which they buy in the ships, wherof some haue twenty, others thirtie, and some more, as they haue meanes, and according to the trade that they vse: which Merchants or Moorish countrey people, know the houses or lodgings, where they vse to lie, and waigh their money to their Tolke or Hoste, and tell them what goods or wares they will haue; who com∣ming aboard, commonly bring one of the Merchants with them, for they trust not one the o∣ther, and leaue the rest with their slaues vpon the land, which tell them what wares they de∣sire [ 10] to haue; and if it be a Merchant that can speake no Portugall speech, they will presently tell you, and will the Factor not to speake Morish speech vnto them, because their Merchant is one that dwels farre within the land; thereby giuing you to vnderstand, that they meane to de∣ceiue him, and to beguile him of much money. The poore Merchant being sicke, and lying in * 1.75 the ship spuing like a dogge, in the meane time the Brokers make the match for them, telling the Factors how much ware they desire to haue for so much gold; for that the wares are com∣monly sold all at one price: The Tolken makes not many words with the Factors, but set certaine wares before the Merchant, as little as they can to content him for his money, and the price be∣ing made with him, he weighes their gold, and takes the wares, and goes on land againe; and the Merchant being gone home, then the Pilots and Tolken come aboard the ships againe, to [ 20] fetch that which they haue coozoned the Merchant off: so that oftentimes the Merchants are deceiued of a third part of their goods by such practises: others, while he lookes about, or turnes to spue, steale a peece of the Merchants gold, and put it into their Mouthes, Eares, or Nostrels, making the Merchant beleeue that his money is too light: the Merchant for his part, seeing that * 1.76 by meanes of their the euery his money will not reach out; because it is too light, that it may weigh more then it is, blowes in the Ballance, which the Factors oftentimes perceiuing not, and thinking that they haue their full waight, are by that meanes deceiued, and come short of their reckoning; so that they haue a thousand deuices to steale, and to beguile the Merchants. At first they were woont to be very simple in their dealing, and trusted the Netherlanders very much, whereat we wondred: for they were of opinion, that white men were Gods, and [ 30] * 1.77 would not deceiue them, and then tooke the wares vpon their words, without reckoning it after them, whereby they were deceiued: for, that if they bought ten fathome of Linnen cloth, they found but eight, and by that meanes, lost two fathome, and other things after the rate, which the Factors did so grossely, that the Merchants in the end perceiued it, and began to looke better to themselues, and grew so subtill in their reckoning, that if they bought one hundred fathome of Linnen, they could reckon it to a fathome, and tell whether they had their measure or not; so that now if you doe them any wrong, by measuring or reckoning, they will not come aboard your ship any more; and which is more, for any bad looke, or hastie word that you shall giue them, they will neuer be friends with you againe.

Troubles and warres in the Netherlands, constrained vs to seek Traffique here also, and to vn∣dertake this voyage, by that meanes to put the Portugalls from it, which in the end we did, for [ 40] * 1.78 that since the Netherlanders came hither to Traffick with the Negroes, Moores, the Portugalls haue best trading, and are wholly decayed. First, we bring them great store of slight Linnen cloth, whereof there is very much spent in those Countries, for they apparell themselues therewith, and it is the chiefest thing they vse for that purpose: besides this, we carry them great store of Basons, as little Basons, Barbers Basons, Basons to drinke in, Platters of Copper, flat Basons, great broad Copper pans, at the least two fathome about, and small Posnets without edges: The small Basons they vse to put Oile in, wherwith they anoint themselues, and the greater sort of them they set in the graues of the dead, & vse them to carry diuers things in. The Barbers Basons they vse to wash themselues in, & when they cut their haire, platters they vse to lay ouer others to couer them withall, to keepe dust and filth from falling into their things. The great broad [ 50] Pans, are by them vsed to kill a Goat or a Hogge in, and to make it cleane therein, in stead of a Tub. The Possenets they vse to dresse their meat in, which serueth them to very good purpose, they will not haue them with steales, as we vse them here with vs, and many other such like Basons of Copper, which our ships bring thither in great quantities, and therewith fill the Coun∣trie so full; and by meanes thereof, they are sold as good cheape there vnto the Negros, as they are bought in Amsterdam and although there are so many of those Basons brought thither, and no ware that weareth so much, as Linnen, yet you see but few old Copper things there, and therefore you must thinke, that there is great store of people inhabiting further within the land, which vse so great quantitie of such things. [ 60]

We carrie thither great store of Kettles, which they vse to fetch water in, out of their pits and Valleyes, and some red Copper pots Tinned within, wherein they vse to put water, in stead of a barrell of beare to drinke, earthen pots they vse also to drinke out of. Iron is vsed by them to make their weapons, as Assagaie, cutting Kniues, Poniards, &c. The Assagaies & Poniards

they vse for the warres. The cutting Kniues, to Till and cut vp the ground, in stead of Spades, and some to cut wood withall, and to vse about their Building, for they haue no other Tooles: They also buy great store of Red, Blew, Yellow, and Greene Rupinsh cloth, which they vse for Girdles about their middles, to hang their Kniues, Purses, Poniards, and such like things at. They vse white Spanish Serges to weare vpon their bodies, instead of Clokes, Rings of Copper and Brasse, which they weare about their armes and feet for a great pride. They also vse Tin things, as Rings for their armes, but not many. They vse many Kniues which wee make with vs in Holland, and call them Docke Messen. They also vse great store of Uenice Beads, of all kinds of colours, but they desire some colours more then others, which they breake in foure or fiue peeces, and then grind them vpon a stone, as our children grind Cherrie stones; and then [ 10] put them vpon strings, made of Barke of trees, ten or twelue together, and therewith Traffique much: Those ground Corals they weare about their neckes, hands and feet. They also vse round Beads, and specially great round Counters, which they hang and plait among their haire, and let them hang ouer their eares. Pins they vse to make Fish-hookes, Horse tailes they vse when they daunce, & also when they sit still, to keep the flies from their bodies; Looking glas∣ses, and small Copper milke Kans, with many such like things. But the chiefest wares that are vttered there, and most vsed among them, is, Linnen, Cloth, Brasse, and Copper things, Basons, Kettles, Kniues, and Corals.

At first we vsed many times to deceiue them, not onely in measuring of Linnen, but in deli∣uering [ 20] * 1.79 them broken and patcht Basons, and peeced Kettles for their money; rotten Cloth, through the which they might haue sifted Beanes; Kniues that were so rustie, that they could hardly without breaking pull them out of their sheathes, with such like wares. But now by vse and experience, they haue attained to such skill in our wares, that they are almost able to surpasse vs therein. For, first, when they buy any Linnen cloth, they looke if it be not to slight and thin, and whether it be white and broad; for they are very curious to buy white and broad Linnen, and respect not the strength so much as the breadth of the Linnen: for they vse to hang it about their bodies, specially the women, which desire to haue it hang downe from vnderneath their breasts, to their knees. Secondly, they take Woollen cloth, and hold it vp a∣gainst the light, to see if it be thin. They draw the Kniues ont of the sheathes, to see if they [ 30] be not rustie. They looke vpon the Basons one by one, to see if they haue no holes in them: or whether they be broken, and the least hole that they spie in them, they lay them away, and desire to haue others for them; and also if they be but a little foule or greasie, they will none of them: And for quantitie and qualitie make triall of all other wares, as curiously as in Eu∣rope is done.

§. IIII.

What Custome the Merchants pay to their Kings. Their Measures, Weights, [ 40] Scales, Markets: Also their Sabbath, Fetissos and superstitions.

THe Kings haue their Customes dwelling vpon the Sea Coast, where the ships lie to Traffique with the Countrey people, and they are placed there, to see that the * 1.80 Kings lose not their Rents and Imposts, and that it may be the better paid them, and no deceit vsed, they appoint one of their Sons or some one of their neerest friends to be present with them. Those Customers receiue the Custome of the fish, which is taken in his precinct, or before his Hauen, and to that end he hath a measure to measure it withall, and if the measure be not full (of any fish whatsoeuer) then it payeth no Custome, but if their fish bee more then filleth that measure, then he taketh the fifth fish thereof, or as much as he thinketh [ 50] good to take for his Custome, and that is presently sent to the King of that quarter by his slaues, which euery morning come thither to fetch the fish.

Such Merchants as come thither a great way out of the Countrey, pay to the King of the Ha∣uen where they goe to Traffique, the weight of sixe pence in gold, for their passage through his * 1.81 Countrey, and whether they intend to buy much or little, the passage money is all one, and when they haue Traffique with the Factors in the ships, and come to land, the Customer taketh a part of their goods from them, which is commonly a fourth part of that which they haue bought, and carrieth it away with him, then the Merchant takes the rest and carrieth it to his lodging, which done, he goeth backe againe to the Customer (whom they call la guarda, within Portugall is the watch) and agree with him, and pay him as little as they can, and so haue [ 60] their goods againe, and if they haue bestowed lesse then two ounces of gold vpon wares, then there is no set Custome to bee paid for it, but they giue as much as they can agree vpon for it, with the Customer, and that is the Customers owne profit, in stead of his wages, but whatsoe∣uer

they buy aboue the value of two ounces of Gold, then they must pay an English of Gold for custome thereof, those two ounces of Gold they call Benda.

Also if they haue stolne any thing from any of their Countrie people, they also pay monie for it, as the case requireth. And also when they haue laien with another mans Wife, then the * 1.82 King hath a forfeit paid vnto him for it. And when the Countrie people come to Market with their weapons, they must leaue their Weapons in some place, or else they must pay a forfeit, which is sixe penie weight in Gold, if they come with any Armes or Weapons to their Sea∣townes. And they also that counterfeit false Gold, with diuers other forfeitures, which are all paid to the King, whereof the Customer euerie three monethes maketh his account, and payeth [ 10] it vnto the King.

They make Weights of Copper of diuers sorts, and haue little Copper Scales which are * 1.83 round, and hollow like an Orange peele. A Benda is their greatest weight, which with vs is two ounces; Benda-affa, is halfe a Benda, which is an ounce. Assuwa, is two Pesos and a halfe. Eggeba, is two Pesos, or halfe an ounce. Seron, is a Peso and a halfe. Eusanno is a Peso or a Loot. Quienta, is three quarters of a Peso, each Peso is a Loot. Media taba, is a quarter of a Peso, or a small parcell. Agiraque, is halfe a Peso, or halfe a Loot, each Peso is a Loot; so that their weights are all one with ours for the names, but differ in the pound a Peso and a halfe, which is a Loot and a halfe, so that their weights are so much lighter then ours.

They measue their Cloth by two fathome together, which they cut one from the other, and call it Iectam, and sell their Linnen in that sort among themselues, and those two fathome after [ 20] * 1.84 our measure is a storke and three quarters, and they are verie subtill in measuring of their Linnen, and can reckon that so many of our storkes make so many of their fadomes. They cut their Woollen-cloth in pieces not aboue a handfull broad, which they vse in stead of Girdles about their middles, and sell the Cloth in this sort among themselues in this manner, and vse no other kind of measure thereunto. They are not verie subtill nor expert in telling, specially to reckon, for when they haue past the number of ten, they rehearse so many words one after the other for one number, that they are so cumbred, that they cannot tell how to get out of it, and so sit buz∣zing * 1.85 so long, till at last they haue forgotten their number, and are forced to begin to tell againe, but since they began to deale with the Netherlanders, and were to reckon aboue the number of ten, for they vse no more among them, they tell till they come to ten, and then take one of [ 30] their fingers into their hands, and then tell to ten againe, and then take another finger into their hand, and so proceed till they haue both their hands full, which in all maketh an hundred, then they marke that vp, and then begin againe to tell to ten, and vse the same order as before.

Euerie Towne hath Market daies specially appointed, vpon the which you find more to bee * 1.86 bought then vpon other daies, and euerie Towne hath his Market vpon such a day, as the others haue it not, and so euerie one differeth vpon their daies, and when their Market daies come, they haue two daies Market one after the other, wherein the principall Boores or Countrie people, come from diuers places to traffique with the ships. They haue their Sunday also, but on that day they doe nothing.

In the morning betimes, assoone as it is day, the Countrie people come with their Sugar [ 40] Canes to the Market, carrying two or three bundles together vpon their heads, which are bound vp like faggots, and being in the Market they vnbind them, and so lay them downe vpon the ground, which done, the Inhabitants of that place come to buy them, some two, others three, and some more as they haue need of them, whereby they haue soone sold their Sugar Canes, for they vse many of them to eate, and assoone as they haue sold their Sugar Canes, then the wo∣men come to the Market with their wares, who bring Oranges, Limons, Bannanas, Backo∣uens, * 1.87 Potatoes, Indianias, Millia, Mais, Rice, Manigette, Hens, Egges, Bread, and such like ne∣cessaries, which those that dwell on the Sea-side haue need of, and are sold both vnto the Inhabi∣tants, and to the Netherlanders in the ships, which come thither to buy it. The Inhabitants of the Sea-side, come also to the Market with their wares, which they buy of the Netherlanders, as [ 50] Linnen Cloth, Kniues, ground Corals, Looking-glasses, Pinnes, arme Rings, and Fish, which their Husbands haue gotten in the Sea, whereof the women buy much, and carrie them to other Townes within the Land, to get some profit by them, so that the fish which is taken in the Sea, is carried at least an hundred or two hundred miles vp into the Land, for a great Present, al∣though many times it stinkes like carrion, and hath a thousand Maggots creeping in it. Those women are verie nimble about their businesse, and so earnest therein, that they goe at least fiue or sixe miles euery day to the places where they haue to doe, and are laden like Asses: for at their backes they carrie their children, and on their heads they haue a heauie burthen of fruit, or Mil∣lia, and so goe laden to the Market, and there she buyeth fish, to carrie home with her, so that oftentimes they come as heauily laden from the Market, as they went thither. These pay no [ 60] custome to the King, but if they find any Fetissos in the way as they goe (which are their Idola∣trous * 1.88 gods) they giue them some of their fruit or Millia to eate, which is as much as if they gaue them the tenth part thereof. * 1.89

Those women goe seuen or eight together, and as they passe along the way they are verie merrie and pleasant, for commonly they sing and make a noise; about noone the Countrie peo∣ple begin to come to the Market with their Palme-wine, which they carrie in pots, some bringing one some two pots, as they are able, they come armed to the Market, hauing a hew∣ing Knife at their Girdles, and two or three Assagayes in their hands, but when they enter in∣to the Market, then they set their armes in a certain place appointed thereunto, and when they haue sold and goe home againe, euery man takes his weapons and goes his way, not once chan∣ging one with the other, but euerie man takes his owne, and when the Netherlanders and the Negroes haue done traffiquing: when the Countrie people come to the Market with their wine, looke what the Pilots or Rowers (that carried the Merchants aboord the ships) haue gotten, or that was giuen them for Dache, by the Factors, there with they buy Palme-wine, and drinke it [ 10] vp together, they pay for their Wine either with Gold, or Linnen; but for the most part, they pay for it with Gold, which they weigh verie narrowly, one vnto the other, and when there are many Merchants, and that the Wine is much desired, then it is oftentimes deerer then Spanish Wine is with vs.

Besides this, the Market folke know euerie one their place, and where to sit to sell their wares, as those with fruit stand in one place, they with Sugar Canes in another place, they with Wood, Water, and Bread by themselues; and those that sell Wine in a place by themselues, but the Palme-wine which is brought thither by Sea, from other places, that is ne∣uer brought to the Market, for many times when it comes in the Canoes in the euening, when [ 20] the people haue need thereof, assoone as it is brought on Land, the Negroes stand readie vpon the shoare watching for it, and going to the Merchants, euerie one takes a Pot, and carries it away, so that they haue presently sold it, & the Merchant needs not feare that his, Wine will sowre for want of vtterance, for they are so greedie of it, specially for to drinke, that oftentimes they fight and fall together by the eares for it.

They vse no monie nor any kind of Mint, wherewith they pay each other, but when they buy any thing they pay for it with Gold, and that by weight, and it is a verie small parcell that hath not some kind of weight to weigh it withall, and they pay each other with foure square pieces of Gold, weighing a graine or halfe a graine. The cause why they pay in this sort, and haue this custome, is by meanes of the Portugals, of the Castle of Myna, which shewed them this way, for before the Portugals came thither, the Negroes knew no such thing, but when they [ 30] bought any thing, they exchanged ware for ware, but the Portugals cd ming thither had no monie to pay them, when they bought fruits or other victuals to eate, an therefore they desi∣red to pay with Kacrawen, in stead of monie, & so it is the custome about the Castle of Myna, that they haue great store of Kacrawen, which they vse for paymēt more then in other places. In places where the Portugals are not known, the Negros vse not that kind of Mint, but sel their Gold as it commeth out of the Earth, for they know not how to melt or vse their Gold as the Negros do, that deale with the Portugals, and in stead of monie paid one the other in small stones: they vse also small pieces of Iron of a finger length, with a halfe Moone thereon, which they vse in stead of monie, and haue no other kind of monie in the Golden Coast of Guinea, then such as I said before, wherewith they pay each other. [ 40]

Although they are altogether wild, rough, and vnciuill, hauing neither Scripture nor Bookes, nor any notable Lawes that might be set downe, or declared to shew the manner of their poli∣cie and liuing, yet when they haue past the six daies of the weeke in labour and paines taking, to get their liuings, the seuenth day they leaue working, and reckon that to bee their day of ease, and abstinence from worke, or their Sunday, which they call Dio Fetissos, which in our * 1.90 speech, should signifie Sunday, but they obserue it not vpon our Sunday, nor vpon the Iewes Sab∣bath Day, but hold it vpon Tuesday, the second working day in the weeke; what law or opini∣on they haue to mooue them thereunto, I know not, but they hold Tuesday for their Sunday, and that day the Fishermen goe not to the Sea for fish: The women and Countrie people that day bring no Wine to the Market, but all the Wine which that day they draw out of the trees, [ 50] they deliuer it vnto the King, which in the euening hee giueth vnto his Gentlemen, and they drinke it among them. That day they doe no kind of worke, nor traffique with other but such as dwell on the Sea-side, refraine not for all that to goe aboord the shippes, and to buy wares of the Netherlanders. In their Markets they haue a square place foure foot euery way, supported with foure Pillars, and about two cubits high from the ground, flat on the top, and couered close with Reedes, and hanged round about Wispes or Fetissos of straw, whereon they lay Millia with * 1.91 Palme-oile or water, and giue their god that to eate and drinke to sustaine him withall, that he should not die for hunger or thirst, thinking that he eateth and drinketh it and liues by it, but the Birds of the Aire eate the graine, and drinkes the water, and when it is eaten they anoint the Altar with Oile, and set more meate and drinke vpon it, thinking thereby to doe their god [ 60] great sacrifice and seruice.

They haue also a Priest, who in their speech they call a Fetissero, hee vpon their Sabbath day * 1.92 sits vpon a stoole, in the middle of the Market before the Altar or place whereupon they sacri∣fice

vnto their Fetisso, then all the men, women and children come and sit round about him, and there he speaketh vnto them, & they sit stil to heare him: but what it is, or what it meaneth that cannot I learne, nor perceiue, neither can you get it from them, for I haue oftentimes asked them * 1.93 about it, but they will not tell, but are ashamed to declare it. But I haue seene this Fetissero, haue a pot with a certaine drink, (wherein there was a Snake) standing by him, and a Wispe, and some women with their little children went to him, which children hee stroaked with colour, or with some of that drinke, and so they went away, which I ghesse to be a kind of Salue against * 1.94 their Fetisso, for they esteeme their Fetissos to be both good and euill. And when their Fetissero hath made an Oration vnto them, then he stands vp and smeareth the Altar with his Wispe, and drinke out of his pot, and then the people vsing certaine words and making a great noise a∣mong [ 10] them, clapping their hands together, cry I. ou, I. ou, and therewith their preaching is done, and so euerie one goes home to his house.

They hang many straw Wispes vpon their heads, and thinke thereby to bee free and safe as * 1.95 long as they weare them, and that their Fetissos can doe them no harme. In the morning be∣times when they haue washt their bodies cleane, they stroake their faces with white stripes, made of earth like chalke, which they do in honour of their Fetisso, and vse it in stead of praiers in a morning; when they eat any thing they present their Fetisso (the straw Wispes which they weare about their legges) the first bit, and also the first draught that they drinke, giuing him to drinke, which if they doe not, they thinke they shall haue no good lucke that day, for they perswade themselues that their Fetisso would not otherwise suffer them to be quiet. When [ 20] the Fishermen take but small store of fish, then they thinke that their Fetisso is angrie, and there∣fore * 1.96 will giue them no fish, then they make a great crie among them, and goe to their Fetissero, and giue him Gold to coniure their Fetisso, to send them store of fish. This Coniurer presently goes, and makes all his Wiues (two, three or foure, or as many as he hath) put on their best ap∣parell and ornaments, and with them goes howling and crying round about the Towne, striking themselues vpon their brests, and clapping their hands flat together, and so making a great stirre and noise, goe to the Sea-side, and taking boughes from the trees, hang them about their neckes: those trees they esteeme to be their Fetissos Dusianam, who they thinke send them fish. Then, the Coniurer or he that should bewitch the Fetissos, comes with a Drumme, and plaies or sounds before the trees, which they esteeme to be good for that purpose, which done hee goes to his [ 30] Wiues vpon the strand, and when they haue spoken one vnto the other a good while, he casteth Millia into the Sea for his meate, with other colours, thinking that thereby their god is appea∣sed, and will let them take fish enough.

When the King receiueth not custome enough, to maintaine himselfe withall, then he goeth to a tree which he esteemeth to be his Fetisso, and sacrificeth vnto it, carrying it meat and drink; then the Coniurers come and coniures the tree, to tell them whether there will any Merchants come or not, which to doe they make a heape of ashes, in forme like a Sugar-loafe, and cutting * 1.97 a bough from the tree sticke that in it, then they take a Bason of water and drinke out of it, and therewith sprinkle the bough of the tree, which done they speake each to other, and then a∣gaine they sprinkle more vpon it, after that they take some of the ashes, and be-dawbe their fa∣ces [ 40] therewith, end in that manner vse many foolish and vaine Ceremonies, and not long after they shall heare a voice which is the Deuill, that saith something vnto them, and therewith they goe home againe, and bring word what their Fetisso hath said. They hang many of those things about their children for diseases, as is said before, as also of their drinke of iealousie. * 1.98

When any man dieth, they also make a Fetisso, and desire it to bring the bodie into the othe world, and not to trouble it in the way as it goeth, then the next our neerest kinsman killeth a * 1.99 Hen, and dresseth it ready to be sodden, which done, they goe and sit in a corner of their house: and with him take all his Fetissos, and place them in order, as their greatest god in the middle, and the rest of meaner sort by it, then he takes certaine beades, some made of shels, some of Beanes and great Pease, and others of feathers, mixed with Buttons made of barkes of trees, [ 50] and hangs them vpon the Fetissos. After that they take the bloud of the dead Hen, and therewith spinkle their Fetisso (for a dead man must offer bloud vnto his god) then hee fetcheth certaine Herbs out of the fields, and hangs them about his necke like a chaine. In the meane time, while the man is in this sort made readie. The Hen is sodden, and being sodden then he brings it, and putting it in a Platter, sets it in the middle of the Fetissos, which done, hee beginneth to coniure, vsing many words, and casteth water or wine of Palme vpon his Fetisso, then he takes two or three of the greene leaues, which he hath about his necke, and rolleth them betweene his hands, making a little bowle or bale thereof, which he takes in the two fore-fingers of both his hands, and thrusts it betweene his legges, twice or thrice one after the other, saying, to his Fetisso, Aucie, which is as much as if he should say, All haile. After this he wringeth the sap out [ 60] of that ball, and lets it drop vpon his Fetisso; which done he laies the ball vpon the ground, and takes two or three leaues more of the Herbs he hath about his necke, and rolles them in his hands, and hauing made them in a Ball, thrusts them betweene his legges, speaking certaine words as aforesaid, and then lets the sap drop vpon his Fetisso, and this he doth vntill such time

as he hath rolled and wrung all the greene Herbs in that sort, which he had about his neck; then he takes all the balls or leaues together in his hand, and thereof maketh a ball as bigge as a mans fist, wherewith he wipeth his face, and that also is a Fetisso, which being done the dead bodie shall rest in peace, and therewith he packeth vp all his trinkets, and laieth them aside vntill ano∣ther time, that some other bodie setteth him a worke. This kind of Superstition they esteeme * 1.100 for a great holinesse for their bodies, for when they goe to warre they hang such beades about their neckes, armes and legges, thinking that their Fetisso will defend them thereby, and pre∣serue them from killing, and thinke that they need not feare any thing. They esteeme the Pittoir also for a god, for when they goe from one Towne to another, and heare it call, they are exceeding ioyfull and glad, for they say that it is a Fetisso, which speaketh vnto them, saying, * 1.101 that all those that then trauell in the way, shall haue no hurt, nor need feare any danger, for he [ 10] will defend them from all men that seeke to molest them, and wheresoeuer they heare it crie, there they set Millia for him to eate, and pots full of water to drinke, and dare not passe that place without giuing it something, whereby in some corners of streets, and in the Woods you shall see a number of pots, and other meates as Millia, Mais, &c. which they set there to ho∣nour the Fetisso the Petoir, whereby it appeareth that they make great account of Birds and al∣so of some fishes, as of the Tonny, which they by no meanes will take, but esteeme it to be their Fetisso or Sea-god. They take many Sword-fishes, and cutting of the Swords they drie them, * 1.102 which they also esteeme for a great Fetisso. Others put their trust in some trees, and when they desire to know any thing they goe to those trees, where the Deuill oftentimes appeares in forme * 1.103 [ 20] of a blacke Dogge, or of such like things, and many times inuisibly, and maketh answere vno such things as they aske him. So that if you aske them any thing touching their beliefe, and they giue you no answere, which maketh any shew of truth, then they say that their Fetisso said so, and willed them to doe it, for they esteeme him for their god, and vse many foolish toyes and vaine shewes when they pray to him, and serue him, thinking that it doth them good, and that they merit much thereby, yet it helpeth them not. But they rather find themselues decei∣ued, and as they deale with the Deuill, and put their trust in him, so he rewardeth them, and yet they desire not to heare of him, but feare him much.

There are some hils in those Countries, whereon oftentimes it thundereth and lighteneth, and thereby manie times some Fishermen, or other Moores, are cast away or receiue some great * 1.104 [ 30] hurt, which causeth them to thinke that their god is angry, and would haue some meate and drinke, or wanteth some other thing, and by that meanes they hold manie hils to be their gods, and set meate and drinke vpon them to pacifie them withall, and they dare not passe along by them, without going vp and giuing them something, fearing that if they did it not, they would doe them some hurt, and make each other beleeue such things, and whatsoeuer they beleeue, and once conceiue in their heads, it will neuer be extirped, but haue as firme an opinion of their Fetissos as possible may be. But when the Netherlanders saw them vse such vaine toyes, which were so foolish, and laught and iested at them, they were ashamed, and durst make no more Fe∣tissos in our presence, but were ashamed of their owne apishnesse.

We asked them of their Beliefe, and what opinion they had of diuers things; as first, when * 1.105 [ 40] they died what became of their bodies and soules. They made vs answere, that the bodie is dead, but they knew not what any resurrection at the latter day meant, as wee doe: but when they die they know that they goe into another World, but they know not whither, and that there∣in they differ from brute beasts, but they cannot tell you to what place they goe, whither vn∣der the Earth or vp into Heauen, but when they die, they vse to giue the dead bodie something to carrie with him, whereby it is to be marked that they beleeue that there is another life after this, and that there they haue need of such things as they haue here on Earth; for when they lose any thing, or when any of their friends die, then they thinke that those that are dead came and fetcht it away, and that they had need of it, but they know not what the Soule nor the Resurrection is. [ 50]

Secondly, asking them of their god, they made answere, that hee is blacke like themselues, * 1.106 and that he was not good, but did them much hurt. Whereunto we said, that our God is white as we are, that he is good, that he doth vs much good, that he descended downe vpon Earth to saue vs, and how he was put to death by the Iewes for our sakes, that when wee die wee goe to dwell with him in Heauen, and that there we neither need meat nor drink, whereat they won∣dred, and willingly heard vs speake of those things, and said that we were Gods children, and that he told vs all things, but yet they murmured, saying, why doth not your God tell and giue vs all things (as well as he doth to you) and why doth he not also giue vs Linnen, Cloth, Iron, Basons, and other kinds of wares; whereunto we made answere, that our God sent vs all those things, and yet that he forgot not them, (although they knew him not) and sent them Gold, Palme-wine, Millia, Mais, Hennes, Oxen, Goats, Bannanas, Iuiamas, and other fruits, to su∣staine [ 60] them withall, but that they denied, or else they could not conceiue that such things came from God; but to the contrarie said that God gaue them no Gold, but that the Earth gaue it them, wherein they digge to find it: that hee gaue them no Millia nor Corne, but that they

sowed it, and reapt it themselues, and that the Earth gaue it them; that the trees which they had planted gaue them their fruits, and were first brought thither by the Portugals; that yong beasts came of the old, that the Sea gaue them fish, which they tooke themselues, with many other such like things, which they would not acknowledge came from God, but from the * 1.107 Earth and the Sea, each according to their natures, but they acknowledge that Raine came from our Sauiour Christ, and that by meanes of our God they had much Gold, for that by meanes of the Raine they found their Gold, and their Fruits and Plants grew, and waxed ripe by meanes of the moysture, and for that we brought them euerie thing readie made to their hands, therefore they thinke that wee find ••ll such things, and need but goe into the fields to fetch them, as they doe their Fruits. [ 10]

And when it happened that some of our Hollanders being in their Houses, when it beganne * 1.108 to Raine, Blow, Thunder and Lighten (whereof they are in great feare) went forth through the streets, not once shunning the Thunder and Lightning, neither did it once hurt them, they wondred thereat, for they were afraid that if they should come out of their Houses at that time, that it would not be good for them, for that many times, (when it Thundreth and Light∣neth there) it hapneth that some of them that are trauelling abroad, are carried away by the Deuill, and throwne dead vpon the ground, whereby they are as much afraid thereof, as any man possible can be. And for that they know that our God dwels aboue in Heauen, when it Thunders and Lightens they point vpwards, and call him Iuan Goemain. And once wee had a Negro aboord our ship, whom we kept prisoner because he brought false Gold, and gaue it out [ 20] for good, which Negro euerie morning tooke a Tub with water in it, and washt his face there∣in, which done, he tooke his hands full of water, and cast it ouer his head, speaking diuers words vnto himselfe, and after that spit in the water, and vsed many other Apish toyes, which wee seeing, asked him why hee did it, and hee made answere, that hee prayed his Fetisso that it might raine, that so his friends might find much Gold to release him, that hee might goe home againe.

They circumcise their young children, therein following the Mahometicall Law, with * 1.109 diuers other opinions which they hold thereof, as thinking it euill to spit vpon the Earth, be∣sides many other Superstitions which they vse, but affirme, that they altogether vse those toyes, and only trust in their Fetissos, were an vntruth, for many of them that can speake [ 30] Portugall (as hauing dealt with them and also daily traffique with vs) beginne to leaue those foolish toyes, and to haue some vnderstanding of Gods Word, which they doe by reason that wee mocke and iest at their foolish Ceremonies, and for that they say that wee are Gods Chil∣dren, therefore they beleeue much of that which we say vnto them, and begin to know God, but it is without any ground, for they grounded in their owne Superstitions, because they are not otherwise instructed.

But the Negros which dwell among the Portugals, know much of God, and can speake of his * 1.110 Commandements, as I haue found some among them, that could tell of the birth of Christ, of the Lords Supper, of his bitter Passion, and death of his Resurrection, and diuers other such like points, concerning our Christian faith; specially, one whom I knew well, and that was my good [ 40] friend: for he could write and read Portugall, and was indifferent well learned in the Scriptures. And which is more, when we spake vnto him, and argued vpon some points against the Romish faith, or against the Religion which the Portugals had taught him (for he had dwelt with a Monk in the Castle of Mina) he would dispute the contrary with vs, and shew that it was otherwise set downe in such a Gospel, and in such an Epistle of the Apostles, & that it must so be vnderstood: whereby we may perceiue, that those among them that haue any vnderstanding of the Christian faith, are sharpe witted, and will soone comprehend any thing: but it seemeth, that it hath not pleased God tocall them to the vnderstanding of the Christian faith, and therefore we are much bound to prayse and thanke God, that it hath pleased him to vouchsafe vs the knowledge of his holy Word, and to vnderstand and know what belongeth vnto our saluation. [ 50]

§. V.

Of their Houses, Townes, Countrey wayes, Warres, Armes, State of their Kings, Iudgements, Lawes, Iustice, Thefts, Promises, Oathes, and other Rites.

THeir Houses are not very curiously made, but altogether slight, much like to a num∣ber * 1.111 [ 60] of Hog-sties, and I am of opinion, that in many Countreys, there are better Hog-sties then their Houses are; I cannot liken them better to any other thing, then to Souldiers Cabins in Sconces and Bulwarkes: for a man might say, that they haue taken a paterne by them. To build them first, they take foure Posts or Trees, which they thrust

deepe into the ground, which stand foure square; that done, they lay other Beames or Trees vpon them, and bind them fast together; then they take a number of thin small stickes, and in∣close their Houses round about, and those they bind very close together, so that you can hardly thrust your hand in betweene them: then they make Morter of a certaine kind of yellow earth, which they find in the fields, and that they beat very small and thin, so long till it be like vnto Pot-earth, which they take in their hands, and dawbe it vpon the smal stickes round about their Houses, from the foot to the top, where they desire to haue it close, and with their hands thrust it in betweene the chinckes of the stickes, that it may hold fast, as if it were betweene Lathes, and when they haue made their Houses close in this manner, which is almost halfe a foot thick in the walles; then they let it stand and d〈…〉〈…〉e, so hard that it is like vnto stone, and being well [ 10] dried, then they make an other kind of Morter of Red earth, which is as thin as water, and take a wispe of straw in their hands, and therewith wash all their house round about within; which serueth them in stead of Painting, whereof they make great account, and take a great pride to paint their houses in such sort, some with white, some with red, and others with blacke, as best liketh them; for the first thing they shew you when you come into the Countrey is their houses. To couer them, they take two foure square Couerings of Palme tree leaues: they tie fast together, and so close, that they are able to hold out the Raine, which they lay vp∣on their houses for the Roofe thereof, and bind them fast together, and when it is faire cleare Sunne-shine weather, then they open the Roofe of their house, like two wings, vnder-propping it with stickes, and so let the Sunne shine into their houses, and when it raineth, they let them fall downe againe close together. Before their house they make a fouresquare hole, like a doore, [ 20] and make a doore of Reeds, which they open and shut, and bind it too with Withes. The floores are flat and very euen, couered with Red earth, as if they were paued, and in the middle thereof commonly they make a round hole to set their pot with Palme wine in, when they drinke to∣gether: in this sort they make two or three houses close together, which are placed foure square; and in the middle of them, there is a place wherein the women dresse their meat, in which houses they dwell together, as the women in the one, the man in the other, for they are asun∣der one from the other, and make as many as they haue need of, and those houses they inclose round about with a pale of Reeds, or straw of Mais, a mans height, or as high as the walles of their houses, which are also but a mans height: so that if it were not for the couering of the house, which standeth paint-house wise, a man could not goe vpright in their houses. Their [ 30] houses stand altogether in a heape; but because they separate them one from the other by those pales of Straw, by that meanes they shew like streets, and are somewhat separated one from the other. Their streets are so little and narrow, that but one man alone can goe in them, and when it raineth it is very slipperie to goe in their Townes, because the earth is so fattie, but when the Sunne shines, it drieth vp againe, and becomes as hard as a stone.

When you will goe into one of their houses, you must goe so long through the streets, till you find a doore open, wherein being entred, you must passe through all the Roomes, till you find the place where you would be. Their houses are not very full of House-hold stuffe, but com∣monly they haue woodden Chests, which they buy of the Netherlanders, wherein they locke [ 40] vp their things, so that you see but little of their House-hold stuffe abroad. * 1.112

The Kings or Gouernors houses are commonly in the Market places, which are paled alone by themselues, and separated from all the rest, hauing no other neighbours dwelling by him, but onely his wiues and children (for he is commonly better furnished thereof, then the meaner sort of men.) His house is greater and higher then the rest, and hath many roomes which passe one into the other, couered ouer with Reeds, each chamber by it selfe, wherein his men dwell, and his watch stayeth all the day long. In the middle of his house he hath a foure square place all open, but couered ouer for the Sunne, where in the day time he sitteth, with his Gentlemen that come to speake with him and to passe the time away; at the Kings doore there are alwaies two pots set deepe into the ground, which are full of fresh water, and euery day are fild with [ 50] new water, which I thinke are set there for their Fetissos to drinke. * 1.113

Their Townes that stand vpon the Sea-side are not very faire, but rather filthie places, and stinke like carrions, by reason of the filth which they carry and lay without, not farre from them; and many times, when the wind blowes from the Land, you may smell the stinke of them, aboue a mile and an halfe into the Sea. The Townes that lie inward to the Land, are richer of Goods and Gold, then the Sea-townes, and fuller of Houses and Men; besides that, they haue more Merchants dwelling in them: for, those on the Sea-side are not so rich, nor of so great power, as being for the most part Interpreters, Rowers, Pilots, Seruants, Fisher-men, and Slaues to the Inhabitants of the Townes. The King keeps his Court in the neerest Towne, [ 60] that standeth within the Land whereof he is King, and placeth a Captaine in the Sea-townes which are vnder his command. The Land-townes are very great, but they haue no Gates, Walls, nor Forts, nor any strength to resist the force of Enemies. I haue heard some of the Negroes that dwell within the Land, say, that there are many great Townes within the Land, much and farre exceeding the Hauen or Sea-townes.

They vse to reckon the Gold Coast to begin from Cape De tres punctas, to Rio de Volta. This Cape De tres panctas lieth vnder foure degrees and an halfe; and because it hath three Points or Heads, which reach into the Sea, therefore it is called the Cape De tres punctas; but, for that the Portugals haue a Castle there, called Aziem, the Negroes are not suffered to deale with the Hol∣landers. * 1.114

Eastward fiue miles lower there lieth a place, called Anta, and there the ships commonly cast foorth their Anchors; for there the Negroes buy much Iron, and are very expert to make Iron∣worke. * 1.115 Those People traffique much with Palme-wine, whereof they haue great store, as of Hens, Goats; and diuers Fruits, Iugnamas, and Annanasos; and when the time commeth that they draw their Wine out of the Trees, then the Canoes come thither with their Negroes [ 10] and Merchants, at the least, ten or twentie miles from within the Land to buy Wine, so that it is carried almost all the Coast along, and great traffique made therewith. This Wine they e∣steeme very good for their men to drinke, because it is not so sweet as the Wine which is far∣ther within the Countrie, which is not mixed with Water, as this Wine is. The other Wine they esteeme to be good to be drunke by their women because it is not mixed, but is exceeding sweet, and soone makes the women merrie. A mile lower lieth Rio de St. Georgio, and a place, called Iabbe, and Cama, where the Portugals also haue a House: and because this Quarter is very * 1.116 fruitfull, there dwells three or foure Portugals there, which receiue the Custome of the Fish, which is taken by the Negroes in the Riuer, and buy great store of other victuals, which they send continually to the Castles of Aziem and Mina, to victuall them withall. Before this Ri∣uer [ 20] there is a great Sand, which stretcheth farre into the Sea, whereby you cannot enter into it with any ships, but onely with great Canoes. And a mile lower there lieth a Village, by the Negroes, called Agitaky: by the Portugals, Aldea de Torto; and by the Netherlanders, Comando: but yet it is not Comando, although we call it so; for Comando lieth vpon the Hill, where the * 1.117 Kings dwell. They of Edom, Wassa, Comando, and other Townes, come to this Hauen to buy their Wares: there we sell many Venetian Madrigetten, and Corals (for the common people traff••que much therewith by grinding and selling them one vnto the other) small Copper Basons, and blue Cloth: broad Linnen is well sold there. In this place men sell not any Wares in great quantities, but all in small parcels; & for that there are so many small parcels sold there, therefore it is the worst place of all that Coast for giuing of Dachios: and for that their Gold, for the most [ 30] part, is molten, and cut in smal pieces, therefore there is much deceit therein, for they mixe much yellow Copper among it, and many times bring Copper in stead of Gold; and for those two Points it is the worst place to deale in throughout all the Coast. They haue the greatest num∣ber of Canoes in all the Countrie besides; for many times they goe to Sea early in the morning, with seuentie or eightie Canoes, and enter as farre into the Sea as you can well discerne them, and about noone-time they come home againe with their Fish, for there they are very expert in fishing. It is likewise no lesse prouided of Fruits, for there is no place in all the Land, where a man may haue greater store, nor better cheape Fruit, then there, especially a kind of Fruit, called, Bannana; and for that cause it is by vs called, the Fruit Market. When you saile some∣what lower, and are North North-east from the high Hill of Comando, there is a place called, [ 40] Terra pekina. Neere to that is the Castle of Mina, with a Portugall Garrison to prohibite * 1.118 Trade.

Sailing a long mile lower, you come to a place called, Cape Crosso; this Cape or Point is a great place of traffique, where the French men in time past vsed much to lie with their ships, and to traffique in the Countrie, and in the yeare 1590. or 1591. there was a ship of Deepe set vp∣on, by them of the Castle of Mina, whereof most of the men were slaine, and the rest made * 1.119 Slaues; and when we began first to traffique there, in the yeare 1592. there were some of our Hollanders slaine in a Boat at the same place; but now the ships begin to traffique there againe, because of the great quantitie of Gold which is brought thither from Foetu, Abrenbon, and Mandinga, and other Townes, which lie aboue two hundred miles within the Countrie. Sai∣ling [ 50] a mile lower, you come to the chiefe place of Traffique in all the Countrie, called Mourre. * 1.120 A mile lower there lieth a place called, Infantin, and two miles farther there lieth a towne called * 1.121 Cormantin, vnder the King of Foetui. There the Hollanders fetch their hoops, to bind their water vessels withall; for there are the best. Sayling foure miles lower, you come to the high hill of Mango, whereon the Negros offer sacrifice to the Deuill, but there is no Traffique. A mile lower there is a Village called, Biamba, where they keepe good store of Cowes, for it is good * 1.122 Pasture ground. The Inhabitants vse great Traffique along the Coast, by selling their Cattle; and because that there, there are many proper women; diuers of the Negroes come from other places of the Countrey thither to buy women, and to fetch slaues to serue their turnes withall; The Countrey people thereabouts are good husbandmen, and sow much Millie, presse good store [ 60] of Palme wine, and bring great number of yong Cattle vp. Three miles lower, there lieth a place called, Berqu, the Village lieth vpon a hill, there the French men vsed much to Anchor * 1.123 with their ships. Those people speake another Language, and to that place all the people for∣wards speake one Language. The people are very Ingenious to make all kind of things, special∣ly

of gold, for they can make faire Chaines of gold, with other faire things, as Rings, &c. There they brew a kind of drinke called Pitouw, which is much like small Beere. They haue great store of Hens, and better cheape then in other places: there also they take the greene Birds, called Parrots. The Inhabitants in their time vsed to buy great store of Iron, for they haue many Smithes, whereby they make faire Armes, but now there comes no more ships thither, they goe with their Canoes to Ackra, which lieth foure miles lower; which is a low land vpon the Strand, hauing a halfe tree made in forme of a Gibet, which they esteeme to be their Fetisso. The Portugalls were wont to haue a Castle there; but for some mischiefe that they had done to the Inhabitants, the Negroes tooke their Castle by force, slew all the Portugalls, and brake downe the Castle. There againe they vse another Language, they are a craftie and subtle people, and the [ 10] subtillest of all that Coast, both for Traffique and otherwise. They haue very few Canoes to fish or goe to Sea withall; but those they haue are very great, for I haue seene one that was cut out of a tree, which was fiue and thirty foot long, and fiue foot broad, and three foot high, which was as bigge as a Shallop; so that it would haue held thirty men at the least. They come not often to buy wares, but obserue certaine dayes in the weeke to that purpose, and then they come with great store of money, bringing the gold as it is found in the hilles. Two miles below that, there lieth a place, called Neugo. A mile lower, lieth Temin; And a mile lower then that, another place, called Chinka, where the Hollanders begin to place boats to traffique with the Negroes, which from the yeere one thousand sixe hundred, was first begun to be known vnto vs.

They make warre for a small matter, for the Kings are so enuious and angry one against the * 1.124 [ 20] other, and so proud, that they cannot endure their equalls; whereupon they challenge one the other to the Battell, and to fight together in the field. The King giues warning to the Townes vnder his command, to will the Captaines with their men to come to him, to fight against the enemies: their enemies likewise doe the like, and so make preparation to fight one against the other. The Kings of those Townes haue certaine men, that are their Souldiers or slaues (which are as much as Souldiers) who euery day watch in the Kings house, and are as it were his guard. They are very proud of their offices, and in the streets they goe stately, looking vpon them∣selues, some times striking with their armes ouer their heads, and sometimes leaping backe∣ward and forwards, and round about; looking fiercely, as if they would deuoure all the world. They goe to the warres with the King, and if not then, they stay continually with [ 30] him, to guard his person: and when the time commeth that they must fight, euery one prepa∣reth himselfe thereunto, in the best manner that hee can. First, they paint their faces with colours, some Red, others White, and others Yellow; and also their brests and the whole bodies with Crosses, Strikes, and Snakes, and many such like things; They also take their Beads with them, wherewith they make their Fetissos, and hang them about them, and thinke when they haue them about them, that their Fetissoes will defend them, and that they shall not be slaine. They make and wreath a Ring of boughes of trees, as thicke as a mans arme, which they put a∣bout their neckes, to beare off the blowes of their Kniues, in stead of Gorgets; on their heads they weare Caps made of Libards or Crocodiles skins: on their bodies they weare a Cloth Gir∣dle which they thrust betweene their legges with a peece of Cloth of a handfull broad, to couer [ 40] their priuities withall; for then they weare as few clothes on their backes as they can, that they may not be cumbred therewith when they fight, in their Girdles they sticke a hewing Knife or a Poniard; in their left hands bearing their shields, which are almost as long and as broad as themselues, in their right hands they hold their Assagaies, wherewith they fling each at other, some of them haue two, some three, foure, or more as they are able, and such as are not * 1.125 able, to haue shields and Assagaies, they carrie Bowos and sheaues of Arrowes, made of skins, full of smal Arrowes with Iron heads at the ends, wherewith they wil shoot most cruelly.

The Boyes or Seruants carrie the Drums into the warres, whereon they play, others haue hornes of Elephants Teeth, wherewith they blow. When all is prepared, and euerie Morinni or Gentleman with his men are readie, they all meet at the Kings Court, and so goe with their [ 50] Wiues, Children, and all their Houshold together to the Warres, where the battaile should bee fought, and if it be a Warre which concerneth them much, and wherewith they are much mo∣ued, and prouoked to ouercome their Enemies, then they burne their owne Houses, and all their Townes, that their Enemies may haue no such aduantage against them, as also because their minds should not be moued to looke and harken home-ward, but rather to giue them the better courages to set vpon their Enemies. But if it be a Warre of no great importance, and that will be soone ended, then they burne not their Houses nor take not their wiues and children with them, but they leaue their Townes, and send their wiues and children to the next place, with whom they haue no enmitie, which take all their houshold-stuffe with them, leauing their Houses emptie, without any kind of thing in them, as if they had wholly abandoned their Townes, and when their Warre is ended, then their wiues and children rtturne againe to their [ 60] owne Townes withall their stuffe.

The Souldiers on both sides meeting together in the fields, doe the best they can to destroy their enemies, both by casting at each other with their Assagaies, and by blowes. They can cast so

exceeding straite, right and sure with their Assagaies, that they will not faile to hit a Stiuer or * 1.126 piece of monie as bigge as a Groat, the rest shoot with poisoned Arrowes. The Drummes and Hornes are heard to make a great noise when they fight together, and in this Warre whosoe∣ner is taken Prisoner they make him a slaue all his life long, and such as are slaine, their bodies are drest and eaten as good meate. Their Warres are not so cruell as they seeme, nor according to the noise and preparation by them made, and their Warre continueth not long, but is soone ouer-past and ended. They also burne each others Houses and Townes, and driue the Inhabitants out of them.

It hapneth oftentimes, that although they haue no great controuersie with each other, they * 1.127 make peace together, promising not to warre one against the other, and to assure and confirme [ 10] their promises, they beleeue no words, but they send each other a man for a suretie, whom they keepe by them, and this man whom they deliuer in this sort for a suretie, is one of the chiefe of their Towne, who being brought to the place where he must remaine by the Kings slaues, he himselfe being brauely drest, and sitteth vpon a slaues sholder, and in that sort is carried to the King, and to him they shew much honour, and yet they watch him narrowly.

They also buy many Peeces, and begin to learne to shoot in them, and haue the vnderstanding to know that a long Peece carrieth further then a short, which both the Portugals and wee also teach them. They are very expert in making of Armes, for they make Poniards of an ell long without hilts and foure fingers broad, with two edges, the handle being of wood, with a pum∣mell at the end, they couer the handle ouer with a plate of Gold, or with the skinne of a cer∣taine [ 20] kind of fish which they take, which with them is esteemed as much as Gold is with vs, they make sheathes of Dogs or Goates skinnes, and aboue at the end of the sheathe, in stead of a chape they put a great red shell, as broad as a mans hand, which is in great estimation with them, others that haue not the abilitie to buy such shels, make or buy hewing Kniues in fashion like a Gammon of Bacon, broad at the end and narrow before, which cut but, on the one side, and in stead of a red shell, they trimme them with an Apes or a Tygres head, and those they sticke in their Girdles, on the one side, and weare them as they goe along in the streets, and car∣rie their Assagaies in their hands, and if they haue a seruant or a slaue, they make him beare their Assagay and Shield before them, and they follow them with a staffe in their hands. The Mer∣chants trauell in the Countrie with their Armes, and their seruants or slaues likewise carrie [ 30] Armes with them, who commonly haue Bowes and Arrowes, because they are Weapons which are least cumbersome to bee carried, for they can carrie them about their neckes. * 1.128

Their Assagaies are made of diuers fashions and of many sorts, but for the most part of Iron, at least two foot at both ends, and that part which they hold in their hands is of wood, both the ends are as heauie of Iron one as the other, because they should weigh an euen weight, and for that one should not be heauier then the other, for if it should they could not strike nor cast right with them. They are very curious of their Armes, for they will alwaies haue sixe or se∣uen of those Assagaies in their Houses, which stand in the ground one by the other, with their Shields hanging by them; those Shields they make of woodden hoopes, which they fold one within the other, and so make them foure square, but some-what bowing like a Buckler, and they are commonly six foot long, and foure foot broad, in the middle they make a crosse of wood, [ 40] and bind it vpon the rest of the hoopes, to hold them the faster together, thereof also they make their handles whereon they beare their Shields: some of them of the better sort couer their Shields ouer with an Oxe-hide, and put a plate of Iron vpon it two foot long, and a foot broad. They make great account of their Shields, thinking that vnder them they haue a great safe∣guard for their bodies. They make their Bowes of very hard wood, the stringes are made of the barkes of trees, their Arrowes are of thinne and tuffe wood, the Feathers are made of the haire of a Dogges skinne, wherewith they couer almost halfe their Arrowes, and on the ends they put small Iron heads, which heads when they goe to warre one against the other, they [ 50] anoint with poison, which is the iuyce of certaine greene Herbs, but they must not carrie such poisoned Arrowes but in time of warre, and that vpon paine of a great forfeit, or some other punishment to be inflicted vpon them that beare such Arrowes about them, their sheafes they make of Goats skinnes, which they hang about their neckes, and put their Arrowes into it. Their Drums are made of hollow trees, which are couered ouer with Buckes skinnes, with woodden pinnes, and strike vpon them with woodden stickes made like Spoones or Ladels. Those Drums commonly lie before the Kings Captaines and Guards Houses, and are sometimes twentie foot long, whereon they play when the King makes a Feast. They also make smaller Drums of hollow trees, which they hang about their neckes, and goe about the Towne, playing on them, those Drums are round aboue, and vnder very narrow like a funnell, no man may vse them; but Gentlemen. They make Hornes of Elephants Teeth, and race them finely with ma∣nie [ 60] stickes in them, and in the middle of the Horne they make a small hole which is foure square, and blow at that, but no man may vse them but only the King or the Captaine.

They choose their Kings by the most voices and consents of the common people, for their * 1.129

Kingdomes are not successiue to any of their children or Kinsmen, but when their King is dead, they choose another to gouerne them, and to possesse the Kingdome, and hee dwelleth in the de∣ceased Kings Court, and possesseth all that he findeth therein, at his first entrie into the King∣dome, he must buy good store of Cowes, and Palme-wine, and bestow a Banket vpon his sub∣iects, for they make great account of a King that is liberall, and feasteth them, but if their King be couetous, and seeketh to heape vp good store of Gold, they hate him, seeking all the meanes they can to find some cause to driue him out of his Kingdome, and to choose a better according to their minds. As it hapned in my time to the King of Sabae, (who had beene King of Infan∣tin) and was made King of Sabae, whom they draue out of his Kingdome, and taking all his goods from him, made him goe to Infantin againe, from whence he came, and chose another in his place that pleased them better. And for that cause, the King that will bee well beloued of [ 10] his subiects, euerie three monethes when his Guard or Customers come to pay him that which they haue receiued at the Sea-side, and of the Countrie people for custome, he must make a Ban∣quet, and spend more then he receiueth at that time, and then he biddeth his Morrinnis (which is as much to say as a Gentleman or one of his Counsell) and buyeth many Cowes or Oxen, and also all the Palme-wine in the Countrie, that he can get which is giuen by him to the common * 1.130 people, who at that time are very merrie and ioyfull, singing and playing vpon their Drums. The heads of the Cowes are made cleane and fairely painted and hanged full of Fetissoes, which done, they are hang'd very orderly in the Kings thamber one vnder the other, instead of Pictures, and for a great honour vnto the King, whereby such strangers as come to the Kings Court, may perceiue that he is a good King, and for that cause is much esteemed and beloued of his people. [ 20] Besides this, they hold another Feast day euerie yeare, as being the day of their Coronation or their Fetissoes day, then the King inuiteth his Neighbour Kings and Captaines, with all his Gentlemen to a Banquet, and makes a great Feast, and that day he prayeth to his Fetisso, and he himselfe sacrificeth vnto him, which he doth but once a yeare. This Fetisso is the highest tree in the Towne, which is the Kings Fetisso, vpon this Festiuall day they vse manie Apish Toyes, as Fen∣cing, Drumming, singing and leaping, the women also are verie merrie and dance, and euerie King holdeth his Feast day apart, and they doe it one soone after the other, which they doe in their Summer time.

On their Sunday at night the King makes a Feast, and buyes vp all the Palme-wine which is drawne out of the Trees that day, and biddeth his wiues and children to Supper, and his chie∣fest [ 30] Gentlemen, at which time they are verie merrie, for hee eates but one day in a weeke with his wiues and children, and that is vpon their Sunday. These women are verie seruicea∣ble to the King their Husband, and euerie one of them feasteth him to winne his loue, so that he * 1.131 wanteth no seruice at their hands: euerie one of his wiues hath his goods and riches apart by her selfe, and keepeth and feedeth her owne children, and shee that is in fauour with the King, wanteth nothing.

When the Kings wiues go abroad, they leane vpon the shoulders of other women that serue them, and are their slaues, and their children are also carried vpon the shoulders of other of the Kings slaues, hee himselfe commeth little abroad, but stayeth alwayes in his House, sometime he sitteth at his doore but not often, his House is watcht both day and night by his slaues, which [ 40] watch armed in his Court, and in his Chamber, and when he goeth out they attend on him and * 1.132 goe round about him. In the morning betimes and late in the euening, his slaūes blow those Hornes of Elephants Teeth, which make a prettie sound, for they haue the slight to draw their breath in and out as they list, and can answere one the other when they blow, when the King comes out of his Chamber, his wiues stand readie to attend on him, to wash his bodie all ouer, and then to anoint it with Palme-oile, after that hee eateth some-what, and so sets himselfe downe vpon a stoole, and in his hand hee holdeth a Horse or an Elephants tayle to keepe the Flies from his naked bodie, he is brauely drest after this manner; his Beard is knotted with gol∣den Corals, and other costly things, on his armes and legges hee hath Rings of Gold and other faire Beades of Corall, and the like also about his necke, and so hee sitteth all the day talking [ 50] with one or other, for he wanteth no company to passe the time away, they haue one attending on them, whom they call Uiador (which word they haue learned of the Portugals), hee is the * 1.133 Kings Treasurer, and keepeth his Gold and other Riches, receiueth and payeth all, and doth all other businesses for the King. This man is next vnto the King, and he commonly hath more gol∣den Rings about his necke, armes and feet, then the King himselfe. When the Kings children are of some yeares, if they will haue any thing they must looke to get it, for the King may giue them nothing to liue idly vpon, for the common people would murmurre at it, if the King should giue somewhat vnto them, he might doe wrong to his Gentlemen, but hee giueth them * 1.134 their Patrimoniall goods when they marrie as their custome is; and besides, that he giueth them euery one a slaue to serue their turnes with all, and they haue nothing else of their Fathers, [ 60] whereby it falleth out, that when they waxe old, and seeke not to doe any thing, they are no more respected then another man is. The King keepes them with him to serue him, and when he maketh peace with any other Towne or King, then he imploreth his children, and sends his

sonnes for hostages, that they may begin to be honored, and thereby attaine to great estate: the reuenues of the Fruits, Fish, Wine, and Palme-oile, which the King hath, are sufficient to main∣taine the King, and his Wiues, and Children. His Millie, whereof he maketh Bread, is sowed and reaped for him, at other mens charges; whereby he hath a good life (but yet miserable in respect of ours.) When the King dies he is honourably buried after their manner, and then pre∣sently they choose another, one that is not of the last Kings kindred; but they choose a strange man, whom they thinke good; and by no meanes they will choose any that in any point held with, or fauoured the last King. Hauing made him King, they bring him to the Palace, and he taketh the gouernment vpon him, and hath all the treasure and goods of the dead King, which he got during the time of his Raigne; and that he holdeth, so that the dead Kings Children en∣ioy [ 10] not a penie: but that which he had when he was chosen King, that they take and part a∣mong them, as their custome is.

They vse no Counsellors nor Attorneyes, but euery man must tell his owne tale to the Iudge, who sends for the accused partie; after whose answere, the Plaintiffe speaketh againe: and in * 1.135 this sort they are each of them heard to speake foure or fiue times, and when the one speaketh the other must hold his peace till he hath done, for they must not interrupt one the other when they speake, vpon paine of corporall punishment, so that although they bee wild men, and without any ciuilitie or good behauiour; yet therein they vse a very good and laudible custome. When the Iudge hath heard them say what they can, according to his owne mind, hee giueth Iudgement, which they must stand vnto without appeale. If it bee any thing concerning the [ 20] King, whereby he is to haue any forefeiture or otherwise, the Iudge receiueth it, and demandeth it of him that is to pay it, in the Kings name, which he must pay presently without delay, and if he be not able to doe it, he must presently depart from thence to another Towne, or some o∣ther Kings Iurisdiction, and there stay till he hath contented his King, & payed his Fine. If it be a controuersie which is to be determined among them, and they cannot agree thereon, then they will seeke to kill each other, or challenge their aduerse parties to fight with them, appointing a day and place when they will meet with their Armes to end or determine their controuersie. * 1.136 In themeane time they make their cause knowne to some of their friends, and desire their helpe, (for each of them may haue three or foure men to helpe them) and commonly they are of their neerest friends and kindred; and when their appointed day is come, each of them goeth with his [ 30] companions to the same place, and when they meet together with their Shields and Assagaies to defend themselues withall, they place themselues orderly in the field one right ouer against the other, the Plaintiffe and the Defendant standing in the middle, and so begin to cast and shoot at each other with their Assagaies, and shoot in that sort so long vntill that some of them on both sides are hurt, and fall to the ground. Then they cease their Fight, and so their quarrell endeth. But his side on whom the dead man is found to be slaine, or that hath lost the victorie, come to the other partie and desire to haue the man out of their companie, that was the cause of that Combat, in stead of the dead man that is slaine. And if he runneth away, and getteth to ano∣ther Towne, they will follow him, and will neuer leaue before they haue gotten him into their hands, and none of their Kings may giue such a man freedome, nor keepe him secretly in his [ 40] Towne, but if he can find him in his Towne, he must deliuer him to those that seeke after him, and if he doth it not, then they make complaint to their King, and so, many times one King makes warre vpon another for that cause; when they haue found him, he is deliuered to the wife the dead man, and shee keepeth him for her Slaue, or else shee sells him to another: but if hee hath any meanes to pacifie the woman, or the friends of that man, and to redeeme himselfe out of bondage, he may doe it, and goe freely abroad. They are very great controuersies that are ended in this manner, for they are no common men that end their quarrels in such sort.

The Plaintiffe certifies the Captaine, who causeth a Drum to be sounded by one of his Slaues, and he goeth round about the Towne with the Drum about his necke, and with him there go∣eth * 1.137 two boyes more, each with a Cow-bell in their hands, without Clappers, and they strike [ 50] vpon them with stickes made of wood, and when they haue gone in this sort round about the Towne (which is a signe vnto the people that Iustice is to be executed) then the Captaine with his Gentlemen comes and sit round together in the Market-place, each man with his Armes, wherewith all the people assemble together, knowing not what the matter is, and goe to the Market-place, where their common assemblies are made, the women standing in one place, the men in another, to heare what the Captaine will say; and he that is accused is presently taken, and kept prisoner in the Captaines house, and if it be a weightie matter, he is bound; if other∣wise, he is onely kept by the Executioner, and he must not depart from thence before his cause be tried, in the meane time, the Captaine with his Gentlemen sit still in the Market-place, to heare the complaints made against the Prisoner, and send him word by his Slaues what accusa∣tions [ 60] are laid against him, whereunto he must presently, without delay, make answere; other∣wise, if he cannot excuse himselfe, he must pay the penaltie which he hath incurred; and if he cannot pay it, he must in the Kings behalfe be sold as a Slaue, towards the payment of his Fine, and euer after, while he liueth, he must be a Slaue: but if he hath done any offence that deser∣ueth

death, he may redeeme his life with money, if hee can agree with the King, and content him; which money is diuided among the Morinni, which haue the one halfe, and the King the other halfe, without giuing any to the friends of the dead man. And if it be one that hath in∣curred the danger of paying a Fine for lying with another mans wife, being accused to haue won her thereunto by false promises or by force, and hath not kept his promise with her; then the King first taketh all his goods from him, as forfeit vnto him; and the woman must pay two or three ounces of gold for a Fine vnto her husband, or as he fauoreth her, and she can agree with him; otherwise he may put her away, and take another wife, and the womans friends goe and burne, or pull downe the mans house that hath done the fact, and doe him all the mischiefe they can, to make him to leaue the Towne, that they may heare no more of him. In my time, while [ 10] I lay there, it hapned that a man came from one Towne to another, to gather vp his debts, which man a yeere before had layne with another mans wife, and the same woman was then by chance come to the same Market, and seeing him, went straight and complained to the Aene, (which is the Captaine) who presently caused him to be taken; and their Counsell being assem∣bled, there before them the woman complained that he had forced her, and had not paid her ac∣cording to his promise: he made answere, that he did it with her good-will, and although nei∣ther of them both were of that Towne, yet their cause was heard, and as good Iustice vsed to∣wards them, as if they had beene Inhabitants of that place, and after long disputation by them made, the Fetissero (which is the Priest that coniureth their Fetissos or gods) came thither with a certaine Drinke in a pot, and set it downe before the Captaine, the woman tooke the pot and [ 20] drunke thereof, to iustifie that he had not contented her for the losse of her honour; and if hee would haue drunke thereof before the woman drunke, to iustifie that he had paid her, and owed her nothing, then he had beene quit from paying any thing; but knowing himselfe to be guil∣tie, he durst not drinke, but was found guiltie, and was iudged to pay a Fine of three Bendaes, which is sixe ounces of gold.

This Drinke among them is as much as an Oath, and is called Enchionkenou; which they * 1.138 make of the same greene herbs whereof they make their Fetissos; and as they say, it hath such a force, that if a man drinketh it falsely, their Fetisso causeth him presently to die; but if they [ 30] drinke it innocently, then their Fetisso suffereth them to liue. By reason of the great hatred and enuie which they beare one vnto the other, they accuse each other, although it bee for a thing that hath beene done ten yeeres before, so that there is no quarrell but it is called in que∣stion. And if a man hath married or bought the sister of that man that is to pay a Fine vnto the King, and is not able to doe it, then his sisters husband must ioyne with him to doe it, and helpe him to pay his Fine, so they dwell both vnder one Iurisdiction, and for that they must agree to∣gether; for before all things the King must be paid his Fines, by one meanes or other, or else they must goe out of his Countrey, and dwell in another place; and so if he be not able to pay his Fine, then he taketh all his Wiues and Children, and goeth to another Towne, and which is more, all the friends they haue dwelling in that Towne must also goe with him, and dwell all [ 40] in that place, vntill they haue agreed with, and paid the King his Fine: and when they come againe, then they goe to all their acquaintance and aske them forgiuenesse, and seeke and make peace and friendship with them, as they had before; the man going to his friends, and the wo∣man to hers. The cause why their friends also depart and leaue the Towne, is, because they should not bee molested nor troubled by the King for the same. The Fine which they pay for Theft, is sixe ounces of gold, or three Bendaes of their weight; for in that Countrie they are not put to death for it. But if they steale any thing from the Netherlanders, they pay no Fine, but onely when they steale one from another. If any man hath falsified Gold, and carried it to the Netherlanders, and that they complaine thereof vnto the King; he must pay a Fine for it, as the case requireth. If much Gold bee falsified, many times they are sold for Slaues. And all these Fines are the Kings, to maintaine his expences. If it be a case wherein any man hath de∣serued [ 50] death, and that he cannot pay the King but with his life, then he is iudged to die, and without any more delay, the Executioner, or hee that is appointed to doe it, taketh him, and bindeth his hands behind him, and then couering his eies, leadeth him into a Field, or a Wood, or where he thinketh best, (hauing no place purposely appointed to doe it in) and being there, maketh him kneele downe, and stoope with his head, and taking an Assagaie, steppeth backe, and strikes him into the bodie, wherewith he falleth downe, then he takes his cutting Knife, and cuts off his head, and then hee is dead; for they beleeue not that a man is dead before his head is cut off, and therefore when they put any man to death, they cut off his head; which done, hee cuts his bodie in foure quarters, and casts them into the field, to bee deuoured by Beasts and Birds. But their friends come and fetch the head, and keepe it for a great Present, [ 60] seething it in a Kettle, and then eate the broth thereof; which done, they take the bare Scull, and hang it by their Fetisso. The women at that time make a great noise with crying and how∣ling, and take the quarters, and carrie them into the fields: when the execution is done, there are no Officers by, but onely the Executioner and the Partie that is to be executed; but when it is done, then they come about him, and lament the dead man, as aforesaid.

For stealing, I am of opinion, that of all the Nations in the World, they haue not their Ma∣sters. They esteeme it a shame to steale one from another, but when they haue stolne any thing * 1.139 from the Netherlanders, they esteeme it to be a credit vnto them and bragge thereof, for they esteeme vs to be craftie and subtill men, and when they haue stolne any thing from vs, they thinke themselues to be the subtiller and craftier, and seeke to bee honoured for doing so braue an action.

Lead, that is nayled without vpon the ships, to keepe them from being eaten by Wormes, rustie Nayles, Grease, Weights (which they hide in their Haire, Mouthes, or Eares) any other small matters are exercise of their Theft; yea, although they be neuer so great Merchants, and * 1.140 bestow two or three pound of Gold with you for Merchandize, and haue no need to steale, but [ 10] if any thing bee taken from them, they make so many words and such a noyse, as if it were a matter worthy of death.

They say that they may steale, and we not: I askt them the cause why; they made answere, that we are rich and had great store of wares, and brought ships full vnto them, and tooke great paines and labour to sell it, and were so long before we sold it, that they thought it fit to helpe vs therein, that we might the sooner be rid thereof, that we might fetch others, and that wee were clothed, and they went naked, and had nothing vpon their bodies, and that therefore it was freer for them then for vs to steale. When they haue taken any thing and that you misse it, you must presently search them all, for they steale very cunningly, and giue it one vnto the other, and when they come together they part it among them; when you haue found it, and know who stole it, then you must beat him well, be he neuer so great a Merchant, and the rest of the Negroes will laugh at him and mocke him, because hee did his businesse no better: but when they perceiue that their Theft is discouered, then they leape ouer-boord and get away, fearing to be beaten, and if you let them goe and beate them not at that time when you take them, then they feare a greater matter and expect more blowes, and that you will intrap them, and therefore they will commonly euer after shunne that ship and goe aboord another: but if you beate them for their labours when they doe it, they will not hate you for it, nor shunne the Ship, but will come the next day againe to deale and traffique with you.

In their Promises or Oathes which they make vnto vs, they are vnconstant and full of vn∣truth, * 1.141 but such promises as they make among themselues, they keepe and obserue them well, [ 30] and will not breake them: when they make any Oathes or Promises, specially, when they will shew it to our Netherlanders. First, they wipe their faces vpon the sole of your foot, and * 1.142 then doe the like vpon their shoulders and brests, and vpon all their bodies, speaking thrice each to other, saying, Iau, Iau, Iau, euerie time clapping hands together, and stamping with their feet vpon the ground, which done, they kisse their Fetisso, which they haue vpon their legges and armes: some for the more assurance of their Promises and Oathes, will drinke cer∣taine drinke, as I haue said before: but he that should repose much trust therein, should soonest find himselfe deceiued, because they are not to be credited further then you see them.

§. VI. [ 40]

Of their Summer and Winter; And of their manner of Tilling and Sowing the Land; Their Corne, Rents, Raines; Beasts and Hunting: Fowles, Trees, and Fruits.

ALthough it is alwayes warme in those Countries, yet they haue a difference in the time of the yeare, and so they account some monethes for their Summer, and some for their Winter. The difference which they haue therein is the weather; for both [ 50] * 1.143 in Summer and Winter the trees are greene, and some of them haue leaues twice a yeare. In Summer their fields are bare, and in Winter they are full of Corne, and are very greene, so that they haue their Haruest in Winter. The Dayes and Nights are of one length, or else there is little difference: for the Sunne riseth and goeth downe there, commonly at sixe of the clocke, but it is risen at least halfe an houre aboue the Horizon, before it sheweth it selfe, so that you shall seldome see it cleerely rise and goe downe. The Fruits are there as plentifull and a∣bundant in Winter, as in Summer. When the weather is warmest, and that the Sunne is aboue their heads. They esteeme that time to be their Winter, which beginnes in the monethes of April, May, and Iune; because as then it raineth and is very foule weather there with Thunder * 1.144 and Lightning, (which the Portugals call, Trauados, and they Agombretou) which foule wea∣ther and raine followeth the Sunne, and riseth vp with his highth, at that time they are most [ 60] cumbred with raine: but in their Summer they are not so much troubled with it, but then the Earth dryeth and is hard and vnfruitfull, and therefore they shunne that time to sow their Millie and Mais in, but when that time is gone, to beginne their Husbandrie, they goe into the Woods or Fields, and there seeke out a good place, which they thinke fit for their

purpose to sow their Corne in, to serue to maintaine their Wiues and Children. * 1.145

No man hath any Land to himselfe which he can or may keepe to his owne vse, for the King hath all the Woods, Fields, and Land in his hands; so that they may neither sow nor plant therein but by his consent and licence, which, when they haue obtained, and haue a place per∣mitted them to sow their Corne in, then they goe with their slaues and burne the Woods, trees, roots and shrubs with all the rubbish downe to the ground: then they goe with their long chop∣ping-kniues which they call, Coddon, and scrape and raze vp the ground with Colen (and all that serueth them to fatten their ground) about a foot deepe, and let it lye eight or ten dayes, and when all of them haue tilled their ground, euery man makes readie his seed to sow it with∣all, vpon their Sunday, and then they go to their Kings or Gouernors House, of that quarter: for, [ 10] first, they helpe to till his ground, and to sow his Corne, and go all together to his field, and take all the rubbish out of the Earth and cast it into the middle of the field, and then once againe ••ake the Earth and sow their Corne in the field. They begin vpon a Sunday, and first serue their Gouernour or King, and when they haue done his worke, the Captaine sendeth into the field a great number of Pots with Palme-wine, and a sod Goat, with good store of other meat, accor∣ding to the number of Workmen, and there they sit downe together and make good cheare, and at that time they burne the roots, and sit and sing and make a great noise about them, all in the honour of their Fettsso, to the end that he should let their Corne grow well and prosperously vp. When their Captaines or Kings Land is tilled and sowed, the next day they goe to another mans ground, and doe with it as they did with the Kings ground, and there also make good [ 20] cheere as they did before, and are merrie together, and so forth-with the rest whome they helpe. The Corne soone groweth vp, and lyeth not long in the ground: when it is as high as a mans head, and beginnes to sprout, then they make a woodden House in the middle of the field; couered ouer with Reeds, and therein put their Children to watch the Corne, and to driue a∣way the Birds, wherewith they are much cumbred. They weed not their Corne, but let it grow vp weeds and all.

The Millie hath long eares, and is a seed of colour like Hempe-seed, and long like Canarie∣seed, * 1.146 it hath no shels, but groweth in a little huske, and is very white within. This kind of graine they alwayes had, and serue their turnes therewith before the Portugals came thither. It groweth and is ripe in three months, and when it is cut down, it lyeth a month after in the fields [ 30] to dry, and then the eares are cut off and bound in sheases, and so carryed home to their Houses. They vse the straw to couer their Houses withall. This Millie is a verie excellent graine, hath a good taste and is wholsome to eate, it is sweet in your mouth, but gnasheth in your teeth, which commeth of the stone wherewith they grind it. When they haue vsed the Land, and their Haruest done, then they sell part of their Corne to other men, which are no••••able to ••ow it, and by that meanes get a good quantitie of Gold; they giue some to their King for the rent of his Land, and carrie it home to his House, euery one as much as he thinketh good. For there is no certaine summe appointed for them to pay, but euery one giueth according: to his abilitie, and the quantitie of ground that he hath vsed, and bringeth it vnto the King, so that hee hath at least fiue or sixe Bendas of Gold of them at one time, which they carrie altogether to their King, who welcommeth them, and thanketh them for their Dache or Gift, and for their la∣bours [ 40] giueth them their bellies full of meate and drinke, and that they pay to the King for the farme of his Land, and no more.

The Corne by the Indians called Mais, by the Portugals or Spaniards, Indian-wheat, and by the * 1.147 Italians, Turkish-corne, is a Graine almost knowne throughout all the World, and was brought out of West India into Saint Thomas Iland, and they of Saint Thomas (after they had built their Castle) brought it thither for to serue their necessitie withall, and sowed it there, for before the Portugals came into those Countries, the Indians knew it not, but they sowed it first in that Countrey, and dispersed it abroad among the wild Indians, so that now the Countrey is full thereof, and at this present there is great abundance in Guinea. They vse to mixe it with their Millie, and sometimes take halfe Millie and halfe Mais. The Negroes that dwell among [ 50] the Portugals, grind it alone without any Millie, and make excellent bread thereof, where with they sustaine themselues, and sell it to the Portugals: they know how to bake it in such sort, that it will endure good three or foure monethes. The Children also eate it in stead of bread, which they set awhile vpon the fire, and then crush the Corne out of the huskes, such as eate much thereof and are not vsed vnto it, vse to bee Scuruie and Itchie, or else to bee troubled with great bloud Veines, for it increaseth bloud: it is no lesse ••ourishing then Corne in the Netherlands, and in a manner tasteth like our Corne.

The people of the West Indies can make Wine of Mais, which they call, Chicka, wherewith they will make themselues drunke, as if it were of Wine made of Grapes, and for that they know, that Corne sodden or steept in water maketh a kind of drinke, wherewith a man [ 60] may make himselfe drunke. Therefore they lay this kind of Graine to soake in the water till it is soft, and then they brew thereof, as some of the Negroes in Guinea, which deale with the Portugals, also doe, and call it Poitou.

This Mais will grow in a moyst fatty and hot ground, and beares twice a yeere: it is not sowed like other Corne, but it is thrust into the ground, as we vse to doe Beanes in our Coun∣trey: it lieth not long in the ground, but soone springeth vp, and groweth higher then a mans length aboue the ground, like to great Reeds that grow in the water, or in drowned land, where∣with husbandmen vse to couer their shades: euery Reed hath his eares whereon the Corne groweth, and notwithstanding, that they are heauy eares, as big as youg Cucumbers, and sharpe aboue like the top of a Steeple, yet euery Reed hath seuen or eight eares vpon it. I haue told fiue hundred and fiftie Graines vpon one Reed, which came of one Graine alone. They are of diuers colours, as White, Blacke, Yellow, Purple, &c. and sometimes you shall haue three or [ 10] foure colours thereof in one eare. There are two sorts thereof, great and small, the great Graine is stronger then the small. They vse the Reed to couer their houses.

They shun the Raine, and esteeme it to be very ill and vnwholesome to fall vpon their naked * 1.148 bodies, which they doe not without great reason, for wee find our selues to bee much troubled therewith, when we trauell, specially when it raineth much, and maketh great Trauado••, as it doth once a yeere. In those Countries, which is in Aprill, May, and Iune; at which time there * 1.149 are such Tempests of Thunder, Lightning, wind, and Raine, that it is incredible, specially the Raine vnder the Equinoctiall Line, is so vnwholesome and rotten, that if a man hath beene in the Raine, and is thorow wet, and so lieth downe to sleepe in his Cabin, in his wet clothes, with∣out putting them off, he is in danger to get some sicknesse; for it breedeth Feuers: and againe, if you drie not your wet clothes presently in the Sun, but forgetting them, chance to let them [ 20] lie, they will rot with the force of the water, in such sort, that you may plucke them in peeces with your fingers. And they find no lesse vnwholesomenesse therein; for when it begins to Raine, they get them out of the way, and if any drops of water fall vpon their naked bodies, they shiuer and shake, as if they had a Feuer, and cast their armes ouer their shoulders to keepe the Raine from them: which they doe not, because the water is cold, for often times it is as warme as if it were sodden: but because of the vnwholesomenesse for their bodies, which they find thereby. And when they haue troden in the day time in the water with their feet, at night they make a fire, and lie with their soles of their feet against it, which they doe, to draw the moysture of the water, which is gotten into their bodies, out againe at their feet: then they anoint their bodies with Palme Oyle, which they vse also for a beautifying to make their bo∣dies [ 30] shine, and that they doe to shunne the Raine water within those Countreys (as many * 1.150 men write) is very vnwholesome, and thereof many and dangerous diseases are ingen∣dred.

They haue Elephants, Leopards, Tigers, Cats of the Mountaine, Monkies, Foxes, Harts and * 1.151 Hinds; it is said, that in this Countrie there are white Elephants: but I could neuer vnderstand it from the Negros themselues.

There are the greatest and most venimous Snakes that euer was seene, there was one in my time taken there (as the Negroes told me) which was thirty foot long, and as much as sixe men could carrie; There is also a beast like a Crocodile, but it neuer goeth into the water, as the Cro∣codile doth; which is called Languad. [ 40]

There are, Spiders as big as the palme of a mans hand, and great store of them. Camelions and * 1.152 Agtissen a great number, but they esteeme not them to be venimous, for they drie many of them & eat them. There are many Dogs & Cats, such as we haue, but their Dogs haue sharper snowts then ours, and their chaps full of wooll, they cannot barke nor make a noise, they are very faire beasts for colour, as blacke, red, white, and yellow Spaniels, &c. They are also a little smaller foo∣ted * 1.153 then ours, so that they are not much vnlike the Dogs in our Countrey, but they are vnlike to ours in one thing, for when you strike them, they run away, and make no noise, nor once offer to bite you; but when you run away from them, and are afraid of them, they will leape at you, and bite you by the legges: those Dogs they vse for their necessitie, and eate them, and in many places of the Countrey they are brought and driuen to the Market like sheepe or hogges, being [ 50] tied one to the other with strings, they are called Ekia, or Cabra de matto, which is a wild sheepe, it is the first gift which a man of that Countrie giueth when he buyeth his Gentilitie, they make much of our Dogs in these Countries, for when they barke, they thinke they speake; and for that cause esteeme greatly of them.

Cats also are there much esteemed, because they take Mice, wherewith the Inhabitans of the Townes are much troubled, they are called Ambaio, they haue very faire skins, and * 1.154 are very good Mousers, they vse also to eate them, they were first carried hither out of Europe.

If they know where any Elephants are, they vse all the meanes they can to take them, for they eate them also, although they should stinke like a Carrion, and that a thousand Maggots [ 60] * 1.155 crept out of them. Where they know that they vse often times to come, they make great pits, which they couer ouer with straw and foule leaues of trees, which the Elephant knowing no∣thing of, goeth that way as he was wont to doe, and falles into the pit, and cannot get out againe.

The Negroes hearing that hee is fallen into the pit, run thither with their weapons and smite him into the body with Assagaies, and so kill him; which done, they leape into the pit, and cut him in quarters, and euery one may go and fetch his part thereof when he will; of the hide they make ••tooles to sit on: the taile is giuen to the King to beat the Flies from his naked body, and are much esteemed off there; with no lesse subtiltie they take the Leopards, for they * 1.156 doe them more hurt then other beasts: and because it is a cruell beast to spoyle and destroy men, keeping in the way where men should passe along. In euery foure cornered way, or at the end of the street, they make houses with woodden pales, which are like to Rat traps, wherein they put Hens, Sheepe, and other things which he desireth to eate, where the Leopard com∣ming to eate his prey, is taken with the fall of the trap, and kild with an Assagaie; they esteeme much of the skin, whereof they vse to cut Girdles, and to make Caps. There are no Horses in [ 10] that Countrey, and when there were some brought vnto them for a great Present, they kild them, and eate them: because their flesh seemed sweet vnto them.

The Oxen and Cowes that are found in that Countrey are not very great; but of bignesse like * 1.157 great Calues: their hornes stand backeward on their heads, they are not milkt, for they giue none; they can hardly bring vp their yong Calues, by reason of the small moysture that the Cowes giue their Calues, by meanes of the drie Countrey wherein they are, and by reason of the heat of the land.

The Hens and Goats, (which with them are sheepe) that they haue there, were brought them thither by the Portugalls of S. Thomas, the Hens prosper and encrease well there, and are so * 1.158 [ 20] fat with the Millie that groweth there, as if they were Capons; but they are commonly smaller then ours, the Egges which they lay are no greater then Pidgeons Egges. The Doues which * 1.159 they haue there, were also brought them thither by the Portugals, and are called Abranama, which is as much to say, as Birds brought thither vnto them by white men. They are very like to our Pidgeons, but their heads are lesse, like Sea-mewes, there is no great store off, them in the Countrey.

The Hogs also were brought them by the Portugals, and are called Ebbio; they are very little, * 1.160 but very sweet and pleasant to eate, but not so good as the Hogs in Mosambique, where the Hogs flesh is as daintie as Hens flesh: and because it is a very vnwholesome place, they giue their sicke men Hogs flesh to eate, in stead of Hens flesh: they haue also not long since gotten some [ 30] Geese out of a ship of Holland, which they call Apatta, which are there much esteemed off, be∣cause they are but few.

The Countrey is full of Monkies, of diuers formes, for some of them haue white beards, and * 1.161 blacke Mustachoes, with speckled skins, their bellies white, and vpon their backes they haue a broad Tawnie stroke, with blacke Pawes and a black Tayle, and by vs are called Board-men. There are some called white Noses, because no part of them is white but onely their Nose, there is a third sort, called Boertkens, those shun men very much, and stinke filthily, by nature they are very crafty: the fourth, are very like to the Iacken, which are found in the Graine Coast; there are also many Monkies of diuers other fashions, they take the Apes and Monkies with springes * 1.162 which hang vpon the trees, where into the Apes and Monkies leape, and are taken by the Ne∣gros. [ 40] Muske Cats are there in great abundance, the Portugals call them Cato degulia, which is Agalia Cats; the Negroes call them Kankan, those kind of Cats are also found in East India, and in Iaua, but they are not so good as those in Guinea; or of the golden Coast, they are there called Castory, those Cats are much esteemed of by the Portugals, whereby they reape great profit, spe∣cially by their Agaly or Muske, which they take from them, and make them cleane, and then * 1.163 it is put into glasses, and carried into Lisbon, it is a kind of beast much giuen to bite, and to eate flesh; because they giue them flesh (as Hens, Pidgeons, Goats, and other costly meats) to eate. They ease themselues in a place apart, and leaue it; and neuer lie in it; it is almost like a Foxe, but their tayles are like other Cats, their skins are speckled like a Leopards skin: the Negroes take many of them in the woods when they are yong, and so bring them vp: but because they [ 50] haue no skill there how to vse them, they sell them to strangers. The Male Cats are the best, and yeeld the most Agalia, by reason that the Females pisse in the cod wherein the Muske groweth, and pisse it out with their water; when you perceiue that they teare their bagge, you must take their Agalia from them, for they doe it to be rid of it: the wilder and worse they are to rule, so much the costlier and better their Agalia is.

There are Hares also in this Countrey, specially in a place called Akra, in forme like ours, and * 1.164 because that Countrey is low Sandy Ground, therefore they are found more there then in any other part of that Coast: when the Negroes will take them, they goe a great number of them together, to the place where the Hares are, euery one taking with him two or three cudgels of wood, as long as a mans arme, and there they compasse the field round about, and standing about [ 60] their holes, make such a noyse and crying, and clapping their stickes one vpon the other, that the Hares are so feared therewith, that they leape out of their holes, and are by them kild with those Cudgels, which they cast at them, and by that meanes get many of them. Harts and * 1.165 Hinds are sometimes found there also, but in some places more then others, they are of the same

fashion that ours are in the Low-countreyes, but they haue another kind of hornes then ours, they haue no expresse kind of Instruments to take them withall: but when they see them goe to the water to drinke, they strike them into the bodie with an Assagaie and kill them. Hun∣ting to take wild beasts is lawfull for any man to vse in those Countreys, if they can take them, without punishment for doing it: There are many other kinds of beasts of such seueral sorts, that a man cannot tell what to make them, but for that the Netherlanders that vse to Guinea, dare not goe farre into the Countrey to take wild beasts, least they should be taken and intrapped by the Portugals or their adherents, and made slaues all their liues long: therefore there are many wild beasts that are not knowne by vs, and which the Inhabitants themselues know not, nor can not tell by what names to call them. [ 10]

The Birds that are found there, are of diuers sorts, and are little birds like vnto ours; first, there are blew Parrots, whereof there are great store, which being yong, are taken out of their * 1.166 nests, and made tame, hauing not flowne abroad, they are better to teach, and to learne to speake; but they will not prate so much as the greene Brasilian Parrots doe. They haue also an other kind of greene Birds, as big as Sparrowes, like the Catalinkins of West India, but they cannot speake. Those Birds are called Asuront, and by our Netherlanders, called Parokites. They are * 1.167 taken with Nets, as you vse to take Sparrowes. They keepe much in low Land, where much Corne or Millie groweth; for they eate much thereof. Those Birds are very kind one to the o∣ther; for when you put a male and a female in a Cage, they will alwaies sit together without making any noyse. The female is of such a nature, that when she is coupled with the male, she [ 20] respecteth him much, and letteth him sit on the right hand, setting her selfe on the left hand; and when he goes to eate, shee followeth him; and so they liue together quietly, being almost of the nature of the Turtle-doues. They are of a very faire greene colour, with a spot of orange∣townie vpon their Noses.

There are another kind of Parokitan, which are much like them, being of the same nature and condition, but are of colour as red as bloud, with a spot of blacke vpon their Noses, and a black Taile, being somewhat greater then the Parokites. There are other Birds not much vnlike to Gold-finches, all their bodies being yellow, those Birds make not their Nests in the field, for feare of Snakes, and other venimous beasts; but make their nests very craftily vpon the bran∣ches of high trees, and there lay their egges to keepe themselues from venimous beasts. They [ 30] haue other small Birds, not much vnlike to hedge Sparrowes; but they keepe in the Fields a∣mong Corne, those Birds they thrust into their mouthes aliue, and eate them Feathers Bones and all: they haue store of Muschen, with many other kind of small Birds.

The haue a kind of Birds like Eagles, which haue heads like Turkle-cocks, those Birds are hurtfull, and very fierce, and doe much harme to the Negroes, whereby they are much troubled, * 1.168 and therefore they carry them meat vp to the hilles, and call them Pastro de Diago: which is the Birds of their god, and therefore they doe them no hurt, knowing well that they would reuenge themselues well enough: they lie alwayes in myre and durt, and stinke as ill as a prime, and you may smell them afarre off. They haue some water Snites, but not many. And Turtle-Doues, which haue a blacke stroke about their neckes like a crowne. There are many Phesants, [ 40] not much vnlike ours for fashion, but haue not such feathers, for they are speckled blacke and * 1.169 white, and without long tayles as ours haue, they are not of so good a taste as other common Hens are Peake-cockes also I haue soone there, not much vnlike our Peake-cockes; but there * 1.170 is some difference in the Feathers, for some of them are of other colours. Pittoirs I haue seene there, as I said before, which they esteeme for a great Fetisso, and a South-sayer. Cranes also there are many, and Kites also of the same fashion that our Holland Kites are. There is a kind of Birds also there, which are like Storkes, but they haue not so long red Bils, and make not such a noise. Speckled Crowes, and gray Sea-mewes are there in great abundance, with diuers other kinds * 1.171 of Birds, not much vnlike ours, but if you marke them well, there is difference betweene them, as some in their feathers, others in their Bils, the third in their feet, and the fourth in their [ 50] heads, so that there is some difference, although they resemble much; and because Birds are litle taken and shot in those Countreyes, for that they haue no kind of Instruments to doe it withall, there are great store in the Countrey, and by that meanes, both the beasts and the Birds waxe very bold. There are many Owles and Bats which flie by night, and store of great greene Frogs, * 1.172 and gray Grashoppers, and many great land Crabs, which keepe in the earth, and are of a purple colour, which they esteeme for a great present. When I went by night to walke in the fields, I saw things in the grasse that shine like firie coales, which I tooke vp and tied them in my hand∣kercher, which made it show with the light of the beast as if it had burnt: and when I went into the Towne to the Negroes, and shewed it them, they wondered thereat, and the next day [ 60] when I lookt on them, they were small blacke Flies, like Spanish Flies, but were as blacke as Pitch: Flies, Mothes, and Bees are there also to be seene. The Bees make their Hiues vp∣on trees. There are great store of blacke Ants, which make holes in the earth, like field Mice, those Ants doe much hurt to the Bees, and eate vp there Hony and Waxe.

Bannana, in Brasilia, Pacona; and the tree Paguouer, in Malabar, Patan, &c. is the fruite * 1.173 whereof Iohn Huyghen writeth, and calleth it Indian Figs, this tree hath no branches, the fruit groweth out of the tree, and hath leaues at least a fathome long, and three spannes broad. Those leaues among the Turkes are vsed for Paper, and in other places the Houses are couered there∣with, there is no wood vpon the tree, the out-side (wherewith the tree is couered when it be∣ginneth to waxe old) is like the middle part of a Siue, but opening it within, there is nothing but the leaues, which are rolled vp round and close together, it is as high as a man, on the top the leaues begin to spring out, and rise vp an end, and as the young leaues come forth the old wi∣ther away, and begin to drie vntill the tree comes to his growth, and the fruit to perfection: the leaues in the middle haue a very thicke veine, which diuideth it in two, and in the middle of [ 10] the leaues, out of the heart of the tree, there groweth a flowre as bigge as an Estridge Egge, of a russet colour, which in time waxeth long like the stalke of a Colewoort, whereon the Figges grow close one by the other, when they are still in their huskes, they are not much vnlike great Beanes, & so grow more and more vntill they be a span long, and foure thumbes broad like a Cu∣cumber, they are cut off before they are ripe, and are in that sort hanged vp in bunches, which oftentimes are as much as a man can carrie. It also yeeldeth good Trennuelis like Milke (when the tree is cut downe) which commeth out of the bodie thereof, hauing hanged three or foure dayes, they are through ripe, the tree beares but one bunch at a time, whereon there is at least one hundred Figges and more, and when they cut off the bunch of Figges, the tree also is cut downe to the ground, the root staying still in the Earth, which presently springeth vp againe, [ 20] and within a moneth hath his full growth, and all the yeare long no time excepted. The tree beareth fruit, the fruit is very delicate to eate, you must pull off the huske wherein the fruit lyeth, very delightfull to behold, the colour thereof is whitish and some-what yellow, when you bite it, it is soft, as if it were Meale and Butter mixed together, it is mellow in byting, it cooleth the maw, much thereof eaten maketh a man very loose and raw in the throate, it ma∣keth women lecherous if they eate much thereof. Some are of opinion, because it is so delicate a fruit, that it was the same tree that stood in Paradise, whereof God forbad Adam and Eue to eate. It smels like Roses, and hath a very good smell, but the taste is better. The Portugals will not cut it through with a Knife, but breake it, by reason of a speciall obseruation which they haue in the cutting thereof, which is, that then it sheweth like a crosse in the middle of [ 30] the fruit, and therefore they thinke it not good to cut it.

The Bachouens (by vs so called) are very like the Bannanas, for the condition and forme is * 1.174 all one, only that the fruit is smaller, shorter, white of colour within and sweeter of taste, and is esteemed to be wholsomer to be eaten then the Bannanas, but there is no such great quantitie of them, and for that they were first brought out of the Kingdome of Congo, into other Coun∣tries, they haue gotten the name thereof.

The Annanas is also a delicate and pleasant fruit for smell, and of the best taste that any fruit * 1.175 can be, it hath also diuers seuerall names, there are two sorts, the Male and the Female, the Ca∣narians call it, Ananasa; the Brasilians, Nana; those of Hispaniola, Iaiama, and the Spaniards in Brasilia, Pinas, because one of them found that and the Pinas first in Brasilia, it is as great as a [ 40] Mellon, faire of colour, some-what yellow, greene and carnation, when it begins to bee ripe, the greenenesse thereof turneth into an Orange colour, it is of a pleasant taste, and hath a fine smell like an Apricocke, so that it is to be smelt farre off, when you see the fruit afarre off, being greene, it shewes like Artichokes, and is eaten with Wine, it is light of disgesture, but eating much thereof it inflameth a mans bodie. In Brasilia there is three forts thereof, each hauing a seuerall name: first, Iaiama, the second, Boniama; the third, Iaiagma: but in Guinea there is but one sort. The time where they are in their flowre is in Lent, for then they are best, it growes halfe a fathome about the ground, the leaues thereof are not much vnlike Semper Viuum, when they are eaten, they are cut in round f••ices, and sopt in Spanish wine; you cannot eate enough thereof, it is verie hot of nature, and will grow in moist ground, the sops that you take out of the Wine tastes like sweet Muske, and if you doe not presently wipe the Knife wherewith [ 50] you cut the fruit, but forgetting it let it lye halfe an houre, it will bee eaten in, as if there had beene strong water laid vpon it, being eaten in abundance and without knowledge, it causeth great sicknesse.

There are great store of Iniamus growing in Guinea, in great fields, which are sowed and * 1.176 planted like Turnips, the root is the Iniamus, and groweth in the Earth like Earth-nuts, those Iniamus are as great as a yellow root, but thicker and fuller of knots, they are of a Mouse-co∣lour, and within as white as a Turnip, but not so sweet, being put in a Kettle and sodden with flesh, and then peeled and eaten with Oyle and Pepper, they are a very delicate meate, in ma∣ny places it is vsed for bread, and is the greatest meate that the Negroes eate.

The Battatas are somewhat redder of colour, and in forme almost like Iniamus, and taste * 1.177 [ 60] like Earth-nuts, those two kinds of fruit are very abundant in Guinea, they are commonly rosted, or else eaten with a hodge-pot in stead of Parsenips or Turnips.

The Palme-wine tree is almost like the Cocos tree, or a Lantor, with diuers others, and are * 1.178

of three or foure sorts, most of them haue all one kind of leafe, but in manner of wood they are vnlike, for this tree is shorter of wood then the rest, the Wine is drawne out of those trees by boring them, from whence there issueth a sap like Milke, which is very coole and fresh to drinke, at the first when it is drawne, it is pleasant and sweet, hauing stood a while, it is as sowre as Vineger, so that you may vse it in a Sallet, but being drunke sweet and fresh, it causeth a man to void vrine well, whereby in those Countries, there are very few found, that haue the disease of the Stone; drinking much thereof a mans head will soone be light, the lightnesse which a man hath in his head thereby, causeth it not to ake. When it commeth first out of the tree it is sweeter of taste, then when it hath stood awhile, but yet it is esteemed to bee better when it hath stood awhile, and is some-what setled, then presently to bee drunke, for it standeth see∣thing [ 10] and bubling, as if it hung ouer the fire and sod, so that if it were put into a Glasse and stopt vp, without letting any ayre come into it, the force thereof would breake the Glasse in pieces, but being a meale tyde olde, it is nothing worth, because it is so sowre, and then it is of another colour verie waterish, therefore it is much mixed with water, and seldome comes pure to the Market, as it is taken out of the tree, which is done partly to increase their Wine, as al∣so that then it is the sweeter to drinke, and hath the taste of Syder, and the colour of Must, when the tree is old, and will yeeld no more Wine at the top, it is cut downe at the foot, and a fire made at the root thereof, where they set a pot, whereinto the Wine (by meanes of the heate) runneth, the tree beeing changed, and yeelding no more profit, there groweth another tree out of the roote thereof, but it is halfe a yeare old before it giueth any Wine. In the mor∣ning [ 20] betimes an houre before day, the Wine is drawne out and brought to the Market at noone∣time.

The Palmitas tree is not much to be seene in Guinea, but for that a Negro in that Countrey shewed me some of the fruit thereof, I thought good to say something of it in this place, it is * 1.179 a tree without branches, on the top of the tree the fruit groweth, and it is almost like the An∣nanas when it is ripe. It is outwardly of a faire gold colour, and within it hath graines like Pomegranates, they are of a very sweet taste, the other is hard and vnfit to eate.

§. VII. [ 30]

Of their Gentlemen, and how they are made; Their Dancings, Sports, Diseases, Cures, Visitations, Mournings, Funerals: and of their Gold.

THere are many Gentlemen in that Countrey, but of small meanes, for assoone as they * 1.180 haue bought their Gentilitie, they are then poorer, and in miserable estate then they were before, and for that they thinke to be men of great account when they are Gen∣tlemen, they seeke much after it, and begin to gather some wealth from their youths [ 40] vpwards to obtayne the place of a Gentleman. First, they giue three gifts to be made a Gen∣tleman, the first gift is a Dogge, which they call Cabro de Matto, which is as much to say, as a Field-sheepe. The second Gift, is a Sheepe or a Goat. The third Gift, is a Cow, with many o∣ther things, and then he is made a Gentleman. These Gifts are giuen among those that are * 1.181 Gentlemen, and are giuen the one now, the other at another time, as the man that is made a Gentleman can best doe it, and hath the meanes to performe it, and then hee makes the Cap∣taine acquainted with it, which done, he buyeth a Cow, which is carryed and tyed in the Mar∣ket place, and then it is made knowne to the people, that such a man shall bee made a Gentle∣man at such a time, in the meane time all those that are Gentlemen make themselues as fine as * 1.182 they can to goe with him, and to fight and shew many Apish Toyes. The man that is to bee made a Gentleman, makes all things readie, as meate and drinke to entertayne his Guests, [ 50] and to bid them welcome in good sort, he buyeth Hens and many pots of Palme-wine, and sen∣deth euery Gentleman a Hen and a pot of Palme-wine home to his House, to make merrie withall.

When the Feast day comes, the Inhabitants assemble together vpon the Market place, the men (as he masters) goe and sit on the one side, hauing many Instruments, as Drums, Hornes, Bels, and other things with them. The Captaine armeth himselfe, and with him hath many young Batchelors with Shields and Assagaies, their faces being coloured and their bodies pain∣ted with red and yellow Earth, which makes them looke like a company of yong Deuils. The man that is made a Gentleman is accompanied with a number of other Gentlemen, hauing a [ 60] Boy behind him which carryeth his stoole to sit vpon when hee goes to speake with any man, and his fellow Gentlemen come to salute him, and wish him good fortune in his new estate, at which time they take a great deale of straw in the one hand, and lay it vnder his feet, which he treadeth vpon (the like also they vse when their owne friends come to visit them, and bring

them any Presents, which they vse for a great honour.) The wiues of the Gentlemen goe to her, to doe all the honour they can to the wife of the Gentleman that maketh the Feast, and dresse her finely, folding her haire with many golden Fetissos, and Crosses, putting about her necke a Ring of gold, and in the one hand shee carrieth a Horse-taile, and on her right arme shee hath a Ring of gold, at each end thereof hauing a round thing like the Lid of a Pot, all made of gold; and being readie, they are placed in order, as their manner is, one after the other; then the Cow is led forth, and then all the Gentlemen in the Towne come and follow them, as it were on Procession, dancing and leaping round about the Towne, and when they come againe into the Market-place, the Cow is bound to a stake, and there they make a great noise with Drummes and Pipes, and the young Bachelors with fencing and leaping, with their Shields and Assagaies, now in one place, then in another, making, as they thinke, great ioy about the [ 10] Gentleman; euery man seeking to excell each other, and to get most praise and commen∣dation.

The women also make no lesse adoe with singing and dancing, sometimes carrying both the Gentleman and his wife, vpon a stoole, round about the Towne, casting white Meale in their faces, and in that sort make great pastime three dayes together, and euery night they are led home to their houses, and watcht by the other Gentlemen. The next day he is fetcht by a great number of people, and great honour done vnto him as before; at which time hee hangs a white Flag out of his house, which doth signifie ioy, or open house. The third day, the Cow is killed by the Executioner, and quartered, and euery man hath a piece of the flesh thereof, that they also may be participants of the Feast: but the man and the woman that maketh the Feast, [ 20] may not eate of the Cow; for they make them beleeue, that if they eate any thereof, they shall die within a yeere after. The Feast day being ended, the head of the Cow is carried home to his house, which he hangeth vp, and painteth it with diuers colours, hanging many straw Fe∣tissoes vpon it, which is a signe of his Gentilitie, and a warrant to proue him to be made a Gen∣tleman.

Then he hath great priuiledge, for he may buy Slaues, and doe other things which before he * 1.183 might not haue done. When he is made a Gentleman he is very proud thereof; for, the first thing that they will tell vnto a Stranger, is, that they are Gentlemen, and that they haue many Slaues, esteeming themselues to be great Masters; but it falleth out oftentimes, that after their feasting is done, and he made a Gentleman, that then hee is poorer then he was before, because [ 30] he disbursed all his money to get it, and then he must goe out to fish againe and doe other things, if he will get his liuing. This kind of Gentilitie costs him about eight Bendas, which is a pound of gold; but deducting that which is giuen for Presents of other men which bring them to him, each man according to his meanes and abilitie, it standeth him not in aboue halfe a pound of gold. Those Gentlemen haue a Fellowship among them, and euery yeere make a Feast, and then bid their Friends to be merrie with them, and make good cheere; at which time they hang their * 1.184 Cowes or Sheepes heads, with Millie strawes, and paint them with white colour, signifying thereby the remembrance of their Feast. Besides this, the Gentlemen haue an other Feast a∣mongst them, vpon the sixth day of Iuly, at which time they paint their bodies with white and red stripes, and hang a Garland made of greene boughs and straw about their necks, which they [ 40] weare all that day, that you may know the Gentlemen from the rest, and then also they hang their Cowes and Goats heads full of Fetissoes, as before; in the euening they meet together at a Banket, in the house of the Captaine, where they are very merrie together, eating and drin∣king their heads and bellies full, till they are drunke.

They make themselues very fine, especially the women, when they goe to dance, wherein * 1.185 they take a great pride. They hang many Copper, Tin, and Iuorie Rings about their armes, and on their legs they put Rings with many Bells, that they may sound when they dance. Their heads are frizled, and dressed with a tuft of haire. They wash their bodies faire with water, and then anoint them with Palme-oile, to make them shine. Their teeth also they rub with a hard sticke: then they put a piece of white linnen about their bodies, which hangs from vnderneath [ 50] their breasts, downe below their knees; and commonly about euening they assemble together, and goe to the Market-place to dance there. Others haue instruments whereon they play, as some Copper Basons, whereon they strike with woodden Stickes. Others haue woodden Drums, cut out of an hollow Tree, couered ouer with a Goats Skin, and play vpon them. O∣thers haue round Blockes, cut very handsomly and euenly, whereon also they strike with wood∣den Stickes. Others haue Cow-bells. Some haue small Luits, made out of a piece of wood like a Harpe with sixe strings of Reeds, whereon they play with both their hands, euery one hauing their seuerall Instruments, and each keeping good correspondence with their fellowes Instruments. Others sing, and begin to dance two and two together, leaping and stamping with one of their feet vpon the ground, knocking with their fingers, and bowing downe their heads, [ 60] and speaking each to other; in their hands carrying Horse-tailes, which they cast sometimes on the one shoulder, then vpon the other, vsing certaine order in their sports, one following the other, and each doing as the other doth. Other women take straw, which they let fall to the

ground, and then dancing vpon it, cast it vp againe into the aire with their feet, and catch it as it fa••••eth with their hands, so that they play many apish and childrens sports, thinking that they doe excellent well; but they desire not to be seene by strangers, because they laugh and iest at them, and then they are ashamed.

This continuing an houre or an houre and an halfe, euery one goes home againe, as hauing en∣ded * 1.186 their sports. There are houses also among them, wherein young men and maids vse to dance and play. The young Bachelors vse to drinke themselues drunke, and by night runne through the streets with their Armes and Assagaies, making a great noise with crying and showting, as if a companie of young Deuils ran about the streets; and meeting with other companies, with whom hauing some words, they fight together; wherein they are so earnest one against the other, that they are almost readie to kill each other, and many times cannot leaue off. They [ 10] will not lightly beginne to quarrell, for they are not so hastie, but will indure much, specially of strangers, before they will quarrell; but if they once beginne, they are not easily pacified, but are very earnest and hastie to set vpon their aduerse Parties, and to be reuenged, though it should cost them their liues, and they haue very quicke hands to thrust and to strike.

Their bodies are subiect to many sicknesses and diseases, which they esteeme but little, and * 1.187 make no account of wounds or hurts. The sicknesses wherewith they are most troubled, are Poxe, Clap-dollars, Botches, Wormes, paine in the head, and burning Feuers. These diseases they get from foule and filthie women, whereunto they are much addicted, and although they haue any diseases by such meanes, which are not without much danger, yet they esteeme not much of them, but passe them away as if they ayled nothing, and are not faint-hearted, but of [ 20] a hard complexion, suffering their wounds to swell and putrifie, without any meanes of reme∣die applied thereunto; for they neither haue nor vse any Physicke among them, to ease them in their sicknesse, nor Surgeons or Physicians to heale their wounds, but suffer their wounds and diseases to haue their course, vnlesse any of our Surgeons giue them any Physicke or Surgerie, For the Pox and Clap-dollers they vse much Salsaparillia, which the Hollanders ships bring them; which Salue they seethe with salt water, and drinke the water for drinke against the Pox, and such like diseases, and also against the Wormes that are in their legs, (as I will declare * 1.188 more at large) wherewith also we are much troubled, whereunto they vse no remedie at all, but suffer their legs to continue so, vntill they heale and waxe better of themselues. For the [ 30] paine of the head they vse certaine Pap, which they make of greene leaues, and therewith anoint the place where their paine is; and if they haue any swelling about their bodies, which breaketh not out, then they take a knife and cut two or three long slashes therein, and so giue the * 1.189 wound a meanes to worke, and to heale vp, and grow together againe; which is the cause that they haue so much knobd flesh, and so many slashes in their bodies: but is well to be discerned, whether they be cut and made in their flesh to beautifie and set out themselues, or wounds and sores that are healed vp againe. They also vse no letting of bloud, but onely make a hole in their bodies with a knife to let their bloud come out: when they haue any other naturall sicknesses, they will not helpe nor comfort one the other; but if any of them be sicke, they will shun him as it were the plague, and spurne the sicke man like a Dog, and not once helpe him with a drop of Oyle or Water, although they haue neuer so much need; no, not the Father to the Sonne, [ 40] but let them lie like Beasts; and die with hunger and sicknesse; so that they are not skilfull to helpe sicke persons.

They make difference betweene the word Morian and Negro, for they will not bee called Morians, but Negroes or Prettoes, (which is as much to say) as Blacke men; for they say that * 1.190 Morian is as much to say, as Slaue or Captiue, and also a man that knowes nothing, or that is halfe a Foole; and therefore they will not be called Morians, but Negroes or Prettoes; for if you call them Morians, they will hardly speake vnto you, nor make you any answere. They make one the other Slaues, but in other sort then in Congo or Angola, for there you can lade no ships full of Slaues; but to the contrarie, they desire much to haue them, and buy them: yet there are both Slaues and Captiues; and for that in those Countries they take no great paines, nor [ 50] need any great number of Slaues, therefore there is no great quantitie of them to be had, to sell them as they doe in other Countries, but onely among them of the Land, that haue need of them. Againe, no man may buy or sell them, but such as are of great account and Gentlemen. They are marked with an Iron in their bodies, that if they chance to runne away, they may be knowne againe by their markes.

Such as are blind, or haue any other imperfections in their bodies, as being lame or Criples, and by reason thereof cannot get their liuings, the King placeth them with Smiths, to blowe their Bellows; others with those that presse Palme-oyle, or grind Colours, whereunto such de∣formed [ 60] persons are fit; or to such Occupations and labours wherewith they can helpe them∣selues, and get their victuals; so that there you see none such as begge their victuals, but they are put in some place or other to earne their meate; so that the Inhabitants giue no meate one to the other. The Kings of the Townes haue many Slaues, which they buy and sell, and get much by them; and to be briefe, in those Countries there are no men to be hired to worke or

goe of any errand for money, but such as are Slaues and Captiues, which are to spend their dayes in slauerie.

Hatred and enuy is much vsed in those Countries, and to whomsoeuer they once beare hatred and enuie, they will hate them cruelly, and doe them all the hurt and villany that they can; on the other side, they beare a villany long in their minds, and will keepe malice in their hearts seuen or eight yeeres, and when time serueth them, then show it openly; no lesse hatred and en∣uy is borne by one Towne vnto an other, speaking all the villany they can, and extolling themselues as much as they may, to haue the honour of Traffique, and to the end that the ship should come and Anchor before their Townes, and by that meanes to bring the Countrie Mer∣chants to Traffique there, wherein they are very diligent: and although one Towne lyeth but three or foure miles one from the other; yet they are as enuious one against the other as possi∣ble [ 10] they can be, and report as hardly of their neighbours as they can imagine; that so they may get the Netherlanders to Traffique with them: and to that end, they striue to shew more friend∣ship to the Netherlanders, one then the other, to draw vs to affect them, and bring the trade of Merchandize vnto them.

The men commonly liue there till they be old, as it seemeth by their faces and outward appa∣rance, * 1.191 and as we conceaue; but they cannot reckon their owne ages, nor tell how many yeeres they haue liued. When they begin to be old, then they are not well proportioned nor seeme∣ly; but looke euill fauouredly, with gray beards, yellow wrinckled skins, like Spanish Leather, which proceedeth of the anointing of their bodies with PalmeO-yle. They are likewise leane [ 20] of Legs and Armes, and wholly mishapen, specially olde women, with their long breasts, which then shew and hang vpon their bodies like old Hogs bladders, they would not willingly be old; because as then they are not esteemed of, but much despised, and not respected, and as from their youths vpwards, to the best time of their liues, they still waxe of a fairer blacke colour, so when they are past that time, they begin to decay, and to lose their perfect blacknesse.

In their winter time, they are very sickly, & then commonly there is a great mortalitie among them, by meanes of the vnwholesomenesse of the aire, which they then endure: and when they * 1.192 die, their friends come to the dead mans house, and weepe and sorrow grieuously for him, spea∣king vnto him, & asking him why he died, with many such like foolish Ceremonies, They take the dead body and lay it on a mat vpon the ground, & wind it in in a woollen, purposely made in [ 30] that Countrey, of colour red, blew, blacke and white. Vnder his head they lay a woodden stoole, and couer or dresse his head with a Goats skin, and strew all the body ouer with ashes, and dust of Barkes of trees; they close not his eyes together, they lay his armes downe by his sides, and so let him lie halfe a day in the aire. If it be a man, his best beloued wife goes and sits downe by the body, and if it be a woman, the man goes and sits downe by her, crying and weeping, ha∣uing in their hands a wispe of straw, or of Barkes of trees, wherewith crying and howling ouer the dead body, he or she wipeth his face, sometimes saying vnto it, Auzy, and making a great noyse; in the meane time, the friends or neighbours come to visite the dead, and to mone him for his misfortune, others (as the neerest friends) being women, goe round about the house, singing and beating vpon Basons, sometimes comming to the dead body, and goe round about [ 40] him singing and leaping, and kincking of hands, making a great noyse, and then againe goe round about the house singing and playing vpon Basons, which they doe twice or thrice one af∣ter the other.

In the meane time, preparation is made for the buriall, and to make good cheere together, af∣ter it is ended; to the which end, they dresse certaine Hens, and a Sheepe, and other meats which * 1.193 they are accustomed to eate, and while the dead bodie is aboue the ground, the eldest Morinni of that quarter, goes about from house to house with a Bason, whereon euery one must put the value of twelue pence in gold, with the which money they buy a Cow, which Cow is giuen to a Fetissero that vseth to coniure their gods, to will him to coniure the Fetisso, to suffer the dead body to remaine and rest in peace, and to bring him into the other world, and not to mo∣lest [ 50] him in the way, with this Cowes blood hee coniureth his Fetisso; (for a dead man must smeare his Fetisso with blood) then they bind the dead body vpon a planke, and carry him to the graue singing and leaping: the bodie is carried by men, and the women follow after one by one, about their heads hauing a Crowne or Garland of straw, and a staffe in their hands: the man, if it be a woman, goes next to the dead body crying to the graue, else there goes no man after it, vnlesse the dead body chanceth to be borne to another place to be buried; as sometimes it hapneth that they carry the dead body twenty miles off, from the place where he died, to be buried there: and then many men go armed with the body, to conuey it to the buriall: the body is carried to the earth, & the graue-maker maketh a graue about foure foot deepe, and therein he is laid; ouer the graue there are many stickes of wood aid, close one by the other: the women [ 60] creepe to and fro ouer the graue, making a great noyse, with howling and crying, and ouer that, they lay the earth, and place it, and bind it about the same, as if it were a Chest: all his goods, as Apparell, Weapons, Pots, Basons, Tooles, Spades, and such Houshold-stuffe, wherewith he earned

his liuing, are carried to the graue, and buried with him, which are set round about the graue, to serue his turne withall in the other world, as they did when he liued vpon the earth; o∣ther of the dead mans friends, bring some thing also to set in the graue for a memory, which is put into the graue with the rest of his goods. If he were one that delighted much in drinking, & loued Palme well when he liued: they will set a pot of Palme-wine by him in his graue, because hee should not die for thirst, and what in his life he vsed, that is giuen him, and buried in his graue with him. If it be a woman that died in trauell of her child, the child is laid in the mothers right arme, and buried with her; aboue vpon the graue, there is a straw house made like a Sepul∣chre, wherein all the houshold-stuffe and other things are set. The graue-makers fee, is to haue halfe the goods that are set into the graue, but the friends of the dead content him, and he is paid [ 10] for it; because they should let the goods stand still vntoucht: for it is a great credit to the friends of the dead to leaue good store of goods vpon the graue with the dead body; which they let stand there so long, till it be cleane consumed, and none of them will euer offer to take any of it away by any meanes whatsoeuer. The body being buried, they goe altogether to the Sea-side, or * 1.194 to some other Riuer, where the women goe in, & stand vp to their middles in waters, and taking vp water in their hands, cast it in their owne faces, and vpon their bodies, and wash their breasts, and all their bodies. Other women in the meane time play vpon Basons, and such like instru∣ments, one of those women take the man or woman, whose husband or wife is dead, and lea∣ding them into the water, laid them therein flat vpon their backes, and take them vp againe; which they doe diuers times, speaking one vnto the other, and making great complaints. When [ 20] he or she is well and cleane washt from the head to the foot, she leadeth them out of the water againe, and puts their clothes vpon their bodies again, & then they go together to the dead mans house to make good cheere, and to drink themselues drunk. If it be a man that died that had chil∣dren, the women must not retaine nor keepe any of his goods for the behoofe of the children: but must giue all the mans goods (both that which he had to his marriage, and which he got by his labour while he liued) vnto his Brethren, if he hath any liuing, and must not keepe any thing from them. If he hath no brethren, then the father if he be liuing, taketh all his sonnes goods, and inioyeth it. If it be a woman that dieth, then the husband must deliuer her marriage goods to her brethren, as aforesaid, without keeping any thing thereof for his children, so that no chil∣dren in those Countreyes inherite their Fathers good, neither are they their Fathers heires: No more; may the wife inherite any of her husbands goods, but it is all diuided among his bre∣thren; [ 30] but while their wiues liue, they giue her what they thinke good of that which they gaine, so yong maids and men must endeuour themselues to get some thing in their youths, that they may haue some thing when they marry and keepe houses.

For the Kings death, more sorrow is made by some of the Gentlemen, who in the Kings life serued him: when he is dead, giue him a slaue to serue him, & other men one of their wiues to wait * 1.195 on him, and to dresse his meat: others bring one of their sonnes to goe with the King into the o∣ther world; so that there are a number of people that are appointed to goe with the King to the other world: which are killed, and their heads cut off, but they know nothing thereof, for such men and women as giue them to the King when he is dead; tell not them that they shall be put to death, to goe into the other world with the King; but when the time comes, that the buri∣all [ 40] is to be solemnised, they send them on some message, or to fetch water, and so following them, strike them through the body with an Assagaie, and kill them in the way: which done, they carry the dead body to the Kings house, whereby they shew what faithfull seruants they were vnto their King while he liued: others also doe the like, and those dead bodies are smeared with blood, and buried with the King in his graue, that they may trauell together. If any of his wiues loued him intirely, they suffer themselues to be kild with the rest, and are buried with him, that they may raigne together in the other world. The heads of the dead men and women, are set round about the Sepulchre and graue of the King, for a great brauerie and honour vnto him. Vpon the graue they set all kinds of meat and drinke, that they may eate some thing, and verily beleeue that they eate and drinke it, and that they liue thereby, [ 50] and for that cause the pots of Palme-wine, and of water, are continually fild vp: all his stuffe, as Armes and Clothes are buried with him, and all his Gentlemen that serued him, haue euery one of them their Pictures made of Clay, after the life, and fairely painted, which are set and placed orderly round about his graue, one by the other so that their Kings Sepulchers are like houses, and as well stu••t as if they still liued: which Sepulchres are so much esteemed off, that they are watcht both by night and by day, by armed men: to the end, that if he desireth to haue any thing, they should straight bring it him.

Gold at this day is as much esteemed off by them, as it is with vs, (of whom they say, Gold, * 1.196 is our God) and more too, for they are greedier and earnester to haue it then we are, because they [ 60] marke and see that the Hollanders take so much paines for it, and giue more Merchandise for it in Exchange, then euer the Portugals did.

For I am of an opinion, that there are few Negroes that dwell on the Sea side, that know where the Mines are, or that euer saw them, also there was neuer any Portugall or Netherlan∣der

at them, or neere them, but the Mines are well kept, and lookt vnto by the owners thereof; so I haue heard by some Negroes, that each King hath his Mines, and causeth the gold to be digged by his men, and selleth it to other Merchants, and so it passeth from one to a∣nother.

In what manner the gold is found in Guinea, I know not, but as some Negroes haue told me, they finde gold in deepe pits, which they digge vp, and that with the water it is driuen downe like Sand, at which waters and running springs, many people sit with spoones in their hands, and take vp the gold, sand and all, and put it into a Bason.

Some peeces are couered ouer with Chalke, and Earth, wherein they are found, the small gold, which is found in the Sand, they purge and make cleane in cleare running water, but yet they [ 10] let some Sand and Grauell remaine among it, it is found in no great quantities, (as they themselues say) but with great paine and labour, for it costs many men their liues, which are smothered in the Mines; and a man that can find two or three Englishen of gold in a day, hath done well, and hath earned a good dayes hire. The halfe which is found is the labourers, and the other halfe is for the King, or for him that oweth the Mine; This I haue beene told by some of the Negroes. Gold by them is called Chika, and some great Merchants that dwell a∣bout the Maine, bring the gold aboord the ships to buy wares, as it comes out of the Mine, and that is esteemed to be the best gold, wherein there is left deceit, but the receiuer must looke well to it, to blow the sand cleane out of it, and to beat the yeallow earth with the stones out of it, with a hammer, and so he cannot lose by it? neuerthelesse, the gold that is brought [ 20] rough out of the Mine, is esteemed to be better and richer, and more worth in euery Marke then the other.

It falleth out oftentimes, that some gold is more worth then others, which hapneth by meanes of the receiuers negligence, and many times as the Mines of gold fall out; for some of them are finer gold then others: and also the deeper that the Mines are digged, the gold falls out to be worse, and is more mixed with siluer, euen in the earth it selfe, then the gold that heth higher in the earth.

Besides this, meane Merchants bring much molten gold, as Crakawen, arme Rings, Iewels, * 1.197 and other things, wherein there is most falshood vsed: for such Negroes as haue but small meanes to Traffique with vs, are more vsed and addicted to the falsifying of gold, then others [ 30] are, wherein they vse great subtiltie, but we our selues are oftentimes the cause thereof; for we bring and sell them the matter, and the Instruments which they vse therein; and so deceiue our selues, and make a rod for our owne breeches: but they were wont to falsifie it more then now. For the Portugals hanged vp some for it. They haue good knowledge in Gold, and can soone per∣ceiue whether it be good or falsified; but of other Iewels, as Pearles, Diamonds, Rubies, Emralds, and such like precious stones, they haue no knowledge; but they know fine red Corals wel, which are much esteemed off by them.

Siluer also is well, and too much knowne among them; because they vse it to falsifie Gold withall, and to make it of lesse value then it is. They learned of the Portugals to melt gold. They also haue found the meanes to put an edge of gold round about siluer, and Red Copper [ 40] mixed together, letting the false mettle remaine in the middle of the peece, and so when hee that receiueth it, is in haste, and toucheth it but on the edge thereof, (where it is not falsified) with his Touch-stone, it passeth for good: but such must bee cut in sunder with a hammer, and then the falsifying is perceiued, and when they could find no meanes to falsifie the small fine Chika Foetu Gold, so that the receiuers had no suspition thereof, and tooke the lesse heed there vnto, wee our selues brought them tooles to doe it withall: for wee brought them Files, and Sawes to sell, so that they filed the yellow Copper, and mingled it among the smal gold, that it could hardly be perceiued: because it was no smal, which was the subtillest falsi∣fying of gold by them vsed, but when we blew the sand & dust out of it, then the Copper shewed it selfe, whereby it appeareth that the Negroes haue many wayes and deuises to falsifie gold, but such as looke narrowly vnto them, will not be deceiued: but to trie their falsifyings, the [ 50] best way is to touch their gold, and to be warie of deceit, and of receiuing bad gold. An other way is to looke speedily vnto the Negroes themselues; To see if they haue bad gold or not, for when they bring bad gold, they will be in great feare, with your handling thereof, and when you offer to trie their gold, they will refuse it, and alter their colours, and shake and quiuer withall.

The wormes in the legges and bodies, trouble not euery one that goeth to those Coun∣treyes, * 1.198 but some are troubled with them, and some not, and they are found in some men sooner then in others, some haue a worme before the Voyage is done, and while they are still vpon the Coast, some get them while they are vpon the way, others haue them after their Voy∣age is full ended, some foure moneths after, some nine moneths after, and some a yeere after they [ 60] haue made a Voyage thither: others haue made two or three Voyages thither, and neuer were troubled with those wormes.

The Negroes themselues are much troubled with them, specially those that dwel about the castle of Mina, and it is a thing to be wondered at, for the Negroes that dwel but 25. miles lower East∣ward, are not troubled with wormes as their neighbors are. And another * 1.199 (whereof Iohn Huyghen speaketh in his Itiner ario) are troubled therewith, for the Ilands of East India, West India, China, Brasilia, and other strange Countries are not troubled therwith, nor know not thereof, and which is more; They of the Iland of Saint Thomas, which men esteeme to be the vnwholesomest place in the world; and wherein so many men are sicke, and lose their liues, know not what those wormes meane, but wondred much thereat, when it was shewed them of such as had beene with the Hollanders in Guinea. The Negroes themselues knew not whereof they are ingendred, but the greatest presumption is, that they proceed and breed of the water which men buy of [ 10] the Negroes, which they take out of Wels or Pits, and it is very likely (as we find by the ex∣perience) that they breed of the water; for in Ormus, or in those parts, the fresh water is fetcht vp in pots by diuers, eighteene fathome deepe vnder the salt water, which those people drinke, because they are there also troubled with wormes, and as some men write: the Indians themselues say, that they come of the water. Such as haue them are in great paine, for some of them can neither goe nor stand; some neither sit nor lie, others lie wholy in dispaire, as if they were sence∣lesse, and somtimes are faine to be bound; some haue them with a feuer, or shaking, as if they had a feuer; some get them on a sudden, others haue them before they know it, and haue little paine therewith; so that the wormes shew themselues diuers wayes: they appeare with a lit∣tle Blain, others with a spot like a Flea-biting, others with a litle swelling; so that you may often [ 20] see the worme betweene the skin and the flesh, others shew themselues with bloody vains, &c. It must shew it selfe before men vse any remedie for it: neuerthelesse, it sheweth it selfe many times too much, and too soon, for it were better that it came not so soon, nor appeared at all, but suffered men to be at ease, it will seeke to helpe itselfe, and thrust out his nose, which a man must then take hold on, least he creepe in againe: he sheweth himselfe in diuers places, as in a mans legges, in the sole of the foot, in the armes, knees, buttocks, and commonly in places of a mans bodie, where there is much flesh; and some men haue them in their priuie members, and which is more, in their cods, with great griefe and paine: for those that haue them there, indure extreme paine. But it is true, that one man hath lesse paine with them then another, and shal also be sooner healed of them then another: which commeth by the handling or dealing with them, [ 30] for it is very good, when a man findeth himselfe to be troubled with them, to be quiet, specially being in his legs, and not go much, and to keepe the place warme where they begin to appeare; for thereby they shall indure lesse paine, for they come better out of a mans flesh with warmth, then with cold and disease. For some men haue little respected themselues when they haue had the wormes, so that they appeared with a great swelling, whereby they indured much paine, and were in hazard to loose their legges or their armes. When it comes foorth so farre, that a man may lay hold on it, then they must draw him out till hee stayeth, and then hee must let it rest till hee beginneth to come forward againe; and as much thereof as is come out of the bodie, must bee woond vpon a sticke, or bound close to the hoole, with a thrid that hee creepeth not in againe. When hee commeth out [ 40] euery time, he bringeth good store of matter with him, and a man must euery day looke vnto it, and draw him so long, till he be out, but you must not draw him too hard, least he should breake, so that by reason of the poyson that is in him, the wound will fester: It hapneth oftentimes, that after there is one worme drawne out of a mans body, that there commeth another in the same place, & hath his issue out at the same hole. Some men are soner rid of them then another, for some are eased in three weeks and lesse time, and some are three months in healing of them, some men haue more wormes then others, for some haue but one worme, and others ten or twelue, as I my self knew one that had ten wormes, hanging out at his body all at one time; and I haue known men that had wormes that began to open themselues, and crept in againe, and consumed away, so that they had no more trouble therewith but the next Voyage after. They are of diuers lengths, [ 50] and greatnesse, some are of a fathome long, some shorter, as it fals out; in thicknesse they differ much, some are as thicke as great Lute-strings, and like common peare wormes, others like small Lute-strings, and some as small as silke or fine thred, some say that they are not liuing, and that they are but bad sinowes and no wormes. I haue not long since seene a man that had certaine wormes which shewed themselues, and the Surgeon drew a worme out with one pull, and the worme being drawne out, and held vp on high, wrung and writhed it selfe, as if it had beene an Eele, and was about fiue quarters long, and as thicke as a Lute-string, if it were but a sinow, it would haue no life in it, and therefore they are naturall wormes. The Negroes vse no kind of Surgerie for them, but suffer them to haue their course, and wash the sore with Salt-water, which they say is very good for it. [ 60]

Note that our returne backe from Moure, we vse to put off from that place, from whence you must set sayle with a wind from the land, and hold your course as neere by as you can, losing no wind, and yet you shall hardly get aboue S. Thomas, or Rio de Gabom, because of the ••••reame which driueth you East & by North, & East North-east towards the land. To the Bouthes of

Fernando Poo, which you must beware off, for he that falleth into that Bouthe, will hardly get out, because of the streame, and is in danger to be cast away in that place, or else he must haue some stormes or winds out of the North, and so come out Southward, otherwise it is hardly to be done; for there are some, who hauing had the wind a little contrary, were sixe or seuen weekes before they could get to Cape Lope Gonselues. Heere you must note, that the neerer you come to the Equinoctiall line, the wind bloweth the more Southerly, so that as you passe vnder the line, the wind bloweth South, and South and by East, and somewhat higher, you must also note, when you see great flying Fishes, that you are not farre from Saint Thomas, or aboue Ile De Principe.

§. VIII. [ 10]

The passage from the golden Coast to the Kingdome of Benni, or Rio de Benni, and Rio Floreado: The Citie, Court, Gentry, Apparell: also other places adioyning, described.

FOR that the gold Coast reacheth no further then from Cape De tres Punctas, to Rio de * 1.200 Uolta, therfore those that will goe from the golden Coast, to the Kingdome of Ben∣ni, hold their course along by the land, and along by the Riuers of Rio de Ualto, Rio de Ardra, and Rio de Lago. These Riuers were neuer entred into, because there is [ 20] nothing to be had in them, but a little quantitie of Elephants Teeth; so that the labour to fetch it, is not worth the paines, by meanes of the dangers that a man incurreth by entring into the Riuers, by reason of Sands. Before at the mouth of the Riuer of Focrado, there lieth an Iland, and the Riuer is so indifferent great, that a man may well know it. The land reacheth most (being about forty miles) to Rio de Ardra. This Riuer is much vsed to be entred into by the Portugals, and is well knowne, not because of any great commoditie that is therein to be had; but because of the great number of slaues which are bought there, to carry to other places, as to Saint Thomas, and to Brasilia, to labour there, and to refine Sugar: for they are very strong men, [ 30] and can labour stoutly, and commonly are better slaues then those of Gabom, but those that are sold in Angola are much better. In this Riuer there is no speciall thing found, which is of any value, but some Blew, Greene, and Blacke stones, wherewith they grind colours, and for their fairenesse are desired of other Negroes, specially in the golden Coast of Guinea, where they are much esteemed of by them. There both the men and women are starke naked, vntill they be sold for slaues, so that they are not ashamed to shew themselues one to the other, as they them∣selues affirme, and by reason proue, saying, that a man more coueteth and desireth a thing that he seeth not, or may not haue, then that he seeth or may borrow or haue, and for that cause they hide not their priuie members. There the Portugals Traffique much with Barkes to buy slaues, [ 40] and the Inhabitants are better friends with them, then with any other Nation; because they come much there, and for that no other Nations come to buy slaues there, but the Portugals one∣ly. And there are some Portugals dwelling there, which buy much wares and Merchandizes, such as there to bee had. From Rio de Ardra, to Rio de Lago, is ten miles, and in that Riuer there is nothing else to buy, and therefore it is not much vsed, so that Rio de Ardra, is more vsed then Rio de Uolta, and Rio de Lago; from Rio de Lago to Rio de Benni, is about twenty miles, , so that Benni is esteemed to be part of the golden Coast, that is about one hundred miles from Mourre, so that in two dayes with helpe of the streame, a man may get thither, where as men are wont to be sixe weekes: before they could turne backe againe from whence they came.

The Towne seemeth to be very great, when you enter into it, you goe into a great broad * 1.201 [ 50] street, not paued, which seemeth to be seuen or eight times broader then the Warmoes street in Amsterdam; which goeth right out, and neuer crooketh, and where I was lodged with Mat∣theus Cornelison, it was at least a quarter of an houres going from the gate, and yet I could not see to the end of the street, but I saw a great high tree, as farre as I could discerne, and I was told the street was as much longer. There I spake with a Netherlander, who told me that he had beene as farre as that tree, but saw no end of the street; but perceiued that the houses thereabouts bee much lesse, and some houses that were falling downe: so that it was to be thought, that the end thereof was there abouts, that tree was a good halfe mile from the house where I was lodged, so that it is thought that that street is a mile long besides the Suburbs. At the gate where I en∣tred on horse-backe, I saw a very high Bulwarke, very thicke of earth, with a very deepe * 1.202 [ 60] broad ditch, but it was drie, and full of high trees; I spake with one that had gone along by the ditch, a good way, but saw no other then that I saw, and knew not well whither it went round about the Towne or not, that Gate is a reasonable good Gate, made of wood after their manner, which is to be shut, and there alwayes there is watch holden. Without this Gate, there is a

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The Gentlemen goe with great Maiestie to the Court, hauing diuers kinds of Musicke with * 1.203 them, and are waited on by diuers other Negroes, one hauing a Drum whereon he playes, others with other Instruments; vpon the Horse there is a little woodden Stoole set, and on the Horse necke they hang a Cow-bell, which rings when the Horse goes; there goes two Negroes by him, on either side one, on whom he leaneth. Those Negroes that attend on him, come euery morning to the Gentlemans doore, and stay there till he comes out, to wait on him. Their Hor∣ses are very little, not much greater then Calues in our Countrie, which is the cause that our * 1.204 Horses are so much esteemed of in that Coast. The King hath many Souldiers which are sub∣••••ct vnto him, and they haue a Generall to command ouer them, as if he were their Captaine: This Captaine hath some Souldiers vnder him, and goes alwaies in the middle of them, and [ 10] they goe round about him, singing and leaping, and making great noise, and ioy. Those Cap∣taines are very proud of their Office, and are very stately, and goe exceeding proudly in the streets. Their Swords are broad, which hang about their necke in a leather Girdle which reacheth vnder their armes: they also vse Shields and Assagaies, as they in the Golden Coast doe.

They cut their Haire diuersly, each after the best manner that they can. Their apparell also * 1.205 is the like, and vse strange customes, not one like vnto another, all finely made of Cotton, ouer the which they commonly weare Holland Cloth. The young Maides and Boyes goe starke na∣ked, vntill they marrie, or that the King giueth them licence to put on some Apparell; then they make great ioy, because of the friendship the King therein sheweth vnto them, and then [ 20] they make their bodies very cleane, and strike it ouer with white Earth, and are very stately, sitting in great glorie and magnificence. Their friends come vnto them, to congratulate them, as if shee were a Bride. They are circumcised, both Boyes and Girles. They cut three great streakes in their bodies on either side, each streake being three fingers broad, which they doe from their shoulders downe to their wastes, which they thinke to be a great good deed tending to their saluation. They are very conscionable, and will doe no wrong one to the other, neither will take any thing from strangers, for if they doe, they should afterward be put to death, for they lightly iudge a man to die for doing any wrong to a stranger, wherein they vse strange * 1.206 Iustice: they bind the Offenders armes behind at his backe, and blind his eyes, then one of the Iudges comes and lifts him vp with his armes, in such manner, that his head lieth almost vpon [ 30] the ground, then comes the Executioner and cuts off his head; which done, his bodie is quar∣tered, and the quarters cast into the fields to bee deuoured by certaine Birds, which Birds they * 1.207 feare much, and no man dares doe them any hurt, nor chase them, for there are men purposely appointed to giue them meat and drinke, which they carrie with great magnificence, but no man may see it carried, nor bee present, but those that are appointed to doe it; for euery man runnes out of the way when they see those men come to carrie the Birds meate, and they haue a place where the Birds come purposely for it. They respect strangers very much, for when any man meeteth them, they will shun the way for him and step aside, and dare not bee so bold to goe by, vnlesse they be expressely bidden by the partie, and prayed to goe forward, and although they were neuer so sore laden, yet they durst not doe it; for if they did, they should be punished [ 40] for it: They are also very couetous of honour, and willingly desire to be praised and rewarded for any friendship they doe.

Vpon the Iland of Corisco, or about Rio de Angra, in the mouth whereof the Iland of Corisco * 1.208 lieth. The Iland of Corisco is a bad place to dwell in, for no man dwelleth in it, for there is no∣thing to be had in it but fresh Water and Wood, so that the ships that come from the Golden Coast, and fall vpon it, prouided themselues there, of Water and Wood. Within the Riuer there lieth three other small Ilands, which also are worth nothing, because they yeeld no profit, and there is nothing abounding in them but Wood. Those Ilands at this day are called (for be∣fore they had no names) the Ile De Moucheron, because one Balthasar de Moucheron had by his * 1.209 Factors found them, wherein he caused a Fort to be made, in the yeere 1600. thinking to dwell there, and to bring great Traff••que from other places thither. But they of Rio de Gabom, vnder∣standing [ 50] that there were Strangers inhabiting in them, sought all the meanes they could to murther them, and to take both the Fort and their Goods from them, which they did, before they had dwelt foure moneths there, (vnder a Captaine called Edward Hesius) and tooke the Sconce from them by force, murthering all the men that were in it, and called it the Iland of Corisco, which name it had of the Portugals, because vpon that Iland there are many Tempests of thunder and lightning, and great store of Raine, and therefore it is not good to inhabite in, and there will nothing grow therein but Cucumbers. It is well prouided of fresh Water, excel∣lent faire red Beanes, and Brasill wood, so exceeding faire and glistering, when it is shauen, as any Glasse can be, which is so hard, that without great paine and labour it cannot be cut [ 60] downe. The Iland is almost a great mile in compasse, but it is a bad anchoring place, when the Trauadoes come.

From Rio de Angra, to Rio de Gabom, is fifteene miles. The Inhabitants of Rio de Gabom, are not friends with them of Rio de Angra, for they oftentimes make warre one against the other, and

great Suburbe: when you are in the great Street aforesaid, you see many great Streets on the sides thereof, which also goe right forth, but you cannot see to the end of them, by reason of their great length, a man might write more of the situation of this Towne, if he might see it, as you may the Townes in Holland, which is not permitted there, by one that alwaies goes with you, some men say, that he goeth with you, because you should haue no harme done vnto you, but yet you must goe no farther then he will let you.

The Houses in this Towne stand in good order, one close and euen with the other, as the Hou∣ses in Holland stand, such Houses as Men of qualitie (which are Gentlemen) or others dwell in, * 1.210 haue two or three steps to goe vp, and before, there is, as it were, a Gallerie, where a man may sit drie; which Gallerie euery morning is made cleane by their Slaues, and in it there is a Mat [ 10] spred for men to sit on, their Roomes within are foure-square, ouer them hauing a Roofe that is not close in the middle, at the which place, the raine, wind, and light commeth in, and therein they lie and eate their meate; but they haue other places besides, as Kitchins and other roomes. The common Houses are not such, for they haue but one Wall before, wherein there is a wood∣den Doore, they know not how to make Windowes, but such light and aire as they haue, comes in at the roofe of the House.

The Kings Court is very great, within it hauing many great foure-square Plaines, which round about them haue Galleries, wherein there is alwaies watch kept; I was so farre within * 1.211 that Court, that I passed ouer foure such great Plaines, and wheresoeuer I looked, still I saw Gates vpon Gates, to goe into other places, and in that sort I went as farre as euer any Netherlander [ 20] was, which was to the Stable where his best Horses stood, alwaies passing a great long way: it seemeth that the King hath many Souldiers, he also hath many Gentlemen, who when they come to the Court ride vpon Horses, and sit vpon their Horses as the women in our Countrie doe, on each side hauing one man, on whom they hold fast; and the greater their estate is, the more men they haue going after them. Some of their men haue great Shields, wherewith they keepe the Gentleman from the Sunne; they goe next to him, except those on whom hee lea∣neth, the rest come after him, playing some on Drums, others vpon Hornes and Fluits, some haue a hollow Iron whereon they strike. The Horse also is led by a man, and so they ride play∣ing to the Court. Such as are very great Gentlemen haue another kind of Musicke, when they ride to the Court, which is like the small Nets wherewith men in our Countries goe to the [ 30] Fish-market, which Net is filled full of a certaine kind of thing, which they strike vpon with their hands, and make it rattle, in like sort as if their Nets were filled full of great Nuts, and so a man should strike vpon it: those great Gentlemen haue many Seruants, that goe after them striking vpon such Nets. The King hath very many Slaues, both men and women, whereof there are many women Slaues seene, carrying of Water, Iniamus, and Palme-wine, which they say is for the Kings wiues. There are also many men Slaues seene in the Towne, that carrie Water, Iniamus, and Palme-wine, which they say is for the King; and many carrie Grasse, which is for their Horses; and all this is carried to the Court. The King oftentimes sendeth out Presents of Spices, which are carried orderly through the streets, and as the other things afore∣said are carried, so they that carrie them goe one after the other, and by them, there goeth one [ 40] or two with white Rods, so that euery man must step aside and giue them place, although hee were a Gentleman.

The King hath many Wiues, and euery yeere goes twice out of his Court, and visiteth the Towne, at which time he sheweth all his Power and Magnificence, and all the Brauerie he can, then he is conuoyed and accompanied by all his Wiues, which are aboue sixe hundred in num∣ber, * 1.212 but they are not all his wedded Wiues. The Gentlemen also haue many Wiues, as some haue eightie, some ninetie and more, and there is not the meanest Man among them but hath ten or twelue Wiues at the least, whereby in that place you find more Women then Men.

They also haue seuerall places in the Towne, where they keepe their Markets; in one place they haue their great Market day, called Dia de Ferro; and in another place, they hold their [ 50] * 1.213 little Market, called Ferro: to those places they bring all things to sell, as quicke Dogs, where∣of they eate many, roasted Apes, and Monkies, Rats, Parots, Hens, Iniamus, Manigette in bon∣ches, dried Agedissen, Palme-oyle, great Beanes, diuers sorts of Kankrens, with many other kinds of Fruits, and Beasts, all to eate. They also bring much Wood to burne, Cups to eate and drinke in, and other sorts of wooden Dishes and Cups for the same purpose, great store of Cot∣ton, whereof they make Clothes to weare vpon their bodies. Their Apparell is of the same fa∣shion as theirs of the Golden Coast is, but it is fairer and finelier made; but to shew you the manner thereof it would be ouer-long. They also bring great store of Iron-worke to sell there, and Instruments to fish withall, others to plow and to till the land withall; and many Weapons, as Assagaies, and Kniues also for the Warre. This Market and Traffique is there very orderly [ 60] holden, and euery one that commeth with such Wares or Merchandises to the Market, knowes his place where to stand, to sell his Wares in the same, they also sell their Wiues as they doe in the Golden Coast.

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then againe make peace, so that the friendship betweene them is very small, they haue a King among them, but they are not so mightie as those of Rio de Gabom, but better people to deale withall then those of Gabom, for since the time that they of Gabom, tooke the Skonce and the goods of Moncherom, and kild the men, they of Rio de Angra would haue nothing to doe with them, but were grieued that it was done, but because they feared them of Rio de Gabom, and of Pongo; they durst not withstand them: with those Negroes there is much Traff que to be had, and there are many Teeth to buy, but not so many as in Rio de Gabom, but when you Traffique there you must not stay long with your shallop or boate there, for if you deale not with them for their Teeth in two or three dayes, you shall not deale with them at all, for by reason that few Pinnasses or shallops come thither to Traffique, therefore the Negros bring all their Teeth [ 10] thither at the first, to barter for other Wares. Their speech is not like theirs of Gabom, but for opinion and religion they are almost one, and agree therein.

The Riuer of Gabom, lyeth about fifteene miles Southward from Rio de Angra, and eight miles North-ward from Cape De Lopo Gonsalues, and is right vnder the Equinoctiall Line, a∣bout * 1.214 fifteene miles from Saint Thomas, and is a great Land well and easily to bee knowne. At the mouth of the Riuer there lyeth a Sand three or foure fathome deepe, whereon it beateth mightily, with the streame which runneth out of the Riuer into the Sea. This Riuer in the mouth thereof is at least foure miles broad, but when you are about the Iland called Pongo, it is not aboue two miles broad, on both sides the Riuer there standeth many trees. The Iland lyeth * 1.215 neere to the North, then the South, and a little further there is an Iland wherein there is good [ 20] prouision to be had, as of Bannanas, Iniamus, and Oranges; about two miles within the Riuer you haue eight fathome deepe, good anchor ground. This Coast reacheth North and South, the depth a good way from the Land about a mile or a mile and an halfe; is, twelue and thirteene fathome, and halfe a mile from the Land, it is foure, fiue, sixe, and seuen fathome, you may goe neere about it, because all along that Coast it is good anchor ground, by night you haue the wind off from the Land, and by day from the Sea. This Riuer hath three mightie Kings in it, which raigne therein, as one King on the North point, called Caiombo, and one vpon the South point, * 1.216 called Gabom, and one in the Iland, called Pongo, which hath a monstrous high hill; hee of Pongo is strongest of men, and oftentimes makes warre vpon him of Gabom, he of Caiombo, is a great friend to him of Pongo, and the Inhabitants of the South point of the Riuer, are great [ 30] friends with those of Cape De Lopo Gonsalues.

The twelfth of December, we got to Cape Lopo Gonsalues, where we found three ships lying at anchor, two of Zeland, and one of Schiedam. Touching their Religion, they neither know * 1.217 God nor his Commandements, some of them pray to the Sunne, others to the Moone, others to certaine trees or to the Earth, because they receiue food from thence, so that they esteeme it a great fault to spit vpon the Ear••h, they goe little abroad in the streets, but when they goe a∣broad, they carrie a great broad Knife in their hands: both the men and the women haue their bodies pinkt in diuers sorts, strange to behold, wherein they put certaine Grease, mixt with colour, they will not drinke before they first put some of it out of the Pot or Kan, and when they eate they vse not to drinke, but when they haue dined, then they drinke a great draught of water, or of Palme-wine, or else of Malaffo, which is mixed or made of Honey water. In the [ 40] morning as soone as it is day, they goe to salute their Commander, or Chaueponso, and to bid him good morrow, and when they come to him they fall downe vpon their knees, and clapping both their hands together, say, Fino, Fino, Fino, whereby they wish peace, quietnesse, and all good vnto him.

They are much addicted to Theeuerie, and to steale some-thing, specially from Strangers, whereof they make no conscience, but thinke they doe well, but they will not steale one from another. The women also are much addicted to Leacherie and Vncleannesse; specially, with strange Nations, whereby they thinke they get great credit, and which is more, the men offer [ 50] their wiues vnto strangers that come thither, and the King himselfe presenteth and honoureth Strangers with some of his Wiues, whereof he hath a great number. They haue a filthy custome among them, which is, that the King when any of his Daughters waxe great, hee taketh and keepeth them for his Wiues, and the vse of their bodies. The like is done by the Queenes his Wiues, when their Sonnes beginne to be great, for they lie with them, as well as the King doth * 1.218 with his Daughters. Their apparell is fairer then theirs on the Golden Coast, for they trimme their bodies more; about their middles to hide their Priuities. They weare a Mat made of barkes of trees, which is coloured red, with a kind of red wood wherewith they dye it, vpon those Mats, they hang some Apes and Monkeyes skinnes, or of other wild beasts, with a Bell in the middle, such as Cowes and Sheepe haue about their neckes. They paint their bodies red, with a colour made of red wood, which is verie good. but much lighter then Brasil-wood, oftentimes [ 60] they make one of their eyes white, the other red or yellow, with a streake or two in their fa∣ces, some weare round Beades about their neckes made of barkes, some small, some great, not much vnlike the Boxes, which men in Hamborough hang vp to put money in for the poore, but they will not suffer you to looke what is in them. The men and women also for the most part * 1.219

goe bare-headed, with their haire shoared and pleated diuersly, some of them weare Caps made of the barkes of Cocos or Indian Nut-trees, others weare bunches of feathers made fast to their haire with little Irons, some of them haue holes in their vpper lips, and through their Noses, wherein they put pieces of Elxen bones, as thicke as a Doller with a stalke, which shutteth the hole, which being thrust in comes out at the Nose, and ouer their mouthes, which serueth their turnes well and to good purpose, when they are sicke and fall into a swound, and that men can∣not open their hands by force, then they take that bone and crush the sap of some greene herbe through it, wherwith they come to themselues again, so that they serue them for two purposes. Some weare Rings in their lips and in the middle part of their Noses, some thrust small Hornes or Teeth through them, and weare them so, which they thinke to bee a great ornament vnto them, others boare a hole in their neather lips, and play with their Tongues in the hole; many of [ 10] their men and women weare Rings in their eares, whereof some weigh at least a pound weight, some haue stickes thrust through them, of fiue or sixe fingers long, most of them, specially the men weare a Girdle about their middles made of Buffols skin, with the haire still on it, which meeteth not together before by almost a hand breadth, with a piece thereof sticking out at each end, which is tyed together with a small cord of Threed, vpon their bellies they carrie a broad Iron Knife, the sheath thereof also being of Iron: some of those Girdles are a hand broad, and some two or three-handfuls broad. Besides those, they vse another sort of Kniues, with two or three points, which are very fearefull to behold, wherewith they cast at a man, and wheresoe∣uer they hit they take hold. [ 20]

They are better armed for weapons then they of Myna, or the Golden Coast, their Armes * 1.220 are Pikes, or Assagaies, Bowes, and Arrowes, long Targets made of barkes of Trees. Their Drummes are narrow below and broad aboue, their Pikes are very cunningly made, for they are very curious Workmen in Iron; the women carrie their Husbands Armes for him, and when they will vse them, their Wiues giue them: they are cruell and fierce against their Enemies, and fight one against the other by Land and by Water in Canoes, and when they take any of their Enemies (they were wont in times past to eate them, but now they doe it not) they put them to great torture.

The women also set themselues out verie faire (as they thinke) and weare many red Copper and Tinne Rings vpon their armes and legges, some one, others two; which many times weigh three or foure pound weight, which are so fast and close about their armes, that men can hardly [ 30] imagine how they get them on; those Rings also are worne by some men, but more by women. The women weare Aprons made of Rushes, which I haue seene them make. Touching their * 1.221 clothes and setting forth of their bodies, it is beastly and vnseemely. They haue no lesse vn∣seemelinesse in their eating and house-keeping, for they liue like beasts, and sleepe vpon Mats laid vpon the ground, which they make very cunningly. The chiefe meate they eate is Iniamus, Batates, and Bannanas. The Bannanas they vse in stead of bread, when it is well dryed, they al∣so eate fish and flesh, with Roots and Sugar-canes: they lay all their meate in one dish, and sit round about it, and eate like a company of beasts. Their King called, Mani, eateth his meate out of a Tinne Platter, but the rest in woodden Platters, sitting vpon a Mat spread vpon the ground. [ 40]

The greatest labour the women doe, is to fetch water, to gather fruit, and to dresse their * 1.222 meate: their Houses are finely made of Reeds, and couered ouer wi••h Bannanas leaues, and bet∣ter and cle••ner then the Houses in the Golden Coast. The King hath a faire House greater then any in all the Towne, he is called Golipatta, hee is brauely set out with many Beads made of beanes and shels, which are dyed red, and hanged about his necke, and vpon his armes and legs, they strike their faces with a kind of white colour, they are very much subiect to their Kings, and doe him great honour when they are in his presence: before his House there lyeth an Iron Peece, with certaine Bases which he bought in former time of the Frenchmen. They are verie subtill to learne how to vse all kind of Armes; specially, our small Gunnes. Their Winter is from April to August, at which time it is exceeding hot, and few cleere daies, and then it raineth [ 50] mightily with great drops, which fall so hot vpon the stones that they presently dry vp, by which meanes also the waters are thicke and slimie, in the Riuers and also vpon the shoare. There is good fishing, Oysters grow on the branches of the Trees, which hang downe into the * 1.223 water. They draw their speech long, so that it is better to learne then theirs in the Golden Coast. The Cape is low Land, and is well to be knowne, for there is no Land thereabouts, that reacheth so farre Westerly into the Sea as that doth, it lyeth about a degree Southward from the Equinoctiall Line. When you are at the Cape, there is a Riuer which lyeth South-east from it, about three miles, whereinto the shallops commonly saile, to barter for some Teeth, which are there to bee had in the Village, which lyeth about foure miles vpwards within the Riuer: [ 60] In this Riuer: there are many Sea-horses, and Crocodiles, so that it is thought that hee Ri∣uer of Nilus ioyneth thereunto, and hath an issue there into the Sea: In this Countrey there are many cruell and strange beasts, as Elephants, Buffols, Dragons, Snakes, Apes, Monkeyes, which are very fearefull to behold, and very hurtfull.

Those people are better to be dealt withall, then they of Gabom, and we find not, that they * 1.224 beare any spight or malice to the Netherlanders, (as they of Gabom haue done) in Anno 1601. to a ship called the Palme-tree, and to another, called the Moorein of Delft, as also to a Spanish Barke, who in short time, one after the other they fell vpon, and taking them, kild all the men * 1.225 and eate them, with diuers other such trickes more by them done: but for that it is good for the ships in that place to lie and refresh themselues, to fetch water, and to Calke them: therefore all the ships lie most at this place, to make themselues ready, and fit to returne backe againe. A∣bout this Cape there lie many Sands, whereon a ship might soone smite, but behind the bankes there is no feare, the Lead will giue a man meanes to find his way well enough. [ 10]

Notes

• * 1.1

  Translated out of Dutch by G. Artus Dantis•• and the sixth part of De Bry, his Ind. Orient. The Voyage from the Tes∣sel, Nouember the first, 1600. til Ianuary th•• third, when they arriued at Mo••rre, I omit.
• * 1.2

  The Graine Coast, is Ma∣nigette, so cal∣led of a kind of Grape. Baixas de S. 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.3

  Sierra Leona. & ••as Palmas.
• * 1.4

  All Saints Bay▪
• * 1.5

  See what hap∣pened to the Dragon and Hector in Cap∣taine Keelings Voyage. Lib. 3. Description of Cape Verde.
• * 1.6

  The people & their apparell.
• * 1.7

  Kind of Darts made Iauelin∣fashion at both ends.
• * 1.8

  Their women.
• * 1.9

  Commodities.
• * 1.10

  The course from Cape Verde. Miles are to be vnderstood Dutch, or as the Latin hath leagues lea•••• seu mil▪ gallica.
• * 1.11

  Nesurade R. C••••••••es.
• * 1.12

  Note.
• * 1.13

  Melli.
• * 1.14

  See Cap. 8.
• * 1.15

  Prouision of a wife.
• * 1.16

  Portion.
• * 1.17

  Rites of mar∣riage.
• * 1.18

  Diuorce and forseiture.
• * 1.19

  Triall of ••ea∣lousie.
• * 1.20

  Polygamy.
• * 1.21

  Their meats.
• * 1.22

  Beds.
• * 1.23

  The Irish doe the like.
• * 1.24

  Child-birth.
• * 1.25

  Names.
• * 1.26

  Vsage of chil∣dren.
• * 1.27

  Deuillish pre∣seruatiues a∣gainst the De∣uill.
• * 1.28

  Fetissos.
• * 1.29

  Colour.
• * 1.30

  Correction.
• * 1.31

  Arts.
• * 1.32

  First, apparell.
• * 1.33

  Wiuing.
• * 1.34

  Their limbes and members.
• * 1.35

  Long nailes, a signe of idle Gentrie.
• * 1.36

  Their wits are subtletie.
• * 1.37

  Stomackes.
• * 1.38

  Stomacks and reuenge.
• * 1.39

  Superstition. Nicetie.
• * 1.40

  Easements.
• * 1.41

  Couetise and begging.
• * 1.42

  Lechery.
• * 1.43

  Drunkennesse and greedi∣nesse.
• * 1.44

  Lying and stealing.
• * 1.45

  Cutting their haire.
• * 1.46

  Rings.
• * 1.47

  Fetisso••
• * 1.48

  Caps.
• * 1.49

  Pride.
• * 1.50

  Salutations.
• * 1.51

  Their lust.
• * 1.52

  Thrugh you is my name blas∣phemed a∣mongst the Gentiles. Rom. 2. 2. Let Chri∣stians read this wi••h shame, especially tra∣uel••ers. Let not Heathens be made worse by Christians which, alas is now common in a••l remote parts. And th••s is one chiefe cause of the death of so many there. Combes for courtesie.
• * 1.53

  Racing.
• * 1.54

  Rings.
• * 1.55

  Signe of riches
• * 1.56

  Apparell and ornaments.
• * 1.57

  Their house∣wiferie.
• * 1.58

  Making of bread.
• * 1.59

  Raw food.
• * 1.60

  Filthy food.
• * 1.61

  A greedie Boy.
• * 1.62

  Their Trees.
• * 1.63

  Palme-oile.
• * 1.64

  Drinking.
• * 1.65

  Vnciuill fee∣ding.
• * 1.66

  Strange hun∣ger in so hot a Climate.
• * 1.67

  Good fellow∣ship, or prodi∣galitie.
• * 1.68

  Their trading.
• * 1.69

  First simplicity
• * 1.70

  First trading.
• * 1.71

  First Dutch Trade.
• * 1.72

  Wind in the morning from land & calme.
• * 1.73

  Dache.
• * 1.74

  Vndermining and defrauding Merchants.
• * 1.75

  Aske my fel∣low if I be a Thiefe.
• * 1.76

  Coozening Knaues.
• * 1.77

  White Deuils can hardly make blacke Saints.
• * 1.78

  Wares for these parts of Guinea, and for what vse.
• * 1.79

  Their know∣ledge in our warres, and tri∣all thereof.
• * 1.80

  Customes.
• * 1.81

  Toll.
• * 1.82

  Fines.
• * 1.83

  Weights and Scales.
• * 1.84

  Measures.
• * 1.85

  Telling or numbring.
• * 1.86

  Markets how they are kept. No Market on their Sabbath.
• * 1.87

  Wares.
• * 1.88

  Superstition.
• * 1.89

  Tithes.
• * 1.90

  Fetissos day. An Ethnicke Sabbath.
• * 1.91

  Fetissos meate.
• * 1.92

  The Fetissero, or Priest.
• * 1.93

  His preaching.
• * 1.94

  His blessing.
• * 1.95

  Their Mattins.
• * 1.96

  Appeasing their Fetisso.
• * 1.97

  Consultation with their O∣racles.
• * 1.98

  Cap. 3. Cap. 1.
• * 1.99

  Funerall Rites.
• * 1.100

  Amulets.
• * 1.101

  Pitoir a Fetisso.
• * 1.102

  Bird and fish gods.
• * 1.103

  Tree gods, they killed a Dutchman for cutting these trees against their will.
• * 1.104

  Hil-gods.
• * 1.105

  Opinions of the soules de∣parted.
• * 1.106

  Of God.
• * 1.107

  Miserable and ridiculous blindnesse.
• * 1.108

  Feare of Thunder.
• * 1.109

  Circumcision.
• * 1.110

  Some haue some smacke of Christianitie.
• * 1.111

  Their houses.
• * 1.112

  Kings Houses.
• * 1.113

  Townes.
• * 1.114

  Aziem.
• * 1.115

  Anta.
• * 1.116

  Rio S. Georgio. Cama.
• * 1.117

  Agitaky. Comando.
• * 1.118

  Terra pequina. Mina. Cape Crosso.
• * 1.119

  1592.
• * 1.120

  Infantin.
• * 1.121

  Cormantin.
• * 1.122

  Biamba.
• * 1.123

  Berqu.
• * 1.124

  Their warres and Martiall Customes.
• * 1.125

  Assagay a kind of Dart.
• * 1.126

  Exact skill with Darts. Man-eaters.
• * 1.127

  Securitie.
• * 1.128

  Their Armes
• * 1.129

  Choice of the King.
• * 1.130

  The Kings Feast.
• * 1.131

  His wiue••.
• * 1.132

  His Guard.
• * 1.133

  His Viador, or Treasurer.
• * 1.134

  His children.
• * 1.135

  Lawyers.
• * 1.136

  Combats.
• * 1.137

  Their Lawes and execution of Iustice.
• * 1.138

  Enchionkenou.
• * 1.139

  Lacedemonian Theeues.
• * 1.140

  Lacedemonians.
• * 1.141

  Promises.
• * 1.142

  Oathes.
• * 1.143

  Barren Sum∣mer and fertile Winter.
• * 1.144

  Mysts.
• * 1.145

  Their Husban∣drie.
• * 1.146

  Mille••.
• * 1.147

  Their Mai••.
• * 1.148

  Raine hurtfull.
• * 1.149

  Tempests.
• * 1.150

  Palme Oyle.
• * 1.151

  I haue omit∣ted the fish and fishing: their beasts, &c. Great Snakes.
• * 1.152

  Spiders.
• * 1.153

  Dogges.
• * 1.154

  Ca••••••.
• * 1.155

  Elephants.
• * 1.156

  Leopards.
• * 1.157

  Oxen.
• * 1.158

  Hennes.
• * 1.159

  Doues.
• * 1.160

  Hogges.
• * 1.161

  Monkies.
• * 1.162

  How taken.
• * 1.163

  Musk-cats,
• * 1.164

  Hares.
• * 1.165

  Harts.
• * 1.166

  Parrots.
• * 1.167

  Parokites.
• * 1.168

  Fierce Birds.
• * 1.169

  Pheasans.
• * 1.170

  Pea-cockes. Pittoirs.
• * 1.171

  Specled Crowes.
• * 1.172

  Burning Flies.
• * 1.173

  Bannanas, or Indian Figges.
• * 1.174

  Bachouens, or Bannanas de Congo.
• * 1.175

  Annanas.
• * 1.176

  Iniamus.
• * 1.177

  Battatas.
• * 1.178

  Palme-wine tree.
• * 1.179

  Palmitas tree.
• * 1.180

  Ambition of Gentrie.
• * 1.181

  Gifts for it.
• * 1.182

  Creation.
• * 1.183

  Priuiledges.
• * 1.184

  Annuall Feast.
• * 1.185

  Their dan∣cings.
• * 1.186

  The yonkers.
• * 1.187

  Their wounds and maladies.
• * 1.188

  Wormes in the legs.
• * 1.189

  Barbarous In∣humanitie.
• * 1.190

  Quarrels.
• * 1.191

  Old age and the effects.
• * 1.192

  Lamentable lamentings.
• * 1.193

  Funerall.
• * 1.194

  Viaticum.
• * 1.195

  Kings Fune∣rals.
• * 1.196

  Gold how e∣steemed and found.
• * 1.197

  False gold.
• * 1.198

  Troublesome long-wormes.
• * 1.199

  Ormus. At Boghar in Bactria, there are the like, supposed to come by drin∣king bad water in that place, as M. Ant. Ien∣kinson obserued
• * 1.200

  This was ta∣ken out of D. R.
• * 1.201

  The Citie of Benni.
• * 1.202

  These are Dutch miles.
• * 1.203

  Their fashi∣ons.
• * 1.204

  Warres.
• * 1.205

  Apparell.
• * 1.206

  Wrong to a Stranger.
• * 1.207

  Birds supersti∣tiously respe∣cted.
• * 1.208

  Rio de Angra. Corisco.
• * 1.209

  Moucheron.
• * 1.210

  Their Houses.
• * 1.211

  The Court.
• * 1.212

  Sixe hundred Wiues.
• * 1.213

  Gentlemen their making.
• * 1.214

  R. Gabom.
• * 1.215

  Pongo.
• * 1.216

  Three Kings.
• * 1.217

  Cape Gonsal∣ues.
• * 1.218

  Incestuous cu∣stomes.
• * 1.219

  Apparell and ornaments.
• * 1.220

  Armes.
• * 1.221

  Dyet.
• * 1.222

  The King.
• * 1.223

  Oysters on Trees.
• * 1.224

  Cruelty of Gabom.
• * 1.225

  Of diuers parts of Guinea and especially of Cape Sierra Leona, &c. See Keelings and Finches Iour∣nals bef〈…〉〈…〉