4000003870

BooK

VIII.

Royal

~ommentaries

They

have another fort of Fruit

~1vhich_

the

Spaniard.!

call

Pinna,

becau[e of

tl:e

Jikends

hath with the Pine-nuts m

Spam;

but thefe refemble one the other m

fuape

and form onely, b

eing in

the .

fubft~nce

of a

~iffereot

nature; for thefe

In–

dian

Nuts being opened

wi.ch

a Kmfe,

_Yt~ld

_wh~te

and. a 1!1oft pleafunt Kernel

the raft, having a littl

e kmd

ac1d1.ty

w1~h

1t,. wl;ich

ve~

favoury, and

are as big again as the Pine-nuts are

m Sp~m.

Likew1f~

~he

A ntu

·they have a

fort of Fruit which the

Spaniards

call

Manpzr blanco,

(which 1s a meat made of the

Brea!ls of Capons beaten up with Rafe-water and Sugar) and they give it this

Name becaufe that when it

divided in the middle it looks like

mro

fpoonfulls

of this'

M anjar blanco,

or whire M.

~at;

within

ar~

certain fmall black St-ones

wh~ch

are not to be eaten. This

Fruit

about the b1gnefs of a fmall Mellon, the

Rme

of it

as thick and hard as a dried Goard ; within

is contained a moft excellem:

juicy

pulp, extremely delicious and pleafant to the .raft., having

~ grate~ull

fharp...

nefs

with

it. There are many other forts of Fruits m the

A ntu,

whteh

grow

wild, and of themfelves, fuch as the

Spaniards

call Almonds, being Nuts which

refemble them in their form and likenefs, but are of a different nature and tafi ;

for the

Spaniards

who came

firll:

into

Peru,

feeing and obferving the fruits of that

Courttrey, and wanting names to give them, called them by

fuch

names as were

given

thofe Fruits, which mofl: refembled them in

Spain;

and

they gave the

name of Almonds to rhefe Nuts, becaufe they were fomething like them. And

now leaving rhefe Fruits and feeds of no great importance, which are produced in

the

A11tu,

let us difcourfe of thofe which are of mo

efteem in other parts.

CH AP.

xv.

Of the pretious Leaf called

Cuca,

and

Tobacco.

UT above all we mufr not omit to difcourfe at large of the fterb

whicl-i

the

Indians

call

Cuca,

and the

Spaniards

Coca,

being that which is and hath

been a conftderable part of the Riches of

Peru,

and fuch as hath yielded great be–

nefit

the Merchants. And indeed the

Indians

did jufl:ly efi:eem

f9r the rare

Virtues and

~alities

of itl which th_e

Spaniards

have not onely approved, but have

alfo difcovered. feveral

oth~

fpecifick and medicinal Qualities belonging to

it.

Pl~

P'alera,

who was a very curious Perfon, and one whonad refided many Years

Peru,

and came from thence thirty years after

departure, hath wrote very large–

ly of the many Virtues of this Herb, and fuch as he hath found out by his owri

experience. His Words are thefe:

" The

Cuc

is a fmall tender Tree, or Bind

'' about the height and bignefs of a

Vine~

produces not many Branches,

bu~

~full

of delicate Leaves, of about the breadth and length of a Man's Tbumbj

of an excellent

finell,

and very fragrant ; the

Spaniards

and

Indians

do both

give them the name of

Cuca;

the which is fo much elteemed

the

IndianI

that they prefer it before Gold, or Silver, or precious Stones. They plant and

" manure them with great art and diligence, and gather them with great care

:: pulling them leaf by leaf, .and then lay them to

dry

in the Sun, and

the

In~

dian1

eat them dry.

The

v~rtue

and

~enefit

of this

Cuca

plainly obfervable in labouring

Men;

who havmg eaten

are much refrefhed, and often labour a whole day in the

:: firength of

it,

w~thout ?~her

nourHhment. .The

Cuca

moreover preferves

the

Body from many mfirm1ues; and our Phyfic1ans make ufe of it, being dried and

,, beaten to

po~vder,

to eafe and a!fuage the

~flammation,

or [welling of

any

,, Wound; it is good to firengthen bones which have been broken, and expell

" colds from the Body, and to prevent them;

is good alfo to cleanfe great

yYounds of Worms, and heal them; nor is the Virtue of

lefs being taken

' mwardly,

than

outward applications. Befides all

whkh

Virtues

yields

a great