4000003870

' BooK

VIII.

Royal

Commentarie.t.·

" contrivance· many of them getting together, one hangs at the

Tail

of ano–

" rher, makin'g a

kind

of a Ion& Chain, with which fetching a long Swing, the

'' lowermoft throw himfelf with the help of the others,

the bough they

aim at, where hanging by

his

fore

feet,

ftretches out his

Tail

the next

com ...

" panion, and

one helps the other, untill all are come

~ver..

The tricks and

" mimical pofiures which &bey have, are matters of great d1vert1fe01enc, and the

"' aetions which they perform

obedience to their Commanders. feem effetts of

humane Underftanding, rather than of irrational Creatures.

faw

one of rhefe

Monkies at

Cartagena,

in the Houfe of the Governour, of

which

they related

'' fuch firange things as

me feemed almofl incredible. The

y faid

, that they

" fent

him

often to rhe Tavern for Wine, with Money in one

hq.nd,

and a Bot–

"'' tel

in the other

and that when he was

corrre

to the Ta

vern ,

he would

'' not deliver his Money untill he had received his Wine;

the Boys met "ith

'' him by the way, and made a houring, or noife after him, he would fet down

bis

Bottel~

and throw Stones at them, and having cleared the way, he

ould

cake up his

Bortel

and hafi:en home; and that though he loved. \iVine exceffive–

,, ly,

yet

he would not dare ro touch

it)

unle!S his Maller gave him licence.

They

" fay

alfo, that

faw

Woman at any time fine, and well dreffed, he would

prefently pull her by the Cloths, and ruffle them in a firange manner.

Per–

,, haps fomething may be reported of thefe Creatures more

than

have feen

" howfoever it

moft certain that there is no Animal in the World

fagacious,

" a0d

delighted with humane Society as this fort and race ofMonkies: and be-–

" caufe the Reports concerning the underfranding of thefe Creatures are

firange

" that the Infiances thereof feem ina·edible to me, and would perhaps appear

fa..

" bulous to

other~

{hall therefore omit to mention them, and onely.blefs and ad–

" mire the Authour ofall Creatures, that amongft all his works made for the u(e and

'' benefit ofMankind, he hath iliaped and fafhioned a Creature

ridiculous in its

" form and poftures, as ferves to move.laught

, and yield matter of Recreation

" and Divertifement co Man, whom he hath made Lord of this Univerfe. Sofne

" have written that

Soloman

brought his Monkies from the

Wefr-lndie1,

bur

aih

" ofanother opinion, and believe that they were fetched from the Eafiern Parts.

Thus far are the Words of

Acofla,

to which

may

be farther added, that thefe Apes

and Monkies carry their young ones at their backs, until! they are able to

ibifc

for themfelves; the young ones taking hold with their fore-feet about their necks

and clafp their hind legs about their middle; all which, befides their tricks and

inventions before recited, ferve to demon(hate their !agacious dexterity, and

fhifts

like experienced Souldiers in time of neceffity. And becaufe the noife they make is

La~guage,

which one underftands the other; (as for my pare

believe that

all

Birds

and Beafis do by their feveral voices underftand the meaning of their

ow~

fPecie1)

therefore the

Indians

fay, that they can fpeak, and that they difguife

their want of fpeech to the

Spaniard1,

left they fhould fend them to work

the

Mines, and dig for Gold and Silver, and that

imitation

of the

Jndiam

they car–

their young ones at their backs. And thus much !hall

foffi.ce

co have fpoken

ofApes and Monkies.

RAP.

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