4000003870

BooK

VIII

Royal _Comme.ntaries.

...

whofe co:nmand, and at whofe charge thofe Arcills worked, and

whofe fer–

vice che

CatboLick

King

did dedicate

great a Treafore,

\.Vh~ch

\Vas immenfe,

and beyond the abilities and magnificence of any other, than his onely who

was

Emperour of the

Indiu.

But to compute, and

rightly

calculat~

the Riches of this

~onarc~,

o~ght

co reade the

fourth

Book of

Acofta,

wherem are Cuch firange d1fcovenes of thmgs

the

New

World, as are alrnoft ina-edible. Amonglt which

have been an eye–

lvimefr

[elf

Sevil,

in the year

579,

where.I faw a Pearl,

which

a Gentle–

man.,

called

Don Diego de Temez,,

brought from

Panam1t,

and defigned for King

Philip

the econd : the Pearl was about the bignefs of

Wallnur, and roundnefs of a

Pigeon's

Egg:

it was valued in the

Indies

at twelve thoufand Pieces ofEight, which

make fourteen thoufand

four

hundred Ducats.

'facomo

de Treco

Milan,

an excel–

lent

Artift: and

Jeweler to

his

Catholick Majefiy, efieemed "'it at fourteen, thirty,

fifty, and fometimes

a hundred thoufand Ducats, that is, that it had no price;

for in

regard

there

was

none like

in the World, and that there was none with

which

might be compared, it was not capable of any efiimation:

Sevil

many

went

fee it for a fight, giving it the

~ame·

of the Foreigner.

certain

Italian

Gentleman at that time went about that City,

and

bought up all the choicefi Pearls

could

find

for

account of a Great Lord

lta!J;

when having purchafed a String,

or Chain of the bell: ; yet being compared and laid by the Foreigner, they feemed

many little pebles ofthe Brook. Thofe that knew,

and

were acquainted with

Pearls, and precious Stones, did aver, that it weighed

QQilats above any othet

that was

ever

known; but what that means,

am not skilfull enough to ,interpret.

The Proprietor of this Pearl

faid,

that a little

Neger

Boy, which

was

not worth

above

Ryals, fifhed the fhell, wherein it

was

contained, out of the water ;

which was

cragged, and promifed

little outwardly,

that

they were going to

caft

again into the Sea ; but yielding unexpeetedly

great

profit to the

Ma–

fier, he was pleafed in reward for rhe benefit to give liberty to tne Slave ; and

honour to the Mafier on whom fortune had befiowed

great a Treafure, the

In–

habitants of

Panama

were pleafed to make

him

their High Confiable : the Pearl

was never polHhed , becaufe the Mafter would never confent

that

it lhould be

touched, unleiS it were co bore a hole through it ; for they never attempt to alter

rhe

flµ

on or ili.apes of them, but firing them as they come from the {hells ;

that

fome of them come

Out

very round, others long, others flat, others round of

one fide, and

flat

on the other ; but thofe vvhich ate

fafhion ofa Pear, are moll:

ell:eemed, becaufe they are not common : When

Merchant hath got one of

this

fhape, he prefemly enquires, and makes fearch for another vvhicn

it;

for being vvell matched, they rife double in their price ; fo chat vvhen a Pearl,

be–

ing

fingle,

valued

at a

hundred Ducats; being aftervvards vvell matched vvith

another, dofh prefently double

its

price, and both give a value

each ocher,

be–

caufe t

hey are made the rriore fit for Chains and Neck-laces, for vvhich they are

princ.if

>ally

defigned.

~earl

is of a

na~re

vvhich

vvill

admit of no

polHhing,

he–

m~ co

~pofed

of a certam fi_iell, or tumcle, vvhich covers it, and vvhich decays

vv1th ume, lofing much of

1ts

lufire and brighmefS vvhich it had

firft ;

hovvfo...

ever, vvhen they cake offthe upper coat, or.tunicle, of the decayed part, that which

under

~ppears

as oriental

it did at firft, but yet vvith great damage to

the

Pearl, bemg conliderably leffened,

leaft one third of

its

bignefS: Hovvfoever,,

the

bell:

fore of Pearls do never decay)

and

may be excepted .from

this general

rule.

CH AP.