4000003870

BooK

II.

Roy-al

Commentaries.

·"

•

.. :

flrong and hard returnS; which fortified the

_Teet~ ~lofer

and

bet~er

than before..

I have feveral

times

(eer\

this

proved,

and

bemg willmg, though wHhout necefiity;

try

felf,

was

('?

~alded

firfi, that I

had

not

the refolution

after-

wards to perfett the

ExperupeQt:

·' .

The

herb, or plant, which the

SpaniarJ1

call

Tobacc~,

and

the

~ndians

Sayn,

ts of

admirable ufe

many Difeafes among{_l them , particularly

~e~ng

raken at rhe

No!hils

in fnufl:

ferves to purge the Head?

and

th~ .othe~

qualiues and vertues of

it,

al'e

well known

and

efieemed

sp~ini,

that tney gtve

the

name of

ierva.

.47

/Anlla;

the ho\y Herb. They had alfo he

k~owledge

of another

H~rb,

a!1

excellent quality

for

the Eyes, called

M atecclu'

hath

buc

ohe fialk ;

and

that

covered

with

a fingle Leaf, and rto more, and is like

that\~

hich they call in

Spain

Abbacs Ears and grows in winter upon

the roofs of houfes; the

Jndian1

eat

it ,,.

Perhaps

raw

having~

pleafant

relifh;

when

bruifed·rhey fpirt

fome of

the

juice int.O

the

m~ay

a foi-c

Ey~,

an<1

nigh~

when

they go_ to bed, the

y lay

th~

herb,

~ing

bruife9,

at Houflc:eko

che

Eye-lids,

binding

on, left 1t

fhou~d

fall

o.ff

and m one mghts fpace

d1f:

cu!fes

all matter, and difperfes thofe

m1fis

hich

obfcure the Eyes, and

offend

the

fight.

. .

felfhave

laid

it on

the

Eye of

Youth, which

was fo

welled

and

mffa;

med,

that

was frarted out of his Head ; the

fufi

night I applied

the Eye re..

turned again to its plaee, and the fecond time

was perfectly cured; and the

Y'Outh hath fince told

me,

that he fees better with thar Eye than the other; and

Spaniard

confidently affored me, that he knew bne, who being abfolutely

blin-.

ded by

a film

skln

which covered his Eyes, had

.by

the mere applicJtion

this

herb

for

two nights onely, recovered his fight. Thofe who had received this

benefit by it, did afterwards

kifs

the herb with great affeetion, rendring thanks

Almigbty God, that he was pleafed

befiow fuch

fovereign and bleffed

vir–

tue

on this herb, for the good and ufe of Mankind. The

Indian1,

who were

Relations, ufed divers other herbs, but

the

names

and

qualities

them I

cannot

remember.

. .

The

Inilimf

Kings

did

nev~r

attain to the

know

ledge

compounded, but

one~_

funple

Medicines, and feeing that

neceifary a ftudy,

that which con..

duces to the confetvation of

health,

they made fo little a progrefs; bow can

expeeted in

matters

lefs important and ·ufefiill, fuch

Natural Philofophy and

Aftrology, they fuould make any confiderable improvement? much lefs can we

fuppofe them

skilfull

in Divinicy, who being wholly guided by fenfible obje&–

were never able to raife their fotelle& to invifible and immaterial

Beings mor~

than

what their

lncM

had taught them, and included

that word of

Pach:U.amac

which fignifies the Maker of this Univerfe. Since whkh time t

he Spaniard

;

have

i~proved

their Phy!ical

Scie~ce ~o

a higher

de~ee

, haying.difcovered

the

kcret

vrrrues of many herbs growing

that "hot Clhnate, of which the

Indians

were ignorant; and particularly that the

Mayi:.,

which is

Indian

Wheat and of

ubftantial nutriment, hath moreover a

~cu

liar

quality againll:

the

C~llick,

and

excellent'

R~medy

for

t~e

Stone, either in the Kidneys or the Bladder , and

clears

all

obftr~Ct1?ns

of Unne; the knowledge hereof the

Spaniards

colleeted

from the confhtuuon and

tempe~ment

of the

~ody

of the

Jndian1;

for having

ob–

ferved,

that they were never

fub1ett

to thefe dillempers, they concluded that the

drin~

which

t~ey comm~nly

ufed,

ma~e

Mayi:.,

~as

tha caufe; whereof

th~

Spamard.r

~akmg

now

d1~ers

Preparat10ns ,. have with good fucceiS experienced

moft admirable effe& of it; and the

Jndian1

have alfo of themfeltes made

many

Pl.afters and Balfams

it,

which

they

applied for Aches

and

other Pains.