4000003871

Royal Commentariu.

BooK

VIII.

fjre under it,; they ufed a kind of a Screén for their Necks to defend them from

.the fire; taking tare that neither che water íhould fcald, nor che fire bum their

heads ; and thofe Hairs which could not

•be

put inio che Pan ofooilfug water, they

dipped after with the watoo wh~ch had

infution receive~ virtu~, and a deep

tiilé1:ure from t'.he Herbs.

tb1s tormemmg poíl:ure of holdmg the1r_ heads hade,

tba,t theit Hair might fink in the water, they would continue fornetirnes for the

fpace of cwo hours, rhough

cannot precifely fay the time , becaufe that being

Boy then (

<lS

faid)

was not fo curious as to obferve the ftrié1: minutes ; hów–

foever,

cannot bue wonder at che pains they did take, and the torments they

fu..

ftained for a non-fehfical piece of folly : Bue thén again methinks

could excufe

thern,.whenl confider th@ pains which che

Spanifh

Ladies undergo; and the rime

tbey fpend in trimming and cutling·up their J:-Iair ; fqr they fmoak ic with Sul–

phu~ and Vl'.et' it with

Aquafort~

to make·!t íhine, ~ri? -~hen they fpre_a~ ic in ~he .

·hot

:,1m

ofcheDog-days, makmg other kmds of Eh~1vmms to waíh 1c

which

are of fuch a nature·as

know not , which is rnoíl: pernicious to the health either

of that which the

Jndian

Women ufe, of that which .is

common iWith the La–

dies in

Spain,·

Tlii

Jndian

Women' have alfo other Vvaters in which they bathe' ·

aµd

dye their Hair, whereby,they become blacker, and with amore íhining Iufüe>

· thaa,-the Feathers ofRavens, that after moulting are new grown. This and much,

can

Wornen contrive arti endarf, that they may feem beaucifull.

CH· A P. XIV.

Of the

Pla;ane, the

Pine-Apple,

and

other

Fruits:

B. ·

T to rerutn agáin to

out

difcourfe abóut thofe Fruits which are prodriced

theAntú

Peru,

which are the rnofi hot and moiíl: parts of all thof~

Provihces , we íhall onely touch upon thofe which are the rnofi remarkable, and

in thé firfi place fpeák of that Tree and Fruit which the

Spaniards

called

the

Plata–

'nm,

which in

it~

height and leaf refembles ·much che Palm, being very bread and

green; Thefe Trees gro\\' wild, anct of chemfelves, and thrive beíl: in a nioift,.

rainy Climate, fuch as che

Antú;

the bows ofwhich are fo large, that

Acofla

faith,

that

6ft

oné branch onely there are tµofe who have tounted

300

Platane-Nuts;

they: grow in a fhell, ·which hath neither rine no!' bark over it, but fomething like

a husk, that is éafily ¡;,illed off;

is ofabout-a qúarcer of a Yard long, and abouc

three f,íngérs in thicknels.

. .

. .·

Bias Valera

alfo writing of this Tree, faith, Thac when the bunches of their'

Fruit come ~o full growth, that they then cut the,m

ótf,.

leíl: the weight of them

íhould tear them offfrqm the body or trunk ;.which being ofa foft, fpungy kind

of (ubftánce, .is neither

fic

for timber nor fire. Thefe bunches ofFruit they

lay

in Járs -to ripen; ftrowing them over with a certain Herb., which ferves to hallen

ánd force them to grow ripe and mellow : the Meat of them is tender, fweet and

pleáfant ; and being laid in the Sun, are li!te a confyrve, or co1,1fe4 : they boil

th~m iq their Brotli, and ferve them .for Sauce

ití

their roaíl:ed or boiled Mea:rs ;

áncl

in every way chey are good, having a fweetneís like Honey, or Sugar, and

make-~veral Conferves of.them : íChe bunches which hang long u¡:,on tne Trres

áre mofi delicious and delightfull: the Trees are about cwoYards high, fome more,

ánd forne .lefs. There is clnother fort of Platans which aue lefs , which rhey call

Dominicos,

to diíl:in1tuiíh them from others; becaufe the íhell,-when it is young

and tender, is white; and when -che Fruit

ripe, and in its feafon, it is whitewith

black :fpots ; bue this fort

not half fo big as che other, ·bnc yet is much better

and therefore is notfo.common, nor in chat plenty, as the other is.

they