347 / 1070
BooK
VIII.
Royal Commentaries.
of
thisP,intoja,
he asked him how he carne
to
give himfelf che rrouble ofcarrying
thar burrhen;
to
which che perfon rhat was on foor replied, rhat he was poor, and
had noc money
to
bire an
Indian
ro carry it;
In
tbis difcourfe wirh him
Pantoja
obferved chat bis mouth
I
was {ull of che
Cuca;
and ic being ac chactime cha
e
che
Spaniards
abh.orred all chings which che
Indians
did eác or drink, becaufe rhey
had
been
abufed
to
Idolatry, and parricu'larly rhey haced che
C;1ca,
as a bafe aml
fünk–
ing Weed, which gave caufe
lO
Pantri¡a
to
ask hirn farther, why he, being a
Spa-
'
niard,
did ufe chofe rhings which che
S'paniards
haced; for his neceffities could ne–
ver be
fo
great as to compell hirn
to
Mears or Cuíl:oms unlawfull. To which che
Souldier replied, that though he abhorred itas rnuch as che
Spaníards,
yet ·neceffi–
ty
forced him to imitare che
Ind.ians
cherein; for ,chac wichour it he could never
be'
able to rravell and carry his Burthen, for chat holding it in his momh, he found
fuch refre!h:nent and ílrengch, chac he was :1ble· to ca1w his Load, and perform
his
Journey with chearfulnefs.
Pantoja
wondring at chis Repare, related it ro
many ochers, who afcerwards making the fame experiment thereof, found rhac che
l,ndians
rnade ufe of ic racher for chc.!ir refreíhmeot and necéility, rhan for any p\ea–
fure in che taíl:e, which in ic felf is not
very
pleafaot or agreeable. Hereafrer we
íhall diícourfe in whac manner they carry ir to
Potoji,
and how they trade and
make Merchandife
0f
·ir.
As
to
thac Plan(which che
Spaniards
caU
Tobaceo,
and che
Indians Sayri,
we have
already diícourfed in an ocher ,place. Dr.
Monard~s
wrices many wonderfull thiogs
1
of it. As
to
SarfaParilla,
we neeq not [peak muoh, fince cheVirtues and excellent
Operarions ofit are already koown both-io che new and che old World, efpecially
' in
che cure of the Venereal Difeafe, and ocher acute Diíl:empers: There are man
y
other Herbs in
Peru
of chofe medicinal Qg_alicies, chat
as
BlM
Va/era
faith, if rhey
were well known, and fearched imo by fome experienced Botaniíl:, chere would
be no need of bringing any Herbs or Drugs chitl\er from other parts of cheWorld.
But our
Spanifh
Phyficians do fo liccle addiét themfelves
ro
the knowledge of Herbs
growing
in
chofe Countries; thac even che Virtues ,of chofe·formerly knowo by
the
Indians
are forgoccen; which•,ar~
fo
rnariY', cbac che íl:udy of chem is difficulc
and abíl:rufe: the
I11dians
know oot cheir Vircues·and Qg_alities, but,diíl:inguiíh
theni
onely by bitter and fweec; ,fometimes eating chem raw, as we do Leccuce
and Radifhes, and fometimes they make poccage óf chem, and íl:ew chem wirh
ocher things; and which che pcorer forc rnake the beíl: pare of cheir 0iet, having
no fiare or abunda'nce
9[
Fifh, or Flefh, to maRe .cheir Food. ·The bicrer Herbs,
Surh as are che Leaves which chey garher from che Bufhes, called
Sunchu,
and che
like,
chey boil in two 0r chree feveral Waters, and afcerwatds dry chem in the
San,
and keep thein for che Winter proviíions; for which alfo-chey gacher ali che
llttle
Snags and Cocklés they ca_n find on che :Banks of
Rivers,
'or ·on che Sea-
Coaft. ·
_
.
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