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BooK
VIII.
R ~yal
Commentaries.
whofe co:.nmand, and ac who[e charge chofe Arrills worked, and to who[e fer–
vice che Cacholick Kiog did dedícate
fo
greac a Treafure, which ,•.:as immenfe,
and beyond che abilicies aod magiüficence of any other, tban bis ohely who was
Emperour of che
Indies.
'
.
.
.
.
Bue to compute, and righcly to calculace che Riches of chis Monarch, wé ought
to reade che fourth Book of
Acofta,
wherein are fuch firange di[coveries of rhiµgs
in che New World, as are almoíl: incredible. Amongíl: which I have been an eye–
wicnefs my felf ac
Sevi!,
in che year
I
p9,
where I faw a Pearl, which a Gentle–
man, calleó
Don Diego de Temez.,
broughc from
Panam1t,
and deíigned for King
Phi!ip
the Second : che Pearl was abouc che bignefs of a Wallnut, and roundnefs of
a
Pigeon's Egg: ic was valued in che
Indiei
ac twelve thoufaod Pietes ofEight, which-'
make fourteen choufand four hundred Ducacs.
¡acamo de Trefº
of
Milan;
an ~cel- ·
lene Artiíl: and Jeweler to bis Catholick Majeíl:y, eíl:eemed ic ac fourceen, chircy;
fifcy, and fornecimes ac a hundred thoufand Ducats., chac is, chac ic had .no price.i
for
in
regard chere was none like
it
in che World, and thac thére was none wim
which ic rnight be compared,
it
was noc capable
o!
any eíl:imation:
In
Sevil
mány
wenc
to
fee
it
for a light, giving ic che Narne of the Foreigner. A cercain
Ita.fian
Gel)tleman ar chac time wenc ¡¡qout that Cicy, and boughc up all che choiceíl: Péarls
he could find for accounc ofa Great L.o'rd in
Ita&;
when having purchafed aString;
or Chain ofche beíl:; yec beingcompared and laid by the Foreigner, they feerne9
like fo many lictle pebles ofche Brook. Thofe chac knew,and were acquairitedwith
· i>eat!s, and precious Stones, did aver, that ic weigµed
24
Qgilats above any o~her
~bat was ever known; bue whac thac meaos, I
¡¡.q:¡
not skilfull enough to interprec. .
Th.e Propriecor of chis Pearl faid, that a little
Neger
Boy, which was riot worth
above a
I
oo
Ryals, fiilied che íhell, wherein it was contained, out of the wa(er
~
which was fo cragged, and pro¡nifed
fo
little outwarqly, that tb'ey were going to
ca~ it again into tlie Sea ; bue yielding unex~étedly
fo
great
a
prófit to 'tbe Má~;,
fier, be was p)eafed in reward for che benefit to givé libercy to the Slave ; and i~.
honour to the Maíl:er on whorn fortune had beíl:owed fo great a Treafure, che In–
habitants of
Panama
were pleafed to make him their High Confiable: tbe Pearl
was never poliíhed, becaufe the Maíl:er would never' cop(~nc that ic íhould be
touched; unlefs it were to bore a hole through it ; for they never attempt
t'ó
alter
the faíhion or íhapes of them, bue íl:ring tbem ~s they come'fro.m che íhells ;
fo,
that forne of thern come out very round, Qthers long, others flat, others round of
one fide, and flat on the other ; but chofe vvhich are in faíhion ofaPear, a'r'emoíl:,
tfi~erned, becau[e they are not ' co¡nrnon: When a Merchant harh got one of
this
íhape, he prefemly enquires, and rnakes fearch for a'nother vvhich is like' it;
far being vyell rnatched, they rife double in their p,rice; fo that vvhen a Pearl, be~
jng ftngle, is valaed ac a hundred Ducats; being aftervvards vvell matched vvith
anocher, doth prefently double its price, and both give a value to each other,
be–
caufe rhey are made the·more
fit
for Cbains and Neck-laces, for vvhich they
ate
principally defigned. Pearl is of a.nature vvhich vvill adrnic of no poliíhing; be–
iríg cornpofed
of
a certain íhell, or tunicle, vvhich covers it, and vvhich decays
vvith time, lofing much of its luíl:re ancj brightneís vvhich it had at fuíl: ; hovvfo–
ever, vvhen they cake offche upper coar, or tunicle, ofthe decayed part, that vvhich
is under appears arnrienral as ir did at
firíl: ,·
bue yet vvith greac dámage to che
Pearl, being confiderably leífened, at leaíl: one third of its bignefs : Hovvfoever,
che beíl: fort of Pearls d(j never decay; and may be exceptecl from this general
rule.
·