4000003871

Book

II.

Roydl

Commentarieí.

firong and hard recums, which forrified the Teeth clofer and better than befote.

have feveral times feen this proved, and being willing, rhough withouc necefficy;

to tr'y it on my [elf, I

wás

fcalded at fufi, thac I had not the refolution afcer-

Wards i:o perfeét che Expérimenc.

The herb, or planr, which che

Spaniards

call

Tobacco,

and che

Jndians Sayri,

is of

admirable u(e in rnany

Di(ea(es

amongíl: chem, parcicularly being taken ac che

Nofüils in

fouff,

fe¡ves

purge che Head, and che ocher qi.Jalit~es and vertu~s of

ic, are well known and efieemed in

Spain,

chat they give it che qame of

Yerva.

fanfla,

or the holy Herb. They had alfo che knowledge of anocher Herb, of án

excellent qualicy for the Eyes, called

Matecclu,

ic hach bue one fialk , and cha_c

covered wich a fingle Leaf, and no more, and js like rhac which they cal! in

Spainc

Abbats Ears, and grows in winter upon

che roofs of houíes; che

ln_dians

eac it

'f-

Perhaps it

taw, havi

nga p

leafant relifh \ when

itis

bruifed they fpirt fome ofd:e juice_lnco che

may beafort

Eyes, and

ac.ni~

hi:? w~en they go_ to bed; they lay ofth~ herb, ~emg bru1fe9, ~n

of Howkeki

the Eye-li

ds, b

mdmg 1t on,

left

1c fhould

fall

off; and

one mghts [pace 1t d1f-

cu!fes all maccer, and difperfes chofe mifts which obfcure che Eyes, and offend

the figbc.

my felf have laid it

ori

the Eye of a Youth, which was

fwelléd and infla-

tned, that ic was frarted out of his Head; che fufi night I applied it che Eye re~

¡:

turned again to its place,. and ·ché fecohd time it was perfeótly cured; and che

Youth hach lince cold me, that he fees better wich that Eye tha'n che other; and

Spapiard

confidently aífured

me,

chat he knew one, who being abfolutely blin-

ded by a film or skin which covered bis Eyes; had by the mere applic:ition of

this herb far two nights onely_, recovered his light. Thoíe who had received chis

benefit

it, did afterw

árds

kifs the herb with great affeétion, rendring thanks

Alrnight)'. God, that he

w.as

pleafed to befiow _fucha foverei~n and bleífed vir-

tue on th1s herb, fot th

e goo

d aód ufe of Mankind. The

In~zans,

who were my

Rela:tions, uféd divers óther herbs, bue che names and qualities of them I canno~

re~m~ .

The

Indian

Kings did never attain to the,knowledge of éompounded, but oneJ

. ly

of !imple Mecticines, and feeing that'iri

neceffary a fiudy, as that which con•

duces to che confervation of health, they made

litde a prü'grefs; how cah ic

be expeéted in matters le[s irnportant and ufefull, füch as Natural Philofophy and

Afrrology, they íhould make any confiderable irnprovement? much lefs can we

fuppoíe them skilfull in Divinity, who being wholly guided by feníible objeél:s,

were never able

rai[e their lntelleéts to invilible and immaterial Beings, more

than what theit

lncM

had taughc them, and-included in thac word of

Pachacamac,

which íignifies che Maker of chis Univeríe. Since which time che,

Spaniard1

have improved their Phyfical Science to a higher degree, having di[covered che

fecret virtues of rnany herbs growing in that hot Climate; of which che

Jndian.1

were ignorant; and particularly that the

M'!jz,

which is

Jndian

Wheat, and of a

fubfiantial nutriment, hath rnoreover a peculiar <¡uality againfi che Collick; and

is an excellent Reme_dy for the Stone, either in the :Kidneys or che Bladder, and

clears ali obfüuétions of Urine; che knowledge hereof che

Spaniards

colleéted

froríl the coníl:itution and temperament of the body of the

Indians;

for having ob–

íerved, chat they were never fubjec1: to the[e dillempers, they concluded rhac che

drink which chey commonly uíed, made of

Mayz,

was the caufe; whereof che

Spaniards

rnaking now divers Preparations, have with good fuccefs experienced

moíl: admirable effeél:s of it; and che

Indians

have alfo of themfelves made rnanY–

Plafiers and Bllfams of it , which they applied for Aches and other Pains.