DESCRIPTION OF META INCOGNITA a.d. 



1578. 

 of the ground, even as our kine doe. They have no wood 

 growing in their Countrey thereabouts, and yet wee find 

 they have some timber among them, which we thinke 

 doth growe farre off to the Southwards of this place, 

 about Canada, or some other part of New found land : 

 for there belike, the trees standing on the cliffes of 

 the sea side, by the waight of yce and snow in Winter 

 overcharging them with waight, when the Sommers thaw 

 commeth above, and also the Sea underletting them 

 beneath, which winneth dayly of the land, they are 

 undermined and fall downe from those cliffes into the 

 Sea, and with the tydes and currents are driven to and fro 

 upon the coastes further off, and by conjecture are taken 

 up here by these Countrey people, to serve them to 

 planke and strengthen their boates withall, and to make 

 dartes, bowes, and arrowes, and such other things neces- 

 sarie for their use. And of this kind of drift wood we 

 find all the Seas over great store, which being cut or 

 sawed asunder, by reason of long driving in the Sea is 

 eaten of wormes, and full of holes, of which sort theirs 

 is found to be. 



We have not yet found any venemous Serpent or A strange kind 

 other hurtful thing in these parts, but there is a kind of °fS naL 

 small flie or gnat that stingeth and offendeth sorely, 

 leaving many red spots in the face, and other places 

 where she stingeth. They have snow and haile in the 

 best time of their Sommer, and the ground frosen three 

 fadome deepe. 



These people are great inchanters, and use many Inchanters, 

 charmes of witchcraft : for when their heads doe ake, 

 they tye a great stone with a string unto a sticke, and 

 with certaine prayers and wordes done to the sticke, 

 they lift up the stone from ground, which sometimes 

 with all a mans force they cannot stirre, and sometime 

 againe they lift as easily as a fether, and hope thereby 

 with certaine ceremonious wordes to have ease and helpe. 

 And they made us by signes to understand, lying 

 groveling with their faces upon the ground, and making 



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