THE DISCOVERY OF GUIANA ad. 



1595- 

 delivered me for trueth of those women, & I spake 



with a casique or lord of people, that told me he had 

 bene in the river, and beyond it also. The nations of The seat of the 

 these women are on the South side of the river in ^^^^<'^^^- 

 the provinces of Topago, and their chiefest strengths 

 and retracts are in the Islands situate on the South 

 side of the entrance some 60 leagues within the mouth 

 of the sayd river. The memories of the like women 

 are very ancient aswell in Africa as in Asia : In Africa 

 those that had Medusa for queene : others in Scithia 

 nere the rivers of Tanais and Thermodon : we finde 

 also that Lampedo & Marthesia were queenes of the 

 Amazones : in many histories they are verified to have 

 bene, and in divers ages and provinces : but they 

 which are not far from Guiana doe accompany with 

 men but once in a yere, and for the time of one 

 moneth, which I gather by their relation, to be in 

 April : and that time all kings of the borders assemble, 

 and queenes of the Amazones ; and after the queenes 

 have chosen, the rest cast lots for their Valentines. 

 This one moneth, they feast, dance, and drinke of 

 their wines in abundance ; and the Moone being done, 

 they all depart to their owne provinces. If they conceive, 

 and be delivered of a sonne, they returne him to the 

 father ; if of a daughter they nourish it, and reteine 

 it : and as many as have daughters send unto the 

 begetters a present ; all being desirous to increase their 

 owne sex and kind : but that they cut off the right 

 dug of the brest, I doe not finde to be true. It was 

 farther tolde me, that if in these warres they tooke 

 any prisoners that they used to accompany with those 

 also at what time soever, but in the end for certeine 

 they put them to death : for they are sayd to be very 

 cruell and bloodthirsty, especially to such as offer to 

 invade their territories. These Amazones have likewise 

 great store of these plates of golde, which they recover 

 by exchange chiefly for a kinde of greene stones, which 

 the Spanyards call Piedras hijadas, & we use for spleene 



367 



