THE DISCOVERY OF GUIANA a.d. 



1595. 



because they are more pleasing in describing then 

 reading. 



Berreo affirmed that there fell an hundred rivers ^^^y g^'^^f 

 into Orenoque from the North and South, whereof [^^^^^M^H 

 the least was as big as Rio grande, that passed 

 betweene Popayan and Nuevo reyno de Granada (Rio 

 grande being esteemed one of the renowmed rivers 

 in all the West Indies, and numbred among the great 

 rivers of the world :) but he knew not the names of 

 any of these, but Caroli onely; neither from what 

 nations they descended, neither to what provinces they 

 led ; for he had no meanes to discourse with the in- 

 habitants at any time : neither was he curious in these 

 things, being utterly unlearned, and not knowing the 

 East from the West. But of all these I got some 

 knowledge, and of many more, partly by mine owne 

 travell, and the rest by conference : of some one I 

 learned one, of others the rest, having with me an 

 Indian that spake many languages, and that of Guiana 

 naturally. I sought out all the aged men, and such 

 as were greatest travellers, and by the one and the 

 other I came to understand the situations, the rivers, 

 the kingdomes from the East sea to the borders of 

 Peru, and from Orenoque Southward as farre as Ama- 

 zones or Marannon, and the religions of Maria 

 Tamball, & of all the kings of provinces, and cap- 

 taines of townes and villages, how they stood in 

 tearmes of peace or warre, and which were friends or [in. 640.] 

 enemies the one with the other, without which there 

 can be neither entrance nor conquest in those parts, 

 nor elsewhere : for by the dissention betweene Guascar 

 and Atabalipa, Pizarro conquered Peru, and by the 

 hatred that the Tlaxcallians bare to Mutezuma, Cortez 

 was victorious over Mexico ; without which both the 

 one and the other had failed of their enterprise, and 

 of the great honour and riches which they atteined unto. 

 Now Berreo began to grow into dispaire, and looked 

 for no other successe then his predecessor in this enter- 



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