A.D. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1590. 



their Canoas suncke downe to the bottome, yet they rose 

 up againe above the water, and at length with their hands 

 and force gat out of the whirlepooles. The whole army 

 in a maner escaped, saving a very fewe which were 

 drowned : and which I most marvel at, they handled 

 the matter so well, that they lost not their victuals 

 and powder which they caryed with them. In their 

 returne (for after great travels and dangers they returned 

 that way againe) they clymed up over one of those afore- 

 saide exceeding high mountaines, creeping up upon 

 their hands and feete. 



Captaine Pedro de Orsua made another enterance by 

 the selfe same river, and after hee was slaine by a mutinie 

 of his people, other captaines followed the discoverie, 

 by the arme that falleth into the North Sea. One 

 of our companie told me (who while he was a secular 

 man was in al that expedition) that they entred up the 

 River almost an hundred leagues with the tydes, and 

 that when the fresh water & the salt meeteth, which is 

 either almost under or very neere the Equinoctial line, 

 the river is 70 leagues broad, a thing incredible, and 

 which exceedeth the breadth of the Mediterran sea. 

 Howbeit other in their descriptions make it not past 

 25 or 30 leagues broad at the mouth. 



[III. 699.] The third Testimonie out of Josephus de 



Acosta, lib. 3. cap. 25. 



N that part of America, whereof the coasts be 

 throughly known, the greater part of the Inland is 

 not knowen, which is that which falleth betweene Piru 

 and Brasil, and there are divers opinions of some, which 

 say, that it is all sunken land full of lakes and bogges, 

 and of others, which affirme that there are great and 

 florishing kingdomes there, and there they place the 

 Countrey of Paytity, and Dorado, and great Emperours, 

 and say, that there are wonderfull things there. I heard 

 of one of our companie my selfe, a man of credite, 

 that hee had seene great townes, and high wayes as 



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