A.D. 



1590. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



[III. 698.] CERTAINE BRIEFE TESTIMONIES 



Concerning the mightie River of Amazones or 



Orellana, and of the most wonderfull downefall or 



cataract of waters at the head thereof, named by 



the Spaniards El Pongo : together with some 



mention of the rich and stately empire of 



Dorado, called by Sir Walter Ralegh and 



the natural inhabitants Guiana, and of 



the golden countrey of Paytity neere 



adjoyning, with other memorable 



matters: taken out of Josephus 



de Acosta his naturall and 



morall historic of the West 



Indies. 



The first Testimonie out of Josephus de Acosta, 

 lib. 2. cap. 6. 



Ut when we intreat of Rivers, that which 

 some men call the river of Amazones, 

 others Marannon, others the river of 

 Orellana, doeth justly put to silence all 

 the rest, whereunto our Spaniards have 

 gone and sayled. And I stand in doubt, 

 whether I may cal it a river or a sea. 



This river runneth from the mountaines of Piru, from 

 which it gathereth infinite store of waters, of raine, and 

 rivers, which runneth along, gathering it selfe together, 

 and passing through the great fieldes and plaines of 

 Paytiti, of Dorado, and of the Amazones, and falleth 

 at length into the Ocean sea, and entreth into it almost 

 over against the Isles of Margarita and Trinidad. But 

 it groweth so broad, especially towardes the mouth, that it 

 maketh in the middest many and great Isles : and that 

 which seemeth incredible, sayling in the middle chanel 



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