INTRODUCTION. IX 



ties, of which he diligently availed himself, for collect 

 ing information touching the natural products, and the 

 civilisation and ancient religion of the Aztecs. His 

 chief informant, respecting the rites and festivals of 

 the Mexicans, was a brother of the Company of Jesus 

 named Juan de Tobar, who was then a Prebend in the 

 church at Mexico. 1 He also enjoyed the pleasure of 

 seeing his brother Bernardo once more, a Jesuit who 

 died at Mexico on May 29th, 1613. 



Acosta went home to Spain in the fleet of 1587, 

 which had a most precious cargo. It contained twelve 

 chests of gold, 3 each weighing 100 Ibs. ; 11,000,000 

 pieces of silver; 3 two chests of emeralds, 4 each weighing 

 100 Ibs. ; 22,053 cwts. of ginger, 5 50 of sarsaparilla, 

 48 of cassia fistula, 350 of lignum sanctum, 1309 of 

 Brazil wood, 6 and 99,794 hides from St. Domingo. 7 

 When they unloaded at Seville, he says that it was a 

 wonderful thing to behold *Bfe river and the arsenal, 

 with such piles of hides and merchandise. 8 



The first object of Acosta, after his return to Europe, 

 appears to have been to make arrangements for the 

 publication of his manuscripts. In February 1588 he 

 was in Madrid, at which place he wrote the dedication 

 to Philip II of the two books on the Natural History 

 of the Indies, and of his work on the Conversion of the 

 Indians, which were published in Latin at Salamanca 

 in 1588 and 1589. He then went to Eome, where his 

 theological works saw the light. His De Christo 



1 Page 391. 2 Page 194. 3 Page 204. 



4 Page 226. 5 Page 239. 6 Page 2GO. 



7 Page 271. s Page 271. 



