GOLD. 191 



and greatnesse of the worlde. Coming therefore to onr LlB - IY - 

 subject; at the Indies there is great abundance of this 

 mettall, and it is wel knowne by approved histories that 

 the Yncas of Peru did not content themselves with great 

 and small vessels of gold, as pots, cups, goblets, and 

 flagons ; yea with kowles or great vessels, but they had 

 chaires also and litters of massie golde, and in their temples 

 they had set vppe manie Images of pure gold, whereof they 

 find some yet at Mexico, but not such store as when the 

 first Conquerours came into the one and the other king- 

 dome, who found great treasure, and without doubt there 

 was much more hidden in the arth by the Indians. It 

 would seem ridiculous to reporte that they have made their 

 horse shooes of silver for want of yron, and that they have 

 payd three hundred crownes for a bottle of wine, and other 

 strange things ; and yet in trueth this hath come to 

 passe, yea and greater matters. They drawe golde in 

 those partes after three sorts, or at the least, I have seene 

 all three vsed. For either they find gold in graines, 

 in powder, or in stone. They do call golde in graines, 

 small morsels of gold, which they finde whole, without mix 

 ture of any other mettall, which hath no neede of melting or 

 refining in the fire : and they call them pippins, for that 

 commonly they are like to pippins, or seeds of melons, or 

 pompions : and that wherof lob speakes, when he saies, iob xxviii. 

 glelce illius aurum, though sometimes there be greater, and 

 such as I have seene weighed many poundes. It is the 

 excellencie of this mettall alone, as Plinie affirmes, to be rim., Hb. 



xxxiv, ca. 4. 



found thus pure and perfect, which is not seene in any 

 other mettalles, which are alwayes earthy, and have a 

 scumme, and rieede purging by the fire : I have likewise 

 seene silver like to hoar frost. There is an other kinde 

 which the Indians call papas; and sometimes they find 

 peeces very fine and pure, like to small round rootes, the 

 which is rare in that mettall, but vsual in gold. They 



