228 MAIZE. 



LIB. iv. thi s p ar te is verie colde, but yet the labor and toile is 

 greatest in holding of their breath, sometimes a quarter, 

 yea halfe an houre together, being vnder the water at their 

 fishing. And to the end these poore slaves may the better 

 continue and holde their breaths, they feede them with drie 

 meates, and that in small quantitie, so as covetousnesse 

 makes them abstaine and fast thus against their willes. 

 They employ their pearles to diverse workes, and they pierce 

 them to make chaines, whereof there is great store in every 

 place. In the yeere of our Lord one thousand five hundred 

 eighty one, I did see the note of what came from the Indies 

 for the King ; there were eighteen marcs of pearle, besides 

 three caskets ; and for private persons, there were twelve hun 

 dred threescore and foure marcs, and besides them, seaven 

 caskets not pierced, which heeretofore we would have 

 esteemed and helde for a lie. 1 



CHAP. xvi. Of Hi c Indian Bread, and of Mays. 



In our discourse of plants wee will beginne with those 

 which are proper and peculiar to the Indies ; and after with 

 the rest that are common to the Indies and Europe ; and 

 forasmuch as plants were chiefly created for the nourish 

 ment of man, and that the chiefs (whereof he takes his 

 nourishment) is bread, it shall be good to shew what bread 

 the Indians vse, and whereon they live for want thereof. 

 They have, as we have heere, a proper name, whereby they 

 note and signifie bread, which at Peru they call tanta^ and 

 in other places by another name. But the qualitie and sub 

 stance of the bread the Indians vse differs much from ours : 

 for we finde not they had any kinde of wheat or barly, nor 

 any other kinde of graine which they vse in Europe to make 



1 &quot; Que en otro tiempo se tuviera por fabuloso.&quot; 



2 Ttanta is the Quichua for bread. 



