VALUE OP MAIZE. 231 



Flanders they vse ale made of malt. There is another LlB - 

 maner of making this Agua or Chicha, which is to mash 

 the mays, and make a leven thereof, and then boile it yea 

 the Indians holde opinion that, to make good leven, it must 

 bee chewed by old withered women, which makes a man 

 sicke to heare, and yet they doe driiike it. The cleanliest 

 manner, the most wholesome, and that which least harmeth, 

 is to roast the Mays, which the most civil Indians doe vse, 

 and some Spaniardes, yea for physicke. For in effect they 

 finde it a very wholesame drinke for the reines, so as you 

 shall hardly finde any one at the Indies complaine of paine 

 in the backe, for that they do drinke of this Chicha. The 

 Spanyards and Indians eate this Mays boyled and roasted 

 for daintinesse, when it is tender in the grape like milke ; 

 they putte it into the pot, and make sauces that are good 

 to eate. The buds of Mays are very fatte, and serve in- 

 steede of butter and oyle : so as this Mays at the Indies 

 serves both for men and beasts, for bread, wine, and oile. 

 For this reason the Viceroy Don Francisco de Toledo saide, 

 that Peru hadde two things rich, and of great norishment, 

 which were Mays, and the cattell of the countrey. In truth, 

 he had reason, for these two things did serve them as a 

 thousand. 



I will aske sooner than I can answer it, whence Mays 

 was first carried to the Indies, and why they do call this 

 profitable graine in Italie, Turkie graine ? for in trueth I 

 cloe not finde that the Antients make any mention of this 

 graine, though that millet (that Plinie writes to come from 

 the Indies into Italie, tenne yeares before he didde write it) 

 hath some resemblance vnto Mays, for that it is a graine, 

 as he saies, that growes in reede, and covers it selfe with 

 the leafe, and hath the toppe like haires, being very fertile; 

 all which things agree not with millet. To conclude, God 

 hath imparted to ev ry region what is needefull. To this 

 continent he hath given wheate, which is the chiefe nourish- 



