COCOA NUTS. 253 



age, which have written some Treatises of the Indian plants, LlB&amp;gt; IT - 

 of hearbes, and roots, and of their operations for phisicke, 

 to whom they may flie for their better instruction. I onely 

 pretend (and in few words) to treate superficially of that 

 which comes to memory touching this subject ; yet do I not 

 thinke it good to passe away vnder silence the Cocos or In 

 dian palmes, by reason of a very notable propertie it hath. 

 I call them palmes, not properly, or that it beares dates, 

 but that they are trees like to other palmes. They are 

 high and strong, and the higher they grow the broader 

 they stretch out their branches. These Cocos yield a 

 fruit which they likewise call Cocos, whereof they com 

 monly make vessells to drinke in, and some they say 

 have a vertue against poison, and to cure the paine in 

 the side. The nutte and meate being dried, is good to 

 eate, and comes neere in taste to greene chesnuttes. When 

 the Coco is tender vpon the tree, the substance within it is, 

 as it were, milke, which they drinke for daintines, and to 

 refresh them in time of heate. I have seene of these trees 

 in San Juan de Puerto Rico, and other parts of the Indies, 

 and they report a wonderfull thing, that every raoneth or 

 Moone, this tree casts forth a new branch of this Cocos ; so 

 as it yeeldes fruite twelve times in the yeere, as it is written 

 in the Apocalips : and in truth this seemes like vnto it, for 

 that all the branches are of different ages, some beginning, 

 others being ripe, and some halfe ripe. These Cocos are 

 commonly of the forme and bignes of a small melon. There 

 is of another kinde which they call Coquillos, the which is 

 a better fruite, whereof there be some in Chile. They are 

 some what lesse then nuttes, but more round. There is 

 another kinde of Cocos, which have not the kernell so oylie, 

 but within they have a great number of small fruites like 

 almonds, like vnto the graines of a Pomegranate. 



These almonds are thrice as bigge as those of Castill, 

 and resemble them in taste, though they be more sharpe, and 



