WORE -IN FEATHERS. 



LIB. iv. Spaine there are aboundance of birdes with excellent 

 feathers, so as there be not any found in Europe that come 

 neere them, as we may see by the images of feathers they 

 bring from thence, the which are, with great reason, much 

 valued and esteemed, giving cause of admiration, that with 

 the feathers of birdes they should make so excellent a worke, 

 and so perfectly equall, as they sceme properly to be the 

 true coloures of a painter, and have so lively and pleasing a 

 regard, as the Painter cannot exceede it with his pencill 

 and colours. Some Indians which are good and expert 

 workemen in this Art will represent perfectly in feathers, 

 whatsoever they see draw no with the pencill, so as the 

 Painters of Spaine have, in this point, no advantage over 

 them. To Don Felipe, the Prince of Spaine, his sclioole- 

 master did give three figures or portraitures made of 

 feathers, as it were, to put in a Breviary. His Highnes did 

 shew them to King Felipe, his father, the which his Maiesty, 

 beholding attentively, said that hee had never scene, in so 

 small a worke,, a thing of so great excellency and perfection. 

 One day as they presented to Pope Sixtus V another 

 square bigger tliun it, wherein was the figure of St. Francis, 

 and that they had told him it was made of feathers by the 

 Indians, he desired to make triall thereof, touching the 

 table with his fingers, to see if it were of feathers, for that 

 it seemed strange to see them so properly fitted, that the 

 eye could not iudge nor discerne whether they were naturall 

 colours of feathers, or artificial!, done with the pencill. It 

 is a goodly thing to see the lustre which a greene, an 

 orange tawny like gold, and other fine colours do cast, and, 

 beholding them another way, they seeme dead colours. 

 They make the best and goodliest figures of feathers in 

 the Province of Mechoacan, in the village of Pascaro. 

 The manner is with small delicate pinsors they pull the 

 feathers from the dead fowles, and with a fine paste they 

 cunningly ioyne them together. They take the small and 



