Hiftoris of the Indie t. lib. 5* 178 



Of the qu&litieofthe land at the Indies ingenerdlL 

 CHAP. 19. 



WE may know the qualitie of the land at the In- 

 dks^ forthegreateftparte (feeing it is the laft 

 of the three Elernents,whereof wee have propounded 

 to treate in this Booke) by the difcourfe we have made 

 in the former Booke of the burning Zone , feeing that 

 the greateft part ofthe/^'^dooth lievnderit. But to 

 make it knowne the more particularly,! have obferved 

 three kindes of lands , as I have pafled through thofe 

 Regions : whereof there is one very lowe, another ve 

 ry high, and the third which holds the middle of thefe 

 two extreames . The lower is that which liethbv the 

 fea coafts , whereof there is in all partcs of the Indies, 

 and it is commonly ve;y hote and moid,, (basic is not 

 (bhealthfull- and at this day weieeitkffe peopled, al; 

 though in former times it hath beene gready inhabited 

 with Indians, as it appeared! by tiie.iiiiioriesof New 

 S fains and Peru , and where they kepfar.d lived , for 

 that thcfoilc was naturall vnto them being bred there. 

 They lived of fifhing atfea, & of fecds,drawing brooks 

 from the rivers, which they vfedfor want of raine, 

 for that it raines little there , and in fomc places no tat 

 all. This iowecountrie hath many places inhabitable, 

 as wel by reafon of the finds which are dangerous, (for 

 there are whole mountaines of thefe fancies) as alfo for 

 the marifhes which grow by reafon of the waters that 

 fall from the npuntaines, which finding- no ifliie in 

 thefe flatte and lowe landcs, drowne them , and make 

 them vnprofitable. 



Nz And 



