Htftarie of tin Indies lib. 



full to worke in, the mettall being as hard as flint. Since 

 thethirtieday of Auguftin the fame yeere of athou- 

 fand five hundred forty and five the veine called Men- 

 ditu was inrollcd , and thcfc are the foure principall 

 veines of Potent . They fay of the rich veine, thefirft 

 that was difcovred that the metall lay above the ground 

 the height of a launce , like vnto rockes, raifing the fu- 

 perficies of the earth > like vnto a creft of three hundred 

 footelong^ and thirteene_tbbtc broade, and that this 

 remainedbare SFvncovered by the deluge. This veine 

 having rcfifted the violence and force of the water 5 as 

 tfie hardeft part. The mettall was (b rich as it was halfc 

 fflvc^and this vclne continued in his bounty fiftieor 

 'tliree fcorc ftacfes , which is the height of a man , and 

 then jt failed . In this maner the mines of Pottzi were 

 difcovered by the Divine Providence, who (for the fc- 

 licitie of Spainc) would have the greateft treafure that e- 

 ver was in this world, difcovered , at fuch time whenas 

 theJEmperour Charles the fift of famous mcmoric held 

 t&e EmpiFe, thekingdomesof^/w, and the Seignio- 

 rieof htlndks . Prefently after that, the difcoverie of 



* -^M^ ** -^. 



Potozi was knownein Peru^ many Spaniardes, and the 

 moft parte of tbe Bourgeois ofthefi(vcrCittie , which 

 is eighfeehcl^uesTroiiiP<?^/, came thither to take 

 mines : yea there came many Indians from divers pro 

 vinces, efpecially tha GMfigdorcs vfPorcofo as within 

 a fhort fpaccit was the beft peopled habitation of ali 

 thekingdorne. 



Of the ire A fun which u daily dramcfrom the rockc 



4rr0tMtai#e0fPotozi. C H A p. 7. 

 Have often doubted , if in antient Hiftories there 

 were found any & rich mines, as thofe we have feen 



