and branches, anditgrowcs like any other fhrubbe, 

 Thofe which they call Prunes , are verily the fruites of 

 trees , and have more refcsnblancc then the reft to our 

 plumbs. There are divers forts,whercof they call feme 

 Prunes of Nicar*g*ajhe which are very red and fmall, 

 and have little meat vpon the ftone, but that little is of 

 an exquifitetaftc; and of a fharpenes, as good,or rather 

 better then cheries. They hold this fruitc to be very 

 holefbme , and therefore they give it to ficke folkes, e- 

 {pccially to provoke an appetite. There are others that 

 be great and of a darke colour , they have much meat, 

 but it is grofTe and of no taftc , like to the Chwacanas, 

 which have every one two or three fmall ftonesjBut 

 toreturne to pot-hcarbs , Ifinde not that the Indians 

 had any gardins of divers hearbs and plants, but did 

 onely till the land in fomepartes for pulfes, which 

 they vfe , as thofe which they call Fr/ folks and Palarcs, 

 which ferve them aseurlcntils, beanes, or tares : nei 

 ther have I knowne that theft pulfes,or any other kinds 

 that be in Europe, were there before the Spaniards en- 

 tred,who carried plants and pulfes from Sprite thither, 

 where they now grow and increafe wonderfully , and 

 infbrae places cxcccdc greatly the fertilitie of thde 

 panes. Asifwcfpeakeofmellons which grow in the 

 vallieof Yuca, in Peru, whoferoote becomes a flalkc 

 that continues many yeeres carrying mellons yeerely, 

 and they trimmc it like vnto a tree; a thing which I do 

 not know to be in any part oSp#Me. But that is more 

 monftrous of the Calibaffes or Indian Pompions , and 

 the greatnes they have as they grow, cfpecially thofe 

 which arc proper to the Countrie , which they call 

 Capallos^ the which they eatc moft commonly in Lent, 

 boiled arid trimmed with fome other fa wee. There arc 



