liftorie of the Indies, 



fa wee, and they are good to care. They have generally 

 throughout the Indies of this Indian pepper , at the I- 

 lands, new Sptine, Peru, and all the reft that is difcove- 

 red. And as mays is the generall grains for bread, fo 4* 

 xi is the moft common {pice for fcwces. 



CHAP. 21. 



COmming to the greater plants or trees at the Indies > 

 the firft that (hall be necdefull to treate of, is the 

 Plane QvPlttano, as the vulgar call it. I have been fbine- 

 times in doubt, whether the Plane which the Antients 

 have fo much celebrated 5 and that of the Indies were of * 

 onekinde. This wellobferved, and that which they 

 write of the other, without all doubt they will appears 

 to be of fundry kindes r The reafon why the Spaniards 

 called it Plane, (for thclndians had no luch name) was 

 as in other trees, for that they have found fome refem 

 blance of the one with the other , even as they called 

 fbme fruites, prunes, pines, and cucumbers, being far 

 different from thofc which are called by thofe names in 

 CdftiHe . The thing wherein was moft refemblance , in 

 my opinion, betwixt the Planes at the Indies^nA thofc 

 which the Antients did celebrate, is the greatnes of the 

 leaves, for that theft have them very great and coole, 

 and the Antients did likewiie much efteeme them for 

 the greatnefle and coolencfle of their leaves . It is alfo a 

 plant that require th much water, and in a maner con 

 tinually, which agrees with the facred Scripture that 

 faith;Z/'& to the PUne mere the waters. But in tru th their 

 is no more companion nor refemblance of the one 

 with the other , then there is (as the Proverb fiich) be 

 twixt an egge and a chefnut. For firft, theantient plane 



carries 



