Hilhrit of the Indies, lib.^. 



ordinary; fome arc all blacke,fome bay ,fome grey,and 

 fomefpotted . Their agiliticand maner of doing is ad 

 mirable, for that they feemc to havereafon &difcourfe 

 to go vpon trees , wherein they fccrnc to imitate birds. 

 Going from Nombrc de Dios to Panama, I did (eein Ca- 

 fira, one of thefe monkies leape from one tree to an o- 

 ther, which was on the other fide of a river,making me 

 much to wonder. They leape where they Unwinding 

 their tailes about a braunch to (hakeit ; and when they 

 will leape further than they can at once, they vfe a pret 

 ty devife, tying themfelvcs by the tailes one of another, 

 and by this meanes make as it were a chaine of many: 

 then doc they launch themfelves foorth , and the firft 

 holpen by the force of the reft, takes holde where hee 

 lift, and fo hangs to a bough, and helpes all the reft, till 

 they be gotten vp. It were long to report the fooleries, 

 trickes,traverfes, andpleafantfportes they make when 

 they are taught, which feeme not to come from bruit 

 beafts , but from a manlike vnderftanding . I /awe one 

 in C.irthagettem the Governours houfe,fo taught,as the 

 things he did feemed incredible : they fent him to the 

 Taverne for wine, putting the pot in onehand,and the 

 money in the other ; and they could not poffibly gctte 

 the money out of his hand, before he had his pot full 

 of wine. If any children merte him in the ftreete , and 

 threw any ftones at him , he would fet his pot do wne 

 on the one fide, and caft ftones againft the children till 

 he had allured his way, then would he returne to cany 

 -home his pot . And which is morc,although hec were 

 a good bibber of wine (as I have oftentimes feene him 

 drinke, when his maifter hath given it him) yet would 

 he never touch it vn till leave was given him.They told 

 rncmoreover, thatif hcefaweany women painted, he 



vvould 



