^S oyalle's historical relation of chile. 



Thefe firft rains feem to prepare the earth for its ornamental drefs of flowers with the 

 fpring, which begins about the middle of Auguft ; and they laft till December, that 

 the heats come in, and that with fuch variety and abundance of fo many kinds, that 

 the fields look as if they had been painted, producing a mod delightful objed:. I 

 remember once, as I was travelling, I faw fo great a diverfity of thefe flowers, fome 

 fcarlet, others blue, yellow, red, ftraw-colour, purple, &c. that I was moved to tell 

 them,- and I told in a fhorttime two and forty forts, fo admirable was their variety ; 

 and yet I do not reckon among thefe the cultivated ones in gardens, nor thofe that 

 were brought from Europe, fuch as carnations, rofes, ftock gilly-flowers, orange, 

 lillies, poppies, lupins, &c. I only fpeak of thofe that grow wild, which are fo odori- 

 ferous and fweet-fcented, that it is out of them they diftil a water called aqua d*a7igeles, 

 or, angeFs water. The fmell of thefe flowers is perceived fweeteft at the riling and 

 fetting of the fun ; which, mingled with the fcent emitted by the herbs, which are very 

 aromatic, produce a moft admirable perfume, and for that reafon they put the fprouts 

 and tops of them amongft the flowers which make the angel water. 



It is fcarcely poflible to exprefs the force with which the earth puts forth thefe plants, 

 which is fo great that in many places it is hard to difl:inguifli the cultivated from the un- 

 cultivated lands. One would think at firfl; that all had been plowed and fowed aUke ; 

 and with the continuance of the rains, the grafs runs up^ fo fl:rong, and grows fo intri- 

 cate, that a horfe can hardly break through it, it coming in moft places to the faddle 

 girts. 



Muftard-feed, turnips, mint, fennel, trefoil, and other plants, which I fee are 

 fowed and cultivated in Europe, for the juft efl:eem that is made of them, do all grow 

 wild in Chile, without ferving to the ufe of life at all, otherwife than by the cattle's 

 feeding on them, which they may do for feveral leagues together. The muftard-plant 

 thrives fo mightily, that it is as big as one's arm, and fo high and thick, that it looks 

 like a tree. I have travelled many leagues through muftard-groves, which were taller 

 than horfe and man ; and the birds build their nefls in them, as the gofpel mentions in 

 thefe words, ita ut volucres ccbH veniani et hahitent in ramis ejus ; fo that the birds of 

 the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. 



There are many plants of great virtue in phyfic, and known only to the Indians, 

 called Machis, who are a race of men who are their dodlors. Thefe plants they con- 

 ceal carefully, and particularly from the Spaniards, to whom if they communicate the 

 knowledge of one or two, it is a great mark of their friendfhip ; but the knowledge of 

 the refl: they referve, and it paflfes from father to fon. Thefe Machis, or doftors, are 

 not only eflieemed by the Indians, but by the Spaniards themfelves, who have recourfe 

 to them in the greateft: extremities, when the difeafe prefixes mofl:. They find wonder- 

 ful eflfeds from the application of thefe fimples, which they ufe in a lefler dofe with the 

 Spaniards than with the Indians, who are of a more robuft: nature, and flronger con- 

 ftiitution. 



I faw one of our order much troubled with the falling ficknefs and fwooning fits, fo 

 as he was forced to have always fome body in his company, or elfe he might have fallen 

 down fliairs, or otherwife killed himfelf : he had ufed all the remedies that the learning 

 of phyficians and the charity of religious men could fuggeft, but without any effe£t at 

 all : nay, he was worfe and worfe every day. Our fathers learned at laft, that about 

 twelve leagues off from that place there lived an Indian Machi : they fent for him ; and 

 being come, and having heard the relation of his diftemper, he gave him as much of 

 a certain herb in wine as the bignefs of a nail ; and it had fo great an effect, that it 



took 



