ovalle's historical relation of chile. 8 1 



CHAP. XX. — Of the Heanjen, and Stars, which are proper to the Kingdom and Region 



of Chile* 



IT is the common opinion of all thofe that have feen and dwelled in Chile, that its 

 foil and heaven, if they have their equal, have not their fuperior in the world ; and 

 though fome fay the ftars of the artick pole are larger than thofe of the antarctick, yet 

 as to their brightnefs and beauty, and the light they give, and as to their numbers, 

 with the clearnefs of the heavens where they are, there is none but muft own the 

 advantage on the fide of the antarctick. We may give, as a natural reafon of this, the 

 temper of the climate, both as to the air and earth ; for though there are in it fo many 

 rivers, as we have obferved, yet they being rapid, and fwift in their courfe, do not 

 caufe overmuch humidity -by their flay, but afford only what is neceffary for its 

 fertility ; and, of the two extremes, the country is rather dry than moifl, particularly 

 as far as thirty-four or thirty-five degrees, as is manifeflly made out by two experi- 

 ments : firft, by the facility with which all wounds are cured, which ufe to be much 

 longer in wet countries ; and, fecondly, it is proved from the habitations and houfes, 

 where the.befl apartments are reputed to be on the firfl floor, they being looked upon 

 in fummer for coolefl, and in winter for warmefl ; and, though they are watered every 

 day in the year, and the floors mofl commonly but of earth, not at all upon vaults, yet they 

 are never unhealthy ; and there is no need of board-flooring, or mats, let the winter be 

 never fo fharp. This is a convincing argument, that the country inclines to drynefs 

 rather than to humidity ; from whence it follows, that the fun raifes fewer vapours ; 

 and therefore the air being clearer, the brightnefs of the ftars is more confpicuous ; and 

 for this reafon the fun fets and rifes fo glorious, cafling out refplendent beams of light, 

 which is not fo on the other fide of the Cordillera ; for there I have feen the fun pretty 

 high, and its whole body vifible, and yet no ways dazzling, the vapours of the earth 

 taking away the radiant beauty of its beams. 



The experience of this is yet more admirable to thofe who fail from Peru for Chile ; 

 for though they keep out a great way from land, yet they know prefently by the 

 horizon when they come to the height of Chile ; for they begin to fee it all difengaged 

 from clouds and ferene, gilded and glorious, and its beauty increafing upon them every 

 day, as they gain more heighth towards the pole. On the contrary, when they fail 

 for the line from Chile, the nearer they grow to the tropick, that light and fplendor 

 grows duller and duller ; fo that in my voyage for Panama, I faw all the horizon 

 muddy, fad, and clouded, which continued till I got to the Havanna ; where being in 

 eighteen degrees north latitude, the horizon cleared up and grew every day better and 

 better, till we got to Spain. 



So much for the clearnefs and beauty of the heavens and flars, which may be con- 

 firmed by all thofe who have feen the place ;^ but it is not of the bignefs of the flars. 

 The aftrologers pretend, that the contemplation of them, and their meafure, belongs 

 entirely to their art, and underftanding befl the difpofition of the celeflial fphere ; but, 

 in my judgment, they who can beft fpeak of this matter, are thofe who have feen both 

 poles, as is well obferved by John and Theodore de Bry, in the eighth and ninth part 

 of their twelve curious books, where they relate variety of hiflories, obfervations, and 

 voyages, which have been in the North and South America, as. far as the flraights of 

 Magellan. They report then the opinions of learned men, who,, in failing on the 

 South- Sea, obferved what I fhall here produce, tranflated faithfully from their elegant 

 I.a_^in into our vulgar tongue, in thefe words : 



vol. XIV. M " The 



