HERBALS OF THE NEW WORLD 125 



Balsamo/' There follows an account of the way in which the 

 Red Indians made the balsam, either by cutting incisions in 

 the tree and letting the " clammish licour, of colour white but 

 most excellent and very perfite," run out, or by cutting up 

 boughs and branches of the tree into very small pieces, boihng 

 them in cauldrons and then skimming off the oil. "It is not 

 convenient, nor it ought to be kept in any other vessel then in 

 silver (glasse or Tinne or any other thing glassed, it doth pene- 

 trate and doth passe through it), the use thereof is onely in 

 thinges of Medecine and it hath been used of long tyme . . . 

 the Spaniards had knowledge of it because they did heale ther- 

 with the woundes that they did receive of the Indians : beyng 

 advised of the vertue thereof by the same Indians, and they did 

 see the saide Indians heale and cure themselves therewith." 

 We learn that when this precious new balsam was first brought 

 to Spain it sold for ten ducats an ounce, and in Italy for a 

 hundred ducats an ounce. The use of another wound herb, " for 

 shottes of arrows," of which unfortunately he does not give 

 even the Indian name, was taught to a certain " Jhon Infante " 

 by his native servant. The book gives us many pleasant 

 glimpses of the kindly courtesy of the Red Indians to their foes, 

 and though, according to some authorities, they would never 

 teU the secrets of the herbs they used as medicines, we have 

 Monardes's detailed accounts of how they showed the Spaniards 

 the uses of them. Guiacum, for instance, was brought to the 

 notice of a Spaniard in San Domingo by an Indian doctor. 



One of the most interesting accounts is of " Mechoacan." 

 " It is brought from a countrie that is beyonde the greate Citie 

 of Mexico more than fortie leagues, that is called Mechoacan, 

 the whiche Syr Fernando Curtes did conquer in the yere of 1524, 

 it is a countrie of muche Riches, of Gold and chiefly of Silver . . . 

 those Mynes be so celebrated and of so muche riches that they 

 be called the Cacatecas, every day they goe discovering in the 

 Lande verie riche Mynes of Silver and some of Golde, it is a 

 countrie of good and holsome ayres, and doth bring forth health- 



