5 5i 



Chap. XVIII. <d M E%^I C A. 



a had upon the Head a kind of Crown, rifing above the Skin about two Inches, 

 " and made oval-wile, the Extremities whereof ended in a Point, Above three 

 « hundred Perfons of that Ifland did eat of the Meat of it, and that plentifully, and 

 #c thought it extreamly delicate ; It was interlarded with Fat, and being boyl'd it 

 M came tip in flakes like frefli Cod, but it had a much more excellent tafte. 



f c Thofe who had feen this rare Fifli alive, and had with great Levers broken 

 " the Back of it, affirm'd, That he had made prodigious Attempts to thruft them 

 " with his Horn, which he turn'd with an inexpreffible dexterity and nimblenefs, 

 u and that if he had had as much Water under him as would have born him up, he 

 <* would have been too hard for them all. When the Entrails were taken out, it 

 " was found that he liv'd by Prey ^ for there were within him the Scales of feverai 

 " kinds of Fifli. 



" What could be preferv'd of this miraculous Animal, efpecially the Head, and 

 cc the precious Horn faftned in it, hungup near two years at the Guard-houfe of 

 " the Ifland, till Monfieur he Fajfeur, the Governor of it, prefented one Monfieur 

 iC Des Trancarts (a Gentleman of Xaintonge, who had given him a Vifit) with the 

 " Horn. Not long after, coming over in the fame Ship with the Gentleman, who 

 " had that precious Rarity put up in a long theft, our Ship was call away near 

 " the Ifland of fayala, one of the Ajfores, and all the Goods were loft, but nothincr 

 €i fo much regretted asthelofs of that Chcft. 



The Natives call thcmfclves Qubao-bonon, that is, Inhahita?its of the Iflands, and Ca- The N*dm 

 ribbeeans ; which laft Denomination was not oncly receiv'd amongft the American 

 Ides, but alfo on the Main Continent of the Northern and Southern America, long 

 before the Spaniards coming thither* 



Concerning the original of thefe People, there are feveral Opinions, for thofe tMr.-Orip 

 who make them to be Extracted from the Jews, have no other tcftimony, but that * 

 they abftain from Swines-flefli : Thofe that take them for a People fled from the 

 great Iflands, Hifyaniola, Jamaica, Cuba, and Torto <%ico, to fave themfclvcs from the 

 Spaniards Cruelty, difpute againft a known Truth ; for who knows not, that the hu 

 dwwwhoefcap'dthe Spanijh Slaughter, have not the lead refemblance either in 

 Language or Cuftoms with the Cannibals ? nay more, they are mortal Enerhies to 

 them ; befides that, the Cannibals at that time when Columbus firft arrived, poflefs'd 

 thofe Places which they now inhabit. The Cannibals fecm ignorant themfclves 

 in this Point : for they affirm their Extraction to be from Guyana, where the Call- 

 bites fpeak the fame Language, and alfo obferve the fame Cuftoms ahd Religion i 

 The occafion of their removal they afcribeto the King of the AroVages, who made 

 all the adjacent People about his Court, Slaves to him 5 which to prevent, they firft 

 went to Tabago, where being ftrengthned by new Comers, they refolv'd to take 

 revenge on him . and Engaging with him in a Field-Battel, utterly defeated him, 

 and fpar'd none of his Party alive, except the Women j whence it proceeds, that 

 the Arovage Women have the fame Cuftoms and Language with the Qaribbeans. But 

 Briftock, an Englijh Knight, by long Converfation experiene'd in the leverall Ameri- 

 can Tongues, faith, That the Caribbeeans have their Original from the Apalachites in 

 Florida, who being a valiant People, deftroy'd many of the Natives that inhabited 

 Mexico, that fothey might Settle themfelves there ; to which purpofe they built a 

 City like that oijpalache. The Qofachites inhabiting Northerly, and fpred over a 

 barren and Rocky Countrey,made ufe of this opportunity to conquer their deferted 

 Habitation : for on afct-time they fet fire to all the Villages, and fpoyl'd all things 

 which they could not carry away with them, that not the leaft hopes of return- 

 ing might be left them . therefore they muft either Conquer or Die : which re- 

 folv'd 





! 





