Tie Hi/lory of 



Book 1. 



Mne feeding in the Wqq.4s a^e, always fat when thefe fruits 

 are ripe 5? Jett there falls abundance of them under the Trees as 

 they ripeo^. which are greedily .devoured by ; thole creatures. 

 This Tree yields a yellow Gum, which caftsa frronger /cent 

 then the; fruit-. The . branches- thruffc into the ground eafily 

 take root 5- whence: jf ; comes that they commonly fet thofe 

 Clofes witbtli-em where they keep Cattle. 



The CQwb&ry for the moft part grows higher, more leavie 

 and bigger then the Monbmn. It bears a fruit the fliell where- 

 of can. hardly bebroken, and, it is about four fingers long, two 

 br^oad y and one thick :. rWithin the (hell there is two or three 

 ftohesicovieridswith a foft'meat, as yellow as Saffron. It is of a 

 goodtafte, but if much of it be taken it extreamly clogs the 

 fromack,, and hinders; reipiration. The Savages in cafe of ns- 

 cefiity make a drink of it, "which well ordered is not unplea- 

 fant, that is^j whenlit is; well boild with water. Thewppriof 

 tjafe Treeiif f0lid 9 .3of a eatour inclining to red. The Tree be- 

 j^g-oldyidli<sba Gum which is hardened by the Su% and will 

 contiEAiB ckar^ tranfparent as yellow Amber, and of a good 

 fcent. ;S$)m€'Indians make Buttons of it, offeveral fafhions, 

 of which,', they -make Bracelets, Neck-laces , and Pendants, 

 which are handfom, glittering, and of a good fcent. 



INDIAN FIG-TREE. 



THereisin moft of thefe Iflands a great Tree, which the 

 Europeans have called the 1 Indian Fig-tree, becaufe it 

 bears a fma;ll fruit without any fton^; which in figure and tafte 

 comes neer the FrenehFig: Other^ife it hath no refemblance 

 to our Fig-trees 5 for befides that tjjfoe leaf is of a different 

 figure, and much narrower, it grows in fome places to fuch an 

 exceffive bulk, that there, are of them fuch as many men put 

 together cannot encompafs, in regard the Trunk, which com- 

 monly is not even in its circumference, moots forth on the fides 

 from the very root to the place where the boughs begin, cer- 

 tain excrefcencies which reach four or five foot about, and 

 which by that means make deep cavities, (landing like fo ma- 

 ny Neeches, Thefe Excrefcencies which are of the fame fub- 

 ftance with the body of the Tree, are alfo enclos'd with the 

 fame bark as covers it, and they are feven or eight inches 

 thick , proportionally to the Trunk they encompafs. The 

 wood of this Tree within is white and foft, and there are com- 

 monly cut out of thofe long pieces which moot forth out of the 

 Trunk, Planks for Flooring, Doors and Tables, without any 

 fear that the Tree mould dye.* For, inafhort time it fo eafily 

 recovers the prejudice it had receiv'd, that it can hardly be 

 perceiv'd there was any thing taken from it. All thofe who 

 have liv'd in the Iflarrd of Tortoifes, which lyes North from 



Hijpafjwla 3 



