244 The V OY 
Mountains, which are covered all the Year with Snow, but 
partly diffolved in the Summer Seafon, which is from Sep- 
tember to March . One would expeCt it much hotter there- 
abouts than it is, there being no Proportion between the 
Heat of this Climate in America , and the fame Degree of 
Latitude in Africa : For which there are two Reafons ; the 
one is the cool Temper of the Air, proceeding from the 
congealed Snow on the Mountains, which diffufes itfelf every 
Way •, the other is the Humidity of the Vapours, which 
hang over the Plains, and which are fo frequent, that, when 
I came firft to Lima, I often expeCted it would rain. Thefe 
Vapours are not fo coarfe, low, and gloomy, as our Fogs ; 
nor feparated above, like our Summer Clouds •, but an Exalt- 
ation between both being fpread all round, as when we 
fay the Day is overcaft : So that fometimes a fine Dew is 
felt upon the outward Garments, and difcerned by the Eye 
upon the Knap of the Cloth. This is an happy Convenience 
at Lima, the People being thus fcreemed One-half of the 
Day from the Sun •, and, tho’ the Afternoon be Sun-fhine, 
his very tolerable, being mixed with the Sea Breezes, and 
not near fo hot as at Lisbon , and fome Parts of Spain in 
Europe , which are thirty Degrees further from the Equator. 
The want of Rain in this Part of the Continent obliged 
the poor Indians , before the Conqueft, to make Drains 
and Canals, for bringing down Water from among the 
diftant Mountains ; which they have done with fuch great 
Labour and Skill, that the Valleys are properly refreihed, 
producing Grafs, Corn, and Variety of Fruits, to which the 
aforefaid Dews may alfo a little contribute •, and therefore 
this fhews, that there is no judging from Circumftances, 
whether a Country be habitable or not, fince, in this re- 
fpeCt, nothing would feem more conclufive, than the abfo- 
lute want of Rain. A Spanifh Hiftorian has given us the na- 
tural Caufe of this perpetual Drought : He obferves, that 
the South-weft Winds blow upon the Peruvian Coaft all 
the Year round, and the Ocean is therefore called Pacific , 
becaufe the Winds never difturb the Waters : Thefe eafy 
Gales always bear away the Vapours from the Plains, before 
they can rile, and form a Body fufficient to defcend in a 
Shower •, but, when they are carried farther and higher, they 
grow more compaCt, and at length fall, by their own 
Weight, into Rain. They have Plenty of Cattle, Fowl-, 
and Fifh, and all Provifion common with us, except But- 
ter, inftead of which they always ufe Lard j they have Oil, 
Wine, and Brandy enough, though not fo good as in Eu- 
rope. They drink much of the Jefuits Herb Camini, 
brought from Paraguay by Land-, for all Eafi India Tea 
is forbid : They make a Deco&ion of it, and fuck it thro’ 
a Pipe it is generally here called Mattea , being the Name 
of the Bowl out of which they drink it. Chocolate is their 
ufual Breakfaft, and a Grace-cup after Dinner fometimes 
they drink a Glafs of Brandy for Digeftion, but fcarce any 
Wine at all. In the Kingdom of Chili they make a little 
Butter, fuch as it is ; and their way of doing it is remarka- 
ble : The Cream is put into a Sheep-fkin, and kept on Pur- 
pofe for that Ufe ; cwo Women lay it on a Table, and 
fhake it between them, till it comes. 
9. The Spaniards are no Friends to the Bottle yet Gal- 
lantry and Intrigue are here brought to Perfection ; for 
they devote fo much of their Time to the Service of the 
Fair Sex, that it is unmannerly not to have a Miftrefs, and 
fcandalous not to keep her well. As for the Women, they 
have many Accomplilhments, both natural and acquired 
their Converfation is free and fprightly, their Motion grace- 
ful, their Looks winning, and their Words engaging : 
They have all a delicate Shape, not injured with ftiff-bodied 
Stays, but left to the Beauty of Nature fo that there is 
no fuch thing as a crooked Body among them. Their 
Eyes and Teeth are particularly excellent •, and their Hair, 
being generally of a dark polifhed Hue, is finely combed, 
and platted and tied behind with Ribbands, but never dif- 
guifed with Powder ; for the Brightnefs of their Skins round 
the Temples appears very well fhaded through the Hair, 
like Light through a Landfkip. Tho’ Amours are univer- 
fal at Lima, yet the Men are careful enough to hide them 
for no indecent Word or ACtion is allowed in public : 
They have two Seafons for thefe Entertainments ; one is 
at the Seifia, or Afternoon’s Nap, which is commonly with 
the Miftrefs ; the other is in the Evening, crofs the Water, 
AGES of Book L 
in Calafhes, or at the great Square in the Town, where 
the Calafhes meet in great Numbers towards the Dusk ; 
thefe are flung like our Coaches, but fmaller, and many of 
them fit only for two, fitting oppofite : They are always 
drawn by one Mule, with the Negro Driver upon his Back ; s 
and it is ufual, among thofe Calafhes, to obferve feveral of 
them with the Windows clofe up, Handing ftill for half 
an Hour together. In thefe Amufements, they have fe- 
veral Cuftoms peculiar to themfelves : After Evening Pray- 
ers, the Gentleman changes his Drefs from a Cloak into a 
Montero, or Jockey-coat, with a Linen laced Cap, and a 
Handkerchief about his Neck inftead of a Wig : If he 
wears his Hair, it muft be tucked under a Cap, and that 
fiapt all down fo that it is an univerfal Fafhion to be dif- 
guifed fome way or other ; for thofe who have no Miftreis, 
are afhamed to be thought virtuous, and muft be in lbme 
Mask or other to countenance the Way of the World. But, 
as all this is Night-work, they have an eftablifhed Rule to 
prevent Quarrels, which is, never to fpeak or take Notice 
one of another, whether they are going in queft of, or vi- 
fiting their Ladies ; fo that, in fhort, the Forepart of the 
Night is a Mafquerade all the Year round. Among the 
Rank of People who do not keep Calafhes, there are fe- 
veral Points to be obferved, particularly when they take 
the Evening Air ^ one Couple never walks clofe upon the 
Heels of another but, to prevent the publifhing any fe- 
cret Whifpers, each Couple walks at the Diftance of twelve 
Yards at leaft ; and if any Lady drops a Fan, or any thing, 
by Accident, a Gentleman may civilly take it up but he 
muft not give it to the Lady, but the Gentleman who is 
with her for fhe may be the Sifter or Wile of him that 
takes it up; and, as the Women are all veiled, thefe wife 
Laws are invented to prevent any impertinent Difcoveries. 
A Freedom of that kind is looked upon as the higheft Af- 
front in all Gallantry, and merits a drawn Sword through 
the Liver : They are fo careful in thefe Rules, that if any 
Man fees his intimate Friend any-where with a Woman, he 
muft in no wife take notice of him, or ipeak of it after- 
wards : Things of this Nature are all done with the greatelt 
Gravity imaginable, and the Practice of Gallantry becomes, 
by this means, decent, foft, and eafy : But, notwithftand- 
ing the Commerce of Love is here fo regularly fettled, yet 
there are Jealoufies now-and-then fubfilting, which fome- 
times have ended fatally. There was a Story of this fort 
pretty frefh when I was at Lima : A young Lady had for 
fome time, as fhe thought, been the foie Sovereign of her 
Lover’s Heart but, by Chance, fhe found him in Com- 
pany with another Woman ; and, as our inimitable Shake- 
fipeare has it, “ Trifles, light as Air, are, to the Jealous, Con- 
“ firmations ftrong,” fhe waited therefore no further Proof of 
his Infidelity, nor expedited any Excufe for the Wrong done 
her •, but fuddenly drew his Dagger, and difpatched him. 
She was foon brought to Trial and, when every one ex- 
pected file would pay the Forfeit of her Life, her Judges 
gave it this Turn, that it was not Malice, but Excefis of 
Love, that prompted her to the rafii Deed : She was there- 
fore acquitted but fome nice Cafuifts thought fhe fhould, 
in Honour, have hanged herfelf. How agreeable foever 
thefe Practices are to the Creole Spaniards , yet they caufe 
an Inconvenience to Society ; for the Men are fo ferioufly 
taken up with thefe fort of Matters, that the Women in- 
grofs moft of their Time, and fpoil public Converfation. 
For this Reafon, there are no Taverns or Coftee-houfes fo 
that the Men are only to be met with at their Offices, or at 
Church. The fame Inconvenience, in a greater or lefs De- 
gree, attends this Propenfity to Gallantry, where-ever it pre- 
vails ; and may be juftly confidered as the Bane of Induftry, 
corrupting the Minds of both Sexes, and inftiliing the bafeft 
Principles of Indolence and Debauchery. 
1 o'. It is chiefly owing to this effeminate Difpofition, that 
all manly Exercifes, all ufeful Knowledge, and that noble 
Emulation, which infpirits Virtue, and keeps alive RefpeCt 
to the public Good, are un thought of here : For, as there 
is naturally a great Mixture of Phlegm and Stubbornnefs 
in Spanifh Conftitutions, fo whatever fettles amongft them 
into a Cuftom, obtains the Force of an inviolable Law ; 
and, however abfurd, however contrary to Religion or 
Virtue, however noxious to Society, or fatal to private 
Peace, is not to be rooted out y Art or Force. The 
A muft- 
