Chap. I. 
Amufements, therefore, that ferve to relax the Labours of much as they can, the Reports fpread of the Wealth and 
the Induftrious in other Countries, and yet keep alive the Value of thofe Countries. Upon the fame Principles, they 
Vigour and Activity of Body, and of Mind, are never give no fort of Encouragement to attempt penetrating in- 
known in Ptru ; and whoever fhould attempt to introduce to the Heart of South America , whence the beft Part of the 
them, would be confidered as an Innovator, which, among Riches of Peru is known to come ; the Mountains, which 
Spaniards , is a frightful Thing : Nor would they fuffer are at the Back of the Country, being extremely rich in 
themfelves to be convinced, that martial Exercifes, or lite- Gold; and the Regions on the other Side towards the 
rary Conferences, are preferable to Intrigues. They have. North Seas, known to be inhabited by Nations that have 
however, a fort of Playhoufe, where the young Gentlemen abundance of that valuable Metal'; though, for fear of be- 
and Students divert themfelves after their Fafhion ; for ing opprefted by th q Europeans, they conceal it as much 
what Performances they have in the Dramatical Way are fo as poffible. If this proceeded from a Maxim of true Po~ 
mean, that they are hardly worth mentioning, being Scrip- licy, viz. that of being content when they have enough, 
ture Stories interwoven with Romances, and, which is ft ill and applying themfelves to govern well what they already 
worfe, with Obfcenity. poffefs, it would be extremely commendable, and would 
It was at this Theatre, that two Englijhmen, of Monfieur certainly contribute to the Safety, Peace, and Continuance 
Martinet' s Squadron, fought a Prize a little before I came of their Empire in thofe Parts. But while it appears plainly, 
to Lima : They firft obtained Leave of the Viceroy toYx- from the Condubf? of their Viceroys and other Officers, that 
■ercife at the ufual Weapons ; and, after the Shew-day was they have nothing in View but accumulating Wealth, at the 
fixed, moft of the Time was taken up with preparatory Expence of thofe they fhould protebl, it is natural for the 
Ceremonies, to bring, as we phrafe it, an Houfe ; preceded People to wifti, that they would apply themfelves to Difco- 
by Beat of Drum, in their Holland Shirts and Ribbands, veries, which would afford the Governors means of make- 
faluting the Spectators at the Windows with a Flourifh of ing their Fortunes, without diftrefling fuch as are already 
the Sword ; fo that, by the extraordinary gallant manner of Subjects to the Crown of Spain. 
the Thing, the whole City came to fee the Trial of Skill : But, of all the Difcoveries that have ever been talked of 
Some gave Gold, but few very lefs than a Dollar : When amongft the Spaniards , that which has made the moftNoife, 
the Company, Male and Female, were clofe packed toge- is the Eland or Elands of Solomon. Thefe are fuppofed to 
ther, the Mailers mounted the Stage ; and, after the ufual be the fame with thofe difcovered by the famous Ferdinand 
Compliment, peculiar to the Engliflo Nation, of fhaking de Fhtiros : He reported them to be exceffively rich, as 
Hands before they fight, they retired in great Order, and well as extremely populous ; and defired, by repeated Me- 
ftood upon their Guard. Several Bouts were played with- morials, that he might be authorized, by the Crown of 
out much Wrath or Damage ; but the Defign of this Spain , to proceed in, and finifh that Difcovery ; but, as' all 
Meeting being more to get Money, than Cuts or Credit, his Inftances were neglebled, in the Space of a few Years 
one of the Mafters had the feafonable Fortune to receive a it became a Queftion, whether there really were any fuch 
Email Hurt on the Bread, which, having blooded his Shirt, Elands or not ; and the Treating this Matter as a Romance, 
began to make the Combat look terrible ; upon which the was, for fome time, a political Maxim with the Viceroys 
Company fearing, from fuch a dreadful Beginning, that the of Peru ; and perhaps, by degrees, the very wifeft People 
Zeal of the Champions might grow too warm, and con- in America would have been brought over to this Opinion ; 
ceiving, till they were reconciled, no Man in the Houfe but it fo happened, that, towards the latter End of ’the laft 
■was fafe, unanimoufty cried out Baft a , Baft, a, which figni- Century, fuch Difcoveries were made as to the Reality of 
Bes Enough , Enough ; and fo the Houfe broke .up. The thefe Elands, that Don Alvaro de Miranda was fent in the 
Sailors, finding this a better Prize than any they ever met Year 1695. upon difcovering them, in which he mifcar- 
■ with at Sea, humbly befought his Excellency to grant them ried ; but, in the Search, met with four Hands, between 7 
a Licence for another Trial of Skill ; but the Viceroy, and and io° of South Latitude, wonderfully rich and pleafant ; 
all the People, were againft it, from a religious Objebhon the Inhabitants of which were a better looking People, and 
that could never be got over ; and that was, left the Eel- far more civilized, than any of the Indians upon the Com 
lows fhould kill one another, and die without Abfolution. tinent. This occafioned a good deal of Difcourfe at that 
One cannot help obferving, when fo fair an Opportunity time ; but the Difturbances that followed foon after, took 
offers, that the public Diverfions of any Place always up Peoples Thoughts to fuch a degree, that all Hopes of 
Ih'ew the Temper of a People ; whence appears the Danger finding, or even endeavouring to find, thefe happy Elands, 
of introducing, under the Notion of Elegance, the Amufe- were intirely laid afide. ~ 
ments of a dejebied or an effeminate Nation, becaufe, in Yet, while I was in Peru , this Attempt was renewed 
time, they every- where produce the fame Effects ; that is again, though to very little Purpofe, by an odd Accident, 
to lay, tney mould thofe, amongft whom they are introduced. Before I enter upon this, I muft be obliged to fay fomething 
into the fame Temper with thofe from whom they are de- of the Perfon employed in the Difcovery : Among the reft 
rived ; and I dare fay, if Gallantry prevailed here as much of the French Traders or Interlopers, that were deftroyed 
as in P eru , we fhould foon grow as much out of Love by Martinet ' s Squadron, there was one Mr. Phaylet , with 
with Prize-fighting, and with whatever elfe had any Affi- whom I was well acquainted .at Lima, who loft all his Effebts: 
nity with Labour or Danger, as they : 'So natural it is. But even this hard Ufage could not drive him out of Peru ; 
for the Love of Pleafure to daftardize the very braveft he came thither to make a Fortune, and he did not, by any 
People. ^ means, care to return home a Beggar. He had formerly 
1 1 . A further Inftance we have of this Deficiency of commanded feveral good Ships, and was an expert Artift. 
Spirit in the Spaniards , from their Careleffnefs with refpebt He offered his Service to the Government, and this Offer 
to thofe Countriesand Elands yetundifcovered, in the Neigh- of his was very kindly received. The firft Affair of Import- 
bourhood of their vaft Dominions in America ; notwithftand- ancein which he was employed, was an Expedition to the 
ing the Affurances they have had, that fome of thefe Coun- Ifland of Juan Fernandez , in order to find there the Bottle, 
tries are richer, and of much greater Confequence, than thofe with the Inftruclions, which Captain Clipperton left behind 
they have already conquered or fettled. The firft Spanijh him for Captain Shelvocke , when, in purfuance of his In- 
Governors of Mexico and Peru were not of this indolent ftruclions, he touched at that Ifland, and cruifed in its 
and unafpiring I emper ; but bellowed great Care and Pains Neighbourhood for a Month. Of this the Viceroy was in* 
m endeavouring to obtain the moft perfebt Knowledge pof- formed by one of Clipperton ' s Men, that was taken Pri . 
lible of the Places bordering upon thofe under their refpec- foner ; which Information immediately produced a Refolu- 
tive Governments ; but now that generous Thrift of Fame tion to fend for thofe Inftrublions, in order to prevent the 
is abfolutely extinguiflied, and the Spanifto Governors, in- Englifto Privateers from joining ; and a more proper Man 
ftead of aiming at new Difcoveries, content themfelves for fuch an Expedition could riot have been found than Mr. 
with plundering their Fellow-fubjebls, that are fettled in the Phaylet , who, in point of Ingenuity and Prabtice, was a 
old. . The Regions which lie North of the Kingdom of much more capable Man than moft in the Spanifto Service. 
Mexico , are known to abound with Silver, precious Stones, This Circumftance of fending for the Battle is the moft au- 
and other rich Commodities ; yet the Spaniards not only thentic Teftimony that can poffibly be expebledto the Truth 
decline their Conquefts on that Side, but difeourage, as of Playlet's Journal, and the Hiftory already given of Clip- 
Numb, 17. /r ' perton'% 
Captain B e t a g h. 
