[The description of Brasill.]
Brasill is accounted to be that part of America, which lyeth towards our
north sea, betwixt the river of the Amazons, neere the lyne to the
northwards, untill a man come to the river of Plate in thirty-six
degrees to the southwards of the lyne.
This coast generally lyeth next of any thing south and by west; it is a
temperate countrie, though in some parts it exceedeth in heat; it is
full of good succors for shipping, [Its havens.] and plentifull for
rivers and fresh waters; the principal habitations are, Farnambuca, the
Bay De todos los Santos, Nostra Senora de Victoria, alias Santos, the
river Ienero, Saint Vincents, and Placentia; every of them provided of a
good port. The winds are variable, but for the most part trade[140]
along the coast.
[Its commodities.]
The commodities this country yeeldeth, are the wood called Brasill,[141]
whereof the best is that of Farnambuc; (so also called, being used in
most rich colours) good cotton-wooll, great store of sugar, balsamon,
and liquid amber.
[Its wants.]
They have want of all maner of cloth, lynnen, and wollen, of iron, and
edge-tools, of copper, and principally in some places, of wax, of wine,
of oyle, and meale (for the country beareth no corne), and of all maner
of haberdashery-wares, for the Indians.
[The bestiall thereof.]
The beasts that naturally breed in this country are, tygers, lyons,
hoggs, dogges, deere, monkeyes, mycos, and conies (like unto ratts, but
bigger, and of a tawney colour), armadilloes, alagartoes, and store of
venemous wormes and serpents, as scorpions, adders, which they call
vinoras; and of them, one kind, which the divine Providence hath created
with a bell upon his head, that wheresoever he goeth, the sound of it
might be heard, and so the serpent shunned; for his stinging is without
remedie. This they call the vynora with the bell; of them there are
many, and great stores of snakes, them of that greatnesse, as to write
the truth, might seeme fabulous.
[The discommodities.]
Another worm there is in this country, which killed many of the first
inhabitants, before God was pleased to discover a remedie for it, unto a
religious person; it is like a magot, but more slender, and longer, and
of a greene colour, with a red head; this worme creepeth in at the
hinder parts, where is the evacuation of our superfluities, and there,
as it were, gleweth himselfe to the gutt, there feedeth of the bloud and
humors, and becommeth so great, that stopping the naturall passage, he
forceth the principall wheele of the clocke of our bodie to stand still,
and with it the accompt of the houres of life to take end, with most
cruell torment and paine, which is such, that he who hath beene
throughly punished with the collique can quickly decipher or
demonstrate. The antidote for this pernicious worme is garlique; and
this was discovered by a physitian to a religious person.