The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
They haue very faire wheate, the eare whereof is two handfuls in length,
and as bigge as a great Bulrush, and almost foure inches about where it is
biggest. The stemme or straw seemeth to be almost as bigge as the litle
finger of a mans hand, or litle lesse. The graines of this wheate are as
big as our peason, round also, and very white, and somewhat shining, like
pearles that haue lost their colour. Almost all the substance of them
turneth into floure, and maketh little bran or none. I told in one eare two
hundred and threescore graines. The eare is inclosed in three blades longer
than it selfe, and of two inches broad a piece. And by this fruitfulnes the
Sunne seemeth partly to recompence such griefes and molestations as they
otherwise receiue by the feruent heate thereof. It is doubtlesse a worthy
contemplation to consider the contrary effects of the sunne: or rather the
contrary passions of such things as receiue the influence of his beames,
either to their hurt or benefit. Their drinke is either water, or the iuise
that droppeth from the cut branches of the barren Date trees, called
Palmitos. For either they hang great gourdes at the said branches euery
euening, and let them so hang all night, or else they set them on the
ground vnder the trees, that the droppes may fall therein. They say that
this kinde of drinke is in taste much like vnto whey, but somewhat sweeter,
and more pleasant. They cut the branches euery euening, because they are
seared vp in the day by the heate of the Sunne. They haue also great beanes
as bigge as chestnuts, and very hard, with a shell in the stead of a huske.
Many things more might be saide of the maners of the people, and of the
wonders and monstrous things that are engendered in Africke. But it shall
suffice to haue saide this much of such things as our men partly sawe, and
partly brought with them.
And whereas before speaking of the fruit of graines, I described the same
to haue holes by the side (as in deede it hath, as it is brought hither)
yet was I afterward enfourmed, that those holes were made to put stringes
or twigges through the fruite, thereby to hang them vp to dry at the Sunne.
They grew not past a foote and a halfe, or two foote from the ground, and
are as red as blood when they are gathered. The graines themselues are
called of the Phisicions Grana Paradisi.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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