The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part IIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part II
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Ovr Captaine considering our estate (and how that sicknesse was encreased
and hot amongst vs) one day went foorth of the Forte, and walking vpon the
yce, hee saw a troupe of those Countreymen comming from Stadacona, among
which was Domagaia, who not passing ten or twelue dayes afore, had bene
very sicke with that disease, and had his knees swolne as bigge as a
childe of two yeres old, all his sinews shrunke together, his teeth
spoyled, his gummes rotten, and stinking. Our Captaine seeing him whole
and sound, was thereat maruellous glad, hoping to vnderstand and know of
him how he had healed himselfe, to the end he might ease and help his men.
So soone as they were come neere him, he asked Domagaia how he had done to
heale himselfe: he answered, that he had taken the juice and sappe of the
leaues of a certain Tree, and therewith had healed himselfe: For it is a
singular remedy against that disease. Then our Captaine asked of him if
any were to be had thereabout, desiring him to shew him, for to heale a
seruant of his, who whilest he was in Canada with Donnacona, was striken
with that disease: That he did because he would not shew the number of his
sicke men. Domagaia straight sent two women to fetch some of it, which
brought ten or twelue branches of it, and therewithall shewed the way how
to vse it, and that is thus, to take the barke and leaues of the sayd
tree, and boile them togither, then to drinke of the sayd decoction euery
other day, and to put the dregs of it vpon his legs that is sicke:
moreouer, they told vs, that the vertue of that tree was, to heale any
other disease: the tree is in their language called Ameda or Hanneda, this
is thought to be the Sassafras tree. (M151) Our Captaine presently caused
some of that drink to be made for his men to drink of it, but there was
none durst tast of it, except one or two, who ventured the drinking of it,
only to tast and proue it; the other seeing that did the like, and
presently recovered their health, and were deliuered of that sickenes, and
what other disease soeuer, in such sorte, that there were some had bene
diseased and troubled with the French Pockes foure or fiue yeres, and with
this drinke were cleane healed. After this medicine was found and proued
to be true, there was such strife about it, who should be first to take
it, that they were ready to kill one another, so that a tree as big as any
Oake in France was spoiled and lopped bare, and occupied all in fiue or
sixe daies, and it wrought so wel, that if all the phisicians of
Mountpelier and Louaine had bene there with all the drugs of Alexandria,
they would not haue done so much in one yere, as that tree did in sixe
dayes, for it did so preuail, that as many as vsed of it, by the grace of
God recouered their health.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account