The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Of those that lie towarde the Easte, some occupie brieding, and some do
not. Other dwellinge in the mershe and fennes vpon the riuers side: occupie
fisshing, and liue by the same all rawe. And thebettre to worcke their
feate, thei make them selues boates, of suche canes as growe ther, of a
wonderfull biggenes, So, that so muche of the cane as is betwixte ioyncte,
and ioyncte, is a iuste proportion of timbre for one of their boates.
These of all the other Indians, are appareilled in matte, made of a
certayne softe kinde of mere rushes. Which when they haue gathered out of
the floude, and sliced out in maner of lace: they brayde together muche
like oure figge fraile, or suche like kinde of mattinge, and make them
selues ierkins therof.
Those that be yet by Easte of them, are brieders of cataille: and liue
altogether with rawe fleshe, and haue to name Padians. Whose conditions are
sayde to be suche.
As often as it fortuneth any of their citezeins to besicke, yf it be a
manne: his nierest friendes, and those that are moste aboute him, kylle him
by and by, leaste (saye thei) his fleshe shoulde waxe worse. Yea, thoughe
he woulde dissemble the matier, and denie him self to be sicke, it boteth
not. For withoute pardon, they kille him, and make a feaste with him. If it
be a woman, looke how the menne did by the manne, so do the women by a
woman. Likewise do thei with bothe sortes, when thei waxe croked for age,
or become impotente: where broughte, what by the one meanes and the other,
none of them die for age.
Ther is another sorte of the Indians that kille no liuinge thing, ne
plante, nor sowe, nor builde house: but liue with herbes, and a certeine
sede whiche groweth there of the owne accorde, muche like vnto gromelle,
whiche thei gather with the cuppe or shelle that it groweth in, and so
seeth it, and eate it. If any of these falle sicke, he wandereth forthe
into some deserte place, and ther laieth him downe: no manne taking hede
either to his lieng or to his dienge.
All these Yndians that I nowe haue spoken of, in quenching of natures
heate, vse their women as secretly as beastes do their females.
These Yndians haue a kinde of sages, that the Griekes calle Gimnosophistæ,
whiche as the worde Sophista soundeth now, might merily be interpreted
briechelesse bablers. But as Sophista did signifie then, naked Sages: or to
giue one Grieke worde for a nother, naked Philosophres. These (as Petrarche
writeth) haunte the outemoste borders, and shadowie partes of that
countrie, wandering naked accordinge to their name, vp and downe, heather
and theather studienge, and searching the natures of thinges, the course of
the heauens, and the secretes of knowledge. Thei continue sometime al the
whole daye from the sonne rising, till his downe goinge: beholdinge the
same with stedfaste eye, neuer tourning away the heade (althoughe it be
ther moste feruently hote) searching and spienge aftre certaine secretes in
the body thereof.
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