, the misrule and riot that they keepe in those houses is very
great, for very wantonly they sport and dally togither, shewing whatsoever
God hath sent them. They are no men of great labour. They digge their
grounds with certaine peeces of wood, as bigge as halfe a sword, on which
ground groweth their corne, which they call Offici: it is as bigge as our
small peason: there is great quantitie of it growing in Bresill. (M142)
They haue also great store of Muske-milions, Pompions, Gourds, Cucumbers,
Peason and Beanes of euery colour, yet differing from ours. There groweth
also a certaine kind of herbe, whereof in Sommer they make great prouision
for all the yeere, making great account of it, and onely men vse of it,
and first they cause it to be dried in the Sunne, then weare it about
their neckes wrapped in a little beasts skinne made like a little bagge,
with a hollow peece of stone or wood like a pipe: then when they please
they make pouder of it, and then put it in one of the ends of the said
Cornet or pipe, and laying a cole of fire vpon it, at the other ende sucke
so long, that they fill their bodies full of smoke, till that it commeth
out of their mouth and nostrils, euen as out of the Tonnell of a chimney.
They say that this doth keepe them warme and in health: they neuer goe
without some of it about them. We ourselues haue tryed the same smoke, and
hauing put it in our mouthes, it seemed almost as hot as Pepper. The women
of that countrey doe labour much more then the men, as well in fishing
(whereto they are greatly giuen) as in tilling and husbanding their
grounds, and other things: as well the men as women and children, are very
much more able to resist cold then sauage beastes, for wee with our owne
eyes haue seene some of them, when it was coldest (which cold was extreme
raw and bitter) come to our ships starke naked going vpon snow and yce,
which thing seemeth incredible to them that haue not seene it. When as the
snow and yce lyeth on the ground, they take great store of wilde beasts,
as Faunes, Stags, Beares, Marterns, Hares and Foxes, with diuers other
sorts whose flesh they eate raw, hauing first dried it in the sunne or
smoke, and so they doe their fish. As farre foorth as we could perceiue
and vnderstand by these people, it were a very easie thing to bring them
to some familiaritie and ciuility, and make them learne what one would.
The Lord God for his mercies sake set thereunto his helping hand when he
s