ca from 30. to 34. degrees.

Moreouer, Doctor Monardus, that excellent phisition of Civill, writinge of
the trees of the West Indies in his booke called Joyfull Newes out of the
New founde worlde,(53) maketh mention of a tree called Sassafras, which
the Frenchmen founde in Florida, fol. 46 of his booke, in manner
followinge: From the Florida they bringe a woodde and roote of a tree that
groweth in those partes, of greate vertues and excellencies, healinge
therewith grevous and variable deseases. It may be three yeres paste that
I had knowledge of this tree, and a Frenche man that had bene in those
partes shewed me a pece of yt, and tolde me marvells of the vertues
thereof, and howe many and variable diseases were healed with the water
which was made of it, and I judged that, which nowe I doe finde to be true
and have seene by experience. He tolde me that the Frenchemen which had
bene in the Florida, at the time when they came into those partes had bene
sicke the moste of them of grevous and variable diseases, and that the
Indians did shewe them this tree, and the manner howe they shoulde vse yt,
&c; so they did, and were healed of many evills; which surely bringeth
admiration that one onely remedy shoulde worke so variable and marvelous
effectes. The name of this tree, as the Indyans terme yt, is called
Pauame, and the Frenchemen called it Sassafras. To be brefe, the Doctor
Monardus bestoweth eleven leaves in describinge the sovereinties and
excellent properties thereof.

The nature and comodities of the reste of the coaste unto Cape Briton I
will shewe unto you oute of the printed testymonies of John Verarsanus and
Stephen Gomes, bothe which in one yere, 1524, discovered the said
contries, and broughte home of the people; Verarsana into Ffraunce, and
Gomes into Spaine.

Verarsana, fallinge in the latitude of 34. degrees, describeth the
scituation and commodities in this manner: Beyonde this wee sawe the open
contrie risinge in heighte above the sandie shoare, with many faire
feeldes and plaines full of mightie greate wooddes, some very thicke and
some very thynne, replenished with divers sortes of trees, and plesaunte
and delectable to beholde as ys possible to ymagine. And your Majestie may
not thinke that these are like the wooddes of Hyrcinia, or the wilde
desertes of Tartaria, and the northerne coastes, full of fruteles trees;
but full of palme, date trees, bayes, and highe cypresses, and many other
sortes of tre