Pilgrimage, Book 5 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Of the Creatures, Plants, and Fruits in India.
OF the Elephant and Rhinoceros is alreadie spoken: and of diuers others of their beasts. The Elephant is of great vse both for Warre and Peace. When the keeper employeth him in any burthen, he getteth first on his necke, and putteth his feet vnderunder the beasts eares, hauing a hooke in his hand, which he sticketh aboue betweene his eares, where his stones lie: they binde the burthen with a rope, which at his keepers bidding he taketh in his mouth, and windeth it about his teeth, and so draweth the packe after him. The Elephants are said to keepe themselues chastly to one female, which is thought to bring forth in a yeare and halfe or two yeares. aChrist. Acosta in fine Linschot. lib.1.cap.46. Thomas Lopez; &c.Christophorus Acosta, Linschoten, and other moderne Authors, as also Aristotle, Pliny, Aelian and others of the Ancient, relate strange reports of the Elephant. For the Readers delight I will mention some. An Elephant being weary, hasted home; his keeper after much entreatie not preuailing, told him it was for the King of Portugalls seruice, which he would hauehave him doe: the beast answering hoo, hoo (which in the Malabar language signifieth I will, I will, as Acosta interpreteth) fulfilled his request. The same Elephant wanting his meat; his master said it was because his kettle wherein he vsed to boile it was broken, and therefore willed him to carry it to the Tinker; which he did, and brought it againe, but ill-mended: whereupon he was sent againe, and the Tinker to trie him, amended it worse. The Elephant carries it to the riuer which ranne by, to see if it would hold water, and finding it to runne, came back with great noise and anger: the Tinker entreats pardon, and at the third time doth it well; which yet the Elephant would not beleeue, till by triall he saw it held water, and then shewing it to the standers by that it would hold, carried it home. A souldiour hurled a Coco-shell at an Elephant: which (because he could not then repay it) put the shell in his mouth, and a few daies after seeing him in the street, at Cochin, he hurled the same out of his mouth at the souldiour againe. Another souldiour iniured the keeper of an Elephant, which would hauehave reuenged the wrong, but was forbidden by his said keeper: but after espying the souldiour, when his keeper was absent; he took him vp in his trunke & ducked him diuers times in the water, & then set him downe where he had taken him vp. They are very ambitious. One being vpbraided of lazines by his keeper, when as his burthen was too heauie for him to draw, and therefore they had brought another Elephant to help him; disdaining a companion, thrust him away, & drew himselfe dead in the place. Another in like case fell on his fore-legs, & wept at his keepers chiding, and although he admitted a cōpanion till the greater difficultie was ouercome, yet feeling it thē in his own power to draw, he put away the other Elephāt with his head & teeth, to recouer his credit. Of the admirable capacitie, gratitude, and other qualities of this beast, were tedious to recite. An ample testimony hereof, is the example of the King of Aua his Elephant before mentioned. Of the Rhinoceros I hauehave little further to say: as of other beasts tame & wilde, which Nature yeeldeth in other places as well as here.
As for fowles, they hauehave abundance of Parrots, & Noyras, more pleasing in beautie, speech and other delights then the Parrot, but cannot be brought out of that countrey aliue. Of Bats as bigge as Hennes, about Iaua and the neighbour Ilands, we hauehave alreadie spoken. Clusius bClus. Exot. lib. 5.cap.1.bought one, of the Hollanders, which they brought from the Iland of Swannes, Ilha do Cerne, newly stiled by them Maurice Iland; it was aboue a foote from the head to the taile, aboue a foot about, the wings one and twentie inches long, nine broad, the claw whereby it hung on the trees, was two inches, the pisle easily seene, &c. Heere cCap.4.they also found a fowle which they called Walgh-vogel, of the bignesse of a Swanne, and most deformed shape.
In dCap.3.Banda and other Ilands, the bird called Emia or Eme, is admirable. It is foure foot high, somewhat resembling an Ostrich, but hauing three clawes on the feet, and the same exceeding strong: it hath two wings rather to helpe it running, then seruiceable for flight: the legges great and long: they cDe Bry part.4. Ind.Or.say it hath no tongue, and that it putteth out the pisle backwards, as the Camell: that it deuoureth Oranges and Egges, rendring the same in the ordure, nothing altered.
Of the birds of Paradise, elsewhere is shewed the falsehood of that opinion, which conceiue them to want feet, whereas they goe as other birds, but being taken, the bodie (for the most part) together with the feet are cut off, and they being dried in the Sunne, is so hardened and closed, as if Nature had so formed them. This is testified by f…inerarium.A Pigaset. Holland. Nau.Pigafetta, and the Hollanders. Of this, Clusius in his Auctarium hath a large Discourse, shewing diuers kinds of them, a greater and a lesse: and saith that Iobin de Weely of Amsterdam sold one of them, which had feet, to the Emperour, 1605. But I would not herein be tedious. Of the birds and beasts of India, Acosta, Linschot…n, Cinsius, besides Gesner and others can informe the studious.
They hauehave Crowes so bold, that they will come flying in at the windowes, and take the meat out of the dish, as it standeth on the table before them that are set thereat: and are such vexatiō to the Bussles, that they are forced to stand in waters vp to the necks, that they may be rid of them. They hauehave Rats, which the Cats dare not touch, as big as yong Pigges, which vndermine the foundations of houses in such sort with their diggings, that they sometimes fall to the ground. There are other little red Rats, which smell like muske. Incredible is the scathe which they receiue in Goa by the Pismires, which with such huge multitudes will presently assaile any thing that is fatty, or to be eaten, that they are forced to set their cup-boords and chests, wherein are their victualls and apparell, with a woodden cisterne of water vnderunder eueryevery of their foure feete, and that in the middle of the roome. And if they forget to hauehave water in the cisterne, presently these Ants are all ouer, and in the twinckling of an eye (saith Linschoten) they will consume a loafe of bread. The like cisternes hauehave they for their beds and tables: and for the pearches wheron they set their Canary birds, which els would be killed by Pismires, yea though it hung on a string frō the roofe of the house. The poorer sort which want cup-bords, hang their fragments in a cloth on the wall, hauing a circle of charcoales about it; with this wall to keepe out this small creature, and great enemy. There are other Ants almost a finger long, and reddish, which doe great harme to fruits and plants. Great is the harme which Moths and Wormes doe in mens cloths and bookes, which can very hardly be kept from them. But more hurtful is the Baratta, which flieth and is twice as bigge as a Bee, from which nothing almost can be kept close enough, and are to be esteemed as a plague among them like to the Pismires, and are commonly in all fat wares and sweet meats, and when they come vponupon apparell they leaue their staining egges behind.
The Salamander is said gIcones de Bry Ind. Or.p.rt.4.to be common in the Ile of Madagascar. Of Serpents hL.Vert.Lib.5.cap.22.they hauehave diuers kinds and very venemous, besides one other kind as big as a Swine, which is destitute of poison, & hurteth only by biting. But the superstitiō of the King of Calecut multiplieth their serpents. For he causeth cottages to be set vp to keep thē from the raine, and maketh it death to whomsoeuer that shall kill a Serpent or a Cow. They think Serpēts to be heauēly spirits, because they can so suddēly kil men. So much hath that old Serpēt, both at first & since, deluded mē by this venemous creature. There iAn. Galuano.are hogs with horns in the Moluccas…in Celebes & Mindanao are hogs, which bendes the teeth they hauehave in their mouthes, hauehave other two growing out of their snouts, and as many behind their eares of a large spanne and halfe in length.
Of fish they hauehave great plentie and varietie. They hauehave of Hayens or Tuberons which deuoure men, especially such as fish for pearles. And others bath themselues in cisternes, not daring to aduenture the riuers for them. Of fish-monsters like men, and like an hogge some write: and as monstrous is that, which Maffans kMaff. hist. Ind. lib.7.telleth of a Whale, which with the opposition of his huge bodie, stayed the course of a shippe sayling with eight other shippes into India, with so great a noise and shaking, as if they had fallen on a rocke. Neither could the windes, which filled the sailes, further her course. The Marriners, when they saw two elements of Wind and Current, so strongly encountring, looked out and saw this monster, with her finnes embracing the sides of the shippe, and enterlacing the sterne with her taile, applying her bodie to the keele, which contained about lAn hundred and fiue Dodrantes.eightie foot in length. They thought presently that some hellish fiend had beene sent to deuoure them; and consulting of remedie, at last sent out their Priest in his holy vestments, with crosses and exorcismes: who (like the greater diuell) preuailed with these weapons, and the Whale forsooke them without further hurt.
There are mLinsc.c.48.certaine fish-shells, like Scalop-shells, found on the shore; so great that two strong men with a leauer can scarse draw one of them after them. They hauehave fish within them. A shippe (called Saint Peter) fell vponupon sands, sailing from Cochin, and split. The men saued themselues, and of the wood of the old shippe built a Caruell, wherein to get to the Continent, but in the meane while were forced to make a sconse, and by good watch to defend themselues from certaine Crabbes of exceeding greatnesse, and in as great numbers, and of such force, that whomsoeuer they got vnderunder their clawes, it cost him his life, as two Marriners of the same shippe told mee.
Crabbes heere with vsus hauehave a sympathy with the Moone, and are fullest with her fulnes: in India there is a contrary antipathy, for at a full Moone they are emptiest.
They hauehave Oysters, in which the Pearles are found, which are fished for by duckers, that diue into the water, at least ten, twenty or thirty fathom. These men are naked, and hauehave a basket bound at their backes, which, being at the bottome, they rake full of Oysters and durt together, and then rise vp and put them into boats. They lay them after on the land, where the Sunne causeth, them to open, and then they take out sometime many, sometime few Pearles, as each Oyster yeeldeth, which is sometimes two hundred graines and more. The King hath one part; the souldiers, a second; the Iesuits, a third; and the fishers themselues the fourth: a small recompence for so great a danger, in which many men eueryevery fishing-time lose their liues. The Hollanders found Tortoises so great, that ten men might sit and dine within one of the shells.
Of their fruits, Ananas is reckoned nPaludanus.one of the best: In taste like an Apricocke, in shew a farre off, like an Artichoke, but without prickles, very sweet of sent. It was first brought out of the West-Indies hither. Iacas are bigger then the former, and grow out of the bodie of the tree: they are of many pleasant tastes, but hard, to digest. Of Mangas there are three forts, they are as bigge as goose egges. The first sort hath stones, which the second wanteth. The third is poison so deadly, that yet no remedie hath beene found against it. Of the like bignesse is the Caions, of which, of the Iambos, Iangomas, Carambolas, Iambolij…s, Papaios, &c. I leaue to speake, as not writing an Indian Herball, but onelyonly minding to mention such things, which, besides their countrey, hauehave some varietie of nature, worthie the obseruation. For the rest, Garcias ab Horto translated by Carolus Cl…sius, Paludanus, Linschoten, Christophorus, Acosta writing particularly of these things) and others in their generall Herballs, may acquaint you.
Of this sort is the Indian Fig-tree; if it may may be called a tree, which is not aboue a mans height, and within like to a reed, without any woodie substance: it hath leaues a fathom long, and three spans broad, which open and spread abroad on the top of it, It yeeldeth the fruit in fashion of the clusters of grapes, & beareth but one bunch at once, containing some two hundred figges at least, which being ripe, they cut the whole tree downe to the ground, leauing only the root, out of which presently groweth another, and within a monethmonth after beareth fruit, and so continueth all the yeare long. They are the greatest sustenance of the countrey, and are of very good taste, and smell, and in those parts men beleeue that Adam first transgressed with this fruit.
But of greater admiration is the oOf this, besides Linschoten see Garcias Hort…. with Clusius notes. Ex…t lib.7.c.26.Coquo-tree, being the most profitable tree in the world, of which in the Ilands of Maldiua they make and furnish whole shippes: so that (saue the men themselues) there is nothing of the shippe or in the shippe, neither tackling, merchandize, or ought else but what this tree yeeldeth. The tree groweth high and slender, the wood is of a spungie substance, easie to be sowed, when they make vessells thereof, with cords made of Cocus. For this nut (which is as bigge as an Estridge egge) hath two sorts of huskes, as our Walnuts, whereof the vppermost is hairy (like hempe) whereof they make Occam and Cordage, of the other shell they make drinking-cuppes. The fruit, when it is almost ripe, is full of water within; which by degrees changeth into a white harder substance, as it ripeneth. The liquor is very sweet, but with the ripening groweth sowre. The liquor extracted out of the tree is medicinable; and if it stand one houre in the Sunne, it is very good vineger, which being distilled, yeeldeth excellent Aqua-vitae, and wine. Of it also they make, by setting it in the Sunne, Sugar. Of the meat of the nut dried, they make oyle. Of the pith or heart of the tree, is made paper for bookes and euidences. Of the leaues they make couerings for their houses, mattes, tents, &c. Their apparell, their firing, and the rest of the commodities which this tree (more plentifull in the Indies, then willowes in the Low-Countries) yeeldeth, would be too tedious to recite. They will keepe the tree from bearing fruit, cutting away the blossomes, and then will hang some vessell thereat, which receiueth frō thence that liquor, of which you hauehave heard. It is the Canarijns liuing, & they wil clime vp these trees, which yet hauehave no boughes, but on the top, like apes. This tree hath also a continuall succession of fruits, and is neuer without some.
No lesse wonder doth that tree pClusius describeth this tree out of the Relations of Pliny lib. 12. Curtius lib. 9. Strab…. l.5. Theophrastus lib.4. and mentioneth like kinds (if not the same) out of Lopez de Ca…agneda lib.7. Oustdo lib.6. Lope… or Piga… of Congo, &c. clus. Exet. lib.I.cap I.cause, which is called Arbore derais, or the tree of roots: Clusius calleth it (by Plinies authoritie) the Indian fig-tree: and Goropius (with more confidence, then reason) affirmeth it to be the tree of Adams transgression. It groweth out of the ground, as other trees, and yeeldeth many boughes, which yeeld certaine threads of the colour of gold, which growing downewards to the earth, doe there take roote againe, making as it were new trees, or a wood of trees, couering by this meanes the best part sometimes of a mile: in which the Indians make galleries to walke in: The figs are like the common, but not so pleasant.
The Arbore triste qGarcias ab Horto lib. …. c.1. C. Acosta.c. 37. saith it growes most in Malabar.deserueth mention: It growes at Goa, brought thither (as is thought) from Malacca: The Hollanders saw one at Acri in Samatra. In the day-time and at Sunne setting, you shall not see a flower on it: but within halfe an houre after, it is full of flowers, which at the Sunne-rising fall off; the leaues shutting themselues from the Sunnes presence, and the tree seeming as if it were dead.
And that yee may know the Indians want not their Metamorphoses and Legends, they tell that a man, named Parisatico, had a daughter, with whom the Sunne was in louelove; but lightly forsaking her, he grew amorous of another: whereupon this Damosell slew her selfe, and of the ashes of her burned carcasse came this tree.
Bettele rThe Plant Bettele.is a leafe somewhat like a Bay-leafe, and climeth like Iuie, and hath no other fruit: neither is any fruit more in vse then these leaues: at bed and boord, and in the streets as they passe, they chew these leaues; and in their gossippings or visiting of their friends, they are presently presented with them; and eate them with Arecca, which is a kinde of Indian nut. It saueth their teeth from diseases, but coloureth them as if they were painted with blacke bloud. When they chew it, they spit out the iuice, and it is almost the onelyonly exercise of some, which thinke they could not liue, if they should abstaine one day from it.
They hane an hearbe called Dutro…, which causeth distraction, without vnderstanding any thing done in a mans presence: sometimes it maketh a man sleep as if he were dead the space of foure and twentie houres, except his feete bee washed with cold water, which restoreth him to himselfe; and in much quantity it killeth. The women giuegive their husbands thereof, and then in their sights will prostitute their bodies to their lewder louers, and will call them Cornudo, stroking them by the beard: the husband sitting with his eyes open, grinning like a foole, and when he returneth to himselfe, knoweth nothing but that he hath slept.
Another strange hearbe is called Sentida, or feeling, for that if any passe by it, and toucheth it, or throweth sand or any thing else on it, presently it becommeth as if it were withered, and closeth the leaues; so continuing as long as the man standeth by; but so soone as he is gone, openeth fresh and faire: and touching it againe, it withereth as before.
But the strangest plant (for so may we terme it) is, that at Goa the hornes of beasts slaughtered are throwne together in one place, lest they should be occasion of indignation and reproch to any; the shewing or naming of a horne being there ominous. These hornes thus cast forth, after a certaine time, take roote, and the rootes grow two or three spannes in length.
Pepper (whereof there are diuers forts) groweth at the foot of Arecea, or some other tree, on which it climeth, as Bettele or Iuie; growing in bunches like grapes.
Cinamom sGarcias ab Horto.i.1.c.1….is the inner barke of a tree as big as an Oliue; with leaues like bay-leaues, and fruit like an Oliue: The drying of the barke maketh it roll together. Within three yeares after, the tree yeeldeth another barke, as before. In Seylon is the best. They of Ormuz call it Darchini, that is, wood of China: and selling it at Alexandria, call it tQuasi Amomum ex Sina delatum.Cinnamemum.
Ginger *Ginger.groweth like yong reeds, or Gladiolus, with a roote like a Lilly: it is plentifull in Malabar.
Cloues *Cloues.grow in the Moluccos on trees, like Bay-trees, yeelding blossomes, first white, then greene (at which time they yield the pleasantest smell in the world) and last of all red and hard which are the Cloues. They are so hot of nature, that if a paile or tub of water should stand in the chamber, when they clense them, or any vessell of wine or of her moisture, in two dayes the Cloues would sucke it out and drie it. The same nature is in the vnspunne silke of China.
The Nutmegge-tree, uNutmegs.is like a Peach or Peare-tree, and groweth most in Banda and Iaua. The fruit is like a Peach, the inner part whereof is the Nutmeg, which is couered and interlaced with the Mace or Flowre, and ouer that, is the fruit like a Peach, as I hauehave seene them conserued. When the fruit is ripe, the first and outermost part openeth, as it is with our Walnuts, then the Mace flourisheth in a faire red colour, which in the ripening becommeth yellow.
It were an endles…e peece of worke, and not so pertinent to our purpose, to speake of the rest of the spices, drugges, and fruits in India: These (as the rarest or cheese) I hauehave chosen so (as it were) to recreate our Reader with a walke, and howres-view in this Indian Garden, being before full cloyed with our tedious narrations of their superstitions. I might adde heere a discourse of Gemmes, as Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, &c. But it becommeth not my pouertie to talke so much of Iewels. The greatest vertue in any which I hauehave read of, was of that which Osorius xOsor. de Reb. Em.lib.7. …8.saith, would not suffer a droppe of bloud to fall from him that ware it, who yet, without losse of bloud, was flaine by a great wound: and this Iewell was lost by shippe-wracke, when it should hauehave beene sent to Portugall for a present to the King. He which had this Iewell, as called N…hodaheguea, a Prince of Samotra, which was killed in his shippe; and the Portugalls ri…ing him, found no bloud about him, till they had taken from him a chaine of gold, in which this stone was inclosed, and then hee bled freshly This stone is taken out of certaine beastes, which the Siamites call Cabrisias. The yBezar-stone.Bezar-stones are likewise taken out of the maw of a Persian or Indian Goat, which the Persians call Pa…r. And in the Countrey of Pan, by Malacca, they finde within the gall of an Hogge a stone, of greater force against poyson and other diseases, then that Pazar-stone. It is thought that these stones doeproceed of the pasture whereon these beasts feed. The Amber is found as well in other places as in India. Garcias zGarcias ab Horto. in Clus. Exot.lib.7.c.1.thinkes it to be the nature of the soile, as Chalke, Bole-armenike, &c. and not the seed of the Whale, or issuing from some fountaine in the sea, as others hold. Clusius tels a probable opinion of D. Marel, that it was an excrement gathered in the Whales belly.
Galmano *Discou.writeth of a small vermine in Sian, which cleaueth fast to the trunke of the Elephant, and thence sucketh out his bloud and life: his skull is so hard that it cannot be pierced with a hand-gun: and in his liuer is said to be the likenesse of men and women, and he which hath one of them about him, is safe from wounds by iron. He telleth of a tree in Mindanao; the one halfe whereof (which standeth towards the East) is a good remedie against poison: the Westerne halfe yeeldeth the strongest poyson in the world. There is a stone, on which whosoeuer sitteth, shall bee broken in his bodie.