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A New Survey of the Weft-Indies.
tôt
journey.   And truly my Don ( quoth I)  your own Count  hath anfwered for me j
yet I fay, the Englifi are fo far  from going bare-foot, that they go booted, and
are all in areadinefleto move out of England for any noble and generous defigne; but
above all they are ftill ready for America, where they know is ftore and abundance
of Hides to make them Bootes to cover the barenneffe of their legs, that they may
not be flifpeded to be like bare-footed Indians.    Here Don Melchor replyed, I pray
fir, when they come by Sea to -thefe parts doe they come alfo booted  and  four*
red?    For I fhould think, when they fight, their fpurs fhould hinder them,    To
this his doubt I anfwered firft, as concerning fpurres in the fhips, with the example
of one of his own Nation, and of the belt Divines in Spain, living in my time in
Valladolid, called Maeftro Nunno,   (Reader of Divinity in the Colledge of St. Gre-'
gorie, but in his carriage and experience in the World a fimple noddy) who being
invited by a Noble man to go with him in his Coach out of the City a mile or two
to a garden  of recreation,. wénf haflily about the  Colledge to borrow  boots and
fpurs ; and when he had put them on, being asked whither he went, and why he put on
boots and fpurs, anfwered that he was to go in a Coach out ofthe City, and that he
thought the Coach and Mules would want fpurs to go and come the fooner. Even fo my
D<w(quoth I) the Englifi men come booted and fpurred in their fhips,to make their fhips
fail on the fwifter. And this is the reafon why the Englifi fhips fail falter, and when they
are in fight turn about quicker then a Spanifi Galeon,becaufe they are fpurred and kicked
within.  O fir, I humbly thank you (faid Don Melchor) for that by your difcourfe now I
know the truth of what indeed I have often heard fay, that the Englifh fhips are
nimbler, and quicker at Sea then our heavy Galeons.   Now as for fighting the Englifh
mens fpurs (faid I) are no hinderance to them, but rather a great advantage. For they
fight with weapons, with their hands and with their feet, wherein they exceed the
'"Spaniards; for when they have fhot With their pieces, or cut down with their fwords
any enemy, or knocked him with their holbards, then With their feet and fpurs, they
fall upon him, and fo foon rid him out of the Way, that he may no more rife up
againft them.   All you have told më ( faid the wife Velazco ) 'Hands with  fo  much
reafon; that my judgment is convinced by you.   As for eating and facrificing one
another like the Indians (I told him) that the Englifi filled their bellies fo well with
fat Beef and Mutton, Fowles, Rabbits, Partridges and Pheafants, that, they had no
ftomach at all to mans flefh. And that truly for frixoles dreffed with garlick, that only
dainty difh was wanting in England-,and that for Garlick, three reafons moved the Engli(b
not to be lavifhing of that little they had ; firft, for fear they fhould want it for their
horfes drenches; fecondly> for that they felt not themfelves fo much troubled with the
wind, nor puffed up with windy and vain conceits as other nations did ; but thirdly and
chiefly they refrained from it among themfelves, that they might not fmell of it^ and that
by the fent and fmell of it afar off at Sea they might when they come to the Coaft of
America, fmell out a Spanifh fhip, and know it from ^Hollander.  Here my Don Melchor
fell into admiration, affuring me, he had never heard more folid reafons from any man.
Alas poor Criolian of Chiapa (thought I) if I had fpoken fenfe, thy fhallow brain
had not been able to have leaped over it, but after non-fenfe thou art eafily carried a-
way. As for his laft queftion, I told him that was above my reach, for that poor Fryers
ought not to meddle with women, neither had my mother ever told me how long
fhe went with  me.   But however if Donna Angela would tell me how long fhe
went with her children, I would by the conftellations ofthe Heavens fearch out againft
our next meeting, how long the Englifi women went with their children.   To this my
Don Melchor anfwered that he would not trouble me to ftudy what he thought was not
belonging to my profeffion; but he knew that if I would ftudy that or any other hard
and difficult point, I could give him more and better fatisfadion then any fcholar in
that City.
And thus (Reader) by this Don Melchors wit and ability would I have thee judge of
the Gentlemen Criolians or natives of Chiapa; andyèt as prefumptuous they are and
arrogant, asifthenobleftbloudin the Court of Madrid ran through their veinés. Ic
is a common thing amongft them to make a dinner only with a difh of Frixoles in black
broath boiled with pepper and garlick, faying it is the moft nourifhing meat in all
the India's; and after this fo ftately a dinner they will be fure to come out to the ftreet-:
dore of their houfes to fee and to be feen, and there for half an hour will they ftand;
K %                                     fluking