Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/233

Rh "The Vines which afford those excellent Wines, grow all about the Island within a Mile of the Sea, such as are planted farther up are nothing efteem'd, neither will they thrive in any of the other Islands.

"For the Guanchios or antient Inhabitants he gives this full Account.

"September the third, about twelve Years since, he took his Journey from Guimar (a Town inhabited for the most Part by such as derive themselves from the old Guanchios) in the Company of some of them, to view their Caves and the Bodies buried in them. This was a Favour they seldom or never permit to any (having in great Veneration the Bodies of their Ancestors, and likewise being most extremely against any Molestation of the Dead) but he had done several eleemosynary Cures amongst them (for they are generally very poor, yet the poorest thinks himself too good to marry with the best Spaniard) which indeared him to them exceedingly; otherwise it is Death for any Stranger to visit these Caves or Bodies.

"These Bodies are sowed up in Goat-skins with Thongs of the same, with very great Curiosity, particularly in the incomparable Exactness and Evenness of the Seams, and the Skins are made very loose and fit to the Body. Most of these Bodies are intire, the Eyes closed, Hair on the Head, Ears, Nofe, Teeth, Lips, Beard, all perfect, only discoloured and a little shrivel'd, likewise the Pudenda of both Sexes; He saw about three or four hundred in several Caves, some of them are standing, others lie on Beds of Wood, so hardned by an Art they had (which the Spaniards call Curar, to cure a piece of Wood) as Rh