Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/172

 haue taken paines to get the same; but they being souldiers, desired to liue by the sweat of other mens browes: for while they had peace with the Floridians, they had for sufficient, by weares which they made to catch the same: but when they grew to warres, the Floridians tooke away the same againe, and then would not the Frenchmen take the paines to make any more.

The ground yeeldeth naturally grapes in great store, for in the time that the Frenchmen were there, they made 20 hogsheads of wine. Also it yeeldeth roots passing good, Deere maruellous store, with diuers other beasts, and fowle, seruiceable to the vse of man. These be things wherewith a man may liue, hauing corne or maiz wherewith to make bread: for maiz maketh good sauory bread, and cakes as fine as flowre. Also it maketh good meale, beaten and sodden with water, and eateth like pap wherewith we feed children. It maketh also good beuerage, sodden in water, and nourishable; which the Frenchmen did vse to drinke of in the morning, and it assuageth their thirst, so that they had no need to drinke all the day after.

And this maiz was the greatest lacke they had, because they had no labourers to sowe the same, and therefore to them that should inhabit the land it were requisite to haue labourers to till and sowe the ground: for they hauing victuals of their owne, whereby they neither rob nor spoile the inhabitants, may liue not onely quietly with them, who naturally are more desirous of peace then of warres, but also shall haue abundance of victuals proferred them for nothing: for it is with them as it is with one of vs, when we see another man euer taking away from vs, although we haue enough besides, yet then we thinke all too little for our selues: for surely we haue heard the Frenchmen report, and I know it by the Indians, that a very little contenteth them: for the Indians with the head of maiz rosted, will trauell a whole day, and when they are at the Spanyards finding, they giue them nothing but sodden herbs and maiz: and in this order I saw threescore of them feed, who were laden with wares, and came fifty leagues off.

The Floridians when the trauell, haue a kinde of herbe dried, who with a cane and an earthen cup in the end, with fire, and the dried herbs put together, doe sucke thorow the cane the smoke thereof, which smoke satisfieth their hunger, and there