Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/449

 indeuour to saue our selues, which it pleased God so to blesse, that in the ende we cleared our selues most happily of the danger.

We lighted our ship vpon the rockes of 3. tunne of cloues, 8. peeces of ordinance, and certaine meale and beanes, and then the winde (as it were in a moment by the speciall grace of God) changing from the starreboord to the larboord of the ship, we hoised our sailes, and the happy gale droue our ship off the rocke into the sea againe, to the no litle comfort of all our hearts for which we gaue God such prayse and thanks, as so great a benefite required.

The 8. of Februarie following, wee fell with the fruitfull Island of Barateue, hauing in the meane time suffered many dangers by windes and shoalds. The people of this Island are comely in body and stature, and of a ciuill behauiour, iust in dealing, and courteous to strangers, whereof we had the experience sundry wayes, they being most glad of our presence, and very ready to releeue our wants in those things which their Countrey did yeelde. The men goe naked; sauing their heads and priuities, euery man hauing something or other hanging at their eares. Their women are couered from the middle downe to the foote, wearing a great number of bracelets vpon their armes, for some had 8. vpon each arme, being made some of bone, some of horne, and some of brasse, the lightest whereof by our estimation waied two ounces apeece.

With this people linnen-cloth is good marchandize, and of good request, whereof they make rols for their heads, and girdles to weare about them.

Their Island is both rich and fruitfull: rich in golde, siluer, copper, and sulphur, wherein they seeme skilfull and expert, not onely to trie the same, but in working it also artificially into any forme and fashion that pleaseth them.

Their fruits be diuers and plentifull, as nutmegs, ginger, ong pepper, lemmons, cucumbers, cocos, figu, sagu, with diuers other sorts: and among all the rest, wee had one fruite, in bignesse, forme, and huske, like a Bay berry, hard of substance, and pleasant of taste, which being sodden, becommeth soft, and is a most good and wholsome victuall, whereof we tooke reasonable store, as we did also of the other fruits and spices: so that to confess a trueth, since the time that we first set out of our owne Countrey of England,