Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/57

 and is distant from the Cape of Buena Esperança betweene 5. and 6. hundreth leagues.

The same day about two or three of the clocke in the afternoone wee went on shore, where wee found a marueilous faire and pleasant valley, wherein diuers handsome buildings and houses were set vp, and especially one which was a Church, which was tyled and whited on the outside very faire, and made with a porch, and within the Church at the vpper end was set an altar, whereon stood a very large table set in a frame hauing in it the picture of our Saviour vpon the Crosse and the image of our Lady praying, with diuers other histories curiously painted in the same. The sides of the Church were all hanged with stained clothes hauing many deuises drawen in them.

There are two houses adioyning to the Church, on each side one, which serue for kitchins to dresse meate in with necessary roomes and houses of office: the couerings of the said houses are made flat, whereon is planted a very faire vine, and through both the saide houses runneth a very good and holsome streame of fresh water.

There is also right ouer against the saide Church a faire causey made up with stones reaching vnto a valley by the seaside, in which valley is planted a garden, wherein grow great store of pompions and melons: And vpon the saide causey is a frame erected whereon hange two bells wherewith they ring to Masse; and hard vnto it is a Crosse set vp, which is squared, framed and made very artificially of free stone, whereon is carued in cyphers what time it was builded, which was in the yeere of our Lord 1571.

This valley is the fairest and largest lowe plot in all the yland, and it is marveilous sweete and pleasant, and planted in euery place either with fruite trees, or with herbes. There are fig trees, which bear fruit continually, and marueilous plentifully: for on euery tree you shal haue blossoms, greene figs, and ripe figs, all at ones: and it is so all the yere long: the reason is that the yland standeth so neere the Sunne.

There be also great store of lymon trees, orange trees, pomegranate trees, pomecitron trees, date trees, which beare fruite as the fig trees do, and are planted carefully and very artificially with very pleasant walkes vnder and between them, and the said walkes bee ouershadowed with the leaues of the trees: and in euery voyde place is planted parceley, sorell, basill, fenell,