PREFACE.

EW OF US adequately realize the immense Literature which has descended to us from our ancestors. Generation after generation has passed away; each of which has produced (in the order of its own thought, and with the tuition of its inherited or acquired experience)

many a wise, bright, or beautiful thing: which having served its own brief day, has straightway passed away into utter forgetfulness, there to remain till Doomsday; unless some effort like the present, shall restore it to the knowledge and enjoyment of English-reading peoples.

This Collection is to gather, for the gratification of this and future Ages, a vast amount of incomparable poesy and most stirring prose; which hardly any one would imagine to be in existence at all. Of many of the original impressions there survive but one or two copies, and these often are most difficult of access; so that it is not too much to say of the following contents as a whole, that they have never hitherto come within the ken of any single English

scholar.

The reader must be prepared often to find most crude and imperfect theories or beliefs, which later experience has exploded, mixed up with most important facts or allusions as to the times, manners, or customs of the period then under illustration: leaving to us the obligation to reject the one, and to receive the other.

Many of the following books and tracts are the original materials out of which modern historians have culled the most graphic touches of their most brilliant pages. In fact, the Series is, in regard to much of its prose, a Study on a large scale of detached areas of English history; and stands in the same relation to the general national Story, as a selected Collection of Parish Maps would do to the Ordnance Survey of English land.

[HAKLUYT. Voyages. 1589.] A notable Discourse of Master JOHN CHILTON, touching the people, manners, mines, cities, riches, forces, and other memorable things of the West Indias; seen and noted by himself in the time of his travels, continued in those parts the space of seventeen or eighteen years.

These travels, which also refer to Sir JOHN HAWKINS's disaster at San Juan de Ulua, conclude our series of pieces relating to the first English residents in Mexico and the West Indies.

12 CHILTON'S ARRIVAL AT VERA CRUZ. [J. Chilton.

N THE year of our Lord 1561, in the month of July, I, JOHN CHILTON, went out of this city of London into Spain; where I remained for the space of seven years: and from thence, I sailed into New Spain, and so travelled there, and by the South Sea [Pacific] into Peru, the space of seventeen or eighteen years.

After that time expired, I returned into Spain; and so, in the year 1586, in the month of July, I arrived at the foresaid city of London: where perusing the notes which I had taken in the time of my travel in those years, I have set down, as followeth.

In the year 1568, in the month of March, being desirous to see the world, I embarked myself in the Bay of Cadiz, in Andalusia, in a ship bound for the isles of the Canaries; where she took in her lading, and set forth from thence for the voyage, in the month of June the same year.

Within a month after, we fell with the isle of Santo Domingo; and from thence, sailing directly to New Spain, we came into the port of San Juan de Ulua [about two months before HAWKINS's arrival at the same port on September 16, 1568: see Vol. V. p. 221, and the following description probably describes the island as Sir JOHN found it]: which is a little island standing in the sea, about two miles [?] from the land: where the King maintaineth about 50 soldiers, and Captains, that keep the forts; and about 150 Negroes, who, all the year long, are occupied in carrying stone for building and other uses, and to help to make fast the ships that come in there with their cables. There are two Bulwarks [batteries], at each end of a wall, that standeth likewise in the said island; where the ships use [are accustomed ] to ride, made fast to the said wall with their cables; so near, that a man may leap ashore.

From this port, I journeyed by land to a town called Vera Cruz, standing by a river's side: where all the Factors of the Spanish merchants dwell, which receive the goods of such ships as come thither; and also lade the same with such treasure and merchandize as they return back into Spain.

They are in number, about 400: who only remain here during the time that the Spanish Fleet dischargeth and is ladened again; which is from the end of August, to the beginning of April following: and then, for the unwholesomeness of the place, they depart thence sixteen miles further up within the country, to a town called Xalapa [see Vol. V. p. 301], a very healthful soil.

There is never any woman delivered of child in this town; for so soon as they perceive themselves conceived with child, they get them up into the country, to avoid the peril of the infected air: although they use [are accustomed ], every morn. ing, to drive through the town, about 2,000 head of cattle, to take away the ill vapours of the earth.

From Xalapa, seven leagues, I came to another place named Perota; wherein are certain houses built of straw, called by the name of Ventz: the inhabitants whereof are Spaniards, who accustom to harbour such travellers as are occasioned to journey that way, up into the land. It standeth in a great wood of pine and cedar trees; the soil being very cold, by reason of store of snow, which lieth on the mountains there, all the year long. There are in that place, an infinite number of deer, of highness like unto great mules, having also horns of great length.

From Perota, nine leagues, I came to the fo[u]nts of Ozumba; which fo[u]nts are springs of water issuing out of certain rocks into the midst of the highway: where likewise are certain ranges; and houses for the uses before mentioned.

Eight leagues off, from this place, I came to the City of Angels [Puebla de los Angeles], so called by that name, of the Spaniards; who inhabit there to the number of 1,000, besides a great number of Indians. This city standeth in very plain fields, having near adjoining to it many sumptuous cities: as, namely, the city of Tlascala, a city of. 200,000 Indians, tributary to the King [of Spain]; although he exacteth no other tribute of them than a handful of wheat a piece, which amounteth to 13,000 hannegas [2,600 English Quarters] yearly, as appeareth by the King's Books of Account. And the reason why he contenteth himself with this tribute only from them, is because they were the occasion that he took the city of Mexico: with which, the Tlascalans had war at the same time that the Spaniards came into the country.

14 THE MEXICAN INDIANS TAXED AT 12S. EACH. [J. Chilton.

1586.

The Governor of this city is a Spaniard, called among them Alcade Major, who administereth chiefest causes of justice, both unto the Christians and Indians; referring smaller and lighter vices, as drunkenness and such like, to the judgement and discretion of such of the Indians as are chosen, every year, to rule amongst them, and called by the name of Alcades.

These Indians [at Puebla de los Angeles], from fourteen years old and upwards, pay unto the King for their yearly tribute one ounce of silver [the Peso 6s. 8d. (or in present value 53s.); see Vol. V. p. 227] and a hannega [th of an English Quarter] of maise, which is valued among them commonly at 12 Rials of Plate [or silver = 6s. (or in present valu 48s.)]. The widows among them pay half of this.

The Indians both of this city, and of the rest lying about Mexico, go clothed with mantles of linen cloth made of cotton wool, painted throughout with works of divers and fine colours.

Distant from the City of the Angels, four leagues to the northward, and fourteen from Mexico; there is another city called Cholula, consisting of more than 60,000 Indians, tributaries and there dwelleth not above twelve Spaniards there.

From it, about two leagues, there is another called Acassingo, of about 5,000 Indians, and eight or twelve Spaniards; which standeth at the foot of the Volcano of Mexico [Popocatepetl].

There are besides these, three other great cities, the one named Tepeaca, a very famous city; Huexotzinco, and Tetzmellocan.

All these, in times past, belonged to the kingdom Tlascala: and from these cities they bring all their cochineal into Spain [see Vol. V. p. 60].

The distance from the City of the Angels to the city of Mexico is twenty leagues. This city, Mexico, is the city of greatest fame in all the Indias: having goodly and costly houses in it, built all of lime and stone; and seven streets in length, and seven in breadth, with rivers running through every second street, by which they bring their provisions in canoes.