The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

'- ·~ Royal Commentariu. BooK VIII. 6re under it,; they ufed a kind of a Screen for their Necks to defend them from the fire ; taking tare that neither the water íhould .fcald, nor the fire bum their heads; and thofe Hairs which could not •be put inio the Pan ofboilfug water, they dipped after with the wateti wh~ch had by infufion receive~ virtu~, and a deep tinéture from the Herbs. 1n tb1s tormenung poíl:ure of holding the1r_heads bacK; thllt theit Hair might fink in the water, they·would continue fornetirnes for the fpace of two hours, rhough I cannot precifely fay the time , becaufe thac being a. Boy then ( <lS I faid) 1 wa~ not fo curious as to obferve the ftriét minutes ; hów- foever, I cannot bue wonder at the pains they did take, and the torments they fu.. fiained for a non-fehfical piece of folly : But thén again methinks I could excufe themi .whenl confidenh~ pains which the Spanifh Ladies undergo; and the rime they f pend in trimming and cutling up ~heir Hair ; for they fmoak it with Sul· phu!2 and Vl'.et' it with Aqua fort~ to make"!t íhine; ~n? .~ben they fpre.a~ ít in ~he . ·hot ::>1m, ofche Dog-days, makmg other kmds of Eh~1vmms to waíh 1t m, which áre of füch a nature·as I know not , which is moíl: perniciou5 to the health eirher of thac whioh rhe Jndian Women ufe, of that which is fo common iWith the La· die~ in Spain. _'thi Jndian Women' have alfo other Waters in which they bathe' · and d)!e their Hair, whereby,they becorne blacker, and with amore íhining lufüf) · tllaa the Feathers ofRavens, that after moulting are new grown. This and much' more can W ornen contrive aad endar~, that they may feem beautifull. Ca· A P. XIV. Of the Pla;ane, the Pine-Apple, a~d other Fruits: : B. U T to retutn agáin to but difcourfe about thofe Fruits which are produced in the Antü of Peru, which are the moíl: hot and moiíl: pares of all thof~ . Provi.hces , we íhall onely touch upon thofe which are the moft remarkable, and in the firft place fpéák ·of that Tree and Fruit which the Spaniards called the Plata- · ' nm, which in itli height and leaf refembles 'much the Palm, being very bread ánd grem Thefe Trées grO\\' wild, and of chemfelves, and thrive beft in a rrioifr,_ raiñy Climace, fuch as che Antü; che bows ofwhkh are fo large, that Aco.fta faith, that óft one branch onely there are tl'iofe who have tounted 300 Platane-Nuts; they· grow in a íhell, which ha:th neither rine nor bark over it, but fomething like a husk, that is eafily pilled off; it is ofabout-a qua.rter of a Yard long, and about three (ingérs in thickaelS. , . · , · . . Bias Valera alfo writing of chis Tree, faith, That when the bunches of their' Fruit come to full growth, that chey then cut thepl ótf,. left the weight of them íhould tear them off frqm the body or trunk ;.which being ofa foft, fpungy kind of (ubl.'lance; -is neither fit for timber nor fue. Thefe bunches of Fruit they lay up in Jars -to ripen; ftrowing them over with a certain Herb., which ferves t0 haíl:en ánd force them to grow ripe and mellow : the Meat of rhem is tender, fweet and pl@afant; and being laid in the Sun, are li!te a confyrve, or co1,1fe4 : rhey boíl th~m iq their Brotli, and fe¡Ve them for Sauce fa thdr roaíl:ed or boiled Mea:cs ; ánd in every way rhey are good, having a fweetneíS like Honey, or Sugar, aad makdt!veral Conferves of.them : íthe bunches which hang long upon che Trees áre ·moíl: delicious and delightfull: the Trees ave abmu twoYards high, fome more, ánd forne .lefs. There is (\nother fort of PlátaRS which are lefs , which rhey can Dominicos, to diíl:in!ll1iíh them from others ; becaufe the íhell,-when it is young and tender, is white , and when the Fruit is ripe, and in its feafon, it is whitewith black :fpots; but this fort is not half fo big as che other, ·bnt yet is much betrer ~· and therefore is not.fo.common, nor in that plenty, as the other is. . They