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 Commentaries. BooK.IX. CH A P. XXII. · Of Rat~, and to what Multitudes ·théy have increafed. 'WE muíl: fpeak fomething of the Rats which carne over with the Spaniard1, for before tbeir time rbere were none in rhe Countrey. Francu Lope:;:, de Gomara in bis General Hillory of the Jndies, (wbich was not very faithfully wrote) · fays, that untill the time of B!afco Nunne:;:, Vela, Rars were not known in Pms ; bue now they are in great numbers, and of fo great a proportion and fize, that no Cat dares .to ' conrend or deal with them : Howfoever they are not as yet come fo high as to the Hilly Coumries, by reaíbn of rhe cold, and Snows, nor can they find covert, or fhdter, under which chey may convey themfelves thirher. . _ .Howfoever, they have great numbers of Mice, which they call Vcucha. In Nombre de Dios, Panama, and other Cities on the Coaíl: of Pmt, they have füch an infinite number of Rats, tbat they are forced to deíl:roy them wirh Poifon of Rats-bane, which rhey lay for them ar a certain tirne of rhe year by agreernent of ali tbe Neighbourhood ; when proclamation is made thar every Hou[e lbould lay its Arf11ick for deíl:ruél:ion of rhe Rars , tbar [o ar chis notice every perfoo íbould be warned to cover rheir ProviÍtons of meat and drink from tbe R~ts, and efpe- cially rhe water for fo foon as the Rat harh raken bis dofe, he pre1endy runs to rhe water, and ~herewitl uríl:s and dyes; and then every Houíe lays its baits of Fruirs, of fuch chings as Rats commonly ear, which being empoifoned with Arf- nick, deíl:roy them in infinite numbers. When I arrived at Pi1.nama from Spain, prefendy afrer the time that t11e poifon had been laid, I remernber rhat one E vening as I walked by che Sea-Ílde, 1 found juíl: at the brink of rhe water foch quantities of dead Raes, rhar rhey covered rhe ground for above a hundred Paces in lengtb , and above rhree or four in breadrh. And now upon occafion of this difcourfe, concerning the infinire numbers of Rae, I !hall adventure to tell a íl:range Story of chis kind, upon tbe credir of a Noble Gei1tleman, call'd Hernan Bravo de Laguna, one who was Lord of Jndiant in Co~co, and had che honour to be menrioned in the Hiíl:ory of Pene : che rela- rion he made, which he atreíl:s to have [~en, was chis: A Ship fa iling from Pan11- ma to Los Reyes, touched in tbe way upon che Coaíl: ar a Pon called Trugillo, where the whole Ships company agreed one day to go afhore, and be merry, lea- ving onely one Ílck Man aboard , who, by reafon of bis indifpoútion, was not able t0 walk [o far as from che Sea-Ítde ro che City, which was rwo Leagues. Nor need we here to wonder, rhat they Ülould leave rheir Ship fo ill provided, for in chofe Seas íl:orms and cempeíl:s do feldom arife, nor was rhere any fear of Pyrates, or Enemies, for as yer Sir Francu Dr11kt had not opened che Navigarion imo chofe Seas. Now fo foon as che Raes perceived that the Ship v as freed of its company, they ali fallied out to p~rrake freely of che fpoil, where finding the fick Man upon the Deck, rhey ali joined to give him batee!, rhat they might kill and eat him : rhe which hath oftemimes happened in chefe Voyages, in which fick Men have over night been alive, and nexr morning have been found dead in their beds, with che fleíh of rheit Faces, Armes, Legs and Thighs, gnawn and rorn from the bones. In chis manner chis hungry crew would have dealt with our ÍtckMan, againíl: whom rhey fonned their Army, , and carne to com- bar him, \.vho finding himfelf fo hardly befer, got up, and taking a Spit from rhe Cook-roóm, remrned ro his bed, not ro íleep, bur to watch, and íl:and upon · his guard ; which he did that whole day, and che night following, , and che day · after, unrill late in che Evening, when bis Cornpanions returned to che Ship; vvho having heard che Story,. gave credit to ir, vvhen they found behind his Bed, and .·