Richard Ligon

“ One thing more I have to say of this tree, which is not onely the root that brings forth all this beauty, but the root of much admiration and wonder; that, being a tree of that height, bearing a top of so vast an extent, as from the point of the branches of one side, to the point of the stalk on the other side, to be 78 foot, upon which, the winde cannot but have a main power and force; yet, I never saw any of them blown down, nor any root of this tree bigger then a Swans quill: but there are many of them, and they fasten themselves in the Rocks, which hold them very firm. ”

“ About the time the leaves come to their full bignesse, they rot no more, but continue in their full beauty; a rich green, with stripes of yellow so intermixt, as hardly to be discerned where they are. These leaves are the most of them above six foot long, and two foot broad; smooth, shining, and stiffe as a Lawrell leafe; and from the middle of the leaf to the end, such a fall, as a feather has, in a well shap’t plume. ”

“ These leaves are thin, but tough enough, to endure the strongest winde that blowes, without being broken, and not above four inches distant one from another; which multiplicity of leaves, makes the beauty of the tree the fuller. ”

“ But at this age, the branches stand not so upright, as when the tree was in her minority, but has as great beauty in the stooping and declension, as she had in the rising of her branches, when her youth thrusts them forth with greater violence and vigour, and yet they had then some little stooping neer the poynts. ”

“ This tree is about the largenesse of an ordinary Willow, the leaves of that colour and shape, but extreamly stiffe and hard.
It bears at top a large tuffe of fruit, which we call Apples, but they are not a fruit to be eaten; their colour as their leaves, willow-green, and just such for shape as the Cyprus tree bears. Sure, Nature form’d this tree to some great purpose, she is so arm’d; for neither man nor beast can touch her, without being wounded. She is well shap’d, her body straight, her branches well proportion’d, her top round. ”

“ One more we have, and that must not be forgotten for the rarity, because it opens, when all else close, when the Sun goes down; and for that reason we call it, the flower of the Moon: It growes in great tuffs, the leaves almost in the form of a Heart, the point turning back, the flower somewhat bigger then a Primrose, but of the purest purple that ever I beheld. When this flower falls off, the seed appears, which is black, with an eye of purple; shap’d, and of the sise of a small button, so finely wrought, and tough withall, as it might serve very well to trim a suit of apparell. ”

“ And as this sprout growes, it springs from the intrinsick part of the stem, and the out-leaves hang down and rot; but still new ones come within, and rise up as the Palmeto does, like a pike, which opened with the Sun, becomes a leafe; and about the time it comes to be eight or ten foot high, the pikes, (and consequently [81] the leaves) will be of their full bignesse, and so (as others grow) continue that bignesse, till the last sprout come forth; which is the soul of the Plant, and will never be a leafe, but is the stem upon which the fruit must grow. ”

“ The Macow is one of the strangest trees, the Iland affords; the body and branches being stuck all over with prickles, of the finest formes that I have seen.
They are black as jet, or Ebony polish’d; the sises, from one to seven inches long, sharp at the point, with proportionable increasings, from that part where it growes to the tree or bough, and wav’d, as I have seen some swords, from the point to the hilts, the finest naturall pick-tooths that can grow. ”

“ Children, when they are first born, have the palmes of their hands and the soles of their feet, of a whitish colour, and the sight of their eyes of a blewish colour, not unlike the eyes of a young Kitling; but, as they grow older, they become black. ”

“ For, though the virtuall beams of the Sun, give growth and life to all the Plants and Flowers it shines on; yet, the influence is at severall distances, and so the productions varie; some flowers must be warmed, some toasted, and some almost scalded; and to transpose these, and set them in contrary places, were to strive against nature. ’Tis true, that the Herbs of England grow and thrive there, by reason they are stronger, and better able to endure that change; but Flowers, that are of a more tender nature, will not endure so great heat as they finde there. ”

“ The Locust is a tree, not unfitly to be resembled to a Tuscan Pillar, plain, massie, and rurall, like a well lim’d labourer; for, the burden it bears being heavy and ponderous, ought to have a body proportionably built, to bear so great a weight. ”

“ Sure, there is no creature on the Earth, nor in the Seas, that enjoyes life with so much sweetnesse and delight, as this poor fish the Turtle; nor none more delicate in taste, and more nourishing, then he. ”

“ I know no herbs naturally growing in the Iland, that have not been brought thither from other parts, but Purcelane; and that growes so universally, as the over-much plenty makes it disesteemed; and we destroy it as a Weed that cumbers the ground. ”

“ And besides, the roots being far assunder, weedes grew up between, and worse then all weeds, Withs, which are of a stronger grouth then the Canes, and do much mischiefe where they are; for, they winde about them, and pull them down to the ground, as disdaining to see a prouder Plant than themselves. ”

“ Those that are mercifull, treat their Servants well, both in their meat, drink, and lodging, and give them such work, as is not unfit for Christians to do. But if the Masters be cruell, the Servants have very wearisome and miserable lives. Upon the arrivall of any ship, that brings servants to the Iland, the Planters go aboard; and having bought such of them as they like, send them with a guid to his Plantation; and being come, commands them instantly to make their Cabins, which they not knowing how to do, are to be advised by other of their servants, that are their seniors ”

“ But ’tis a lovely sight to see a hundred handsome Negroes, men and women, with every one a grasse-green bunch of these fruits [44] on their heads, every bunch twice as big as their heads, all comming in a train one after another, the black and green so well becomming one another. Having brought this fruit home to their own houses, and pilling off the skin of so much as they will use, they boyl it in water, making it into balls, and so they eat it. One bunch a week is a Negres allowance. To this, no bread nor drink, but water. ”

“ For the Planters there deny not a slave, that is a brave fellow, and one that has extraordinary qualities, two or three Wives, and above that number they seldome go: But no woman is allowed above one Husband. ”

“ The Ginger being a root which brings forth blades, not unlike in shape to the blades of Wheat, but broader and thicker, for they cover the ground so, as you cannot see any part of it. They are of a popinjay colour, the blossome a pure scarlet. When ’tis ripe, we dig up the roots, (cutting off the blades) and put them into the hands of an Overseer, who sets many of the young Negres to scrape them, with little knives; or small iron spuds, ground to an edge. They are to scrape all the outward skin off, to kill the spirit; for, without that, it will perpetually grow. ”

“ For, you must not plant too much at once, but have it to grow ripe successively, that your work may come in order, to keep you still doing; for, if it should be ripe altogether, you are not able to work it so; and then for want of cutting, they would rot, and grow to losse: By planting it thus along, two together, every knot will have a sprout, and so a particular root, and by the means of that, be the more firmer fixt in the ground, and the better able to endure the winde and weather, and by their thick growing together, be the stronger to support one another. ”

“ I do confesse that I love a double house, much better then a single, but if it have a double cover, that is, two gable ends, and a gutter between, though it be built up an East and West line: yet the sun (which must lye upon it all the heat of the day) will so multiply the heat, by reflecting the beames from inside to inside, and so violently upon the gutter, from both, which you know must be in the middle of the house, from end to end, as you shall feele that heat above, too sensibly in the ground stories below, though your sieling be a foot thick, and your stories sixteen foot high. ”

“ The Pomegranate is a beautifull tree the leaves small, with a green mixt with Olive colour, the blossome large, well shap’t, and of a pure Scarlet colour; the fruit not so large there, as those we have from Spaine. The young trees being set in rowes, and planted thick make a very good hedge, being clipt eeven a top with Garden shears. The fruit is very well known to you and therefore I shall need say nothing of that, and these are all the remarkable fruits that grow on trees, and are proper to this Iland, that I can remember, though I believe there are many more. ”

“ So that there is no way to stop the going on of this flame, but by cutting down and removing all the Canes that grow before it, for the breadth of twenty or thirty foot down the winde, and there the Negres to stand and beat out the fire, as it creeps upon the ground, where the Canes are cut down. And I have seen some Negres so earnest to stop this fire, as with their naked feet to tread, and with their naked bodies to tumble, and roll upon it; so little they regard their own smart or safety, in respect of their Masters benefit. ”

“ These toyls of body and minde, and these misfortunes together, will depresse and wear out the best spirits in the world, and will cause them to think, what a happie thing it is, to spend the remainder of their lives in rest and quiet in their own Countries. ”

“ The spring tides there, seldome rise above four or five foot upright: there come from the sea into these small bibling rivolets, little Lobsters, but wanting the great clawes afore, which are the sweetest and fullest of fish, that I have seen; Chicester Lobsters are not to be compared to them.
But the water which the people of this Iland most relye upon, is raine water; which they keep in ponds, that have descents of ground to them, so that what falls on other ground, may runne thither. ”

“ In six months, this Plant will be grown, and this fruit ripe, which is a pleasant, wholsome, and nourishing fruit, yellow, when ’tis ripe: But the Negres chuse to have it green, for they eat it boyl’d, and it is the only food they live upon. Our manner of eating it, is, when it is full ripe, take off the skin, which will come off with much ease, and then the fruit looks yellow, with a froath upon it, but the fruit firme. When it is gathered, we cut down the Plant, and give it to the Hoggs, for it will never bear more. ”

“ These kind of fishes, in a cleare Sunshine evening, delight themselves and us, by trying which of them can leap highest above water, so that ’tis a pretty pastime, to see fishes so large, and gloriously colour’d, shew themselves so far above their naturall Element, whose shapes and colours gave such variety. ”

“ For shades that are made by the highest trees, are undoubtedly the coolest, and freshest, by reason it keeps the heat farthest off. Besides this, there are many advantages to be made, in the contrivance of the house; for I see the Planters there, never consider which way they build their houses, so they get them up; which is the cause that many of them, are so insufferably hot, as neither themselves, nor any other, can remaine in them without sweltring. ”

“ But if both parties be wary, and that they cannot get that advantage, then they raise their heads, by pressing hard one against another, and so having nothing to take hold of but their bare flesh, they close, and grasp one another about the middle, and have one another in the hug, and then a fair fall is given on the back. And thus two or three couples of them are engaged at once, for an houre together, the women looking on: for when the men begin to wrastle, the women leave of their dancing, and come to be spectatours of the sport. ”

“ For the Hamocks being but thin, and they having nothing on but shirts and drawers, when they awak’d out of their sleeps, they found themselves very cold; and a cold taken there, is harder to be recovered, than in England, by how much the body is infeebled by the great toyle, and the Sun’s heat, which cannot but very much exhaust the spirits of bodies unaccustomed to it. But this care and charity of Collonell Walrond’s, lost him nothing in the conclusion ”

“ The people that have lived long there, say, ’tis not wholsome to be under the shade of this tree. The fellers, as they cut them down, are very carefull of their eyes; and those that have Cipers, put it over their faces; for if any of the sap flie into their eyes, they become blinde for a month. ”

“ The Birds of this place (setting two aside) are hardly worth the pains of describing; yet, in order, as I did the Beasts, I will set them down. The biggest is a direct Bussard, but somewhat lesse then our grey Bussards in England, somewhat swifter of wing; and the only good they do, is, sometimes to kill the Rats. The next to him in bignesse, is the larger Turtle Dove, and of them, there is great store in the Iland: ’tis a much handsomer bird, both in shape and colour, then ours in England, and is very good meat. ”

“ Sometimes Teals come to our Ponds, three or four couple together, but never go away; for when we see them, we take a gun, and comming neer, shoot them, and the report of the gun frights, and makes those that are alive flie away, and fetch one turn, and come back to see their fellowes dead, and alight to them, and so we shoot and shoot again till all be kill’d; for they will alwaies come back to see their dead friends. The like we do with those birds we call Oxen and Kine, which come to us in like manner. Small Swallowes we have now and then, but somewhat different from ours in colour. ”

“ Her ordinary flying for her own pleasure, and not for prey is commonly more free then the best Haggard Faulcon, that I have ever seen; but the continuance of it makes it the more admirable, At the times they grow hungry, they attend the Dolphins, who are their Spaniels; and where they perceive the water to move, they know they are in Chase, of the flying fish; and being neere them, they rise like Coveys of Partridges by 12 and 16 in a Covey, and flye as far as young Partridges, that are forkers, and in their flight these birds make them their quarry. ”