University of Virginia Library

Chapter XIX.

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4

The strange discoveries and observations
of the Portugalls in Affrica.

THE Portugalls on those parts have the glorie, who first coasting
along this Westerne shore of Affrica, to finde passage to the East
Indies, within this hundred and fiftie yeeres,

even from the Streights
of Gibralter, about the Cape of Bone Esperance to the Persian Gulfe,
and thence all along the Asian Coast to the Moluccas, have subjected
many great Kingdomes, erected many Common-wealths,
built many great and strong Cities; and where is it they have not
beene by trade or force? no not so much as Cape de Verd, and Serraleone;
but most Bayes or Rivers, where there is any trade to bee had,
especially gold, or conveniencie for refreshment, but they are scattered;
living so amongst those Blacks, by time and cunning they
seeme to bee naturalized amongst them. As for the Isles of the
Canaries, they have faire Townes, many Villages, and many thousands
of people rich in commodities.

Odoardo Lopez, a noble Portugall, Anno Dom. 1578.

imbarquing
himselfe for Congo to trade, where he found such entertainment,
finding the King much oppressed with enemies, hee found
meanes to bring in the Portugalls to assist him, whereby he planted
there Christian Religion, and spent most of his life to bring those
Countreyes to the Crowne of Portugall, which he describeth in this
manner.

The Kingdome of Congo is about 600. miles diameter any way,
the chiefe Citie called St. Salvadore,

seated upon an exceeding high
mountaine, 150. miles from the Sea, verie fertile, and inhabited with
more than 100000. persons; where is an excellent prospect over all
the plaine Countreyes about it, well watered, lying (as it were) in the
Center of this Kingdome, over all which the Portugalls now command,
though but an handfull in comparison of Negroes. They have
flesh and fruits verie plentifull of divers sorts.

This Kingdom is divided into five Provinces, viz. Bamba, Sundi,
Pango, Batta and Pembo;

but Bamba is the principall, and can
affoord 400000. men of warre. Elephants are bred over all those
Provinces, and of wonderfull greatnesse; though some report they
cannot kneele, nor lye downe, they can doe both, and have their
joynts as other creatures for use: with their fore-feet they will leape
upon trees to pull downe the boughes, and are of that strength, they
will shake a great Cocar tree for ∥ the nuts, and pull downe a good
tree with their tuskes, to get the leaves to eat, as well as sedge and long
grasse, Cocar nuts and berries, etc. which with their trunke they put
in their mouth, and chew it with their smaller teeth; in most of those
Provinces, are many rich mines, but the Negars opposed the Portugalls
for working in them.

The Kingdome of Angola is wonderfull populous, and rich in
mines of silver, copper, and most other mettalls; fruitfull in all manner
of food, and sundry sorts of cattell, but dogges flesh they love
better than any other meat; they use few clothes, and no Armour;
bowes, arrowes, and clubs, are their weapons. But the Portugalls are
well armed against those engines,

and doe buy yearely of those
Blacks more than five thousand slaves, and many are people exceeding
well proportioned.

The Anchicos

are a most valiant nation, but most strange to all
about them. Their Armes are Bowes, short and small, wrapped about
with serpents skinnes, of divers colours, but so smooth you would
thinke them all one with the wood, and it makes them very strong;
their strings little twigs, but exceeding tough and flexible; their
arrowes short, which they shoot with an incredible quicknesse. They
have short axes of brasse and copper for swords; wonderfull loyall
and faithfull, and exceeding simple, yet so active, they skip amongst
the rockes like goats. They trade with them of Nubea, and Congo,
for Lamache, which is a small kinde of shell fish, of an excellent azure
colour, male and female, but the female they hold most pure; they
value them at divers prices, because they are of divers sorts, and those
they use for coine, to buy and sell, as we doe gold and silver; nor will
they have any other money in all those Countries, for which they
give Elephants teeth; and slaves for salt, silke, linnen cloth, glasse-beads,
and such like Portugall commodities.

They circumcise themselves, and marke their faces with sundry
slashes from their infancie. They keepe a shambles

of mans flesh, as
if it were beefe, or other victuall; for when they cannot have a good
market for their slaves; or their enemies they take, they kill, and sell
them in this manner; some are so resolute, in shewing how much they
scorne death, they will offer themselves and slaves, to this butchery
to their Prince and friends; and though there be many nations will
eat their enemies, in America and Asia, yet none but those are
knowne to be so mad, as to eat their slaves and friends also.

Religions and idolls

they have as many, as nations and humours;
but the devill haththe greatest part of their devotions,
whom all those Blacks doe say is white; for there are no Saints but
Blacks.

But besides those great Kingdomes of Congo, Angola, and
Azichi, in those unfrequented parts are the kingdomes of Lango,
Matania, Buttua, Sofola, Mozambeche, Quivola, the Isle of Saint
Lawrence, Mombaza, Metruda, the Empires of Monomatopa,
Monemugi, and Presbiter John, with whom they have a kinde of
trade, and their rites, customes, climates, temperatures, and commodities

by relation. Also of great Lakes, that deserve the names of
Seas, and huge mountaines of divers ∥ sorts, as some scorched with
heat, some covered with snow; the mountaines of the Sunne, also of
the Moone, some of crystall, some of iron, some of silver, and mountaines
of gold, with the originall of Nilus; likewise sundry sorts of
cattell, fishes, Fowles, strange beasts, and monstrous serpents; for
Affrica was alwayes noted to be a fruitfull mother of such terrible
creatures; who meeting at their watering places, which are but Ponds
in desart places, in regard of the heat of the Country, and their extremities
of nature, make strange copulations, and so ingender those
extraordinary monsters. Of all these you may reade in the history of
this Edward Lopez, translated into English by Abraham Hartwell,
and dedicated to John, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, 1597. But
because the particulars are most concerning the conversion of those
Pagans, by a good poore Priest, that first converted a Noble man, to
convert the King, and the rest of the Nobility; sent for so many
Priests and ornaments into Portugall, to solemnize their baptismes
with such magnificence, which was performed with such strange
curiosities, that those poore Negros adored them as Gods, till the
Priests grew to that wealth, a Bishop was sent to rule over them,
which they would not endure, which endangered to spoile all before
they could bee reconciled. But not to trouble you too long with those
rarities of uncertainties; let us returne againe to Barbary, where the
warres being ended, and Befferres possessed of Morocco, and his
fathers treasure, a new bruit arose amongst them, that Muly Sidan,
was raising an Armie against him, who after tooke his brother Befferres
prisoner; but by reason of the uncertainty, and the perfidious,
treacherous, bloudy murthers rather than warre, amongst those perfidious,
barbarous Moores, Smith returned with Merham, and the
rest to Saffe, and so aboard his Ship, to try some other conclusions
at Sea.