From hence he sails to Do-Cerne, so called by the Portugals; who Adam-like, give (or, as I may say, take too much liberty) in imposing names on all new places, and things. By the Hollanders, it is called Mauritius. Its general Description.

Do-Cerne or Mauritius, is an Isle situate within the torrid Zone, close by the Tropick of Capricorn; but it is very uncertain unto what part of the world it belongs, participating both of America, and bending towards the Asiatick Seas, from India to Java. This Isle aboundeth with what the use of man shall require. The landing looking out at Sea, is Mountainous: the circuit of this Island is about an hundred miles; it procreates an healthy and nourishing air; the great quantity of ever-flourishing & fragrant trees, doth no less lenifie the burning heat, when the Sun enters into Capricorn, as helped by the sweet mollifying breath of the North-west winde, when Sol again adheres to Cancer. Now as the temperature of that body is best composed, that participates indifferently of all the Elements, which either super-abounding or wanting, begets defect; What then is the temperature of this place, which is blest with, & abounds in all, & abortive in none? Water is here very plentiful, drilling it self from the high rocks & trickling down into the valleys, spreads it self into various Meanders, till those sweet and pleasant waters disembogue themselves into the lap of the salt Ocean. There is so great a quantity of wood, that we could hardly procure passage. But of those many various Trees, we found none so beneficial to us, as the Palmeto: this Tree is long, streight, & very soft, having neither leaves, boughs, nor branches, save at the top, whereon there is a soft pith, wherein consists the sole vegetative of that Tree; which cut out, the Palmeto in a very short time expires. Its taste is much like a kernel of an Hazel-nut; boiled, it is like Cabbage. But the chiefest commodity that this Tree produceth, is the wine which issueth from it, pleasant, & as nourishing as Muskadine or Alligant. Thus we procured some thereof; coming where two or three grew together, with an augure we bored some small holes in each, which immediately the liquor filled; then with a small cane or quill we suckt the wine out of one Tree; then we went to another, and from that to the third: by that time we had drained the last, the holes in the two former were full again. This course we followed so smartly, that in less than an hour, three of us were so drunk (whereof I was none of the soberest) that had not these Trees been near the shore, for ought I know, by the morning we might have feasted the wilde beasts. Divers other Trees there be, strange both in shape and nature; one whereof (meerly out of curiosity) I must needs taste, which for half an hour so bit or stung my tongue, as if I had had my mouth full of Vitriol, or spirit of Salt. It is a comely tree to look on, but brings forth not any thing that is good: this Tree is in a manner naked too, and the body thereof as soft & penetrable, as new Cheese: the form of the Tree, its uselessness, with that hidden sting it carries in it, together with its softness; the last of which, invites me to cut these lines therein; which my knife as easily performed, as to write a mans name with a stick on the sand. The lines were these:

There is another Tree, which beareth a cod full of sharp prickles, wherein lies hid a round fruit, in form of a Doves-egg; crack it, and therein contain’d you shall finde a kernel, pleasant in taste, but poysonous in its operation. My sweet tooth long’d for a taste, and being very toothsome I did eat several; but it was not long ere my guts were all in an uproar, & were resolved in this mutiny, could they have found way, to charge my mouth with high treason against the rest of my Members; but they were at last content only to discharge their fury through the Postern of their Microcosm; which they did so furiously, that I was much afraid, my guts having spent all their shot, they would have marcht out after. I had (in plain English) in less than six hours sixty stools, besides purging upwards; and had not we had a very skilful Dr. Chyrurgeon of our Ship, I had unavoidably perisht. Nature in this Island shew’d her prodigality of water and wood, corresponding also in everything else a fruitful Mother labours to be excellent in. Here she seems to boast, not only in the variety of feather’d creatures, but in the rareness of that variety, which should I run over but briefly, the subject is so large, that by some I cannot but be thought too tedious. However, I shall lightly touch thereon. Here, and here only is generated the Dodo; for rareness of shape contending with the Arabian Phoenix; her body is round and very fat, the least whereof, commonly weighs above twenty pound: They please the sight more than the appetite, for their flesh is of no nourishment, and very offensive to the stomach. By her visage (darting forth melancholy) she seems to be sensible of that injury Nature hath done her, in framing so great a body, and yet useless, but to please the eye; committing its guidance to complemental wings (for so I’m forc’d to call them) since they are so small and impotent, that they only serve to prove her an off-spring of the winged Tribe. Here are Bats also, as large as Goshawks. There is likewise great plenty of Fish; among the rest of more especial note, is the Cow-fish; the head thereof not unlike an Elephants, her eyes are small, her body at full growth about three yards long, and one broad; her fins exceeding little, her flesh (being an amphibious creature, living as well at Land, sometimes, as in the Sea) doth taste much like Veal. Some say that this Fish doth affect, and takes much delight in the sight of a mans visage. About this Island are flying fish, Dolphins, and Sharks. One of our men imprudently swimming one day, the weather being very hot, in our sight a Shark came and bit off his leg, and part of his thigh, and he thereupon sunk; we made out to save him, but before we came, he was drowned. Here are Tortoises so great, that they will creep with two mens burdens on their backs; but their pace is so slow, that they would make but ill Porters, going not above ten yards in two hours, when they make their greatest speed. The birds here are so unaccustomed to frights, that I have shot five or six times amongst a flock, letting the dead still lie, and not one of the surviving did so much as offer to flie. The Goats here have more of the Politician in them; for they seldom feed or rest themselves, but they set out their sentinels.