Page:Diuers voyages touching the discouerie of America - Hakluyt - 1582.djvu/72

pernaturall effectes doe take those Friers for Gods, and bring them many presentes as chickens, fleshe and diuers other thinges, and haue them all in great reuerence as Lords. When the frost and snowe is great, they heate their houses in maner before said, and will by letting in the water or opening the windowes, temper the heate and colde at their pleasure. In y͏ͤ buildings of the monastery they vse no other matter but that which is ministered vnto them by the fire, for they take the burning stones, that are cast out as it weere sparkles or ceindres at the firie mouth of the hill, and when they are most enflamed, cast water vpon them, wherby they are dissolued and become excellẽt white lime and so tough that being contriued in building it lasteth for euer. And the very sparkles after the fire is out of them do serue in steede of stones to make walles and vautes: for being once colde they will neuer dissolue or breake except they be cut with some irõ toole, and the vautes that are made of them are so light that they need no sustentacle or proppe to holde them vp, and they wil endure continually very fayre and whole. By reason of these great commodities the friers haue made there so many buildings and walles, that it is a wonder to see. The couerts or roofes of their houses for the most part are made in this maner, first they rayse the wall vp to his full height, then they make it enclining or bowing in by litle and litle in forme of a vaute. But they are not greatly troubled with raine in those partes, for that, by reason of the pole or colde climate, the first snowe being falne it thaweth no more for the space of nine moneths, for so long dureth their winter. They feede of the fleshe of wilde beastes & of fish, for where as the warme water falleth into the sea, there is a large and wide hauen, which by reason of the heate of the water, doeth neuer freeze all the winter, by meanes whereof there is suche concourse and flocks of sea foule and such aboundance of fishe, that they take thereof infinite multitudes, whereby they maintayne a great number of people rounde about whiche they keepe in continuale worke, both in building and taking of foules and fishe, and in a thousande other necessarie affaires and businesabout