A house of foule for havvking and other straunge things.

TOC

There is another house with large quarters & lodgings, which is called a house for foule, not bycause there are more thā in the other, but bycause they bee bigger and to hauke withal, and are foule of rapine, wherfore they are estéemed as more nobler than al the others.

There are in this house many high halles, in the whiche are kept men, women and Children: in some of them are kept suche as are borne white of colour, which doth very seldome happen: in other some are dwarfes, crokebackes, burstenmen, counterfaites, and monstrous persons, in greate number: they say that they vsed to deforme them when they were children, to sette forth the kings greatnesse: euery of these persons were in seuerall Halles by themselues.

In the lower Halles were greate Cages made of Tymber: in some of them were Lyons, in other Tygres, in other Ownzes, in others Wolues: in conclusion, there was no foure footed beaste that wanted there, onely to the effect that the mightie Mutezuma might say that hee had such things in his house.

They were fed with their ordinary, as Gynea cockes, Deare, Dogges, and such like.

There was also in other Halles great Earthen vessels, some with earth, and some with water, wherin were snakes, as grosse as a mans thigh, Vipers, Crocodrilles, whiche they cal Caymanes, or Lizarts of twenty foote long, wyth suche Scales and head as a Dragon hathe: Also other little Lisarts, and other venemous beastes and Serpentes as well of the water as of the land, a terrible sight for the lokers on.

There were also other Cages for foule of rapyne of all sortes, as Hawkes, Kyghtes, Boyters, and at the least nine or ten kind of Haukes. This house of foule had of dayly allowance fiue hundred Gynea cockes, and thrée hundred men of seruice, besides the Falconers and Hunters, which are infinite. There were many other sortes of Foules that our men knowe not, which séemed by theyr beake and talents good to Hauke withal.

To the Snakes and other venemous beastes they gaue the bloude of men sacrifised, to féede them, and some saye they gaue vnto them mannes fleshe, whych the greate Lysarts doe eate very well. The Spaniardes saw the floure couered with bloud like a iealy in a slaughter house, it stonke horribly.

It was straunge to sée the officers in this house howe euery one was occupied. Our men tooke greate pleasure in beholding suche straunge thyngs, but they coulde not awaye wyth the roaryng of the Lyons, the fearefull hissing of the Snakes and Adders, the dolefull howling and barking of the Wolues, the sorowfull yelling of the Ownzes & Tigres, when they would haue meate.

Moste certaine, in the nighte season it séemed a Dongeon of Hell, and a dwelling place of the Deuill, and euen so it was indéede, for neare at hande was a Hall of a hūdred & fiftie foote long, and thirtie foote broad, where was a Chappel with the Roofe of siluer and gold in leafe Wainescotted, and decked with greate store of pearle and stone, as Agattes, Cornerines, Emeraldes, Rubies, and diuerse other sortes, and thys was the Oratory where Mutezuma prayed in the nighte season, and in that chappell the Diuell did appeare vnto hym, and gaue him answere accordyng to his prayers.

He had other houses lyke vnto Barnes, onely for the feathers of foules, and for mantels whiche procéeded of his rentes and tributes, a thing muche to be séene: vpon the dores was sette his armes, whiche was a Connie.

Here dwelled the chiefe officers of his house, as Tresorer, Controller, Receyuers and other officers appertainyng to the Kings reuenewes. Mutezuma had no house wherein was not an oratory for the Deuill, whome they worshipped for the Iewels there. And therefore those houses were great and large.