Page:History of Oregon Literature.djvu/48

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HISTORY OF OREGON LITERATURE

of our Generall, who had often himselfe proued the force of the burning Zone, whose aduice alwayes preuailed much to the preserving of a moderate temper in our constitutions; so that euen after our departure from the heate wee alwayes found our bodies, not as sponges, but strong and hardened, more able to bear out cold, though we came out of excesse of heate, then a number of chamber champions could have beene, who lye on their feather beds till they go to sea, or rather, whose teeth in a temperate aire do beate in their heads at a cup of cold sack and sugar by the fire.

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Besides, how vnhandsome and deformed appeared the face of the earth itselfe! . . . The poore birds and foules not daring so much as once to arise from their nests after the first egge layed, till it, with all the rest, be hatched, and brought to some strength of nature, able to helpe itselfe. Onely this recompence hath nature afforded them, that the heate of their owne bodies being exceeding great, it perfecteth the creature with a greater expedition, and in shorter time then is to be found in many places.

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This country our Generall named Albion, and that for two causes; the one in respect of the white bancks and cliff es, which lie toward the sea, the other, that it might have some affinity, euen in name also, with our own country, which was sometime so called.

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The inland we found to be farre different from the shoare, a goodly country, and fruitfull soyle, stored with many blessings fit for the use of man: infinite was the company of very large and fat Deere which there we saw by thousands, as we supposed in a herd; besides, a multitude of a strange kinde of Conies, by farre exceeding them in number: Their heads and bodies, in which they resemble other Conies, are but small; his tayle is like the tayle of a Rat, exceeding long; and his feet like the the pawes of a Want or moale; vnder his chinne, on either side, he hath a bagge, into which