Many Other Customs
They Have, For Which They Will Render No Reason Or Account;
And To Pretend To Give A
True Description of their Religion, it is impossible;
for there are a great many of their Absurdities, which, for some
Reason,
they reserve as a Secret amongst themselves; or otherwise,
they are jealous of their Weakness in the practising them;
so that they never acquaint any Christian with the Knowledge thereof,
let Writers pretend what they will; {Indian Idols give an account of.}
for I have known them amongst their Idols and dead Kings
in their Quiogozon for several Days, where I could never get Admittance,
to see what they were doing, though I was at great Friendship
with the King and great Men; but all my Persuasions avail'd me nothing.
Neither were any but the King, with the Conjurer, and some few old Men,
in that House; as for the young Men, and chiefest Numbers of the Indians,
they were kept as ignorant of what the Elders were doing, as myself.
{The World is round.}
They all believe, that this World is round, and that there are two Spirits;
the one good, the other bad: {What they believe of God.
Their offering Idols.} The good one they reckon to be
the Author and Maker of every thing, and say, that it is he,
that gives them the Fruits of the Earth, and has taught them to hunt, fish,
and be wise enough to overpower the Beasts of the Wilderness,
and all other Creatures, that they may be assistant, and beneficial to Man;
to which they add, that the Quera, or good Spirit, has been very kind
to the English Men, to teach them to make Guns, and Ammunition,
besides a great many other Necessaries, that are helpful to Man,
all which, they say, will be deliver'd to them, when that good Spirit
sees fit. They do not believe, that God punishes any Man
either in this Life, or that to come; but that he delights in doing good,
and in giving the Fruits of the Earth, and instructing us in making
several useful and ornamental things. {Devil what.} They say,
it is a bad Spirit (who lives separate from the good one)
that torments us with Sicknesses, Disappointments, Losses, Hunger, Travel,
and all the Misfortunes, that Humane Life is incident to.
How they are treated in the next World, I have already mention'd,
and, as I said before, they are very resolute in dying,
when in the Hands of Savage Enemies; yet I saw one of their young Men,
a very likely Person, condemn'd, on a Sunday, for Killing a Negro,
and burning the House. {Indian condemn'd.} I took good Notice
of his Behaviour, when he was brought out of the House to die,
which was the next Morning after Sentence, but he chang'd his Countenance
with Trembling, and was in the greatest Fear and Agony. I never saw
any Person under his Circumstances, which, perhaps, might be occasion'd
by his being deliver'd up by his own Nation (which was the Tuskeruro's)
and executed by us, that are not their common Enemies, though he met
with more Favour than he would have receiv'd at the Hands of Savages;
for he was only hang'd on a Tree, near the Place where the Murder
was committed; and the three Kings, that but the day before
shew'd such a Reluctancy to deliver him up, (but would have given another
in his Room) when he was hang'd, pull'd him by the Hand, and said,
`Thou wilt never play any more Rogues Tricks in this World;
whither art thou gone to shew thy Tricks now?' Which shews these Savages
to be what they really are, (viz) a People that will save their own Men
if they can, but if the Safety of all the People lies at Stake, they will
deliver up the most innocent Person living, and be so far from Concern,
when they have made themselves easy thereby, that they will laugh
at their Misfortunes, and never pity or think of them more.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 163 of 202
Words from 87554 to 88235
of 110081
