SOME REMAINS of ANTIQUITY. ipj 



this refped. The Natchez, who lived north of Mexico, 

 had two languages ; a language of the nobles, and a lan- 

 guage of the common people.* Other North- American 

 tribes, fuch as the Chippawas and Chriitianavv, make 

 ufe of two languages. One of thefe, which is only 

 fpoken in the councils of the nation, is very different 

 from the other, which is fpoken out of the councils. I 

 confider thefe fads as ftrong arguments in fiivour of my 

 opinion. -f- 



fls/« to any word, it becomes a proper expreffion of veneration in the mouth 

 cf an inferior. If, in fpeaking to an equal, the word Father is to be ufed, 

 it is Tall, but an inferior fays To.tzin. One prieft fpeaking to another, calls 

 him Teopisque; a perfon of inferior rank calls him Teopixcatzin. The name 

 of the emperor who reigned when Cortes invaded Mexico, was Montezuma, 

 but his vafTals, from reverence, pronounced it Monlezumaz'm. Torribio, 

 MS. Palaf. Virtudes del Indio, p. 65. The Mexicans had not only reve- 

 rential nouns, but reverential verbs. The manner in which thefe are form- 

 ed from the verbs in common ufe, is explained by D. Jos. Aug. Aldama 

 y Guevara in his Mexican Grammar, N" 188." The Hiftory of America, 

 Vol. III. note xxii. p. 368. 



* "They (the Natchez) have two languages, that of the nobles and 

 tliat of [he pcoiile, and both are very copious. I will give two or three 

 examples to fliew the difference of thefe two languages. When I cail one 

 of the common people, I fay to him aquenan, that is, hark ye : if, on the 

 other hand, I want to fpeak to a Sun, or one of their nobles, I fay to him, 

 magani, which fignifies, hark ye. If one of the common people call at my 

 houfe, I fay to him, tachte — cahanaEle, are you there, or I am glad to fee 

 you, which is equivalent to our good-morrow. I exprefs the fame thing to 

 a Sun by the word apap-gouaiche'. Again, according to their culfom, I fay 

 to one of the common people, petchi,fit you doivn ; but to a Sun, when I de- 

 fire him to fit down, I fay, caham. The two languages are nearly the fame 

 in all other refpeifls ; for the difference of expreffion fcems only to take 

 place in matters relating to the perfons of the Suns and nobles, in diftin<?lion 

 from thofe of the people." The Hijlory of Loxiifiana, or of the Wcfern Parts 

 of Virginia and Carolina, isfc. By M. Lc Page Du Pratz, p. 328. Englifh 

 Tranflation. London: 1774. From feveral circumllances, it appears 

 very probable, that the Natchez were originally a part of the Mexican em- 

 pire, and that they moved north-eaft, to the weft and eaft fides of the Mif- 

 iiflipi, after the arrival of Cortez in Mexico. — This (nee powerful, and (with 

 relpeft, at leall, to many of the furrounding nations) this cultivated, people 

 is now no more. Their peculiar dialed (as far as we know) is loft. But, 

 then, -their hideous religion has alfo periflied. 



■\ Speaking of the peculiarity in the Mexican language, which I have juil 

 taken notice of, Dr. Robertfon obferves, " It is only in focieties, which 



time 



