92 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book L 



a wonderful genius, that, as Charlevoix fays, one fliould think, they 

 fung like birds^ by inftin£l* ; which confirms an obfervation I have 

 made in more than one place, that mufic is much more natural to 

 man than articulation, which is very difficuk to be learned, and 

 can hardly be learned at all, except when we are very young. 



Nor were the fathers content to teach thofe Savages the arts of 

 civil life ; but they made foldiers of them, and the beft militia ia 

 that part of the world : For they were not only a match for the In- 

 dians, and particularly a barbarous nation among them they called 

 Mamelus, who infefted the Spanidi dominions very much, but evea 

 for the regular difciplined troops of the Portuguefe, whom they de- 

 feated more than once. And when they made prifoners of them> 

 they treated them with great humanity; particularly upon one oc- 

 cafion, when the provifions failed them in a long march, they divid- 

 ed what they had with their Portuguefe prifoners, gave them mules 

 to carry them to the neareft of their Reduclions, and guides to ihow 

 them the wayf. The feveral Redudlons furnifhed, upon one oc- 

 cafion, 6000 men, when the Spainards could only furnilli 800 J i 

 And, upon another occafion, 4000 of them, with only 300 Spain- 

 ards, took by affault a very flrong place belonging to the Portuguefe, 

 and very obftinately defended by them^. And all this fervice they 

 performed to the King of Spain, at their own expence, receiving 

 no pay, and furnifliing their own arms and provifions 1|. And, up- 

 on one occafion, they refufed the reward that was offered them by 

 the Spanilh general for their good fervices %. 



Nor 

 • Charlevoix, vol. I. p. 257. 



f vol. II. p. 187. 



X vol. III. p. 73. 



§ vol. II. p. 194. — 199. 



II Ibid. p. 199. 



11 Ibid. p. 2<5l. 



