»H 



OftheirMar- 

 riages. 



Of their 

 Worftup 3 In- 

 vocations,:^ 

 Conjurati- 

 ons. 



<a M E %I C A. Chap. II. 



violent hands on his lawful King, is prcfcntly Executed. Once a Year he takes his 

 Progrefs, accompanied with a dozen of his bcft Subjects, to view his Countrey, to 

 recreate himfelf, and eftablifh good Orders. When he enters into any of their 

 Houfes, without any more Complement, he is defir'd to fit down on the Ground, 

 (for they ufe neither Stools nor Cufhions) and after a little refpite all that are pre- 

 lent come in, and fit down by him, one of his. Seniors pronouncing an Oration 

 gratulatory to his Majefty for love, and the many good things they enjoy under 

 his peaceful Government. A King of large Dominions hath his Vice-Roys, or in- 

 ferior Kings under him, to agitate his State Affairs, and keep his Subjects in good 

 Decorum. Other Officers there are, but how to diftinguifh them by Name is fome- 

 thingdifficult. For their Laws, as their Vices come fhort of many other Nations, 

 fo they have not fo many Laws, though they are not without fome, which they in» 

 flict upon notorious Malefactors, as Traitors to their Prince, inhumane Murthe- 

 rers, and, fome fay,Adulterer* : for Theft, as they have nothing to fteal worth the 

 Life of a Man, therefore they have no Law to Execute for Trivials, a Subject being 

 more precious in the Eye of his Prince, than, where Men are fo fcarce, to be caft 

 away upon fo Height a matter. A Malefactor having deferv'd Death, and being 

 apprehended, is brought before the King, and fome other of the wifeft Men, where 

 they enquire out the original of the thing, after proceeding by aggravation of Cir- 

 cumftances he is found Guilty, and Caft by the Jury of their ftrict Inquifition, he 

 is Condemned and Executed in the following manner : The Executioner comes 

 in, who blindfolds the Party, fets him in the publick view, and Brains him with a 

 Tamahauke, or Club; which done, his Friends bury him. 



Now to fpeak fomething of their Marriages, the Kings and the <PoTblbo^j, or great 

 Doctors, may have two or three Wives 2 but feldom ufe it, Men of ordinary Rank 

 having but one . which difproves the report, that they had eight or ten Wives 

 apiece. When a Man hatha defire to Marry, he firft gets the good will of the 

 Maid or Widow, after, the confent of her Friends for her part - and for himfelf, if 

 he beat his own difpofing,and if the King will, the Match is made, her Dowry of 

 Wampompeage paid, the Sagamore or King (who for every Marriage hath a Fathom of 

 Wampompeage, which is about the value of feven or eight (hillings) joyns their Hands, 

 never to part till Death, unlefs (he prove a Whore, for which they may put away 

 their Wives. 



As it is natural to all Mortals to worfliip fomething, fo do thefe People, but ex- 

 actly to defcribe to whom their Worfliip is chiefly bent, is very difficult : They 

 acknowledge efpecially two, %jtan y fome fay Tantum, their good God, and Hoba* 

 wocco, fome fay Squantum, their evil God 5 to fytan they Sacrifice (as the ancienc 

 Heathens did to Ceres) after their Garners be full with a good Crop. They like- 

 wife Invocate this God for fair Weather, for Rain in time of Drought, and for the 

 recovery of their Sick - but if they do not hear them, then they verrifie the old 

 Verfe, FleEhere ft ?iequeo Superos Jcberonta moVebo, their <PoWon>s betaking themfelves 

 to their Exorcifmes and Necromantfck Charms, by which they bring to pafs 

 ftrange things, if we may believe the Indians, who report of one <PiJfacannaTt>, that he 

 could make the Water burn, the Rocks move, the Trees dance, and metamorphofe 

 himfelf into a flaming Man. In Winter, when there is no green Leaves to be got, 

 he would out of the Afhes of an old Leaf, calcin'd and put into the Water, pro- 

 duce a new green Leaf : And of a dead Snakes Skin, a living Snake, both to be 

 feen, felt and heard. The manner of their action in their Conjuration is thus : 

 The Parties that are fick or lame being brought before them, the <Po»+ow fitting 

 down, the reft of the Indians giving attentive audience to his Imprecations and In- 



vocations. 



