Chap. XVIII. *A M E%_IC A. p 7 



they have many brave Salt'pits, yet they ule no Sale, nor eat any Swines=flefh, 

 though all thole Iflands abound in that fort of Animal, fearing chat if they mould 

 cat the fame, it would caufe them to have little Eyes, which they account very 

 homely, though it is a property generally incident to them ,. neither will they eat 

 any Tortoife, becaufe they would not be fo grofs as that Creature. Laftly, they 

 know now no greater Number than they reckon on their Fingers and Toes, for 

 what exceeds twenty is to them innumerable : They hold that good Spirits, whom 

 they call Jkamoue, refiding in Heaven , never trouble themfelves with Earthly 

 Affairs. 



Their Offerings confift in CajfaVe and the firft of their Fruits, which are fet at the 

 end of their Huts in VeiTels on fmall Tables, cover'd with Leaves or Rufhes, 

 without uttering any Prayers - for they never Pray but in publick in company of 

 the fioye^ or Priefts, and that either for revenge againft Injuries, or for recovery 

 fromSicknefs, or that they may know the Events of War, or for Protection againft 

 the Maboya. 



Each Bojehath his peculiar God, which, Singing with a conjuring Vcrfe, he calls 

 to him in the Night whilft he Smoaks a Pipe of Tobacco. 



Some have been of Opinion, that this Conceit of the Maboya. proceeds from the ^ T j%£* 

 phlegmatick Nature of the Caribbeeans, who in their melanclibly Dreams imagine 

 themfelves to be grievoufly beaten by the faid Maboya. But there are fufficient tefti* 

 monies to prove, that thefe Heathens have often really fuffer'd much by this Maboya, 

 often appearing to them in fuch horrid fhapes,that the poor Caribbeeansvrovld fweat 

 and quake at the fight thereof, and inflicting fuch fad Pinches and bloody Stripes 

 all over their Bodies, that they liv'd in perpetual fear of this evil Spirit : and yet 

 notwithstanding thefe cruel Sufferings, they fhew'd no manner of Worfliip to Ma- 

 boya, onely they believ'd that they had fome eafe, when they wore little Pictures 

 about their Necks, made refembling the Shapes in which Maboya appear'd to them } 

 but their bell Remedy was to flye to the Qmftians. 



They believe their Soje^ablc to refolve any Queftion they ask of them j parti- ££££ 

 cularly, when any onedies,the neareft ally'd to him asks the Boye this Queftion ,Who ££ th l r h f c any 

 is the occafion of his Death * to which if the Boy* names any one, they never reft till Rclau ' n - 

 they have difpatch'd him to the other World. Concerning their original brutifh 

 way of living, they give much credit to an antient Fable, which is to this effecl; : 



The moft antient Car'ibbeeans y living under no other Roof than the Canopy tfggg^ 

 Heaven, fed on nothing but what the Fields naturally produe'd, which falvage 

 Life an old Man much beamoan'd. when a certain Deity clad in white Apparel 

 defcending down on the Earth, faid, That he would have come fooner to bavejfo^'n them 

 the 1>ay of a civil Life.had they requejled it before. Moreover, the Angel fhew'd them a 

 place along the Shore where there lay fharpcutting Stones, with which he told 

 them they might cut down Trees, and with the Timber build themfelves Houfes, 

 and cover them with the Leaves of the Palm-Tree to keep out the Rain . which 

 faid, he broke his Staff into three pieces, which being Planted, foon after produe'd 

 the Root Manm y which ftamp'd and dry'd, made good Bread. 



The Caribbeeans have alfo a ftrange Opinion concerning the Soul, that is to fay, **SJ* 

 That every one hath as many Souls as he hath Pulfes, but the chiefeft is the Heart ***«* ; 

 it felf, which after Death removes with Jebei^i, (that is every ones peculiar God or 

 Genius) to the Company of the other Deities, where they live after the fame man- 

 ner as here on Earth • wherefore thofe that are Perfons of Quality give Charge ac 

 their Deaths, that their Servants may be kill'd and buried with them, that lo they 

 may ferve them in the other World . That the other Souls, which are the Pulfes, 



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