of the IflandofB^ihadoQSc 



the fexes may be equal 5 for^ if they have more Men thin Women, the j 

 rnen who are linrtiarried will conie to their Mafters^ and complain ,1 

 thatthey cannot live without Wives, and defire him, they may have 

 Wives. And he tells them, that the next fhip that comes, he will buy 

 them Wives, which fatisfies them for the prefent 5 and fo they expcd 

 the good time : which the Mafter performing v/ith them, thebraveft 

 Fellow is to chodfefirft, and fo in order, as they are in place , and eve- 

 ry one ofthem knows his better, and gives him the precedence, as 

 Cows do one another, in paffing through a narirovvgate 5 for,the moft 

 of them areas near bedfts as may be, fctting their fouls afide. Pveli- 

 gionthey know none 5 yetmoft ofthem acknowledge a God , asap-' 

 peilrsby their motions and gellures ; For, if one of them do another 

 wrong, and he cannot revenge him(elf, he looks up to Heaven forj 

 vengeance, and holds up both his hands, as if the power muft come I 

 from thence, that muft do him right. Chaft they are as any people 

 under the Suri^ for, when the men and women are together naked , 

 they never caft theireyes towards the parts that ought to be covered 4 

 and thofe amongft us, that have Breeches and Petticoats, I never faw 

 io much as a kils , or embrace , or a wanton glance with their ey& 

 between them. Jealous they are of their Wives, and hold it for d 

 great injury arid (corn, ifanother man make the leaft courtfhip to his 

 Wife. And if any Of their Wives have two Children at a birth, they | 

 conclude her faheto hisBed, and fo no more adoe but hang her. We 

 had an excellent Negro in the Plantition , whbfe nanie was Ma'corp , ! 

 and was our chief Mufician 5 a very valiant man, and was keeper of j 

 bur Plantine-Grove. T\\\sNegroes Wifowas brought to bed of twd 

 Children, and her Hiisband, as their manner is, had provided a cord 

 to hang her. But the Overfeer finding tvhat he was about to do , en- j 

 formed the Mafter of it, who fent for Mucow^ to diffwade him from | 

 this cruel ad, of murdering his Wife, and ufed all perfwafions that pof- 

 fibly he could, to let him fee , that foch double births are in Nature, 

 and that divers prefidents were to be found amongft us of the like -:, 

 fo that we rather praifed our Wives, for their fertility, than blamed 

 them for their falfenefs. But this prevailed little with him upon whom 

 cuftom had taken fo deep an impreffion 5 but refolved , the next 

 thing he did, flioUld be to hang her. Which when the Mafter per- 

 ceived, and that the ignorance of the man, fllouldtake av^^ay the life 

 of the woman , Vv'ho was innocent of ths crime her Husband con- 

 demned her for, told him plainly , that if he hang'd her , he hknfelf 

 fhould be hang'd by her, upon the fame Bough 5 and therefore wifli'd 

 him to conftder what he did. Thisthreatning wrought more with him 

 than all the reafons of Philofophy that could be given him and fo let 

 her alone ^ but he never car'd much for her afterward , but chofe ano- 

 ther which he lik*d better. For the Planters there deny ndt a flave,that 

 '\h a brave fellow, and one that has extraordinary (qualities, two or three 

 Wives, and abof e that number they felddm go „' But no v7oman is al- 

 lowed above one Husband. 



At the time the wife is to be brought a bed, her Husband removes 

 his board, (which is his bed) to another room (for many feveral divi- 

 fions they hdve, in their little houfes,) and none above fix foot fo ^are) 



N 2 And 



