( H4 ) 



any thing befides the common occurrences of life 

 They however afcribe to thofe imaginary beings, 

 a kind of immenfity and omniprefence, for in what- 

 ever place they are, they invoke them, fpeak to 

 them, believe they hear what is faid to them, and 

 acl in confequence.- To all the queftions you puG 

 to thefe barbarians, in order to obtain a farther ac- 

 count of their belief, they anfwer that this is all 

 they have been taught or know of the matter* 

 nay, there are only a few old men who have been 

 initiated in their myfteries who know fo much. 



According to the Iroquois* the pofterity of 

 Joufkeka did not go beyond the third generation* 

 There came on a deluge in which not a foul was 

 faved, fo that in order to repeople the earth it was 

 neceffary to change beafts into men. This notion 

 Madam, of an univerfal deluge is very general 

 amongft the Americans; but there is fcarce any 

 room to doubt, that there has been another much 

 more recent and peculiar to America. I fhould 

 never have done, were I to relate all that the Indians 

 tell us with refpect to the hiftory of their prin- 

 cipal divinities, and the origin of the world ; but 

 befides the firft being, or the great fpirit, and the 

 other Gods who are often confounded with them, 

 there is like-wife an infinite number of genii or in- 

 ferior fpirits, both good and evil, who have each 

 their peculiar form of worm i p. 



The Iroquois place Atahentfic at the head of 

 thefe latter, and make Joufkeka the chief of the 

 former ^ they even fometimes confound him with 

 the god, who drove his grandmother out of 

 heaven, for fuffering herfelf to be feduced by a 

 mortal. They never addrefs themfelves to the 

 evil genii, except to beg of them to do them no 



hurt, 



