{ 176 ) 



tite ; and feveral nations are ftill in the fame er- 

 ror : and whatever fort of fever a perfon happens 

 to be feized with, if they incline to eat, he is never 

 allowed any particular diet, but muft eat of fuchfood 

 as the reft. But as foon as the difeafe appears dan- 

 gerous, that is to fay, when the perfon rejects all 

 kind of nonrifhment, they treat it with much at- 

 tention. It is true, the principles on which the 

 fcience of phyfic among the Indians is founded, 

 are altogether extraordinary, and they refufe a fick 

 man nothing he afks for, from a belief that the 

 defires of a perfon in this condition, are fo many 

 orders from the genius who watcRes for his pre- 

 fervation ; and in calling their jugglers it is lefs 

 from any perfuafion of their abilities, than from 

 a fuppofition that they are better able to know 

 of the fpirits, the caufe of the evil, and the 

 remedies that are to be applied for the cure 

 of it. 



They are moreover unwilling to have any thing 

 to reproach themfelves with, death feems to lofe a 

 part of its terror, even when it follows on the heels 

 of the remedies, of which it is a natural confe- 

 quence. Our Indians are in this fubjecl: to the 

 common law of humanity, and to the general pre- 

 judice which has obtained in all ages and nations ; 

 and they are, in my opinion the more excufable, 

 for carrying their credulity to fo great a length ; 

 becaufe, as they find fomething fupernatural 

 in all difeafes, and as their phyfick confifts 

 in a mixture of religion, they therefore be- 

 lieve themfelves lefs under any obligation to 

 reafon about it ; and make it a facred duty, to 

 abandon themfelves to the guidance of blind 

 chance. 



A 



