HISTORY OF MEXICO. 49 



regularly at midnight, and watched until about two hours 

 before day, Tinging hymns to their god, and obferving 

 many rules of an auftere life. They were at liberty to 

 go to the mountains at any hour of the day or night, to 

 fpill their blood; this v/as permitted them from a refpecl: 

 to the virtue which they were all thought to polfefs. 

 The fuperiors of the monafteries bore alfo the name of 

 Quetzal coat I, and were perfons of fuch high authority, 

 that they vifited none but the king when it was neceflary. 

 The members of this religious order were deftined to it 

 from their infancy. The parents of the child invited the 

 fuperior to an entertainment, who ufually deputed one 

 of his fubje&s. The deputy brought the child to him, 

 upon which he took the boy in his arms, and offered 

 him with a prayer to Quetzalcoatl, and put a collar 

 about his neck, which was to be worn until he was fe- 

 ven years old. When the boy completed his fecond 

 year, the fuperior made a fmall incifion in his bread, 

 which, like the collar, was another mark of his deftina- 

 tion. As foon as the boy attained his feventh year, he 

 entered into the monaftery, having firft heard a long 

 difcourfe from his parents, in which they advertifed him 

 of the vow which they had made to Quetzalcoatl, and 

 exhorted him to fulfil it, to behave well, to fubmit him- 

 felf to his prelate, and to pray to the gods for his pa- 

 rents and the whole nation. This order was called 

 Tlamacazcajotl, and the members of it Tlamacazque. 



Another order which was called Telpochtliztli, or the 

 youths, on account of its being compofed of youths and 

 boys, was confecrated to Tezcatlipoca. This was alfo 

 a deftination from infancy, attended with aim oft the 

 fame ceremonies as that of Quetzalcoatl ; however, 

 they did not live together in one community, but each 



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