HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



151 



take charge, entering into all the rights of a father. In 

 fome places which were diftant from the capital, the no- 

 bles were accuftomed to marry their widowed mothers- 

 in-law, provided their fathers had not had children by 

 them ; but in the capitals of Mexico and Tezcuco, and 

 the places neighbouring to them, fuch marriages were 

 deemed inceftuous, and puniflied with feverity. 



Any perfon guilty of a deferable crime was hanged ; 

 if a prieft:, he was burnt alive. Amongfl all the nations 

 of Anahuac, excepting the Panuchefe, this crime was 

 held in abomination, and was punifhedby them all with 

 rigour. Neverthelefs, vicious men, in order to juftify 

 their own exceffes, have defamed all the nations of A- 

 merica with this horrid voice ; but this calumny, which 

 feveral European authors have too readily admitted to 

 be juft, is proved to be falfe by the teftimony of many 

 other authors, who are more impartial and better in- 

 formed (#). 



The prieft, who, during the time that he was dedica- 

 ted to the fervice of the temple, abufed any free woman, 

 was deprived of the priefthood and banifhed. 



If any of the young men, or young women, who were 

 educating in the feminaries, were guilty of incontinence, 

 they were liable to a fevere punifhment, and even to fuf- 

 fer death, according to the report of fome authors. But, 

 on the other hand, there was no punifhment whatever 

 prefcribed for Ample fornication, although the evil tenden- 

 cy of an excefs of this kind was not unknown to them ; 

 and fathers frequently admoniflied their children to be- 

 ware of it : they burned the hair of a bawd in the mar- 

 ket-place with pine torches, and fmeared her head with 



the 



(a?) See what we have faid in our Differtations refpecT;ing the author wh» 

 has revived this atrocious calumny upon the Americans. 



