168 The Hiftorji of Book 11. 



ce tbos, St. EuJlace'Sy&c. neither of which places belonged to 

 ce thee, and whereto thou couldeft not make any lawful pre- 

 cc tence : And thou threatneft me every day to take away that 

 cc little which is left me : What {hall become of the poor mife- 

 " rable Caribbian > Muft he go and live in the Sea with the 

 cc fifties } Thy Country muft needs be a wretched one, fince 

 cc thou leaveft it to come and take away mine : Or thou muft 

 " needs be full of malice, thus to perfecute me out of a frolick. 

 This complaint may well exempt them from the opprobrious 

 denomination of Savages. 



lycurgus would not permit his Citizens to travel^ out of a 

 fear they might learn the manners of forreign Countries : But 

 our Savages ftand in need of much travel to unbarbarize them- 

 felves } if we may ufe fuch an expreffion : And yet they are not 

 only free from that infatiable eovetoufhefs, which makes the 

 Chriftians undertake fo great and fo dangerous voyages, but 

 alfo from the curiofity of feeing any other Country in the 

 eWorld, as being enamoured of their own more than any other. 

 And thence it comes, that, imagining we ftiould not be more 

 curious than they are, nor lefc lovers of our Countries, they 

 are aftonim'd at our Voyages \ wherein they have the honour 

 to be like Socrates, of whom Plata gives this teftimony, that 

 he had no more defign to leave Athens , with any" intention to 

 travel, than the lame and the blind 5 and that he defirtd not 

 to fee other Cities, nor to live under other Laws } being, as to 

 this particular, as far as our Caribbians , from the opinion of 

 the Ferfims, among whom it js come into a Proverb* that 

 he who hath not travell'd the world maybe compared to a 

 Bear. 



But we are to note further ,that ouj ' Caribbians of the Iflands 

 have not only ana verfion from travelling into any other parts 

 of the world , but they would not alfo willingly fuffer any of 

 theirs to be carried away into a ftrange Country, without an 

 abfoiute promife within a flaort time to bring them back again : 

 But if it happens through fome misfortune that any one of 

 them dies by the way,there is no thinking of any return arnong 

 them, for there is no hope of reconciliation. 



But if they have no curiofity for things at a great diftance 

 from them, they have much for tbofe that are neerer hand, in* 

 fomuch that if a man open 3 cheft in their pretence, he muft 

 ihew them allthat is in it, otherwife they will think themfelves 

 dif-obliged : And if they like any thing of what they fee 

 therein, though it be of ever fo little value, they will give the 

 moft precious thing they have for it, that fo they may fatisfie 

 their inclination. 



As concerning Traffick,true it is, that having treated about 

 fomething, they Will fall off from what they have promifed : 

 But the fccrec to make, them ftand to their bargain, is to tell 



them, 



