Cap. XI. The Cavibby A (lands. 269 



them, that a Merchant ought to be as good as his word: For 

 when they are preiVd upon in point of honour, and reproached 

 with inconftancy as if they were children, they are afhamed 

 of their lightnefs. 



Theft is accounted a great crime amongft them 3 wherein it 

 muft be acknowledged they fhew themfelves more rational . ... 

 than Lycurgus, who allowed that vice in the Lacedemonian f£ a ' m 

 children, as a very commendable employment, provided they 

 did their bufinefs cleaverly, and Hocus-pocus^like : But the 

 Caribbians have fo natural and fo great an averfion for that fin, 

 that there is no fuch thing found among them, which is very 

 rare among Savages : For molt of them are Theeves 5 and Jflandr 

 thenee it is" that fame of their Iflands have their name thence. RMen* 



But for the Caribbians, as they are are not of their own na- 

 ture any way inclined to thieving, fo they live without any di- 

 ftruft one of another : So that their Houfes and Plantations 

 are left without any body to look to them, though they have 

 neither doors nor inclofures, after the fame manner as fomeHi- 

 ftorlans relate of the Tartars.- But if the leaft thing in the Carpins 

 world be taken from them, fuch as may be a little knife, where*- Travels inu 

 with they do ft range things in Joy tier's work, they fo Tartar^ 

 highly prize what is ufeful to them, that fuch a lofs is enough 

 t© (et them a weeping, and grieving for the fpace of eight days 

 after it,nay will engage them in combinations with their friends 

 to get reparations, and to be reveng'd on the perfon whom 

 they fufpect guilty of the theft : Accordingly in thofe Iflands 

 where they have their habitations neer thole of the Chrifti- 

 ans, they have often revenged themfelves of thofe who had , as 

 they (aid, taken away any of their little houfhould-ftuff" : And 

 in tiofe places when they find fomething wanting in their hou- 

 fes, they prefently fay. Some Chrijiian hath been here : And 

 among the grievances and complaints which they make to the 

 Covernours of the French Nation, this comes alwaies in the 

 front, Compere Govemour, thy Mariners (fo they call all the 

 forreign Inhabitants) have taken away a knife out of my Cot s 

 Of feme other piece of houfhold-ftuffof that kind. The Inha- 

 bitants of Gninny would not make any fach complaints .* For 

 if tbey chance to lofe fomething, they are of a perfwafion that 

 Come of their deceafed Relations, having occafion for it in the 

 Other world, came and took it away. 



The Caribhians are a people as it were affociated in one com- 

 mon intereft, and they are of all people the molt loving one 

 to another 3 being in that particular far from the humour of 

 ihofe djiaticks of Java, who fpeak not to their own Brothers 

 without a dagger in their hands, fadiftruftfulare they one of 

 another : From this affection which our Savages mutually bear 

 mm another, does it proceed that there are few quarrels and 

 aDivnofitiesamong them. 



But 



