3$i The Hiflory of BookU, 



T 



CHAP. XXII. 



Of the Marriages of the Caribbians. 



k Here are in America forne Savages fo favage and fo bru* 

 tiih, that they know not what Marriage is, but go in- 

 differently together like beafts. This, among others, is.af- 

 Garcil./.i. Irm'd of the ancient Peruvians, and the Inhabitants of the 

 c 14. e> 15. Iftands of Robbers: But the Caribbians, with all their barba- 

 &. hji c.17. r if mj f u bjedt themfelves to the Laws of this ftrift Alliance. 

 ' , They have no fet time of the Year appointed for their Mar- 



Strab.7. n t riagesj as the Perfans, who ordinarily marry in the Spring 5 

 5 nor yet are they oblig'd to do it at any certain age, as feveral 

 "Tw^eEaft- other Savages, whereof fome marry commonly at a nine yearsj 

 Indies- others at b twelve 5 fome at c four and twenty ^ and others on- 

 u ^ , " % at d forty : Nor is it the cuftom among the Caribbians, as in 

 ^T^ Pera a cr ^ aiiner amon g a ^ other Nations, that the yoUng Men mould 

 vians ^ ordinarily make choice of the Maids according to their own 

 a jbeFlori- wM* af id inclinations 5 nor on the other fide, do the young 

 dianj. Maids make choice of their Hufbands, as thofeof the Pro- 

 vince of Nicaragua do, at their publick Feafts and Aflemblies j 

 and as it was done heretofore in Cahdia, as Hiftorians affirm. 



• But when our Savages are defirous to marry, they have a 

 priviledge to take all their Coufin-germans, andhaveno more 

 to fay, then that they take them to their Wives $ for they are 

 naturally relerv'd for them, and they may carry them to their 

 houfes without any other ceremony, and then they are ac- 

 counted their lawful Wives. They may all take as many 

 Wives as they pleafe 5 efpecially, the Captains pride it much 

 in,havinga great number. of them : They "build a particular 

 Hut for every Wife: They continue what time they pleafe 

 with her whom they fancy moft, yet fo as that the others con- 

 ceive no jealoufie thereat. She whom they moft honour with 

 their company, waits on them wkh the greateft care and fub- 

 miffiom imaginable 5 fhe prepares Cajjava for them, paints 

 them, and igoes along with them in all their Expeditions. 



Their Huibands love them all very well } but this love is 

 like a fire of ftraw, fince that many times they forfake them 

 with as much eafe as they take them } yet arethey feldom feen 

 to leave their fir ft Wives, efpecially if they have had children 

 by them. 



If there chance to be among the She-prifoners of War any 

 that they like, they make them their Wives 5 but though the 

 children born of them are free., yet are the Mothers, for their 

 parts, (till accounted Slaves. All the Wives fpeak with whom 

 they pleafe > but the Hufband dares not difcourfe with the Re- 

 lations 



