C a p. XXIII The Caribby-Iflands. 



They make no feaftat the birth of their Children., lave on- 

 ly at that of the firft-born, and they obferve no fet time for 

 that, but every man according to his humour : But when they 

 alTemble their friends to rejoice with them upon the birth of 

 their fi. ft-born, they fpare nothing that may contribute to the 

 entertainment and merry-making of the invited 5 whereas 

 heretofore the Thracians accompanied with their tears the cries Herod. /. 

 of thofe who came into the world, refle&ing on the miferies 

 they were to fmTer in this life. 



But behold the brutality of our Savages in their enjoyments, 

 for the augmentation of their Family ! Afloon as the Wife is 

 delivered the Husband goes to bed, to bemoan himfelf there, 

 and aft the part of the woman in that condition } a cuftome, 

 which, though lavage and ridiculous, is yet ufed, as fome af- 

 firm among the Pealants of a certain Province of France, where 

 they have this particular phrafe for it, faire la coiivade : But 

 what is moft troublefome to the poor Caribbian, who hath put 

 himfelf into bed inftead of his newly-delivered Wife, is, that 

 they oblige him to a certain diet for ten or twelve days toge- 

 ther, allowing him every day only a little piece of Cajfava, 

 and a little water, wherein there had been boiled a little of that 

 root-bread - y afterwards his allowance is a little encreafed, yet 

 ftill continued in that fame diet 5 but he breaks the Cajfeva 

 which is prefented to him only in the middle, for the fpace of 

 about forty days,leaving the extremities entire, which he hangs 

 up in his Hut, to ferve at the entertainment he afterwards 

 intends to make for all his friends $ nay after all this, he ab- 

 ftains, fometimes for the fpace of ten months, or a whole year, 

 from fever al kinds of meat,as Lamantin,Tortoifes, Swines-flefti, 

 hens,Fifh,and delicious things,being fo pitifully fimple as to fear 

 that thole tilings might prejudice the child : but this great ab- 

 ftinence they obferve only at the birth of their full-born , 

 for at thofe of the reft, their fafts are much lefs rigorous, and 

 ftiorter, not lafting ordinarily above four or five days. 



Among the Japonnefes and the Brazilians, the Husbands are De Iaet,6^ 

 alfo fubjed to the fame extravagance of perfonating the wo- Maffaius,, 

 men delivered } but they are not fuch fools as to fall in their 

 beds 3 on the contrary, they are delicioufly and plentifully 

 treated with all things : Some affirm, that heretofore the fame 

 thing was obfervable among the Tibarians, a people not fat Alex. ab&- 

 from Cappadocia^zndfome others : But the natural Inhabitants lexandro. 

 of Madagascar imitate this fall: of the Caribbians, when they Fran.Gau- 

 Would have their children circumcise!. " 



Some of our Caribbians are yet guilty of another extrava- 

 gance, worft of all for the poor Father who hath a child born^ 

 for at the txpiration of his faft, his fhoulders are fcarified 

 and open'd with the Tooth of an Agouty t% and it is requifite 

 that the befotted wretch mould not only fuller himfelf to be 



X x fo 



