33 



persuade himself, that he is among cannibals. 

 This American word, of a somewhat doubtful 

 signification; is probably derived from the lan- 

 guage of Haiti, or that of Portorico ; it has 

 passed into the languages of Europe, since the 

 end of the fifteenth century, as synonimous with 

 that of anthropophagi. Edaces humanarum 

 carnium novi heluones anthropophagi, Caribes 

 alias Canibales appellati," says Anghiera, in the 

 third decade of his Oceanics *, dedicated to 

 pope Leo the tenth. I have little doubt, that 

 the Caribbees of the islands, when a conquering 

 people, exercised cruelties toward the Ygneris, 

 or ancient inhabitants of the West Indies, who 

 were weak, and little warlike ; but we must 

 also admit, that these cruelties were exaggerat- 

 ed by the first travellers, who heard only the 

 narratives of nations that were the ancient 

 enemies of the Caribbees. It is not always the 

 vanquished solely, who are calumniated by their 

 contemporaries ; the insolence of the conquerors 

 is avenged also by augmenting the list of their 

 crimes. 



We were assured by all the missionaries of 

 the Carony, the Lower Oroonoko, and the Lla- 

 nos del Cctri, whom we had an opportunity of 

 consulting, that the Caribbees are perhaps the 

 least anthropophagous nations of the New Conti- 



* Dec. 3, lib. 3, p. 49, B. 

 VOL. VI. D 



