( Z 4 16 ) 
indeed any fuch notice of the Sun or Stars * which for. 
raer at leaft one would think a People fo grofly ignorant 
would pay forae refpeft to, if they worfbip’d any God 
that bein' 1 the moft Glorious Objeft or their Senfes* and 
accordingly we find it affefted all Heathen Nations, as 
well the more Barbarous as the mod Polite* in which 
finale Object, if we may believe Macro bun, all their Wor- 
faining center’d: Their great Ignorance, I fuppofe, may be 
in part caus’d by Africa’s being Peopl’d (as is probable) by 
that end of it which joy ns to Afu * fo that the mpre the 
Inhabitants fpread thetnfelv.es towards this Southern Ex- 
tream the more they were cut off from converting with 
the more Civiliz’d part of the World 5 it is probable, I 
think that they were propagated to tnis Place by the 
Eaftern Coaft of Africa, the Wcftcrn being now, and al- 
ways having been, as far as we know, inhabited by 
JSIenroes, from whom it is not very probable, that theft of 
fo different a Colour fhould have fprung. 
All the Kefemblance they have of Government is, that 
dn every Neighbourhood the Eldeft is firft in Order and 
Dimity his Advice as to what concerns the whole being 
moft follow’d, as having moft Experience. The Ceremo- 
ny of Marriage is perform’d among them by the Eldeft 
Perfon in the Company’s fprinkling the Perfons to be 
Married with his Urine, upon which, and cutting out one 
of the Man’s Tefficles, the Bufinefs is over * this feveral 
that lived in the Place affirm’d to me for a certain trnth. 
Bein'? inquifitive to know the truth of this, I had the Cu- 
riofity to feareh feveral of ’em, ("who will readily fuffer 
you for a double Stiver to do it) in two of which I 
could find but one Tefticle, they (1 fuppofe J being Mar- 
ry’d, ns the reft who had two were not * which how- 
ever fhews the miftake of Nieuhof and others, who af- 
fert,* That the Hottentots cut out one of the Tefticles of 
all their M ile Children as foon.as they are bom. (accord- 
ing 
