1 68 i:he D ISCO FERT and CO N E ST Book I. 
the Portugueze Dominions are but narrow here^ confining 
on the Spanijh Territories on the River la Plata. We 
have taken this Opportunity of defcribing the whole 
Country as it lies ^ but the Reader will eafily conceive 
that it was fubdued and planted by Degrees, and that the 
Accounts tranfmitted from Time to Time to Lifion 
were agreeable to the Alterations in the State of the Co- 
lony. It was from the Nature ot thefe Reports, that 
Things at the beginning went on fiowly. The firft Portu- 
gueze Inhabitants were fenfible enough, that the Soil was 
fertile, the Air temperate, and the Country well watered ; 
but alas ! they could report no more. Brazil appeared 
to them no otherwife than as a pleafant, fruitful, and well 
fituated Country, capable indeed of furnifhing Abun- 
dance — but not of Gold and Silver — very fit for any 
Sort of Improvement ; but deftitute, as they fuppofed, 
of Mines. 
Upon thefe Reports theMiniftry did not indeed order 
it to be deferred ; but they tranfported wicked People 
thither, according, as from Time to Time their Crimes 
brought them under the Cenfure of the Law, which had 
two very bad Effefts ; for firfl it difcredited the Colony 
in the Eyes of the Portugueze Nation ; . and next, it 
proved the Means of corrupting the poor Indians, who 
were much more apt to catch the Portugueze Vices, 
from their Example, than to receive the Chrifiian Reli- 
gion by their Teaching*, and indeed in all Colonies. 
I am afraid the Lives of Chriftians are fuch as may be 
juftly efteemed the Source of untradlable Infidelity among 
the Indians. 
4. But, to apprehend this more thoroughly, we muft 
have fome Acquaintance with the Natives of Brazil, 
and their State and Condition at the Time of" which we 
are fpeaking. Thefe Savages differed very little in Sta- 
ture or Complexion from the Portugueze themfelves, 
but they much exceeded them in the Strength, Robuft- 
nefs, and Vigour of their Bodies. The Manner of their 
Living, however, was barbarous enough ; for they lived 
in the wide Plains, fome in Villages, and others moving 
about, according to their Elumours. Their Villages 
confifted only of three or four very large Houfes, not 
unlike our Barns, in which a whole Family or Tribe 
lived together, under the eldeft Parent, in the State of 
Nature ; but, however, we can fay nothing as to the 
Extent of their Authority. 
They made ufe of Fowling and Fifhing for their Sub- 
fiftence, and made up the reft of their Diet with the 
Fruits of the Earth ; fo that though they had not any 
luxurious Plenty, yet, in fo fertile a Country, they could 
not fuffer any great Degree of want. But, what feems 
fomewhat extraordinary, they were, notwithftanding 
this feemingly frugal and temperate way of Living, 
continually at War with each other ; but for what 
Caufes it is not eafy to imagine *, unlefs we fliouid admit 
what fome old VVriters affirm, that they made thefe 
Wars chiefly, that they might kill and eat each other, 
efteeming human Flefli the greateft of Dainties. But 
perhaps the Teftimonies of thofe v/ho own themfelves 
guilty of extirpating thoufands of thefe poor Creatures, 
to whom they could have no Quarrel worthy of rational 
Beings, ought not to be received, or at leaft not received 
in its full Extent *, for there is a certain kind of Malig- 
nity in human Nature, which leads us to calumniate 
and mifreprefent thofe that we injure ; as if by aggra- 
vating their Vices we could juftify, or at leaft excufe, 
our own. 
But, at the Bottom, this will be found a Dodrine 
equally falfe and abfurd, for we ought to reclaim bad 
Men, and not to murder them *, and Experience fliews 
us, that with regard to other Indians, who have been 
painted in as black Colours as the People of Brazil, 
they derived their Charahfers rather from the heated 
Imaginations of European Writers, than from any bad 
or brutal Conduct in them all. But let us defeend a 
little into Particulars from fuch Authorities as we have. 
The Portugueze and Dutch Writers give the Name of 
Tapuyers to the Natives which inhabit the North Part 
of Brazil, and the Name oiTupinamhies or Tupinamboys, 
to thofe who dwell in the South of Brazil ; but divide 
thefe again Into feveral petty Nations, differing in Lan- 
guage, but not much in Manners and Cuftoms ; and 
therefore, I fhail only treat of them under the two firft 
grand Divifions of Tapuyers and T upinamhies. 
The Tapuyers are Men of good Stature, and as they 
inhabit a hot Climate, almoft under the Equator, are 
of a dark Copper Colour, their Hair black, and hang- 
ing over their Shoulders ; but they fulfer no Hair on 
their Bodies or Faces, and go almoft naked ; the Men 
only inclofing the Penis in a Cafe, as fome other AmerB 
cans do, and the Women concealing their Nudities with 
Leaves. The Men have alfo a Cap or Coronet of Feathers, 
but I don’t perceive the V/omen have any Covering on 
their Heads. Their Ornaments are glittering Stones, 
hung upon their Lips or Noftrils, and Bracelets of Fea- 
thers hung about their Arms ; fome of them paint their 
Bodies of all Manner of Colours ; whereas, others, rub- 
bing their Bodies with Gums, ftick beautiful Feathers 
upon them, which makes them look more like Fowls 
than human Creatures, at a Diftance. Tlie T upinamhies, 
who inhabit the South of Brazil are of a mocierate Sta- 
ture, and not of fo dark a Complexion as their northern 
Neighbours, who lie nearer the line ; but neither the 
one or the other are fo dark as the Africans are, who lie 
in the fame Latitude, it having been more than once ob- 
ferved, that there were no Negroes in America, till they 
were tranfported thither by the Spaniards and Portugueze. 
T'he Tupinamhies, however, refemblc the Africans in 
their fiat Nofes, which are not natural, but made fo in 
their Infancy ; a flat Nofe being efteemed a Beauty 
among them. They have alfo black curled Hair on 
their Heads, but fuffer no Hair to grow on their Bodies 
and Faces, any more than the Tapuyers, and paint them- 
felves like the northern Brazilians. The general Food of 
the Brazilians was the Caflavi or Mandioaka Root dried 
to Powder, of which they make Cakes like our Sea 
Bifket. They carried this Flower with them alfo on 
Journies, and it ferved them infufed in Water both as 
Meat and Drink j but I don’t find they had any Sort of 
Corn till the Europeans carried it thither. They ufed 
alfo to feed on other Roots, Fruits, and Herbs, and 
fuch Venifon as they could take in Hunting, as alfo on 
Fiffi and Fowl, if they lived near the Water j and with 
every thing eat a great deal of Pepper. Some have ad- 
ded, that they were Cannibals, and eat human Flefh 
from one End of Brazil to the other, but late Travellers 
obferving no fuch thing, little Credit can be allowed to 
this, for Reafons already given. 
The general Liquor the Natives drink is Spring-Wa- 
ter, of which ’tis faid they have the beft and the greateft 
Variety in the World *, but there are other kind of Li- 
quors, which have a very good Body, made of their 
Fruits, prelfed and infufed ; or of Floney *, with which 
they fometimes get very drunk, fitting whole Days and 
Nights over their Cups. They are charged alfo with 
being a very lazy Generation, that will never work or 
hunt, but when IsTceffity compels them. And as to 
Arts and Sciences, they were fcarce Mafters of any, un- 
lefs the Art of Spinning and Weaving, and forming their 
Arms (v/hich confifted of Bows, Arrows, Lances, and 
Darts) and the Art of Building, which was but mean 5 
for their Houfes did not need any great Contrivance, 
As for Letters, Charafters, and Arithmetic, they were 
perfectly ignorant of them. , They had fome Knowledge 
of the Virtues of feveral Herbs and Drugs, which they 
frequently adminiftered with Succefs to the Sick but, 
a certain Writer relates, that when they defpaired of re- 
covering the Patient, all his Relations agreed to knock 
him on the Head, which they thought much better than 
a lingering Death, and this probably may be juft as 
true as their devouring human Flefii. 
Flunting, Fifhing, and Fowling, were rather their 
Bufinefsthan Amufements, being abfolutely needfary for 
the Support of their Families, in a Country where they 
had no tame Cattle or Corn. Drinking, Singing, and 
Dancing, were more properly their Diverfions ; thefe 
they pradifed on their rejoicing Days, for a Vidory, or 
the Birth of their Children. They are great Smoakers, 
and take the ftrongeft Tobacco. Their Pipes are a hol- 
low Reed or Cane, the Bowl a large Nut-ffiell, that holds 
almoft a handful of Tobacco. They are a tradable 
