History of the Caribs. 235 
to their customs. An enquiry of this nature is praise- 
worthy in so far as one derives some benefit from it ; be- 
cause, when I consider that the Caribs are hospitable, 
without ambition, very simple, without greediness, very 
sincere, without fraud, without blasphemy, without lies, 
I cannot but admire them, and imitate them in the above 
points ; but if they have their perfections they also have 
their vices, of which later. When I consider their blind- 
ness and that they have neither belief, law, nor king, I feel 
obliged to render thanks to my Creator for giving me 
the knowledge of a God, and for causing me to be 
born in the true religion, and a subject of the greatest 
king on earth. 
Of the Origin of the Caribs. I will not try to discover 
the origin and descent of the Caribs, the island savages 
of America, as they themselves know nothing about it, 
They care as little about the past as about the future ; 
and writers give such different accounts about the 
matter that I can discover nothing certain on this point. 
Some have thought that they are descended from the 
Jews because they practise circumcision, and also be- 
cause they eat no pork. Old savages have told me that 
they are descended from the Galibis of the mainland 
(neighbours to the Arawaks, their enemies) whom they 
closely resemble in language, customs and religion ; and 
that they had entirely destroyed a certain nation on the 
islands with the exception of the women, whom they 
took to themselves, which is the cause why the language 
of the men differs in some respects from that of the 
women. I also believe that the cause of difference be- 
tween them is due to the fa6t that the Caribs have con- 
sorted with strangers and so changed their customs and 
FF 
