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houses and the living; that were able to shift for themselves would runne away, & let them dy, and let there Carkases ly above the ground without buriall. For in a place where many inhabited, there hath been but one left a live, to tell what became of the rest, the livinge being (as it seemes) The livinge not not able to bury the dead, they were left for Crowes, able to bury the Kites, and vermin to pray upon. And the bones

dead.

and skulls upon the severall places of their habitations, made such a spectacle after my comming into those partes, that as I travailed in that Forrest, nere the Massachussets, it seemed to mee a new found Golgatha.

But otherwise it is the custome of those Indian people, to bury their dead ceremoniously, and carefully, and then to abandon that place, because they have no desire the place should put them in minde of mortality: and this mortality was not ended, when the Brownists of new Plimmouth were setled at Patuxet in New England, and by all likely hood the sicknesse that these Indians died of, was the Plague, as by conference with them since my arrivall, and habitation in those partes, I have learned. And by this meanes there is as yet but a small number of Salvages in New England to that, which hath beene in former time, and the place is made so much the more fitt, for the English Nation to inhabit in, and erect in it Temples to the Glory of God.

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CHAP. IV.

Of their Houses and Habitations.

2. Sam. 24.

He Natives of New England are accustomed to build them houses, much like the wild Irish, they gather Poles in the woodes and put the great end of them in the ground, placinge them in forme of a circle or circumference, and bendinge the topps of them in forme of an Arch, they bind them together with the Barke of Walnut trees, which is wondrous tuffe, so that they make the same round on the Topp.

For the smooke of their fire, to assend and passe through? these they cover with matts, some made of reeds, and some longe flagges, or sedge finely sowed together with needles made of the splinter bones of a Cranes legge, with threeds, made of their Indian hempe, which their groueth naturally, leaving severall places for dores, which are covered with mats, which may be rowled up, and let downe againe at their pleasures,

making use, of the severall dores, according as the winde sitts, the fire is alwayes made in the middest of the house, with winde fals commonly yet some times they fell a tree, that groweth neere the house and by drawing in the end thereof maintaine the fire on both sids, burning the tree by Degrees shorter and shorter, untill it be all consumed; for it burneth night and day, their lodging is made in three places of the house about the fire they lye upon plankes commonly about a foote or 18. inches above the ground raised upon railes that are borne up upon forks they lay mats under them, and Coates of Deares skinnes otters beavers Racownes and of Beares hides, all which they have dressed and converted into good lether with the haire on for their coverings and in this manner they lye as warme as they desire in the night they take their rest, in the day time, either the kettle is on with fish or flesh, by no allowance; or else, the fire is imployed in roasting of fishes, which they delight in, the aire doeth beget good stomacks, and they feede continually, and are no niggards of their vittels, for they are willing, that any one shall eate with them, Nay if any one, that shall come into their houses, and there fall a sleepe, when they see him disposed to lye downe, they will spreade a matt for him, of their owne accord, and lay a roule of skinnes for a boulster, and let him lye? if hee sleepe untill their meate be dished up, they will set a wooden boule of meate by him that sleepeth, & wake him saying Cart up keene Meckin: That is, if you be hungry, there is meat for you, where if you will eate you may, such is their Humanity.

Likewise when they are minded to remoove, they carry away the mats with them, other materiales the place adjoyning will yeald, they use not to winter and summer in one place, for that would be a reason to make fuell scarse, but after the manner of the gentry of Civilized natives, remoove for their pleasures, some times to their hunting places where they remaine keeping good hospitality, for that season; and sometimes to their fishing places, where they abide for that season likewise; and at the spring, when fish comes in plentifully, they have ་མམ་ meetinges from severall places, where they exercise themselves in gaminge, and playing of juglinge trickes, and all manner of Revelles, which they are delighted in, that it is admirable to behould, what pastime they use, of severall kindes, every one striving to surpasse each other, after this manner they spend their time.

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I

CHAP. V.

Of their Religion.

T has bin a common receaved opinion from Cicero, that there is no people so barbarous, but have some worshipp,

or other in this particular, I am not of opinion therein with Tully; and surely, If hee had bin amongst those people so longe as I have bin, and conversed so much with them, touching this matter of Religion, hee would have changed his opinion, neither should we have found this error, amongst the rest, by the helpe of that wodden prospect, if it had not been so unadvisedly built upon such highe land as that Coast, (all mens judgements in generall,) doth not yeeld, had hee but taken the judiciall councell of Sir William Alexander, that setts this thing forth in an exact and conclusive sentence; if hee be not too obstinate? hee would graunt that worthy writer, that these people are sine fide, sine lege, & sine rege, and hee hath exemplified this thinge by a familiar demonstration, which I have by longe experience observed to be true.

And me thinks, it is absurd to say they have a kinde of worship, and not able to demonstrate whome or what it is they are accustomed to worship. For my part I am more willing to beleeve that the Elephants (which are reported to be the most intelligible of all beasts) doe worship the moone, for the reasons given by the author of this report as Mr. Thomas May, the minion of the Muses dos recite it in his contimation, of Lucas historicall poem, rather then this man, to that I must bee constrained, to conclude against him, and Cicero; that the Natives of New England have no worship nor religion at all, and I am sure it has been so observed by those that neede not the helpe of a wodden prospect for the matter.

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CHAP. VI.

Of the Indians apparrell.

He Indians in these partes do make their apparrell, of the skinnes of severall sortes of beastes, and commonly of those, that doe frequent those partes where they doe live, yet some of them for variety, will have the skinnes of such

beasts that frequent the partes of their neighbors, which they purchase of them, by Commerce and Trade.

The Indians make good lether.

Indians ingenious

*

These skinnes they convert into very good lether, making the same plume and soft. Some of these skinnes they dresse with the haire on, and some with the haire off; the hairy side in winter time they weare next their bodies, and in warme weather, they weare the haire outwardes: they make likewise some Coates of the Feathers of Turkies, which they weave together with twine of their owne makinge, very pritily these garments they weare like mantels knit over their shoulders, and put under their arme: they have likewise another sort of mantels, made of Mose skinnes, which beast is a great large Deere, so bigge as a horse, these skinnes they commonly dresse bare, and make them wondrous white and stripe them with size, round about the borders, in forme like lace set on by a Taylor, and some they stripe with size, in workemen for Workes of severall fashions very curious, according to their garments. the severall fantasies of the workemen, wherein they strive to excell one another: And Mantels made of Beares skinnes is an usuall wearinge, among the Natives, that live where the Beares doe haunt: they make shooes of Mose skinnes, which is the principall leather used to that purpose; and for want of such lether (which is the strongest) they make shooes of Deeres skinnes, very handsomly and commodious, and of such deeres skinnes as they dresse bare, they make stockinges, that comes within their shooes, like a stirrop stockinge, and is fastned above at their belt which is about their middell; Every male after hee attaines unto the age, which they call Pubes, wereth a belt about his middell, and a broad peece of lether that goeth betweene his leggs, and is tuckt up both before and behinde under The modesty of that belt, and this they weare to hide their secreats the Indian men of nature; which by no meanes they will suffer to be seene, so much modesty they use in that particular, those garments they allwayes put on, when they goe a huntinge to keepe their skinnes from the brush of the Shrubbs, and when they have their Apparrell one, they looke like Irish in their trouses, the Stockinges joyne so to their breeches. A good well growne deere skin is of great account with them, and it must have the tale on, or else they account it defaced, the tale being three times as long as the tales of our English Deere, yea foure times so longe, this when they travell is raped round about their body, and with a girdle of their making, bound round about their middles, to which girdle is fastned a bagg, in which his instruments be, with which hee can strike fire upon any occasion.

with materials to

times.

Thus with their bow in their left hand, and their Indians travaile quiver of Arrowes at their back, hanging one their strike fire at all left shoulder with the lower end of it, in their right hand, they will runne away a dogg trot, untill they come to their journey end, and in this kinde of ornament, (they doe seeme to me) to be hansomer, then when they are in English apparrell, their gesture being answerable to their one habit and

not unto ours.

Their women have shooes and stockinges to weare likewise when they please, such as the men have, but the mantle they use to cover their nakednesse with, is much longer then that, which the men use; for as the men have one Deeres skinn, the women have two soed together at the full lenght, and it is so lardge that it trailes after them, like a great Ladies trane, and in time I thinke they may have their Pages to beare them up: and where the men use but one Beares skinn for a Mantle, the women have two soed together; and if any of their women would at any time shift one, they take that which they intend to make use of, and cast it over them round, before they shifte away the other, for modesty, being unwilling to be seene to discover their nakednesse, and the one being so cast The Indians over they slip the other from under them in a decent ashamed of their manner, which is to be noted in people uncivilized, therein they seeme to have as much modesty as civilized people, and deserve to be applauded for it.

CHAP. VII.

nakednesse.

Of their Child-bearing, and delivery, and what munner of persons they are.

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He women of this Country, are not suffered to be used for procreation, untill the ripenesse of their age, at which time they weare a redd cap made of lether in forme like to our flat caps, and this they weare for the space of 12 moneths: for all men to take notice of them that have any minde to a wife; and then it is the custome of some of their Sachems or Lords of the territories, to have the first say or maidenhead of the females? (very apt they are) to be with childe, and very laborious when they beare chil- The women big dren, yea when they are as great as they can be, with child very yet in that case they neither forbeare laboure, nor travaile, I have seene them in that plight with burthens at their

laborious.

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