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counted the strongest for sight. And as they excell us in this particular so much noted, so I thinke they excell us in all the

rest.

This I am sure, I have well observed, that in the sence of smelling, they have very great perfection which is confirmed by the opinion of the French, that are planted about Canada, who have made relation, That they are so perfect in the use of that sence, that they will distinguish between a Spaniard and a Frenchman by the sent of the hand onely. And Salvages that will I am perswaded, that the Author of this Relation distinguish a Spaniard from a has seene very probable reasons, that have induced smell of the hand. him, to be of that opinion; and I am the more willing to give credit thereunto, because I have observed in them so much, as that comes to.

frenchman by the

I have seene a Deare passe by me upon a neck of Land, and a Salvage that has pursued him by the view.

I have accompanied him in this pursuite; and the Salvage, pricking the Deare, comes where hee findes the view of two deares together, leading several wayes. One hee was sure, was fresh, but which (by the sence of seeing) hee could not judge, therefore, with his knife, hee diggs up the A Deare pursued earth of one; and by smelling, sayes, that was not foote, hee was of the fresh Deare: then diggs hee up the other; and viewing and smelling to that, concludes it to be the view of the fresh Deare, which hee had pursued, and thereby followes the chase and killes that Deare, and I did eate part of it with him: such is their perfection in these two sences.

by the view of the

found and killed.

CHAP. XVI.

Of their acknowledgment of the Creation, and immortality of the Soule.

A

Lthough these Salvages are found to be without Religion, Law, and King (as Sir William Alexander hath well observed,) yet are they not altogether without the knowledge of God (historically) for they have it amongst them by tradition, that God made one man and one woman, and bad them live together, and get children, kill deare, beasts, birds, fish, and fowle, and what they would at their pleasure; and that their posterity was full of evill, and made God so angry that

hee let in the Sea upon them, & drowned the greatest part of them, that were naughty men, (the Lord destroyed so.)

Salvages.

And they went to Sanaconquam who feeds upon them, pointing to the Center of the Earth: where The beleefe of the they imagine is the habitation of the Devil :) the other, (which were not destroyed,) increased the world; and when they died (because they were good) went to the howse of Kytan, pointing to the setting of the sonne; where they eate all manner of dainties, and never take paines (as now) to provide it.

Kytan.

Kytan makes provision (they say) and saves them that laboure and there they shall live with him The Sonne called forever voyd of care. And they are perswaded that Kytan is hee that makes corne growe, trees growe, and all manner of fruits.

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And that wee that use the booke of Common prayer, doo it to declare to them, that cannot reade, what Kytan has commanded us, and that wee doe pray to him with the helpe of that booke; and doe make so much accompt of it, that a Salvage (who had lived in my howse before hee had taken a wife, by whome hee had children) made this request to mee (knowing that I allwayes used him with much more respect than others.) That I would let his sonne be brought up in my howse, that hee might be taught to reade 4 Salvage desired in that booke: which request of his I granted; and brought up to hee was a very joyfull man to thinke, that his sonne should thereby (as hee said) become an Englishman; and then hee would be a good man.

to have his sonn

learne the booke

of common

prayer.

I asked him who was a good man; his answere was, hee that would not lye, nor steale.

These, with them, are all the capitall crimes, that can be imagined; all other are nothing in respect of those; and hee that is free from these, must live with Kytan for ever, in all manner of pleasure.

TH

CHAP. XVII.

Of their Annals and funerals.

Hese people, that have by tradition some touch of the immortality of the soule, have likewise a custome to make some monuments, over the place Their custom in where the corps is interred: But they put a greate burryinge.

difference betweene persons of noble, and of ignoble, or obscure, or inferior discent. For indeed in the grave of the more noble, they put a planck in the bottom for the corps to be layed upon and on each side a plancke, and a plancke upon the top in forme of a chest, before they cover the place with earth. This done, they erect some thing over the grave in forme Their manner of of a hearse cloath, as was that of Cheekatawbacks

Monuments. mother, which the Plimouth planters defaced, because they accounted it an act of superstition. Which did breede a brawle as hath bin before related for they hold impious, and inhumane: to deface the monuments of the dead. They themselves esteeme of it as piaculum, and have a custome amongst them, to keepe their annals: & come at certaine times to lament, & bewaile the losse of their freind ; & At burrials, they use to black their faces, which they so weare in

black their faces. stead of a mourning ornament for a longer or a

shorter time, according to the dignity of the person: so is their annals kept and observed with their accustomed solemnity. Afterwards they absolutely abandon the place, because they suppose the sight thereof, will but renew their sorrow.

It was a thing very offensive to them, at our first comming into those parts, to aske of them for any one that had bin dead; but of later times it is not so offensively taken, to renew the memory of any deseased person, because by our example (which they are apt to followe) it is made more familiare unto them; and they marvell to see no monuments over our dead, and therefore thinke no great Sachem is yet come into those parts or not as yet deade, because they see the graves all alike.

CHAP. XVIII.

Of their Custome in burning the Country, and the reason thereof.

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He Salvages are accustomed, to set fire of the Country in all places where they come; and to burne it, twize a yeare, vixe at the Spring, and the fall of the leafe. The reason that mooves them to doe so, is because it would other wise be so overgrowne with underweedes, the Country twice that it would be all a copice wood, and the people would not be able in any wise to passe through

The Salvages fire

a yeare.

the Country out of a beaten path.

The meanes that they do it with, is with certaine minerall stones, that they carry about them: in baggs made for that purpose of the skinnes of little beastes which they convert into good lether; carrying in the same a peece of touch wood (very excellent for that purpose of their owne making. These minnerall stones they have from the Piquenteenes (which is to the Southward of all the plantations in New England) by trade and trafficke with those people.

The burning of the grasse destroyes the underwoods, and so scorcheth the elder trees, that it shrinkes them, and hinders their grouth very much: So that hee that will looke to finde large trees, and good tymber, must not depend upon the help, of a woodden prospect to finde them on the upland ground; but must seeke for them, (as I and others have done) in the lower grounds where the grounds are wett when the Country is fired by reason of the snow water that remaines there for a time, untill the Sunne by continuance of that hath exhaled the vapoures of the earth, and dried up those places, where the fire (by reason of the moisture) can have no power to doe them any hurt and if he would endevoure to finde out any goodly Cedars, hee must not seeke for them on the higher grounds, but make his inquest for them in the vallies, for the Salvages by this Custome of theirs, have spoiled all the rest: for this custome hath bin continued from the beginninge.

And least their firing of the Country in this manner; should be an occasion of damnifying us, and indaingering our habitations; wee our selves have used carefully about the same times; to observe the winds and fire the grounds about our owne habitations, to prevent the Dammage that might happen by any neglect thereof, if the fire should come neere those howses in our absence.

For when the fire is once kindled, it dilates and spreads it selfe as well against, as with the winde; burning continually night and day, untill a shower of raine falls to quench it.

And this custome of firing the Country is the meanes to make it passable, and by that meanes the trees growe here, and there as in our parks: and makes the Country very beautifull, and commodious.

A

CHAP. XIX.

Of their inclination to Drunkenesse.

Lthough Drunkennesse be justly termed a vice, which the Salvages are ignorant of, yet the benefit is very great that comes to the planters by the sale of strong liquor to the Salvages, who are much taken with the delight of it, for they will pawne their wits, to purchase the acquaintance of it, yet in al the comerce that I had with them, I never proffered them any such thing; nay I would hardly let any of them have a drame unless hee were a Sachem, or a Winnaytue, that is a rich man, or a man of estimation, next in degree to a Sachem, or Sagamore: I alwayes tould them it was amongst us the Sachems drinke. But they say if I come to the Northerne parts of the Country, I shall have no trade, if I will not supply the with lusty liquors, it is the life of the trade, in all those parts, for it so happened, that thus a Salvage desperately killed himselfe, when hee was drunke, a gunne being charged and the cock up, hee sets the mouth to his brest, and putting back the tricker with his foote, shot himselfe dead.

A

CHAP. XX.

That the Salvages live a contended life.

Gentleman and a traveller, that had bin in the parts of New England for a time, when hee retorned againe in his discourse of the Country, wondered (as hee said,) that the natives of the land lived so poorely, in so rich a Country, like to our Beggers in England: Surely that Gentleman had not time or leasure whiles hee was there, truely to informe himselfe of the state of that Country, and the happy life the Salvages would leade weare they once brought to Christianity.

The Salvages want the art of navigation.

I must confesse they want the use and benefit of Navigation (which is the very sinnus of a flourishing Commonwealth,) yet are they supplied with all manner of needfull things, for the maintenance of life and lifelyhood, Foode and rayment are the cheife of all that we make true use of; and of these they finde no want, but have, them in a most plentifull manner.

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