_Peter looking over his books finds he has got a Latin Bible--Sets
about a translation--Teaches some of the ragans letters--Sets up a paper
manufacture--Makes the ragans read the Bible--The ragans teach others to
read and write--A fair kept at the Black Mountain--Peter's reflection on
the Swangeantines._
ALL things being now so settled that they would go on of themselves,
and having no further direct view in my head, I spent my time with
my wife; and looking over my books one day to divert myself, with the
greatest joy imaginable I found that the Bible I had taken to be in the
Portuguese tongue was a Latin one. It was many years since I had
thought of that language; but on this occasion, by force of memory and
recollection, and with some attention, consideration, and practice, I
found it return to me in so plentiful a manner that I fully resolved to
translate my Bible into the Swangeantine tongue.
I sent directly for Lasmeel to be my amanuensis, and to work we went
upon the translation.
We began at the creation, and descending to the flood, went on to the
Jewish captivity in Egypt and deliverance by Moses, leaving out the
genealogies and all the Jewish ceremonies and laws, except the Ten
Commandments. I translated the books of Samuel and Kings, down to the
Babylonish captivity. I then translated such parts of the Prophets as
were necessary to introduce the Messiah, and discover Him; the books of
Psalms, Job, and the Proverbs, and with the utmost impatience hasted to
the New Testament. But then considering that when I had done, as only
Lasmeel and myself could read it, in case of our deaths, the translation
must die with us, I chose out six of the junior ragans, and two of the
elder, to learn letters; and in less than twelve months I had brought
them all to read mine and Lasmeel's writings perfectly well.
I instructed these ragans at spare hours, whilst I went on with my
translation; but finding my paper grow low, having had a great supply of
coarse linen, and a sort of calicoes from the isles, in return for our
metals, I set up a manufactory from that, and some gums of the trees,
which we boiled with it to a pulp in iron pans, and beating it to
pieces, made a useful paper which would bear ink tolerably. But I could
find nothing to make ink of, though I sent over all the country to
search for every herb and fruit not commonly used; till at last I found
an herb and flower on it, which, if taken before the flower faded,
would, by boiling thoroughly, become blue; this, by still more boiling
in a copper pan till it was dry and burnt hard to the bottom, in some
measure answered my purpose, and I fixed upon it as the best I could
obtain from all my experiments.
When the ragans were masters of their pens, I set six of them to copy
what Lasmeel had finished, and the other two to teach their brethren;
and in two years' time, by a pretty constant application (for I made
them transcribe it perfectly fair and intelligible), we finished our
translation, and two fair copies.
I then ordered the ragans to read a portion of it to the people
constantly, in the mouch; they, from the novelty of the story, at first
grew so exceeding fond of it, that upon the proper expositions of it I
taught the ragans afterwards to make, they began to apply it seriously
to religious purposes.
My writing ragans were very fond of their knowledge of letters; and
trade and commerce now increasing, which put every one more or less
in want of the same knowledge, they made a great profit of it,
by instructing all who applied to them. This increase of writing
necessarily provided a maintenance for several persons who travelled
to Norbon for quills, and sold them to the Swangeantines at extravagant
rates; till the Norbonese hearing that, brought them themselves to the
foot of the mountain, where the Swangeantines bought them, as they did
several other commodities which one country had and the other wanted,
especially iron wares of almost every denomination: so that the
mountain, being so excessively high, was the barrier; for the
Norbonese finding that difficulty in ascending and descending which the
Swangeantines with their graundees did not, there was a constant market
of buyers and sellers on the Mount Alkoe side of the Black Mountain,
which by degrees grew the general mart of the three kingdoms.
I have often reflected with myself, and have been amazed to think, that
so ingenious and industrious a people as the Swangeantines have since
appeared to be, and who, till I came amongst them, had nothing more than
bare food, and a hole to lie in, in a barren rocky country, and then
seemed to desire only what they had, should in ten years' time be
supplied not only with the conveniences, but superfluities of life; and
that they should then become so fond of them, as rather willingly to
part with life itself than be reduced to the state I found them in.
And I have as often, on this occasion, reflected on the goodness of
Providence, in rendering one part of mankind easy under the absence of
such comforts as others could not rest without; and have made it a great
argument for my assent to well-attested truths above my comprehension.
"For," says I, "to have affirmed, at my first coming, either that these
things could have been made at all, or when done could have been of any
additional benefit to these people, would have been so far beyond their
imaginations, that the reporter of so plain a truth, as they now find
it, would have been looked upon as a madman or an impostor; but
by opening their views by little and little, and showing them the
dependence of one thing upon another, he that should now affirm the
inutility of them, would be observed in a much worse light." And yet,
without any embellishments of art, how did this so great a people live
under the protection of Providence? Let us first view them at a vast
distance from any sort of sustenance, yet from the help of the graundee
that distance was but a step to them. They were forced to inhabit the
rocks, from an utter incapacity of providing shelter elsewhere, having
no tool that would either cut down timber for a habitation, or dig up
the earth for a fence, or materials to make one; but they had a liquor
that would dissolve the rock itself into habitations. They had neither
beast nor fish, for food or burthen; but they had fruits equivalent
to both, of the same relish, and as wholesome, without shedding blood.
Their fruits were dangerous till they had fermented in a boiling heat;
and they had neither the sun, nor any fire, nor the knowledge how to
propagate or continue it. But they had their hot springs always boiling,
without their care or concern. They had neither the skins of beasts, the
original clothing, nor any other artificial covering from the weather;
but they were born with that warm clothing the graundee, which being of
a considerable density, and full of veins flowing with warm blood, not
only defended their flesh from all outward injuries, but was a most
soft, comely, and warm dress to the body. They lived mostly in the dark
rock, having less difference of light with the change of seasons than
other people have; but either by custom or make, more light than what
Providence has sent them in the sweecoe is disagreeable: so that where
little is to be obtained, Providence, by confining the capacity, can
give content with that; and where apparent wants are, we may see, by
these people, how careful Providence is to supply them; for neither the
graundee, the sweecoes, nor their springs, are to be found where those
necessaries can be supplied by other means.
Amongst my other considerations, I have often thought that if I had gone
to the top of the Black Mountains northward of Brandleguarp, in the very
lightest time, I might have seen the sun; but these mountains were so
elevated, that our lightest time was only the gilded glimmering of their
tops, having never seen so much light on them as totally to eclipse all
the stars, of which we had always the same in view, but in different
positions.
[Illustration: 0311]