unacquainted with the inventions that are common to a civilized people,
are ravisht with admiration at the first view of any such sight: They
tooke the first Ship they saw for a walking Iland, the Mast to be a
Tree, the Saile white Clouds, and the discharging of Ordinance for
Lightning and Thunder, which did much trouble them, but this thunder
being over, and this moving Iland stedied with an Anchor, they manned
out their cannowes to goe and picke strawberries there, but being
saluted by the way with a broad side, they cried out, what much
hoggery, so bigge walke, and so bigge speake, and by and by kill; which
caused them to turne back, not daring to approach till they were sent
for. They doe much extoll and wonder at the _English_ for their strange
Inventions, especially for a Wind-mill, which in their esteeme was
little lesse than the worlds wonder, for the strangenesse of his
whisking motion, and the sharpe teeth biting the corne (as they terme
it) into such small peeces; they were loath at the first to come neere
to his long armes, or to abide in so tottering a tabernacle, though now
they dare goe any where so farre as they have an _English_ guide. The
first plow-man was counted little better than a luggler: the _Indians_
seeing the plow teare up more ground in a day, than their Clamme shels
could scrape up in a month, desired to see the workemanship of it, and
viewing well the coulter and share, perceiving it to be iron, told the
plow-man, hee was almost _Abamocho_, almost as cunning as the Devill;
but the fresh supplies of new and strange objects hath lessen'd their
admiration, and quickned their inventions, and desire of practising
such things as they see, wherein they expresse no small ingenuitie, and
dexterity of wit, being neither furthered by art, or long experience.
It is thought they would soon learne any mechanicall trades, having
quicke wits, understanding apprehensions, strong memories, with nimble
inventions, and a quicke hand in using of the Axe or Hatchet, or such
like tooles: much good might they receive from the _English_, and much
might they benefit themselves, if they were not strongly fettered in
the chaines of idlenesse; so as that they had rather starve than worke,
following no employments, saving such as are sweetned with more
pleasures and profit than paines or care, and this is indeede one of
the greatest accusations that can be laid against them, which lies but
upon the men, (the women being very industrious) but it may be hoped
that good example, and good instructions may bring them to a more
industrious and provident course of life. For already, as they have
learned much subtiltie & cunning by bargaining with the _English_, so
have they a little degenerated from some of their lazie customes, and
shew themselves more industrious. In a word, to set them out in their
best colours, they be wise in their carriage, subtle in their dealings,
true in their promise, honest in defraying of their debts, though
poverty constraine them to be something long before; some having died
in the _English_ debt, have left Beaver by order of Will for their
satisfaction: They be constant in friendship, merrily conceited in
discourse, not luxuriously abounding in youth, nor dotingly froward in
old age, many of them being much civilized since the _English_ Colonies
were planted, though but little edified in Religion: They frequent
often the _English_ Churches, where they will sit soberly, though they
understand not such hidden mysteries. They doe easily beleeve some of
the History of the Bible, as the creation of the World, the making of
man, with his fall: but come to tell them of a Saviour, with all the
passages of the Gospell, and it exceeds so farre their _Indian_
beleefe, that they will cry out (_Pocatnie_) _id est_, is it possible?
yet such is their conviction of the right way, that when some _English_
have come to their houses, victuals being offered them, forgetting to
crave Gods blessing upon the creatures received, they have beene
reproved by these, which formerly never knew what calling upon God
meant: thus farre for their naturall disposition and qualities.
CHAP. X.
_Of their Kings government, and Subjects obedience._
Now for the matter of government amongst them: It is the custome for
their Kings to inherite, the sonne always taking the Kingdome after his
fathers death. If there be no sonne, then the Queene rules; if no
Queene, the next to the blood-royall; who comes in otherwise, is but
counted an usurping intruder, and if his faire carriage beare him not
out the better, they will soone unscepter him.
The Kings have no Lawes to command by, nor have they any annuall
revenewes; yet commonly are they so either feared or beloved, that
halfe their Subjects estate is at their Service, and their persons at
his command; by which command he is better knowne than by any thing
else. For though hee hath no Kingly Robes, to make him glorious in the
view of his Subjects, nor dayly Guardes to secure his person, or
Court-like attendance, nor sumptuous Pallaces; yet doe they yeeld all
submissive subjection to him, accounting him their Soveraigne; going at
his command, and comming at his becke, not so much as expostulating the
cause, though it be in matters thwarting their wills; he being
accounted a disloyall subject that will not effect what his Prince
commands. Whosoever is knowne to plot Treason, or to lay violent hands
on his lawfull King, is presently executed. Once a yeare he takes his
progresse, accompanied with a dozen of his best Subjects to view his
Countrey, to recreate himselfe, and establish good order. When he
enters into any of their houses, without any more complement, he is
desired to sit downe on the ground; (for they use neither stooles nor
cushions) and after a little respite, all that be present, come in, and
sit downe by him, one of his Seniors pronouncing an Oration gratulatory
to his Majesty for his love; and the many good things they enjoy under
his peacefull government. A King of large Dominions hath his Viceroyes,
or inferiour Kings under him, to agitate his State-affaires, and keepe
his Subjects in good decorum. Other Officers there be, but how to
distinguish them by name is some-thing difficult: For their Lawes, as
their evill courses come short of many other Nations, so they have not
so many Lawes, though they be not without some, which they inflict upon
notorious malefactors, as Traytors to their Prince, inhumane
murtherers, and some say for adultery; but I cannot warrant it for a
truth. For theft, as they have nothing to steale worth the life of a
man, therefore they have no law to execute for trivialls; a Subject
being precious in the eye of his Prince, where men are so scarce. A
malefactor having deserved death, being apprehended, is brought before
the King, and some other of the wisest men where they enquire out the
originall of a thing; after proceeding by aggravation of circumstances,
he is found guilty, and being cast by the Iury of their strict
inquisition, he is condemned, and executed on this manner: The
Executioner comes in, who blind-folds the party, sets him in the
publike view, and braines him with a _Tamahauke_ or Club; which done,
his friends bury him. Other meanes to restraine abuses they have none,
saving admonition or reproofe; no whippings, no Prisons, Stockes,
Bilbowes, or the like.
CHAP. XI.
_Of their Marriages._
Now to speake something of their Marriages, the Kings or great
_Powwowes_, _alias_ Conjurers, may have two or three Wives, but seldome
use it. Men of ordinary Ranke, having but one; which disproves the
report, that they had eight or tenne Wives apeece. When a man hath a
desire to Marry, he first gets the good-will of the Maide or Widdow,
after, the consent of her friends for her part; and for himselfe, if he
be at his owne disposing, if the King will, the match is made, her
Dowry of _Wampompeage_ payd, the King joynes their hands with their
hearts, never to part till death, unlesse Shee prove a Whore; for which
they may, and some have put away their Wives, as may appeare by a
story. There was one _Abamoch_ married a Wife, whom a long time he
intirely loved above her deservings, for that shee often in his absence
entertained strangers, of which hee was oftentimes informed by his
neighbours, but hee harbouring no sparke of jealousie, beleeved not
their false informations (as he deemed them) being in a manner angry
they should slander his Wife, of whose constancy hee was so strongly
conceited: A long time did her whorish gloazing and Syren-like tongue,
with her subtle carriage, establish her in her Husbands favour, till
fresh complaints caused him to cast about, how to finde out the truth,
and to prove his friends lyars, and his Wife honest, or her a Whore,
and his friends true: whereupon hee pretended a long journey to visite
his friends, providing all accoutraments for a fortnights journey;
telling his Wife it would be so long before she could expect his
returne, who outwardly sorrowed for his departure, but inwardly
rejoyced, that she should enjoy the society of her old _Lemman_; whom
she sent for with expedition, not suspecting her Husbands plot, who lay
not many miles off in the Woods; who after their dishonest revelings,
when they were in their midnight sleepe, approaches the Wiggwamme,
enters the doore, which was neither barred nor lockt; makes a light to
discover what hee little suspected; but finding his friends words to
bee true, hee takes a good bastinado in his hand brought for the same
purpose, dragging him by the haire from his usurped bed, so lamentably
beating him, that his battered bones and bruised flesh made him a
fitter subject for some skilfull Surgeon, than the lovely obiect of a
lustfull strumpet; which done, hee put away his wife, exposing her to
the curtesie of strangers for her maintenance, that so curtesan-like
had entertained a stranger into her bosome.
CHAP. XII.
_Of their worship, invocations, and conjurations._
Now of their worships: As it is naturall to all mortals to worship
something, so doe these people, but exactly to describe to whom their
worship is chiefly bent, is very difficult; they acknowledge especially
two, _Ketan_ who is their good God, to whom they sacrifice (as the
ancient Heathen did to _Ceres_) after their garners bee full with a
good croppe: upon this God likewise they invocate for faire weather,
for raine in time of drought, and for the recovery of their sick; but
if they doe not heare them, then they verifie the old verse, _Flectere
si nequeo Superos, Acharonta movebo_, their Pow-wows betaking
themselves to their exorcismes and necromanticke charmes, by which they
bring to passe strange things, if wee may beleeve the _Indians_, who
report of one _Pissacannawa_, that hee can make the water burne, the
rocks move, the trees dance, metamorphize himselfe into a flaming man.
But it may be objected, this is but _deceptio visus_. Hee will
therefore doe more, for in Winter, when there is no greene leaves to be
got, he will burne an old one to ashes, and putting those into the
water, produce a new greene leafe, which you shall not onely see, but
substantially handle and carrie away; and make of a dead snakes skinne
a living snake, both to be seene, felt, and heard; this I write but
upon the report of the _Indians_, who confidently affirme stranger
things. But to make manifest, that by Gods permission, thorough the
Devils helpe, their charmes are of force to produce effects of
wonderment; An honest Gentle-man related a storie to mee, being an
eye-witness of the same: A Pow-wow having a patient with the stumpe of
some small tree runne thorough his foote, being past the cure of his
ordinary Surgery, betooke himselfe to his charmes, and being willing to
shew his miracle before the _English_ stranger, hee wrapt a piece of
cloth about the foote of the lame man; upon that wrapping a Beaver
skinne, through which hee laying his mouth to the Beaver skinne, by his
sucking charmes he brought out the stumpe, which he spat into a tray of
water, returning the foote as whole as its fellow in a short time. The
manner of their action in their conjuration is thus: The parties that
are sick or lame being brought before them, the Pow-wow sitting downe,
the rest of the _Indians_ giving attentive audience to his imprecations
and invocations, and after the violent expression of many a hideous
bellowing and groaning, he makes a stop, and then all the auditors with
one voice utter a short _Canto_; which done, the Pow-wow still proceeds
in his invocations, sometimes roaring like a Beare, other times
groaning like a dying horse, foaming at the mouth like a chased bore,
smiting on his naked brest and thighs with such violence, as if he were
madde. Thus will hee continue sometimes halfe a day, spending his
lungs, sweating out his fat, and tormenting his body in this
diabolicall worship; sometimes the Devill for requitall of their
worship, recovers the partie, to nuzzle them up in their divellish
Religion. In former time hee was wont to carrie away their wives and
children, because hee would drive them to these Martens, to fetch them
again to confirme their beliefe of this his much desired authoritie
over them: but since the _English_ frequented those parts, they daily
fall from his colours, relinquishing their former fopperies, and
acknowledge our God to be supreame. They acknowledge the power of the
_English_-mans God, as they call, him, because they could never yet
have power by their conjurations to damnifie the _English_ either in
body or goods; and besides, they say hee is a good God that sends them
so many good things, so much good corne, so many cattell, temperate
raines, faire seasons, which they likewise are the better for since the
arrivall of the _English_; the times and seasons being much altered in
seaven or eight yeares, freer from lightning and thunder, long
droughts, suddaine and tempestuous dashes of raine, and lamentable cold
Winters.
CHAP. XIII.
_Of their Warres._
Of their Warres: Their old souldiers being swept away by the Plague,
which was very rife amongst them about 14 yeares agoe, and resting
themselves secure under the _English_ protection, they doe not now
practice any thing in martiall feates worth observation, saving that
they make themselves Forts to flie into, if the enemies should
unexpectedly assaile them. These Forts some be fortie or fiftie foote
square, erected of young timber trees, ten or twelve foote high, rammed
into the ground, with undermining within, the earth being cast up for
their shelter against the dischargements of their enemies, having
loope-holes to send out their winged messingers, which often deliver
their sharpe and bloody embassies in the tawnie sides of their naked
assailants, who wanting butting Rammes and battering Ordinances to
command at distance, lose their lives by their too neare approachments.
These use no other weapons in warre than bowes and arrowes, saving that
their Captaines have long speares, on which if they returne conquerours
they carrie the heads of their chiefe enemies that they slay in the
wars: it being the custome to cut off their heads, hands, and feete, to
beare home to their wives and children, as true tokens of their
renowned victorie. When they goe to their warres, it is their custome
to paint their faces with diversitie of colours, some being all black
as jet, some red, some halfe red and halfe blacke, some blacke and
white, others spotted with divers kinds of colours, being all disguised
to their enemies, to make them more terrible to their foes, putting on
likewise their rich Iewels, pendents and Wampompeage, to put them in
minde they fight not onely for their Children, Wives, and lives, but
likewise for their goods, lands and liberties; Being thus armed with
this warlike paint, the antique warriers make towards their enemies in
a disordered manner, without any souldier like marching or warlike
postures, being deafe to any word of command, ignorant of falling off,
or falling on, of doubling rankes or files, but let fly their winged
shaftments without eyther feare or wit; their Artillery being spent, he
that hath no armes to fight, findes legges to run away.
CHAP. XIIII.
_Their games and sports of activitie._
Bvt to leave their warres, and to speake of their games in which they
are more delighted and better experienced, spending halfe their dayes
in gaming and lazing. They have two sorts of games, one called _Puim_,
the other _Hubbub_, not much unlike Cards and Dice, being no other than
Lotterie. _Puim_ is 50. or 60. small Bents of a foote long which they
divide to the number of their gamesters, shuffling them first betweene
the palmes of their hands; he that hath more than his fellow is so much
the forwarder in his game: many other strange whimseyes be in this
game; which would be too long to commit to paper; hee that is a noted
gamster, hath a great hole in his eare wherein hee carries his _Puims_
in defiance of his antagonists. _Hubbub_ is five small Bones in a small
smooth Tray, the bones bee like a Die, but something flatter, blacke on
the one side and white on the other, which they place on the ground,
against which violently thumping the platter, the bones mount changing
colours with the windy whisking of their hands too and fro; which
action in that sport they much use, smiting themselves on the breast,
and thighs, crying out, _Hub, Hub, Hub_; they may be heard play at this
game a quarter of a mile off. The bones being all blacke or white, make
a double game; if three be of a colour and two of another, then they
affoard but a single game; foure of a colour and one differing is
nothing; so long as a man winns, he keepes the Tray: but if he loose,
the next man takes it. They are so bewitched with these two games, that
they will loose sometimes all they have, Beaver, Moose-skinnes,
Kettles, Wampompeage, Mowhackies, Hatchets, Knives, all is confiscate
by these two games. For their sports of activitie they have commonly
but three or foure; as footeball, shooting, running and swimming: when
they play country against country, there are rich Goales, all behung
with Wampompeage, Mowhackies, Beaver skins, and blacke Otter skinnes.
It would exceede the beleefe of many to relate the worth of one Goale,
wherefore it shall be namelesse. Their Goales be a mile long placed on
the sands, which are as even as a board; their ball is no bigger than a
hand-ball, which sometimes they mount in the Aire with their naked
feete, sometimes it is swayed by the multitude; sometimes also it is
two dayes before they get a Goale, then they marke the ground they
winne, and beginne there the next day. Before they come to this sport,
they paint themselves, even as when they goe to warre, in pollicie to
prevent future mischiefe, because no man should know him that moved his
patience or accidentally hurt his person, taking away the occasion of
studying revenge. Before they begin their armes be disordered, and hung
upon some neighbouring tree, after which they make a long scrowle on
the sand, over which they shake loving hands, and with laughing hearts
scuffle for victorie. While the men play the boyes pipe, and the women
dance and sing trophies of their husbands conquests; all being done a
feast summons their departure. It is most delight to see them play, in
smaller companies, when men may view their swift footemanship, their
curious tossings of their Ball, their flouncing into the water, their
lubberlike wrestling, having no cunning at all in that kind, one
_English_ being able to beate ten _Indians_ at footeball. For their
shooting they be most desperate marksmen for a point blancke object,
and if it may bee possible _Cornicum oculos configere_ they will doe
it: such is their celerity and dexterity in Artillerie, that they can
smite the swift running Hinde and nimble winged Pigeon without a
standing pause or left eyed blinking; they draw their Arrowes between
the fore fingers and the thumbe; their bowes be quicke, but not very
strong, not killing above six or seaven score. These men shoot at one
another, but with swift conveighance shunne the Arrow; this they doe to
make them expert against time of warre. It hath beene often admired how
they can finde their Arrowes, be the weedes as high as themselves, yet
they take such perfect notice of the flight and fall that they seldome
loose any. They are trained up to their bowes even from their
childhood; little boyes with Bowes made of little stickes and Arrowes
of great bents, will smite downe a peece of Tobacco pipe every shoot a
good way off: as these _Indians_ be good marksmen, so are they well
experienced where the very life of every creature lyeth, and know where
to smite him to make him dye presently. For their swimming it is almost
naturall, but much perfected by continuall practise; their swimming is
not after our _English_ fashion of spread armes and legges which they
hold too tiresome, but like dogges their armes before them cutting
through the liquids with their right shoulder; in this manner they
swimme very swift and farre, either in rough or smooth waters,
sometimes for their ease lying as still as a log; sometimes they will
play the dive-doppers, and come up in unexpected places. Their children
likewise be taught to swimme when they are very young. For their
running it is with much celeritie and continuance, yet I suppose there
be many _English_ men who being as lightly clad as they are, would
outrun them for a spurt, though not able to continue it for a day or
dayes, being they be very strong winded and rightly clad for a race.
CHAP. XV.
_Of their huntings._