N A R R A T I V E OF A N
only to prove the antiquity o f the practice for nothing
is more notorious, than that therEaftern Indians will rid
the hóüfëS'öfthê moft venomous fnakes by charming
them with the found of a flute, which, calls- them out of
their holés» And it is hot many years flnce ah Italian
woman brought over three tame fnakes» which crawled
about her neck and arms: they were four or five feet
long, but not venomous. - ,
Another inftance «of fuperftition amongft the negroes
I muft relate | there is a direct prohibition in every,
family, handed down from'father to fpn,.. againft the
eating o f feme one kind o f animal food, which they call
; -this may be either fowl,. fifli, • or.
whatever it is^ no negro will touch i t ; though I hsyeiTóiR
fomè góöö FGatholics eat roaft-beef in Lent, and a relir
gious Jew devouring a fhee froih a.fat flitch o f bacon. '
Hbwëverridiculous fome of the above riteshnay-appear,
yet amongft the African Macks they are{ certainly, hecef-
fary, to keep the rabble in fubjedtion; and th&x gadomm
or priefts know this as well as the infallible Pontiff o f
the Roman church, Thefe illiterate-mortals differ, however,
in this refpeét from the modern Europeans, -that
whatever they believe, they do it firmly,, and are never
daggered by the doubts of-fcepticifm, nor troubled with
* See the 58th Pfclm, v er.4 , and 5 : “ ing never fo wifety.”— Jerem. chap.
• They are like the deaf adder, that yiiii f ver. ifc— znd the Book óf JEccle«
•“ ftoppeth her ear; which will not heark- liaftes,' chap. X. yer, 11 , &c.
* en to the voice of charmers, charms
the
E X P E D I T I O N T O iS ÜR I N AM. 265
the qualms o f confidence,; but whether they are, upon this c H A P ‘
account, better.or wprfe, I will not pretend to determine, xxvi,
-I however- think that Jthey are a' happy people, and * * j
poffefs fo much Jfriendfliip‘for one;''another, that they
need not be told to “ ïóVè their neighbour as themfelves;”
fince the pooreft negrp, hàviftg only an ëj^, fcorns to eat
it alone ; but were5 aMozèn preferit, and everyone a
ftranger, he \FcMl#'ciit o F break it into juft as many'
fliares; or were there one ïîrigje dram óf fum, he would’
divide it among“ the famé' number : this “is ' not done,
however, until a few drops are firft fprinkled on the
ground, as an oblation to the.gods.—-Approach.then here,
thou canting hypocrite^ and take an example from thy
illiterate fable'brother ! — From what ITômétimes throw
out, however, let it ndt be underftöod that I am;au éne--*
my to religious we'rlhip^God forbid! But I ëVeFwilk
-Profefs myfelf the.greateft friend tofthbfe whofe; a£iions.
heft -corfefpond with their doarinFy which, I atri .forty
\?. *"af> is toa ^elclom ther cafe amongft'tRo^e nations who
pretend nSpft to civilizations
I f favage nations be commonly gênerotis ànd'iai’thful,
they-are not, however, without their dark fhadefjapd
among thefe,r the moft conipieuou® is a.pronenefsib ad-
get and revengp*** I never knëwb. hegró indeed forgive
thofe who had wilfully offended him/' The-ftrength of
this paflion caq only be equalled by their gratitude; fop,
amongft them, it may he truly fajd,. that
V ol. II, Mm *f A generous