R E M A R K S o n -t h e
ia the Society ifles,' confirms us more and more in that general
truth, that the greater part of mankind, when left to. themfelves,
in their religious- principles, and modes o f worlhip, have always
more or lefs deviated from that noble iimplieity, which the true
adoration in the fpirit and truth requires, and which is fo fully held
forth in the Chriftian difpenfation; wherein the ideas o f the Deity
are pure, and capabte-of filling- the mind with humility, confidence,
and adoration, and prompting every-profeflor o f that religion, to
the pradtice o f all moral and focial virtues, and laftly, excluding all
prieft-craft from its true and genuine votaries.
T h e human facrifices being left to the choice o f the prieft, who
pretends to converfe with the Deity, intimate, that thefe nations
have feme idea of a communication o f the will and pleafure o f the
Deity, by means -of their prielte l was told, that in dubious cafes
o f great confequence, the prieft did actually confult the divinity*
hnd pretended to bring back the anfwer to the people j which feems
to imply that .their marais are looked upon as o r a c i .e s , where the
Deity may be -confulted, and his anfwer is plainly heard by the
prieft, and communicated to thofe who defire to be inftrudted, and
guided by it. This idea has likewife pervaded all mankind, for
there is hardly a nation to be found, either antient or modern,
which had it not inferted amongft its religious tenets, that the
Deity had referved to himfelf the prerogative o f inftrudting man-
' kind
ET ¥ M A N S P E C I E S. 5 5 1
kind on the moft important occafions, efpecially fuch as greatly influence
their happinefs.
Th e Taheiteans relate, that the great god T a r q a - t ’e a y -E -
t o o m o o , having by his wife O - T e - p a p a , begotten many divinities
o f both fexes, who created the various parts o f this world,,
and who now prefide over them* having likewife produced the
various ifles, by dragging O-Tle-papa through the feas, he at laft begot
by her a fon called O - T e a , who was the firft' man i.iand according
to their, tradition, his limbs were all rolled up in a figure:
like a ball,- but his mother carefully expanded them to the lhape
in. which, men now appear. A daughter was. likewife begotten by
the fame parents, whofe name is O - T e - T orro, who became the
wife o f O - T R a , and from this couple they believe all mankind to
have been defcended. This traditional hiftory of the origin of"
mankind, accounts a t once for many points o f their religion and.
philofophy : firft-, as they think, man to have been, born o f their,
great gods it is plain that they mull: think their deities: fimilar to
mankind, in. their external appearance,, and thisis confirmed, by the
figure o f Maouwe, which. Capt. Cook met with in his firft voyage.
Secondly, though they always protefted, that God could not
be feen, they had, however, made, a human.figure to. reprefent.
Maou-we, which feems to intimate that this reprefentation o f a
god,, was rather reckoned, to. be a fymbolical figure, than a real.
reprefentation:.
RELIGION.