4 A N A C CO Û N T OF
T II EIR r e l i g i o n :
There are few people,.! believe, among the rape' of pienr
whom navigation hath brought to onr knowledge, who
have not fhewn, in fame inftance or other, a fepfe of fome-
things like religion, however it- mighjt, be mixed with jdolar
try, or fuperftitibn-; and yet, our people^ during theiy-conr
tinuancç with the natives of Pejlew,. never law any, partis
çular ceremonies, or obferved any thing, that h^d, the ap*-
pearance, of public worihip,— Indeed, cirpumftanced as the
Hvglijb were, they had not enough qf the language to enter
on topics pf this nature t and it would alfo hàive beert
indifcreet to have done it, as fuch inquiries might have
been’ misconceived, or mifconftrued by the native^ . Added $
to this, their thoughts were naturally bent on getting away,
and preferring,, whilft they remained there, the happy inter-
qourfe that fubfifted between them and.the inhabitants-."
Though there was not found, on any of the -iilands they:
viiîted, any place appropriated for religious rites, it would *
perhaps- be going too far to, declare, that the people o f Pe.-
l ew had, ahfolntely nrt idpa of religion. Indépendant of
external ceremony, there may be fuch a- thing, as the religion
of the heart,, by which the mind may, in awful. lilehce,
be turned to-Contemplate the Goo of N a tu r e .; and though
unbleffed by thole lights which have pointed to the Christian
T I I I F I|T EW f I S L A.N'D’S- ^ - , ■ 2>25
tim world,jan -imptring ipath t o ^ p ^ ^ i ^ d vTeaCe, t yet
they,might, from. the< light o^x^^ai^Iyr^a^difqoy^red _
the:.efficacy-of .virtue,*. t
from-moral reiftitude.r-The, r^a^er^ilb |
met with' fuffiaent,ocdW^nc®^t°%^^'^hfei,ihimy that,the ;
inhabitants ojHhefemew^difeoveted .resins lyd .3’ artd ,
rooted fenfe of. tho/greatmoral.dut^ this appeaped;to-,^
-verb their, coaduft, -glow in all their^a$t<pps-,.-and .gracd theh
liYes.—Actuated by fuch principles, we: fee,.thqna,
induftriou^, and benevolent. - In? moments' o f .dapgpi’-Atm,. a
and prodigal cpf life j|j in-misfortunes patient,; ^ngaffi re- ^
.figned,— And if,-under ah thgfe^tchmftanS|s‘,. hfe,e||^g©^
egiye thafc-*the-,'natiyes-pf-P:e^ w palled their liy-eSi.withoiat |
fq d e g r e e pf Go n f fd;en ce,' fome degree^pf jHot %-I|have
only to ^ y , his idea of mankind rauft, widely differ, from
my^dwh.'
Superftifik>n is a word' bf great latitude; and vaguely
fined; though ithath, in enlightened-ages, peen;caltedithe
offsp rin go f ignorance, yet in no- tirhes hath ^exifted without|
having fome'connexion with religion.—Now that the people
pf PsjlEw had, beyond all doubt,, fome portion of it, appears,
from the wifh expreffed by t-heV King, «.when he faw the. •
hip building, that the -Engli/h would take out of it fome particular
wood, which he-perceived,they had.made ufe of, and
. .-which he obferved to them was deemed to-be of ill smew, or
unpropitious*
They