Religion. and facrificedil The hear* add head were the portton.df the gods; ’while
the body was refigned to the captor, who, with’krsdriends, feafted upon
it. The extinaion of fuch a/ferocious-rpeeple^may not b e ^ th y of
«lueh regret: but modern.'5 phrlofophy is apt to decide on a flight i^nd
imperferii view. ' ' t , . .
Thus^ inftead of a benevolent deity, the worflup of the-Mex-icans toy
be faid to 'have“ been direfted to the evil principle of fome^oriental nations
whom all their efforts were «fetched to- appeafe. In the Mexican
fenguage Teoil was ageneraHerm for-any divinity-} and- imsbfcure
-theory they beHeved in a creator whom they ftyled- Ifalnaiuam^h. is,
« he by whom we live :” but their .fupreme deity .was fath^that evj|
fpirit called Klaeattcolototl, or'th^rational-cw/,-,whofe delight was f^irijure
and terrify. They believed in the immortality of the-foal",, and alindl
of tranfmigration *, the good being transformed int-o birds, and.thi;bad
' into creeping animals. Hie principal deities 'were thirteen in ||mber,
among whom werfe- the %n and moon ; and|TJa^ the. god„^feter, I
was the matter of paradifef but Mexitli, the god of waf^iefieived the
chief adoration.. There were other gods pf the,mountains, of commerce,
&c. and the idols, rudely formed of'clay, wood, or ftpn^fq^ejimes
-decorated with gems and gold, were numerous. One was comprifed of
- certain feeds, palled together with human Mood. The priefts wore j
black cotton mantle, like a-veil; and there feenTto hivetbefn „coders | |
monks, as among the eaftern nations of Afia. The aufteritfes .and vjfcj
iuntary wounds of the priefts, their poifonous ointments^ another I
abominable rites- even as related by Clavigerp,* evince that the gtire
fyftem was the moft execrable that has efer appeared on the face M the J
earth, alike blafpbemous to God and pernicious.to man. The whole is
f 0 totally unlike any fyftem ever praritifed in any part of Afia, that there
-is additional caufe to believe that the'people were either indigenal, or
have proceeded from Africa, in which.alone (as among the Giagas) fuch
.cruelties may be traced. The Afiatic religions feem uni^erklly m4<b |
and even gay, as natural in the worfhip of a being who ;i's benevolence
itfelf 5 while Ml Africa the preponderance of the evil fpirit feems to have
* See, i. 125, a father invited to .the.facrificc of hi. daughter: and, 232, the human,vianns
-Sacrificed at the confecrzttion of two temples were twelve thoufand ,two hundred.and.ten;! ^ ^
béfe^P dck'rio-w 1 e^gedht}^ mahy j£ Certhift^ihe* Spaniards never
.mOre èèféafï^tïfdSi'fetl-es devoted; and thé
CLlk^ouisIëïtpi'étèfrdfa' phHfofop!hyt'y 3l|M^^rfebH|odhd itr öppofïfiérri’to
tife rdal^caufe' of dèfertd.'-"1 Gould a‘change
of'rh a « i % r s ® ' n vmpÉtthcfrè'üiei ©Tthe'^wcrd, it would
hfyé’jfteëri hf g # y d^r-abl'I^f !tkrl;éï|^e-f5g*n migh^hkve' been as fruidfe'fs*
as a fermon%o4a||rg/||of‘h . T h ?e | ^^ 4 eh'pf''the Spaniards'
rriutl ,'Jstycandotrl,be p a r t l y * - p f tprtare arid hui'
mamlwod whic^Svery ;
allfqcf'fte-nes change the^very‘haiutdOf toian,fa'nd inflame him 'li'ke1 the
c^nage^of-a batt^fv?
^ufrie^ul^nififhgp'rihks'ri’fiS^aréhbifhbp^clli^h^#’tfci|M^lhftitü#^ by
thea^niardsitHro^^rorit^m^ir Ar§éft%h -p o b^Pth || ‘e here n affi c
genfl^hy, i f eyèw^g^l^jy'-^ran^ed |ipdtó{*thè':^eft^ifeforthatioÈt^'
TOMgllttle ^A’eifal rteadef’^ iffFfie pr^latesvarl/ hMnnlafed by
the king ;"wand thegdeoófattons of the chirrchós'^rie’ikösfflivè^1 '
* Thé arfèïériJ.Jgot?èrrimenf 'df Méxfeb was ‘ an' bqfredltar^' monarchy, Government.,f
tempered ;ffotyevêr.by a kind rif eleffièn n^ü'nküown-, ifcri the ^barBarpns
agjl^ê'f;Êl3rope} Kyfwhich 'a brorhér or* n^>hevPof*tne late"’king whs prod!
ferpeu/to* his fttotó; 51 HefpotMrii féeniSr to have bégun' with the, ééfebrared-
Mónfezuma. There werefeVeral royal oohnciFs, and Mobility,4*
rrioftly;heH‘edi(afryshr The höbles were fïyfëfch pillt or1 tlatoanr; but the'-
Spariiards 'ihtrodnri^d the general term' -of caiik, 'which- Cl^vigé¥o':fays
fignifies a prince in the language of'Hjfps&Sbiabutd^\l|yt(fethe?afferte'd
j*mply a prieft among the Mahometan Malays* ■j-Lan4 tiwa§,not 'fupy i
pÖïhditd' Brijong to fhe;’riibriarchy'huh was 'alitenable by the nroprietots.
As writing was unknown 'therè' was nS’ïbsdei6f-'Uws;,whuf ©kvi'gerpfhas
preferred fortie ‘traditions ‘on the'fübjè’Q;. Their- armour and rarities
appeal to havé been’ extremely rude» , ’■
The Sèanifti gotérifment is veiled inf fhe ^irierby^of Mexico, whbfè*
rank arid power are far fuperror to thp'fe?of Peru; and the new kingdarri {
of Granada.* The legal falary df mdViterdyé Of Mèxihó3- ahd’Prifu is-
* AhöBt'tyyfi tfiè N*.1VT».1 pifïSnces’oFSoflotat,'©üiIbft 'È^»^iÖi|i'!SI3*Klr8^ fl^ ,ra#i%i’'Srefe,;
erected into an-independent government,.bat without the title of-viceroy. Robertfon, ■ iii.1337.
A governor, or lieutenant, of the two Cflifornias, rtfides at Monterey. La EpMwOSfgro!'
Vol. Ii. 4 H now