24 / 1060
8
Royal
Co"!mentaries~
BooK
I.
C
FI
AP. V.
Of the Government, Diet and
Cloathing
of
the
Ancient
Indians.
T
H:efe Peo?ie.
were
as. barbarotis
in
their
m~er
of
1iv!ng
in
their
Houf~
and
Habitations
as they
were
in
the W
orfiup of their Gods, and Sacrifoies
~
fuch of chem as obferved any
thing
ofa Political
Government,
lived
in
a kind
of
Society,
having houfes
near
togedier,
placed
wi~ut
order
?f
~treecs
or Paflages,
appearing rather
like
Pens
or
Sheepfolds,
than
humane
Hab1taaons: Others,
by
reafon of the Wars
and
Variances
amongft themfelves, lived oil
Rocks
and
Moun–
tains and places inacceffible for their
Enemies ;
others dwelt
in
little Cottages
J
fcatt~red
over
the fields and
vallies ;
and e
very onefeared
h1mfelf as
well
as he
thought convenient for commodioufuefS of
ViCtua.lsand
Wate~,
whether
it
were_
ln
Caves under
ground, or
in
che hollow
o
f .Trees, the neceffiaes, rather than
the
convenrenc~
of
living being
provided
for;
and of
this
fort
ofPeople
there
are
forne
yet
remaining
about tlie
Cape
of
Pfau,
as the
Chirihuttn~·
and
other
Nati–
ons,
whom
the
lncM
,have
conquered, an who
!till
concmue their
ancient
barba–
rity,
and
favage
manners: and
thete are nhe
mofi
difficult
of
any
to
be
reduced
to
!_he
fubjection of
the
sraniards,
or the
Chriftian Religion; for
having never
had
LearniJrg, or fcarce
Language
fofficient
to
underfund each
other,
tliey live
like
Bea'fts, withcmc
Communication, Friend01ip
or Commerce.
Tno~
among{\:
chem who had moft of Underll:anding,
or
of
a Spirit moft
tfaring,
'took
die
privilege
to Rule,
and
govern
the
others, whom he treated
as
is
Slaves,
with
f4ch
fYranny and
Cruelty,
that
he
made
ufe
of their Wives and
Dangllrers
at
bis elea1\llre,
all
things
being
confounded
with
War and Ruine.
In
'fome
Pro
inces,
they
£lefd the
uptives
taken
in
War, and with their Skins co–
vered
tlteir
Drums, thiftking with the found
of
them
to aftright their
Enemies~
t()r
their
opinion was
chat
when
their
Kindred heard the rumbling
noife of
cbofe
Drttrtis,
tliey would
be
immediately
feized with fear, and
put
to flight.
For
the
mof.t
art
tney
lived
by
Robber~
and che Spoils each
of other ;
the fironger
)'teyhtg
t'.fpon
the
weaker
was the c.aufe
of
feveral petty Kings; fome
of
which per–
naps
belog
of
a
tnore gentle nature than
others, and
who treated
clreir
Subjects
with lets
lgour and
cruelty, were
for
that reafon adored by
them for
Gods,
fra–
ming
fu
emfelves-1ome ·reprefentacion of
Divinity
in
the good aCtions of
fuch
.men
:vho
ha.d forneallaysin
their
cruel and tyrannical
Government.
In
other
parts,
they
liv~d 1cho~t
Leras,
er ?Eder of a Common-wealth; but like
~o
many Sheep
affed
together .in all f"unplic1ty;
not
that Verrue
moderated
their
malice
but
th~ir
ftapidity ruid ignorance made
them
fenfelefs
and
uncapable of goC:d or
evil.
Their
rn.anner
of Cloat:hing,
or covering
rheir
Bodies, were in
f
ome
Countries
as imtnodeft
as they were ridlculous; their Diet alfo was
fo
fou1 and barbarous
that\ e, who know
better,
may
wonder
at
the
bea!Halicy.
In the hot
Coun~
trie ,
hlch were
moil:
fruitfull,
rhey
f
O"Ced
1ittle or
nothing hut contented
themfelves
ith Herbs
and
Roots,
and wild Fruits, and
with'
chat which
the
Earth
prb~uced
of
it
felf, for
tbey?
requiring no _more than natural fufienance,
li–
ved
w1r?
little, and created
no
acc1dtmal
nec~ttes
for
fupporc
of Life.
In
fome
Countnes
they
were
fuch
gr~t
lovers of
Mans
Fle!h, that when
they
were kil–
ling
an
Indi~n,
they
wo:ild fuck
his
bloud
at
r~e
Wound they had given him; and
' hen they quartered
h1S
body, they
v
ould
lick their fingers
that
not
one drop
of
b~ou
d fhould be 'afi~d
!
in
their
Shambles
c~ey
commonly fold
Mens Bodies,
piakin
Saufages.of~heir Gu~
fluffing
them
w1th
flefh,
that nothing
might
be
lofr.
P
eter of Cieca~ t~e 7.6~h
Chapter of
his
Book, declares
[o
muc:b, and af–
firms, that h_e
fa~ i~
'
uh
his
owi: Eyes· and that
fo
far their
gluttony
pro–
voked
them m
this
kind, that they
did
not
fpar<l!
thofe
very Children,
w
bich they
begot