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R9Yal Commeritarief.
BooK
l.
e
HA P. Vt
Óf
the Ji/ferent
ways
ó/
Marrzages; anJ dzverfitj
óf
lán~
guages amongfi them. And of the Poifons and Witch–
crafts that they ufeá~
S
Uch as there
Jndiar¡s
were
in
tbeir eating and cloacbing, fuch were they
irt
their Marriages, in which they were as beíl:ial, as in the_ir other manners,
exerciíing coition_in the fame way as Beaíls; for having not Wives in propercy,
they ufed their Worl)en as Nature incited, or as accidentally they occurred
7.
without regard to Mochers, Daughters, or Siíl:ers, or rhe neareíl: proximity of
bloud.
In
fome Countries, where a cercain fort of Marriage was ufual , thofe
VVom~n _that were free of their Bodies, were moll e!teemed, and obtained che
beíl: f::Iusbands, becaufe they were accoumed aél:ive, and bufie in their calling,
when orhers of a more chaíl: and cold Narure, were rej'eéted as drones, dull and
unfic for love.
In
ocher Countries they obferved a ditferent cuíl:ome; for the
Mothers-pr~ferved their Daughters witb great refpeét and care,
till
the time' of
their Mardage, when bringing chem into publie:k, rhey fhewed the Tokens of
their Virginity.
In
other pares che Father, ornear ofkindred, claimed a riele ro
the Maidenhead of the Bride by conditions of the Marriage,: before íhe was given
to che Husband.
Petcr de Cieca
in the :z,4th Chapter of his Book affirms the fame;
and thac Sodomy was ufed amongfi cheríl, bl)t yec in fecret, and as,,a crime:
though the Devil perfüaded
th~m
~º
it
4t
cheir
Temples, as a-pleafure which cheir
Gods deÜghted
ín;
chac
fo
under che guife ofR.eligion he might ~ake offthac vei:l
of Modeíl:y, which covered humane nature.
There were fome, both men and Women, that praél:ifed che art of Poifoning,
fo
that chey could kili with it immediately, or in a certain time, or could make
mad, or fools, disfigure the councenance, make che body lerrous, and che Limos
to
wither and pine away.
.
.
Every Province, and every Nation hada different Tongue, or Dialeét;
tho[e
who fpake che fame Language chey eíleemed Friends and Kindred, and with them
they k€pt peace and confederacy _, all ochers were accounred Enemies·
a.ndStran•
gers; wich whom they maintained a perpetua! War, eating ~bofe whom chey
took as
if
they had been Animals of anotfier
fpecies.
Witchcraft was more commonly ufed by the Womerl; chan by ch€ Men, who,
to gain areputation to themfelves of Wiledom, of Prophecies and Prediétions of
things _to c'o'me; like
Pythonef{es,
or
Siby,ls,
created familiarly with che Devil. 'fheíe
W
ornen, out of malice or Envy prafüfed this Art moíl: commonly on the
Men,
~n~
,yhich operacd the .fame effeét as cheir Poifons; fuch was the coníl:icu–
tion of cbefe
Jndiaí1J
in che
firíl:
age, and in che time of their Gentiliím, when
they had no ocher guide bue the Devil and cheir own Natures; and hereof we
fhall more particularly treat in che fequel ofthis Hiíl:ory, when coming to difcourfe
of che Nations apare, we fhall have occaíion
to
memion che barbarifms and be–
füalicies which are refpeétively appropriated unto che feveral People.
CHAP.