Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/115

 ttefr religious feftmals) fafts, &c. ) 03

and fometimes fo as to poifon themfelves by its acrid quality and take into the account, its well-known medicinal property of curing the bite of the moft dangerous fort of the ferpentine generation i muft not one think, that the Aboriginal Americans chofe it, as a ilrong emblem of the certain cure of the bite of the old ferpent in Eden. /

That the women and children, and thofe worthlefs fellows who have not hazarded their lives in defence of their holy places and holy things, and for the beloved people, may not be entirely godlefs, one of the old be loved men lays down a large quantity of the fmall-leafed green tobacco, on the outfide of a corner of the facred fquare ; and an old beloved woman, carries it. off, and diftributes it to the finners without, in large pieces, which they chew heartily, and fwallow, in order to afflict their foul. c. She com mends thofe who perform the duty with cheerfulnefs, and chides thofe who feem to do it unwillingly, by their wry faces on account of the bitternefs of the fuppofed fanctifying herb. She diftributes it in fuch quantities, as me thinks are equal to their capacity of finning, giving to the reputed, worthlefs old He-hen-pickers, the proportion only of a child, becaufe me thinks fuch fpiritlefs pictures of men cannot fin with married women ; as all the females love only the virtuous manly warrior, who has often fuccefsfully. accompanied the beloved ark.

In the time of this general faft, the women, children, and men of weak conftitutions, are allowed to eat, as foon as they are certain the fun has begun to decline from his meridian altitude-, but not before that pe- riod. Their indulgence to the fick and weak, feems to be derived from di vine precept, which forbad the offering of facnfice at the coft of mercy ; and the fnake-root joined with their fanctifying bitter green tobacco, feem to. be as flrong exprefTive emblems as they could have poffibly chofen, ac cording to their fituation in life, to reprefent the facred inftitution of. eating the pafchal lamb, with bitter herbs ; and to (hew, that though the, old ferpent bit us in Eden, yet there is a branch from the root of Jeffe, to be hoped for by thofe who deny themfelves their preltnt fweet tafte, which will be a fufficient purifier, and effect the cure.

The whole time of this faft may with truth be called a faft, and to the. cgus, to all the magi, and pretended prophets, in particular -, for, by

ancient c.

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