Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/119

 *fbelr religious f eft hah t fafts, &c. 1 07

them all the particular pofitive injunctions, and negative precepts they yet retain of the ancient law, relating to their own manly ftation. Then he changes his note, and ufes a much marper language to the women, as fuf- fpecting their former virtue. He firil tells them .very earneftly, that if there are any of them who have not extinguifhed the old evil fire, or have contracted any impurity, they muft forthwith depart, left the divine fire fliould fpoil both them and the people, he charges them to be fure not to give the children a bad example of eating any unfanctified, or impure food, btherwife they will get full of worms, and be devoured by famine and dif- eafes, and bring many other dangerous evils both upon themfelves, and all the beloved, or holy people. This feems to allude to the theocratic go vernment of the Jews, when fuch daring criminals were afflicted with imme diate and vifible divine punimment.

In his female lecture, he is fharp and prolix : he urges them with much earneftnefs to an honeft obfervance of the marriage-law, which may be readily excufed, on account of the prevalent pafllon of felf-interefl. Our own chriftian orators do not exert themfelves with half the eloquence or eagernefs, as when that is at flake which they mod value. And the old wary favage has ferife enough to know, that the Indian female virtue is very brittle, not being guarded fo much by inward principle, as the fear of fhame, and of incurring fevere punimment -, but if every bum of every thicket was an hundred-eyed Argos, it would not be a fufficient guard over a wanton heart.*- So that it is natural they mould fpeak much on this pare of the fubject, as they think they have much at ftake. After that, he ad- drefles himfelf to the whole body of the people, and tells them, in ra pid bold language, with great energy, and exprefllve geflures of body, to look at the holy fire, which again has introduced all thofe (hameful adulterous criminals into focial privileges ; he bids them not to be guilty of the like for time to come, but be fure to remember well, and ftrongly fhake hands with the old beloved ftraight fpeech, otherwife the divine fire, which fees, hears, and knows them, will fpoil them exceedingly, if at any time they relapfe, and commit that deteftable crime. Then he enu merates all the fuppofed lefTer crimes, and moves the audience by the great motives of the hope of temporal good, and the fear of .temporal evil, alluring them, that upon their careful obfervance of the ancient law, the holy fire will enable their prophets, the rain-makers, to procure them plentiful har- vefts, and give their war-leaders victory over their enemies and by the

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