Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/184

 172 Off the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

however, it is not deemed a fcandal to lofe their ears by any accident, be* caule they became (lender and brittle, by their virtuous compliance with that favourite cuftom of their anceftors.

��ARGUMENT XVIIL.

��The Indian manner of CURING THEIR SICK, is very fimilar to that of the Jews. They always invoke YO HE WAH, a confiderable fpace of time before they apply any medicines, let the cafe require ever fo fpeedy an ap plication. The more defperately ill their patients are, the more earneftly they invoke the deity on the fad occafion. Like the Hebrews, they firmly believe that difeafes and wounds are occafioned by the holy fire, or divine anger, in proportion to fome violation of the old beloved fpeech. The Jews had but fmall fkill in phyfic. They called a phyfician " a binder of wounds," for he chiefly poured oil into the wounds and bound them up. They were no great friends to this kind of learning and fcience ; and their Talmud has this proverb, <c the beft phyficians go to hell." King Afa was reproved for having applied to phyficians, for his difeafe in his feet. The little ufe they made of the art of medicine, efpecially for internal maladies ; and their perfuafion that diftempers were either the im mediate effects of God's anger, or caufed by evil fpirits, led them to apply themfelves to the prophets, or or to diviners, magicians and enchanters. Hezekiah's boil was cured by Ifaiah Benhadad king of Syria, and Naaman the Syrian applied to the prophet Eliiha, and Ahaziah king of Ifrael fent to confult Baal-zebub. The Indians deem the curing their fick or wounded a very religious duty, and it is chiefly performed by their fuppofed prophets, and magi, becaufe they believe they are infpired with a great portion, of the divine fire. On thefe occafions. they fing YO YO, on a low bals key for two or three minutes very rapidly j in like manner, HE HE, and WA WA. Then they tranfpofe and accent thofe facred notes with great vehemence, and fupplicating fervor, rattling all the while a calabam with fmall pebble- ftones, in imitation of the old Jewilh rattles, to make a greater found, and 7 as

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