Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/210

 'ig8 On the defctnt of the American Indians from the Jews-.

Acofta tells us, that though the Mexicans have no proper name for God, yet they allow a fupreme omnipotence and providence : his capacity was not diffident to difcover the former ; however, the latter agrees with the prefent religious opinion of the Englifh-American Indians, of an univerfal divine wifdom and government. The want of a friendly intercourfe between our northern and fouthern Indians, has in length of time occafioned fome of the former a little to corrupt, or alter the name of the felf-exiftent creator .and preferver of the univerfe, as they repeat it in their religious invocations, YO HE A AH. But with what mow of truth, confident with the above conceffion, can Acofta defcribe the Mexicans as offering human facrifices alfo to devils, and greedily feafting on the victims!

We are told alfo that the Nauatalcas believe, they dwelt in another re gion before they fettled in Mexico; that they /wandered eighty years in fearch of it, through a ftrict obedience to their gods, who ordered them to go in queft of new lands, that had fuch particular figns $ that they punc tually obeyed the divine mandate, and by that means found out, and fettled the fertile country of Mexico. This account correfponds with the Chik- kafah tradition of fettling in their prefent fuppofed holy land, and feems to have been derived from a compound tradition of Aaron's rod, and the light or divine prefence with the Ifraelites in the wildernefs, when they marched. And probably the Mexican number of years, was originally forty ^ inftead of eighty.

Lopez de Gomara tells us, that the Mexicans were fo devout, as to offer to the fun and earth, a fmall quantity of every kind of meat and drink, before any of themfelves tafted it ; and that they facrificed part of their corn, fruits, &c. in like manner ; otherwife, they were deemed haters of, and contemned by their gods. Is not this a confufed Spanifh picture of the Jewifli daily facrifice, and firft-fruit-orTering, as formerly obferved ? and which, as we have feen, are now offered up by the northern Indians, to the bountiful giver, the fupreme holy fpirit of fire, whom they invoke in that moft facred and awful fong, YO HE WAH, and loudly afcribe to him Hallelu-Tah? for his continued goodnefs to them.

The Spanifh writers fay, that when Cortes approached Mexico, Mon-

tezuma fhut himfelf up, and continued for the fpace of eight days in

3 prayers

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