Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/216

 204 On the defcent of the American Indians from the Jews.

Acofta tells us, that the Peruvians acknowledged a fupreme God, and* author of all things, whom they called Viracocba, and worshipped as the chief of all the gods, and honoured when they looked at the heavens or any of the celeftial orbs, that for want of a proper name for that divine fpirit of the univerfe, they, after the Mexican manner, defcribed him by his attributes, as PachacamaCi "the Creator of heaven and earth." But r though he hath defcribed them poffefTed of theie itrong ideas of God; and to have dedicated a fecred houfe to the great firft caufe, bearing hb divine prolific name, yet the Spanifh priefthood have at the fame time^ painted them as worshipping the devil in the very fame temple. Here and there a truth may be found in their writings, but if we except the well-defigned performance of Don Antonio de Ulloa, one duodecimo vo lume would have contained all the accounts of any curious importance^ which the Spaniards have exhibited to - the learned world, concerning the- genuine rites and cuftoms, of the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans, even fmce the feifure of thofe countries, and the horrid murders committed oa- the inhabitants,.

But among all the Spanim friars j Hicronimo Roman was the greateft cham pion in hyperbolical writing. He has produced three volumes concern ing the Indian American rites and ceremonies ; he ftretches very far in his fecond part of the commonwealths of the world, but when he gets ta Peru and Mexico; the diftance of thofe remote regions enables him to ex ceed himfelf : beyond all difpute, the other writers of his black frater nity, are only younger brethren, when compared to him in the marvellous, His, is the chief of all the Spanifh romances of Peru -and Mexico..

He fays, the Indian natives, from Florida to Panama, had little religion or policy ; and yet he affirms a few pages after, that they believed in one- true, immortal and i,nvifible God, reigning in heaven, called Tocabu- uagna ma oroc oti, and is fo kind as to allow them images, priefts, and popes, their high-prieft being called pap* in that language. The origin of images among them, is accounted for in a dialogue he gives us, between a fhaking tree and one of the Indian priefts : after a great deal of dif, courfe, the tree ordered the prieft to cut it down, and taught him how to make images thereof, and erect a temple. The. tree was obeyed, and every year their votaries folemnized the dedication. The gpod man has

laboured

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