Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/60

 48 On the defcent of tie American Indians from the yews.

folemn hymn, with that reverential deportment, and fpending a full breath on each of the two firft fyllables of the awful divine name, hath a furpriz- ing analogy to the Jewifli cuftom, and fuch as no other nation or people, even with the advantage of written records, have retained.

It may be worthy of notice, that they never proftrate themfelves, nor bow their bodies, to each other, by way of falute, or homage, though ufual with the eaftern nations, except when they are making or renewing peace with itranoers, who come in the name of YAH -, then they bow their bodies in that religious folemnity but they always bow in their religious dances, becaufe then they fing what they call divine hymns, chiefly compofed of the great, beloved, divine name, and addreffed to Yo HE WA. The favoured perfons, whom the religious attendants are invoking the divine eflence to blefs, hold up the fhells with both hands, to their mouths, during the awful facred invocation, and retain a mouthful of the drink, to fpirt out on the ground, as a fuppofed drink-offering to the great felf-exiftent Giver ; which they offer at the end of their draught. If any of the traders, who at thofe times are invited to drink with them, were to neglect: this religious obferv- ance, they would reckon us as godlefs and wild as the wolves of the defart * After the fame manner, the fuppofed holy waiters proceed, from the higheit to the lowed, in their fynedrion : and, when they have ended that awful fo lemnity, they go round the whole fquare, or quadrangular place, and col lect tobacco from the fanflified finners, according to ancient cuftom j " For they who ferve at the altar, muft live by the altar.'*

The Cheerake method of adjuring a witnefs to declare the truth, ftrongly corroborates the former hints, and will ferve as a key to open the vowels of the great, myfterious, four-lettered name of God. On fmall affairs, the judge, who is an elderly chieftain, alks the witnefs, Cheeakohga (Jko ?} " Do you lie ?" To which he anfwers, Anfa Kai-e-kob-ga, " I do not lie." But

the heathens, efpecially the ancient Greeks and Romans, mimicked a great deal of the Mofaic inftiturion. They obferved the like ceremonies in their idolatrous facrifices. The priefts only tafted, and then fpilt fome wine, rnilk, or other liquor, in honour of the Deity, to whom the facrifice was offered. Alexander is faid to have facrificed a bull to Neptune, and to have thrown a golden veflel ufed for the libation, into the fea.
 * The Mofaic law injoined the offering of libations ; as Exod. xxix. and Numl. xv. And

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