as it files, the Edge always fticks in the Tree, and near the Place at which they aim it. The Use of Bows and Arrows are now intirely laid aside, except among the Boys, who are ftill very dexterous in killing Fowls and other Animals with them. They ufe neither Drum nor Trumpet, nor any Kind of mufical Inftrument in their Wars; their Throats ferve them on all Occafions, where fuch are neceffary. Many of them have a surprising Faculty of raifing their Voice, not only in inarticulate Sounds, but likewife to make their Words understood at a great Distance; and we find the fame was practifed by Homer's Heroes, Thrice to its Pitch his lofty Voice he rears, my Ears. The Five Nations have fuch abfolute Notions of Liberty, that they allow of no Kind of Superiority of one over another, and banish all Servitude from their Territories. They never make any Prifoner a Slave; but it is customary among them to make a Compliment of Naturalization into the Five Nations; and, confidering how highly they value themselves above all others, this must be no small Compliment. This is not done by any general A& of the Nation, but every fingle Perfon has a Right to do it, by a Kind of Adoption. The firft Time I was among the Mohawks, I had this Compliment from one of their old Sachems, which he did, by giving me his own Name, Cayenderongue. He had been a notable Warrior; and he told me, that now I had a Right to affume to my felf all the Acts of Valour he had performed, and that now my Name would echo from Hill to Hill all over the Five Nations. As for my Part, I thought no more of it at that Time, than as an Artifice to draw a Belly full of ftrong Liquor from me, for himfelf and his Companions; but when about ten or twelve Years afterwards, my Bufinefs led me again among them, I direct ed ed the Interpreter to fay fomething from me to the Sachems; he was for fome Time at a Lofs to underftand their Answer, till he had asked me whether I had any Name among them: I then found that I was really known to them by that Name, and that the old Sachem, from the Time he had given me his Name, had affumed another to himself. I was adopted, at that Time, into the Tribe of the Bear, and, for that Reason, I often afterwards had the kind Compliment of Brother Bear. The Hofpitality of thefe Indians is no lefs remarkable, than their other Virtues; as foon as any Stranger comes, they are fure to offer him Victuals. If there be feveral in Company, and come from a-far, one of their best Houses is cleaned and given up for their Entertainment. Their Complaifance, on these Occafions, goes even farther than Chriftian Civility allows of, as they have no other Rule for it, than the furnishing their Gueft with every Thing they think will be agreeable to him; for this Reafon, fome of their prettiest Girls are always ordered to wash themfelves, and dress in their best Apparel, in Order to be prefented to the Stranger, for his Choice; and the young Lady, who has the Honour to be preferred on thefe Occafions, performs all the Duties of a fond Wife, during the Stranger's Stay: But this laft Piece of Hospitality is now either laid afide by the Mohawks, or, at least, they never offer it to any Christian. This Nation indeed has laid afide many of its ancient Customs, and fo likewise have the other Nations, with whom we are beft acquainted; and have adopted many of ours; fo that it is not eafy now to diftinguifh their original and genuine Manners, from those which they have lately acquired; and for this Reafon it is, that they now feldom offer Victuals to Perfons of any Diftinction, because they know, that their Food and Cookery is not agreeable to our delicate Palates. Their Men value themfelves, in having all Kind of Food in equal Efteem. A Mohawk Sachem told told me with a Kind of Pride, That a Man eats every Thing without Diftin&tion, Bears, Cats, Dogs, Snakes, Frogs, &c. intimating, that it is Womanish, to have any Delicacy in the Choice of Food. I can however give two ftrong Inftances of the Hofpitality of the Mohawks, which fell under my own Obfervation; and which fhew, that they have the very fame Notion of Hofpitality, which we find in the ancient Poets. When I was laft in the Mohawks Country, the Sachems told me, that they had an Englishman among their People, a Servant who had run from his Mafter in New York. I immmediately told them, that they must deliver him up. No, they anfwered, we never ferve any Man fo, who puts himself under our Protection. On this I infifted on the Injury they did thereby to his Mafter; and they allowed it might be an Injury, and replied, though we never will deliver him up, we are willing to pay the Value of the Servant to the Mafter. Another Man made his Efcape from the Goal of Albany, where he was in Prifon on an Execution for Debt; the Mohawks received him, and, as they protected him against the Sheriff and his Officers, they not only paid the Debt for him, but gave him Land, over and above fufficient for a good Farm, whereon he lived when I was laft there. To this it may be added, all their extraordinary Vifits are accompanied with giving and receiving Prefents of fome Value; as we learn likewife from Homer was the Practice in old Times. Polygamy is not ufual among them; and indeed, in any Nation, where all are on a Par, as to Riches and Power, Plurality of Wives cannot well be introduced. As all Kind of Slavery is banished from the Countries of the Five Nations, fo they keep themfelves free alfo from the Bondage of Wedlock; and when either of the Parties becomes difgufted, they separate without Formality or Ignominy to either, unless it be occafioned by fome fcandalous Offence in one one of them. And in Cafe of Divorce, the Children, according to the natural Course of all Animals, follow the Mother. The Women here bring forth their Children with as much Eafe as other Animals, and without the Help of a Midwife, and, foon after their Delivery, return to their ufual Employment. They alone alfo perform all the Drudgery about their Houfes, they plant their Corn, and labour it, in every Respect, till it is brought to the Table: They likewife cut all their Fire-wood, and bring it Home on their Backs, and in their Marches bear the Burdens. The Men difdain all Kind of Labour, and employ themselves alone in Hunting, as the only proper Business for Soldiers. At Times, when it is not proper to hunt, one finds the old Men in Companies, in Converfation; the young Men at their Exercises, shooting at Marks, throwing the Hatchet, Wrestling, or Running, and the Women all bufy at Labour in the Fields. On these Occafions, the State of Lacedæmon ever occurs to my Mind, which that of the Five Nations, in many Refpects, resembles; their Laws, or Cuftoms, being, in both, form'd to render the Minds and Bodies of the People fit for War. Theft is very fcandalous among them; and it is neceffary it should be fo among all Indians, fince they have no Locks, but those of their Minds, to preserve their Goods. There is one Vice which the Indians have all fallen into, fince their Acquaintance with the Chriftians, and of which they could not be guilty before that Time, that is, Drunkennefs: It is ftrange, how all the Indian Nations, and almoft every Perfon among them, Male and Female, are infatuated with the Love of ftrong Drink; they know no Bounds to their Defire, while they can fwallow it down, and then indeed the greatest Man among them fcarcely deferves the Name of a Brute. They They never have been taught to conquer any Paffion, but by fome contrary Paffion; and the Traders, with whom they chiefly converse, are fo far from giving them any Abhorrence of this Vice, that they encourage it all they can, not only for the Profit of the Liquor they fell, but that they may have an Opportunity to impofe upon them. And this, as they chiefly drink Spirits, has deftroyed greater Numbers, than all their Wars and Diseases put together. The People of the Five Nations are much given to Speech-making, ever the natural Confequence of a perfect Republican Government: Where no fingle Perfon has a Power to compel, the Arts of Persuasion alone must prevail. As their beft Speakers diftinguish themselves in their publick Councils and Treaties with other Nations, and thereby gain the Efteem and Applause of their Countrymen, (the only Superiority which any one of them has over the others) it is probable they apply themselves to this Art, by fome Kind of Study and Exercife, in a great Meafure. It is impoffible for me to judge how far they excel, as I am ignorant of their Language; but the Speakers whom I have heard, had all a great Fluency of Words, and much more Grace in their Manner, than any Man could expect, among a People intirely ignorant of all the liberal Arts and Sci ences. I am inform'd, that they are very nice in the Turn of their Expreffions, and that few of themfelves are fo far Mafters of their Language, as never to offend the Ears of their Indian Auditory, by an unpolite Expreffion. They have, it seems, a certain Urbanitas, or Atticifm, in their Language, of which the common Ears are ever fenfible, though only their great Speakers attain to it. They are fo much given to Speech-making, that their common Complements, to any Person they respect, at meeting and parting, are made in Ha rangues. 2 They |