man Blood, and were more cruel than the fierceft Beafts.* There is now in my Church a young Man, who flew for Sanctuary to the Chriftians, after being wounded with a Lance, which his Father had darted, with the Defign of killing him; in Hopes thereby of obliging his Enemy to murther his Son in the fame Manner. The Barbarian in Question had before killed two of his Children, on other Occafions, in the like View. You poffibly You poffibly may look *As there fcarce was any Blood (I believe) fpilt on this Occafion, except on our Jefuit's Paper, this fuppofed Tragedy becomes a mere Farce to all but credulous Readers; and as we have not a Multitude of fuch in our Country, I tranflated these Incidents merely to divert those of a contrary Turn. The Relation of the Maffacre which our Jefuit gives here, may make one wish, with the celebrated Author of Gulliver's Travels, that "a Law were "enacted; that every Traveller, before he were permitted to "publish his Voyages, fhould be obliged to make Oath before "the Lord High Chancellor, that all he intended to print was "abfolutely true, to the beft of his Knowledge; for then the "World wou'd no longer be deceived as it ufually is, while "fome Writers, to make their Works pafs the better upon the "Publick, impofe the groffeft Falfities on the unwary Reader.” Gulliver's Travels, Vol. III, p. 384. Dublin, 1735. 8vo. Father Martin is here a fecond Drawcanfir, who, after killing all the Infantry and great Hobby-horses that had been fighting, makes the following Speech: "Others may boaft a fingle Man to kill, REHEARSAL, A& V. After all, it must be own'd, that fome Nations have Customs which appear almost incredible to us; among others, that affirm'd by all Travellers, of the Indian Widows burning themfelves alive with their dead Husbands. upon upon these horrid Examples as almoft fictitious; but be perfuaded that I, fo far from amplifying, cou'd inftance a great many others equally tragical. It must yet be confeffed, that a Custom fo fhocking to Humanity prevails only in the Cafte of the Robbers; and that even many of these avoid Squabbles, merely to prevent their coming to fuch violent Extremities. I have known fome of 'em, who, having a Quarrel with another that was going to commit Murder, ran away with their Children, to prevent their being butchered; and that they themfelves might not be reduced to the fad Necessity of flaughtering their own. These Robbers are abfolute Masters of this whole Country, and pay no kind of Tribute or Tax to the Prince. They come out of their Forefts every Night, being about five or fix hundred in Number, and then go and plunder the Habitations or Villages fubject to him. His Endeavours to check them have hitherto proved ineffectual. About five or fix Years fince, he marched out all his Troops to oppofe 'em, and advanced as far as their Forests; when, making a great Havock of thefe Rebels, he built a Fortrefs, in which he left a ftrong Garifon, to curb them. However, they foon shook off his Yoke: For affembling together, about a Year after the Expedition in Question, they took the Fortress by Surprize, raz'd it, put all the Garrifon to the Sword, and poffeffed themselves of the whole Country. From that Time they have been the Terror of the whole District. I just now heard, that, about four Days ago, a Party of these People having plundered a confiderable Village; and the Inha bitants making Head against them, the most fervent of all my new Converts was killed here in a very cruel Manner. Not above a Month fince one of his Relations, a very pious Man, met with the like Fate in an adjacent Town. 'Tis faid, that these Wretches have laid waste upwards of five hundred confiderable Settlements this Year. Though 'tis fcarce poffible for the Chriftian Faith to spread very much in a Country where fuch deteftable Customs prevail; I yet have converted a confiderable Number of the Natives, particularly in Velleoor, fignifying, in the Indian Language, the white Settlement. A Circumftance which gives me the highest Confolation, is, that during the little Time I have been here, not one of my new Converts has been concerned in any of these horrid Crimes, tho' practifed daily. Within thefe few Years, War, Famine, and Sickness, have made dreadful Havock in every Part of this Country. I forgot to anfwer a Queftion of your's, viz. whether there are any Atheists among these In dians. This feems to confirm the Objections which fome learned Men have made to the Proof brought of the Existence of God, from the fuppofed unanimous Confent of all Nations. But poffibly Father Martin had not been well inform'd on this Occafion; at least I wou'd willingly fuppofe he was not. Some Nations have paffed for profeffed Abeifts, the contrary of which has been afterwards afferted by Travellers of the greatest Veracity, among whom I reckon Mr. Ziegenbalg, one of the Danish Missionaries, who had the following Conference with the Captain of the Hottentots,as tranflated by Mr. la Croze from Mr. Ziegenbelg's MSS. "Do you believe (fays the Danish Miffionary) in God? Who "wou'd not believe in a God? replied the Hottentot. A Man "who fhou'd be thus ignorant, need only, in order to undeceive "himself, but look above and round him. But, (added Mr. Ziegenbalg) Do you ferve God? (Anwer.) God has much "better Servants than we. (Queftion.) How! Do you pay no "Honours to God, and take no Care of your Soul? (Anf.) The "only Thing we know is to fly Evil, and do Good. (Quest.) "Are there no Sinners among you? (A.) There certainly are, "and even great Sinners. (2.) Whence does Sin come? (A) "It comes from the Devil. (2) Whither do Sinners go? (4.) "To Heil. (2) What is Hell? (A.) 'Tis a very hot Place. (2) Whither do good People go? (A.) To Heaven. (2) "What is Heaven? (4.) 'Tis a fine, agreeable Place. (2) "Whither do you think you fhall go after Death? (4.) The 66 "God dians. All I know of the Matter is, that there indeed is a Sect, called Naxtagher, the Individuals of which feem not to acknowledge any Deity; but this Sect confifts of very few Members. All the Indians (to fpeak in general) worship fome Deity; "God of Mercy knows this; we ourselves know nothing about "it. (2) Wou'd not you willingly get yourselves instructed in "the Principles of the Chriftian Religion, fince you live among "Chriftians? (A) Yes, provided the Company + thinks proper. (2) Wou'd you, in that Cafe, let me be your Preacher ? (A.) Very willingly. If you turn Christians, (continu'd Mr. Ziegenbalg) it will be neceffary that you cloathe yourselves a "little more decently, learn Trades, and live in little Houses, 6. As which we might enter to declare God's Word to you, and lead "you into the Paths of Virtue. The Hottentot replied: The "Europeans are Madmen; they build great Houses, tho' their Bo"dies take up but a narrow Space: They have fo great a Num"ber of Wants, in order for cloathing and nourishing them"felves, that not contented with Things fufficient for themselves "in Europe, they come to this and other Countries, in order to "difpoffels the Inhabitants of their Clothes and Food. With regard to ourselves, we want neither Money nor Wares. "we neither eat nor drefs after your Manner, there is nothing "can oblige us to work and difturb ourselves as you do." La Croze, Hift. du Christian. des Indes, p. 561. How excellent is the Philofophy contain'd in the latter Part of this Hottentot's Difcourfe! Equal, fure, to any met with in the Writings of the most celebrated Moralifts of Antiquity, and a fine Leffon to the Vain and Ambitious. The Hottentots are, of all Barbarians, the most hideous and loathfome, no People being fo dirty. Freethinkers (adds Mr. la Croze) may object, "That the Hot ་་ tentot in Question had borrow'd his Notions from the Dutch, "and other European Chriftians fettled at the Cape; but Mr. "Kolb, who lived many Years in the Neighbourhood of the "Hottentots, and who, after learning their Language, enquir'd very diligently into their Manners, has enter'd very minutely into the Practices of their Religion; Practices, indeed, that are furprizingly abfurd and infamous; but, at the fame Time, quite oppofite to Atheism, of which they have been accused, on the Teftimony of fome Travellers, who, as they take "only a tranfient View of Things, ufually form fuch a preci"pitate Judgment as ought to be of no Weight." + The Dutch (I fufpafe) at the Cape. but but alas! how ignorant are they of the true God! Blinded by their Paffions ftill more than by the evil Spirit, they form monftrous Ideas of the fupreme Being; and you wou'd fcarce believe me, fhou'd I name the vile and infamous Creatures to which they pay divine Honours. 'Tis my Opinion, that no Idolatry among the Antients was ever more grofs, or more horrid, than that of these Indians. Don't afk what are their chief Errors; no one cou'd hear them mentioned without blufhing; and it certainly will be no Lofs to you to be ignorant of them. I am, &c. PETER MARTIN. N. B. The Letter from Father SANT JAGO, a Jefuit-Miffionary in the Kingdom of Maiffoor, to the reverend Father EMANUEL SARAY, Provincial of the Province of Goa, dated at Capinagati, 8 Auguft, 1711; containing a Relation of Father Dacunha's building a Church in the Kingdom of Cagonti; the Perfecution of that Father by the Heathen Priefts; and his cruel Death; is omitted. Father D'ENTRECOLLES, to the reverend Procurator General of the Miffions of India and China. I Reverend Father, Fao-Cheu*, 17 July, 1707. TAKE the Opportunity of fome leifure Moments I am now favoured with, to inform you, (by one of our Ships, which is going to fail for In French, Jao-Tcheou. Europe) |