The manner how the people of that Countrey liue: and of certaine conditions: of their faith, maners, and customes. Chap. 10.
THis people beleeue no whit in God, but in one whom they cal•Cud•uaigni: they say that of∣ten he speaketh with them and telleth them what weather shal follow, whether good or bad. Moreouer they say, that when he is angry with them he casteth dust into then eyes: they beleeue that when they die they go into the stars, & thence •• little & little descend downe into the Horizon• euen as the stars doe, & that then they go into certaine greene fi•lds full of goodly faire & precious trees, floures, & fruits. After that they had giuen vs these things to vnderstand, we shewed them their error, and told that their Cudruaigni did but deceiue them, for he is but a Diuell & an euill spirit: affirming vnto them, that there is but one onely God, who is in heauen, and who giueth vs all necessaries, being the Creatour of all himselfe, and that onely we must beleeue in him: more∣ouer, that it is necessarie for vs to be baptised, otherwise wee are damned into hell. These and many other things concerning our faith and religion we shewed them, all which they did easily beleeue, calling their Cudruaigni, Agouiada, that is to say, nought, so that very earnestly they desired and prayed our Captaine that he would cause them to be baptised, and their Lorde, and Taignoagny, Domagaia, and all the people of the towne came vnto vs, hoping to be baptised:* but because we did not throughly know their minde, and that there was no bodie could teach them our beliefe & religion, we excused our selues, desiring Taignoagny & Domagaia to tell the rest of their countreymen, that he would come againe another time, & bring Priests & chr•some with vs, for without them they could not be baptised: which they did easily beleeue, for Domagaia & T•ig∣noagny had seene many children baptised in Britain whiles they were there. Which promise when they heard they seemed to be very glad. They liue in common togither, and of such commodi∣ties as their countrey yeeldeth they are indifferently well stored, the inhabitants of the countrey cloth themselues with the skinnes of certaine wilde beasts, but very miserably. In winter they weare hosen and shoes made of wilde beasts skins, and in Sommer they goe barefooted. They keepe and obserue the rites of matrimonie, sauing that euery one weddeth 2 or • v••tes, which (their husbands being dead) do neuer marrie agai•e, but for the death of their husbands weare a certaine blacke weede all the daies of their life, be s•earing al their faces with cole••u•••••ease mingled togither as thicke as the backe of a knife, and by that they are knowen to be w•••owes. Page 224 They haue a filthy and detestable vse in marrying of their maidens, and that is this, they put them all (after they are of lawfull age to marry) in a common place, as harlots free for euery man that will haue to doe with them, vntill such time as they find a match. This I say, because I haue seene by experience many housen full of those Damose•s, euen as our schooles are full of children in France to learne to reade. Moreouer, the misrule and riot that they keepe in those houses is ve∣ry great, for very wantonly they sport and dally togither, showing whatsoeuer God hath sent them. They are no men of great labour. They digge their grounds with certaine peeces of wood, as bigge as halfe a sword, on which ground groweth their corne, which they call Offici:* it is as bigge as our small peason: there is great quantitie of it growing in Bresill. They haue also great store of Muske-milions, Pomp•ons, Gourds, Cucumbers, Peason and Beanes of euery co∣lour, yet differing from ours. There groweth also a certaine kind of herbe, whereof in Sommer they make great prouision for all the yeere, making great account of it, and onely men vse of it, and first they cause it to be dried in the sunne,* then weare it about their neckes wrapped in a little beasts skinne made like a little bagge, with a hollow peece of s•oue or woodlike a pipe: then when they please they make pouder of it, and then put it in one of the ends of the said Cornet or p•pe, and laying a cole of fire vpon it, at the other ende sucke so long, that they fill their bodies full of smoke, till that it commeth out of their mouth and nostrils, euen as out of the •onnell of a chim∣ney. They say that this doth keepe them warme and in health: they neuer goe without some of it about them. We our selues haue try•d the same smoke, and hauing put it in our mouthes, it see∣med almost as hot as Pepper. The women of that countrey doe labour much more th•n the men, as well in fishing (whereto they are greatly giuen) as in tilling and husbanding their grounds, and other things: as well the men as women and children, are very much more able to resist cold then sauage beastes, for wee with our owne eyes haue seene some of them, when it was coldest (which cold was extreme raw and bitter) come to our ships starke naked going vpon snow & yce, which thing seemeth incredible to them that haue not seene it. When as the snow and yce lyeth on the ground, they take great store of wilde beasts, as Faunes, Stags, Beares, Marterns, Hares & Fores, with diuers other sorts whose flesh they eate raw, hauing first dried it in ye sunne or smoke, and so they doe their fish. As farre foorth as we could perceiue and vnderstand by these people, it were a very easie thing to bring them to some familiaritie & ciuility, and make them learne what one would. The Lord God for his mercies sake set therunto his helping hand when he seeth cause. Amen.
