A key into the language of America, or, An help to the language of the natives in that part of America called New-England together with briefe observations of the customes, manners and worships, &c. of the aforesaid natives, in peace and warre, in life and death : on all which are added spirituall observations, generall and particular, by the authour ... / by Roger Williams ...

CHAP. XXVIII. Of their Gaming, &c. (Book 28)

THeir Games, (like the Engl•…•…sh) are of two sorts; private and publike:

Private, and sometimes publike; A Game •…•…ike unto the English Cards; yet, in stead of Cards they play with strong Rushes.

Secondly, they have a kinde of Dice which are Plumb stones painted, which they cast in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Tray, with a mighty noyse and sweating: Their publique Games are solemnized with •…•…he meeting of hundreds; sometimes thou∣•…•…ands, and consist of many vanities, none of •…•…hich I durst ever be present at, that I might

not countenance and partake of their folly, after I once saw the evill of them.

Ahânu.	Hee laughes.
Tawhitchahánean.	Why doe you laugh?
Ahánuock.	They are merry.
Nippauochâumen.	We are dancing.
Pauochaûog.	They are playing or dan∣cing.
Pauochaútowwin.	A Bable to play with.
Akesuog.	They are at Cards, or telling of Rushes.
Pissinnéganash.	Their playing Rushes.
Ntakésemin.	I am a•…•…elling or coun∣ting;

for their play is a kind of Arithmatick▪

Obs. The chiefe Gamesters amongst them•…•… much desire to make their Gods side with•…•… them in their Games (as our English Game∣sters so farre also acknowledge God) there∣fore I have •…•…ene them keepe as a preciou•…•… stone a piece of Thunderbolt, which is lik•…•… unto a Chrystall, which they dig out of th•…•… ground under some tree, Thunder-smitte•…•… and from this stone they have an opinon o•…•… successe, and I have not heard any of thes•…•… prove losers which conceive may be Sata•…•… policie and Gods holy Justice to harden the•…•… for their not rising higher from the Thun∣derbolt, to the God that send or shoots it

Ntaquie akésamen.	I will leave play.
Nchikossimunnash.	I will burne my Rushes.
Wunnaugonhómmin	To play at •…•…ice in their Tray.
Asaúanash.	The painted Plumbstones which they throw.
Puttuckquapúonck.	A Playing Arbo•…•…r.

Obs. This Arbour or Play house is made of long poles set in the earth, foure square, sixteen or twentie foot high; on which they hang great store of their stringed money have great stakings, towne against towne, and two chosen out of the rest by course to play the Game at this kinde of Dice in the midst of all their Abettors, with great shouting and so∣lemnity: beside, they have great meetings of foot-ball playing, onely in Summer, towne against towne, upon some broad sandy shoare, free from stones, or upon some soft hea•…•…hie plot because of their naked feet, at which they have great stakings, but seldome quarrell.

Pasuckquakoho∣waûog	They meet to foot-ball.
Cukkúmmote wèpe.	You steale;

As I have often told them in their gamings, and in their great losings (when they have staked and lost their money, clothes, house, corne, and them∣selves, (if single persons) they will confesse it

being weary of their lives, and ready to make away themselves, like many an English man: an Embleme of the horrour of conscience, which all poore sinners walk in at last, when they see what wofull games they have played in their life, and now find themselves eternall Beggars.

•…•…esaqúnnamun, Another kinde of solemne publike meeting, wherein they lie under the trees, in a kinde of Religious observation, and have a mixture of Devotions and sports: But their chiefest Idoll of all for sport and game, is (if their land be at peace) toward Harvest, when they set up a long house called Qunne∣kamuck. Which signifies Long house, sometimes an hundred somtimes two hundred foot long upon a plaine neer the Court (which they call Kitt•…•…ickan̄ick) where many thousands, men and women meet, where he that goes in dan∣ceth in the sight of all the rest; and is prepa∣red with money, coats, small breeches, knifes, or what hee is able to reach to, and gives these things away to the poore, who yet must par∣ticularly beg and say, Cowequetúmmous, that is, I beseech you: which word (although there is not one common beggar amongst them) yet they will often use when their richest a∣mongst them would fain obtain ought by gift.

Generall Observations of their Sports.

This life is a short minute, eternitie fol∣lowes. On the improvement or dis-improve∣ment of this short minute, depends a joyfull or dreadfull eternity; yet (which I tremble to thinke of) how cheape is this invaluable Jewell, and how many vaine inventions and foolish pastimes have the sonnes of men in all parts of the world found out, to passe time & post over this short minute of life, untill like some pleasant River they have past into mare mortuum, the dead sea of eternall lamentation.

More particular:

Our English Gamesters scorne to stakeLine 1 Their clothes as Indians do, Nor yet themselves, alas, yet both Stake soules and lose them to.

O fearfull Games! the divell stakesLine 2 But •…•…trawes and Toyes and Trash, (For what is All, compar'd with Christ, But * 1.1 Dogs meat and Swines wash?

Man stakes his Iewell-darling soule,Line 3 (His owne most wretched foe)

Ventures, and loseth all in sport At one most dreadfull throw.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Phil. 3. 8. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉