The Tarrenteenes saving that they eate not mans flesh, are little lesse salvage, and cruell than these Canniballs: our Indians doe feare them as their deadly enemies; for so many of them as they meete they kill. About 2 yeares agoe, our Indians being busie about their accustomed huntings, not suspecting them so neere their owne liberties, were on the suddaine surprized by them; some being slaine, the rest escaping to their English Asylum, whither they durst not pursue them; their Sagamore was wounded by an arrow, but presently cured by English Chirurgery. These Indians are the more insolent, by reason they have guns which they dayly trade for with the French, (who will sell his eyes as they say, for beaver:) but these doe them more credit than service; for having guns they want powder, or if they have that, they want shot, something or other being alwayes wanting; so that they use them for little, but to salute coasting boates that come to trade, who no sooner can anchor in any harbour; but they present them with a vollie of shot, asking for sacke and strong liquors, which they so much love since the English used to trade it with them, that they will scarse trade for any thing else, lashing out into excessive abuse, first taught by the example of some of our English who to uncloathe them of their beaver coates, clad them with the infection of swearing and drinking, which was never in fashion with them before, it being contrary to their nature to guzell downe strong drinke, or use so much as to sippe of strong-waters, vntill our bestiall example and dishonest incitation brought them to it; from which I am sure hath sprung many evill consequents, as disorder, quarrels, wrongs, unconscionable and forcive wresting of Beaver and Wampompeage: and from over-flowing Cups there hath beene a proceeding to revenge, murther and over-flowing of blood. As witnesse Maister Wayes Boate, which they sunke with stones after they had killed his son, with three more: buzzing the English in the eares, that they see it bulged against the rockes, and the men drowned in the beating surges: but afterwards being betrayed, as many as were caught, were hanged. Another who was situated on Richmonds Iland, living as he list amongst them, making his couetous corrupt will his law; after many abuses, was with his family one evening treacherously murthered, under a faire pretence of trade; so that these that lived beside the Law of God, and their King, and the light of Nature, dyed by their hands that car'd neither for God, King, nor Nature. Take these Indians in their own trimme and naturall disposition, and they be reported to be wise, lofty-spirited, constant in friendship to one another; true in their promise, and more industrious than many others.
Chap. III.
Of the Pequants and Narragansets, Indians inhabiting Southward.
The Pequants be a stately warlike people, of whom I never heard any misdemeanour; but that they were iust and equall in their dealings; not treacherous either to their Country-men, or English: Requiters of courtesies, affable towards the English. Their next neighbours the Narragansets, be at this present the most numerous people in those parts, the most rich also, and the most industrious; being the store-house of all such kind of wild Merchandize as is amongst them. These men are the most curious minters of their Wampompeage and Mowhakes, which they forme out of the inmost wreaths of Periwinkle-shels. The Northerne, Easterne, and Westerne Indians fetch all their Coyne from these Southerne Mint-masters. From hence they have most of their curious Pendants & Bracelets; from hence they have their great stone-pipes, which wil hold a quarter of an ounce of Tobacco, which they make with steele-drils and other instruments; such is their ingenuity & dexterity, that they can imitate the English mold so accurately, that were it not for matter and colour it were hard to distinguish them; they make them of greene, & sometimes of blacke stone; they be much desired of our English Tobaconists, for their rarity, strength, handsomnesse, and coolnesse. Hence likewise our Indians had their pots wherein they used to seeth their victuals before they knew the use of Brasse. Since the English came, they have employed most of their time in catching of Beavers, Otters, and Musquashes, which they bring downe into the Bay, returning backe loaded with English commodities, of which they make a double profit, by selling them to more remote Indians, who are ignorant at what cheape rates they obtaine them, in comparison of what they make them pay, so making their neighbours ignorance their enrichment. Although these be populous, yet I never heard they were desirous to take in hand any martiall enterprize, or expose themselves to the uncertaine events of warre: wherefore the Pequants call them Women-like men; but being uncapable of a jeare, they rest secure under the conceit of their popularitie, and seeke rather to grow rich by industrie, than famous by deeds of Chevalry. But to leave strangers, and come to declare what is experimentally knowne of the Indians, amongst whom we live: of whom in the next Chapter.
Chap. IV.
Of the Aberginians or Indians Northward.
First of their Stature, most of them being betweene five or six foote high, straight bodied, strongly composed, smooth skinned, merry countenanced, of complexion something more swarthy than Spaniards, black hair'd, high foreheaded, blacke ey'd, out-nosed, broad shouldred, brawny arm'd, long and slender handed, out brested, small wasted, lanke bellied, well thighed, flat kneed, handsome growne leggs, and small feete: In a word, take them when the blood briskes in their veines, when the flesh is on their backs, and marrow in their bones, when they frolick in their antique deportments and Indian postures; and they are more amiable to behold (though onely in Adams livery) than many a compounded phantasticke in the newest fashion. It may puzzle beliefe, to conceive how such lustie bodies should have their rise and daily supportment from so slender a fostering; their houses being meane, their lodging as homely, commons scant, their drinke water, and Nature their best cloathing; in them the old proverbe may well be verified: (Natura paucis contenta) for though this be their daily portion, they still are healthfull and lusty. I have beene in many places, yet did I never see one that was borne either in redundance or defect a monster, or any that sickneffe had deformed, or casualitie made decrepit, saving one that had a bleared eye, and an other that had a wenne on his cheeke. The reason is rendred why they grow so proportionable, and continue so long in their vigour (most of them being 50 before a wrinkled brow or gray haire betray their age) is because they are not brought downe with suppressing labour, vexed with annoying cares, or drowned in the excessive abuse of overflowing plenty, which oftentimes kils them more than want, as may appeare in them. For when they change their bare Indian commons for the plenty of Englands fuller diet, it is so contrary to their stomacks, that death or a desperate sicknesse immediately accrews, which makes so few of them desirous to see England. Their swarthinesse is the Sun's livery, for they are borne faire. Their smooth skins proceede from the often anoynting of their bodies with the oyle of fishes, and the fat of Eagles, with the grease of Rackoones, which they hold in summer, the best antidote to keepe their skinne from blistering with the scorching Sunne; and it is their best armour against the Musketoes, the surest expeller of the hairy excrement, and stops the pores of their bodies against the nipping winters cold. Their black haire is naturall, yet it is brought to a more jetty colour by oyling, dying, and daily dressing. Sometimes they weare it very long, hanging down in a loose dishevel'd womanish manner; otherwhile tied up hard and short like a horse taile, bound close with a fillet, which they say makes it grow the faster: they are not a little phantasticall or custom-sick in this particular; their boyes being not permitted to weare their haire long till sixteene yeares of age, and then they must come to it by degrees; some being cut with a long foretop, a long locke on the crowne, one of each side of his head, the rest of his haire being cut even with the scalpe: the young men and souldiers weare their haire long on the one side, the other side being cut short like a screw; other cuts they have as their fancie befooles them, which would torture the wits of a curious Barber to imitate. But though they be thus wedded to the haire of their head, you cannot wooe them to weare it on their chinnes, where it no sooner growes, but it is stubbed up by the rootes, for they count it as an unuseful, cumbersome, and opprobrious excrement, insomuch as they call him an English mans bastard that hath but the appearance of a beard, which some have growing in a staring fashion, like the beard of a cat, which makes them the more out of love with them, choosing rather to have no beards than such as should make them ridiculous.
Chap. V.
Of their Apparell, Ornaments, Paintings, and other artificiall deckings.
Now these naked bodies may seeme too weake to with-stand the assaulting heat of their parching Summers, and the piercing cold of the icie Winters, or it may be surmised that these earthly fabricks should be wasted to nothing by the tempestuous dashings of wind-driven raines, having neither that which may warme within, or shelter without; yet these things they looke not after, saving a paire of Indian Breeches to cover that which modesty commands to be hid, which is but a peece of cloth a yard and a halfe long, put betweene their groinings, tied with a snakes skinne about their middles, one end hanging downe with a flap before, the other like a taile behinde. In the Winter time the more aged of them weare leather drawers, in forme like Irish trouses, fastned under their girdle with buttons; they weare shooes likewise of their owne making cut out of a Mooses hide, many of them weare skinnes about them, in forme of an Irish mantle, and of these some be Beares skinnes, Mooses skinnes, and Beaver skinnes sewed together, Otter skinnes, and Rackoone skinnes; most of them in the Winter having his deepe furr'd Cat skinne, like a long large muffe, which hee shifts to that arme which lieth most exposed to the winde; thus clad, hee busles better through a world of cold in a frost-paved wildernesse, than the furred Citizen in his warmer Stoave. If their fancie drive them to trade, they choose rather a good course blanket, thorough which they cannot see, interposing it betweene the sunne and them; or a piece of broade cloth, which they use for a double end, making it a coate by day, and a covering by night; they love not to be imprisoned in our English fashion: they love their owne dogge fashion better (of shaking their eares, and being ready in a moment) than to spend time in dressing them, though they may as well spare it as any men I know, having little else to doe. But the chiefe reasons they render why they will not conforme to our English apparell, are, because their women cannot wash them when they bee soyled, and their meanes will not reach to buy new when they have done with their old; and they confidently beleeve, the English will not be so liberall as to furnish them upon gifture: therefore they had rather goe naked than be lousie, and bring their bodies out of their old tune, making them more tender by a new acquired habit, which poverty would constraine them to leave: although they be thus poore, yet is there in them the sparkes of naturall pride, which appeares in their longing desire after many kinde of ornaments, wearing pendants in their eares, as formes of birds, beasts, and fishes, carved out of bone, shels, and stone, with long bracelets of their curious wrought wampompeage and mowhackees, which they put about their necks and loynes; these they count a rare kinde of decking; many of the better sort bearing upon their cheekes certaine pourtraitures of beasts, as Beares, Deares, Mooses, Wolves, &c. some of fowls, as of Eagles, Hawkes, &c. which be not a superficiall painting, but a certaine incision, or else a raising of their skin by a small sharpe instrument, under which they conveigh a certain kind of black unchangeable inke, which makes the desired forme apparent and permanent. Others have certaine round Impressions downe the outside of their armes and brests, in forme of mullets or spur-rowels, which they imprint by searing irons: whether these be foiles to illustrate their unparalleld beauty (as they deeme it) or Armes to blazon their antique Gentilitie, I cannot easily determine: but a Sagamore with a Humberd in his eare for a pendant, a black hawke on his occiput for his plume, Mowhackees for his gold chaine, good store of Wampompeage begirting his loynes, his bow in his hand, his quiver at his back with six naked Indian spatterlashes at his heeles for his guard, thinkes himselfe little inferiour to the great Cham; hee will not stick to say, hee is all one with King Charles. He thinkes hee can blow downe Castles with his breath, and conquer kingdomes with his conceit. This Pompey can endure no equall, till one dayes adverse lotterie at their game (called Puimme) metamorphize him into a Codrus, robbing him of his conceited wealth, leaving him in minde and riches equall with his naked attendants, till a new taxation furnish him with a fresh supplie.