She frequently comes with the others when they conjure. But on her appearance she is desired to be quiet, "Pay-ah-tick": gently, quietly, peaceably.
Master Skeleton also is as much dreaded as Folly, if not more, because he shews himself at any time he pleases, it not being necessary to conjure to call him to.
There is an Indian who, before he married, had his dress shoes made by this lady (Folly, or Jealousy). She was, of course, extremely fond of him. "The shoes were beautifully garnished, far superior to anything of the kind done by our women!" There are not wanting ladies, living with the white, who confer full share of their favors on some of the Indians, and from one of these I fancy it is he got these shoes. But to hide the business, [he] imputed them to Folly, which served him a double end. If I can see that chap I shall be very particular in my inquiries of him. I know him well.
This brings to my mind the white stag or hind Sertorius had in his exile and during his wars with his country, as mentioned by Plutarch. Indeed, to be candid, I find a very great affinity between the ideas and notions of these people and those of the Greeks and Romans. And by these [affinities], much—far much—better than by the incongruous hypothesis of the learned, might be traced the origin of these people. And I am far from taking the task to be difficult. Would we only divest ourselves of our own prejudices and take the proper plan, this great Enigma, if I may so explain myself, would be not perfectly cleared I allow, but a rational clew [would be] afforded to the unravelling of it. I have read many of these hypotheses, but they are so filled with inconsistencies that I could scarcely believe men could employ so much time in them. ..... I could say something else instead of the conclusion of this last sentence.
A Gentleman, and an Englishman too, but I forget his name, would wish to insinuate that these people are from a different origin with ourselves: [from] Adam. And to prove his hypothesis, he begins by an anatomizing hogs! (See the Encyclopaedia, not by Rees, but Fitz-Patrick I believe.) This puts me in mind of some of the Newtonian Systems: There is no such thing in nature as cold. We must say an absence of heat! Why cannot we as well say there is no such thing as darkness, but merely an absence of light, or reverse either, and either will be as reasonable. Most strange reasoning is this indeed!
[Confession]
These people have a notion that confession saves them from many accidents and also preserves the lives of the sick, or rather restores them to their wonted health. I have not learned the origin of this—when, why, or wherefore—but it seems to be very remote, to have [sprung up] with their mythology. I shall [make it] a point to enquire very particularly into this, and for this, as well as other things, at different quarters to find and detect errors. But all, however, that I have written in these pages, though there may be some difference in the recital and perhaps a few straggling circumstances, are, I have great reason to think, fundamentally the same throughout among these people. .....
When any one of them is particularly affected with diseases out of the common course of nature here, or though the disease may be precisely the same as all others, yet, from certain circumstances individually, or a combination of them, they say he is Oh-gee-nay in Cree, or On-gee-nay in Sauteux (the On pronounced as in French and not English), by which it would seem as if they meant he was afflicted or chastised for his own sins, or those of some of his or her near relatives: father, mother, if children; if grown up and married persons, for their own. Whether they only imagine this, or are informed of it by conjuring, private information from their familiars, or from the symptoms of the sick person, I cannot say, but the thus afflicted person must confess his sins publicly.
Now in these confessions, as in all their other discourses or conversations (initiating and giving of medicines excepted), they use no circumlocution, no secret or enigmatical word or term, to screen themselves. But all is delivered in plain terms and before everyone that chuses to hear. These confessions are terrible things. And they seem far more sincere and complete than those of many Catholics. They have wonderful, retentive memories, and no scene, no crime from their earliest years unto that day do they hide. But Great God! What abominations! One would scarcely imagine the human mind capable of inventing such infamously diabolical actions as some do commit: murder, incest, and other things, if possible an hundredfold more, debasing the human soul. Whether they repent of these things, neither can I say, but it would appear as if they were the acts of a contrite and most humbly penitant soul. I have never had an opportunity of hearing these from their own mouths, but other Indians have told me of them. And though before their families sometimes, [they] have never omitted one single circumstance, from the suggestions of the idea, down to the very last conclusion.
When I heard of these things at first, I would not believe them. But hearing them come so circumstantially, I trembled for the Land I sojourned in lest it should vomit me out as the land of Canaan did its inhabitants, or be swallowed up in its destruction as Sodom and Gomorrah!