Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
blood_n	certain_a	force_n	great_a	102	3	2.1282	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96033	A voyage of the Sieur Le Maire to the Canary Islands, Cape-Verd, Senegal and Gamby, under Monsieur Dancourt, Director-General of the Royal African Company Printed at Paris this present year 1695. And now faithfully done into English.	Le Maire, Jacques-Joseph.	1696 (1696)	Wing V741A; ESTC R230540	51,780	146

them but little trouble for they leave them naked upon the Sand where they crawl about the whole day Those which cannot walk themselves they carry upon their backs with their legs to their sides bringing their feet before them and tying them off with a Cloath which they fix about them Whatever work they do they keep those Bantlings at their backs even when they beat their Millet from whence comes that their Bellies are always large and their Noses flat for their Mothers in slooping and rising again by jerks bruise their Noses against their Backs and so these Children for avoiding the blows which however they still meet withal draw themselves back and set out their Bellies which makes them large I believe this to be the sole Reason that the Negers are flat Nos'd and big Bellied I do not find it true that they have the greatest esteem for Noses that are the most flat or for Lips that are the largest They have the same consideration for the matter of Beauty as we have they love a fine Eye a little Mouth handsom Lips and a Nose proportionable excepting their black colour There are Negresses as well made as any of our European Ladies they have a better Genius than the Men and are extreamly smooth The Caresses of White Men please them wonderfully but in the mean while these Dames being very Mercenary they will not grant their favours for nothing The Men take it for an Honour to have the Frenchmen Lye with their Wives Sisters or Daughters they very frequently making the first offers It is not the same amongst themselves for should this at any time happen they would certainly Revenge the Fact with either their Sabre or their Knife however their Gallantry is not limited to their Concubines whose falseness they will not suffer willingly The Women have always Pipes in their Mouths they are very brisk and Galliard and love Dancing in the Evenings especially when the Moon changes They Dance in a Ring clapping their Hands and not budging from their place except those in the middle Singing what next comes in their thoughts without having any regard either to Rhyme or Sense Their latter in Dancing hold one Hand upon their Heads the other upon their Back sides thrusting out their Bodies forwards beating their Feet against the Earth Their Postures are very Lascivious and Infamous especially when a Boy Dances with them a Calbasse or a Kettle serves for Musick for they are great Lovers of noise The Men Exercise themselves in Wreffling and approach each other in very ridiculous Postures holding up their Finger Fist or Foot On these occasions they always have one that plays the part of a Guiriot rattling upon the bottom of a Kettle or upon a Drum to excite their Courage as they are Naked they have much ado to fling each other upon the Ground When one is down the Guiriot Sings and extols the Valour of the Conqueror and exhorts the rest to play their Parts against the Champion better than he that engag'd last They give each other very rude Jolts and fall very heavy Most of those that live near the Rivers are Fishermen and breed their Children to that Trade whilst they are very young They make use of Canoes which are small Boats made of the Trunk of a Tree hollow'd for that purpose all of a piece the largest of which may contain 10 or 12 Men being 30 Foot in length and not above two and a half broad These Canoes go with both Oars and Sails and they often over-set when the Wind is high and the Water rough tho' they do not much matter it being all excellent Swimmers and never sink to the bottom They turn it right again with their shoulders and get in as unconcerned as if nothing had befel them and so Row away as swift as an Arrow from a Bow the nimblest of our Shalops not being able to reach them When they go a Fishing generally two of them go into the Canoe and take a compass near 6 Leagues into the Sea Their Fishing is for the most part by Angling but as there are great Fish which will not bite at the Hook they strike them with Harping Irons something like broad Arrows which are fix'd to sharp Sticks of the length of a Half-Pike and fasten'd to ●●●e with which they draw back the Cramping-Iron after they have Darted it They dry their small Fish such as Sprats and slit the large ones such as Green-Fish since they do not Salt them they are almost ever putrified before they are dry 'T is then when they approve of them as the most Dainty not at all esteeming them whilst they continue fresh and sweet They sell these Fish to them who live farthest off the Sea and would thence make a prodigious profit would they give themselves the trouble to carry it to the Villages for the Inhabitants are as much too Lazy to come and fetch them as the other are for carrying them thither and by their unaccountable Idleness it becomes at length spoil●d and good for nothing Besides the Commerce they have with us they keep particular Markets amongst themselves but of so little consequence that I have been amaz'd to see them come 6 or 7 Leagues to bring thither a small parcel of Cotton a little Linnen some sorry Pulse as Beans and Fitches little Wooden Dishes and Palm Mats Another time I saw a Man that had come 6 Leagues to bring a Bar of Iron of half a Foot in length Notwithstanding sometimes very precious Merchandises may be here met withal for example Rings of Gold Beads for Necklaces call'd by them Dougaret of the same Metal but these are so few that in the whole Market there is not to the value of five Pistoles Formerly they us'd to make Exchanges in all their Markets but since their Commerce with the Europeans they make use of Rassade and small Bawbels of Glass and little Bars of Iron What they bring of greatest consequence to these Markets which are held at the ends of Villages are Elephants Teeth Bullocks Hides and some Slaves all which they brought to fell at Goree for which the Members of the Company give Iron Strong Waters Rassade Indian Linnen and Coral by which they reap an unaccountable Advantage Their Government is Monarchical and Hereditary though they are not the King's Children which succeed but his Nephews the Sons of his Sisters This Custom which however fantastical it seems has this for its Ground and Foundation That it is not certain whether the Children brought him forth be really his own but it is incontestable that the Sons of his Sister are hers and consequently more certainly of Royal Blood than his own When the Prince makes his Accession to the Sovereignty every body comes to Congratulate the Felicity he has obtain'd above the rest of his Brethren for generally they being many the Empire becomes always Contested and falls to him that has the greatest Force or the best Success None

can approach the King without a great deal of trouble and circumspection and very few are admitted the Priviledge to see the innermost Recesses of his Palace When a great Lord even though he be one of his Relations has procur'd an Audience he puts off his Frock at the entrance of the Court being quite Naked from the Girdle upwards When he draws near the place where the King is he falls upon the Ground on both Knees Then he bows down his Head and with both Hands he often besprinkles Sand upon his Head and Face afterwards rising up repeating the same Ceremony still as he advances from one distance to another till he has reach'd within two Paces of the King When he is arriv'd so near as that he keeps his Ground and discloses the Motives which he had to demand an Audience having finish'd his Compliment which is made kneeling he arises without daring to cast the glance upon the King resting his Hands upon his Knees and from time to time flings Sand upon his Forehead The Prince very slighting of his Subjects seems not to regard what was said to him diverting himself some other ways however he does not omit at the end of the Harangue to answer his Demand with an extream affected Gravity and afterwards the Supplicant intermingles himself with the rest of the Courtiers that are paying their Attendance I believe there are no Princes in the whole Universe more Rever'd and more Absolute than these Neger Kings which Deference is an effect of their severity for upon the least transgression of any of their Subjects at which the King is displeas'd an Order is immediately issued out for taking off their Heads all their Goods are Consiscated and all their Family made Slaves The ordinary People are less miserable than the Grandees being only Subject to Captivity on the like occasions The Azeaghes the Maraboux and the French have a much greater freedom than the Negers and we the greatest of any When the Europeans accost him they make their Reverence and he reaches out his Hand to be put upon theirs When this is done he either sits or lies according to the Custom of the Negers upon a Bed deck'd with a Quilt cover'd with red Leather having a Pipe in his Mouth He then makes them sit down by him and asks what they have brought along with them Whereas we never have any of these Audience but when we are to interceed for some favour or to make Complaints of his Officers and of Insults made upon some White Men we never come empty handed our Presents consist for the most part in 10 or 12 Pots of Strong-Water a little parcel of Sugar some Birds Heads 5 or 6 Ells of Linnen and some pieces of Coral When an Envoy has any thing about him which pleases the King as a Coat Stockins Shooes Sword or Hat he requires to make Tryal of them I and ●ys them on one after another This he did soon after we arriv'd to an Envoy of Monsieur Dancourt and took from him a Brocade Wastcoat his Stockins Hat and Shooes so that he had return'd to us stripp'd Naked had not he by good Chance taken another Suit with him of a lesser value than the other As long as the Brandy Bottle lasts the Prince is Drunk thus you must expect no Answer till it be all off When he grows Sober he gives his Audience of Congee presenting him with two or three Slaves which he sends to have taken up in the first Villages Unhappy are they who at that time fall into the hands of his Guards for they stay to make no Choice the first at hand serves the present turn Whatever care is taken for carrying Provisions when you become a Sollicitor to this Court yet whilst you are there you are ready to Dye with Hunger since the King requires your Stock and for his share does always eat the best half He gives you in Recompence a quarter of a Camel which is very course Food a little Couscouse and some Palm-Wine During my stay in this Country a very pleasant passege happen'd which will sufficiently discover what powerful effects Presents have upon these Princes and what small regard they have either to Justice or Equity Two Petty Tributary Kings to Damel had a Contest about the Succession to a sorry sort of Sovereignty they were Unkle and Nephew that is Son of the Deceased King and they maintain'd their Pretensions by divers Arguments too long and too frivolous to be here inserted They propos'd to terminate their difference either by Force or by the King 's final Judgment This Prince having interdicted all other means they were oblig'd to refer themselves to his Decision The day being appointed in which Judgment was to be given the two different Parties assembled themselves in the great space before the Palace accompanied with very numerous Attendance who form'd two Battalions distant from each other about 30 Paces they were all Arm'd with Darts Arrows Zagayes Javelins and Moresque Knives The King follow'd with 600 men Accoutred with their Gris-gris appear'd mounted upon a fine Barbary Horse and so plac'd himself betwixt the two Rivals Though they all spoke the same Language yet they made use of Interpreters who repeated to the King what they had heard The Son of the Deceas'd King finish'd his Harangue in demonstrating That since God had before given those Dominions which were in Dispute to his Father they must of necessity belong to him as his Right and that thus he hop'd from His Majesty the Confirmation of the Title which could not be Disputed without palpable Injustice The King having hearken'd to him very attentively told him with an Air full of Gravity God gave it you and after him I give it you again Such a peremptory Answer soon dispers'd the Unkles Party who fairly retir'd by himself The Guiriots with their Instruments and their Drums Celebrated the Praises of the Victorious saying to him You Merit this Dignity far beyond the other and the King has done you nothing but Justice You are by much the finer Man more Rich more Potent and more Valiant c. Whilst this wretched Prince Dream'd of nothing but enjoying his Happiness he was wholly surpriz'd the day following to see himself stripp'd of this Authority with which he was but newly Invested for his Unkle not missing the opportunity made the King so acceptable a Present that it defac'd the remembrance of those he had before receiv'd from the Nephew so that he in the Morning dispossess'd him that he had Enthron'd in the Evening and Install'd the other in his place This Reverse of Fortune soon chang'd the Notes of the Guiriots and they began to Extol him they had before Decry'd Such is the Perfidy of the Prince and the Instability of his Subjects To return to what concerns the King more particularly I shall tell you That when he takes the Field he has no occasion for Vivandiers for he is provided for