Selected quad for the lemma: word_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	command_n	file_n	rank_n	5,049	5	11.1734	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53222	America : being the latest, and most accurate description of the new vvorld containing the original of the inhabitants, and the remarkable voyages thither, the conquest of the vast empires of Mexico and Peru and other large provinces and territories : with the several European plantations in those parts : also their cities, fortresses, towns, temples, mountains, and rivers : their habits, customs, manners, and religions, their plants, beasts, birds, and serpents : with an appendix containing, besides several other considerable additions, a brief survey of what hath been discover'd of the unknown south-land and the arctick region : collected from most authentick authors, augmented with later observations, and adorn'd with maps and sculptures / by John Ogilby ...	Ogilby, John, 1600-1676.; Montanus, Arnoldus, 1625?-1683. Nieuwe en onbekende weereld.	1671 (1671)	Wing O165; ESTC R16958	774,956	643

on his lawful King is presently Executed Once a Year he takes his Progress accompanied with a dozen of his best Subjects to view his Countrey to recreate himself and establish good Orders When he enters into any of their Houses without any more Complement he is desir'd to sit down on the Ground for they use neither Stools nor Cushions and after a little respite all that are present come in and sit down by him one of his Seniors pronouncing an Oration gratulatory to his Majesty for love and the many good things they enjoy under his peaceful Government A King of large Dominions hath his Vice-Roys or inferior Kings under him to agitate his State Affairs and keep his Subjects in good Decorum Other Officers there are but how to distinguish them by Name is something difficult For their Laws as their Vices come short of many other Nations so they have not so many Laws though they are not without some which they inflict upon notorious Malefactors as Traitors to their Prince inhumane Murtherers and some say Adulterers for Theft as they have nothing to steal worth the Life of a Man therefore they have no Law to Execute for Trivials a Subject being more precious in the Eye of his Prince than where Men are so scarce to be cast away upon so sleight a matter A Malefactor having deserv'd Death and being apprehended is brought before the King and some other of the wisest Men where they enquire out the original of the thing after proceeding by aggravation of Circumstances he is found Guilty and Cast by the Jury of their strict Inquisition he is Condemn'd and Executed in the following manner The Executioner comes in who blind-folds the Party sets him in the publick view and Brains him with a Tamahauke or Club which done his Friends bury him Of their Marriages Now to speak something of their Marriages the Kings and the Powwows or great Doctors may have two or three Wives but seldom use it Men of ordinary Rank having but one which dilproves the report that they had eight or ten Wives apiece When a Man hath a desire to Marry he first gets the good will of the Maid or Widow after the consent of her Friends for her part and for himself if he be at his own disposing and if the King will the Match is made her Dowry of Wampompeage paid the Sagamore or King who for every Marriage hath a Fathom of Wampompeage which is about the value of seven or eight shillings joyns their Hands never to part till Death unless she prove a Whore for which they may put away their Wives Of their Worship Invocations and Conjurations As it is natural to all Mortals to worship something so do these People but exactly to describe to whom their Worship is chiefly bent is very difficult They acknowledge especially two Ketan some say Tantum their good God and Hobamocco some say Squantum their evil God to Ketan they Sacrifice as the ancient Heathens did to Ceres after their Garners be full with a good Crop They likewise Invocate this God for fair Weather for Rain in time of Drought and for the recovery of their Sick but if they do not hear them then they verrifie the old Verse Flectere si nequeo Superos Acheronta movebo their Powwows betaking themselves to their Exorcismes and Necromantick Charms by which they bring to pass strange things if we may believe the Indians who report of one Pissacannaw that he could make the Water burn the Rocks move the Trees dance and metamorphose himself into a flaming Man In Winter when there is no green Leaves to be got he would out of the Ashes of an old Leaf calcin'd and put into the Water produce a new green Leaf And of a dead Snakes Skin a living Snake both to be seen felt and heard The manner of their action in their Conjuration is thus The Parties that are sick or lame being brought before them the Powwow sitting down the rest of the Indians giving attentive audience to his Imprecations and Invocations and after the violent expression of many a hideous bellowing and groaning he makes a stop and then all the Auditors with one voice utter a short Canto which done the Powwow still proceeds in his Invocations sometimes roaring like a Bear other times groaning like a dying Horse foaming at the Mouth like a chased Boar smiting on his naked Brest and Thighs with such violence as if he were mad Thus will he continue sometimes half a day spending his Lungs sweating out his Fat and tormenting his Body in this diabolical Worship Sometimes the Devil for requital of their Worship recovers the Party to nuzzle them up in their devillish Religion But since the English upon whom and in whose presence it is said the Powwows could never work their Witchcrafts frequented those Parts they daily fall from his Colours relinquishing their former Fopperies and acknowledge the Power of the English-man's God as they call him And it is reported of them that at the very first they were so tractable to the Christian Religion that they would say King James was good and his God good but their Tanto nought though of their two Gods he was accounted the good one Of their Wars They use no other Weapons in War than Bowes and Arrows saving that their Captains have long Spears on which if they return Conquerors they carry the Heads of their chief Enemies that they slay in the Wars it being the Custom to cut off their Heads Hands and Feet to bear home to their Wives and Children as true tokens of their renowned Victory When they go to their Wars it is their Custom to paint their Faces with diversity of Colours some being all black as Jet some red some half red and half black some black and white others spotted with divers kinds of Colours being all disguis'd to their Enemies to make them more terrible to their Foes putting on likewise their rich Jewels Pendents and Wampompeage to put them in mind that they Fight not onely for their Children Wives and Lives but likewise for their Goods Lands and Liberties Being thus Arm'd with this Warlike Paint the antique Warriors make towards their Enemies in a disorder'd manner without any Soldier-like Marching or Warlike Postures being deaf to any word of Command ignorant of falling off or on of doubling Ranks or Files but let flie their winged Shaftsmen without either fear or wit Their Artillery being spent he that hath no Arms to Fight finds Legs to run away Their Games and Sports of activity They have two sorts of Games one call'd Puim the other Hubbub not much unlike Cards and Dice being no other than Lottery Puim is fifty or sixty small Bents of a Foot long which they divide to the number of their Gamesters shuffling them first between the Palms of their Hands be that hath more than his Fellow is so much the forwarder in his Game Many other Whimsies