Their new-born infants were carried to the temples with solemnity, and the priests received them with certain admonitions concerning the troubles to which they were born. If they were the sons of nobles, they put a sword into the child’s right hand, and upon his left arm a shield, kept in the temple for that purpose. If of plebeian extraction, they put into their hands mechanical instruments; and the females, of both degrees, had only the distaff and spindle, signifying to each the kind of employment which destiny had prepared for them. This ceremony over, they were brought to the altar, and there, with a thorn of maguey, or a lancet of flint, they drew some drops of blood from the privy parts; after which they either sprinkled them with water, or dipped them into it; using, at the same time, certain invocations. This appears to be a striking imitation of baptism and circumcision, which De Solis very piously attributes to the devil; who, he also says, introduced among these barbarians the confession of sins, giving it to be understood that thereby they obtained the favor of their gods. He (the devil) likewise instituted a sort of communion, which the priest administered upon certain days of the year; dividing into small bits an idol made of flour and honey, mixed into a paste, which they called the god of Penitence. They had jubilees, processions, offerings of incense, and the other forms of divine worship. They even gave their chief priests the title of _papas_ in their language; which, together with other imitations of the Catholic church, the author thinks must have cost Satan a deal of close study and perseverance! The rest of the rites and ceremonies of “these miserable heathen were shocking and horrible both to reason and nature; bestialities, and incongruous, stupid absurdities; which seemed altogether incompatible with the regularity and admirable economy which were observed in the other parts of the government, and would scarcely be believed were not history full of examples of the like weaknesses and errors of men in other nations, and in parts of the world where they have the means of being more enlightened. Sacrifices of human blood began about the same time with idolatry. The horrible and detestable custom of eating human flesh has been practised many ages since among the barbarous people of our hemisphere, as Galatia confesses in her antiquities; and Scythia, in her Anthropophagi, must acknowledge the same. Greece and Rome wanted the knowledge of true religion, and were complete idolaters; although, in everything else, they gave laws to the whole world, and left edifying examples to posterity.” He therefore concludes that the Mexican worship was no other than a detestable compound of all the errors and abominations which have been received among the Gentiles in different parts of the world.