_Peeie_, that is, _Prophet_. They shewed us their _Indian Peeie_, a
Youth of about sixteen Years old, as handsome as Nature could make a
Man. They consecrate a beautiful Youth from his Infancy, and all Arts
are used to compleat him in the finest Manner, both in Beauty and Shape:
He is bred to all the little Arts and Cunning they are capable of; to
all the legerdemain Tricks, and Slight of Hand, whereby he imposes on
the Rabble; and is both a Doctor in Physick and Divinity: And by these
Tricks makes the Sick believe he sometimes eases their Pains, by drawing
from the afflicted Part little Serpents, or odd Flies, or Worms, or any
strange Thing; and though they have besides undoubted good Remedies for
almost all their Diseases, they cure the Patient more by Fancy than by
Medicines, and make themselves feared, loved, and reverenced. This young
_Peeie_ had a very young Wife, who seeing my Brother kiss her, came
running and kiss’d me. After this they kiss’d one another, and made it a
very great Jest, it being so novel; and new Admiration and Laughing went
round the Multitude, that they never will forget that Ceremony, never
before us’d or known. _Cæsar_ had a Mind to see and talk with their
War-Captains, and we were conducted to one of their Houses, where we
beheld several of the great Captains, who had been at Council: But so
frightful a Vision it was to see ’em, no Fancy can create; no sad Dreams
can represent so dreadful a Spectacle. For my Part, I took ’em for
Hobgoblins, or Fiends, rather than Men; But however their Shapes
appear’d, their Souls were very humane and noble; but some wanted their
Noses, some their Lips, some both Noses and Lips, some their Ears, and
others cut through each Cheek, with long Slashes, through which their
Teeth appear’d: They had several other formidable Wounds and Scars, or
rather Dismembrings. They had _Comitias_, or little Aprons before them;
and Girdles of Cotton, with their Knives naked stuck in it; a Bow at
their Back, and a Quiver of Arrows on their Thighs; and most had
Feathers on their Heads of divers Colours. They cry’d _Amora Tiguamy_ to
us, at our Entrance, and were pleas’d we said as much to them: They
seated us, and gave us Drink of the best Sort, and wonder’d as much as
the others had done before to see us. _Cæsar_ was marvelling as much at
their Faces, wondring how they should be all so wounded in War; he was
impatient to know how they all came by those frightful Marks of Rage or
Malice, rather than Wounds got in noble Battle: They told us by our
Interpreter, That when any War was waging, two Men, chosen out by some
old Captain whose fighting was past, and who could only teach the Theory
of War, were to stand in Competition for the Generalship, or great
War-Captain; and being brought before the old Judges, now past Labour,
they are ask’d, What they dare do, to shew they are worthy to lead an
Army? When he who is first ask’d, making no Reply, cuts off his Nose,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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