they wore more garments after they were dead than while they were living. "With the habit they gave the dead a jug of water, which was to ferve on the journey to the other world, and alfo at fucceffive different times, different pieces of paper, mentioning the ufe of each. On configning the first piece to the dead, they faid: "By means of this you will pafs without danger between the two mountains which fight against each other." With the fecond they faid: "By means of this you will walk without ob ftruction along the road which is defended by the great ferpent." With the third : "By this you will go fecurely through the place, where there is the crocodile Xochitonal." The fourth was a fafe paffport through the eight defarts; the firth through the eight hills; and the fixth was given in order to pafs without hurt through the harp wind; for they pretended that it was neceffary to pais a place called Itzehecajan, where a wind blew fo violently as to tear up rocks, and so sharp that it cut like a knife; on which account they burned all the habits which the deceafed had worn during life, their arms, and fome houthold goods, in order that the heat of this fire might defend them from the cold of that terrible wind. "One of the chief and most ridiculous ceremonies at funerals was the killing a techichi, a domeftic quadruped, which we have already mentioned, refembling a little dog, to accompany the deceafed in their journey to the other world. They fixed a ftring about its neck, believing that neceffary to enable it to pass the deep river of Chiuhnahuapan, or New Waters. They They buried the techichi, or burned it a long with the body of its master, according to the kind of death of which he died. While the masters of the ceremonies were lighting up the fire in which the body was to be burned, the other pries kept finging in a melancholy ftrain. After burning the body, they gathered the athes in an earthen pot, amongft which, according to the circumftances of the deceafed, they put a gem of more or lefs value; which they said would ferve him in place of a heart in the other world. They buried this earthen pot in a deep ditch, and four core days af ter inade oblations of bread and wine over it. "Such were the funeral rites of the common people; but at the death of kings, and that of lords, or perfons of high rank, fome peculiar forms were obferved that are worthy to be mentioned. When the king fell fick, fays Gomara, they put a mask on the idol of Huitzilopochtli, and alfo one on the idol of Tezcatlipoca, which they never took off until the king was either dead or recovered; but it is certain, that the idol of Huitzilopochtli had always two masks, not one. As foon as a king of Mexico happened to die, his death was publifhed in great form, and all the lords who refided at court, and also thofe who were but a little diflant from it were informed of the event, in order that they might be prefent at the funeral. In the mean time they laid the royal corpfe upon beautiful curiously wrought mats, which was attended and watched by his domeftics. Upon the fourth or fifth day after, when the lords were arrived, who brought with them rich dreffes, beautiful feathers, and flaves to be presented, to add to the pomp of the funeral, they clothed the Da 2 corple corpfe in fifteen, or more, very fine habits of cotton of various colours, ornamented it with gold, filver, and gems, hung an emerald at the under lip, which was to ferve in place of a heart, covered the face with a mask, and over the habits were placed the enfigns of that god, in whofe temple or area the ares were to be buried. They cut off fome of the hair, which, together with fome more which had been cut off in the infancy of the king, they preferved in a little box, in order to perpetuate, as they faid, the memory of the deceased. Upon the box they laid an image of the deceafed, made of wood, or of stone. Then they killed the flave who was his chaplain, who had had the care of his oratory, and all that belonged to the private worfhip of his gods, In order that he might ferve him in the fame office in the other world. "The funeral proceffion came next, accompanied by all the relations of the deceafed, the whole of the nobility, and the wives of the late king, who teftified their forrow by tears and other demonftrations of grief. The nobles carried a great standard of paper, and the royal arms and enfigns. The priefts continued finging, but without any mufical inftrument. Upon their arrival at the lower area of the temple, the high-prieft, together with their fervants, came out to meet the royal corpfe, which, without delay, they placed on the funeral pile, which was prepared there for that purpofe of odoriferous refinous woods, together with a large quantity of copal, and other aromatic fubftances. While the royal corpfe, and all its habits, the arns and enfigns were burning, they facrificed at the bottom of the ftairs of the temple a great number of flaves of thofe which belonged to the deceased, and a fo of thost which had been prefented by the lords. Along with the flaves, they likewife facrificed fome of the irregularly formed men, whom the king had collected in his palaces for his entertainment, in order that they might give him the fame pleafure in the other world; and for the fame reason they used also to facrifice fome of his wives. The number of the victims was propor tioned to the grandeur of the fune ral, and amounted fometimes, as feveral hiftorians affirm, to two hundred. Among the other facrifices the techichi was not omitted; they were firmly perfuaded that without fuch a guide it would be impoffible to get through fome dangerous ways which led to the other world. The day following the afhes were gathered, and the teeth which remained entire; they fought carefully for the emerald which had been hung to the under lip, and the whole were put into the box with the hair, and they depofited the box in the place deftined for his fepulchre. The four following days they made oblations of eatables over the fepulchre; on the fifth, they facrificed fome flaves, and alfo fome others on the twentieth, fortieth, fixtieth, and eightieth day after. From that time forward, they facrificed no more human victims: but every year they celebrated the day of the funeral with facrifices of rabbits, butterflies, quails, and other birds, and with oblations of bread, wine, copal, flowers, and certain little reeds filled with aromatic fubflances, which they called acajet. This anniver fary was held for four years. ' "The bodies of the dead were in general burned; they buried the bodies entire of thofe only who had been drowned, or had died of drop fy, and fome other difea es; but what was the reason of thefe exceptions we know not. "There was no fixed place for burials. Many ordered their afhes to be buried near to fome temple or altar, fome in the fields, and others in thofe facred places of the mountains where facrifices ufed to be made. The afhes of the kings and lords, were, for the most part, depofited in the towers of the temples, efpecially in thofe of the greater temple. Clofe to Teotihuacan, where there were many temples, there were alfo innumerable fepulchres. The tombs of thofe whole bodies had been buried entire, agreeable to the teftimony of the anonymous conqueror who faw them, were deep ditches, formed with stone and lime, within which they placed the bodies in a fitting potture upon icpalli, or low feats, together with the inftruments of their art or profeffion. If it was the fepulchre of any military perfon, they laid a fhield and fword by him; if of a woman, a fpindle, a weaver's fhuttle, and a xicalli, which was a certain naturally formed veffel, of which we fall fay more hereafter. In the tombs of the rich they put gold and jewels, but all were provided with eat ables for the long journey which they had to make. The Spanish conquerors, knowing of the gold which was buried with the Mexican lords in their tombs, dug up feveral, and found confiderable quantities of that precious metal. Cortes fays in his letters, that at one entry which he made into the capital, when it was befieged by his army, his foldiers found fifteen hundred caftellanos, that is, two hundred and forty ounces of gold, in one fepulchre, which was in the tower of a temple. The anonymous conqueror fays alfo, that he was prefent at the digging up of another fepulchre, from which they took three thousand caftellanos. "The caves of the mountains were the fepulchres of the ancient Chechemecas; but, as they grew more civilized, they adopted in this and other rites, the customs of the Acolhuan nation, which were nearly the fame with thofe of the Mexicans. "The Miztecas retained in part the ancient ufige of the Chechemecas, but in fome things they were fingular in their customs. When any of their lords fell fick, they offered prayers, vows, and facrifices for the recovery of his health. If it was rettored, they made great rejoicings. If he died, they continued to fpeak of him as if he was ftill alive, and conducted one of his flaves to the corple, dreffed him in the habits of his matter, put a mafk upon his face, and for one whole day, paid him all the honours which they had ufed to render to the deceafed. At midnight, four priefts carried the corpfe to be buried in a wood, or in fome cavern, particularly in that one where they believed the gate of paradife was, and at their return they facrificed the flave, and laid him with all the ornaments of his tranfitory dignity, in a ditch; but w.thout covering him with earth. "Every year they held a feftival in honour of their last lord, on which they celebrated his birth, not his death, for of it they never fpoke. The Zapotecas, their neighbours, embalmed the body of the principal lord of their nation. Even from the time of the firft Chechemecan kings, aromatic preparations were in ute among thofe nations to preferve dead bodies from speedy corruption; but we do not know that there were very frequent." D 3 Their [54] Their CEREMONIES on the ELECTION of a KING. [From the fame Work ] O new king was elected until the funeral of his piedeceffor was celebrated with due -pomp and magnificence. As foon as the election was made, advice was fent to the kings of Acolhuacan and Tacuba, in order that they might confirm it, and alfo to the feudatory lords who had been prefent at the funeral. Thefe two kings led the new chofen fovereign to the greater temple. The feudatory lords went first, with the enfigns of their fates; then 'the nobles of the court with the badges of their dignity and offices; the two allied kings followed next, and behind them the king elect, fript naked, without any covering except the maxtlatl, the girdle, or large bandage, about his middle. He af cended the temple, refting on the arms of two nobles of the court, where one of the high-priefts, accompanied by the moft refpectable officers of the temple, received him. He worshipped the idol of Huitzi lopochtli, touching the earth with his hand, and then carrying it to his mouth. The high-prieit dyed his body with a certain kind of ink, .and fprinkled him four times with water which had been bleffed, according to their rite, at the grand festival of Huitzilopochtli, making ufe for this purpofe of branches of cedar and willow, and the leaves of maize. He was clothed in a mantle, on which were painted fkulls and bones of the dead, and his head was covered with two other cloaks, one black, and the other blue, on which fimilar figures were reprefented. They tied a fmall gourd to his neck, containing a certain powder, which they esteemed a strong prefervative against difeafes, forcery, and treason. Happy w uld that people be whofe king could carry about him fuch a prefervative. They pur afterwards a center, and a bag of copal in his hands, that he might give incente to the idol with them. When this act of religion was performed, during which the king remained on his knees, the high-prieft fat down and delivered a difcourfe to him, in which after congratulating him on his advancement, he informed him of the obligation he owed his fubjects for having raised him to the throne, and warmly recommended to him zeal for religion and justice, the protection of the poor, and the defence of his native country and kingdom. The allied kings and the nobles next addreffed him to the fame purpofe; to which the king anfwered with thanks and promiles to exert himself to the utmost of his power for the happiness of the ftate. Gomara, and other authors who have copied him, affirm, that the high-pricft made him fwear to maintain their ancient religion, to obferve the laws of his anceftors, and to make the fun go his courfe, to make the clouds pour down rain, to make the rivers run, and all fruits to ripen. If it is true, that they made the king take fo extravagant an oath, it is probable that they only meant to oblige him to maintain a conduct worthy of thefe favours from heaven. "After hearing thefe addreffes, the king defcended with all his attendants to the lower area, where the rest of the nobility waited to make make their obedience, and pay him homage in jewels and apparel. He was thence conducted to a chamber within the inclosure of the temple called Tlacatecco, where he was left by himfelf four days, during which time he was allowed to eat but once a day; but he might eat flesh or any other kind of food. He bathed twice every day, and after bathing he drew blood from his ears, which he offered together with fome burnt copal to Huitzilo pochtli, making all the while conitant and earnest prayers to obtain that enlightenment of understanding which was requifite in order to govern his monarchy with prudence. On the fifth day, the nobility returned to the temple, conducting the new king to his palace, where the feudatory lords came to renew the investiture of their fiefs.. Then followed the rejoicings of the people, entertainments, dances, and illuminations." MORAL and PHYSICAL QUALITIES of the MEXICANS. [From the fame Work.] "Tqualities HE moral and phyfical their tempers and difpofitions, were the fame with thofe of the Acolhuicans, the Tepanceans, the I lafcalans, and other nations, with no other difference than what arofe from their different mode of education; fo that what we fhall fay of the one, we could wish to be understood as equally applicable to the rest. Several authors, ancient as well as modern, have undertaken a defcription of thefe people, but I have not met with any o e which is, in every refpect, faithful and correct. The paffions and prejudices of fome, and the imperfect information, or the weak under ftandings of others, have prevented their reprefenting them in their genuine colours. What we fhall fay upon the subject, is derived from a ferious and long ftudy of the hiftory of thefe nations, from a familiar intercourfe for many years with the natives, and from the most minute obfervations with respect to their prefent ftate, made both by ourfelves and by other impartial upon my own mind which should make me lean to one fide more than to the other; as neither the feelings of a fellow-countryman can. fway my opinion in their favour, nor can I be interested to condemn them from a love of my nation, or zeal for the honour of my countrymen: fo that I fhall fpeak frankly and plainly the good and the bad, which I have difcovered in them. "The Mexicans are of a good ftature, generally rather exceeding than failing fhort of the middle fize, and well proportioned in all their limbs: they have good complexions, narrow foreheads, black eyes, clean, firm, regular white teeth, thick, black, coarfe, gloffy hair, thin beards, and generally no hair upon their legs, thighs, and arins. Their fkin is of an olive colour. "There is fcarcely a nation, perhaps, upon earth in which there are fewer perfons deformed, and it D 4 would |