on their targets
with their cutlasses.

I have already mentioned that it is from Africa, the
Moresc-dances originally came. But what is somewhat surprising,
the Portugueze themselves, among whom I will not however include
the higher ranks of life in that nation, but, at least, the
number of the people who adopted, from the Caffrees, or Negroes
of their African possessions, a dance called by them
_LasChegancas_, (Approaches) was so great that the late King of
Portugal was obliged to prohibit it by a formal edict. The
reason of which was, that some of the motions and gestures had
so lascivious an air, and were so contrary to modesty, that the
celebrated _Frey Gaspar_, a natural son, if I mistake not, of
the late King of Portugal, represented so efficaciously to his
Portugueze Majesty, the shame and scandal of this dance being
any longer suffered, that it was put down by royal authority.
Nor was this done without occasioning heavy complaints against
_Frey Gaspar_, against whom there were lampoons and ballads
publickly sung, upon his having used his influence to procure
that prohibition.

In AMERICA.

In this part of the world, so lately discovered, nothing is a
stronger proof of the universality of dancing, of its being, in
short, rather an human instinct, than an art, than the fondness
for dancing every where diffused over this vast continent.

In BRAZIL, the dancers, whether men or women, make a point of
dancing bare-headed. The reason of this is not mentioned: it
cannot however be thought a very serious one, since nothing can
be more comical than their gestures, their contortions of body,
and the signs they make with the head to each other.

In MEXICO, they have also their dances and music, but in the
most uncouth and barbarian stile. For their simphony they have
wooden drums, something in form of a kettle-drum, with a kind of
pipe or flageolet, made of a hollow cane or reed, but very
grating to an European ear. It is observed they love every thing
that makes a noise how disagreeable soever the sound is. They
will also hum over something like a tune, when they dance thirty
or forty in a circle, stretching out their hands, and laying
them on each others shoulders. They stamp and jump, and use the
most antic gestures for several hours, till they are heartily
weary. And one or two of the company sometimes step out of the
ring, to make sport for the rest, by showing feats of activity,
throwing up their l