Laon_, which denotes antiquity. These songs relate
the creation of the world, the origin of the human race, the deluge,
paradise, punishment, and other invisible things, relating a thousand
absurdities, and varying much the form, some telling it in one way,
others in another. To show better what lies and fables these all are,
there is one story that the first man and the first woman came from
the knot of a cane which burst off from its plant. After that, certain
disputes resulted concerning the marriage of these two, on account of
the difficulties arising from the first degree of blood-relationship,
which among them is inviolable, and thought to be allowed only that
first time from the necessity of propagating mankind. [78] In short
they recognized invisible spirits, and another life; also demons, the
enemies of men, of whom they were in abject fear from the evils and
dread which these caused them. Accordingly one of Ours converted many
of them by means of a well-painted picture of hell. Their idolatry is,
in a word (as with many other nations), an adoration and deification
of their ancestors--especially of those who distinguished themselves
through valiant deeds, or cruelties, or obscene and lewd acts. It
was a general practice for anyone who could successfully do so to
attribute divinity to his old father when the latter died. The old men
themselves died with this illusion and deception, imputing to their
illness and death and to all their actions a seriousness and import,
in their estimation, divine. Consequently they chose as a sepulchre
some celebrated spot, like one which I saw on the shore of the sea
between Dulac and Abuyo, in the island of Leite. This man directed
that he should be placed there in his coffin (which was done), in a
solitary house remote from any village, in order to be recognized as
the god of sailors, who would offer worship and commend themselves
to him. There was another, who had caused himself to be buried in a
certain place among the mountains of Antipolo; and out of reverence
to him no one dared to cultivate them, fearing that he who should
go thither might meet his death. This lasted until Father Almerique
relieved them of their fear, and now those lands are cultivated
without harm or dread. In memory of these departed ones, they keep
their little idols--some of stone, wood, bone, ivory, or a cayman's
teeth; others of gold. They call these _Larauan_, which signifies,
"idol," "image," or "s