wed
them their error, and told that their Cudruaigni did but deceiue them, for
he is but a Diuell and an euill spirit: affirming vnto them, that there is
but one onely God, who is in heauen, and who giueth vs all necessaries,
being the Creatour of all himselfe, and that onely we must beleeue in him:
moreouer, that it is necessarie for vs to be baptised, otherwise wee are
damned into hell. (M141) These and many other things concerning our faith
and religion we shewed them, all which they did easily beleeue, calling
their Cudruaigni, Agouiada, that is to say, nought, so that very earnestly
they desired and prayed our Captaine that he would cause them to be
baptised, and their Lorde, and Taignoagny, Domagaia, and all the people of
the towne came vnto vs, hoping to be baptised: but because we did not
throughly know their minde, and that there was no bodie could teach them
our beliefe and religion, we excused our selues, desiring Taignoagny, and
Domagaia, to tell the rest of their countreymen, that he would come againe
another time, and bring Priests and chrisome with vs, for without them
they could not be baptised: which they did easily beleeue, for Domagaia
and Taignoagny had seene many children baptised in Britain whiles they
were there. Which promise when they heard they seemed to be very glad.
They liue in common togither: and of such commodities as their countrey
yeeldeth they are indifferently well stored, the inhabitants of the
countrey cloth themselues with the skinnes of certaine wilde beasts, but
very miserably. In winter they weare hosen and shoes made of wilde beasts
skins, and in Sommer they goe barefooted. They keepe and obserue the rites
of matrimonie sauing that euery one weddeth 2 or 3 wiues, which (their
husbands being dead) do neuer marrie againe, but for the death of their
husbands weare a certaine blacke weede all the daies of their life,
besmearing al their faces with cole dust and grease mingled togither as
thicke as the backe of a knife, and by that they are knowen to be
widdowes. They haue a filthy and detestable vse in marrying of their
maidens, and that is this, they put them all (after they are of lawfull
age to marry) in a common place, as harlots free for euery man that will
haue to doe with them, vntill such time as they find a match. This I say,
because I haue seene by experience many housen full of those Damosels,
euen as our schooles are full of children in France to learne to reade.
Moreouer