They Thinke That All The Gods Are Of Humane Shape, & Therfore They
Represent Them By Images In The Formes Of
Men, which they call
'Kewasowok' one alone is called 'Kewas'; Them they place in houses
appropriate or temples which they
Call 'Mathicomuck'; Where they
woorship, praie, sing, and make manie times offerings vnto them. In some
'Machicomuck' we haue seene but on 'Kewas', in some two, and in other
some three; The common sort thinke them to be also gods.
They beleeue also the immortalitie of the soule, that after this life as
soone as the soule is departed from the bodie according to the workes it
hath done, it is eyther carried to heaue the habitacle of gods, there to
enioy perpetuall blisse and happiness, or els to a great pitte or hole,
which they thinke to bee in the furthest partes of their part of the
worlde towarde the sunne set, there to burne continually: the place they
call 'Popogusso'.
For the confirmation of this opinion, they tolde mee two stories of two
men that had been lately dead and reuiued againe, the one happened but
few yeres before our comming in the countrey of a wicked man which
hauing beene dead and buried, the next day the earth of the graue beeing
seene to moue, was take vp againe; Who made declaration where his soule
had beene, that is to saie very neere entring into 'Popogusso', had not
one of the gods saued him & gaue him leaue to returne againe, and teach
his friends what they should doe to auiod that terrible place of tormenr.
The other happened in the same yeere wee were there, but in a towne that
was threescore miles from vs, and it was tolde mee for straunge newes
that one beeing dead, buried and taken vp againe as the first, shewed
that although his bodie had lien dead in the graue, yet his soule was
aliue, and had trauailed farre in a long broade waie, on both sides
whereof grewe most delicate and pleasaut trees, bearing more rare and
excellent fruites then euer hee had seene before or was able to
expresse, and at length came to most braue and faire houses, neere which
hee met his father, that had beene dead before, who gaue him great
charge to goe backe againe and shew his friendes what good they were to
doe to enioy the pleasures of that place, which when he had done he
should after come againe.
What subtilty soeuer be in the 'Wiroances' and Priestes, this opinion
worketh so much in manie of the common and simple sort of people that it
maketh them haue great respect to their Gouernours, and also great care
what they do, to auoid torment after death, and to enjoy blisse;
although nothwithstanding there is punishment ordained for malefactours,
as stealers, whoremoongers, and other sortes of wicked doers; some
punished with death, some with forfeitures, some with beating, according
to the greatnes of the factes.
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