Before I Goe Further I Have A Mind To Let You Know The Fabulous Beleafe Of
Those Poore People, That You May See Their Ignorance Concerning The Soul's
Immortality, Being Separated From The Body.
The kindred and the friends of
the deceased give notice to the others, who gather together and cry for the
dead, which gives warning to the young men to take the armes to give some
assistance and consolation to the deceased.
Presently the corps is covered
with white skins very well tyed. Afterwards all the kindred come to the
cottage of the deceased and begin to mourn and lament. After they are weary
of making such musick the husbands or Friends of the deceased send their
wives for gifts to pacifie a little the Widdow and to dry her tears. Those
guifts are of skins and of what they can get, for at such a ceremony they
are very liberall. As soon as that is done and the night comes, all the
young men are desired to come and doe what they will to have done to them.
So that when darknesse has covered the whole face of the Earth they come
all singing with staves in their hands for their armes, and after they are
set round the cabbin, begin to knock and make such a noise that one would
thinke they have a mind to tear all in peeces, and that they are possessed
of some Devills. All this is done to expell and frighten the soule out of
that poor and miserable body that she might not trouble his carcase nor his
bones, and to make it depart the sooner to goe and see their Ancestors, and
to take possession of their immortall glory, which cannot be obtained but a
fortnight towards the setting of the sun. The first step that she makes is
of seven dayes, to begin her course, but there are many difficulties, ffor
it is through a very thick wood full of thorns, of stones and flints, which
[brings] great trouble to that poor soule. At last having overcome all
those dangers and toyles she comes to a River of about a Quarter of a mile
broad where there is a bridge made onely of one planke, being supported by
a beame pointed at one end, which is the reason that planke rises and falls
perpetually, having not any rest nor stay, and when the soule comes near
the side of that river, she meets with a man of extraordinary stature, who
is very leane and holds a dagger of very hard wood and very keen in his
hands, and speakes these words when he sees the petitioning soule come
near: Pale, pale, which signifies, Goe, goe; and at every word the
bridge ballances, and rises his knife, and the traveller offering himselfe,
receives a blow by which he is cut in two, and each halfe is found upon
that moving, and according as he had lived they stay upon it; that is, if
his body was valiant the passage was soon made free to him, for the two
halfes come together and joyn themselves again.
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