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.
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