annually facri In one of the temples of the empire of Pegu they bring up a number of virgins. One of thefe unfortunate creatures is fice'd at the feast of the idol. The priest, in his facerdotal habits, ftrips her, ftrangles her, puls out her heart, and cafts it in the face of the idol. In other temples they only facrifice men. A flave, bought for the purpose, handsome, and wel made, clothe'd in a white robe, and wash'd for three fuccesfive mornings, is, afterward, fhewn to the people. On the fourth day the priests open his belly, tear out his heart, befmear the idol with his blood, and eat his flesh as facred. "Innocent blood," fay they, "ought to flow, in order to expiate the fins of the nation. Befide, it is highly necessary that some one fhould go now and then near the great god, to put him in mind of his people." It is worth remarking, however, that the priefis never charge themselves with the commisfion.* This horrid superstition ftil prevails in some parts of Guinea. It is ufual, on the gold coaft, at the funeral-folemnity of any perfon of distinction to kil and facrifice feveral of his flaves, in order to ferve him in the other world: and, according to Bosman, poor wretched men, who, *Helvetius, De l'efprit, I, 139, n. through age or inability, are become incapable of labour, are fold on purpose to be made victims in these accurfe'd offerings.* This writeër, who is of good authority, faw eleven perfons kil'd on fuch an occafion in the most barbarous manner. Captain Snelgrave, a very intelligent and respectable authour, faw a young child about ten months old, which had been facrifice'd, by the advice of the priefts, for the recovery of the king of Jabrua, hung up on the bough of a tree, with a live cock tye'd near it.‡ The fubjects of the king of Dahomé are so barbarous and favage as to offer human facrificeës whenever they gain a victory.§ In one place captain Snelgrave faw, pile'd on two large. stageës, the heads of 4000 of the Whidaws, who had been facrifice'd by the Dahomes to their * Defcription of the coast of Guinea, 1705, p. 231. "The Account of fome parts of Guinea, Introduction. Busfou and Praba, the confidential man and favourite woman, of every person of distinction, are usually put to death and interred with him. . . Upon the death of a chief a great many flaves are facrifice'd, which the Europeans find it impossible to prevent." (Report of the lords of council on the flave-trade, 1789, fig. D. and L.) Confult allfo this part of the Report pasfim. § lbi, p. 12. god, as an acknowlegement for fome great conquest.* The Giagues are anthropophagi, and eat their enemys. When the grain is ripe, the queen, furrounded by her courtiers, isfues out of her palace, and, cuting the throats of all who are found in her route, gives them to be eaten by her followers. Thefe facrificeës, fhe fays, are necessary to appease the manes of her ancestors, who fee with regret, the vulgar enjoy a life of which they are deprive'd; and this feeble confolation can alone engage them to bless the har veft.+ The Oran Idaan, or Maroots, a people near and upon the skirts of the mountain of Keeneebaloo, in the north of Borneo, believe the deity to be please'd with human victims. Each individual muft, for once at least, have imbrue'd his hands in a fellow-creatures blood, The rich are * Ibi, p. 31. See allfo pp. 37, 41, 100; and at p. 43, a defcription of the ceremony, of which the authour was an eyewitness, and which is too fhocking to be transcribe'd. Capt. Snelgraves veracity is confirm'd by Robert Norris, authour of a curious work intitle'd" Memoirs of the reign of Bosfa Abadee, king of Dabomy," &c. London, 1789, of which see pp. 87, 93, 100, 110, 126. + Helvetius, De l'efprit, I, 1414 fay'd to do it often, adorning their housees with sculs and teeth, to fhew how much they have honour'd their authour, and labour'd to avert his chastifement. Several, in low circumftanceës, wil club to buy a Bifayan CHRISTIAN slave, or any one that is to be fold cheap, that all may partake the benefit of the execution. So at Kalagany in Mindano, when the god of the mountain gives no brimftone, they facrifice fome old flave to appease his wrath."* The Carthaginians, a brave and polish'd people, who rival'd the Romans in arms, and excel'd them in arts, facrifice'd their children to Saturn; fometimes finglely upon the altar, in confequence of a vow, or for their private advantage; fometimes in numbers, by throwing them into a large fire, or inclofeing them in a red-hot ftatue of their favourite deity, for the general good. The latter of thefe ufagees was generally the fubject of a great and folemn festival; drums and trumpets play'd dureing the ceremony, and every thing was conducted with the utmoft decorum. Those who had no children themselves, or who had any they were un Forrests Voyage to New-Guinea, p. 368. wiling to part with, bought, borrow'd, or ftole them, from others.* This laudable practice was, likewise, common to the Phoenicians and Cananaeans. The ancient Peruvians facrifice'd men and women of all ageës, whom they had takeën in war and fome nations amongst them fo far exceeded the rest in inhumanity that they offer'd : not onely their enemys, but, on fome occafions, their children to their idols. The manner very of these facrificees was to rip open the breasts of the miserable victims while they were yet alive, and so tear out their heart and lungs, with the blood of which they sprinkle'd the idol; then they inspected the lungs and heart to take an * Dureing a fiege, two hundred of the beft familys in Carthage were facrifice'd in one day, to appease the resentment of the deity, incur'd by the prostitution of borrow'd children: upward of three hundred citizens, who had been guilty of this impious fraud, at the fame time offering themselves as expiatory victims. The ftatue of the god fometimes appear'd with a smileing countenance, to encourage the children to truft themselves on his hand, whence they immediately fel through an opening, into a deep firey furnace. In fome parts of Africa, as we learn from Minucius Felix, mothers facrifice'd their own children; and, left they fhould offend the compas. fionate god with a mournful victim, ftop'd their mouths with kisfes and caresfes. Tertullian fays the fame thing, obferveing that "even now these villainys are done in private.". |