Mer. You reason well against him. But how comes it that you are so offended with murder; you, who have frequently massacred women in their sleep, and children in the cradle? Sav. I killed none but my enemies: I never killed my own countrymen I never killed my friend. Here, take my blanket, and let it come over in the boat; but see that the murderer does not sit upon it, or touch it. If he does, I will burn it instantly in the fire I see yonder. Farewell. I am determined to swim over the water. Mer. By this touch of my wand, I deprive thee of all thy strength. Swim now if thou canst. Sav. This is a potent enchanter. Restore me my strength, and I promise to obey thee. Mer. I restore it; but be orderly, and do as I bid you; otherwise worse will befal you. Duel. Mercury, leave him to me. I'll tutor him for you. Sirrah Savage, dost thou pretend to be ashamed of my company? Dost thou not know that I have kept the best company in England? Sav. I know thou art a scoundrel. Not pay thy debts! kill thy friend who lent thee money for asking thee for it! Get out of my sight. I will drive thee into the Styx. Mer Stop. I command thee. No violence. Talk to him calmly. Sav. I must obey thee. Well, Sir, let me know what merit you had to introduce you into good company? What could you do? Duel. Sir, I gamed, as I told you. Besides, I kept a good table. I eat as well as any man either in England or France, Sav. Eat! did you ever eat the liver of a Frenchman, or his leg, or his shoulder? There is fine eating for you! I have eat twenty. My table was always well served. My wife was esteemed the best cook for the dressing of man's flesh in all North-America. You will not pretend to compare your eating with mine? Duela Duel. I danced very finely. I can dance Sav. I'll dance with thee for thy ears. all day long. I can dance the war dance with more spirit than any man of my nation. Let us see thee begin it. How thou standest like a post! Has Mercury struck thee with his enfeebling rod? Or art thou ashamed to let us see how awkward thou art? If he would permit me, I would teach thee to dance in a way that thou hast never yet learned. But what else canst thou do, thou bragging rascal? Duel. O misery! must bear all this! What can I do with this fellow? I have neither sword nor pistol; and his shade seems to be twice as strong as mine. Mer. You must answer his questions. It was your own desire to have a conversation with him. He is not well bred; but he will tell you some truths which you must necessarily hear, when you come before Rhadamanthus. He asked you what you could do beside eating and dancing. Duel. I sung very agreeably. Sav. Let me hear you sing your death song, or the war whoop. I challenge you to sing. Come, begin. The fellow is mute. Mercury, this is a liar. He has told us nothing but lies. Let me pull out his tongue. Duel. The lie given me! and alas! I dare not resent it! What an indelible disgrace to the family of the Pushwells! This is indeed tormenting. fare. Mer. Here, Charon, take these two savages to your How far the barbarism of the Mohawk will excuse his horrid acts, I leave Minos to judge. But what can be said for the Englishman? Can we plead the custom of Duelling? A bad excuse at the best! but here it cannot avail. The spirit that urged him to draw his sword against his friend is not that of honor; it is the spirit of the furies; and to them he must go. Sav. If he is to be punished for his wickedness, turn him over to me. I perfectly understand the art of tor-> menting. Sirrah, I begin my work with this box on E 2 your your ears, and will soon teach you better manners than you have yet learned. Duel. Oh my honor, my honor, to what infamy art thou fallen! SPEECH OF AN INDIAN CHIEF, OF THE STOCKBRIDGE TRIBE, TO THE MASSACHUSETTS CONGRESS, IN THE YEAR 1775. You BROTHERS! OU remember, when you first came over the great waters, I was great and you were little very small. I then took you in for a friend, and kept you under my arms, so that no one might injure you. Since that time we have ever been true friends: there has never been any quarrel between us. But now our conditions are changed. You are become great and tall. You reach to the clouds. You are seen all round the world. I am become small; very little. I am not so high as your as your knee. Now you take care of me; and I look to you for protection. Brothers! I am sorry to hear of this great quar-1 rel between you and Old England. It appears that blood must soon be shed to end this quarrel. We never till this day understood the foundation of this quarrel between you and the country you came from. Brothers! Whenever I see your blood running, you will soon find me about you to revenge my brothers' blood. Although I am low and very small, I wi" gripe hold of your enemy's heel, that he cannot run so fast, and so light, as if he had nothing at his heels. Brothers! You know I am not so wise as you are, therefore I ask your advice in what I am now going to say. I have been thinking, before you come to action, to take a run to the westward, and feel the mind of my Indian brethren, the Six Nations, and know how they stand; whether they are on your side, or for your your enemies. If I find they are against you, I will try to turn their minds. I think they will listen to me; for they have always looked this way for advice, concerning all important news that comes from the rising sun. If they hearken to me, you will not be afraid of any danger from behind you. However their minds are affected, you shall soon know by me. Now I think I can do you more service in this way than by marching off immediately to Boston, and staying there. It may be a great while before blood runs. Now, as I said, you are wiser than I, I leave this for your consideration, whether I come down immediately, or wait till I hear some blood is spilled. Brothers! I would not have you think by this, that we are falling back from our engagements. We are ready to do any thing for your relief, and shall be gui ded by your counsel. Brothers! one thing I ask of you, if you send for me to fight, that you will let me fight in my own Indian way. I am not used to fight English fashion; therefore you must not expect I can train like your men. Only point out to me where your enemies keep, and that is all I shall want to know. ON THE CREATION OF THE World. 10 the ancient philosophers, creation from nothing appeared an unintelligible idea. They maintained the eternal existence of matter, which they supposed to be modelled by the sovereign mind of the universe, into the form which the earth now exhibits. But there is nothing in this opinion which gives it any title to be opposed to the authority of revelation. The doctrine of two self-existent, independent principles, God and matter, the one active, the other passive, is a hypothesis which presents difficulties to human reason, at least as great as the creation of matter from nothing. Adhering then to the testimony of scripture, we believe, that that" in the beginning, God created," or from non-existence brought into being," the heavens and the earth." But though there was a period when this globe, with all that we see upon it, did not exist, we have no reason to think, that the wisdom and power of the Almighty were then without exercise or employment, Boundless is the extent of his dominion. Other globes and worlds, enlightened by other suns, may then have occupied, they still appear to occupy, the immense regions of space. Numberless orders of beings, to us unknown, people the wide extent of the universe, and afford an endless variety of objects to the ruling care of the great Father of all. At length, in the course and progress of his government, there arrived a period, when this earth was to be called into existence. When the signal moment predestinated from all eternity, was come, the Deity arose in his might, and with a word created the world. What an illustrious moment' was that, when, from non-existence, there sprang at once into being this mighty globe, on which so many millions of creatures now dwell! No preparatory measures were required. No long circuit of means was employed. "He spake and it was done: He commanded, and it stood fast." The earth was, at first, "without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." The Almighty. surveyed the dark abyss; and fixed bounds to the several divisions of nature. He said, "Let there be light, and there was light." Then appeared the sea, and the dry land. The mountains rose; and the rivers flowed. The sun and moon began their course in the skies. Herbs and plants clothed the ground. The air, the earth, and the waters were stored with their respective inhabitants. At last, man was made after the image of God. He appeared, walking with countenance erect; and received his Creator's benediction, as the lord of this new world. The Almighty beheld his work when it was finished, and pronounced it good. Superior beings saw |