priest brings it to him to kifs. At the offertory he marches towards the altar, where the priest gives him the paten to kifs; after which he makes his offering, and retires to his place. He retakes the lighted taper at the elevation of the hoft, and continues upon his knees during most of the remainder of the mafs; all which time the mufic continues playing, and the proper anthems are fung. The service being finished, the king fits down and receives the compliments of his court; and in return, gives them his bleffing, and his hand to kifs, which is esteemed a fingular favour: this ceremony being ended, he returns to the palace in the fame order fnd pomp. There is one odd cuftom more upon this occafion, which is pecuHar to this court: when the king is come to the threshold of the church-door, one of the officers who carry the horse tail, kneels down, and waves it feveral times before him, as if he was fprinkling him with holy water; after which, fixing his eyes intently upon him, he gives three loud claps with his hands, to notify to the people that his majesty is in good health, which is answered by them with acclamations of joy. The king then reaches the extremities of his fingers to him to kifs, which he doth with great devotion and respect three times, continuing all the while upon his knees, till he beckons to him to get up and continue his march. Inftitutions like thefe are calculated only to ftrengthen the blind obedience of the people to their monarch.

The king's court is very grand and nu. merous but the courtiers may be termed little better than flaves. Notwithstanding their high titles, vaft authority, and outward grandeur, they are, in fact, in as great a state of flavery as those they tyrannize over, and live in continual expectation and dread of fome fignal token of his diffidence and refentment ; either of which, whether well or ill grounded, they know is more than fufficient to haften their ruin, under fo defpotic a prince, who knows himself to be obeyed by them,' rather through fear than affection, and from a principle of the bafeft felfishness, rather than of duty and loyalty.

Reading and writing are in fo little requeft in Kongo, that few even of the council understand either, their affairs being tranfacted by verbal orders. The king has a good revenue, and he is the fole

owner of the cockle-fhells, which are the current coin of this, and all the neigh bouring kingdoms. His mines of gold and filver he takes no notice of, and perhaps keeps in reserve for some future occafion. Don Sebaftian, king of Portugal, having been informed that there were mines of gold and filver in several parts of the kingdom, fent thither fome persons well skilled in that are to make what discoveries they could of them; but the king of Kongo's confeffor, father Francis Barbuto, though a Portuguese, diffuaded him from confenting to fuch a fearch. He told the king the difcovery of them might caufe his dominions to be taken from him by little and little: upon which the artifts were directed to places where no fuch mines could be found. This cheat, though it prevented the lofs of the mines, was attended, however, with great misfortune: for vaft numbers of Portuguese merchants, who traded in thofe parts, forfook them foon after, to the great detriment of the traffic between those nations, as well as to the cause of Chriffianity in Kongo, occafioned by the great scarcity of Portuguese priests, which enfued foon after.

This monarch's standing forces are badly difciplined, and ftill worfe armed and cloathed : yet they are annually reviewed by the king on St. James's day, when the ceremony of bleffing the people is performed. These reviews make one part of the feftivities of that day. Every foldier is emulous to appear at them. But their figure and variety of arms are so uncouth, that a stranger would not think himself amongst mortals. Some appear with bows and arrows of different fashions and fizes; others with broad fwords, fpadoes, daggers,. and cutlaffes, fome without any other cloaths or arms than their long targets; others with their bodies covered with va rious skins of beafts, from the girdle to the knee; fome painted with figures of various kinds on their faces and skin, the more monstrous the more warlike; and all of them armed and accoutered according to their ability or fancy. Their colours are commonly no better than dirty rags torn and mangled; their fteel and iron weapons eat up with ruft; their wooden ones ill painted and imitated. The inva lids are likewife obliged to affift. One fees fome without arms, others without legs, carried on men's fhoulders. Their heads are dreffed with variety of feathers of dif

ferent

ferent colours, and in almost as many different fashions as there are men. All of them, besides their particular weapons, affect to appear with some kind of tool belonging to his own trade, if he has any. All this huge army is divided into feveral bodies. At the head of each the king marches, attended by his court, takes a full view of them, and commends or difcommends, punishes or rewards, promotes or degrades, as he fees occafion. After this, they make a fham fight with one another, and feem as furious as if they were engaging an enemy. These mock battles feldom fail of ending in dry blows, broken heads and limbs, and other deadly wounds; every one being eager, in the heat of the action, to fhew his valour before the king and court, who appear there in all their pomp and brilliancy, though greatly eclipfed by the vaft clouds of duft which are raised by these military exercifes. All this while, the princes of the blood, and great officers, are animating them to fight valiantly and intrepidly, under the standards of fo glorious and powerful a monarch. Where is there fuch another to be found under heaven? cry fome: where is there one that can be compared with, or dare make head against his formidable power? cry others: let him live for ever, answered a third groupe; let his throne be exalted above the fun and itars: let all his enemies be confounded, and trodden small like the duft under his feet, answers the general chorus. Immediately after which, the martial music is ordered to ftrike up, which brings on a fresh and more furious onfet; in the heat of which, vaft numbers are laid sprawling on the ground, and many feem even to court death, for the fake of falling before fuch an illustrious affembly. The mufqueteers, having been difciplined by the Portuguese, make the finest show in the field. The fight being over, the king commonly treats the combatants with a plentiful fupper, on the field of battle; which is greedily devoured by his hungry guests; but in the midst of such clouds of duft, that a stranger could hardly breathe in or fee through. The feast usually concludes with music, dancing, and other diverfions; during which, they are fo often obliged to wash down the dust they raise anew, with ftrong liquors, till quite overcome with them, and the fatigue of the day, they all lie down upon the ground

and fleep till morning, when they retire to their respective homes.

Thefe troops, when they march to an enemy's country, are so poorly provided with provifions, that they plunder whereever they go, even all through their own nation; and commit horrid devaftations. They engage without method, and therefore are easily routed. When one army flies, the other obftinately pursues, till the vanquished are quite out of fight; and no quarter is given. The wounded hardly ever recover, as the weapons they use are generally poisoned. A peace is very foon patched up, and as foon broken. It hardly ever proves of longer duration than till the conquered have fufficiently recovered ftrength to renew the war. This is but too often the cafe in more civilized nations.

The Kongoefe have no written laws. Custom and tradition ferve them instead of a code and commentaries. The people being naturally quarrelfome, law-fuits are frequent. They are quickly dispatched. Every province hath a chief justice, both for civil and criminal affairs, who hath fcveral inferiors under him, from whom an appeal to the chief is allowed; but this is feldom done, as the remedy often proves worse than the difeafe. The parties plead for themselves, unless they are incapable, when they may substitute a friend. But their method is so precipitate, that incredible misfortunes follow from not allow ing fufficient time to get the evidence ready. The judges too are very corrupt. The method obferved in criminal cafes is much the fame. Murder is punished by decapitation. Sorcery, an imagined crime, is punished most severely. The poor unhappy wretches, whom the weak inhabitants adjudge guilty of a crime which in reality does not exift, are burnt alive. For fmaller offences, the poor are punished with baftinadoes and whipping, and the rich by fines and imprisonments. In arbitary governments, this is the common cuftom. In short, the laws in general are very defective and oppreffive; and the fuperiors tyrannize over their inferiors without mercy: for tyranny is wove in the very texture of the government; and the example runs through all ranks of people. The Portuguese are allowed a judge of their own nation, not only for law fuits among themselves, but between them and the natives, The decifions are

made

made according to the laws of Portugal. No other Europeans have these privileges. St. Salvador is the chief place of traffic. The great trade is that of flaves. Many thoufands are annually carried off from hence to the Portuguese plantations in America; and all the laborious bufineffes in Kongo are done by flaves. Indeed, if we except fome few moveables and cattle, they are reckoned the greatest riches that thofe of an inferior or middling rank haye to boast of, or to bequeath to their children and relations. The greater number of these a man bath, the more he is refpected, and the more comfortably he and his family can live by their labour. As to the liberal arts and fciences, we might look for them as well amongst the Hottentots as amongst the Kongoefe. The iron manufactory, an art in great esteem among them, they have made little progrefs in. Their country abounds with mines of this metal; however, they never dig for it, but content themselves with fuch quantities as the heavy rains and torrents bring down into the vallies and high-ways, in a fmall kind of dirt or duft, which they have a particular method of collecting together and preferving. Their weavers are clumfy and tedious: their carpenters and joiners are very ignorant, and potters ftill more fo. Under heaven, there is not a more indolent and flothful people than the inhabitants of Kongo; and they exhibit proofs of it in every action of their lives. Their method of travelling is remarkably lazy. They are carried in hammocks; and the nobility and perfons of diftinction in palankins, borne by four flaves, like our biers, upon their fhoulders. In these they lie all along upon a couch and bolter, with a canopy above, and curtains drawn round. They are commonly very richly embroidered with gold and filver, and flowered with filk. Thofe of lower rank are carried in open chairs. The men are in general fo lazy and idle, that they make their wives bear all the burdens; which are often of fuch great weight that they bend under them, and are ready to fink: mean while, the brutish hufband ftalks it along with his pipe in his mouth, regardless of their hardships and doleful complaints.

The roads are very difficult and dangerous, but no care is taken of them. Thefe near St. Salvador are the beft; the merchants for the conveniencey of trade,

now and then repairing them. Excepting thefe, the rest of the country is a mere wilderness, through which there is no other path than what paffengers are obliged to make for themfelves, through vaft heaths and plains, thick fet with thorns and briers, or thro' thick forefts, craggy rocks and mountains, at immenfe labour and charge, and with the extremeft hazard of their lives, from wild beafts and venomous infects. Yet, notwithstanding all thefe dangers and difficulties, the inhabi̟tants are perpetually shifting their dwellings.

Their houfes are mean, contemptible, and void of all conveniencies, except such as are fo abfolutely neceffary, that they could not live without them. And though all this wretched poverty is visibly owing to their natural indolence, yet they make no fcruple to afcribe it to their peculiar greatnefs of mind; which infpires them with a contempt for all kinds of fuperfuities and nice accommodations, as the effects of luxury and fordid oftentation. These low built, forry thatched, huts are fo flight, that they are easily carried off by a moderate land flood, or whirled away by a brifk blaft of wind. Those of a family live promifcuously together; at night a fire is lighted in the centre; and placing themfelves round it, with their heads to the wall, fo they fall aflcep. The houses in the city of St. Salvador, and fome of the principal towns, are much better, and very capacious. Thofe inbabited by the Portuguese are built of brick after the European manner: but all the arguments in the world would not be able to raise an emulation among the inferior Kongoefe, to alter their own cuftom. The furniture is as mean as the dwelling. Their best bedding is a large coarse fack cloth, stuffed with straw,and covered flightly; for apillow, perhaps a stump of wood. Thefe houses are often fet on fire. If they can escape fafely out themfelves, they sustain but little lofs; for as to chairs, tables, ftools, and other utenfils of use and conveniency, they are unknown among them. The Portuguefe, it is true, have introduced luxury to the great, who till then affected the fame fimplity and meannefs: but the common people defpife fumptuous furniture with a philofophical pride, as unworthy the regard of a great mind. One can hardly refrain from laughter at fuch excellent Roicifm.

It

It were happy for them, if this pretended contempt of all fuperfluities and exceffes had been able to reftrain them from affecting it most, where religon and nature combine in difcountenancing and condemning it. Until the time of their embracing Christianity, polygamy was univerfally allowed; and fince, it has not been in the power of the miffionaries to perfuade them to be contented with one wife. To be obliged to conform to this institution, is regarded, even by the most open profeffors of Chriftianity, as fo unreasonable and impoffible, that, fooner than fubmit to fuch a state of continency, they would renounce their religion. The good fathers have been therefore constrained to wink at fundry irregularities, which all their eloquence and industry have not been able to root up, merely to avoid a total apoftacy; and among the reft, this of having a multitude of concubines, besides the lawful wife. Some make trial of a woman two or three years, before they will fuffer the indiffoluble knot to be tied the relations on both fides allowing it to be reasonable, that he should have this fatisfaction before he abfolutely confines himfelf to her. This is faid of those who comply the most strictly with the laws of the church; and after a woman is approved of upon fuch trial, never co-habit with any others. If they happen to dif like one another, during the time of probation, each party is at liberty to separate; and it brings no difgrace on either. The relations and miffionaries in fuch cafes will, indeed, ftrive all they can to reconcile them, especially if any children have been born; but this often proves of no effect. The illegitimacy of their iffue is a matter of no concern to them. Baftards they often prefer to those born in matrimony. All are looked upon with indif⚫ference, in a country where natural affection is banished; where jealousy and hatred prevail amongft parents and children, husbands and wives; or at the beft, a strange indifference and coldness; and where every one purfues his feparate pleafures and interefts. Hence enfue frequent divorces and elopements, which neither confeffors or relations are able to prevent or remedy. The marriage ceremonies are attended with expenfive feaftings, and conducted in the most fumptuous manner. It is in thefe, if in any thing, that they Arive to display their hofpitable munifi

cence to the utmost degree of their abilities. The very poorest of them will, on thefe occafions, fell a child or two to purchafe a cow or an ox, or fome Portuguese wine and brandy, to entertain their guests. No fooner are the provisions devoured, than all fall to diverting themselves, every one in his own way. Some fing and dance to rough and coarse music; others drink and fmoak, till fleep furprifes them all; and the next rifing fun fends them to their own homes. Their mufic is at this time very displeasing; and before the arrival of the Portuguese, who have caused fome improvement in it, was fitter to scare wild beasts away than delight an European ear. There is, indeed, nothing in their voices, language, or accent, but what feems more adapted to affright than please; and their moft fervent shouts and geftures of joy and pleasure might be easily miftaken by a stranger, for the dismal outcries of perfons in diftrefs or torment. This renders them infenfible to the most melodious harmony, except where there is fomething harsh and warlike to affect them; and from this caufe it is, that the Portuguese have been able to introduce fo few mufical inftruments, but those of that kind. Their dancings are very uncouth and immodeft, confifting chiefly of gambols, and the exhibition of indecent poftures and contorfions. They often run into fuch disorders and confufion, that a stranger would think himself among a parcel of Bacchanals. The edicts made against these riotous scenes have proved ineffectual, as well as the example fet them by the court, where there are very regular dances called royal balls, conducted with great order and decency.

Difeafes of various kinds are very prevalent in Kongo. All their phyficians and furgeons are mere jugglers, and trifle with the lives of the people in a fcandalous manner; pretending to be well verfed in the physical art, when, in fact, they are wholly ignorant of it, and nothing but rapacious cheats and blood-fuckers. The venereal disease, the just consequence and natural effect of their boundless incontinency, makes terrible havock among them.

In former days, before the converfion of this people to Chriftianity, a multitude of pompous and fuperftitious ceremonies were used at the funerals of their mo

narchs, fuch as facrifices of various kinds,

accom