This page has already been transcribed. You can find new pages to transcribe here.

Transcription

[Page 470]

Manners & Customs of the S. Sea Isles

& found her as is their custom left by everybody but her three children who sat by her her complaint was cholick which did not appear to me at all violent I askd her what medicines she took she told me none & that she depended intirely upon the preist who had been trying to free her from her distemper by his prayers & ceremonies which she said he would repeat till she was well shewing me at the same time Branches of the (Thespesia populnea) which he had left with her as after this I left her & whether by the ceremonies of the preist or the goodness of her constitution I know not in three days time she came down to our tents compleatly recoverd

I never hapned to be present when their preists performd their ceremonies for the cure of sick people but one of our gentlemen who was informed me that it consisted in nothing but the preist repeating certain fixd sentences during which time he platted the leaves of the Cocoa nut tree into different figures neat enough some of which he fasned to the fingers & toes of the sick man who the time uncoverd as in respect to the prayers the whole ceremony almost exactly resembling

 

Current Status: 
Completed