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Show !'1. ~ll ' f/ol. I . /'n.t/1' :J J,'J . I. . (;/:') . 1 '1/t;nntll .'..L l'lt'.J/ . H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. the night. For incenfe they generally made ufe of copal, or fome other aromatic gum; but on certain feftivals they employed Chapopotli, or bitumen of Judea. The cenfers were commonly made of clay; but they. had alfo cenfers of gold. Every day the priefis, or at leaft fome of them, dyed their whole bodies with ink made of the foot of the Ocotl, which is a fpecies of pine very aromatic, and over the ink they painted themfelves with ochre or cinnabar, and every evening they bathed in ponds which were within the inclofure of the temple. The drefs of the Mexican priefl:s was no way different from the drefs of the common people, except a black cotton mantle, which they wore in the manner of a veil upon their heads; but thofe who in theit• monafteries profefled a greater auil:erity of life, went always clothed in black, like the common priefts .of other nations of the empire. They J'iever fhaved, by which means the hair of many of them grew fo long as to reach to their legs. It was twifted with thick cotton cords, and bedaubed with ink, forming a weighty mafs not lefs inconvenient to be. carried about with them than difgufting and even hot-rid to view. Befides the ufual unction with ink, another extraordinary and more abominable one was praClifed every time they ·went to make facdfices on the tops of the mountains, or in the dark caverns of the earth. They took a large quantity of poifonous infects, fuch as fcorpions, fpiders, and worms, and fometimcs even finall ferpents, burned them over fome ftove of the temple, and beat their aihes in a mortar together with the foot of the Ocotl, tobacco, the h<::rb Ololiubquz~ and fome live inft:Cl:s. They prefented this diabolical mixture in fm~ll veflels to their gods, and afterwards rubbed their bodies with it. When thus anoint .... ~d, they became fearlefs to every danger, being perfuaded they were rendered incapable of receiving any hurt from the moft noxious reptiles of the earth, or the wildeft beafrs of the oods. They called it Teopat/ i, or divine medicament, and imagined it to be a powerful remedy for feveral diforders; on which account thofe who were Iick, and the young children, went fr~quently to the prieil:s to be anoin ted with it. The young lnds who were trained up in the feminaries were charged with the colleCling of [uch kind of little animals ; and by being accull: omed at an early age to that kind of employment, they foon Joil; VoL. I. N n · · the BOOK VI. ~ . . |