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Show HISTORY OF ME X I C 0. the h orror w hl.C h at te n ds the firfi: familiarity with fu. ch r.e ptile.s . . The B~OOK VJ. pn.e lls not on 1y rna de U1r1.e of this unCtion , but had hkew1fe a nd1culous fupcrfi1· tt·o us pra~..n.·u ce of U:~ owing with their br.e ath r:o. ver the fick, nnd 1 · made t h em d n·n 1{ wa ter which they had blefied a1 ter .t leir maHncr. h . fi f the god lxtlilton were remarkable for th1s cufl:om. T e pne s o ' . f 1. r I The priefls obferved many fafl:s and great aufi:enty o t e ;. t 1ey ne- ver were 1. ntox•t a t ed 'th drinking. and fcldom even taftcd wmc. The WI ' . • ·rc f 1 · Priefi:s of T czcatzonca tl as lr«. oon (a s th· e daily fi ngm oo- m pr::u t: o t 1e1r god was over, 1::1 1'd a heap of three· hundred and tfh ree canes on the 1 · 1 1 1 (Tround, corre {jp on d.m g to the number of fingers, o w 11c 1 1e:\p on y 0 one was bo t.e d ; every Pe n cr.0 n lifted one ' and he who happened to t.a ke up t h e cane wh t.c l1 was bored , was the only perfon w.h o tafi:ed the wmQ. All the time that they were em played in t~e ~erVIce of the ten: pte, they abftained from all other women but thetr wtves; they even affec.l:ed fo much modefty and referve, that whe~ they met a woman, t~ey fixed their eyes on the ground that they tntgh~ not fee her. . Any }11- continence amongft the priefi:s was feve rcl~ pumfh~d. T~e pnefl: wh~, at Teohuac:m, was conviCl:ed of having viOlated ~IS ch~lbty, .was dclt-d by the priefis to the people, who at mght ktlled hun by the vere up . bl' d 1' 11 tl baftinado. In IchcatL1n, the high-priefi: was o J~e t~ 1vc con an y within the temple, and to abfiain from commer.ce wt.th any woman whatfoever; and if he unluckily failed in any of hts duttes, he was certain of being torn in pieces, and his bloody limbs were prefenteJ as an example to his fuccelfor. They poured boiling water on th~ head of thofe who, from Iazinefs, did not rife to the noCturnal duttes of the temple, or bored their lips and ears, and if t~ey did not correCt ~hat, or any other fuch fault, they were ducked m the lake and ban.tfhed from the temple during the fefiival, which was ~ade to the. god of water in the fixth month. The priefl:s in generalltved together m communities, fubjeet' to fuperiors who watched over the~r conduct. . . The offic;e and charac.l:er of a priefi: among the Mextcans was t~ot m Its ~~Tpr~X-l. nature perpetual: There were certainly fome who de~ic~ted the1r .who;~ •«ca. lives to the fervtcc of the altars; but others engaged m ~t only fat ace tain time, to fulfil fame vow made by their fathers, or as a particular act of devotion. Nor was the priefl:hood confined to the male fex, fome women being employed in the immediate fervice of the temples. They • offered H 1 S 't 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. offet:ed incenfe to the idols, tended the facred fire, fwept the area, BOOK vr. prepared the daily ofFering of provifions, and prefented it with their, "-"'"V"'-hands to the idols; but they were entirely excluded from the office of facrificing, and the higher dignities of the prieflhood. Among the priefi:efles, fame were dell:ined by their parents from their infancy to the fcrvice of the temples; others on account of lome particular vow whith they had made during ficknefs, or that they might enfure from their gods a good marriage, or the profperity of their families, entered upon ful:h oilices for one or two years. The confecration of the fi rfi: was made in the following manner. As foon as the girl was born, the parents offc:red her to fame god, and in - . formed the ret.1or of that difl:riCl: of it; he gave notice to the Tepanteohuatzin, who, as we have already mentioned, was the fuperior general of the feminaries. Two months after they carried her to the temple, and put a frnall broom, and a finall cenfer of clay in her little hands, with a little copal in it, to ihew her defiination. Every month they repeated the vifit to the temple and the offering, together with the bark of fome trees for the ttcred fire. When the child attained her fifth year, the parents confign~d her to the Tepanteohuat:tin, who lodged her in a female femin:\ry, where children were infi:ruCl:ed in religion, and the proper duties and employments of their [ex. The firfi: thing done to thoft: who entered into the fervice on account of fome private vow, was the cutting olf their hair. Both the latter and the former lived in great purity of ma11ners, filence, and retirement, uJider their fnperiors, without having any communication with men. ~ome of them rofe about two hotll'S be{ore midnight, others at midnight, and others at day-break, to ftir up and keep the fire burning, and to offer incenfc: to the idols; and although iu this function they :tiTem bled with the priefl:s, they wen.: £e1nratcd from each orlter, the mc1~ fannin,. one win f! and the women another, Loth under the b 0 view of their fltperiors, )Vho prevented any diforder from happening. ' ery morning they prepared the oftb·ing of provifions which wa~: prefented to the iJols, and fwcpt the lower area of the temple, and the time which was not oc~upied in theie, or other religious duties, was employed in ij.)inning and weaving beautiful doth:; for the drds of the idols, and the decoration of the fan[tuaries. :\1" othing was more N n 2 zealoufiy |