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Show 33° EOOK VII. ~ Sec·r. II. Elfplanation of the fevcn Mexican paintin rs on cdlll:ation. H I S T 0 It t 0 F M E X I' C 0. d·l'. b' d. t or quarrelfome was beat with nettles, or received pu-was uo e 1en ' d' h · · d niiliment in fume other manner proportioneJ, accor mg to t eu· JU g-ment with the fault he bad co~nmittcd. . . Th' e r. ft f d t'on "greeable to which the Mextcans tramed up ' 1y em o c . uca 1 .. • • • • , , thet·r c1 ·11 d the 01·1ftant attention w1th wluch they watched 11 cren, an c ' ' . . . h · .n.· 111 ... y be traced in the [even pamtlllgs of the collechon of t e1r a\-LIOns, " · d c. f [c Men d oza, m· e 1·u de d tu. et V"v een 'the numbers forty-mne an n ty• · even. 1n t 11 [ce are exp1 •e wrre d the qua' ntity and n~.L.u ality of the food, wh•i ch• was allowed them, the employments in whi h they were occup1ed, _and h •fl t' b vhi h their vices were corretl:ed. In the fift1eth t e punHtlmen s y' . . . . · tin()' is reprefented a boy of fonr years, who IS employed by llls pam · 0 parents m· 1r 0m e t·h ing~ tha' t a1~e eaf.y to do ' in . orde.r to inure him tok £ 1- tigue; another of fi,ve years, who accompantes Ius father to mar :t, carrying a little bundle on his back; a girl of the fame age who begms· to lear'n to fpin 1 and another boy of fix years who[~ £ttber employs· him to pick up the ears of maize; which happen to he on the g_round' in the market-p.hce. · . In the fifty-firft painting are drawn a father who teaches h1s fon of fcvcn years of age to. fi{h ; and a mother, who teaches her daugh tcr_ of the fame n~e to fpin ; fome boys of eight ye:u·s, who are threatened With. punifhmeht if they do not do their duty; a lad of Q.inc year_s,. who~e. father pri ks fcvernl parts of his body, in order to cor reel: lliS md~nlity of tcQ!per. ; and a girl of the fame age, whofe mot'her only pn~k her hands ·; a lad and a girl of ten years, whofe parents beat them w1th' a rod, becaufe they refufe to do that which they arc ordered. The fifty-fccond painting reprefents· two lads of eleven years, who; not being amended by other punif1unents, are made by their fathers to receive the fmukc of Chilli, or great pepper np thci1· nofe; a Ltd of twelve years, whofe fatl1 r, in order to puniOi him for his f.·mlts, keeps him a whole day titd upon a dunghill, and a wench of the f<unc nge whofe mother makes her walk, during the night, all over the -~l'bi'Ufe 1d part of the ftreets; a lad of thirteen years, whofe father makes him guide a little ve!1C1 laden with ruihes; and a wench of the fame nge grinding maize by order of her mother; a youth of fourt(cn _yc.rrs employed by his father in fifhing, an a young woman fct to weave 'by her mother. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. In th .. fifty-third painting, nre reprefentcd two youths of fifteen years, the one configned by his father to a prieil:, to be inftruCl:ed iu the rites of religion; the· other to the A chctzuhtli, or officer of the militia, to be infl:ruCl:ed in the military art. The fifty-fourth, f11cws the . . · youth of the feminaries. employed by their · foperiors . in fwccpinO' the ...... :'fl( 1 l • .· I 0 ·• · .. temp t!, anc 111 carrymg branche of trees and herbs to adorn the fane- •· • •.. ~ •. t •: aries, wood for the fioves,. ruChes to make feats, and fiones and lime to repair the temple. In this fame painting, and in the fifty-fifth, the difFerent puniOunents infliCted on youth, who have committed trcfpaf~ fes, by their fuperiors, arc a](o reprefented. One of them pricks a youth with the fJ ine of the aloe for having neglected his duty : tW'o '· prieil:s throw buming firebrands on the head of another youth, for hav .. ing b~.;en caught in familiar difcourfe with a young woman. They ,prick the body of another with Charp pine flakes, and another for ciifobcdicnce is puni01ed by having his hair burned. Laftly, is exhibited a youth carrying the baggage of a priefi, who goes along with th'c nrmy to encourage the foldicrs in war, and to perform certain fuperll:itious ceremonies. Their children were bred to fiand fo much in awe of their parents, that eve!l when grown up and married, they hardly duril: fpeak before them. In fhort, the inil:rutl:ions and advice which they rcceivc.:tl were of iuch a nature, that I cannot difpenfe with tranfcribing fo tn~ of the exhortations employed by them, the knowledge of vvhich was obtained from the Mexicans thcmfelve by the firfl: religiou minion aries who were employed.in their conver11on, particularly Motolinia, Olmos, and Sahagun, who acquired a perfctl: knowledge of the Mexican language, and made the moil: diligent inquiry into their manJlcr and cuil:oms. 33I DOOK VI. '--v--1 " My fon," f.'lid the Mcxic;ln fctthe r, " who art come into the lil)·lrt " from the womb of thy mother like the chicl·en from the egg-, and " like it art preparing to fly tbrongh the world, we know not how " long heaven will gr.mt to u the enjoyment of that prcc ior1s g n'1 " which we poffefs in thee; but, however l11ort the period, endcavou!· SecT. IF. T he l::diOf't a · Lions of a l\1 1.! .\ i.:.rn to hi ~ f(m. " to live exactly, praying God continually to aififi th ee. lie crcntc.:Cl " thee; thou art his property. He is thy Father, and loves. thee fbJl " more than I do; repofc in him thy thoughts, and day and night di- U u 2 '' rcC.t I) . . |
