tbe North American Indians. 431
mftting new crimes, according to the ufage of other nations, who multiply: their laws, in proportion to the exigencies of time.
I {hall now give their opinion of our focial and military virtues -, which joined with the foregoing, will fet the Indians in a yet clearer light. We can trace people by their opinion of things, as well as if we faw them prac- tife them. Moft of them blame us for ufmg a provident care in domeftic life, calling it a flavifh temper : they fay we are covetous, becaufe we do not give our poor relations fuch a fliare of our poflefilons, as would' keep them from want. There are b-ut few of themfelves we can blame, on account of thefe crimes, for they are very kind and liberal to every one of their own tribe, even to the lail morfel of food they enjoy. When we recriminate on the penurious temper of any of their people, they fay, if our accufation be true,, we by our ill examples tainted them on that head, for their fore-fachers were endued with all the virtues. They fre quently tell us, that though we are poflefled of a great deal of yellow and white Hone, of black people, horfes, cows, hogs,, and every thing elfe our hearts delight in< yet they create us as much toil and pain, as if we had none, inflead of that eafe and pleafure, which flow from enjoyment -, therefore we are truly poor, and deferve pity inftead of envy : they wiftv fome of their honeft warriors to have thefe things, as they would know how to ufe them aright, without placing their happinefs, or merit, in keeping them, which would be of great fervice to the poor, by diffufing them with a liberal hand. They fay, they have often feen a panther in- the woods, with a brace of large fat bucks at once, near a cool ftream ; but that they had more fenfe than to value the bead, on ac count of his large pofleflions : on the contrary, they hated his bad princi ples, becaufe he would needlefsly deftroy, and covetoufly engrofs, the good things he could.not ufe himfelf, nor would allow any othercreature to (hare of, though ever fo much pinched with hunger. They reckon, if we made a true eftimate of things, we mould confider the man without any falfe props, and efteem him only by the law of virtue,, which ennobles men by infpiring them with good fentiments and a generous difpofition ;, they fay they are fure, from fundry obfervations r we fell to the higheft bidder, our high titles of war, which were only due to brave men who had often fought the enemy with fuccefs in defence of their country : that, they had feen, even
iru
�� �
