confifts the Art of making a Nation glorious, or the Crime of debafing them into Servitude or Slavery, It was from the Notions of Liberty, Honour, and Glory, and fuch wife and generous Principles, which the meaneft Citizen among the old Romans entertained, that they became fo great and powerful, and a Terror to all Nations; as the fordid, timorous, cunning Artifices, and the Love of Wealth and fenfual Pleafures, cultivated among the present Romans, has debafed them now into the meaneft and leaft feared Nation on the Earth. The Hiftory of the Five Nations will readily fhew, how far the ancient Roman Principles have been cultivated among them.

Soon after this Change of the People of thefe Nations, the French arrived at Canada, and fettled at Quebeck; and they thinking it adviseable to gain the Efteem and F iendship of the Adirondacks, in whofe Country they fettled, Monfieur Champlain, the first Governor of Canada, joined the Adiron dacks, in an Expedition against the Five Nations, They met a Party of two-hundred Men of the Five Nations in Corlar's Lake, which the French, on this Occafion called by Monfieur Champlain's Name, and both Sides went afhore to prepare for Battle; which proved to the Difadvantage of the Five Nations. The French, in fhort, kept them. felves undiscovered, till the Moment they began to join Battle; and their Fire-arms furprised the Five Nations fo much, that they were immedi+ ately put into Confufion; for, before that Time, they had never feen fuch Weapons. The Trade with the French, foon after this, drew most of the neighbouring Nations to Quebeck, and they all joined in the War against the Five Nations.

The Adirondacks having their Numbers thus inceafed, and their Fire-arms giving them new Confidence, propofed nothing lefs to themselves, than the entire Deftruction of the Five Nations. Upon

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this, their young Warriors became fierce and infolent, and would not be kept under any Difcipline or Subjection to their Captains; but, upon all Occafions, rafhly attacked the Enemy, who were obliged to keep themselves upon the Defenfive; and to make up what they wanted in Force, by Stratagems, and a skilful Management of the War. The young Men of the Five Nations foon perceived the Advantages they gained by this Con. duct, and every Day grew more submissive to their Captains, and diligent in executing any Enterprize.

The Five Nations fent out fmall Parties only, who meeting with great Numbers of the Adiron-. dacks, retired before them with feeming Terror, while the Adirondacks pursued them with Fury, and without Thought, till they were cunningly drawn into Ambufcades, where most of their Men were killed or taken Prisoners, with little or no Lofs to the Five Nations.

The Adirondacks, by this Means, wafted away, and their boldeft Soldiers were almost intirely deftroy'd, while the Number of the Five Nations were increased, by the Addition of the Prisoners, which they took from the Satanas.

The wifeft and beft Soldiers of the Adirondacks, when it was too late, now at length discovered that they must learn the Art of War from those Enemies that they at first defpifed; and now five of their Captains endeavoured to perform by themfelves fingly, with Art and by Stratagem, what they could not do by Force at the Head of their Armies; they had however no longer any Hopes of conquering, their Thoughts were only fet on Revenge.

It is not improper to obferve here, once for all, that in writing the Hiftory of Indians, it is often neceflary to give an Account of the Enterprizes of fingle Perfons, otherwife the Indian Genius can never be known, or their Manner of making War understood. Indian, named Piarfket, was at this Time one of the VOL. I.

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Captains of greateft Fame among the Adirondacks: This bold Man, with four other Captains, fet out for Trois-Rivieresin one Canoe, each of them being provided with three Mufkets, which they loaded with two Bullets apiece, joined with a small Chain ten Inches long; they met with five Canoes in Sorel River, each having ten Men of the Five Nations on Board. Pifkaret and his Captains, as foon as thofe of the Five Nations drew near, pretended to give themfelves up for loft, and fung their Death Song, then fuddenly fired upon the Canoes, which they repeated with the Arms that lay ready loaded, and tore thofe Birch Veffels betwixt Wind and Water. The Men of the Five Nations were fo furprised, that they tumbled out of their Canoes, and gave Pifkaret and his Companions the Opportunity of knocking as many of them on the Head as they pleafed, and faved the others, to feed their Revenge, which they did, by burning them alive with the moft cruel Torments. This however was fo far from glutting Pifkaret's Revenge, that it seemed rather to give a keener Edge to it; for he foon after undertook another Enterprize, in which none of his Countrymen durft accompany him: He was well acquainted with the Country of the Five Nations, and fet out about the Time the Snow began to melt, with the Precaution of putting the hinder Part of his Snow Shoes forward, that if any fhould happen upon his Footsteps, they might think he was gone the contrary Way; and for further Security, went along the Ridges and high Grounds, where the Snow was melted, that his Track might be often loft; when he came near one of the Villages of the Five Nations, he hid himself till Night, and then entered

* It is a Cuftom among the Indian Prisoners of War, when led to Death, to fing an Account of their own Exploits; and this they are hardy enough to continue even in the Midft of Tortures.

tered a Cabin, while every Body was faft afleep, murdered the whole Family, and carried their Scalps into his lurking Place. The next Day the People of the Village fearched for the Murderer in vain. The following Night he murdered all he found in another Cabin. The Inhabitants next Day searched likewise in vain for the Murderer; but the third Night a Watch was kept in every Houfe. Pifkaret in the Night bundled up the Scalps he had taken the two former Nights, to carry, as the Proof of his Victory, and then ftole privately from Houfe to House, till at last he found an Indian nodding, who was upon the Watch in one of the Houfes; he knockt this Man on the Head; but as this alarmed the reft, he was forced immediately to fly. He was however under no great Concern from the Purfuit, being more fwift of Foot than any Indian then living. He let his Purfuers come near him from Time to Time, and then would dart from them. This he did with Design to tire them out with the Hopes of overtaking him. As it began to grow dark, he hid himself, and his Purfuers stop'd to reft. They not being apprehenfive of any Danger from a fingle Man, foon fell asleep, and the bold Piskaret obferving this, knocked them all on the Head, and carried away their Scalps with the reft. Such Stories as thefe are told among the Indians, as extraordinary Inftances of the Courage and Conduct of their Captains. The Indians will often travel thus three or four hundred Miles fingly, or two or three in Company, and lurk about their Enemy's Borders for feveral Weeks, in Hopes to revenge the Death of a near Relation or dear Friend. Indeed they give themselves so very much up to Revenge, that this Paffion feems to gnaw their Souls, and gives them no Reft till they fatisfy it. It is this Delight in Revenge, that makes all barbarous Nations cruel; and the curbing fuch Paffions is one of the happy Effects of being civilized.

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The Five Nations are fo much delighted with Stratagems in War, that no Superiority of their Forces ever make them neglect them. They amufed the Adirondacks and their Allies the Quatoghies (called by the French Hurons) by fending to the French, and defiring Peace. The French defired them to receive fome Priefts among them, in Hopes that thofe prudent Fathers would, by fome Art, reconcile them to their Intereft, and engage their Affections. The Five Nations readily accepted the Offer, and fome Jefuits went along with them: But after they had the Jesuits in their Power, they ufed them only as Hoftages, and thereby obliged the French to ftand neuter, while they prepared to attack the Adirondacks and Quatoghies, and they defeated the Quatoghies in a dreadful Battle fought within two Leagues of Quebeck.

The French own, that if the Five Nations had known their Weakness at that Time, they might have easily deftroyed the whole Colony.

This Defeat, in Sight of the French Settlements, ftruck Terror into all their Allies, who were at that Time very numerous, because of the Trade. with the French, which furnished them with many the most useful Conveniences; for before that Time the Indians had no Iron Tool among them.

The Nipeceriniens, who then lived on the Banks of St. Lawrence River, fled upon this to the Northward, believing that the extreme Coldness of the Climate, and a barren Soil, would be the fecureft. Defence against the Ambition of the Five Nations. The Remainder of the Quatoghies fled with the Utawawas Southweftward; and for the greater Se. curity, fettled in an Ifland, which being further than the Name of the Five Nations had then reached, they trufted to the Distance of the Place, and the Advantage of its Situation.

Their laft Expedition having fucceeded fo well, the Five Nations gave out, that they intended next

Winter