tibe  earth  whyle  he  lyred.^  And  that  all  that
refuse  so  to  doo^  when  after  they  dye  hy  theyr
natorall  death  or  otherwyse,  theyr  soules  to
dye  with  theyr  bodyes,  and  to  bee  dissolved
into  ayer  and  become  nothynge  as  do  the
Bonles  of  hogffes,  byrdes  or  fy^hes,  or  other
brute  beastes.  t  In  corroboration  of  a  simi-
lar custom  among  the  natives  along  the  IVCs-
sissippi,  in  1542,  Herrera  relates,  that,  after  the
deadi  of  Fernando  de  Soto,  and  his  party  had
set  out  westward,  they  were  joined  by  a
youth,  who  stated  that  he  had  fled  to  escape
being  buried  with  his  lord  who  had  died;
whidi  was  the  practice  in  that  country.  Tra-
vellers from  the  upper  lakes  to  the  Mississippi
speak  of  similar  customs,  at  an  early  day,
among  the  tribes  of  that  quarter.
It  would  appear  that  they  believe  every-
thing, both  animate  and  inanimate — beasts,
arms,  ornaments,  etc. — ^to  possess  immortal
attributes,  subject  to  resurrection  in  the  world
of  spirita  However,  did  not  their  motives
seem  so  well  defined  by  the  direct  allusions
to  their  notions  of  futurity,  we  might  suppose,
as  is  frequently  urged,  that  the  burying  of
property,  slaves,  etc,  with  the  deceased,  was
only  intended  as  a  mark  of  respect ;  which,
indeed,  is  hardly  more  irrational  than  the  cus-

*  Also  Cla?igeTO  speaks  of  siimlar  beliefs  and  practices  moDg
the  Mexican  Indians,  particularly  in  the  obsequies  of  the  kinss;
and  adds—**  £1  numero  de  vfctimas  correspondia  k  la  grandeza  del
funeral,  j,  segun  algunos  autoies,  llegaban  k  veces  k  dosdentas."

t  Edition  of  1555,  translated  from  the  Latin,  fol.  181. — In  an-
other place,  the  same  author  also  wys  they  buried  corn,  etc.  with
the  dead,  for  their  use  in  the  world  to  come.
