ANECDOTES OF THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF LONDON FROM THE ROMAN INVASION TO THE YEAR 1700; INCLUDING The Origin of British Society, Customs and Manners, th a general Sketch of the State of Religion, Superstition, Dresses, and Amusements of the Citizens of London, during that Period. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, Illustrations of the Changes in our Language, Literary Customs, and gradual Improvement in Style and Versification, and various Particulars concerning Public and Private Libraries. ILLUSTRATED BY EIGHTEEN ENGRAVINGS. BY JAMES PELLER MALCOLM, F. A. S. 66 AUTHOR OF LONDINIUM REDIVIVUM;" AND OF " ANECDOTES OF THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF LONDON, DURING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY," &c. THE SECOND EDITION. VOLUME II. LONDON: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1811. UNIV. OF CHAP. II. RELIGION. THERE are no data on which an argument can be justly founded against the supposition, that the conceptions of our Aborigines strongly resembled those of other barbarous nations on this most important subject. The people least indebted to nature for capacity of intellect have a confused idea of a Supreme Being or Spirit, capable of injuring or of granting them benefits: this Spirit is worshiped by some descriptions of savages, and others endeavour to deprecate his malice. A tribe of North American Indians was at one period generally said to be utterly incapable of comprehending the existence of a superior invisible power, from the fact of their never having been known to address themselves to a Divinity. The matter was accurately examined into by a zealous member of the English church; and the consequence was, they declared they fully believed the existence of a great and good Spirit, but that they conceived themselves so insignificant and unworthy, they dared not appear before him even VOL II. B as |