opportunity of inflicting misery—a system of bribery, in which it was not always certain what nor how great offerings to bring. But the priests were the teachers, and in them was put implicit faith. By them, under the direction of the gods, were the sacrifices designated, and by them often for months and sometimes years beforehand were the human beings marked out for immolation—and the chroniclers intimate, that they were chosen among those most hateful and offensive to the priests. The sacrifice which seemed to best propitiate the gods was the human. It came before battle accompanying the prayer for victory, and came after it, not in grateful rememberance, but because the gods demanded it. It came at the consecration of heathen temples, when a chief had died, and in celebration of any great public event. If it were not so appalling, it would be ludicrous to remember, how Umi, a celebrated king of Hawaii, after a victory, offered human victims to his god, who, after several were slain, being insatiate called for more, "which were granted," says the chronicler, "until none were left except Umi and the priest."
Even among them there was some pretense to science. The art of the sorcerer was prevalent and feared, and as among the ancient Greeks there were those who could read the entrails of dead animals, who could divine the future from the flight of birds, and could read auguries in the heavens, the clouds, the rainbow and the storm. There were physicians among them who were as mysterious in their manner and as mystifying in their prescriptions as any modern Aésculapius, and, if the chronicles tell truly their remedies, new terrors were added to disease by their presence. They had some knowledge of herbs, which had been first received from the gods by Koleamoku, and by him taught to two disciples. The profession was hereditary, and being exceedingly lucra tive it was kept always in the same families. They feigned great knowledge of diseases, and it was believed that by prayer and ceremonies of a wonderful nature they could even inflict such diseases upon one as could not be cured. Various herbs were cooked or mashed with a stone, mixtures of which were given in liberal allopathic doses. "Their knowledge of the medicinal properties of herbs," writes one historian, "was considerable," but there is a touch of scepticism as he concludes, "though fatal results often followed their application." Nature taught them that friction would mitigate many minor pains, but it is hard to believe that the same kind mother ever hinted to them those more singular prescriptions according to which "stones of twelve pounds weight and upwards were rolled over the afflicted parts," and "patients were steamed over ovens of hot stones, or held over the smoke of fires prepared from green succulent herbs." It is less difficult to believe, that, if moved by anger or hatred in the treatment of sick persons, they could even cause death. They knew there was a future state for some, for the priests brought messages to the living from the dead, which at times seemed to redound mysteriously to the priestly benefit, and they were accepted as divine revelations. The souls of some of the people "went to Po (the place of night) where they were annihilated or eaten up by the gods;" others went to the dwelling places of Akea and Milu, former kings of Hawaii, where darkness prevailed, and where "lizards and butterflies were the orly articles of diet." The chiefs, the priests had kindly provided, were conducted, by " Kaonohioka/a, the eye-ball of the sun," to some unnamed place in the heavens, whence they occasionally returned to watch over their people. What happy abode was prepared for themselves, the cunning priests never revealed; but for the common people who lived here in
