suits, after the expiration of a fixed term. Having earned the honors attached to the priesthood, many graduates annually availed themselves of this privilege.

A remarkable ceremonial, known as the extinguishing and rekindling of the fire, was held at the end of the cycle, once in every fifty-two years. Reference has already been made to the superstitious dread entertained that the world might be destroyed during the transition from one cycle to another. The critical period was during the added thirteen days at the end of the expiring cycle. Each head of a family put his affairs in order for a final settlement; every household was prepared for the great catastrophe; everything was put in readiness as if the family was about to start on a protracted journey, and then the fire was extinguished in every palace and hovel in the land. Meanwhile the priests were busy in their sanctuaries, doing everything in their power to appease the wrath of the gods, and blood flowed in torrents upon the teocalli. Fasting, praying, blood-letting, and the practice of other austerities, were kept up until the last hour of the last

of the fateful thirteen days, and then there was a great outburst of rejoicing. The priests rekindled the fire, and messengers with burning brands were sent out, on the run to renew the flame on every hearthstone throughout the length and breadth of the empire.

The principal act of personal devotion consisted in touching the soil with the middle finger of the right hand, and carrying to the mouth the dust that adhered. Prostrations, fasts, and other austerities, such as the blood-letting above referred to, were also commonly practiced. Frequent offerings to the gods was an essential part of personal worship. I have already mentioned the dreadful custom of tendering young children for the sacrifice. A much more general and less shocking custom was the placing of food and savory dishes before the idols under cover of darkness. It may be supposed that this custom was particularly encouraged by the priests, as it reduced expenses and saved time and trouble in the sanctuaries. Here is the most popular form of prayer, that which was offered to Tezcatlipoca:

"Mighty God, thou who gavest me life and

whose slave I am, grant me the supreme gracė of giving me meat and drink; grant me the enjoyment of thy clemency, that it may support me in my labors and my wants. Have pity on me, who live sad, poor, and abandoned, and since I serve thee by sweeping thy temple, open to me the hands of thy mercy."

The usual form of oath was: "Perchance is not the eye of God upon me." The sin of false swearing was regarded as so heinous that it was seldom committed. The Nahuatls believed in the existence of the soul, which was held to be immortal, and immortality was also accorded to all animals. As has been previously shown, there were various places of abode for departed spirits. These, however, required certain earthly aliments for their sustenance and, consequently, some maize and a metlate, or stone for grinding it, were always deposited with the remains of the dead. In the case of a wealthy descendant a treasure, equal in value to his earthly fortune, was also deposited at the bottom of the urn containing the maize, in the form of gold ornaments or precious stones. It was the discovery of this fact that led the