(Mariner, vol. ii. p. 106). He was also god of war, and the
tutelar deity of the royal family, whoever happened to be the
incumbent of the royal office for the time being. He had no
priest except the king himself, and his visits, even to royalty,
were few and far between. The name of this supreme deity was
Ta-li-y-Tooboo, the literal meaning of which is said to be "Wait
there, Tooboo," from which it would appear that the peculiar
characteristic of Ta-li-y-Tooboo, in the eyes of his
worshippers, was persistence of duration. And it is curious to
notice, in relation to this circumstance, that many Hebrew
philologers have thought the meaning of Jahveh to be best
expressed by the word "Eternal." It would probably be difficult
to express the notion of an eternal being, in a dialect so
little fitted to convey abstract conceptions as Tongan, better
than by that of one who always "waits there."

The characteristics of the gods in Tongan theology are exactly
those of men whose shape they are supposed to possess, only they
have more intelligence and greater power. The Tongan belief
that, after death, the human Atua more readily distinguishes
good from evil, runs parallel with the old Israelitic conception
of Elohim expressed in Genesis, "Ye shall be as Elohim, knowing
good from evil." They further agreed with the old Israelites,
that "all rewards for virtue and punishments for vice happen to
men in this world only, and come immediately from the gods"
(vol. ii. p. 100). Moreover, they were of opinion that though
the gods approve of some kinds of virtue, are displeased with
some kinds of vice, and, to a certain extent, protect or forsake
their worshippers according to their moral conduct, yet neglect
to pay due respect to the deities, and forgetfulness to keep