4000003870

)

Royal

Commentaries.

BooK

III.

was afterwards accompllihed by thofe Kings, who proceeded thence, and taught

the World how

call:

away the turpitude of their manners, and live

another

Law

and Rule ofReafon. By advantage of thefe, and other

Cuch

Inventions

was

not difficult

for

the

Jn,tU

perfuade the other

Indians

of their defcent

fr~m

the Sun, and to confirm t:heir belief by chafe many benefits and advantages

which

their Dottrine and Religion brought with them. On

the

affurance of thefe

two

Fables the

lncM,

and all

his

Subje& did really efl:eem this ffiand to be a

facred and

holy piece of Ground ; and with that opinion they ereeted

a rich

Temple

it,

all

plated with Gold, and dedicated to the Sun; where generally

all

the

Pro.

vjnces fubjelted to the

Inca,

did yearly offer Gold , and Silver,

and precious

Stones, in a thankfull acknowledgment of thofe two Bleffings he

had

given

them

in that place

and that Temple being of greater Devotion, had the

fame atten..

dence, and Officers belonging to it, as that of

Couo.

And

immenfe

was the

quantity of Gold and

ilver, which was amaffed in that Ifland, befides that

which

was

caft

and framed into Utenfils, for the fervice of the Temple, that

the Re..

port which the

Jndians

make of it

incredible, and more to be admired,

than

be..

lieved.

BltU Valera

[peaking of

the

Riches of this Temple, and of the quantities

of Gold and Silver which abounded, after all

effels

and Ornaments were

fop.

plied, faith, that he

was

informed by thofe

IndianJ

who are called

Mitmac,

and

are a

Colony who inhabit

Copa·Cavano,

that there

was

fuch a fuperfluiry of

Gold and Silver, after all was finilhed, as might have been fufficient -co have rai–

fed and completed another Temple, without other materials whatfoever; and that

foon as thofe

Indians

had news of the Invafton of the

Spaniards,

and were

in–

formed that their Errant and Bufinefs was to defpoil them of their Riches, they

demolifhed their Temple, and threw all

th~

materials, and

~he

L'Ilmenfe Wealth

into that great Lake.

There

anorher Story which paffes, not unlike

this_,

That

the Valley of

Orcos,

hich

about fix Leagues from

Couo,

to ards the Sea of

Zur,

there is a

lit–

tle Lake of lefs than half a League round, bur very deep, and encompaffed with

high Woods; It is reported, that hen the

Indiaru

underfl:ood of the ArrivaJ of

rhe

Spaniard.I,

they th

rew

a great quantity of the Treafure belonging to

Couo

into

it, and amongfl: the

re.

fl:,

that Chain of Gold

,,·hich

Huayna.

Capac

caufed to

be made, of which we fhall fpeak in

its

due

P.bce;

upon affurance and belief

hereof twelve or thirteen

Spaniards,

who fojourned at

Couo,

not Inh bitants) but

Merchants, and Adventurers, entred into an agreement together, on

ms of

equal benefit and lofs,

poflefs therpfelves of tnat Treafure by dra!ning the Lake

for

it;

order

hereunto they founded the depth, and found twenty three or

twenty four fathom water, befides the mudd, which was alfo deep; ·

en they

refolved to open a fluce, or bay, at the lowefl: ground, or level of die Lak ,

a wide chanel being made for the water

pa!S into the River of

Tucay

the

_ Lake might be fewed or emptied by the great vent

would find by fuch an eva–

cuation;

ocher parts they could not open it farther, becaufe of the Rocks, and

difadvantage of the ground, nor did they lay their Trench open to the top, (which

perhaps might have been better,) but to fave charges made a Mine, and cut their

Drain under ground. This work was begun in the Year

557.

with great hopes and

exp Cl:ations ofTreafure; and being ena·ed about fifty paces within theEarth,

they

unhappily cro!fed upon a Vein of hard Rock, at which pecking a·long rime,

they

found that they {l:ruck more fire out of it, than they drew water

in which ha–

ving fpent much money, time and labour, they at length gave over the work

defperare, and defifl:ed from their Enterprife.

I remember that I entred cwo or

three times within the

vault~

whilll: they were working, and have heard

ofcen

reported, that the

Indians

threw infinite Treafure into Lakes, Caves and Moun–

tains, beyond all ho es or po!Iibility of recovery.

Thofe

Kings

\Vho

were

lncM,

befides the Riche they hello\ ed, and encou–

ragement they gave for the adornment of this Temple,

they endeavoured much

to improve the very Land of this Ifle, that

they

might render it fertile, and

fie

bear Fruit; and that in gratitude to this place, on which their Ancefl:ours

de~

ending from Heaven, had .fee their firft footfl:eps, they might enable ic with all

fores ofgood Hu a dry and Agriculture: to this end they levelled and cleared

of Rock i;;

_,cones, chen they made

Walks~

and covered them over with good

Earr , and Manure brought from far; and made the ground capable to produce

M-iy~,

Jndi11n~Wheat,

which

reafon of the coldneiS of the Climate; is not

produced