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I
_( 99)
.·
.Rqyal Commentaries.
B
0 O · K
IV.
..
C
H
A P.
I.
Of the Convent of
thofe
Virgins
who
were
dedicated to
the
Sun.
A
MONGST
the
many
things worthy of
Obfervation,
which thofe
Heathen
Kings
followed in their vain Religion and
Gentilifm;
the
Profeffio w&ich
fome
of their Women made of perpetual Cha·
ility,
and the Retirements
whic~
were built
for
them
in
feveral
Provinces are not here to be omitted ; and for better underfian–
ding who thofe Women were,
to
whom they
ded.ic~ted
them–
felves, and
wherein they were employed, we !hall declare very diftinctly,
be–
caufe
it
is
a
matter
which
the
Spanifh
Hill:orians touch but ilightly, and
as
che
Proverb
goes,
as the
Cat
doth a Coal of fire: and particularly we fhall here treat
of the Houfe at
Coua,
becaufe that that was the model or pattern ofall the refi.
In
that
City
is a certainLane, which they
call
Acllahuaci,
which
is
as
much as the
Houfe of«he feparated
Virgins: This
Lane pa!fed through the two Streets, which
lead
from the Market-place fo the Convent of St.
Dominick__,
which
was
anciently
the Temple of the Sun; one of thefe Streets pa£fed direetly from a Comer of the
. Market-place, bending on the left hand towards the great
Ch~ch
to
~he Nord~ward.
When,
in
the Year
1
5
70.
that
I
departed
from
that C1ty,
thtS
then
was
the chief Street
for
the Merchants;
and
the other Street which
palf
es from
the
middle of the Market-place, where in my time the Prifon
was,
led direltly on
the
right hand to the
faid
Convent of St.
Dominick._:
The Front of
this
Houfe was
juft oppofite to
the
Market-place, anp opened between
thofe
two Streets
~fore
mentioned; the backfide of it bordered
on
another Street, which
croffes
Eafi
to
Weft; fo that this Houfe was placed in an open fquare between the Market–
place and the three Streets; and between
this
and the Temple of the Sun, there
was
a feparate pile of Buildings, with the great
Area,
or Court-yard, before the
Temple. Whence we 2lainly perceive
the
miftake of thofe Writers, who report,
that thofe Virgins had their Lodgings within the Temple
of
the Sun; and thar
they were
Priefieifes,
and Affill:ants to the Priell:s in their Offo:tories
and
Sacri–
fices.
For
in
regard it was the defign and intention of the
lncM
co
feparate
rhefe
Virgins from the converfation, and fociety of Men ; and that cis Women were
not permitted to enter within
the
Temple of the Sun,
fo
neither were rnen allow–
ed admiffion
int?
t~e
retirements
of
thefe
Virgins;
it
cannot be ·rationally belie–
ved that thefe
V
1rgms could have any other than a dill:inet Houfe dillant and dif–
joined
from
any
other; and for
this
reafon
they
called
them
th~
felett,
becaufe
0
1.
they,