119 / 1060
J3ooJ{
IV.
· Royal
Commentaries.
ring to the very rigour of the letter without more remorfe_ or
co~e'!ffion,
thaQ
if
they had deftroyed a fwarm of
Wafps,
or drowned a
µteer
of
Whelps~
for
the
Incas
defigning
their Laws for the Rules of Humane life,
~quld
never
fuffer
them to be fmfirated or eluded
by
the
boldnefs of any
that
attempted to
break
them.
.
.
CH
AP.
IV:
That
there were
many other
Houfes
of
thefe
SeleCl
Virgin
"
The feverity of the Law before-mentioned, is proved
by
Example.
,,
~
1A
ILL
that we have faid before had relation to the Houfe of thofe Virgins
~
at
Caz.cowho were dedicated to the Sun : Bot befides this, there were fe-:
veral other
H~ufes
for
Women of the fame profeffion in divers of the rindpal
· Provinces, which the
Inca
out of his bouncy and favour commanded to
Q
built
and
epdowed ;
but
into chefe, Maids of
all
conditions and
qualities
had adm·
100,
as
well thofe whofe blood
1XJas
tainted with common mixture, as thofe who were
of the pure.and limpi9 fireams of Royal Bloud. The Daughters alfo pf
Curar:~u,
as
a
mark of favour, were fometimes admitted here; fome fyiaids
alfo
of exatl:
beauty, and rare features, though of the common race, were fometimes alfo re–
ceived in, the which both their Fathers and themfelves eO:eemed
for
an ext aordi-–
nary
favour ; but then they were not admitted under the notion of Wives, or
Concubines, to the Sun, but of the
Inca
onely.
Howfoever, they referved
them..:.
felves with the fame retirement and care as thofe of the Sun ;
a
were attended
with young Maidens for their Servants, and maintained at the
cha
·ge of 1e
Inca :
Their employment al[o was the fame with thofe at
Coz.co,being to Spin and
Weave, and make Garments for the
Inca,
which they performed
in
grea abuf:l–
dance, and in the fame manner
as we
have related of the others : But howfoe–
ver, thofe Veftments were not efieemed fo facred,
as to
be onely appropriated to
the Perfon of the
Inca,
but were fuch as the
Inca
befrowed
dn
his
great
I....ords
and
Captains, and other Subje&, whenfoever he
was
pleafed to honour them with
fo'rne
fignal note, or
mark
of
his
favour.
·
Thefe alfo had their
Mamacumu,
or Matrons to overfee them,
'1$
thofe had
which lived at
Co~co,
and were governed by the
fame
rules ; excepting that thofe
who lived at
Co:uo
were
all
of the true Royal Bloud, and obliged
to
a
perpetual
~loill:er
and Virginity ; but thefe were Maids of
all
forts and conditions, pro–
v1ded
that
they were beautifu11, being not deGgnecl
.for
Wives of
the
Sun,
buc
Goncubines to the
Inca.
·
!he fame rigour of Law was prattifed ag(!infi thofe who debauched and de–
fil~d
_the Women of the
Inca,
as againft thofe who became Adulte ers with the
':irgms efpoufed
to
the Sun; for die crime being the fame, requited
th~
f9Q1e pu–
mfhrnent ;
bu~
as
~here
was
never any fuch offence committed,
fo
ther<i
W?~
ne–
ver
any. fuch
fe:remy executed;. but to confirm
that
ther.e
was fuch a
Law, we
have the
autho~1ty
of
Auguftin
de
Carau,
who
in
the feveoth Chaptet.
of
his fe–
cood Bo-ok,
d1fcour~ng
of the caufes of the violent Death of
Atahualpa
1
ha~h
thefe very words-, _which
I
have copied out
Verbatim,
being very
much
co.our prlr–
pofe.
And as
(
fa1th he )
all
t~~
A/legations which were m1J,Je hereHpon were all pronoun–
ced
by
the Tongue of the fame
Filipillo,
he intery,-eted. nothing but what made'
tt>
his
own
purpofe.
what mfJ;ht be the caefe which moved
him
hereunto,
Cl/~
-never· be
f~rtainly
de–
ter:mned;
thrntgh.
tt
muft be
one of thefe two things, either that
tbfa
Indian
'enter!ained
•·
prwate
Amours with
<me
of
the
~ves
of
Atabaliba>
and
ext>elled
by
hl~
dedth
to
enjoy
her
.
~
.(
.
..
PJith
.·.
.·
I