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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.co

who were dedicated to the Sun : Bot befides this, there were fe-:

veral other

H~u

fes

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