120 / 1060
.,
Royal
Commentaries.
Book
IV.
~ith 1111Jr~
fecllrltj; which
being come to
the
~ow/edge
of
Atabaliba,
he
cot»pldined
tH-ettJ
of
to the Govetnour,
f
1tyi-11g,
Tbat
he -was more
fenjible
rf
th~t ~'kfortune,
than
he
1lltts
ef
hiJ
/mprl/ofhne1tt;
a11d
that
nfJ
mifary,.
though
ascempante~
mlh
Denth,
tJ6JJl1
touch
bJm
fl
11eat(J
aJ thi.r
7
for tb11t
a
townon
Indian
of b11fa
extraat'!",
/hfl'!ld
eftee111
hsm
at
Jo
'lflean
a rate, as to
J»ak.f
him
the fubjeil of
[o
high
an '!ffront,
in
defpight
of that Law
of
their
Conntrey,
which
a//igned
no
lefs a
punifhment for
1t,
than
that foch
u{f
endour
fho!'Jd
be
burnt
alive
with hi.r Wive.r
Fathers, Children, Brothers, and
all
the
re.ftof
hu
Kindred
nay
the
very Flock! an/Hcrd1
of
f11ch an
Adultcr~I'
were to
he
def
tnged~
hu
Lamb
laid
defolate, and
[owed
with Salt,
hu
T r ees eradic1tted from the very Roots, hu Houfa.r
demoli–
fhed, with
many
other
injli£lioni
of
the lik! nature.
Thus far are
t~e wo~ds
of
Anguftin
de
Carate,
which ferve to confum what
I
have wrote ccncerrung this matter, and
indeed I
was
pleafed to have my
words
avouched by the cefiimony of
this
Spanifh
Cavalier: For though other Hifiorians mention
this Law,
yet they onely
fay,
that
it
was \Vith the Death of the Offendour, omitting
that
of his
Wife,
and Father,
and Relations, and
all
the
other Solemnities of this punHhment ; whereby
we
may underfiand bow grievous that offence was efteerned ; and how deeply that
poor
Inca Atah1talpa
refemed
it,
when
in
the Agony
of
his Heart,
he
faid, That
he felt it more
than
his Imprifonment ;
and all
other
·infelicities,
though
atten-
ded with Death it fe1£
·
·
Thofe Women
who
had the honour
to
be extraeted from thefe Houfes
for
Concubines to the
King,
were made uncapable of ever
reruming
thither
again,
but
remained in the G.ourt as Ladies and Attendants
OQ
the Queen, untill
fuch
rime as
they
were
dif
milted,
and licelilce given
them
to
renurn into
theit
own
Countries ;
where
for ever afrerwards they
were
provided
with
Houfes and Re–
venue agreeable
to
tneir Qoality,
and
to
the D'igniry
and
Honour they had
acqui–
red
by
having
been Mi:firefies co the
Int a.
Thofe.
who
cdulcl not mai
to
this
Honour, were
obliged
to remain
in
their
Cloifi:er
untlll
th€y
wer~
ancient,
and
then
had
liberty
eitl:ler
to
continue
tlll the time
©f
their"
Death
>
or
to
return
co
roeir
own
Coun~ey,
where Ehey were t.reated
with fuch
refpeet as was-due
t-0
the
profelfion
they
had
made.
CH
A
P~
. V.
Of the
f2.Eality
a~d
Ornanzent
of
t-hefe SeleEl Virgins,
and
that
they were
not to
he
given unto any
perfon
whatfoever
_in Marriage.
T
Hofe Virgins
~hich
were
dedicated
or
deGgned
for the prefent King, had the
Tide after
his
Death of Mothers to the Succe!four with the Addition alfo
~
!Wttm11cuna,
which was a Name properly belonging to 'their Office, which ob–
lige~
them co teach and overfee the young Novices, who were admitted for Con–
~bmes
of
the
New
Inca,
and
tre3ted by
t~em
as their
Children
and
Daughters–
m-law.
Every one
of
thefe.Convents had.its Governour or Superiour, wno
was
W
an
!nca,
and whofe buf'mefs
it
w~
to
~rov1de
all Necefiaries for the ufe of thefe
1ves
of
the
Inca;
for
though
m
reality they
wer~
but
Concubines, yet
in
re–
fpetl
and courtefie they. gave them the Honourable title of Wives.
In every one
othf
~hefe
Houfes
belong~
to thefe Maidens> feparated for the u[e
of
the
Inca
;
all
err
Ut~nf'tls
and SetvlCes of the Honfe were made of Gold and Silver, as thofe
were :Vh1ch belonged to the Wives of the Sun,
and
to the famous Temple,
and
(
~
we
!hall
he~eafter
d€dare). to the Royal Palaces ;
for
indeed
all
the Gold and
Silver, and preuous Stones
which
were found and amalfed
in
that
great
Empire,
were,
for the moft part,
employed to
no other ufe, than co the Service and
Adorn-
ment