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Royal Commentariel'.
BooK
IV.
CH AP.
VII.
Of
other Women, who conferved their
Virginity,
and ofWidows.
·
B
Efides thefe Virgins, who lived Reclufes in Cloillers, under the Vow of per–
petual Chafiity there were many other Women ofRoyal Bloud, who lived
in
retirement, and
v~wed
to conferve their Virginity, though with liberty to go
abroad and" v.ific their neareft Relations, and
affill:
the lick, and Women
in
their
Travel~
and to be prefent at the Ceremony of iliavidg, when they gave a Name
to their' firfi-born. Thefe Women were held in great Efieem
and
Veneration
for their Chafiity, and purity of
~heir
Lives ;
giv~g
theqi by way of
Excellency;
or of fome Vertue Divine,. the Tide of
(}cclo,
which fignifies
fomethm~
of fuper–
eminent SanC!icy; and this their Chafiity was not pretended , or fe1gned, but
true and real; for
if
any falficy or hypocrifie were difcovered
in
it,
they burnt
chem alive, or threw them
to
the Lions to
be
devoured.
I
remember
that I
knew
one of thefe that
was
very ancient, and had never been married, v\·hich they
cal–
led
Occlo;
fometimes {he vifited my Mother, and,
~
I
have heard, ilie was her
Aunt by the Grandfather;
I
an fay,
I
am a witnefS of the great refpeCl: they bore
towards her, and e[pecially my Mother, who for her Relation, Years
and
Verrue,
behaved her felf toward her with all imaginable Reverence
and
eneration.
or mufi: we here omit the Modefty and
ertue of Widows
in
general, who
for the fir!l: Year of their Widowhood kept themfelves retired, and free from all
converfation, there being
very
few of _rhofe, .' ho had DC?t Children, that married
again, much lefs thofe who were provided with them,
did
ever return
to
a fecond
Marriage, but lived with Continence and Chafiity
~
for which reafon the
Laws
were favourable towards them, commanding Labourers to plow and cultivate
their Lands before thofe of the
CuracM,
with many other privileges, which the
favour of the
Inca
indulged to them. The
truth
i,
it
was
a difparagement for
a
.
Man, who was not a Widower himfelf, to marry with a Widow, for as they
faid, he lo!l:
I
know not what quality and repute by fuch a condefcenfion.
And
this
is what is moft obfervable in reference to Virgins,
and
Widows, and
modeft
Women.
CH AP.
Of
their
Marriages in
general,
and
how their
'Ho-ufes were
.
governed.
I
T
will
now
b~
proper
in
this I?lace
fc
r
~
to treat
f
their Marriages,
and
how
they were Joined
t?g~ther
m the Kingdoms and Provinces fubjeeted to the
7
ln~a :
In order
here~nto
1t
IS
tp be noted, tliat every year, or every two years, the
Km~ co~manded
his
Office~s
to take
~n ~ccount
?f
fuch young Men and Maidens
of his Lmeage, as were mai:nageable, within the.City of
Co:(,co,
tnat
fo
they might be
matched together; the Maidens
ere to be ofeighteen to twenty year of age, and
the young Men from tw nty to twenty four, and up ards; under which age they
ere
no~
efieemed
~o
be of years of confent for tnat
it
was ne effary rhey fhould
be ofa npe age and Judgment to govern their Families,
hich ould not be done by
Children