125 / 1060
, 1
BooK
IV.
Royal Commentaries.
C
H
A . P.
.
X.
Of the
different 11ianners of inheriting
Eflates.
F
o
R
wat1t
of Hfue male
by
the legitimate Wife, rhe Law then
was, ·
that
the
Eldeft of the true bloud fhould fucceed, as
it
happened in the cafe of
Manco
Inca a
H1tafcar,
as we fhall hereafter
ma~e
appear.
in
its due place, for in no wife
it
would be permitted that a Ballard
fh.
ld mhent.
~
and for
w~nt
of lawfull Sons
of the bloud, the Inheritance fell to the ext of Kmdred, provided he were truly
c1efcended by Father and Mother.
· By reafon of this Law
Atahualpa
dell:royed the whole Race of the true and
Royal Bloud both Men and Women, (as we iliall relate in its due place
j)
for he
being a
Bafi~rd,
and therefore uncapable.
to
inherit, made way
to
~i. ufurp~d
Kingdom by the death of the lawfull Heir, left one of them
rem~mmg
alive,
iliould recover it again from his Power.
All
thofe of the Bloud marned together,
t o the fourth Degree, that
fo
the Generation of them
~igh~
multiply to greJt
numbers; onely the eldell: Sifter was referved for the
K1~g,
it_
not bemg. la\ full
for any to rake
her beGdes
himfel£ The eldeft ?on
al~ays
1Ilhe:1ted
th~
Kingdom
for a feries of twelve Kings, who fucceeded without rnrerrupaon, unull the
Spa–
niards
invaded
chem.Howfoever
among.frthe
CuracM,
or Lords over Va!fals, a different Rule and
Cufiome was
obferved ;for
in
fame Provinces the Eldell: Son fucceeded, in others
the mofi beloved, and efieemed for his Verrue, and Affability was the qualifica–
tion required, of which the People being Judges, the Government feemed rather
Elective than Hereditary. This Law was a curb to the Sons of the
CuracM,
re–
firaining them from Tyranny, and an obligation to be vertuous; for in regard
the Difpofal of the Inheritance depended on the pleafure of the People; the ons
contended in kindnefs towards their SubjeCl:s, and every one laboured to render
hirnfelf,
by
his Valour and Gentlenefs, the mo!l: beloved and acceptable
to
the
People.
In
fome Provinces the Sons inherited according to their Birth, as when the Fa–
ther dyed, the Eldefi Son focceeded, then the fecond ..
then the third, and
fo
for–
ward; and when all the Brothers were extinct, the Inheritance fell to the Eldefi
Son of the Eldeft Brother, and fo fucceffively;
fo
that hence appears the mill:ake
of a certain
Spanijh
Hifl:orian, who fays, that it was the common Cufrome of all
Peru,
that the Brothers of the
King
iliould gradually fucceed one after the other;
and that
a11
of them being dead, then the Kingdom afcended again to the Eldefr
Son of th<e eldefr Brother; which Errour proceeded from a rnifunderfranding of
the true difference between the manner of inheriting by
Inca!,
and
Curac1u.
For
t~ough
the
lncM
did reduce and fubdue many Provinces to their Power,
yet
they
did not alter tneir Cull:omes, and ancient La\".\ s, unlefs they interfered with their
Religion, and
~heir
own fupreme and abfolute Jurifdietion; but rather they con–
firmed many of thofe Cufl:om which were good and laudable; particularly that
whereby
~h~
moft defen·ing Son was chofen to the Government, it feeming a
fpur and motemenr to V ertue, to have Power and G randeur fet up for the Prize
an~
Reward
of their tv1erit: he which appeared fo reafonable, that a certain
Inca
Kin&
defited
on.ceto have introduced .this Cufiome into his own Family, and in
defp1ght of t
herr ·myn
fevere Law of Primogeniture, have made his Sons depend
on the favour and air of the Peoples Suffrage , as \-''e {hall difcourfe in its due place.
There is a People about
foµrty
Leagues to the Eafh,,ard of
Cov:o,
which I have
~een a~ongfl,
of the Nation of
~chua,
fame call them
Sutcunca,
where a par–
~ular
rnfiance happened: relating to the different manner of inheriting in that
_
~<?untrey.
The
Curttca
of. that People, called
Don Garfia,
finding himfelf at the
}i>om~
of
de~th,
called for
h1~
four Sons> who were Men grown, with the Nobles
of
his
Provmce, and admomilied them
by
way
of his laft \Vords and Tefiament;
that
109
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