4000003870

BooK

IV.

Royal

C01nmentaries.

C HAP. ·

XVI. ·

Of the

Prince

Yahuarhuac c,

and the Interpretation of

his

Name.

King

Inca Roca

having paffed

fom~

Years in the

qui~t

poffeffion

a?d

go–

vermnenc of his Kingdoms, thought it

fit

to employ_ his Son and Heir,

na–

med

Tah1tarhuacac,

in the entire Conqueft of

Antifayu,

whICh

lyes

the Eall: of

Cou:o

and

not

far

from the City ;

for

on that fide no

great

advance had been

mad~

fince the time of the firll:

Inca,

lWanr;o Ca1ac,

who had not proceeded

far-

ther than the

River

Paucartampu.

But

before we proceed farther in the Relation of this Story,

v uld be requi–

fite to explain the

fignific~tion

of thi? long nal!le

o[Yahuar-huacac,

and

t~e

reafon

which

they

had to give

it to

the Pnnce.

It is a

~ale

amongfi: the

Indians,

that

when he was a Child of three or four years old,

ear wer bloud, perhaps

was becaufe he had fome difeafe in his Eye, and that che bloud when he cried,

might fall &om thence with his tears : But it is a general belief amr ngll: chem, that

foon as he came crying into the World, his Tears were bloud : It might like–

wHe

perhaRS

be, that he brought fomething of the Matritial bloud "'ith him on

his

Eyes,

which the fuperfiitious

Indians

"'ere ready to interpret

forT~rs;

but be

che caufe what it

will,

they would not be perfuaded out of

this

belief; and on

this fuppofition founded many of their W itche ies and Prognollicacion , forerel-–

ling die anger and difpleafore of his Father the Sun againft him , and chat there–

fore he would be unfortunate and accurfed.

he derivation therefore of his

Name,

evident from

Yah11ar,

to weep, and

Huacac.

Thi manner of Weeping

muft have been when he was a Child, and not at

an's eO:ate; for then he was

neither overcome nor taken Prifoner, as fome

\\ill

have it; for none of the

Incas

was ever

unfortunate, untill the time of the wretched

Huafcar,

whom the Tray–

tor

Atahualpa

his

Bafiard-brother took Prifoner, as we fhall relate in its due place,

God Almighty gives us life and power

arrive fo far in this our HHl:ory. Nor

was he ftoln away when he was an Infant, as fome Writers will have it; for it

n'ot probable, that when

Indians

conceived generally fuch awe and veneration for

their

Incas

and the Royal Bloud, that any perfon iliould be found

profligate,

and daring as to fieal the Prince and Heir to the Empire ; nor is it probable, that

the Tutors and Servants fhould be

remiG in their care and charge ; for fuch was

the

reverenc~

'that the

Indians

bore towards their

lncM,

that the very jmagination

of fot:h

at.oompt would .have terrified them to that degree, that they would

have believed the very thought would have procured the vengeance of Heaven,

and caufed the Earth to have opened and [wallowed both them and their whole

Families: For, as we have formerly faid, they Wor01ipped the Sun for their

God, and for his fake the

IncM,

whom they accounted Children defcended from

him, were adored with the fame divine Honours.

Thefe Tears of bloud which the

Indians

interpreted to be ominous, and to

fore-~nners ~f

fome difinal fate ) put me in mind of another fuperll:itious fancy

theirs,

h1ch they gathered from the motion and twinkling of the eyes ; for

it was a

~ommon

opinion both of the

lncM

and his Subje&, that the Eyes did

Prognolhcate by tneir motion and twinkling either good or bad fortune; · for

was

ac~ounted

l??ood luck when the upper eye-lid of the left eye twinkled, for

they

fa1d, that

forefaw matters of contentment and fatisfaet:ion; but much

more when the right eye-lid fparkled and twinkled

that was a mofr excellent

fign of all happinefs and profperity, peace and

plen~y

imaginable : And co the

comr~ry

, when the lower Curtain of the riglit eye trembled,

betokened

weepmg and tears for fome fad and unfortunate accident ; but

the lower part

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