155 / 1060
I
'
Book
V.
Royal
Commentaries.
CH
AP.
•
t
'
.
How
they
maJe
C
/oaths,
and
Anns,
and
Shoes
for
the
souldiery:
B-.
EGdes thls Tribute of
Labo~r
which the
Jndian.r
befiowed on the Lands of the
Sun, and the
Inca,
and of the gathering in their Fruit ; the fecond Tribute
required was a· contribution towards the Cleathing, Shoes and Arms of the
SouJdiery, as
alfo ·for
tbe ·poor and needy, who by reafon of Aae, or want of
Health were not able to labour and provide
for
themfelves : And herein the fame
rule
and
order was obferved, as
in
the forrper Tribute. The Cloathing in all the
Hilly Countries was made of Woo1
vyhich
was .Produced by thofe
mulcit~des
of
Cartel which were pafiured in thQte parts foi: account
of
the Sun ; but m the
Plains along the Sea-coafi, where tbe Countrey is pot, they made all their Gar–
ments of Cottons, which grew in the
~ands
belor:ging to the
I nca
and
t~e
Sun;.
fo
that the
Jndian.1
were at n0 farther
expeti~e
tperem, than that onely which
pro–
ceeded from the labour of their hands. . Their Woolen Cloathing was of three
forts; the courfefi, which they called
Avafca,
\Vas for the common people
5
the
hext degree, which was fornething finer, they called
Compi,
which was fit
for
Cap–
tains and
N
ables, and the better fort of people, a,;1d were made .of divers colours,
and dreffed and curried like the
Dutch
Cloths : To the finefi fort Iikewife they
gave the fame name of
Com.pi,which was onely for the cloarhing of
Incas
of the
Royal Bloud, and
fuch
of themas were Souldiers and Officers botp of War
and
Peace. This finefi
fort
was made in Countries where the befi: Workmen
Ii
ved>
and rhe mofi ingenious Artifis ; and the courfer was made by the more dull and
courfer fort of Heads.
All
the
V\T
ool for this Cloarhing was Spun by the
W
o–
men ;
as
l'ikevvife the
Avafca,
or courfer fort, was Woven by them; but the finefr.
was Woven by the Men, becaufe they always Weaved fianding; and both one
and the other \'\'as the Work of the ubjects, and not of the
I ncas,
though it were
for
their own Cloathing, though fame are of opinion that the
I ncas
worked 'and
weaved for themfelves
j
which we mufr contradiet, and
fhall
!hew hen;afi:er, when
we come to treat of the Arms ofHorfemen,what
it
was
that they termed the Spin–
ning of the
1ncas.
Thofe Provinces were mofl: charged with the Affefment
for
Shoeing, where Hemp grew in
mo!l:
plenty; and was made from the Stalk of
a
Plant called
Maguey
~
their Arms likewife were made in thofe Countries where
the Materials for them were mofi plentifull :
In
fame places they made Bmvs and
Arrows, in others Lances and Darts , in others Clubs and Bills ; fame Countries
provided Ropes and Winleifes for lading and faflning of Burthens, and others
made
H~ets
and Targets, befides which they had no other defenqve Arms.
In
fhort, e ery Province furnifhed and fupplied fuch Commodities as the Nature of
the Cou trey did mo!l: ealily produce, and
fuch
Manufalt:ories as they could
make
at home ;
f?r
it was a fettled. and
an
efiablifhed
Law
through the
\\t~Ole
Empire,
that no
b rdian
fhould be obliged
to
feek or ranfack other Countries for the Tri–
bute he was
to
pay ; for as that would not be jufl: nor equal,
fo
it would be a
means
~o
make them Vagabonds,
a~d
to
open _a d?or
ta
the Inhabitants to go out
of
!heir
Coun~rey;
and forfake the1r own hab1t1nons;
fo
that the SubjeC!s were
obliged to furmfh the
lnca
with
f~mr
things,
viz..
Provifions
or
food ariftng from
the proper grounds of the
I nca;
Cloathing made of the Wool of his own Flock
Shoes and
Amis,
ariung from Countries where the Materials are mofi: ommon:
all
t~efe A:f[efme~ts_
were laid and impofed with great order and attention ;
for
thoie Provinces
·hICh were charged with Cloths by reafon of the quantity o
Wo?l~
which abounded in their pan:s, \Vere
freed
from
the
charge and care of
prov1dmg Shoes ; thofe that provided Shoes were freed from Arms
fo
that
none could be
tw~ce
charged, nor
the_
Subjeet
~grieved
by the ,,
eight
of
his
or,.;
preffions.
By this
gen
lenefs
and
lemty
of-the
Yoke which the
Inca
laid
on
ni
T
~
people,