4000003870

Royal

Commentaries~

BooK

could n

ot take

their

Cornmiffions~

or deveft them of their Offices. The ,

dUige.nt

a~d

efull·di harge '.hi h che De urions

perfor~ed

their duty, fuch

a furve

ymg the

fields,

o erfeemg the true

and

lawfull d1ipofal of Inheritances

the Royal Houfes, and d1fpenGng

ood and Raymenc

the Commonalty,

accepted in the

lace of their Tri ute, and no other charge required at their hands.

Under the great Minifiers orher fubordinate

fficers

'~ere

fub(htured

all mat–

er relating either co Government, or to the Tribute, it being efteemed the

heft

and moll: certain \

prevent cheats and fraud

in Accounts. They had alfo

Chief hepherd , and fervants that

ere under them,

whofe care the

locks

\vere committed, ' hich belonged both to the King, and to che Community,

which they conferved with that fidelity, that not a Lamb ' as miffing, nor

Paftor

Fido

more faithfull

his

charge, than thefe

rrufiy

hepherd , whofe chief dread

and fear wa of Wild-beafis

hich

they

atchfully chafed away; but as for

Thiev s, there being none, they pa!fed their rime \ ith the le

fear. They had

Guardians, and Surveyors of the Fields, and Poffeffion ; they had alfo

tei ards,

AdrniniO:rators, Judges and

ificors,

whofe chi

are

and

incumbency "'·a co fee

that nothin

fhould be

anting, either to the People in common, or

any pri–

vace perfon \\·hatfoever; for

cafe

any

one did fignifie his neceffities to the

e–

curions, they were obliged immediately to make their needs known to the

Cna–

ctU,

and th

to che

ln~t1,

readily

fupplied their

occafioo~

ing

gre~

eft

Glory

co be efieemed the ather of · Countrey,

and

the Guardian o h·

eople.

cbe Office of the Judges and

'ificors t6 fee

that

the Men employed thern–

felves in their refi Ctive duties; and that the Women

re good Houfewives, ra–

king care of their Houle;, keeping their Rooms clean, and outfing

educating

their Children ; and

fhort,

that

every one bufied

him

or herfelf

~fi>inning

and

cc ,

·ea ing. That the youngWomen obeyed their Mothers and Milhefies, and " ere

diligent

about the Affairs of their Houfes, and other works appertaining to

their

Sex. The aged and infirm were excufed from all laborious

works~

and had no

iniunltions laid on them, but fuch

tended to their own benefit, fuch

as gathering

flicks, and frraws, and loufin

themfelves, being afterwards obliged to

carry

their

Lice to the Chief of their quadron, and

diey

took a difcharge for their

Tri–

bute. The Employment for blind men was

cleanfe the Cottons ofthe Seeds,

and foulnefS, and rub out the Mayz from the

lks, or

Ears

which it grew.

And befides thefe principal Officers which refpelted the orderly Government of

the Commonwealth, there

ere Heads, or Mailer-

orkmen

fit

over the

ilver–

Smiths, and Goldfmiths, Carpenter, and Mafons and

Jewellers~

which

rder

and Rule, had it been continued, and confirmed by the Alts and Patents of the

c.c

Emperour

Charl~.r

the Fifth,

with

the fame care and policy, as

was firfi efta–

blifhed by the

lnc1U,

that People

ould at this

day

have been more flourilhing,

and confiderable, and all

things,

both for earing and clothing, ' ould have been

more pJentifull, and this happinefs of affiiirs would have been a good preparation

to the reaching and admillion of the Gofpel. But now our negligence, and want

of due care, hath been the caufe of the decay

and

mine of that Pe ple; of which

c.c

the poor

Indians

were fo fenfi.ble, that they often murmured, and complained of

the prefent Govem.TUent in

all

their private Caba , and Meetings; but how they

compared the particulars of the(e times with the Reigns of the

lncM,

we !hall di.f–

courfe more largely hereafter m the

9th

hap. of our 2d Book,

pag.

Thus

far are the Words of Father

BIM

Viu~ra.

And this Authour proceeding farther,

his

Difcourfe, hath thefe words.

Befides what we have aid already,

they

had Officers fet over the Counrrey Labourers, over the Fowlers, over the Fifher–

c.c

men, who fifhed either in the Sea., or in the Rivers; forne

alfo

were fet over the

eaivers, Shoemakers, and over thofe who hev ed Timber for the Royal Palaces,

and publick Edifices; alfo over chofe Smith wh made infirumems of Copper,

for feveral ufes. They had alfo Heads and ChiefS over the Mechanick , who

did'

all attend with great care and diligence to their Trades;

chat

is firange co

confider

thefe our days,

that

thefe People who were

fond, and tenacious of

conferving their ancient Cufioms and Praetices,

uld be

carelefi

conferva–

tion of their Arts,

they

being·

wholly difufed} and now loft and

rgotten amonglt

them ..

CHAP.