BooK
V.
Royal
Commentaries.
· CH AP.
XIV.
What the Rule anJ Account
Wa5
which
they
obfer?Jed in
puh.:.
lick... and private Eflates.
'' AFcer the
Inca
had fubdued
a
Province,_ he confirmed the
Right
of poffeffion
''
to the Natives of it, and then con!hcuted Governours over the people, and
'' Infiruetors who were to teach
them
the Dofuine and Ways of Religion, and
co
4
-compofe all troubles and differences
arifing
amongll: them : For better difpatch
c.c
of
which it was ordered,
chat
they iliould decipher and fee down by their Knots,
" a
Plat,
o'r
Map, of
all
the
Mea~ows,
Mountains?
Hills,
Arable Grounds,.
Mines,
''Salt-pans, Fountains,
Lakes,
Rivers, and Plantations of Cottons
and
Fru1t·trees;
'' together with their Flocks which produced Wool, and Herds of other
Catt~l.
"All which particulars, with many more, they ordered to be meafured, and
laid
''down dillinetly by themfelves.. As
firft
a cheme was drawn of
the
who!e
Pro–
,, vince; then how
it
was divided
into
its feveral people; and lafily, how 1t bor–
" dered on
all
parts and quarters on its Neighbours; then the length and breadth
«
of it
was
meafured, and notice taken of the quality of the Land ,
as
what
was
"barren, and what part of
it
was fruitfull; the defigo of all which was, not in or–
" der co apply any part or parcel thereof to the Efiate, or benefit of the
Inca
;
but
cc
onely that a due knowledge and confideration being had of the fruitfulne£S or fie·
'' rillty of the Land, fure and certain meafures might be the better Ulken of what
''every Countrey was able to provide and give towards their Tribute; 40d that
"having made a jufi calculate of all thing, they
might
be the better enabled co
lay
' a
due proportion of thofe fupplies which were required from them
in
rimes of
" efrilence, Famine, or other Calamities: And lafily,
it
as publlckly
romul-
" ged, and made known to every Individual perfon, what ervice the
Jnca,
or the
''
CuracM
or the Commonwealth required at
his
hand : And
lafily_,
it
~
as
Ordai-
«
ned, t 1at according to fuch Models and Meafures
as
were laid down of the Pro–
"vince,
and
the fituation of it, that Boundaries and Land-marks fi10uld be fet up
"for
diftinction and feparacion from the Frontiers belonging to the
eighbouring
" Countries. And left in times to come there fhould happen out any millakes
or
" confufion for want of due difiinCtion, they gave new and proper Names co every
cc
Mountain,
Hill,
Field, Meadow, Fountain, and all other _particular place ; and
" if any of them had Names anciently given them, they confirmed them again, ad·
''ding fomething new and more difringuifhing
5
the which will
be
more remarka-
.
'' ble when we treat of that great veneration and refpelt which the
Indians
conferve
" unto this day of feveral places. After this they divided and fuared out the Land
cc
by
·parcels to the people of the Province according to their proportions , ordering
"them efpecially to be carefull, that thefe Land thus meafured, and laid out, and
''bounded, iliould in no-wife be mixed or confounded with the Pafrurage or Moun-
" tains of other people , but that every one iliould know its own Land-marks and ·
"Boundaries allotted. The Mines of Gold and Silver, whether anciently known, or
"difcovered of late times, were allowed to the
Ct:tracas
to
enjoy for themfelves,
" their kindred and
fervants;
not for Treafure, for they contemned that, but onely
"to Adorn their Cloaths and Vefi:ments with which they were apparelled on
FefH-
,, val-days, and with fuch
a
quantity as might ferve for Cups and
effels for the
"
Cuhtca
to
drink
in, for he was flinted and limited
to
fuch a certain number o
" them : i)efides thefe
u[es,
they had little regard unto
their
Mines, but rather
fuf-
:: fered then'! to be forgotten
an~
lofi:; wl1ich was
~he
reafon, that when the
Spani..
ards
came
m,
though the
Arttfi:s
and Labourers
m
other
Crafts
were very nume-
,
" rous, yet in this alone few Founders, or skilfull in Melting Ore, were ro be found.
"Such as were employed in the King's Service were abundantly provided
with all
" Utenftls and lnftruments, together wirh Cloaths and Diet at the charge and
ex-–
~'
pence of
the
King, or
of
the
Lord. Thefe Artifis
were
obliged
co
work two
X
,
~'Months
•
I
•