4000003870

BooK

Royal Com1nentaries.

the[e

were. This

Acoffa

treating farther of thefecJ3odies, in the 6th

C~apter

of his

th Book, hath thefe Words which follow_.

the

firfi:

place,

1tn. he

" they had an Art to conferve the Bodies of their Kings, ·and Great Me_n,

w1.rh

–

" out fiinking or corruptiqn, for the fpace of above two hundred

ea!s;

w hKh

'' manner the

Bodies

of the

Inca-Kings

were found

Coz.co

ereeted

their

Cha–

" pels

and Oratories, where they were adored; whi

ch the

Marquefs of

Cannete,

'' when

he was

Vice-roy of the

lndieJ,

caufed to be removed from thence, that he

" might

abolifh the Idolatrous WorG1ip,

which

they performed towards them,

'' and rranfported three or four of them to a place called the King's Town;

which

'' appeared very firange and fiupendious to the

Spaniard.r,

to fee Bodies after

'' many

years

firm

and found as they were. Thefe are the Words of

Acoj}a,

from whence

obferve,

that

thefe Bodies

had

been removed to the

King's

To vn

almofi twenty years before he haq

fight of them; which being a hot and moiil:

Air,

was more apt

taint and corrupt Flefh, than the cold and

~fry

Air of

Cozco

;

and yet nocwithftanding he

faith, That

twenty Years

af~er

their

r~moval

they

were

frill

firm and uncorrupt, as formerly, and appeared with fuch Life,

~hat

they

wanted onely Speech to make them feem to be living.

am of opinion, that rhe

way

conferve Bodies,

after they are dead

carry them to the Mountains of

Snow,

here being well dried, and congealed

the cold; and

all

humours con–

fumed and digell:ed; then afterwards to apply that bituminous matter, which

may

plump up the Flefh; and render it

full

and folid as the Living. But

onely

ad–

venture on this conjeCl:ure, from what

have feen the

Indians

doe, when they

have carried

piece of raw Fleili into the cold Mountains, where after it hath

been we11 dried by the Froll: , they have kept it as long as they pleafed with–

out

falt,

or any other prefervative; and

this

was the manner which the

ln~tU

ufed,

for

drying

and keeping

all the

flelh Provilions which they carried for Food

maintain their Army.

remember that

once touched

finger of

Huayna

Capac,

which feemed to me like a ll:ick ofwood; and

light were thefe Bodies,

that an

Indian

could ealily can-y one of them in his Armes; or on his Shoulders,

to the Houfes of

Spanifh

Gentlemen, who defired to fee them. When they car–

ried them through the Streets, they covered them with white Linen; and the

Indiam

falling dm,:rn on their knees before them, fighed, and wept, !hewing them

all the reverence imaginable; and fome of the

Spaniard.r

alfo

would take off

their

Caps, and uncover tlieir Heads to them, as they paffed, in tefiimony of the re·

fpett they bore to the Bodies of Kings; with which the

Indians

were

pleafed,

and overjoyed, that they knew not in what manner to exprefs their thankfulnefs

them.

This

all

that we

have

been able to deliver concerning the Attions of

Piraco–

cha

particular; the other Monuments and Sayings of this famous King are

loft

for want of Letters and Learning

record them to pofrerity

and have incurred

the Fate of many famous Men, whofe glorious'·Exploits and Deeds have been

buried in the Graves with them.

Onely

Blas

Paler~

reports·one memorable Saying of dtls

Vira~ochtt,

which

being

often repeated

hun,

was

obferve~

three.

IncM,

who kept it in remembrance

as aJfo

t~e

Say

mgs.

of fome other

Kings, which

fhall

hereafier fpecifie. ·

That

which this

Inca

delivered, had reference

the

education of Children, of which

he was made the more fenfible , by that Severity and Disfavour with which he

'":as

treated by

Father in the tin:e of

his

,Min?rity; his Saying was

this,

That

P~rmts

are oftentimes the caufe of rume to their Ch&ldren, when ezther they educate them

with foch fondne}.r, that they never crof.r them in their 11/ill.r, or dejires, but folfer them to

afl and doe whatfoever they pleefe, whereby they become

corrupt in tht manners of their in–

fancy~

that Vice grow.r ripe w_ith

t~em

at the Years

Manhood.

Other.r, on the contrary ,

1tre

fevere and cruel to their Children, that they break,_ the tendertJefs

their Spirits,

Pl.nd

ajfnght

th~

from learning, difcouraging them in that manner by menaces and lectures

a faperc1bous Pedant ·' that their

~fr~

are aba.fed, and dejpair of attaining to knowledge

11nd.

-Oertue.

'Ibe

~ay

to k!ep an indifferent mean between both.,

/;y

which Youth becomes

71altant and harqy m War,

~nd

wife

a_nd political in the time

Peace,

With which

BIM

Valera

(Oncludes the

Reign

of this

Inca Vir_acocha.

BOOK