216 / 1060
•
•
•.
Royal
Corfzmentaries.
BooK
VI.
neral Rules; for
in
the account made of Men and
omen marri d, there
was
another firing annexed to it, which figrµfied Widm s, and Wido 'ers of
fuoh
an
age;
all
which accounts ferved onely for one
ear.
Thefe Knots exprefled number ·n their
fe
eral orders,
as by
units,
tens,
hun–
dreds, thoufands, tens of thoufand , but feldom \ ent
fo
far as
to
hundreds
of
thoufands; but in cafe they iliould have had occafion
to
ha
e
arifen to
fo
great
a
number, no doubt but their Language, which
is
full
and copiou, \\oald
have
found '' ords fufficient to exprefs that (um, and the greateft number to '
hich
Arithmetick could arrive.
All
hich Accounts were made by Knors on
firings,
one underneath the other, and knit on a cord,
as
the knots are on the Girdle of
t.
Francis.
At the top ofthe cord the greatefi: number
as
placed,
as
the
tens
of thoufands,
under that flood the thoufand , and
lafi
of all was the place of the units;
all which
were placed direCl:ly with ex Clne
one under the oth
r, as
our good Accoun·
tan , \
ell
skilled
in
the Art ofCyphering, are ufed to fet and
lace their
figures.
The
Indians
who kept the
fk.ipUJ
,
or to whofe charge the keeping
of
Accotincs
was
committed, ' ere called
~ipumayu,
and were efieemed
en of good
repu..
ration, and chofen for that ervice, on good affurance and
roof of their fidelity
and
honefiy; and though the fimplicity of thofe people
in
that Age
was
ith–
out any mixture
of
malice, and that the frrietnefs of the government admitted
no cheats, or frauds on any fcore
hacfoever; yet notwithfianding great· care
was
taken
to
chufe Men for this work of approved Ability, and of a cried and
expe–
rienced aithfulnefs and Probity.
or indeed Offices
ere never amongft them
chofen for favour, nor bought, or fold, becaufe that Mo ey
was
not current a–
mongfr
them~
but
it '
1
a
errue and Merit
onely which purchafed
a Truft
and
Office : And hough uying and fellini
was
n.otkno n
to
them, yet it '
as
or
dinary
for
them to truck or barter their pro
vi!ions of ood one for the other;
but nothing elfe either of
Garmen ,
Houfes, or Inheritance.
The
2-_uipucamay~,
or Accountan
,
being
l
oneft and faithfull,
as
we have
faid) ferveCI
in
the nature
ofR~fl:ers,
of hich there were four
~t
leall: appointed
for
e
ery
Lineage, or eople, how little foever it were; and
in
ca~
the Counrrey
as
great, they entertained twenty or thirty ; for though one Accountant might
· have ferved the
rum,
yet
to avoid
all mifiakes
and frauds, chey judged
it
requi-
fite to conllirute
many
in
an
ffice of fuch importance.
·
C
H
A ·P.
X.
What
it
was
that
they
fet down
and placed in thei
·
Accounts;
and how
they
11,nderflood the111.
· ALL
the Tribute that
t
as
yearly payable to the
Inca,
was
paffed co accoun ,
as
alfo what
very
amil}', ac ording to their degrees, and qualities, \\ere
t
y.
The people likewife \\
1
ich
w
nt
co theWar \ ·ere numbred;
and
Bills·of
ortality ''ere kept of many
d
ed , and were
rn,
or mifcarried by any
i
ent; which were
all
noted
in
the
month \\·herein hey
hapJ
ened.
In
tbort,
rhe noted e
ery
thing hat co
fall
under
umeration,
as
hmv many
B
re
or
kirmifh
were fought, hov many
baffadours had
een fem to the
Inca,
n · ho"
many
An!\
e
the
ing had
been
pleafed co r
turn
rhereunt .
But
h
t
rhe fubftan
f
tho e
affi
w
,
or
what
''ere the
amcula
of
the
ifcourfi, or what
oc
ences aifed
in\
ay ofHillory,
were
too \atious
t
reffed by the arrenn
f5
of heir
, \\ hich fe ed one
y_
for
number
,
u no
fc
r_ \ ·or
· ' herefor ro
fu
ply
·
defe
hey framed certain
iftorical
gl
i
k , '' hich
ed
fc
r
onument ,
in
an
obf
cure m nner,
of h
had
..