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VI.
Royal
CfJmmentaries.
XXII.
Of the Divinations nzade from thefe Sacrifices, and the
Fire
with which
they
were
confu111eJ.
T. ...
HE
moll: happy Omen ofall they held to be the throbs and palpitations of
the
Lungs,
which
if
they
fiill
moved, and continued living when they
were firft drawn from the Body, they then efieemed
the
Omen certainly good,
and could difpence with other lefs promifing
Sy~ptoms,
for that diis bad a fupe–
riour and an over-ruling power over all other uri.lucky appearances. Then they
drew out the
Guts,
and olowing
them
up with Wind, tbty
tied
the neck very
hard
and clofe, and they preffed
them
on each
fide
with
tlleit
Hands, obferving
by which way theWind found its eafieft paffige into the Veins and Lungs, ·which
the more they
f
welled, and became replete with Wind, the better was the Omen
accounted. There were many other particulars obferved tby them, whiGh
I
have
forgotten, but thefe which
I
have before
meotion~d
I
anuvell a!fured of, having
noted them
in
my
Journals, and remember, that when
-I
was a
Y
ouch,
I
faw
them twice performed by certain old
Indians,
not as yet baptifed;
I
do not mean
the Sacrifice of
&ymi,
for that was abolllhed long before
I
was born ; one!J the
fuperllitious infpecHon into rhe Entrails pf Lambs, and Sheep,
in
order to Divi–
nation; and the Sacrifices of them after fuch infpeetion was
Hill
continued in
my
time, the which Sacrifices were offered after the manner of thofe at the principal
Feafis.
It was held for a very bad Omen
if
the Lamb, or Sheep, after they had
opened his
fid.
e, proved fo ll:rong as to
be
able by firugling to get the Maftery of
them which held him, and to fiand upon his Feet.
It was alfo ell:ee,med for
a
bad Omen,
if
in drawing out the Entrails the mouth of the Small-guts broke
offfrom the Ligatures of the Stomach,
fo
asJnot to come out whole and entire.
It
was
alf
o
a
bad Omen for the Lungs to come forth bruifed, or broken, or
the
Heart
wounded; befides other things, as
I
have faid, which
r
neither noted, nor
made enquiry of, onely thefe
I
remember, being told me by <;ertain
Indians,
whom
I found offering thefe
Sacrific~;
and indeed they were willing
c0
be free with
me,
and refolve me in any thing
I
~ked
them concerning their good or bad Omens;
for
I
being then but a Youth, they entertained no jealoufit or fufpicion of me.
But to return to the Solemnity of the Fefiival
of
R1tymi,
we farther fay,
If
the Sa–
crifice
of the Lamb declared not that fortunate Omen which was delired, then
they .made trial of another
with
a Ram, and if that neither promifed
fair
or hap–
py
Tidings, then they confulted the Bowels of
a
harren Ewe, and if that
alfo
did
not foretell fomething more hopefull, they then proceeded in their Sacrifices and
Solemnities of the Feafr, with Sorrow and Mourninft, faying, that the Sun their
Father was
for
fome Crime, or Omiffion in his Service, angry and difpleafed with
them, and therefore in vengeance thereof, expetted the punilhment of War or
Famine,
or fome other Judgment;
but
then when the Omens were happy and
fmiling,
they rejoiced with high contentment, being full
of
hopes and expetl:ati–
ons of fortunate fucceffes.
~his
Sacrifice of
the
firfl:
Lamb, from whence they made their Divinations,
bemg offered
?
great dro_ves of
Lamb~
and Sheep were b_wJught afterwards for the
C?mmon Sacrifice; but then they did not open their fiaes, being alive, as they
did the
firfi,
but after the ufual manner they fairly cut their Throats and Bead
~em;
the Bloud they faved, and with it offered the Heart unto
th~
Sun, bur–
!lmg the Body altogether, until! the whole Lamb was confumed, and converted
mto Afhes.
The Fire for that Sacrifice was to be new, and then kindled (as they called
it)
from the hand
of
the
~un
; to .allight this Fire they made ufe of a great Braceler,
worn by. the High Pnefr, which
they
called
Chipana,
being after the fafhion of
thofe which the
Incas
commonly put on the Wrill: of their Lefc-hand; this being
greater