4000003870

·,.

Royal

Com1nentaries.

HAP.

VII~

The

Original

of th'e

Incas,

WhO

~eYe

Rings

Perri.

,..

T,.

Here

People living

~nd

dying

t~a~ ~a~n~,

as we

hav~

before

declare~,

pleafed God at laft that forne little l1ght

fhoul.d .

dawn

from

the mormngj

and through

the

dark

clouds

Ignorance and

Stup1d!tY

dart.a fmall ray of

~he

Law

of Nature into their hearts,

that

learnin° fomethmg

of that refpe

tl: wluch_

one man

ought

co bear

unto

another, they

mi~lt

bY. degrees

improve.in

morality,

and from Beafl:s be converted into Men, and made capable

ofReafon an

d Under–

fianding· that

when the fame God, who is the Sun

ofJuflice,

fhould think

fit

Hf~e

out

the light of his Divine Rays on thofe poor 1dolaters, they

might

be found more docible, and eafily difpofed

receive the principles of the

Cbri~

ftian faith; the which

will

pl~inly

appear in

the

progrefs of this Hifiory ;

;and

that

thole,

whom the

IncM

had fubjeeteCl, and reduced

fome tetms

H'umaiiity

and Political Government, were much better and eafier to recei'!Te die Evangelical

.Do&ine preacheil unto them, than tbofe ignorant wretches who lived in thei,r qa–

tural fiupidity, aqd who

t:o

this day, after the fpace of

~ars, tha~

the

Spam–

ards

have been Mall:ers of

Peru,

have made

fiep or improv-ement towards the

Do&ine ofMorality, or a rational Life. And now that we may proceed for–

ward,

relate thefe obfcnre matters, I mufi:

acquain~

the Readei·,

th~t

having

confidered

with

[elf

the ways and

methods whereby

I might moft clearly;

m~e

known the beginning and original of the

lncM,

who were

toe

Natrifal.

Kings

e~,

I have determined with my (elf, that there ,is no more expetdite

<:ourfe; nor means hereunto, than to' repeat thofe frories which in

yourli I re-

ceived

frQm the relation of

my.

Mother, and

~ny

Uncles, -her Brothers, a:nd prhers

of my Kindred, touching

this

fobjeCl:, which certainly .

will

be more authentitk

and

fatisfaetory.than any account we ·can receive from ocher A:uthours, and there-

fore fhall proceed in

this

manner.

, .

. .

. My

Mother, refiding at

co~co,

which

was

her own

Couotr~y,.

thofe few Kin-!

dred and Relations of hers which fur

vived, and

efcaped

from

the

cruelti~s

ancl

Tyrannies of

Atar1h!'alpd,

(a:s {hall be

related.in

the

~ill:ory

of his life) came al–

moft every

week to mak

e her a vifit ;

at which

their ordinary difcourfe was con–

cerning

thy

Original.of

their Kings, the Majefiy, and greatnefs of their Empire,

their

Conqu

elts, and Po

licies in

Government both for War and Peace, together

with.the Laws they infiituted for

th~

good ai1d benefit of their fubjelts: in fhort,.

thete was

nothing

great

profperous

amongfi: them,

which

they omitted in che

Series of their Difcourfe.

From

their

pafi:

Happinefs

t11ey

defcended

tC>

their prefent condition ; a·nd be–

wailed the death of their Kings, by who(e deftruetion the government fell, and ·

the Empire was transferred. Thefe, and fuch like difcourfes, the

Incas,

and .the

Ladies ofquality, which we pll

PallM,-

entertained us with at their

vilits,

which

~hey

always concluded

with tears and figbs

,in

~emembrance

of their loft h?ppinefs,

~mg,

th;it from Governours they were nowbecome Slaves,

& c.

During rbefe

~tfcourfes,

I, that was a Boy, often.ran in .and out, pleafing

felf with fome

\)1eces of the fiory, as Children do with the tales of Nurfes.

this manner da s

abn~

momhs, and years

p~ffing,_ til~

I was come to Gxteen or fevemeenyears ofage;

emg one day prefent wuh

Kindred, who

were

difcourfing of their

Kings

and

Anc~fi:ours,

~am~

into

mi~d

ask

the

moll

elderly Perfon

amongfi

rhem,

and rntenupt his

D1fcourfe m

this manner.

Inca,

[aid

and mj

Vnc!e,

how

Pof[ihle,

fince you have .

no ";:irings

that.y ou have

been able to

coeferve

the

memory

thi;igs

paf!,

and

.'Of

the

Orz:z,tnal

of our

Kings?

obferv_e

that the

Spaniards,

and

thei–

":'ghbcurmg

~atwn.s,

.hav-t

t~eir

Divine

llnd

H:1man~.

Hiflrrt'if!s,

wh.ereby

they

learn the

time

that thesr

()Wit

Kings, and the Princes o+ otber

Cot-.-ntries

6e<lan

their

Reiuns

when and

, ,

~w mp

tr~s

wer_e

:alt

ere

an4

t ransf

e?Te~ ;

na.!,

far

they _Procee4,

tell,_#

how

r1~m;

h.oufa.nd

1-ears are

paft,

fince

God created

He~veli

and Earth: all

which}

and

much

more>.

ihe.;'