4000003870

•

Royal

Commentaries.

Of the Words which

Huayna

Capac

uttered relating to the

Sun.

King

Huayna

Capac

(as we have

faid)

commanded his Army

return

from the Province called

PaJfau,

the which he

made

his extreme

and

frontier Countrey to the Northward ; which having done, he

returned

again

Couo

vifiting his Provinces

the way, doing them all che favours he was able,

and

ad~inifiring

Jafiice to thofe which did demand it of

him.

Returning at length to

Couo,

a.fter this long Journey of fome years,

arrived

there about the time that the

principal

Feaft of the SW1 was to be cel7brated, cal–

led

Raymi :

And the

Indians

tell us a

fi~ry,

that

l!POO

.one

day

of the nme, that

t!lls

Fell:ival continued, the

Inca

cook a liberty

fix

his

eyes upon the Sun, which

was a

freedom

yet

unknown, and efieemed a prophanation

to doe, or to behold

the circle wherein be moved; on which objelt, whilft for fometime he continued

his

fight, the

Hi~h

Prieft, who was one of his Uncles, and ftood next to

him,

faid,

Inca, what

you doe

k._nuw

you not that this is not

la:wfkll?

Hereat the King withdrew his Eyes

for

awhile, but prefently after lifting them

again,.

fixed them upon the Sun ; which the High

Prieft

obferving, reproved

him.for

it,

and told

hlm,

Sir, confider what

you

doe, for

you not one(J doe an allion

-ghich

Hnlawf11ll in

falf,

hutyou give

ill

example and fcandal to aflyour Court, and the

people

your

Dominions,

who 11re here

prefent

to perform that venerable adoration which they

owe toyour Father,

their foie and fHpreme Lord.

Hereupon

HHayna Capac-

turning

to the High

Prieft,

told

him,

that he would ask him two

~efiions,

which he

required him to make anfwer unto :

I heing

(

faid he)

your King and Hniverfal Lord;

there any

you fo bold

to command me for your pleafure to

ari.fo

from

fe11t,

and taf<!

(ourney to thofc part.t where11nto

you

fhall direll

How,

repl

ied the High

Prieft~

can anJ perfon be

impudent and daring

there Any Curaca

id the

Inca) the moft

rich

11nd powerful/

of all

SH6jells, who will adventure to difo/;ey my Commanh,

cafa

fho11ld

difpeed him

po.ft

from hence into the moft re'mote parts of

Chili

No,

replied the

High

Priefi,

there

can

not c4rtain!J be

ll'!J

who dares to difobeyyou,

<tr

refufe yo11r COT1Jmand.t

even

to death.

Then

(

faid the

King)

it be fo, there

mu.ft

ome other whom Our

Fa–

ther the Sun

ta~es

and

efteems for a more fupreme, and

more

powe

rf11/l Lord than himfalf

;

111hofe

Commands he every

day

meafures the compa{s

the Heavens, without any intermiffion,

hour

repofe;

for

were abfolute, and

tit

his

own

difpofal, he would certain!J allot

hi.mfe!f

fame time of cef{11tio11, though

were one!J t(} pleafe his own humour and fancy, with–

out

other conjideration

than

that

liherty

and

change.-

For this Speech and others of

the like ature, which the

Indians

reported of this Prince, the

Spaniards

conceived

grea an opinion of his judgment and underfianding, that they believed the

fubtilcy

his

wit

would very eafily have comprehended, and given admiffion

the ·Do&ines of the Catholick Faith. A certain

s11mifh

Caprain, who might

have heard this Story of

Huayna Capac,

for

was commonly difcourfed

Peru,

did make himfelf the

Authour

of this Saying, and recounted it

Acofta

for

his

own. This

Acofta,

the

fifth

Book of his Hillary of the New World, menti–

ons this particular Saying, which

attributed to

HuaynA Capac,

but names not the

perfon by whom it was uttered : but reports,

That there was a certain

Inca,

:: a perfon

fubtile wit, and refined underfianding, who obferving how his

Aftcefiour~

had

a!ways adored the Sun

for a

God, fee

med

to wonder at

it,

and

faid~

that

was 101poffible for the Sun to

God.

F.or

God was certainly a

great Lord, who formed and aeted all his matters

with q

uiet and fetclement ;

but that the Sun was a thing always in motion, which was contrary

the un–

;;

alter~ble

Being of

~od

His

reafon

was

admirably good and fouod ; and

Cuch

" as

be1~g

well explamed

the

Indians,

might effettually have convinced them

_ of their errours and follies. Thus far are the Words of

.Llcofta;

with which