4000003870

Royal

Commentaries.

in the year

1p.3,

after he

had

reigned forty two years, as is recorded

B'41

4 _

!era"'

and found in his loofe and fcattered Papers, wherein he writes as a curious

Antiquary of the Original and Antiquity of thofe Kings.

H11ayna

Capac

lived eight years after the News was brought him that the

firft

Difcoverers of thofe Countries coafied along

his

!bore; during which time he

tan extraordinary watch on the Coafr, and attended wich greater care co pre–

ferve his people

Peace and Concord; not being willing to extend and

employ

his force into new Conquefis, unrill fuch time as he was well affured of

the

na–

ture and condition of that people, who in a Ship frequented and vifited his Ports

And herein

~as

the more troubled upon remembrance of the Prophecy of

ancient Oracle, ' hich foretold them , that after fuch a Number of years, and af–

ter the Regin of

many Kings, there iliouki arrive firange Nations, never before

1een in thofe parts, who fhould cake their Kingdom from them, and deHroy their

Government and Idolatrous Religion: the which Prophecy was fulfilled

this

Inca,

as\ e iliall fee in the fequel of this Hill:ory.

And as a preparative hereunto,

happened out three years before this Shlp was

feen on the Coafl: of

Peru,

that a prodigious and ominous fight appeared at

Co~

which greatly affelted

Huayrza

Capac,

and afionifhed all the Empire: the

occafio~

was this: That hilft they were celebrating the folemn Fell:ival, which was

year–

dedicated to their God the Sun, a Royal Eagle (which they call

Anca)

\X.~as

feea

aring in the Air, and purfued by five or fix Kefl:rels, and other Hobbies,

and

fmaller Hawks

of which fome, for the ra

y of them, have been brought

into

Sp11in,

where they are called

Aletos,

and

Peni

Huaman;

the which exchanging

their

blm~

sand llrokes on the Eagle, would not fuffer him

efcape in his flight,

but killed him with. the flutters of their wings. . The Eagle not being able longer

to defend

felf,

feµ

down in the middle of the Market-place amongfi the

IncM,

n1e had implored their defence and fuccour ; -and they willingly received

her, and finding her body covered over with fcurf, as with a fcab, and plumed of

all her fmaller Feathers, nourifhed her with all the care imaginable ; but nothing

availing

doe her good, lhe died

a few days, not being able

raife her felf

ftom the ground. The

Inca

and his Minifters judged this to

a bad Omen of

what was to fucceed ; and the Afirologers and Diviners interpreted the matcer to

pr~fage

no lefs than the defrruetion, and total ruine of their Empire and Religion ;

which alfo being followed by great Earthquakes in divers places, and fuch a were

fo extraordinary and violent, as to overturn many nigh Moumains ; the Prodigies

feemed terrible, and fuch as were the certain fore-runners of difmal

udgmems.

The

Indians

alfo, who inhabited the Sea-coafi, obferved that the

tide~

in their eb–

bings and flow ings did not keep their ufual courfe, nor did the waters contain

thernfelves

ithin

their

doe bounds

Comets alfo, and firange Apparitions were

feen in the Air ; and to encreafe this terrour, the Moon

as obferved in a

clear

and bright night to be encompaffed with three large

Haloes,

or Circles; the

fufr

''as fa bloudy colour; the fecond ofa blackifh,· inclining

green; and the third

as like a rnifi, or fmoak. A certain Magician ( whom the

l ndians

call

L!ayca)

having feen and confidered thefe prodigious Circles about the Moon, entred with

a fad and

·eeping countenance into the

pr~fence

Huayna Capac,

and "' ith tears

his eyes told him, and faid,

you

alone,

Sir,

appertains to kpow, that the

Moon

yom· Mother,

om and

tender

Parent,

makes

kpown 1mto

you, that the

Pachacamac,

who

the

Creatour

and

Suftainer

all

things,

-doth

threaten

your

Royal Fttmi!J

ttnd

E?fr

pire

with

grievom

'fudgments,

which he

dejigns

fend

upon

your

people :

For

fhe

firft blo11d]

Circle

prognofticates

;

that

after

you are

gone

with

your

Fath,r

the

~tm,

that

thrn

moft

terrible

Wars

Jhall

arifa

among.ft

thofe

of yoHr

own

Line

and

Fami!J,

which will open

large an

effnjion of

Royal

Bloud,

will

be .f

ufficient in

A-

few yearJ to

extingHijh .JOHY

whole

Race

and

Progeny.

Which having faid, fie let fall fuch a fl.oud of tears, that he was

not able farther to utter his words : But at length having a little recovered

hirn–

felf, he proceeded, and faid,

The facond

Circle,

11'hi°ch

hlacfv threatens

your

S11b–

je[fs

with

total

dej/rl!Elion

and

fabverjion

oHr

Rdigirm-

Government,

cmtfed 6;

the

Wars

andDij{cntion.1

)'OJtr

own Fami!J;

aifd

that

then

your

Empire jha!l

6e alienated and

trttnflated

to another people,

and

your

Greatntfs

vanqmfh

into

.fmoak.._tmd

vapoll";,

hich

tJ,e jignlficati"on of

the third Circle.

Tbe

Inca

great!J ajfonifhed with

thu

difmal Pre–

diilion

;

h/Jw(oever, not

ew fe

ar,

and meannefJ

fpirit,

bid

the Magician

begone, for

thefe

are

(faid he)

hut

your

La.ft

nightJ

Dreams,

-which thou

declareft

me for

Revela110:

¥ind

Adviecs

fr{)TJ'J

Mother

th~

Moon.

NQ,

faid the Magician

thtrt

ott

give

bfmr