423 / 1060
BooK
IX.
Royal
Commentaries.
)
;.
XXXVI.
I
,..
.,
1
The
c
al{es
which moved
Atahualpa
to
exercife
all
l}u
Cru~
~
-J
~.
••
-elties, and
the
fatal effeRs of thern.
• .. J,
,.~
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;
•
I
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B.
U T
before
\Ve
prdceed fattlier ; we are firfi
co
enquire into the Reafon which
moved
.Atahualpa
to commit all
thof~
cruelties which he aeted on
thofe
of
his
own Bloud and Family. To underfiand
wh~ch,
we
muft know, that
ac~or:·
ding
to
the ancient Laws and Statutes of that King.dam, ,mbferved from the
tune
of
rhe
Firfl:
Inca
Manco Cdpac;
uncill
the end of the Reign
of
Hudyna Capac
the
Great ;
Atahualpa.
his Son
was-
as uocipable.
of
inh€riting the. Kingdom of
·~tie,
which, like
all
the other Conquefis,
appertatn~d
to the
Imper~al ~ro
n,
-as
ae was
of
the Kingdom of
Couo;
for that the Inhentance of both
m~fpenfably
apper–
tained co
fuch an Heir, as was defcended from
a lawfull
Wife, who was to be Si·
Jler
ro
the King ; for that the Title to chat Kifigdom came a-s well
~y
the
WO–
man, as the Man's fide : And
if
in cafe this firictnefs were not obferved ; yet
to
gain him fome tolerable pretenfion , he ought at -leafi to have been the Son of a
Palltt,
that was defcended ofRoyal Bloud, for
f
uch were efieemed capable of the
Sacceflion ; but thofe who had any mixtures
'of
ForeignBlond, could never, with–
out prophanation of all their holy Sanetions, be entitled to any
!hare,
or
pare, of
the
Empire.
Now
Atahualpa
being confcious to himfelf, that he wanted
all
the
qualifications
which might render him truly and legitimately
an
Inca
;
for
he was q.either
the
Son of a
Coya
1
which fignifies a Queen, nor yet of a
Palld,
which is·a Lady of
the
Royal Bloud; but the Son onely of a Whore, that
i
1
as
a Native of
~itk
;
the-which Kingdom neither, could not of right be difinembred from otlier
part$
of the Empire. Wherefore confidering all thefe difficulties, and that though at
prefent he were vietorious, yet when with time that things were quieted and
ap–
peafed, matters would return again to their ancient courfe, and the people fee
up
one of the legitimate Line and Race in defpight
of
him, or
his
pofierity: For
the
opinion of legal Succefiion being fixed in the minds of the
Indians,
by
their
ancient Idolatry, and vain Religion , and taught and preached
to
them by
that
Dotlrine
which
the
lnca Manco Capac
firfi infiituted, and
had
ever fince, to
all A–
ges,
been maintained ; he concluded impoffible to be unriveted from them, but ·
by
an utter extirpation of that whole Race; which therefore he refolved upon,
and not onely
co
deftroy and extinguifh the true and legitimate Hfue, but
even
thofe of Bailard Families, lefi they fianding in the fame capacity of Inheritance
with him, 01ould be induced by his example to become Rivals with him
for the
Empire. "
To prevent which, no other remedy appeared, than that onely which
Tyrants
and
Ufmpers have commonly ufed, which is·
to
cut off all fuch who can have
a
Title, or Jawfull l'retenfion, to the Crown ;
fo
that neither the People
can
call:
their eyes upon any other Prince, nor yet the Ufurper hinifelf have obligations
in
confcience or iull:ice to make refiitutions : With many examples and tefiimonies
of
which,
in the like nature, both ancient and modern Hifiories furnifh us, whicn
to
avoid tedioufnefs, we
omit~
it being fufficient co ufe that fingle infiance of
th~
Ottoman
!amily, .whofe common cufiome it is to fecure the Empire
co
themfelves
a_nd
their po!l:emy, by the Death of their Brothers, and their other
near Rela-
t10ns.
.
. But greater, and
mo~e
thirfl:y
of the Bloud of his own Family, than any exer·
nfed by.the
Ot~oman
Km
gs, was the cruelty of
Atahua!p1t,
who not being
fuffici–
emly fatiated wnh the Bloud of two hundred of his Brethren, who were the Sons
of the Great
Huayna Capac,
h~
procee9ed
to
wade through deeper fireams of all
rhe Bloud
fhed from the Vems of
hIS
Uncles, Coufins, Parents and Relations
7
who were defcended by
the
dirett, or indireet:, Lines, even
co
the fourth degree ;
Fff z.
fo
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