494 / 1060
\
I
Royal
Commentaries.
BooKI.
. of the Crofs had
for
many
Ages
been conferved by them in
high
e!leem and venera–
tion, yet
it
was
not entertained with fuch devotion
as
it deferved, becaufe
th~
were
not as yet acquaimed. with
its
virtues. Wherefore now with fironger afllirance
believing, that
as
the Sign of the Crofs had tamed, and !hut the mouth of the
wild Beafi:s,
fo
as that they
could
not hurt
Pedro de Candia;
fo alfo
the
y imaginedthat
it
had
a like power to deliver them out of the hands of thefe
New.com~Guefis:
On
which confideration having adored the Crofs, they erected feveral
of them
in
their Temples, and
in
the Royal Palaces, likeTucelar Gods to
defend
their
Kingdom from the violence of Enemies.
Whence it is co be noted, that chefe Gentiles who were Idolaters, did entirely
and with an implicit faith, devote themfelves to the CrofS,
and
therewith to
tn~
belief of che whole Chriftian Doetrine before the Gofpel was preached
to them
It
i mofi certain,
chat
after the Death
of
Hua.Jna Capac
(as
we nave mentioned
at
the end of
his
Reign) the
Jndia;n
remained
in
great fear and confternation
ap–
prehending that the time approached in which ilieir Idolatrous Religion
was
~o
be
at
an end, and there
ith
their Empire, Greatnefs and Dominion was
to expire.
And though many years pafr many Predietions were uttered of
this
nature
by
their Sourhfayers and Magicians, the which were confirmed
by
their
Oracles,
and divers
Pr~digi~s.;
yet they \'ere
deliv~red
in
f~ch o~frure
terms,
that nothing
~as
clear, or mtelhg1ble, from thence, untill fuch time
as
H11ayna Capac,
by I
know
not what Spirit, explained and intet preted thofe Prophecies with fuch deamefS
as
evidently pointed at the coming of the
Spaniard.t,
and the propagation
of
th~
Gofpel, declaring that the Empire of
Peru
was
to end with
his
Life.
And
this
is
the
crue reafon \ hy the
Indians
adored and worfhipped the
Spaniards
for
Gods,
with fuch
humility
and
fub~on,
as
we have declared;) being certainly
alfured)
that thefe were the people
in
whom the Prophecy of their King was to
be accom–
plHhed.
Of all
thefe matters
Hernando de S oto,
and
Pedro del Barco,
gave due
intelligence
to their Captain,General, with farther information of the incredible
Riches found
in that
City,
which were beyond
all
imagination,
as
alfo of the
kind
treatment,
duty and refpett, which they had received from the
Indians,
by virtue of
chat Edilt
and Command which
Atahualpa
had caufed to be proclaimed
in
all parts of his
Dominions in favour of the
Spaniard.1.
In
like manner the other four Spies,
dr
Difeo\ erers, which were fent
into
other parts, difpatthed their Inforrnacions of
all things they had feen, and which had happened co them.
All
which news de...
laring the immen[e Riches, and the adoration
hich was paid
to
their
Com–
panion , the mher
Spaniard.s
received with great joy and fatisfatl:ion:
Bur
as ro
che
1-r
phecies of
Huay11a
Capac,
they efreemed them for no other than
Wicclr
crafcs and orceries
of
the
I ndians,
of~
hich they made no account or
elleem.
HAP.
/