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Royal
Commentarier.
BooKI
•
he
fadly
fufpeeted that the
Fury
of thofe Jars would at lafl turn
to
his defiruction.
the which Fear and Apprehenfion '"·as increa[ed by the Oracles, which were
no~
become
filent
to all his
QQ_eftions
and
Deman~,
and
by
the reports
which
the
Indian.r
gave him ofnew Stars, and Comets, which appeared, all which, in times
of
lefs
Extremity
than
the prefent, '''"ere ever
interpreted as bad Omens, and
fig–
nal
and, according
to
their fuper!Htious Obfefvations, were
efleemed
to por–
tend utter
Defiruetion and
Ruine.
But
that which above all things appeared fatal to
him,
was a
certain
great
Co–
met of a darkifh green colour, little lefs in breadth than the Body of a Man and
of
a yard in length, which fhewed
it
felf at
night,
being much of the
fam~
ftZe
and !hape as that
which
appeared
before
the
Death
of
his
Father
Huayna Capac
of which
when
Atahualpa
had
notice
given him,
he
was extremely troubled
and
defired
the
Spaniards
to
give
him
the leave and liberty to be broaghc forth,
that
he
might
fee
it
with his own
Eyes;
which when he had done, he was
fo
firuck with
fadnefs and melancholy, that, as formerly, he became fullen
and filent,
and
would
entertain no converfe with any Perfon wbatfoever; the
reafon
of which, when
PifarrfJ
had preifed very
earnefl:ly
to
know,
Atahualpa
to
farisfie him
gave
him
this
.Anfwer.
Apn,
faid he, (which
is
General)
I
am now af[ured that the
time
of~
Dettth approaches, being certified thereof
hy
the appearance
ef
thu Comet ,
for
that another
of
the lik! nature with thu fhewed
it
[elf
not ma?!J days
hefore
the death
of~
Father;
and
in regttrd
that
fuch
Prodigies
in
the Heavens do always
precede
the D eath
of
King.r, and
por–
tend
nothing
hut
ea/amities, and the Subverfion
of
Empire.1, I c11.nnot
hut
imagine
111.J
[elf
con
cerned, heing to leave
~
J(j.ngdoms hefore
I
have enjoyed them.
I ndeed when
I
faw
my
{elf
fir.ftin Chain1.,
I
tho11ght there
wonld
he little diftance hetween
my
Imprif'onment
and
my
Grave, of
which
I
am now
ful!J
urtified
hy
thu
Comet ; and now
1 have given
you
the
real
Caufe
of
thio
my
fadnefs.
The Governour, to comfort
him, bid
him
be
of
good courage,
and
not
to
nufr
or
confide
in
f
uch fignals, to which no Credit was ro be given ; for that on
the contrary he
might
iliortly expeet
to
be
:freed from his irnprifonment,
and refto–
red to
his
Kingdom. Howfoever
Atahualpa,
whofe
aith was
placed
in
the
fu.
perfiition
ofhis
Gentilifm, gave no belief to the
afiurance
of
Pif arro,
but
rernai..
ned
in
his
Dumps, and difconfolate as before.
Peur
de
Ciera,
in the
65th
Chap-.
ter of
his
Book, mentions
the fame concerning
this Comet,
and tells us how
fu–
perilitious
thofe
Indians
were
in
thefe Afuological Obfervation .
Atahualpa
giving
entire credit
to
thefe Prefages,
wholly funk in his
Courage,
and
defpaired
of
his
Liberty, not being able
to put
the thoughts
of Death out of
his
minCi;
the
which accordingly happened fifteen days after the appearance ofthe
Comee,
as
Ciefa
confirms
in
the
aforefaid Chapter.
HAP.