4000003870

BooK

II.

Royal

Conun~ntarie1.

HAP.

What a certain Authour reports of

the

Incan

Kings

and

their Subjetls..

114

ralera

difcourfing

the

Wif

edom, Abilities, Prowefs

and

Valo~r

-rhe

Indians

Ptru,

he gives this Charaeter of them, as follows; which.

the

rather mention becaufe

conduces much to the matter .m hand, and

will

reive to confirm what we have already faid,

and

what we

lhall

hereafter report.

'' The People of

Peru

exceed mofi

Nations

of the World in quicknefs ofWit,

'' and

firength of Judgment, the which

appears

that they have been able·

" without the help of Letters ,. to attain unto the knowledge of many things,

'' which the learning of the

Egyptianir~

Ctldcans

and

Greek!

could never reach; fo

tfo~t

jn place of their Knots, they had

ma~e

ufe ?f

Lette~s,

they had

~ur" paifed

the

Rom11ns,

and

Galls,

and

other Nations;

all pomts of Leammg

" whatfoever. That mdenefs of Manners which apjlears

.in

them at prefenc,

'' not for want

Natural

Parts, or

Endowments ofMind, but

for

want of prac–

" tice

the Fafhions and Cufioms of

Europe,

and

Infiruetours

Liberal.Sci–

'' cnces, being taught nothing but what relates to Interefi: and Gain ; for fuch of

'' them as have Mafiers, or Teachers, and leifure tiqie, and liberty

co learn;

nay,

" if they do but fee

thing, they

will

imitate

exaetly, withour

Peing

caught,

" that they become better Arrills and Mechanicks than

the

Sp1miardJ

theinfelves,

~nd

would

b~come

better Scholars in reading

and

Writing,

and

be more expert

'' in all

for~

of mufical

Inllruments

than the

Spaniards,

bad they onely the ad·

" vantage ofbeing

cau~ht;

nor would they prove

ill

&holars

the Latin Tongue:

'' And moreover they are not more ignorant

our Books, than we are

the

" knowledge of theirs;

for

though .we have now lived amon.gfl: them> and

have

'' had Converfation with them

for

fevemy Years, yet have not attained to the

" knowledge of their Knots, nor the nature of their Accounts; when they in a

" fuort time have attained to the knowledge of our Lett.ers

anrl

Ciphers; .

which

" are

evidences of their Ingenuity,

and'

good capacity : And as to their Memory,

'' ·they generally exceed the

Spaniard!,

having by their Knots, and Joints of their

" Fingers, figured feveral Common places, out of which they do extraet par–

'' ticulars .

their due Order

for

the help and

benefit

of the Memory,

Arrd

'' what

more firange, the fame Knots ferve for divers Pa:lfages, and Arguments

'' of Hifiory; and giving them onely the Subject, they will run on

with

a Hifl:o–

" ry

as currently as a Reader can

his

Book; which

an Art unto which no

Spa–

niard

as yet hath been able

attain, nor know

what manner,

perfor–

" m€d;

and are

all

good

Arguments

of the acate Judgment and

great

Memory

" of the

fndiam.

'' As to their Art in Military

Affairs, take all

things

their due Circumfiances,

" the

-People of

Peru

are more expert than thofe of

Europe;

for

.fhew me the

molt

'' brave and fam6us_Captains of

Spain

France,

on Foottwithouc Horfes with·

'' out Armour, without Lance, Sword, Piftol, or other Fire-arms; let them ap–

'' pear in

their Shirts

without Cloths with

Sling inllead of

Girdle and their

;; Heads

~overed

with a Cap

Feathers, or Garland of Flowers, infread of

H~ad-p1ece,

or Steel Bergandme; let

chem

march

with

tbelr bare Feet over

Bn~rs,

Thoms~

let

~heir

Diet

~erbs,

and Roots of the Field,

carrying

a p1t?ce of a

M~t

m their Left hands mfiead of a Buckler· and

this

manner

le~

thetp enter the Field to blunt

the Ed

ges ofSwords, anci'Halbards, and Pikes

with

diree.

Forks; and

le~

thell!

fia.nd

the Stone-flings, the poifoned Arrows,

an.cl

the

sk1lfull

Ar~her, wh~~h

wil

l hit r

Ey~,

or the Heart, or any thing;

this

naked and fimple condmoh they become Conquerours,

will

then

fay,

that

th~y

deferve the Fame

apd

Reputation

qf yaliant

Captains above the

Indi11n1 ,

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