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Royal
Commentarier•
.
BooK
IV.
·
CH A P. VII.
Of other Women, who conferved their Virginity,
and ofWidows.
B
Efides the[e Virgins, who lived Reclufes in Ooiíl:ers, under the Vow of
per–
petual Chaíl:ity, there were many other Women ofRoyal Bloud, wqo lived
in retirement, and vowed to confer~e their Virginity, though with liberty to go
abroad and vifü their neareíl: Relat1ons, and afliíl: the fick, and Wornen in their
Travel;, and to be prefent at the Ceremony of ~aving, when they gave
a
Name
'to their firíl:-born. Thefe Women were held
m
greac Eíl:eem and Veneration
for
their Chafüty, and purity of their Lives; giving them by way ofRxcellency'
or of fome Vertue Divine, the T,itle of
(!celo,
which fignifies fomething óf fuper~
eminent Sanfüty; and this their Chafüty was not pretended, or feigned, bue
true and real; for if any falfity or hypocrifie were difcovered in
it,
they burnc
rhem alive, or threw them to the Lions to be devoured.
I
remernber that
I
knew
one of chefe that was very ancient, and bad never been married, which they cal–
led
Ocelo;
fomecimes íhe vifited my Mocher, and, as
I
have heard, íhe was her
Aune by the Grandfacher;
l
can fay,
I
ama witnefs of the great refpeét chey bore
towards her, and efpecially my Mother, who for her Relation, Years and Vercue,
behaved her felf cowards her wich ali imaginable Reverence and Veneration.
Nor muíl: we here omit che _Modeíl:y and Vercue ofWidows
in
general, who
for che firíl: Year of cheir Widowhood
kept
chemfelves recired, and free from a!l
converfacion, chere being very few oí_chofe, _who had n~c Children, chat married
again, much le~ chofe _who we~e prov1ded w1ch _chem, d1d e~er recuro to a fecond
Marriage, bue hved wuh Conunence and ~hafhcy; for which reafon che Laws
were favourable towards chem, commandmg Labourers to plow and cultivate
cheir Lands before choi of che
CuractU,
wich many ocher privileges, which che
favour of che
Inca
indulged to them. The truth is, it was a difparagemenc
for a
Man, who was not a Widower ~mfelf, to marry wich
a
Widow, for as chey
faid, he !oíl:
I
know not what quahcy and repute by füch a condefcenfion. And
chis is what is moíl: obfervable in reference to Virgins, and Widows, and modeft
Women.
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CH- A P,.
VIII.
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Of theit Marrittges in general? and
.how'
~l;eir ·H_q_il;f,;~ were
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g'f¡~e'-med.
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T
will now be proper in this place for us to treat of their Marriage~; a~d how
they were joined togecher in che Kingdoms and Provinces fubjeéted to che
Inca:
In
order hereunto it is to be noted, thac every year, or every two years, che
King commanded his Officers to cake an account of fuch young Men and Maidens
ofhis Lineage, as were marriageable, within the Cicy of
Couo,
that
fo
chey might be
rnacched cog_ether; the Maidens were to·be ofeighteen to cwemy years ofage, and
che young Men from twenty to twe~1ty four, and upwards; under which age they
were noc eíl:eemed to be of years ofconfent,
for
thac it was neceffary chey íhould
be ofaripe age and judgment to govern their Families, which could not be done by
Cb.ildren