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BooK
IV.
Royal Commentaries.
·.,
CH A P.
X.
Of the
di/ferent mam1ers
of
inheriting Eflates.
F
OR want of Ilfue male by che legicimace Wife, che L¡_¡w chen was, chat che'
Eldeíl: of the true bloud íhould fucceed, as it happ€p@d in che cafe of
Manco
Inca
a H1111fcar,
as we íhall hereafrer
make
appear in its due place, for in no wiíe
it would
be
permicced chata Bafl:ard fhould inheric; and for wanc of lawfull Sons
of che bloud, che lnhericance fell co che next of Kindred, provided he were cruly
defcended by Facher and Mocher.
By reafon of chis Law
Atahualpa
defl:royed che whole Race of
the
true and
Royal Bloud, boch Men and Women, (as we íhall relate in ics due place;) for he
being a Baíl:ard, and cherefore uncapable
co·
inherit, made way
co
his ufurped
Kingdom by che deach of che lawfull Heirs, leíl: one of chem remaining alive,
íhould recover ic again fro!Tl his Power. All chofe of che Bloud married cogecher,
to
che fourch Degree, chat
fo
che Generacion of chem mighc mulciply· to gre:it
numbers; onely che eldeíl: Siíl:er was referved for che King, it not being lawfull
for any to cake her befides himfelf. The eldeíl: Son always inhericed che Kingdom
for a feries of twelve Kings, who fücceeded wichouc interruption, umill che
Spa-
11iard1
invaded chem.
Howfoever amongíl: che
Curac,u,
or Lords over Vaífals, a different Rule and
Cuíl:ome was obferved; for in fome Provinces che Eldeíl: Son fücceeded, in ochers
.che moíl: beloved, and eíl:eemed for his Verrue, and Affabilicy was che qualifica–
tion required, ofwhich che People being Judges, che Government feemed racher–
Eleétive chan Heredicary. This Law w:is
ll
curb
to
che Sons of che
Curaw,
re•
firaining them from Tyranny, and an obligation to be vertuous; for in regard
che Diípofal of che Inherirance depended on che pleafüre of che People; che Sons
contended in kindneís cowards cheir Subjeéts, and every one laboured
to
render
himíelf, by his Va!o'.lr and Gentlenefs, che moíl: beloved and accepcat,le to che'
People.
In
fome Provinces the Sons .inhericed according to cheir
Birth,
as when the Fa–
cher dyed, the Eldeíl: Son fücceeded, chen che fecond, then the chird, and
fo
for–
ward1; and when all the Brothers were exrinét, che Jnhericance fell ro che Eldeíl: .
Son
of che Eldeíl: Brother, and fo fucceffively; fo chac hence appears che miíl:ake
of a cercain
Spa11ifh
Hiíl:orian, who fays, that it was che common Cuíl:ome of all
Pem,
chat che Brochers of che King fhould gr:idually fücceed one afcer che ocher;
and thac al\ of chem being dead, chen che K.ingdom afcended again
to
the Eldeíl:
Son of che eldeíl: Brocher; which Errour proceeded from a mifunderíl:anding of
che true difference becweqi che manner of inheriting by
IncM,
and
C,m1ca1.
For
chough che
lncM
did reduce and fubdue many Provinces
to
their Power, yec they
did noc alcer
che.ir~uíl:omes, and ancienc Laws, unleís chey incerfered wich cheir
Religion, and cheir own fupreme and abfoluce Juriídiél:ion; bue racher chey con–
firmed many of chofe Cufl:oms wh.ich were good and laudable; parcicularly that
whereby che moíl: deíerving Son
was
chofen to che Government, it feeining
a
fpur and incicement
to
Vercue, to have Po\Yer and Grandeur [et up for che Prize
and Reward of
che.irMeric: che which appeared fo reafonab!e, chac a certain
Inca
King defüed once
to
have introduced chis Cufl:ome inco his own Family, and
in
defpighc of
che.irown fevere Law of Primogenicure, have made his Sons depend
on che favour and air of che Peoples Suffrages, as we fhall difcouríe in ics due place.
There
is
a
Peop!e abouc fourty Leagues to che Eaftward of
Cozco,
which
I
have
been amongíl:, of che Nation of
fl.!!.echua,
fome cal1 them
Sutrnnca,
where a par–
ticubr ioílance happened, relatiug
to
che differenc manner of inheriting in th:ic
Coumrey. The
CHraca
of chac People, called
Don Garf'·ª ,
finding himíelf ac che
poinc of death, called for his four Sons, who \\ere Men grown, wich che Nobles
of his Pro\ ince, and admonifhed cbem by \\ay of
his
laíl: Wordsand Teflament~
,hat
109