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112
Royal Commentaries.
BooK
IV.
ic
fofc,
to
~vhich che Child being inured, did n~t t~ouble the Mother's Armes,
and having fome few play-things thrown bef~r~ 1t, 1t pleafed and comemed ic
felf without the leaíl: diíl:urbance; and
fo
unwilling were they
to
accuíl:orne ic'to
the Lap, thac chough it were a Child of t~e greateíl:
Curaca.
of the Kingdom,
ít
was not treated otherwi(e; and chat when 1c was grown fo b1g as to craw'l abouc,
they would u[e ic to fuck upon its knees at o~e _Breaír, and then teach it to creep
about
to
the other, but would never take 1t mto che Armes. The Wornan
in
Chi\d-bed was treated yet more hardily chan was che Child; for
fo
foon as íhe had
brought forth, {he went to che nexc íl:ream, or to 'fome cold water in che Hou[e,
where íhe wafhed her felf and her Infanc, and afcerwards applied her felf to her
domefück Affairs, withouc any concernment whacfoever: They had no ufe of
Midwives, or ochers, ac their Lal;>?urs., and if any _did affiír, íhe was racher a·
Witch, or Enchancrefs, than a Midw1fe. And th1s was all che cuíl:ome and
manner in
Peru,
which was equally praéti[ed by the Rich and Poor, Nobilicy
and Commonalty, both at the Birth of their Children, and breeding them up af–
terwards.
e
HA
P.
Xlll
Of the llw.,wifery
of
the married Women.
T
HE márri~d Womerl always emplo~ed chemfelves at home in fpinning and
weaving Wool in the cold Countri~, and of Coctons in the hot, every
one fpinning and making Cloachs for themfelves, their-Husbands, and Children;
fowing was che leaíl: of their work, eitqer for Men or Wornen, for their thread
was bad, and their needles wor[e; notwithíranding whatfoever they wove, whe–
ther Wool, or Cotton, ali was [pun, and twined into threads. All their Cloth
was made of four threads, and noc woyen wider or lon_ger, chao jull: as much as
was fufficient to make a Mantle, Shirt, or Waíl:coac; cheir Veíl:ments were not
cuc'out, or íhaped, bue all of a piece, afcer the manner chat they came-from the
Loom ; for befote they began
to
weave chem , they defigned the proporcion of
length and breadth, which they intended
to
give them; fo that they had ne(;d
neither of Taylors, Hoíiers, nor Shomakers, for chey had no need of chofe chings
which we make neceflaries, and their Women·took care of their Houfes and
' Clothing, onely the Men were to provide the Ho[e, or St9ckings, and ¾ros;
and though che
Inca.
of the Royal Bloud, and fuch as were
<:::uraca.,
and rich
Men, had Serv'ants to perform all the[e works for them; yet fometin;ies for
,-dí–
verti[ement, and
in
complyance with che Profeffion which. their Law enjoyned
them, they fometimes did not difdain to work chemfelves , and make a pair of
Breeches, or Stockins, or an A1Tow, or fome other fort of Arms'; bue
as
to the
Labours of che field both Men and Wornen, did jointly concur in their affiftencé
one of the other.
,
In
fome Provinces far diíl:ant from
Coz.co,w
here che Lands ,were
il1
manured;
there che Women laboured in che Fiel
d, and che Men remained at home to fpin
and weave; bue my Difcour[e is here of chofe Countries onely
to
which rhé
Power and Juri[diétion of the
Incas
did extend, for ocher parts .vere fo barbarous,
and void of all hum
anity, that it were not worth our r.ime or labour to give an
account of their Cuíl
:oms.orManners. The
Indian
Wornen were
fó
additi:ed to
fpinning, and
fo
un
willing to lo[e time from cheir Labour and Work, that as
they walked from che Villages to the City, and
fo
in their return home, and alfo
in cheir Vilits, and Converfation togecher, they fiill made ,u[e of cheir Spindie·
and Reel; for _this was the coníranc employment of the common Pedple-; bue che
Pallas,
or Ladies, who were of che Royal Bloud, whenfoever chey made their
Vifüs, they made their Serving-Maids carry their Spindles and work
1
with them,
and