135 / 1070
.BooK
IV.
Royal
Commentaries.
CH A P. XVI.
Of the Prínce
Yahuarhuacac,
a~d the Interpretation
of
his
Name.
~
,
T
HE
King
Jnc1t Roca
having paífed fome Years in the q_uiet poffefiiolil and
g
0 ;
·
vermnent of
bis
Kingdoms, thought ic fic to emplo~ his Son and Heir, na-
med
Y4h11arhuac1te,
in che encire Conquefl: of
Antif
11:)'u,
which lyes to
uhe
Eafl: of
Couo,
and not far from che Cicy ; for on that ftde no greac advarice had·been
rnade ftnce che time of the firfl:
Inca, l"1anco Capac,
who had noc proceeded far–
ther
rhan
the
River
Pauoartam]nt.
1
'
Bue befoFe we próceed farther in the Relation of chis Story, ic would
b€
reqtú–
ftte tó expl~in the fignifica:tion of chis long name of
Tahuar,--huacac,
and the reafon
w!itkh chey had to give it
to
che Prince.
It is a Tale amongfl: Phe
Indians,
rhac
when he was a Child of chree or four years old, his Tears were bloud, ~ rhaps
.it
was becaufe he had forne difeafe in his Eyes, aod chac che bloud, when he cried,
might fall frorn thence with bis teats: Bue it is a general beliefamongfl: them, Phac
fo
foon as he came crying inco ch.e \iVorld, his Teats were fulm1d:
le mighc like–
wife perhaps be, that he brought fomeching
of
the Matricial bloud wicn-him
OQ
l\is Eyes, which che ÍU¡Deríl:itious
Indians
were ready
to
interprnt forTear~; bm b'i
the caufe what
it
will, they would not be perfuaded out of tbis belief; and on
this
fllppofüion founded many of cheir Wiccheries and PrngncDílications; forernl–
ling die anger and difpleafure of his Father the $l!ln againfl: him, and that ffl@Fe–
fore he would be unfommate and accurfed. The derivatlon chernforn of
hi's
Nárrté,
is evident from
Tahuar,
to "."eep, and
Huaüac.
,
This manner of \iVeeping
muíl: have been when he was a Chtld, and not at Man s efia~e; for th(m he w~s
neither overcome nor taken Priíoner, as fome will have it ; for none of che
Inca,
was ever fo unformnace, uncill che time of che wretched
Huafcar,
whom che Tray–
tor
Atahua!pa
his Baílard-brother took Prifoner, as we íhall relare in its due place,
if
God Almighty gives us life and power
to
arrive fo far in this our Hiflory. Nor
was he íl:oln away when he was an Infanc, ·as fome Writers will have it; for it is
not probable, thac when
Indians
conceived generally fuch awe and veneration for
their
Incas
and che Royal Bloud , ch:it any perfon íhould be found
fo
profligace,
and daring as to ílea! che Prince and Heir
to
the Empire ; nor is ic probable, thac
the Tucors and Servancs íhould be
fo
remifs in their care and cha~ge ; for fuch was
the
reverence chat che
Indians
bore cowards their
IncM,
chac che very imagination
4-fuch an accempc would have terr-ifi€d chem
to
that degree, thac th@y weuld
have believed the very choughc would have procured che vengeance of Heaven,
and caufed the Earth
to
have opened and fwallowed boch them and cheir whole
Families: For, as we have formerly faid, chey Woríhipped che Sun for cheir
God, and fur bis fake che
Inca,,
whom rhey accounced Children defcended from
• him, were adored v:,rith che fame divine Honours.
Thefe Tears of bloud which rhe
Indians
interpreced to be ominous, and to be
fore-runners of fome diGnal fate, puc me in mind of anocher fuperílitious fancy
of theirs, , hich chey gachered from the motion :ind cwinkling of che eyes ; for
it was a common opinion boch of tbe
lnc'a,
and his Subjeéts, thac the Eyes did
Prognofücace b9 their motion and cwinkling either good or bad fortune; for it
w¡is accoumed goo
luck when che upper eye-lid of the left eye twinkled, for
they faid, that it forefaw matters of concencment and fatisfaétion; bue much
more when the righc eye-lid fparkled and cwinkled, chac was a moíl: excellent
fign of all happineís and profperity, peace and plency imaginable: And
to
tbe
contrary , when che lower Curcain of che righc eye trembled , ic becokened
weeping and cears for fome fad and unfortunate accidenc ; but if the lower pare
of