163 / 1070
BooK
V.
R..oyál
Commentaries.
" in hardfhip ~nd toil,,, :rn'mrjbut~d rnuch t~ the affiíl~nce ·of their Husbands
iÚ
'' ali rheir labours. Bue chofe Profeffions and Ares which :were noc cornmon,
" and which did not
fo
properly,.belong to che necefficy ofHumane Life, fuch as
-" Silveríinichs, Painters, fott~rs, Boatm€n, A~countants and Pipers, had cheir par–
" ricular Maíl:ers and Profeífours ; buc che,ordin:iry and neceífary Works were
" caughc and praétifed in every Family, every one doing bis own bufinefs, did noc
" hire, or pay anocher for ir, bue made his own Cloachs and Shoes, fowed his
'' own Fields, and gachered in his own .Harvefr :, And chis., as it was che ancienc
" cufrome amongíl: rhem, fo it hach continued even to chis day ; wherein chey
'' feem ro have imicaced che Lives
of
che.Ancienc. Monks, as che Fachers of che
" Church have delivered chern to us. The cruth is, chey are a people neicher
'' covetous, nor luxurious by_ nacure; char, in .realicy, w~re che life chey lead
" a poinc of fr€e-will, r:ither chan neceffity, ;or chafen for che fake of Mortifica–
" cion ; certainly chefe people w0uld
be
rarely well difpo[ed to receive che Doc–
" crine of the Go[pel , which is an enemy to pride, and covecoufnefs, and luxu–
" rious living, chough che Preachers up of chefe Graces unto che
Indians
do not
" always live according to chofe Precepts which chey deliver in cheir Pulpirs.
An.d chen foon after he adds ;
'' That
it
was an Eíl:abliíhed Law amongíl: them,
" chac no Man fhould change che Habic and Fafhion Qf his Countrey, chough he
" altered his Habitation out of one Provfoce into anocher ; che ob[ervance of
" which Rule, che
I1111a
enjoined wich greac,f~veritY as a rnatc~r of imporcance
io
" ·relation to rhe Govermnent. Thus far are che words of
Acojfa:
To which
t
!hall add, chac che
Jndians
wonder much to ft;e che
Spaniards
[o
fretjuently change
their Habits
1
and atcribute ic
w
cheir pride_, prefumption,
artd
wantomiefs of cheir
bumour.
,,
.
.
In
th€
Y
eat
1
>
60,
·wheñ I departeg from
Peru;
it was ncit the cuíl:ome for any
to
beg, or ask Alms; for where-ever I rravel!ed in thac Countrey, I never obfer–
ved any Man
ot
W0man
l'.O
beg, unlefs ic were an Old Woman which I knew ac
Couo,
call~d
Ifabel;
afid
'Íhe' n@icher had no greac necefficy;.onely.fhe was deligh–
ted to Goffip from boufe
to
hou[e,
and, like a Gypfie; wjth her Jefis and Tricks-.
perfüaded che Neighbours
to
be kind to her:, Howfoever, che
Indian-s
deteíl-ed
her way of living, and in cokfü of rheir abhdrrence thereof;~ould reprove·her
with words, and then [pie on che ground, which was a kind of réprqach; and for
thac reafon chis Woman would never beg of che
jndians,
bue onely of the
Spani–
ard,
;
a'nd becaufe ac that time, in my Coumrey, chere
'A'.ªS.
no Money coined,
they gave her Mayz, which was che chief thing fhe defired ; and if fhe found cpis
come freely, íhe would beg
á
lictle Flefh, and then fome oftheir Di:ink; and chen
with her Íri'tks and Jeíl:s fhe would get fome of cheir
Cu'ca,
which is tb:it preti· .
ous Plant
fo
much iA eíl:eem amongíl; tbe
Indians,
arid which they commonly carry.
in their Mourhs ; and thus fhe paffed a rnen:y ,and wanton life, but deteíl:able to
her Neighbours. Nor were the
IncM,
amongíl: their ocher Charities, forgecfull
of the corweniencies for Travellers, but in all che greac Roads builc Houfes, or Inns,
for thern, which they called
Corpithuaci,
where chey.were provided wich Viétuals, -
and orher neceffaries, fot their Journies, out of che Royal Seores, whích were laid
up
in every Province; and in cafo any Traveller fell íick in che way, he was there
~ttended, and care caken ofhirn, in a better manner perhcips chan ac his own·home:
]3ut che truth is, no perfon Travelled for bis curiofüy, or pleafüre, or bufinefs, bue
for che fervice, and by order of che King, or bis
Cu~ac,u ,
when chey bad oécafion
i:o difpacch Meífengers, fuch :is Ciptains for che \Var, or other Officers for confer–
vation of the Peace; :rnd chen the[e were well provided for, and treated with
all conveniencies; whereas ochers who had not che pretence and pals·porc for
their Travels, were taken up for Vagabonds>and punifhed accordingly.
.
u