201 / 1070
·BooK
V.
Royal
Comméntaries.
as che[e were. This
Aco/l-a
treatir¡g farther of rhefe Bodies, in che
6th
Chapter
ofhis 5th Book, hach thefe Words which follow.. "
In
the firíl: place, faith he;
" they had an Art
to
conferve rhe ·Bodie.s of their Kirigs, and Great Men, wich'..
" out íl:inking or corrüprion, for rhe [pace of above cwo hundred Years;
~
which
'' manner the Bodies ofche
lnca-Kings
w.ere found ar
Coz-co,
ereéted in rhej.r Cha–
" pels and Oratories, where rhey were ad'ored; which che Marq\clefs of
Cannete,
" wben he was Vice-roy
of
che
l ndiu,
caufed
to
be removed .from rhence, that he
" mjght -abolp1 che Idolacrous Woríhip, which. they perf01:med towards' rhem,
" and tranfp9íted three or four of them to a place called the King's T.own ; wliicb
" appeared very íl:range and fiupendious
to.
the
Spaniards,
co fee Bodies after
fo
" many ~ars fo firm and found as they were. Thefe are rhe ·Words of
Acojfa;
from whence I obferve, .that thefe Bodies had been removed ro the King's Town
almofi twenty years befare he hada figHt of them; which being a hot and moiíl:
' Air, was more apc
to
taint and corrupt Fleíh, rhan rhe,cold and dry Air of
c_oz-co;
and yet notwithíl:anding he faich, That twenty Years afcer their removal rhey
· were füU firm and uncorrupt, as formerly, and appeared with fuch Life, rhaccbey
•Wanted ·onely-Speech to make t_hem feern
to
he living. I am of opinion, chat rhe
way to conferve Bodies, is after chey are dead t_o carry. thern to che Mountains of
Snow, where being well dried, and congealed by che cold, and all humours con-
. fumed and·digeíl:ed; rhen afterwards to apply that bicuminous matter, which may
plump up the Flefh; and render it ful! and folid as. che Living.. But I oqely ad–
venture on chis conjeétufe, from what I have feen thé
Jndians
doe, when rhey
have carried a piece of raw Fiefh,into the cold Mountains, where after it harh·
been well dried by .che Frofi , ·chey have kept it as long as they pleafed with–
out
falt,
or any other prefervative; and this was the i:nanner which che
lnc,u- u[ed,
for drying and ·keeping all che flefh Proviíions ·which -rhey carried for Food to
rnainrain their Arrny. I remember thac I once touched a fing~r of
Huaynd
<;_apac,
which feem_ed to me like a
íl:ick
ofwo'od; and fo light were che[e Bodies;
that ·an
Jndian
could eafily carry one of che¡n in his Armes, or on his Shoulders,
to 'che Houfes of
Spanijh
Gentle;nen, wllO defüed .to fee them. When they 'car–
ried thern through che Streets, they1covered them wirh white Linen; and che
Indians.falling
clown on cheir knees before them, ftghed, and wept, iliewing rhem
al! che reverence imaginable
j
and fome of tbe
Span'iards
alfo would cake off their
Caps, and uncover cheir Heads
to
them, as they paífed, in ·tefümony of the re–
fpeét chey bore to che Bodies of Kings; wich which che
Jndians
were
fo
pleafed,
and overjbyed, ,chac they knew noc in what manner
to
expreís rheir chankfulnefs
to chem.
· _ ·
·
This is al! chat we have been able to deliver concerning"the Aétions of
Viraco–
cha
in particular; che other Monuments and Sayings of chis famous King are lofr,
for·wanc of Lectets and Learning ro record chem to pofl:erity, arid have incurred
·the Fate of many famous Men, whofe glorioús Exploi~ and Deeds have been
buried in the Graves wich chern:
.
·
·
·
Onely
Bias Va/era
reports one memor.able Saying of chis
Viracocha,
which beihg
ofcen repeated by him, was obferved
by
three
Jnca.1, .
who kept
ic
in remembrance
5
as alfo che Sayings of fome other Kings, which we fhall hereafcer fpecífie. That
which chis
Inca
delivered, had reference to che education of Children, of w~ich
he was made che more fenfible,
'by
tbac Severicy and.Disfavour wích which he
was created,by his Father in che time ofbis Minority; bis Saying was chis,
That
1
Parents. are oftentímes the caufe·of ruine to their Ch'i!dren, whe~ either {hey educate them
.
with fach fondneJs, rhat thry never croJs them in their Wills, or aejires, but fuffer them to
¡¡{1
and doe whatfoever they pleafe, whereby they bécome fo corrupt in the manners of th~ir in–
fancy, that Vice grows ripe with them at the Years of Manhood. Others, on the contrary;
·
are
fo
fevere and cruel to their Children, that they break_ the tenderneJs oftheir Spirits, and
11ffright them from learning, dlfcouraging them in that manner
by
rñenaces and leflures
.
of
afuperciliot(J Pedant; that their'Wits are·4bafed, and defpair of attaining to knowledge
and vertue. The way i~ to k!ep an indifferent mean between both.,
l,y
which Youth becomes
valiant and hardy in n>ar, and wife and politica! in the time of.-feace,
With which
El.u
Valera
concludes che Reign of chis
Inca Viracocha,
B
o
b·K