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B00K
VI.
Royal Commentaries..
C HA P. V. _
Of the manner how they lr¡terred their Kings
5
and that the
Obfequies and
Rites
of Burial continued for the [pace
of
a
whole Tear.
-
1,
')
T.
HE
Rites ofBurial wluch·-t:hey performed for their;Kings were fülemtr, and
.
of long continuance.
In
c~e
~íl:
pla~e thfY embah}1ed their B9dies
with
fuch rare Are, that (as we have faid before) m die.year
1'5)9.
chey were fo firm
and plump, chat they feemed to pe living Fleíh. Their Bo,_wels were incened
in
a
Temple, which was ficuace
d inche Councrey, called
Tampu,
upon che Banks of
a
River, below
Yucay,
about
ti.veLeagues diíl:ant from the Cicy of
Co.:.co,
where
were rnany frately Edifices
of Stone. Of which
Pedro d!.. Ciera
fpeaking in che
9 4
th
Chapeer of his Book, faich chac it was reported for certain, how chac in fome
places of che Palace, or Temple of che Sun, che Stones were joined or cramped
with melted Gold, which wich che cemem chey ufed, were well fixed and confo-
lidaced cogecher.
·
·
·
,
When the
Inca,
or fome principal
Curaca
dyed, che Servancs, who were his
grealeíl: Favourires, and che Wives, chat were che moíl: beloved by hirn, ,did ei–
cher
kili
chemfelves, or offer themfelves to be buried alive in che Tomb of'their
Maíl:ers, that
fo
they might accompany thern into che orher World, and renew
cheir immortal Services in che other Life, which, as cheir Religion taughc chem,
was a corporeal, and not
a
fpiricual Being; whereby ic- may appear, thac whac
fome Hiíl:orians write relating
to
chis matter, namely, rhat they killed che Ser–
vants after the death of cheir Maíl:ers, is a miíl:ake; for chat would have been a
piece of Tyrani:ly, and Inhumanity, above che capacity of human~ Nature ;·
for
nnder chis pF€tence one Mari m~ghc lavvfully
~ill
anoche:, and r:rnove him out of
the
way who was hatefull to
_hm¡,
or fi©@d
.m
oppo!iuon
to
h1s Defigns or Inte–
reíl:. The truth
ís,
they I)eeded no Law _or compul!ion
to
enforce them to -follow
the Fate ofthdr Maíl:er;
for when he was dead, bis Servants crouded
fo
faíl: af–
ter him, de;{iring death,
~lirar
cln,e Magifüaites were forced fornetimes to .Í.ntetpofe
with theír Au'thority, and perfüade them, that fm: the prefent their Maíl:er had no
need of more -attendance, bue thac
in
dme time, whelíl) they naturally yielded tó
their own Mortality,
in
rn,ight then be feafoqable eraough for chem
to
repáir
ro
their Services.and Offices in the ocher World.
. ·
1
The Bodies
qf
cheir Kir.igs, after they were embahrle@; were_ feated before
rlie
Iinage of the Sun, in che Temple ac
Couo,
to
whom chey offered Sactfifices, as
to Demons,
ov
Men of Divine Race. For the
firíl:
montlnafter dne death of the
Inca,
che whole Ci¡y bewaiJed their lofs winh loud cries and lam(í!nrations, an-d
' every Parifu, or quarcer 0f.1:he Town,
w@lílt
ouc in theit;faveral Di:v·ifi'óns rnco che–
fields, carry!Qg
~he
Tropl'lies of che
lntra,
h:is Banners1, and Aruns,
.am::I
Garments,
aná.
whacfoever was co l»e -buried in the grave with bis J3owels; wit-h their
fighs
and'lameonations chey 111entioned aind repeated che mighty Atl:s chat
he
had done
in
the Wa-rs, ,an? che
_go0d
Aéts
of Chariny and
Beneficero.cechat he rhad íhewed
to tmem and.cheir Ne1ghbourhood. Afcer che
end 0fche firfr
montTu, chey che11
c0mmemouared che Deach
of
cheir
Inca,
ar
che Full
aimd New
1
of rheMoon, and
fo
continueci t¡ill trae end of the fiufr!-Mear, whelil
it!hie2y
conduded:
the
folernniéy
with
full
pomp
1
a-nd frhne, app0inuing•}$n amd
Wm~n·
praétife<rl ·in the
Are
of
Cr·es
and Lamemations,
~,rh0,
like ~celf1:mc Tragedians, aél:ed rheir pares offor-.
ro
in che
mol}
fqrmal alilai paffion~t!~ rnanner imag~nable, fingir,¡g the
Aél:s
of
the
dead King jn forrowfull Tones and Accents. What we have faid hitherto,
was che pare oa~ly·of che Commonal-ny, be!ides which
che
Courl'. aFld Nobilicy
perforR1ed
cl1e
Obfequies wioh as rnrla:J¡nl_iffer!=nce
to
chofe of
tbe
people~
as
d
ere
C e
wa¡