4000003871

BooK

VI.

Royal Commentaries.

· had occurred in War and Peace; as alfo of Embaflies from foreign Princes, and

che

feveral Negotiations wich them; which Work was the Office of che

~ipu–

maym,

who made fome íhort and concife Memoir, leaving the reíl:

the remem–

brance of the Age, who by tradition conferved the fame to fucceeding Genera–

cions: And herein every Province was particularly attent, and carefull to con–

ferve the Hiílory of its own Countrey; for on chat , and on che Aétions of

cheir Anceílours, chey much eíl:eemed and valued chemfelves. The

Amauta.,

Philofophers, for a fartber help to Hiilory, did compofe certain Novels, or- Fa–

b!es, mixed wich true pa:ffages, which they made, fo familiar, and eafie ro the ·

capacicy of Children, and common People , that they attencively hearkened to

them, and were fo pleafed with them, chac recounring rhem one ro the other

common Difcourfe, and way of Converfation, tqey

inculcated chem into

the minds of che hearers, that the Tale becoming common, was transferred from

~i;i~

Generation

another. The Poets likewife, whom chey call

Haravicm,

were

great Confervators of Hiíl:ory; for chey in verfe, and in íhort and corppendious

Sentences couched che Aétions of their King, fuch as the Embaflies 'he received, ·

che Anfwers he gave, the B_attels he won,. and che Trimpphs he celebrated; and

that wherein. che

~ipm,

and che

Amauw

carne íhort, _~as all fupplied by the

fancy of Poets, whofe Verfes ferved for Sonnets, and Baliads, which they fang

at their Feíl:ivals, and on the days of Triumph: All which notwitbfianding were '

fain~ Reprefentations and imperfeét Confervatories of true I-;IHl:ory, in compatifon

of the Reports we deliver to faithfull Writ_i_ngs and Lettersf which pei·petuate

the memory of Aétions to all Ages. Howfoever we may-here obferve che inge–

nuic,y of chat people , who a:ffayed and offered at fomething_like our Letters,

though ic were by Knots, and Novels, and Hieroglyphicks, and Verfes; fuch is

the defüe of Mankind to perpetuare cheir Beings in the_Jmemory and minds of

áll Ages. ,

-·

When any

Curaca,

or Noble Perfon, defüed to know, and be irlformed of _

things paífed, and matters occurring in their--P~ovinces, they prefently [ene

the

.f2.t!._ipucamaym

to be facisfied in chelr demands; ,and they, or their Under-Officers,

who kept che Regiílers, making- [earch into cheir Kno¡s and Cyphers~ made fuch

Anfivers as appeared in the~r Regiíl:er.

. ..,

)~y

the fame Rule, they anfwered che Enquiries made o(La.w,s, _and Rices; and

Ceremonies, which were expreífed by che colout of their Knots; aBd¡Of what

púniíhment was infüéted for fuch and fu~h Crit!les. By che farrw Rule ,alfo -chey

were put in qünd of che Sacrifices and Ceren:rO"aies which wei·e to _be performed

ac the feveral Feíl:ivals, celebrated in honour of che Surr; with,what provifion

--was made for Orphans, and Widows, and ,PoQr, and Trf!v:e-l!ers, and of al) ocher

matters which were committed to che cuíl:9d'Y._ of.Traqicio_ri: For thefe feveral

Knots ferved to put them in mind ofall particulars, which ch~y defired;to have

remembred; for as we by che number Ten remember the ~n Comrnandq¡ents,

and by. other numbers cal! to- mind· the Sacraments, go9d -~~ks,. and Aéts of

Merey,

which we learn in ou_r_Catechiíin,

tbefe

Indians-,

·by

tbefe Knms¡ and

Strings, and Colou,rs, remembred more perfeétly what cheir Fathers had delive-–

red to them by Tradition; whieh the_y regarded with refpeét and reverence -due

to the •facred Conferyatories 0( that Law, and Idolatrous Religion, which they

profeífed_; for without ~his heJp, _having no Wtitin~s, they wouldcertainly haye

be€n as 1gnqrant of therr own H1íl:ory, as the

Spamards

themfelves are, or any'

other Stran&ers, or Ali~ns. · The knowJedge which I had of their

f2!!.ipm,

and

Kno~s, I ga~ned by che means of f~me

Intjians,

who ferveq my fatJ~er, a_nd of

certam

Curaca.,

who carne every M1dfumJner and Chníl:mas to the City, to pay

their Tribute ; and thefe

Curacl&

defired my Mother that fhe would prevatl with

me laithfully to 1examine their Accounts, a~d read che A~qulttances which

~1e

Spania~ds

had g~ven them, for chey were jealous oftheir afüngs, and repofed much

mo~e confidence iQ 'me, chao

,them;. which when I had__pernfed, aad read

tbem, they compared them wich their Knots, and finding them to agree, chey,re–

"11aine-d fatisfied. And by

this,

means

I carne to -have fome knowledge in their

way of Accoums.

l,.