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VI.
Royal Commentatiei.
CH
A
P.
XXII.
Of the Divinations nzade from thefe Sacrifices, ánJ the
Fíre
with which they were confumed.
T
HE moíl: happy Ómen ofall they held to be the throbs aild palpitatioiis
cif
the Lungs, which if they
frill
moved, and continued living when rhey–
were firíl: drawn from the Body, they then efieemed che Ornen certainly goód,
and could difpence w~th other lefs promifing Symptoms, for that this had a füpe–
riour and an over-ruling power over.all other unlucky appearances. Theti they
drew ouc the Guts, and olowing them up with Wind, they tied the nec:k very
hard and clofe; and they prefied them on·each fide with their Hands, obferving
by which way rheWind found its eafieíl: paffage iota the Veins and Lungs, which
the more they fwell~d, and became replete with Wind, the better was the Ornen
accounted. There were many other parriculars 0bferved by them; which
I
-have· .
forgotten, but thefe which
I
have befare memioned
I
am
well
áífured óf, having
noted them in
my
Journals,
1
and remember,_chat when
l
'Was a
Y
outh,
I
faw
them twice performed by certain old
lndiáns,
not. ·as yet baptifed;
I
do not meari
the Sacrifice of
Raymi,
for that was aboliíhed long before
I
was bom ; onely the
fuperíl:itious infpeétion
into
che Entrails of Lambs, and Sheep, in ordet to Divi~
nation; and the Sa1;:rifices of them after fuch infpeétion was
füll
continued in
my
time, che which Sacrifices were offered after'ihe mann~r oftliofe at the prindpal
Feaíls.
1~
was held for a yery bad Ornen if the lamb,
011
Sheep, aftei- they liad
opened his fide, proved
fo
firong as to
be,
able by firagling
to
get the Maftery of
them which held him, and to fiand upan his Feec. lt was' alfo eíl:e@Fr'led for a
bad Ornen, if in drawing out the E~trails the ,mouth of'the SmaH-guµ; bi:oke
offfrom the Ligatures of the Stomath, fo as not to ·come out whole and entire.
It was alfo a bad Ornen for the Lungs
to
come forth bruifed, or broken, or the
Heárt wounded; béfides óther diing_s,
el$
1
have
faíd,
·which
I
neither -noted, nor
made enquiry of, onely thefe
I
r~member, being told me brcertain
Indians,
whom
I
found offering thefe Sacrifices; and indeed they were willing to be free wich
me,
and refolve me in any ihing
I
asked ihem conceming their good
or
bap,Omtns;
for
l
being then but
a
Y
puch,
they enrnrtained no jealoufie or fufpioiofi óf
ine:
But to return to che Solemnity ofthe Fefl:ival of
Raymi,
we fareher .fay, If the Sa–
crifice of che Lamb declared not that fortunate Ornen whieh ·was delired, then
they made erial ofanother wich a Ram; and if that neither promifed fair or hap–
PY
Tidings; then they confulted the Bo.wels of
a
barren Ewe, and if that alfo did
, not foretell fomething 1Tiore hopefull, chey then proceeded in their Sacrifices and
Solemnities of che Feafi, with Sorrow and Mourning, faying, ,that the Sun their
Father was for fome Crime, or Omiffion in bis Service, angry and difpleafed with
them,
arid therefore in vengeance thereof, expeél:ed che punifhment of War or
Famine, or fome other Judgment~ but rhen when the Ornens were happy
and
fmiling, chey rejoiced wich high comemment, being
full
of hopes and expeél:ati–
ons of fortunate fucceífes.
This Sacrifice of che
firíl:
Lamb, from whence they made their Divinations,
being offered ; great droves of Lambs and Sheep were brought afterwards for che
common Sacrifice; but then they did not open their fides, being alive, as they
did che
firfl:,
bue after che ufual manner rhey fairly cut their Throats, and
flead
them; the Bloud chey
fa
ved, and with
ic
offered the Heart unto the Sun, bur–
ning
the Body alrogecher, untill the whole Lamb was confumed, and converted
into Aíhes.
The Fire
for
that Saa-ifice was to be new,
imci
chen kindkd (as they called
ir)
from che hand of che Sun; to allight chis Fire chey made ufe of a great Braceler,
worn by che High Prieíl, which they called
Chipana,
being after the faíhion of
chofe which the
IncM
commonly put on che Wriít of their Left-hand; this being
greau:r