4000003871

BooK

Royal

Commentaries.

, ....i,

C H -A P.

xxv.út

The Diftinéiions which the Kings, and the other

Inéas,

and

the Aía(lers of Novitiates wore.

King wore the fame fort of Wreath about bis Temples, but of a dif-.

ferent colour, being red, befides which the

Inca

l:arried another more pecu–

liar difünél:ion, proper to hinífelf, which was the two pinibn Feathers ofthe Bird

called.

Corequenque;

the which are íl:reaked white and black, and as large as the

Wings.ofa Falcon, or lon~-winged Hawk; they were to be

fellows of

the fame

Bird, as I once remember to have feen them planted on-th'e

Head.of

Inca Sayri

Tupac.

The Birds which have thefe Feathers are found one

ly in the D

efart of

Villcanuta,

being abouc thirty Leagues diíl:ant from the City of

Couo,

fituate near

a little Lake, lying ac the foot of the inacceffible fnowy Mountain. Thofe thac

are acquainted with chac forc ofFowl fay, chac never above two of chem, namely

Male an1 Female, are feen toget~fr; bue~whem;e ._-tpey. ~~me, or where tfley

are bred, 1s noc known: beíides wh1ch place

rhe

Jndfqns

faY,

chac none are feen

in any-other pare of

Peru,

chough there

~r~

ocher !-,a~~s, ind· fn,owy Mpumains,.

and De(ans, beíides thac

ó(Villcanuta:

pernap~ chis B!rd ifDªYJ~e like the J?henix,

wlüch none having feen, we may faníie ic after cheform,and colour of-this·U-ird.

Now in regard chat thefo Birds were Gngular in the :World, and chac none be–

fides them were ever feen befme, nor fince, the

lnca,s

eíl:eemed chem fuch a rari–

ty,

as did not become any·befides che Royal Head; {9i; ,tpefe Bird~, for che fin–

gularity of them, refembling (as they faid) their two ~rigmaL_ rParents, M¡rn and ·

Wnman, which defcended from Heaven, ferv,ed to cont~ue the mernory ofchem,,

· and therefore as their ·Feathers were fact~d , fo they were tp€r- peculiar nQte and ·

mark of.the Imperial Dignity: For my part, I ~m of ppini:on that tbere are ma–

riy other B.irds of the fame fpecies with diefe

¡md thac ,ihough

\Vil!

not deny

but tha

t there may be a Phenix in tbe World , yet tbat ,Fhis Bi,rd is not of that

kind.is

moíl: probable; ho~foever th~

ftldians

m,ay.maintain whar opinion tbey

pleafe,

and in devotion to. their Fore-fathers, may fan[Íe tbem like thefe Crea~

tures which are rak and eíl:femed faqed.

lt is certain rhat the Feathers of díeíe

Birds_were highly eíl:eemed of in thofe days; though tbey are tl}ore common

now, .

being worn by many, who falíly precend to

atiefcent

from the Royal Bloud of

the

Incas,

though in re-ality che Race of chofe Princes is almoíl: totally extinét, for

regard the example of foreign fafhions hath confounded che true difünél:ions on

the H@ad, by wbich the qualicy ofevery Perfon was known, fo

gave a confi–

dence to many to ufurp chis Royal Mark, and pretend to Princely De[cent, eve-

one almoíl: aífuming the Title of an

Inca,

ora

Pallt.u.

, ·.

Thefe Feathers were planted over the coloured Wreath which hound their

Temples, the pique Feathers pointing upwards, removed at a little diíl:ance one

;from the ocher, as they were naturally fpread.. Having thefe Feathers oñ their

Heads, they carried great-refped for all

forts

ofBirds and Fowl, fo that they took

care how they affrighted or chafed them away. Every new

Inca

that fucceeded to

the Empire, procured new Feacl,ers ; f"r tbat the former belonged to che Kin¡r

deceafed, who being ernbalmed; conferved all bis EnÍlgns of Regality, of which

rhefe Feachers were aó efpecial mark.

Such was the Majeíl:y of chis Bircl

Core–

tJ.Henque,

and fuch was the Reverence and Reípeét which che

IncM

expreífed co–

wards ic; which tbough che matter it felf be of lict!e importance to the People of

Spain,

yet r~e kn~\~·ledge thereof rnay be per~inent

fuch, as ~ave tbe curiofüy

be acquamted wuh che Cuíl:oms and praétICes of che

Incan-Kmgs.

But to re–

turn again

our Noviciaces: So foon as they had received thefe Marks ofChi–

valry, they were conduéted rn the principal place of the City, where a general

Fellival was publickly folemnized for many days with Songs and Danc;es, in h0,–

nour and triumph for their Viétories; tbe like alfo was more privacely cdebrated