4000003871

~54

Royal_Comm_entaries_.

" cord and reconcilemenc of Affeél:ions, which eme comrnon Speech had produced

~· in the World;. was loíl:,

chac Men were become perfidious and hacefull to

'' each other having no cummon tie of Wor

ds or Cuíl:om

unice and cement

" them in che bonds ofA'.rnity. The which

ineonvenie.ne:

:e not being wdl obfer–

" ved by che Vice-Kings, wlio prornifcuouí

ly reducecl gt

eater and leífer Nations

" to their Obedience, noc regarding che u[e of. a common Language, whereby

, " che Gofpel mighc have had encrance

them, did thereby greacly obfiru~ che

'' progre~ of che Chrifüan Faith, unlefs the Preachers had been endued

wid1

'' uniyerfal gift of Tongues, and learned all che differenc Dialeéts of chofe People,

'' which was irnpoffible withouc the Miracle of Divine In[piration. Sorne are of

" opinion, chat che

lndiam

ought to have been obliged ~o leam che

Spanifh

Tongue,

" fo as to have taken off thac difficulc Task from che Prieíl:s, and impo[ed it on

" che

Indiaf!s;

buc chis projeél: would not eaíily cake; for if the

Indians

were

fo.

" düll, and íl:upid, that che

Couan

Lang_uage, which adrnits little difference fróm

" their own, was learned with rnuch difficulty by them ; how can we expeél: thac

" che.y íhould ever attain to che

Caftillian

Tongue,.which in every word

firange,

" and wicliour any affinity with rheir own. Were it noc rather more feafible for

'' che

Spániards,

who are Men of quick Wits, and refined Underfiandings, to

" learn che general Speech of

Co~co,

than to put Cuch poor fottiíh Wrecehes,

" who have no help of Letters, to the difficulc .labour of learning che

Caftilli,m

" l"on-gue; and who íhall puc th'eir Maíl:ers to more labour- in ceaching chem

" one Speecñ, rhan a quick witted Prieíl: íhall have in learning ten? Wherefore ·

" ic were a more expedite way to oblige them to the knowledge of che

Co,:,can

" Tongue, w]1ich difiérs little from cheir own; and in chis Speech preach che

" Cacholick Faich to them:

In order unco which if che Vice-kings and Gover–

" nours would be plea[ed to renew che Comrnands and Rules given in chis ca[e

" by che ancient

lnca.1,

obliging the Sons defcended from che Line of che oíd

Ma–

" fiers, to reaffume che Authoriry forrnerly _given them for teaching and propa–

" gating chis general Tongue, they would eaíily reduce them to a knowledge

" thereo(

rernember a Prieíl: and Doél:or of che Canon-law, a perfon very pi–

" ous, and truly deíirous ro doe good to th~ Souls of the

Indiam,

did wich greac

" Diligen

ce and I

nduílry learn hirnfelf the

Cou an

Tongue, which having attai–

" ned, he

beca.me

very imporcunate witb che

Indians

to learn it alfo; in compli–

" anee wi

ch who[

delires rnany of thei;n appj ying themfelves therew,to, did

'' lictle more time than a year become perfeél: Maíl:ers of ic, and to [peak ir ay

'' readily as cheir Mother-Tongue; whereby chis Prieíl: •found fo facile an in–

" troduétion into che Ears of this people, that he eafüy iníl:illed che Flfndamen-·

" cals and Pr~nciples of che Chrillian Faith into their Minds and Hearcs; :i,pd

" one Ítngle perfoa was able by his fole diligence and endeavours to incline che

" minds of chis people ro a compliance with

his

defües;

pfiiV

rnuch mor~ mighc

'' che auchoricy ofche Biíhops and Vice-Kings be pr.evalent.J füccefsfull arnonglc

" them; and how eafüy might thefe

Indiam,

by the help of chis general Tongue,

'' be raught. and governed with much gentlenefs.and lenicy, frorn che utmoíl: pares

·" of

~itu,

to die Councrey of che

Chiches?

evince which more clea'rly, ic

" ob.lervable, thac che

Inca.1

difpacched all their judicial Aéts by che help ofa few

" Judges, whereas now in che very farne Councries chree hundred

Spani,ards,

who

'' are Corregidores, are noc able to pafs and perform che Caufes relacing

privare

'')ufüce; all which difficulty

caufed by the lofs of che cornrnon Language, che

" which is 1:nuch to be lamenced, conftdering i. is aTongue eafi!y obtaineci, asrnay

appear by the many Prieíls, who in

fhort time have rnade thernfelves Maíl:ers

of ir.

Chuquiapu,

have been informed, there was a cerrain Prieíl:, Doc–

" cor in Divinity, who had

greac a deceíl:ation of chis Tongue, chat he had no

:: pati~nce to hear it fpoken, being ofopinion) that it was fo difficult, as noc. to be

attamed by che greateíl: Indufhy.

happened that befare che time chata College ·

" of

efuics was erelted in thatCouncrey, a'certainPrieíl: carne thither with incencion

to refide there for f~rne days,

preach unto che

Jndians

publickly in che general

Language. The Pneíl:, who fo rnuch naufeaced chatTongue, refolved notwith–

" fianding for curiofüy fake to be prefenc ·ar che Serrnon, and having obferved

" that he 'quoced rnany places of Scri

pture, and

that che

lndians

heard him wich

:; greac ~~cencion, took forne kind _of

liking.co

che Tongue;

thac prefently af–

" ter ~he Ser~on, he asked che Pr!eíl:

how it w

as poffible for füch divine and

my-

flenous fayrngs .to be. expreífed m words

barbarous as chofe; to which the

Priefr