4000003871

12,

Royal Commentaries.

B001{

they have

learr.ed

from their book}; but

for your parts, in what manner can

JDU

retain

the memory ofyour Anceftors, or·be informed of the Original ofyour

Incas?

as who

the

firft of them

or what was Ei1 n1,1me? of whaf lineage, or, in what manner he began

to reign? what Natiom he tonquered, anrl, when he gave a bei,lg to thú great Empire, ami

with what Exploit1 our Anccftors atchieved theirgreatnefs?

The

Inca

was much pleafed co heat me make thefe enquiries, becaufe he took a

delight to recount thofe matters, and turniog himfelf to me;

·,C°!'-fin,

faid he,

moft wz'llingly comply withyour requeft

; ·

for it concerns you to hear them, and

Í:tep

them

inyour heart,

(

which is

phrafe that they ufe, when they mean that it fhould be

committed to Memory.)

You muft kpow therefore, that in ages pnft al/ this Regio-tt aná

Countrey you fee round m,

nothing but mountains, and wild foreft, and the Pe.opl~ ?n

thofe times were

likt

fo many brute Beafts, without Religion or Gwermnent; they neither

fowed, nor ploughed, nor cloathed rhemfelves, becaufe they k_new not the art of weaving wifh

Cotton or Wool:

They dwelr by two and twi, or three and three together,

they happened

to meet in Caves, or boles in rhe Rocks and Mountains; their food

Herbs, or Grafi,

··Roots of Trees, and wi!d FruitJ, and Man's Flefh; all the coverings they had were

Leavés

or Bark¿ ofTrees, and Sk}ns of Beafts :

In fhort, they were altogether favage, makjng

ufo

:of

thcir Women as they accidentally met, underftanding no property, or jingle enjl!fl1Jmt

them.

And now 1pray ob{erve me with due attention, for I would 11ot •be troubled to ma~e repe–

-tition of what I have faid. Our Father the Sun,

(

for chis

s che lan

guage of the

In.-,u,

which is

ticle ofReverence and R.efpeét, which they

alwa.ys

adjoin,

ofren as

they oame che Sun; ·for they avail themfelves much o

f che H

onour of being de–

fcended from him; and

his

Name is

pretious, thac ic is blafphemy for any,

and

Law he is to

froned, who dares

cake this Name im0 his rnouth, who

is not an

Inca,

or defcended frorn that Lineage. )

Our Farher the Sun

(

faid che

bca) 6eho!ding Men fach a1 before re/11.ted, took compajfion of them, and fent

Son anda

Daughter of hú own frw H,avcn to Earth, to inftruét our people in the kpowledge of

Our

Fathc-¡- the Sun, that fo they might worfhip

and ndor~ /,;,,,, ,md

cftecr': him for rheir God:

t,iving t·hcm L aws

and Precepts, whereunto they might co,iform thm: Lives , likt Men of

Reafon and Civi!ity;

that they might live in Houfes and Society, learn to fo.,,, the Land

cultivate Trees, and Plants, feed thcir Flock¿, and cnjoy them, ,md orhcr .Fruits

the

Earth,

rational Men, and not as brute Beafts. With thefe Orders ,md Jnftrufüon1

Om:

Father the S;m placed hú two ChildreH in the Lak!

Ticicaca,

which ú about

eighry

Leagucs from hence, giving them liberty to go, and trave!l which way they pleafed, and th11t

in what place foever they ftaia to eat, or Jleep, they fhou!d ftrike a !ittle wedge of Gold into

the groimd, ( which he hadgiven them,) being about ha!fayard long, and two fingers thick_

and whcre with one ftro~ this wedge fhould f,nk,. into the Earth, there fhould be rhe place

their Habitatjon, and thc Court unto which all People fhould refort. Laft!y, he ordered them,

that when

rhey

fhould have reduced People to thefe RH!es and Obedience, that then they

jhou!di

conferve and maintain them with Reafon, ruftice, Piety, Clemency and Gentlenefs, performing

a/l tbe good Ojfices of a piom Father towards thofc Children which he !oves with tendernefs;

and that in imitation úf him, and by his example, who doeth good to ali rhe World, ajfordi,!~

them light to perform rheir bujinefs, and the a[lions of Life, w,arming them whm they are,.

cold, mak¿"ng their paftures, and their feeds togrow, their trees to fruétifie, and their ftock¿

lo incm1fe, -v,atering their Lands with dew fromabove, and in its feafon beftowing chearfu!t

andfavourable weather: and to mamfeft hi. care ofal/things,faid,Ievery day ta~ aturn rouml'

the World, to fee and difcover the neceffiries and wants of all things, that fo t11 the true Fo–

menter and Parcnt

rhem, I may apply

felf to their fuccour and redrefj. Thus aftlr

e.xample, andas my Chi!dren, fent upan rhe Earth, 1 would haveyo11 to imitare me; and ro

i11ftilt fuch Doéfrinc h:to thú Peoplc, a1 may convcrt them from Beafts muo Men: aná

from henccforth 1 conftitute and ordainyou Lords and Princes ouer thú People, that 6y )'OHr

Inftruftions, Reafon and Government, they maJ 6c conferved.

Thm Our Father the S11n

btiving dcclared hú pler,fure to thefe hú two Children, he difpatchc'd,them from him; and

they takjng t(,eir journey from

Titicaca

Northward, at every place wherc rhey c11me ro repofe

they tryed with their wedge to ftri~

in theground, but it took_no place, nor wo11/d

enrer;

llt

length they came to a poor Inn, or place to

rejl

in, about feven or cight Lca_;,ues So11th–

w11rd from thú City, which to thú day ú callea

Pacarec Tampu,

which

,u much

{ay;

che Shining or Enlighmed Dormitory.

Thú ú one of thofc Colonies which tbú

Princc planted, the Inhabitants whereof 6oaft vf this Name and Title which 011r

Inca

be–

ftowed upon

it;

from whence he i:md hú fl!!,een defcended tothe Vi1/ley of

Cozco,

which w,u

then onely a wild ami barren M_g11ntai-n,

CH A P.