4000003871

BooK

VIII.

Royal

Commentaries.

of being contraél:ed ~etween very high Mountains, which from the bottorn

ihe

top, where the Snow is lodged upon them , mea[ure thirteen, fourteen, and

fifteen Leagues almoíl: perpendicular. This River is the g¡·eaceíl: of'any in all

Peru,

wJ)erefore che

Jndians

call it

Apurimac,

becau[e

Apu

Ítgnifies Chief, or Prin–

cipal both in War and Peace : they call it alfo

C.apac M ayu, Capac

Ítgnifying plen–

tifull, rich, abundanr, and

Mayu

a River : For as

Capac

was an Epichet, or Title

given to rheir- Kings, fo they amibuced that Title or Dignity to che·Chié;f an~ ·

Prince of all their Rivers. This River keeps its name, whilíl: it paífes chrough

the

Countrey of

Peru;

but whecher it lofes its ,name afrerwards or noc, or chae

the Nations who live

che Moumains give ir any other name, I am noc able ro

fay.

In the year

s- s-

by reafon of che great Rains which fell that Winter; a vaíl:

part of the Moumain tmnbled

into

che River, with füch mighcy and prodigious

Rocks, as gave a íl:op to the currem of che water for three whole days ; aml

rernained till che water overflowing che ruinous Mouncain which fell in, came ac

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laíl: ro cake its naturale cour[e.; at which decention, or froppage

che water, che

poor Inhabitants, which liv

ed be

low, much admiring, and noc knowing che reafon

thereof, concluded chat che

e.nd

of che World was come; and chis íl:oppage be–

low caufed che water

rife

ar" f

ourteen Leagues diíl:ance above, _being feníibly ele,

vated as far as che Bridge, which is in che great and royal High-way leading from

Cov:o

.Ciudad Real.

This River

Apurimac

runs North and Souch ac leaíl: fiVe

hundred Leagues from che head and fource of ic to the Equinoél:ial ; chence

ra–

king a curn to che Eaíl:ward, it runs under che Equinoél:ial, Ítx hundred and fifty

Leagues meafured on a ílrait line,

tbe place where it falls into che Sea;

out

be–

lng meafüred by che turnings and wind:ings of ir, 'twill rnake fifceen hundred

Leagues, as

Francis ~e Ore/la

reports, who failed down that River, in aV~age he , ,

made in comp:my wich

Gonralo Pifarro,

who wenr to make difcovery

oflthe

Coun- -

trey_o[Canela,aswe

fuali mention in its due place. TheCharrofNavigationmakes

on a fbraic line

be fix hundred and fi.fry Leagues withouc any doublings 0f che

River. And chough Merchants in defcribing the Íttuation of places do nqt niuch

meddle witb in-land Countries, but chofe.onely which !ye on the Sea-coaíl:, and

thofe Rivers which fall into the Ocean : Yec in regard chac chis River is the grea~

teíl: in the World , being above fevency Leagues in breadch ac the mouch of it,

and runs with

great a füeam and torrenr, thacic tnakes frefh water for above

hundred Leagues within the Sea ; they have thought it wonhy of cheir obferva–

tion ancl enquiry: So that accordíng to che Rélation of

Ore/lana

(

Gomara

at–

teíl:s) thofe five hundred Leagues which we n1enrion in a íl:rait line, wil] make

. two thoufand Leagues with the turnings, and doublíngs of this River fafüng into

the

Sea direél:ly under théEquinoél:ial; and it was called

Ore/lana

according

the

name of chis Gentleman, who failed over·it in the year

543.

Ho foever a difcovery was made before that time of this River by the

Pi11co–

ne1

vil,

in che year

1500;

to which they then gave the name of the River

Ama'<-o

becaufe chey obferved that che Women fought with as much cou–

rage in de ~nce of chofe pares, as che Men ; che like infiances whereof we have

in our Hiíl'ory of

Florida.

In chat River there are many greater aA.d leffer Iflands,

and che cidJ flows from che Sea above an hundred Leagues up che River: And

thus much <hall fuffice to have faid of chis fü,veir.

Now as to chat River which is called

MaÁannon,

ic falls into the Sea about fe–

venty Leagues to the Southw;

··

rd of

Orellan~

which is ·abouc three degrees of

South-latitude, being ah.out tw ncy·Leagu

e at the momh of it. This River

iífues from_fome gr~at Lakes o che ~pper

pa.fs

_of

Per1!,

which are fill~d by che

Snow-wacers that diífolve from the h1gh

Mounta

ms whKh are covered w1th Snow.

Now in regard chat thefe cwo Rivers fall into che Sea,

near one unto che ocher;

I am apt

bel\eve that they make one River of thefe cwo, giving che name

Orellan({

to boch'V1_efe. Rivers, fo far as the frefh water runs into che Sea. As

the River _which che

Spaniards

call

rie de la plata,

and che

Jndians I'arahuay ;

have in our [econd part given che reafon, why chis River was fo called in

Spanifh,

and explained che Ítgnification of the

lndian

word; the Foumains ofwhofe wacers,

like thofe of

M arannon,

have cheir head or fource froin che prodigious Mouncains

of che fnowy defart, called che

Cordillera,

which paffes chrough ali che Councrey of

Peru.

This River rnany times overflows,with rarid inundations all che Fields and

Víllages near che banks, and forces che .people for three Momhs in the year, to

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