4000003871

Royal Cornmentaries.

BooK

who was Heir. Amongíl: divers other particulars of Greatnefs, in an extraor–

tlinary part infütuted for celebration of this Fefüval, one was a Chain of Gold–

of that wonderfull bignefs, as made it famous by report through the whole

World, and yet was never feen by Foreigners, whofe Avarice was as firong as

their

curioíic}'.- to fee a_piece Qf fuch m~gnificence ; th

e defi~n.w

hich t~é

Jnca

had'to mak'e 1t, was thlS :

the Counmes of

Peru

every

Provm.ce

0r Nat1on had

Dances properly belonging to cheir Countrey, differen

t from oth

ers, oy which

they were diítjngui(hed one from the other, as much as by the Drefs upon

their Heads; and thefe Dances were always coníl:ant, and che fame, without

any change or alteration of new Modes. The

IncM

'had a fort of Dance which

was grave and decent, without jumping, or capring, as ochers ufed. Their

Cuíl:o:ne was for che Men

dance without admitting che Wornen iqco the

Ring, and to clafp hands one. with the o~her, rea~lüng them out to che fore–

moíl:, untill ali were ·entred m, ,and cbamed as 1t were one to che other,

chat fometimes cwo or three hundred Men were concerned in che Dance,

according to che number of chofe prefent at che Feíl:ival; the which they be–

gan ·at fome diílance from the King, befare whom they prefented it. Their

manner was

begin all at the fame time, and to make chree íleps by rule,

the firíl: was back, and then· two others forward, liké che Chafes and Coupees

rhat we ufe in our

Spa~ifh

Dances; fo th¡¡t giving bue one ílep backward, and

cwo forward, rhey íl:ill gained ground, untill they carne to the middle of the

place, where the

Inca

fate : as ,tbey danced they ,fang by curns, not

tire

ihemfelves, fo much as they would do, in cafe chey all fang together; cheir

Tunes were according to the meafure oftheir Dances, and che fubjeéts of cheir

Songs were in praife of the prefent

.Inca,

and his,Anceílours, and chofe of che

Bloud Royal, and of cheir Afüons and Exploits performed in .che times of

Peace and War. The

Incas

alfo there prefent, and ftanding about che King,

bore cheir part in che Confort, as chofe who were equally concerned in the

merriment, and che King himfelf danced fometimes , to render che Fefüval

more foleri:m:

....

Frorn chis manner ofclafping and linking hands one within another, the

Inctt

Hn.ayna Capac

took his invention of rnakiog hi.s Chain of Gold, eíl:eeming thac

it would be much more íl:ately and majeíl:ical to have thefe Dancers linked and

faíl:ened o

ne to

the oth'er by chis Chain, rather than by tbeir ha_nds.

The par–

ticulars of

th.is

Chain I did not hear from common report, but from my Old

Uncle, w

hom

I mentioned at che beginning of this Hillary, who beiog-a Pet–

fon much pleafed with the remembrance of old Stories, told me that this Cbain

was

long, as would reach che length,and breadth of the chief Markec-place

,of

Co-?.co,

where they _danced at che time of au· their principal Feaíls; and

rhough it was not ·oeceífary to have it fo long in refpeét to che Dance, onely

the

Inca

was pleafed

arde( ic of that length, for grearer State, and in honour

to the Feíl:ival of his Son aríd Heir, in which nothing was to be deficient which

inight render it great and folemn.

íhall not need to inforrn and trouble thofe

who have feen ami meafured that Market-place, with an account of the length

and breadth of it; howfoever to fatlsfie the curiofity of fuch as have noc been

rhere, I dare to affirm, chat that place Notth and South is two hundred com–

mon Paces in lengtb, allowmg two Foot for every Pace, and an hundred and

fifty Paces Eaíl: and Weíl in breadth, taking in chofe Houfes which che

Spani–

ards

in che Year

_H6.

when my Maíl:er

Garcilaj[o de la Vega

was Chief Jufüce,

had built on tbe ltde of che River ; fo that chis Chain muíl: have been three

hundred and fifty ·Paces long, which make feven hundred Foot; and when

asked the fame

Jndian

of ene compafs of chis Chain, ·he held up hlsHat'ld,

pointing to his Wri!1, fignifying chat every Link was of that bignefs. The

Accountant ~eneral

Attguftine Carate,

in·the 14th Chapeer of his firíl: Book,

having ar any time occaíion to [peak of the Riches ofche Royal Palaces belon–

ging to ~he

lnCtU,

reckons up vaft Trea(ures, and almoíl: incredible, bue I íhall

onely repeat what he

fays

particularly of tbis Golden Chain, wbich I have ex-

traéted

ver.b,tim.