400 / 1070
Royal
Commentaries.
'
BooK
IX.
e
Ei
A
í?.
xv1. ·
Of
the Mares ancl Hmfes 5 and
how
they were bred at the
heginning; and of the gre1t price and value of
thém.
F.
OR the better Information and Satisfaétion, as well of the prefent as of
fu.
cure Ages, ic will
be
neceffary
to
know what chings were not in
Peru
at the
time when the
Spaniards
fuíl:
entred into
Peru;
and therefore I have thought
fit
to make a particular Chapter thereof,
to
enurnerate ~ow many thin_gs th~f: peo-,
ple wanced, which we eíl:eem neceífary for che wellfare and col1\lement livrng of
Mankind, and yet notwithílanding they lived happily
and contented wichout .
chem.
In
che
firíl:
place we muíl: know that chey neicl1er had Horfes nor Mares
for their fervice in War, or for their delighc and diverciíemenc, chey had no
Cows, nor had chey' Oxen
to
plow cheir Lands, and prepare chem for che feed;
neicher had tbey Camels, nor
Aífes,
nor Mules for cheir Carriages or Burchens;
nor had cbey Sheep
1
as we have in
Spain,
which yield us boch Food and Cloching;
nor had they Hogs, which yield us Salc-fleí11, and B:icon, and Leacher
to
make
dur Boctels; nor had they Dogs of any good race, fuch as Grey-hounds, Beagles,
Spannels, Water-dogs and Tumblers; nor had chey Maíl:iffs
to
keep cheir,Flocks,
or Lap-dogs far pleafure of che Ladies, bue onely a company of Curs of all forts
and fizes, which were good for noching.
Nor had chey Whear, or Barly, or Wine, or Oíl, nor Fruir, nor Pulfe, as we
have in
·Spain;
o[
all which chings we fhall creat diílinétly, and of che manner
how, and when chey were broughc out of
Spain
~neo chofe pares. As
to
che Horfes
and Mares, che
Spaniard.s
broughc chem over wich themfelves, having been very
ferviceable and ufefull
to
chem in making cheir Conqueíl:s in che new World, of
which che
Indians
had no greac necefficy; for being born and bred in che craggy
and íl:eep Mouncains, chey became namrally hardy, and nimble of foot, being
very afüve in climbing afcencs, and defcending again down che íleepeíl Precipices.
All chofe Horfes and Mares which are in che Kingdoms and Provinces of chofe
!11-
dies
which have been difcovered by che
Spaniards
íince che Year
1491.
uncil! chis
time,
are of che r:ice of chofe which were brought from
Spain,
and parricularly
from
Andalu:c.ia.
The
firíl:
were landed in the Hle of
Cuba,
and St.
Domingo,
and
the
o
cher Iílands of
Barvolento,
as they· were difcovered and fubdued; where cbey
increaíed, and multiplied abundancly, and chence they were rran[porced to
Mexico
and
Peru,
for their fervice and ufe in chofe Conqueíl:s. Ar
firíl:,
for wanc ofcare
in che Maíl:ers, who pac cheir Horfes out co paíl:ure loofe, and into places withouc
fences they could not eaíily be cacched again; and
fo
roving in the Moumains,
they became wild·, flying like Deer, ac che Gghc of a Man, and nocbeing feized
or preyecl upon by :my fierce Creacure, chey increafed and mulciplied in greac
abundance.
'
The
Spmaiards
who inhabiced che Hlands, obferving how neceffary Horfes were
for che Conqueíl:s; and che_ir Coumries produced fuch as were very good, enhan–
fed che prices of chem
to
a confiderable race. Time were cercain Men who kept
thirty, forcy, fifty Horfes in cheir Srables,. as we have mencioned in our Hiílory
of che
Florida.
The way of taking che Coles was in a cercain Park, which chey
had encompaífed wich Pales, raiíed acfome convenienc Avermes of_che Moumains,
where are Coves, called
CavantU ,
of chree or four Leagues wide, where rhe
Horfes and Coles defcending cowards cheEvening ro feed, fome períons who keep
watch in Trees give notice chereof; and chen fourceen or fifceen Men on H.xfe·
back, riding in amongft them, drive chem wichin che pale, which then chey en–
cloíe, and cafhng Halrers abour che Necks of chofe Coles which are abouc chree
01·
four Years old, they tie cbem co crees, letting t 1e Mares go and efcape as chey
pleafe; che Coles remain tied in chis manner for three or four days, jumping and
leaping untíll being weakned wich wearineís, and Hunger, chey yield chemíelves
ro