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~o R.oyal Commentarie1. _ BooK 11.
CH A P. 111.
of the Crofs which the Incas preferved in á Confecrateil
place.
IN the City of Co~co the IncM had a certain Crofs of wliite Marble, whlch they
called a Cryftalline rafpar ; bue from what time it had been kept there, is not
cercain. In che year 1 560 I !efe it in the Veílry of che Cachedral Church of that
City; I remember it was hanged upon a Nail with a Lift of black Velvet ~
which when it was in thé power of che Í11dia111, it was hánged by a Chain ofGold
or Silver, bue afterwards changed by chofe who removed it. This Crofs was
* fquaré, being as broad as it was long, and abouc three fingers wide. le former–
ly remained in one of chofe Royal Ap:mments, which chey call Huaca, which fig–
nifies a Confecrated place ; and though che I11dian1 did not adore it yet they held
it in great v.eneration, eicher for the Beaucy ofir, or fome other reafon, which rhey
knew not to aílign : and fo was obferved amongíl: them, untill che Marquefs Don
Francifco Picarro entred into the Valley of t'umpi~, when by reafon of fome acci–
dents which befell Pedro de Candia, they conceived a greater efieem and venera–
tion for it, as we fhall declare ih its due place.
The Spaniard!, after they had taken che Imperial Cicy, chey ereéted a Church
in it to the Almighcy God, and hanged chis Crofs in che Veílry ( as we have
faid) of that Church withouc other ornamenc or ceremony, wheoas chey oughc
to have placed a ReÍique of char nature upon che High Alear, adorning ic wich
Gold and pretious Stones which abounded in thac Countrey : by which refpeét ro
a ching which the Jndians eíl:eemed Sacred, and by aílimilating the Ordinances of
our Holy Religion, as near as was poílible, with chofe whkh the Law of Na–
cure had taughc to this People, preaching and recommend.ing che Works of
Merey in fuch íl:yle, as che Doéhine of thefe Gentiles did ceach and allow ; the
leffons of Chriíl:ianity would thereby have become more eaíie and familiar, and
not feemed fo _far.-efuanged from che Principles of their own Gemitifm.
And be9l{ffe we hav-e here mentioned che Crofs, on which ic is ufual for us
-to l\vear {n our Courcs of Judicatory ; we fhall cake chis occafion to fay, chac
neither'the Inca. themfelves, nor yec any of che Nations under rheir Dominions
did éver know che meaning of an Oath, for Swearing was noca cuírome, nor in
ufe amongft them. For though che Names ofPachacam,rc and che Sun were ta–
ken fometimes into their mouths, yec it was always wich reverence and adora–
tion : For when they examined Witneífes in che moír imporcanc cafes whatfoever,
the Judge, inílead of an Oach, did onely ask the Wimeís, !f he promifed to /peak_
rhc Tr111h to the Inca? And then his Anfwer was, That he did promife: Then pro–
ceeded the Judge, Ser that thou declare the Truth 1ritho11t any difguife of faljhood, not
concealing any thing that paffed, or that which thou ~norveft. This was ali che formality
they ufed in giving ceíl:imony; che which chey fo religiou!ly obferved, that wich
fcruple and tendernefs they uttered Truth in its nakednefs and fimplicicy : And
in cafe any perfon did give a falfe teíl:imooy in maccer of importaoce, his crime
was puniíhable wich Death ; not onely in conÍlderacion of che damage he had
done to che injured perfon, bue of his falíl1ood to che Inca, who had made it one
of che Roy::il Commands Thac he fhould not !ye; and ic was a common and
knmrn principie, that what a perfon declared to che Judge, he wimeíféd to the
Inca himfelf, who being reverenced by them as a God, chey believed ic impoffi–
ble to conceal any thing from his fcrutioy and knowledge.
After che Spaniards had conquered chis Empire, chere happened a remarkable
c::ife of chis kind upon an enquiry about Murcher in che Province of f2.!!_echu,u.
Chief Juílice of Couo fent an Ofncer to cake che cefümony of a cercain Cu–
,1, ( which is as much as a Lord over many Subjeél:s;) and in performance
eof che Officer reached to him che top of his Scaff, on which was a Crofs,
fayingi