472 / 1070
.
Royal Commentaries.
BooK
l.
Maidens, c;alled
Pillcu Cifa Nufta,
made a Speech te;> the new Gueífs, and faid,
Oyou who are Sons
of
Capac Inca Viracocha,
tafte of thefc things which we hring you,
which will he agreat content111ent
·
and fatisfafüon to
m.
The
Spaniards
admired much
to fee fuch Civilicy and Courteíie in a people whom they reputed barbarous, and
to live in ali beíl:iality and filthineís; wherefore, thac they mighc not feem to
concemn or ílight chac Courteíie which ~hey fo freely offered, cheyate fomedüng
ofwhac they had fet before them, and chen íaid it was fufficient, wich which che
Jndians
,vere highly fatisfied.
CH A P.
The Speech
of
the Amha/fadour; ar¡~ the Anfwer
of
the
Inca.
• ,
f.
S
llence being now made,
Eernando Pifarro
deíired
Her;ando de Soto
to fpeak and
deliver his Meífage, for that mll>re time wa,s noc to be !oíl:, a~d likewife
that he would be as fübrt and fuccinél: as he could, thac fo chey m1ght return
again that night, and lodge with their Cornpanions, for that it was not pn~dence
to confide much in chofe People, who were Infidels, and who perhaps might
íhew them fuch Courteíie che more eafüy
to
enfn:ire and betray chem: So then
Hernando de Soto
riíing up, made his Reverence after the
Cafti!ian
manner, and
uncovering his Head, fate clown again, and chen faid.
" Moíl: ferene
Inca,
Y
ou are to underfiand; that in this World there are
rwo
'' fopreme Princes, one is che
Pope,
who is High Prieíl:, and fits in che Place
" and Tribunal of God, che ocher is
Emperour
of che
Romans,
called
Charlu
" the 5th. K.ing of
Spain,
who having underíl:ood the blind lgnorance in which
" the Natives of thefe your 'Kingdoms live, defpiíing the true God, who
is
" the Maker of Heaven and Earth, beíl:owing the Worfhip due unto him
" upon his Creacures, and upon the Devil himfelf, who deceive and delude
" them, have fent their Governour and Captain General,
Don Fr<fncifco Pifarro,
ce
with his Companions, and fome Prieíl:s, who are che Miniíl:ers of Goa, to
., te-ach your Highneís, and you·r Subjeéts, che Divine Truth, and his holy Law;
" and for this Reafon it is, that they have undertaken this long Journey
to
your
" Coumrey ; where having received effeéts of your Bounty frorn your liberal
'' Hand, chey entred yeíl:erday into
Cajfamarca,
and this day chey have fent us to
" your Highneís, wich Offers of Peace and Concord, which íhall endure for ever
" between
us,
that
fo
receiving us under your Faith and Proteél:ion, we may
ce
have leave to preach our Law, and that your Subjeéts may hear and underíl:and
'' che Gofpel, which will be of great Horiour, as alfo of Benefic and Salvation
~
to your Souls.
And on chis occaíion
BIM
Va/era,
who was a yery religious and zealous Man
for
the Salvation ofchofe poor Gentiles, doth very much lament that chofe
im–
portant Words of
Hernando de Soto
füould fall
to
the ground for want of a good
lnterpreter, learned in both Languages, and one who was affeéted wich fuch in-
) ward Charity, as might have moved his Heart with efficacy to have explicated
the force of tfoole Words. Bur, ala
5,
it was the misfortune of chat Empire, and
of the
firít
Co.nquerours to have no better an Inrnrpr~ter than •this
1/"hilip,
who
was fuch an ignorant Sot , as not to be able
to
render rhe fenfe either on
one fide, or the other, but rather gave things to be underíl:ood in
a
different man–
ner, a~d with that barbarity as fpoiled the Honour and D!gnity of the Embaíl},
of
wh1ch both the
Inca
and Scanders·by were feníible, findmg that die Words of
the