4000003871

BooK

II.

Royal Commentaries.

Sourhward che Countrey

Colla,

which extends it felf to the

Zur.

chefe four

Pr9vinces are comprehended many greac Counéries, and amongíl: che reíl: che

Kingdom of

Chile,

which concains about

600

Leagfü.'s in len_gth towards che

Zur.,

:md is wichin tbe Province of

Colla

;

and che Kingdom of

~ta,

,vhich is with–

in che Divifion of

Colla,

runs

400

Leagues

tó

che Norchward: So chac _to name

~bofe Qparters, is

muchas

(ay, Eaíl: and, \i\leíl:,

&c.

according

vvhich, che

principal ways leading to the City were

called.

Th,e

IncM

laiQ one mechad and rµle in their Government, as che

be/1:

mean_s

prevent all mifc,:hiefa and diforders ; which was this, That of :i,\l che people in

every place, whecl;er more or lefs, a Regiíl:er fhould be kept; and a_Djviúo¡1

made of

teh

~n9 cei:i; over which one of che ten, whom rhey called the Decu;

rion·, was made Superiour over che other niné ; th~n every five Diviúons of chis

nacure had a Decurion ovér thern,

whom,.was éommicted che charge ahd care

of fifty ; then over che two Diviftóps of fitty a Superiour pecqrion was coníl:i–

tuted

fupervife? hundred ; fp .f\ve Divifions of

hundred had cheir Captairl

which ¡;ommanded, five

b~ncfrcd;

and la(t\y, ten Divifions had rheir General

over a chemfand; for 'no Decqr·

~d a

great~r-nw11ber to govern or account for

t!ie charge of

011€

thoufand 5@ing

e.íl

:eemed a fufficiént care

for

any cha_t by

bis q.nder-Oijcers would underta

~e to

·accouqt for his people, and rule theni

welt

;

..The

Decurio,ns of ten had .a doµple duty, incumbem on them, dne was wicn

d.ilig~nce :md care to fuccour,

q1'\d

füílain thofe whicb were under rheir Divi–

fion ; giving ;in account to his Superiour Officer, in cafe any of chem fhould be

want or Qeceífity of any thing ;

of Corn to fqw or éat, or

ool

cloarh

tbem, or Matérials

re-build tbeir houfes, de{hoyed by fire, or any other acci–

dent,

fhould

faU

into any excrem¡cy whatfo€ver. His ocher duty was

Cenfor Morum,

Monitor of their aétions, taking notice, and giving informátion

of the faults and irregularities of thofe under him , which he ~as

report

his Su¡;>eriour

Ofp~er;

who, according

che natur~ of th~ Mifdemea.nciur, had

the

power of pumfhment; howfoever, the lower

Officers had

.eower ro

chafüf~

the leffer defaults; thac

for every petty Mifdemeanour, they needed not

have

tecourfe to the Superiour, or General of them all; whereby delays in Law-fuits

were avoided, and long proceffes, which tire and confume thé people; were fpee~

dily ended ; and licigious Caufes and vexatious Aél:ions determined witliout Ap-

, peals from one Judge to anocher; and in cafe of publick differences becween two

Provinces, they were always decided

by che defin

itive fentence of one Jufüce,

which the

Inca

coníl:icuted by a fpecial

Commiffi.on

What Officer foever, either of hig

her or Jower

degree, that was negligent or

temi{$ in

bis

duty incurred a penalty agreeable to the nature of his defaulr.

he adminiílred noc che affiíl:ence required, or neglec1ed

Indiét an Offender,

though it were bue che omiffion of one day without a lawfull éxcufe ;

was not

onely liable to anfaer for his own default, but

receive che puniíhment due to

. the crime of the Offendour. And in regard every one of chefe Decurions had

a Superiour over him, who eyed and wacched hjs aétions, they were all diligent

in their duties, and imparcial in their juíl:ice ; no vagabonds or idle perfons duríl:

appear, or trefpaífes were comrnitted; for che Accufation was readily brought in,

and che punifhment was rigorous, which in many fmall cafes was even capital

noc

much for che fin it felf, as for che aggravation thereof, being comrnicted

againfr the Word and Command of che

Inca,

whom they refpeéted as

God'

and though che Plaintiff or the injured perfon were willing

let

fall

his Suit, and

remit the. penalty

the Offendour; yec the courfe of the Law

will íl:ilJ

µroceed ,

impofing

punifhmenc agreeable to. che:;

quallty

of the crirne, either death, or

füipes, or banifhmenr, or che like.

Families firiét feverity was obfetved to keep their Children wirhin the rules

of modefiy and decent behaviour, : for rhere were Laws even againíl: che

il1

man–

ners of Children ; for whofe mifcarriages the Decurion, as well

che Father,

was refponfible: So thac the Children of the

Jndians,

who are náturally of a gen–

tle and_ complying tetJ)per, ar~ educated in great awe, and m~d€ modeíl

che

con·efüon and examp1e of the1r Parents.

times of

the Generals and Captains aíi'umed che fame power over their

Souldiery, and rook che fame care of rnem,

the Decurions clid in rhe time

of'

Peace, whofe Offic€5 (

befides the maners befare mentioned)

obliged them to

take