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44
Royal Commentaries.
BooK
11.
'may füll be feea, unlefs the Wars and Alterations have demolifhed rhofe dura–
ble reliques.
They had likewife obferved rhe Equinofüals ; for in rhe Month of
March,
when they reaped their Mayz, or
Jndian
Wbeat, they celebrated their Harveíl: with
· joy and feafüng,
w
bich ar
Cow
they kept in che Walk of
Colean,
ocherwife called
the Garden of the Sun. Ar the Equinoétial of
September,
they obferved one of
cheir four principal Feafis, which were dedicated
to
che Sun, which they called
Cirua
Raymir
;
and rhen to denote che precife day of che Equinoét~l, they had
ereéted Pillars of the fineíl: Marble, in rhe open
A rea,
or place befare che Tem–
ple of rhe Sun; whicb when che Sun carne near che Line, che Priefi:s daily
wat–
ched and actended to obferve what íhadow the Pillars caíl: ; and to make it che
more exaél:, they fixed on them aGnomon, like che Pin ofaDial ; fo thac fo foon
.as
the Sun at its riftng éame to dart
a
direél: fhadow by it, and thac ac its hei_ghc
or mid-dé).y the Pillar made no fhade, bue was enlighmed on all lides ; they chen
conduded chat the Sun was entred the Equinoc1ial Line , ar which time they
adorned thefe
Pil~
wich Garlands and odoriferous Herbs, :rnd .with the Saddle
they had dedicated
to
che Sun ; faying, Thac on :that day he appeared in this
·moíl: glittering Throne and Majeíl:y, and therefore made their Otterings of Gold
and prerious Stones
ro
lúm, wich all the folemnities ofoíl:~ntation and joy, which
are ufual at füch feíl:ivals. Thus th€
lncM,
who .were their Kings; and che
Ama11-.
IM,
who were theit Philofophers; having obferved, that when the Sun carne to
the Equiooétial, théfe.Pillars made ·little íhadow at noon-d:iy, and that thofe
in
the Ciry of
f2!!,itu,
and chofe of che fame degree
to
the Sea-coaíl: made nóne
at
all ,
becaufe the Sun
is
then perpendicularly over t~em ; they concluded that che
Pofition of chofe Countries was more agreeable and pleafing
to
che
Sun,
chan
í:hofe on which in -an oblique rnanner onely he darced che brighcnefs of his rays;
for
wh~h reafon rhe Pillars
c!f
f!!,!!_iru
were had
in
fo
great venel'ation and eíl:eem
amongfl chem, that they woríh1pped and adored them
s
and cherefore
S,b¡¡f!ia11
de Bela!cacar,
in abhorrence of che Idobcry which the
Indi,m
perfonned towards
them, demolifhed them and broke them in pieces, as did che other
Sp11»ifh
Cap–
tains, in chofe places of
che
fame folary degree, where thls fuperfücion pre-
vailed.
-
The Momhs ( as vve have faid) they counted by Moons. and cherefore cal1ed
the Momhs
fJ.!!_i!l,u
;
che Weeks they called che Quarcers of che Moon, having
no names for che Days. They took great notke of che EcJjpfes boch of che
Sun and of che Moon, .but knew chem onely by their
Effeéts,
and not by their
Caufes ; wherefore they were greacly affrighted when they ob(erved che Sun
co
hide his face from them, believing that for their fins he obfcm:ed hiscountenance,
:md was angry, framing che like Prognoíl:icariDns of Farnine, Pefiilence and Wars,
as
our Aíl:rologers predilt from the influences of Ecllpfes.
When they obferved che Moon begin to gl'Ow dark in her Eclipfe , they
faid,
íhe
was íick; and when /he was torally obfcured, that fhe was dead; and
then
they feared, leíl fhe fhould
fall
from Heaven, and overwhelm, and kili them,
and thac che World íhould be encirely diífolved. With chefe apprehenfions,
fo
foon as .che Moon emred into Eclipfe, they founded their Trumpets and
Cor:–
hets,
beat"
their Kettles
1
Symb:ils, and ali the Iníl:rumems which could make noife
and found ; they cied their Dogs in Strings, and beat them cill they cried :md
howled ; fay ing, Thac wich cheir Vokes chey called upon che Moon; who ha–
ving re.ceived cercain Services fro111 them, was very inclinable
to
hearken
to
their·
call; and that ali chefe variecies of Sounds rogecher ferved to rowfe and awaken
her, being fallen into a drowzinefs and ílumber, which her ficknefs hafi cauféd •
' and then
they
made rheir Children cry and call
lWama
f2!!.i!ta,
or Mother-Moon,"
Do not dye, lefl we
all
perilh.
·
Concerning che Spots in che Moon, they conceived anocher Fable
more
ridicu-·
lous than che former, and may be compared wirh that, which che more refined
Anciems
framed
of
Diana,
and that
che
Moon was a Huntrefs, chough this feems
Jnore befüal and abfurd ;
for
they fei~ned that
a
cercain
Fox
feeing che Moon
fo
beautifull, fell enamoured of he~ ; and that lús Love gave hlm wings, wich whith ·
he af
cended Heaven ; aod
bemg
ready
to
embrace rhe Moon, fhe clofed
and
clung
fo
dofe
to che Fox,
thaí: ever lince that time che
Spots
have appeared
io
tl¡e bri~hmefs of her Body. Of all which parriculars, concerning
che
Moon,
I
Lny
felf
,bavC! b.een
an
eye-wimeís
~
The Day they
called
Pu~hllH,
ch~
Night
'l"im,,
. ·
.
*