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BooK-IL Royal Commentarier.
perfeél: the Harmony amongíl: us. They had alfo otber Pipes, which were Fluees
with four or five .fiops, like che Pipes of Shepherds; wich rhe[e ~hey played not
in-eonforr, bue fingly, and tuned them to Sonners, hich chey compofed in meetre,
the Subjeét of whlch was love, and che P~flions whicn ari[e from che Favours or
,Diípleafures of a Miíl:refs. Theíe Muficians we¡e. Jndiam crained up in thar are
for diverti[ement of che lnou, and che Curacas, who were bis Nobles., which, as
rufücal and barbarous as ic was, it was not common, bue acquired with greac fo.
duíl:ry and Srndy. • .
Every Song was fer to its proper Tune; for Songs of different Subjeél:s
could not correípond with che fame Aire, by r th:ic che Mufick which the
Gallant made on bis Fluee, was defigned to exprefs the fatisfaél:ion or di[cohtenc .
of bis Mind, which were not fo intelligible perhaps by che words as by che melan°
choly or chearfuh1efs of che Tune which he P.laid. A certain Spaniard one nighc
late encountered an Jndian Woman in che Streets of Co~co, ano would have
1 brought her back í:o bis Lodgings; bue íhe cryed out, For Gorls fak!, Sir, let m_e
go, for that Pipe whichy-ou hear in yonder Tower calls me with great Paj/ion , 1111d 1 cannot
refufe the fummom, for Love conftr11im me to go, that 1 may be his Wife and he my H11f-
/,and. · , ·
The Songs whkh chey compofed of their Wars, and grand Atchievements,
were never fer to ihe Aires of cheir Flute, being too grave and ferious to be in·
termixed with che pleafures.and foftneffes of Love; for t!-iofe wel:e onely fung ,ac
theit printipal Feíl:ivals when they commemorared their Viétories and Triumphs.
When I carne from Peru which was in the Year 1 56o. there were then five In·
dians refiding ar Cou:o, who were great M:iíl:ers on the Fluee, an,d could play rea–
dily by book any Tune that was laid re them ; they belonged to one ?utm
Rodrigue:.:,, who lived at aVillage called ,, not far from the ·City: ahd now ac
this time, being the Year 1602. 'tis re , That che lndians are fo well impro–
ved in Mufick, that it was a common thing for a Man to found divers kinds of
Infiru~ents; bue Vocal.Muftc~ was_ noc fo ufüal in my time, perhaps becaufe
they d1d.not much praél:ife rheir V01ces, though the Mongrils, or fuch as carne
of a mixture of Spanifh and lndian bloud, had the faculty to fing with a tunable
anda fweet Voice. ,
J ' C ij A P. xv.
The Poetry of the Inca' s Amautas, who were Philofophers';
and of the Haravec, who were Poets.
T He Amauw, who were Men of che beíl: ingenuicy amongíl: them, invented
Comedies and Tragedies, which' on their folemn Feíl:ivals ·they reprefen~
ted before their K.ing, and rhe Lords of his Courc. The Aétors were not Men
of che common fort, bue Curacai, or fome of the young Nobility, and Officers of
the Souldiery, becaufe every one aéted his ówn proper pare; rhe ploc or argument
of their Tragedies was ro repreíent rheir milirary Exploirs, and che Triumphs,
Viél:ories and Heroick Aél:ions of their renowned Men; and rhe fubjeél: or de–
fign of rheir Comedies was to demonfhace che 1rn1:mer of goocj Husb.indry in cul·
tivating and manuring their Fields, and to fhew che management of domefück
Affairs, wirh orher familiar maccers. So foon as the Comedy. was ended, tbe
Aél:ors rook cheir places according to their degrees and qualities. Thefe Plays
were noc made up wich interludes of obfcene and diíhoneíl: faríes, bue fuch as
were of ferious entertainmenr, compo[ed of grave and acure fencences, fitred to
the place and audicory , by whom che Aél:ors were cominonly rewa,rded with
Jewels and ocher Prefencs, according to their meric, ·
H Their.
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