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Royaf
Commentaries.
BooK
Ir.
" troduced; which
to
·confidering men would appear as idle as any of thofe prac–
,, tices which have been in
u[e amon~e-t'*xican
or the
Pcruvian
Common–
" wealths. But we who entred by
me
Sword, and afforded not time to thefe mi–
,, ferable
Jndians
to give us .proofs- of their rationality, but hunced them as wild
" Beafis through the Motmtains, and drew them as brutiíh creatures to bear the
" burthens of our ílaviíh fervimde, coul~ not encertain any great opini~n of their
'' Wifedom :. Howfoever, fome obfervmg men, \.vho have been
fo
cunous, as to
" penetrare into the fecrets of their ancienc Governmenc, and into the methods
" of their proceedings, have found that the Order and Rules they followed, were
'' worthy of admiraúon. Tliius far are the words of
¡-ofeph Acofta,
who alfo adds,
that they had certain compendious Syfl:ems of Moralicy, digeíl:ed inco Verfe by
way of Poetry ; in which alfo many of their Laws, and che great Afüons of their
lkings
were rehearfed, and kept in a kind of tradition for better inflruétion of
their poflerity; which favouring rather of Trurb, than Romance, tbe
Spaniards
eíl:eem them to
be
true and particular pafia.ges of rheir Hiíl:ory : But many orher .
things afford them mat,cer of laughcer, being ill-compo[ed Fables, fuperíl:icious
and valn, and fuch alfo as are concrary
to
common honefiy.
CH A P.
XVI.
Of thofe
few
lnfiruments which the
Indians
attained to,
and made
1tfe of in
aU their
Work_s
and
Handicraft–
Trades.
H
Aving already declared how far they were proceeded
in
their Moral and Na–
tural Pbilofophy, and in therr Poerry ; ir follows now thac we íhould de–
clare fomerhing of their Mechanicks, and how much they failed in the Art of
making chofe Iníl.rumencs, which are neceífary for fhaping and framing thofe
U–
tenfils which are required for convenient living and well-being. And firfl:
to
be–
gin with their Sifverfmichs ; of which, though chere were great numbers, and
conftancly laboured at cheir Trade, yet they were not fo skilfull as co make an
Anvil of Iron, or any ocher Metal ; caufed, perhaps, for wanc of knowledge
in
what manner to dig their Jrony and feparace it from ics Ore ; of which they had
feveral Mines, and called it
f2!!j!l,iy
;
and therefore inftead thereof chey made ufe
of a cercain hard Scone, of a yellowifh colour ; which being pbned, and made
fmooth, was rare, and of great value amongft them: They knew not the inven–
tion of putting a handle of Wood to their Hammers , but worked with cercain
Iníl:ruments they had made of Copper, ¡nixed wich a fort of fine BraCs. Neither
did chey know how to make Files or Graving-cools, or Bellows for Melting clown
Merals ; bue inftead thereof ufed Pipes made of Copper, of about a Y:ird long,
the end of which was narrow, thacche Brearh mighc pafs more forcibly by means
of che concraébon
:
And as che Fire was to be more or lefs, fo accordingly they
u[ed eight, ten or cwelve of cbefe Pipes ac once, as che quamicy of Metal did
require: And füll they continue chis way, though our Invencion of Bellows
is
much more eafie, and forcible to rai[e che Fire. Nor had they the ufe of Tongs
to c:ike cheir heared Metal ouc of the Fire , but racher drew ic thence by a piece
of Woody or fome Bar of Copper; wich which rhey cafl: ic into a heap of wet
Eanh, which they kept purpo[ely by chem to cool cheir Metal, untill fuch time
. as they could cake it imo their hands: Notwirhílanding chis want of divers
In-
'
firuments, they rnade rnany chings with great curiofity, efpecially in Bparing
Metals, as we fhall hereafter difcourfe more ar large. And nocwichftanding
their funplicicy, experience had cagght them, that che Sceam and Effiuviums from
Merals~