4000003871

BooK

II.

Royal Commentdríes.

Metíl.ls,

is dangerous and prejudicial

Man's health ; and for that reafon, they

foonded

ali

their Mecals in che open Air, and not under Covens. Bue above all,

llhcir

Carpemers feemed to

worfl: provided with Tools; for though oúrs ufe

many

lníhuments made of Iron, chofe of

Peru

had no other chan a Hacdaec, and

Pick-axe made of Copper; they neither had Saw, nor Augre, nor Phmer, not

any ocher Too} for che Carpenter's work, fo that they could noc make Arches o~

Poctals for doors; onely they hewed and cut their Timber, and whitenoo ir; and

.then ir was prepared for their Building: And for making rheir Hatchecs and Piclc–

axes, and fome few Rakes, they made u[e of che Silverúniths, for as

yét

chey

had not attained to che Art of Working in Iron. Nor did chey know how ro

make Nails, or ufe them, but tied ali rheir Timber with Cords of Hemp. N(}r·

were their Hewers ofSrone more artifioial, für in cutting and íhaping cheir Scones;

theyhad no ocherTool, than onemadewith fome -íharp Flincs and Pebbles, whid1

dteyalled

Hihu1111a,

with which cheyrather wore out the Sc~me b.y cominual ruh–

bing, than cucting. Far lifting or carrying up their Stohes, rhey fiad no Engines,

but did ali by che fuiengch and force of their Armes ; and notwithfl:a,nding aU

this

defeét, they raifed füch mighcy and íl:acely Edificesi as is intredible, ~71-iich

appears -by che Writings of che

Spani(h

Hiíl:orial)S, and by the Ruines

c.>f

them,

wfü

ch füll remain. They knew not how to mai(e Sciilirs, nor Needl~s of Me-

r.al

but in place thereof they úfed a certain long Thorn, which grows in chofe

par

ts;

for which reafon ,they fowed very 1ictle, but rather patched or cobléd, as

we íhall hereafrer dedare. With this fort ofThorns they n,ade alfo cheir Combs

for

the

head, which they fixed wichin a Cane, which ferved far the back of che

Comb,

and the Thorns on each fide far the Teeth. The Looking-glaífes which

the

Ladies of Qualicy ufed, were made of Burnifhed Copper ; bue che Men ne,_

ver

u[ed

any, far thac being elleemed a pare of effeminacy, was alfo a difgrace,,

if not ignominy,

them.

this manner they paífed, as well as chey could, in

,providing chofe matters which were onely neceífary for humane life; and chough

.thefe people were endued with no great capacicy of invencion, yec, when che

Spaniards

tai.Jght chem, chey learned with great facility, and imitated fó well thé

patterns given them, that in time they excelled their Maílers in their Artificial

workmaníhip and contrivances. This ingenuity and aptnefs ro atcain Sciences)

was evidenoed by a genius they had in Perfonating and Aétihg Comedies, which

the Jefüits and fome Friars, and other Religious had compo[ed for them. I retne,m–

ber che argument of one to have been che Myílery of Man's redemption, and re

pre[ented by che

Jndian1

with gracefull and proper aélion; nor were chey ahoge'–

,ther ílrangers co this divertife1tient, becau[e in che times of che

Jnt:tU

tbey 1;1füally

r~refented their own Stories in Dialogues, and therefore more eafily improved in

that

Art

to which they were formerly inolined

a natural aptitude. lt

obfervable

how well chey Aéted a Comedy, made by

Jéfüit, in praifo of the Bleffed Virgin

Mary,

which he wrote in

che

Tongue

Aymara,

which is different from the Langúage

Peru:

the Argumem was on chofe words in che

Chapter of

Gelteji1,

where it is

faid,

wi/l

put Enmity bcnveen thee a11d the Woman, and that fhe'jhall break.,thy, Head,&c.

This was Atled by Children and Young men in che Countrey, called

Sulli.

And

Potow

they rehearfed a Dialogue, which contained al,l the Particulars of our

Faith, at which about

11.000

Jndian1

were prefent. At

Couo

another Dialogue

was recited of the Child Jefüs, at which were ali che Nobles- and People of che ·

. Cicy affembled. Another was recited in the City, which is called the City ot

the Kings, where che Lord Chancellour and ali che Nobility were prefent, toge–

ther with an innumerable company of

lndiam

che Argurnent of which was, the

Moíl: Holy Sacrarnent, compo[ed in

Sp_anijh

ai:id. the G~neral. Tong~e of

Peru

which was repeaced by the

Jndian

Youth in Dialogues, ano ptonounceáwith fuch

grace and ·emphatical expreffion, with füch air and handforne gefl:ures, interrnixed

wíth Songs

[et

to pleafant Tunes, that the

Spaníards

were much content~d, and

pleafed to behold them

and fome íbed tears far joy; to

[ee

the ingenuicy and

good inclination ofchofe poor

Jndiam,

that ever afcer chey conceived a better opi–

nion of them, confidering them noc to be blockiíh, rude and filthy, but docible,

gentle and capable of improvemem.

-·

When chefe

lndian

Youths delire to commit any thing to mernory, which is

given chem in writing, they go to chofe

Spaniards

who are acquainted with letters,

defrring them to réade che fufl: lines to them four or five times over, untill they

have learned them by heart; and

fix them better in their memories, th€y reª

peat