The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

( 977 )_ Royal COmmentarles. B O O K VIII. CH A P. t How the Indians and Spaniards celehr ated the Feflival of the moft Holy 'Sacrament at ~ozco. A/elatioTl'~j ~ qu~rrel which the Indians had º'! that occflfiom S lnce the Method of H~íl:ory requires, that every thing lhould be r~Iated in its due time and place, we fhail here at the, beginning o( this'eight 'Book, defcribe two particular p,aífages which hapl?en~d in Couo after the Wars with Francifco Hernanaez.. were ended, ana before thearrival of the Vice-King, whofe Preferice was inftantly defired, ·and expeéted in that Kingdom., One of thofe Matters, whicli acc9rding tó,. this rule, we are f'o meni:ion, h the P,Ompous and folemn celeb::ation of that Feftival, which w e Catholicks caii, Corpus Chrifti , performed in the City of Coz..co. After thofe Wars were ended, wbich the Devil had raifed to obíl:ruét the in~eaíe and prop~ation of. the Holy Gofpel; the lafr of which was tbat of Francifco H er- nandez.. Giron, and may God in his Merey grant, that ~t may .f!:iil be the laft and fucceeded by no other IOÍ tbat Nature. The Solemnity of that 'Feffival is now obferved with as much magnificence, and perhaps with more, than at that t ime : For thofe Wars were concluded at the end of the year 1554, and we a.re now in the ·year 1611, from which tim·e to this. prefent in which we are writing this Chapter, fifty feven years have paffed of . Peace and Tranquility. • . My intention is only' to write the Hiftories of thofe times, and to leave the fucceífes óf the prefeot to the Iabour of other Pens : In thoíe days the re were about 80 Citizens, or roen of Eftates in Cot.co, who were ali G ent11::- men oí'' Noble · Rank and Extraétion; for by the Name of Cit ízens, we underfrand thoíe who had ·Lands given tnem, with hldians belonging there- unto fubjeél:ed to them in vaffalage. Every one of thefe G entlemen with great Curiofity ador ned his. Chair, or Sedan; wbich his lndian Vaf- fals were to carry on che day of Feftl val ; the Ornaments tbereof were Fringes, and Ernbroideries of Silk and Gold, and ftudded wi th Eme- rolds, · and otber Prec'ious Stones; therein were placed the Irnage of our .Lord, or Lady, or fome other Saint or Sainteís, according to the devoti,, on of t he Spaniard, or /J'ldian, wboíe care it was to drefs up the Sedans; wliich were fomething like thofe, which· the Co-fraternities uíe in Spain upon fu ch Feftival s. I i i i i i · The •