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.

992 ' Royfll Commentaries. .BOOK VIII. guards, he was there detained, until hisMeffage was fi gnified to the Inca, afrer which being admitted, a Council was called of all the Capcains and. Gover- nours, who were Tutours ·to the Prince, for he b eing irí hi s Minority, had not (as we have faid) as yct bound his f;! ead with t.he coloureél Wreath. The Cap- tains having received this Mdfage, were jealousof the reality thereof t houoh brought to·them by a Kinfmao : And therefore ríot being over-haft y' to gi~e Credence thereunto, anothcr Meffenger was difpatched to Coz.c a, in behalfof the Inca, to fpy and d_iftover w~at deceic and frand might be und.er chis f¡Jecious over- ture ; for they d1d much d1ítruft the fincerity of the Sp.mit1rds ,k eeping ftill in me- mory the death of Aeahuafpa, and othertheir faith!efs and treacherous p,aét ices : And until thereturn of this Meffenger, and his Aílociates, tho[e fent from· Coz.ca were detained as Hoftages, and Pledges for better fecurity of the honeft and due performances by the Spaniards . The Meífenger was farther inítru::l:cd,that after he .had appliecl himfelf co the lnfamaDonnaBe¡itriz..,he lhould difcourfe fartheron the bufine[s with the Govérnour of Coz..co, and other Perfons, who might fecure them of their fears,and from the apprehenfions they had of falfe and faith!efs defign s ; and ihould delire both of che Governour, and Donna Beatriz., to fend unto 'Jr;hn Sfrr ra de Leguicamo her Son by /vfancio Sierro de Leg¡ticamo, who was one of the firfl: Conquerours, todea l faithfully with thefX! in this matter, and give to them hisreal opinion, whether they míght truft without Scruple, or doubt OÍ the propofition and offer which was made to them. The Governour, and the Infanta were both pleafed at the coming of this Meffenger from the Inca, and with him fent Letters to 'John Sierra, that as he was a near Kinfman to the In- ca, he lhould deal clc:arly wirh him, and aífure him that there was no other defign in the Invication, cban to fee him abroad,and out of thofe Mountains, to che great Joy and Contentment of ali his Relations. But whilft thefe matters were in tr.eaty at Coz.ca; the V ice- K ing, being impatient to fee an end of this N egotia- tion,which he choughc would be over-long and tedious by other hands,difpatch- ed away immediately frorn hirnfelf a Dqmmican Frier, whom Píllentino callsMel- chioY de Los Reye1~ and with him a Citizen of Coz.ca, named ']ohn Bet11n;os the Husband of /Jonna Angelina, the Daughter of Inca. Atahualpa, of whom we have formerly made mention: this 'John de Betanfos pretended to be very skilful in the General Language of th~ ~ourftry, for which reafon, and for the relation he had by bis- Wife to the Prinre Sayri Tupac, he_was fent in company with the Frier, to íerve for an lnterpreter, and to expla111 the Letters, and che Subftance of the Embaffi e upon which they wereemployed. Thefe two Ambatfadours, in obed·ience to the Vice-Kings Commands, made ali the h~fte they were able, and 1 endevoured to get admittance to the Inca, by way of the City of Huamanca, which was the neareft Frontier of any to the en trance in to the Mo~ntains, where the Inca made his place of•Refidence : For which reaíon the Spaniards gave the name to that Town, of St. John of the Frontier, bec.¡m[e it bordered near the aboad of che lncar; and was (when theCountry was firft conquered by the Spa- niards) poffeíled by rhem on Sr. ']ohn's day. But t?eycould by no meañS pro- cure admittance by this way ; for the Indian Captarns and Governours, fearing Jeíl: the Spa¡úards fhould take them up9n furprize, and carry their·Prince away from them, had fo cut offall t~e Avenues, that no Pe1 1 fon, without their Licenfe, cotild approach the pla<1e of their Habitation. Wherefore the F rier, an·d J ohn de Betanfos took a compafs twenty Leagues farther. by the high Road, to try if t hcy could get ent i:_ance by the way of Ant'armaylla, bur here alfo they were difap.. poi nted : Ali which being adviíed by the l ndúms to the Govern~ur of Coz.ca, he wrote a Letter to the AmbaJTadours, that they fhould noc labour farther to no purpofe, bue fhould come to Coz. ca, where they ihould fiad direétions in what manner to proceed. In the following Chapter we ihall fet forth at large, wbat pafled in th is particular affair, according to che Narrative of Palentino, extraéted verbatim from his own Words : whereby we mayobíerve,wich what.Prudence and Caution the Indians proceeded in this affair; and liow prudentl y they governed their Artifices, whereby to di[cover che Cheats and Frauds which the Spaniards concealed under their fpeciousoffers ; with manY. other thlngs obfervable on the part o~the Jndúms. CHA p.