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.

94 Royal C ommentaries. BooK 111. - C H. A P. XXI'v. oj the Garden of Golrl, and of other Riches helonging to the Temple, ancl of many other things in that E7!1pire, after the Fa/bion of them. T O return now to this Fountain, I fay, that ar the end of fix or feven months afrer it was loíl:, it happened, tha~ fome Indian Boys playing about the Stream, difcovered an eruption of Water from the broken Pipe; of which they acquainting one the other, at length it carne to the knowledge of the Spaniard.r, who judging it to be the water of rhe Convem, chat had been loíl:, and di-verted from its former courfe, gave information thereof unto che Friars, who jeyfully re- ceived che good news, and immediately laboured to bring it again into direét con- veyance, and conduét it to their Garden ; the truth is, che Pipes ly~ng very deep, were buried wich Earch, fo thac it coíl: much labour and pains to redttce it co its rigijt clíanelJ and yet ihey were not fo cúrious or induíl:rious as to trace th~ Founcain to che Spring Head. ' Thac Garden which now füpplies che Convent with Herbs and Planes, was che Garden which in the times of che lñ~M belonged to rheit•f>alace, called the Garden of Gold and Silver, becaufe thac in it were Herbs and Flowers of all forts, lower Plants, and fhrubs, and taller Trees, made all of Golcl and Silver, cogether with ali fom of wild Beaíls, and carne, whicb :were accounted rare and unufüal; there were alfo íl:range Infeél:s, and aeeping chings, as Snakes, Serpems, Lizards, Ca- melions, Butcer-flies and Snails; alfo al1 forrs of frrange Birds and every ching dif- pofed and in its proper place with great care, and imiraced with much curiofüy, · like che namre and original of chat it repreíepred. r There was alfo a M ay;::,all, which bears the Indian Wheat, of an extraordinary bignefs, che feed whereof they call f2._uinua, likewife Plant.s which produce leífer Seeds, and Trees bearing their feverallorts of Fruir, ali made-0f Gold and Silver and excellently well reprefenting them in cheir natural Shapes. In che Palace alf~ they had heaps or piles of Billets, and Faggots, made of Gold and Silver, rarely well counterfeited. And for rhe greater adornment and Majeíl:y of che Temple of their God che Sun, they had caíl: vaíl: Figures in che forrns of Men, and W o- men, and Cbildren, which they la id up in Magazines, or large Chambers, called Pirva ; and every year ar che principal feafts che People prefented great quantities of Gold and Silver, which were ali employed in che adornment of che Temple; and chofe Gold-fmiths whofe Are and Labour was dedicated to che Sun, attended to no other work than daily to Il)ake new lnventions of rare workmanfhip out of thofe Meralis. In fhorr, they made all (ores ofVeífels, or Utenfils, belonging to the Temple, of Gold and Silver, fuch as Por , and Pans, and Pails, a11d Fire-fho- vels, and Ton&s, and every thing elfe of ufe and fervice, even their very Spades, and Rakes of the Garden were made of che like Metal!, chat with very good rea- fon they might call the Temple, and ali the Houfe of che Sun, the Coricancha, or che Ingot of Gold. In imitation of this Temple at Couo, they made che Temples which were in the ocher Provinces of that Kingdom, of many of which, as alfo of che feleét Vir- gins Pedro de Cic fa de Leon makes mention in his Obfervations of that Countrey; but omits to def~ribe either che nm~ber. of ~hem, or che places, in which they were, bue onely fuch as occurred to hun m h1s travels through che great roads leaving chofe unmentioned, which remained on borh hands out of che way; perhaps to avoid a tedious prolixity he.rnight pafs rhem by, in regard that by che model of one, rhe ochers may be defmbed. · In