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.

BooK V. Royal Comlenr:arier. The Name ,of the Queen was Mam111, R.#ntu , which Word RJmtu fignifies an Egg, fo called, becaufe of the whitenefs of her Face being perhaps fairer than the Women commonly are of thac Countrey. The Jndians report, thac 1hiis Viracocha was the Authour of the Prophecy which foretold the InvaGon of tlíe"!fpániardr, and .was conferved amongíl: the Archives of the Kings of Peru: which was, " That ar a certain period of Years afier the " fucceffion of fucha number ofKings, there íhould come a forc of people from ' ' far remoce Counnrii.es, never feen, or known befure in thofe Regioas, who íhould ' ' take away their Religion, and fubvert their Empire. The fubíl:ance of which Prophecy was contained in two füch obfcure Sencences, as were difficult to be ex- plained or interpreted. The Indians fay, thac chis Inca, afcer che fuccefs and veri- fication of his Dream , became the Oracle of Mankind ; for that che Amautao , who were the Philofophers -of thofe ·film~, as alfo the High Pritilíl:, and rbe moíl: i\ndent Elders df the Temple of the 'Suµ: wmo were the Magici?ns, ·tthac prefa- ged 'ofthings ro come, did ofi:en iRterrogate ihirn •con~emiqg hls Dr{la~, alild of Comets feen in che Heavens, as alfo of Divinations by it:he tl¡¡ing -anq fjngit1g of Birds, and of fever:tl other fuperfütious Brognofücations ~hich they,matie from their Satrifires, ·arna Entrails of Beafis; and·to all che Refpoafes w.Fiich Jí"irac 9 cha . rnade to their Enquiries, tbey yielded entire F!Mth and Ctedence 1 eReemiFlg him the Oratle, and chief in Divination: \Vhat he delivered i!l tl'is ni-a1me¡, was judged worthy to be conferved by Tradition in che rnemory -0f oheir King.s ónely; and tbat the knowledge of fucli divine Revelations was .not to be macle aom- mon, or prophaned by .the Difcourfe of the People; for that it. was nt>t fit for them to be pre-acquainted wiih the times and [eafons, when their ldolatrous Wor- íhip íhould have an end, and the Empire be overthrown, and the Divinity of che · Jncao quefüoned, and changed into ene fiare and cornrnon condjcion·of humane . kind. I:or which reafon tnere was no farther rnention rrulde of chis.Prophecy, untill the time of Huayna .Capac, who revealed it openly a little before his Deadi, as we íhall hereafter declare more at large; though fome Hi(totians rna_ke but a íhort tale of it, and fay, that a God wnich the lndians woríhipped, called ·Ticoi · riracocha, delivered this Prophecy. But for what 1 have delivere<i herein, 1 have che authoricy of an old Inca, whom 1 have often heard recount the Fables and Antiquities of their Kings in prefence of my Mother. And in regard the ·corning of the Spaniards into Peru, and the Conquefr of it by tbem ; che defuuétion of their ldolatry, and the preaching of che Gofpel of Chriíl: in chofe pares, did correfpond with the Prophecy of Piracocha; the Intlians did therefore give the Name of Piracocha to che Spaniards, fanfying them to be Sons of that imaginary God, whom he had purpofely. fent (as we have already faid) to relieve che Jncao from che Oppreffion,and Violence of the cruel Tyrant. Thus we have curforily touched on chis wonderfull Prophecy, which for many years had been revealed to che Jnca-Kings; and which was afterwards accompliíh- .ed in ·che Reigns of Huafcár, and Atahualpa, which were g(eat Grandchildren to the third Generation to chis Inca Piracocha• . - ' i81