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 VI. Royal Commentaries. rightly underfrood rhem, and taken the words fo perfeéHy, as to be guilty of 1 o miltake. If there were any other Meffages, they were committed to writing, a!1d not co word of mouth : Writing, I mean, not fuch as we deliver and exprefs in Letters, but in Knots made up in different threads of various colours, which ferved for 'yphers, wluich were well underftood by· the Inca and his G<Dvernours: For by thefe Kmots and Colours of thread, tbey fpecified what number of Souldiers, whac Garmems, what Provifions, and wfuat other neceífaries were to be furnifhed, and puu into a readinefs for the fervice of the Army. Thefc¡: knotted threads which übe Indians called .Q_uipu, were the Cyphers which they ufed in aU thei r Ad- vices, and the Figures in their Accoums: of which we fhall treat more at lar.ge itr- the following Chapter. But as to thefe Chafqui, or l?oíl:-boys, when a t any time arn~ exera0rdinary buGnefs was ia aétion1, they ·encreaf€d them ofteJ.il to t.@ or t.weLve Í:líl mt:trnber at every Stage. And to make thefe Pofts the m©re ready a.¡:¡d quiGk ; if at any time an extraordinary occafion liappiened; diiey ga,ve their Signal ü11 th€ da.y-time to t:heun b~ Ulilakimg a finoak, and· in. the ni.ghn-time oy the flame <Df a B~co~l°; which being difcovered a~ a·dií.l:ance; it Jerve© as a warning to ev:eny Stage to have tfueir Pol.ils.in1a readrnefs, ami'. uo watch nigfut and: da.y for th€ C0mimg of th~s Meífage. Bu.t the!e Beacons were never firef! º but on• fome gr.eat 0ccafion of Rebellion, o~ InfutTeétion of a Provincre, rhat fo the roews of iE might fpee<füy :mive an Comt in the fpace of two or rhree hours, thouglll ie hiap- pen. f.ive on ÍlX hundneal Leagu~s from nhemce; tfoe which ferved to gi'.ve am Alla- i;um un~ill fuch time as d;ie partirnlars of rhe News anived' with greateli certainty. And this was tbe Office and Ufe of tbe Chafqui. · f . CH A P. VIII. - That they made their Rec/zonings and Accounts by Threads and Knots; and that the Accountants were Meno[great faith and integr ity. Q Vipu fignifies as much as .Knots, and iometimes Accounts ; in ordering ,of which, rhe Indians Dyed rheir Tlm~ads with divers colours; fome were ofone colour onely, tome of two, others of three, or more; which, with the mixed co• lours, were of divers and various ftgnifications. Thefe íl:rings were twiíl:ed of three or four Threads, and about three quarters of a Yard in length ; ali which they filed on another íl:ring in faíhion of a Fringe. And by thefe colours they underílood the number and meaning of every particular: By the yellow rhey fig· nified Gold, by the white Silver, by the red Souldiers and Armies, and fo of other things diílinguifhed by their colours. · ·But as for other things whiduould not be fo diíl:inguiíhed by Colours, they de~ fcribed them by their order and degrees of quality ?nd goodnefs: For as we in Spain take every' thing in their degrees of ,comparifon, fo they having occafton to men- tion Corn, do füíl nominare Wheat, then Barly, then Peafe and Pulfe 1 &c. So when they gave an ac;count of Arms ;· the firíl: mentioned were the moíl: Noble, fuch as Lances, next Darts, then Bows and Arrows, Pole-axes and Hatchets, and fo forward. So when they had occafion to nurnber the people and feyeral Fami- lies : The firíl were Aged Men of fevemy years and upwards, then Men of fifty, and fo to fevemy, then of forty ; and fo trom ten to ten , umill tbey carne t0 fucking Children : The which Order alfo was kept in numbring their Women. · Then amongíl: thefe groífer füings, there were others which were more fhorr, and ílender adjoining to them 'i and th€fe were Exceptions to che other more ge- - neral