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. Royt!I Commentaries. " ofOfficets,. ns almoíl: !oíl: and forgotten, to rhe grear damage and obíl:ruélion " Qf the Gof¡;>el. Such Indiam as to thefe days reta in that Lrnguage, are much bet- ." ter civilized, arld more in~elligent than thofe others, who are as grofs and cor- " rupt in fheir Madrlers, as rhey are in rheir Language. " It was this Pachacutec who prohibited ali perfons, urilefs they were Princes, " and of the Bloud-Royal, to wear ·Gold or Silver, or ¡'lfetio'Us Stones, or Fea- " thers of cU-vets colours, or the fine fort of Goats W oo'l, which r)ley had learned " to Weave with admirable Art. He cornmanded, that .upon die· firíl: d<ffS of " the ne'w Mdbn, artd other days of foíl:ival, they fbould g-0 decently, but noc " gaily dre!fed; by which means he made t:noderate cloatllihg to become a fafhion, " which to this day is obferved by• the lndians, who are Tribmaries ; and hath " that good effeét upon them, that thereby they are freed frorn rhe danger ofbad " Arts, which ofcemimes necefiitate Men to exerdfe unlawfull comrivances for ' ' rhe fake of fine cloathing, and gay apparel. !h?ugh indeed at prefem chofe ' ' lndians who are Servants to Spaniards, or live amongíl: them, are be~ome greatly " corrupt in rhat particular, not valuing their honour or confciences in comparifo11 " with the gallantry atid flnery' pf their Apparel. This Inca likewife enjoyned great " remperance in Eating, thóugh he gave more libetty to rhe Commonalty, as weU ". as the Princes, in the excefs of·Drink. ,He ordained particular Officers to· ce overfee, and cake notice of idle Perfons, and Vagabonds, not fuffering any per- ce fon.to want bufinefs, or employment ,· but to ferve his Father, or his Maíl:er, '' fo that Children of five or fü: years of Age were not excufed ·from fome em- cc ployment and work agreeable to their years. Evert the !amé, and blind, and " dumb had fome fort of work put into their hands ; the Old Men and W omen " were fer to affright away the Crows and Birds from the Corn, and thereby gai- " ned their Bread and Cloathing. And leíl: Men, b)' reafon of coptinual labour " 1and roil, íh'ould becorne weary, and their lives buttheñfoine, he provicled, dm ,, . for their better eafe, they fbould have three Days of tepofe and divertifement ce in every Moón, by which !'bey átcounted the!r Mo11th: He' appoimed 'th~e ." Fairs in {SVery Mo~h, to be held at the end of every nine Days; fo t:hat füch as " 1ived in' the Vi:lfag€s 011gl1t at the end of tF1e Week fina a Marker:, at wl1ich to " vend the Com11t&lities they had made a~d wor~d: With occaílon of which ce meeting and conrnurfe of people, the:sr heard and leamed thofe R1.:1 1 les:and Or- " dit'lances whrch rfre incd and his Cou'nre'l pqblifhed· and prodaüned, though a~­ ,, terwards this I}:ing, for tf1e better' conv1nie'.nee of bis peóple, a'ppoiméd Markets " fo be lield ever'y day Ít'.í the City, whidi they cal! Catu, and fo rema·in Únto ce thiS time:· onefy ~he Fairs Jlie appoint.ed to be kept qn-Fefl:ival-days for the grea-· ce ter folemnity a'n'd diverdíement of the people. He made a Law, that every " Provínce anti Cny fh'ould afiign Limits and Boundaries to their Mmrntafos, Pa~ C( ftures, Woods, 1:Hvel's, Ukes, and Arable Lands,' whlch tl1ey claimed ·and chaf- « lenged', and fo to remain·for ¡Derpetual' ftgnals 0f their Rights and Inheritance , " that fo no Goverñour, or éuraca, might dare to encroach thereúpon: or extend « his authority, or juriMiaio_n, beyond' them, but that ene Inhab.itams might en- " joy freely their ówn l'.JoffeffioFl5 withouc any diíl:urbance from- Al'iens, or peo- " ple of the-Neighbouríhg f>rovinces : . In like mahner che Roya'1 Ren'ts belong- " ing· to the Sun, aocl·the' Inca, were affig'ned, wl1ich tl\e lndrans v,1ere to plow and " fow, and gather the fhnrs of ~hen'l acc01'ding to thbíe rnles and meafutes which ' ' are before preff::ribe'd by their Agrarlan Law. Hence appears che errouzof thofe ' ' who affirm, that tfie Indians allowed no right _or propriety in their Inl1e1~nces : " For though the proportion of Lands was not fet out oy any e.xaa:·meafüres m " po!fefiion, yer every Man?s labour gave him a title to that Land \vhich be was " able to Manure ; for Ít was an Ancient cuíl:pme of the lndians. to meet togerher, '' and Manure not' onely t'he Lands belonging t_b the publitk, but fuch alfo as " were the poífefiions of particular perfon_s, '~hich every one appropriated to him- . " felf by the right of dht labour which he nad. befllewed upon ic: For the man- " ner was for the people t'o meet together, and th.en in•the firíl: place to plow and " fow the Lands belonging to particular nieh, aillíl:ing each other with common • " labour : Then they erpployed themfelves in Manuring the t ands belonging to • « the Sun and Inca, with common labour, obferving che like rule in reaping and " garhering.ih the Fruits fo times of Harveíl:, and lodgihg them Ín che Royal Re- " pofüories, or Store-houfes. By the fame help, and almoit by· the fame corn ~ '' mon cohfenr rhey built their Houfes, the Neighbourbood being appointed and obliged