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.

~54 • Royal . Comm_entaries_. " cord and reconcilement cf Affefüons, which eme comrnon Speech had produced ~· in the World~. was loíl:, fo rhar Men were become perfidiou~ and hacefull ro '' each other, having no cummon tie of Words or Cuíl:oms co unice and cement " them in che bonds ofAmity. The which inc:onvenie'J1<::e aot being weU obfer- " ved by che Vice-Kings, wlio promifcuouíly reducecl gteater and leífer Narions " ro cheir Obedience, nor regarding che u[e of. a common Language, whereby " che Goípel mighc have had entrance to them, did thereby greatly obfiru~ che " prqgre~ of che Chrifüan Faith, unlefs the Preachers bad beea endued wida an " uni.verfal gift of Tongues, and learned ali che differenc Dialeéts of chofe People, ' ' which was impoffible without che Miracle of Divine Infpiration. Sbme are of " opinion, chat che lndians ought to have been obliged ~o leam che Spanijh Tengue, " fo as to have taken off thac difficult Task from che Prieíl:s, and impofed it on " che lndia"!s; but chis projeét would not ealily cake; for if che lndian1 were fo_ " dull, and íl:upid, that che Co:uan Language, which adrnits little difference fróm " their own, was learned with much difficulcy by chem ; how can we expeét chac " che.y íhould ever attain to the Caftillian Tongue,. which in every word is firange, ' ' and wirliour any affinicy wirh cheir own. Were ir not rather more feafible for " che Spániards, who are Men of quick Wits, and refined Underfiandings, to " learn che general Speech of Co:uo, than to put Cuch poor fottiíh W recebes, " who have no help of Letters, to the difficult .labour of learniag che Caftilli11n " roll'gue; aad who íhall put th'eir Maíl:ers to more labour in ceaching them " one Speecñ, than a quick witted Prieíl: íhall have in learning ten? Wherefore· " ir were a more expedice way to oblige chem to the knowledge of che Co:i:.can ' ' Tongue, w]1ich difiérs lictle from cheir own; and in chis Speech preach rhe " Carholick Faith to chem: In order unto which if che Vice-kings and Gover- " nours would be pleafed to renew che Commands and Rules given in chis cafe " by che ancient lncM, obliging the Sons deícended from che Line of che oid Ma- ce fiers, to reaffume che Aurhoriry formerly $iven them for teaching and propa- " garing chis general Tongue, they would ealily reduce chem to a knowledge " thereo( I remember a Prieíl: and Doétor of che Canon-law, a perfon very pi- " ous, and cruly deíirous ro doe good to che Souls of che Jndiam, did with greac " Diligen ce and I nduíl:ry learn himfelf che Couan Tongue, which having attai- " ned, he beca.me very imporrunate wirh che lndians to learn ir alfo; in compli- " anee wi th whof e defires many of rhei;n aPR.lying chemfelves therelll)to, did in " little more rime chan a year become perfeét Maíl:ers of it, and to fpeak ir ay " readily as cheir Mother-Tongue; whereby chis Prieíl: •found fo facile an in- " croduél:ion into che Ears of chis people, chac he eafüy iníl:illed che Flfndamen-· " tals and Principies of che Chriíl:ian Faich into their Minds and Hearts; a,pd if " one fingle péifon was able by his fole diligence and endeavours to incline the " minds of chis people ro a compliance with his defires; pfiiV much more mighc " che aurhority of che Biíhops and Vice-Kings be prevakmtY! fucoefsfull amonglt " chem; and how eaíily migh~ chefe Jndiam, by the help of chis general Tongue, " be taughr. and governed wirh much gentlenefs.and lenicy,·from the utmofr pares ·" of ~itu, to die Countrey of the Chiches? to evince which more clea'rly, ir is " ob.lervable, that che JncM difpatched all cheir judicial Aéts by che help ofa few " Judges, whereas now in che very fame Countries three hundred Spamitrdi, who " are Corregidores, are not able to país aad perform che Cau[es relacing to privare "J ufüce ; all which difficulty is caufed by che lofs of che common Language, the " which is 1:nuch to be lamenced, conftdering i• is aTongue eafi!y obtaineci, as may " appear by che many Priefis, who in 'a íhorc rime have rnade chemfelves Maíl:ers " of ir. In Chuquiapu, as I have been informed, there was a cerrain Prieíl:, Doc- " tor in Diviniry, who had fo grear a deteíl:ation of chis Tongue, that he had no ;: pati~ncé to hear ir fpoken, being ofopinion) chac ir was fo difficult, as nor. to be artamed by che greaceíl: Induílry. Ir hap~ened chat before che time that aCollege · " ofJefuits was ereéted in thatCountrey, a certainPriefr carne rhicher wirh incenrion ;: to refide rhere for f~me days, to preach unto che Indians publickly in the general Language. The Pneíl:, who fo much naufeared chatTongue, refolved notwich- " fianding for curiofiry fake to be prefenr at che Sermoa, and having obferved " that he quoced many places of Scriprure, and chat che Jndians heard hirn with :; grear ~~tention, took fome kind of liking. to che Tongue; fo cha e prefenrly af- " ter ~he Ser~on, he asked che Pr!eíl: how ic was poffible for fuch divine and my- ftenous faymgs .to be. expreífed m words fo barbarous as chofe; to which che Priefr