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.

Royal Commentaries. BooK VIL CH A P. VII. o¡ their NoEiurnal Feafl ce!ehrated at Night for purifjing their City from fick._ne/fes, and other calamities. T HE Night following they °Iighted great Torches ofStraw, fo clofe and hard . twifted cogether, thac they were lo~g i urning, and were not unlike our Wifps of oiled Straw ; onely they were e round, and about the bigneíS of a Foot-ball, called by chem Panc1111cu ; to eac end of thefe, they tied a cord of a- bouc a Y ard i,n lengch, with which they ran through the Streets, cafüng them round untill chey carne wichout the City, fuppofing that by help of thefe fires, they expelled che noéturnal evils from their Ciry : For as th~ evils of the day wer.e droven out by the Lances, fo che evils of che night were carried out by che Tor.. mes ; which being quenched without che Cicy in a brook or current of water in- to which they were chrown, were believed to carry wich them down their firearns ali due fickneífes and evils of their Cicy ; fo that if at any time an. Indian, ofwhac Age foever, íhould happen to fee one of thefe wifps of Straw, lodged by any ac- ddent or íl:oppage oo the banks of the River, he prefemly Aed from it, fearing to be feized by forne of chofe evils, wh.ich were newly expelled and baniíhed che City. The Wars being ended, and the City cleanfed and purified of all its evils and difea[es, great joy and rnirth was heard in ali cheir dwellings, not onely in publick, bue in every ,privaré farnily, which continJJed for che firíl: quarter of che Moon; during which ,time, they rerurned thanks to che Sl!,n for cleaníing and freeing thern from all their evils ~ and in demonftration of fuch tbankfulnefs, they facrificed Lambs and Sh~p to him ; che bloud and entrails of which they burnt in che fue 1 but che fleíh they roaíl:ed in che common Market,place, and íhared it arnon~ tho[e who were prefent at che Fefüval. 1 remember, when I was young, ,ébat 1 faw fome part of thefe ceremonies p€r formed; •and that a cercain Inca fallied out with his Lance, notfrom che Caílle, for chat was then deíl:royed,i but from a Houfe belonging to one ofche Inc;aJ,;which was ·firnated on che fide of that Hill, where the Caíl:le was formerly bwlc, called Collcampata: 1 faw alfo the four IndianJ run with their Lances, and the common people fhake their Cloaths, wirh all the orher vile and foolifh praétices, as eating their Bread called Cancu, and burning the Torches called Pancunm : For rny pare, I had not the curioíicy to lit up fo late at night, as to be prefenc ar rheir noéturnal Fefüval: Howfoever, 1remémber, that I faw one of their Pancuncm lodged in the fiream which runs through the Market-place, and near to the Hou[e of iny School- fellow rohn de Cellorico, J.remember to have feen many Indian Boys to have run ffem -it; but I aeiAg aChild of íix or feven years old, and nofCatechifed in their Religion, nor knowing the caufe, remained unconcemed ar the bundle of Straw, not thinking it fo terrible as did the IndianJ. · ThisTorch we now fpeak of, was thrown into the füeam which runs through the City, and carried abroad according to che ancient infürurion; for the Feaíl: was not now obferved wirh that fuiétnefs and veneration, ~s it was in che times of their Kings; for beginning now to become obfolete, it was rarher performed in rememprance of their ancient cuíloms, than out ofan opinion of any effe<fr or virtue of fuch a pr~étice j for ch~re remained íl:ill fome old füperíl:itious fellows~ vtJ:¡o r€fufed Baptlfin, and obílmately ad~erecl to their ancient Gentilifin. In times bf che Inw the Torches were carried out of the City, and t!me caíl: into the River : che water with which they wafhed their bodies, rhough ir were brought from other íl:reams, was yerto be poured into the River which runsfrom rhe City, thar fo rhe evils which ir wafhed, mi ght b e carried far diíl:am, and by force of the Gurrent be lodged in the Sea, As we ha.ve before menciqned. There