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. Boo-~ l. they have lean:ed from their book¿; but M for your parts, in what manner can you retain the memory ofyour Anceftors, or·be informed of the Original ofyour Incas? as who WM the firft of them , or what was Eis n4me? of whaf lineage, or in what manner ke began to reign? what Nations he tonquered, anr). when he gave a bei1lg to thu great Emp1re, and with what Exploits our Anccftors atchieved their greatne{s? The Inca was much pleafed ro heat me make thefe enquiries, becau[e he took a delight to recount thofe matters, and tuming himfelf to me; ·,COf<fin, fitid he, I moft wi'llingly comply with your requeft ; · for it concerns jou to hear them, and k!ep them inyour heart, (which is a phra[e that they u[e, when they mean that it fhould be committed to Memory.) You muft kpow therefore, that in ages p11ft al/ this RegiO'tt and Countrey )'OU fee round m, wM nothing but mountains, and wild foreft, . and the Pe.opl~ ?n thofe times were lik! fo many brute Beafts, without Religion or Govermnent; they neither fowed, nor plo1tghed, nor cloathed themfelves, becaufe they kziew not the art of weaving wifh Cotton or Wool: They dwe/t by fwo and tw9, or three and three together, M they h11ppened to meet in Caves, or holes in the Rocks and Mountains; their food WM Herbs, or Grafi, · ·Roots of Trees, and wi!d Frnits, and Man's Flefh; all the covering; they had were Lea11ts . or B11rk,[ of Trees, and SkinJ of Beafts : In fhort, they were altogether favage, makjng ufa :of thcir Women as they accidental!J met, underftanding no properry, or jingle enj~mt of them. And now I pray ob(erve me with d1te attention, for I would 11ot be troubled to makf repe- -tition of what I have faid. Our Fl!ther the Sun, ( for this i s the lan guage of the Inr:M, which is a tide ofRt;verence and Refpeét, which rhey alwa.ys adjoin, fo ofren as they name the Sun; for they avail themfelves much o f thd:f onour of being de- fcendeci from him; and his Name is fo pretious, that it is blafphemy for any, and by Law he is to be íl:oned, who dares to take' this Name int0 his mouth, who is not an Inca, or defcended from that Lineage. ) Our Father the Sun ( faid rhe bca) beholding Men fach aJ before relfl.ted, took compaffion of rhem, and fent a Son and ll Da11ghter of hú own JYw Htaven to Earth, to inftruét our people in the l{_nowledge ofOstr Fathc-/ the Sun, that fo they might wo1:fhip and dor~ him, and eftecr'! hi~ for rheir God: t,iving thcm Laws and Precepts, whereunto they m1ght collforrn the11: Lives , likf Men of Reafon and Civility; that the; might live in Hoi1fe; and Society, /earn to fo-w the Land, cultivate Trees, and PlantJ, feed thcir Flock¿, and cnjoy them, and orhcr .Fruits of the Earth, M rational M en, and not aJ bmte Beafts. With thefe Orden and Inftruétio111 Om: Father the S,1m placed hú two Childrelf in the Lakt Titicaca, which ú abostt eighty Leagues from hence, giving them liberty to go, and travell which way the; pleafed, and th11c in what place foever they ftai?i to eat, or Jleep, they fhould ftrike a little wedge of Gold into the ground, ( which he hadgiven them,) being about half ayard long, and two fingerJ thick_ , and whcre with onc ftro"k! this wedge fhould jink,_ into the Earth, there fhould be the place of their Habitation, and the Court unto which ali People fhould refort. Laftly, he ordered them, that when rhey fhould have reduced People to thefe fü1/e; and Obedience, that then they fhouldi conferve and maintain them with Reafon, ruftice, Piety, Clemency and Gentlene{s, performing all the good Ojfice; of a piom Father towards thofe Children which he !oves with tendernefs; and rliat in imitation of him, and by hiJ example, who doeth good to ali rhe World, ajfordi 1 ~g them light to perform rheir bujine{s, and the amom of Life, w,arming them whm they are. cold, makJ.°ng their paftures, and their feedJ to grow, their trees to fruétifie, and their jlor:k¿ lO íncu a{e, rMtering their Lands with dew fromabove, and m its feafon beftowing chearfult andfavourab/e weather: and to mamfeft hio eare ofall thíngs,faid,I every day tak! a turn roumf the World, to fee and difcovc-t' the necejfities and wants of all things, that fo '1J the true Fo- mente,. and Parcnt of rhem, I may apply my {elf to their fuccour and rdre[s. ThuJ efur my e.xample, andas my Children, fent 1tpon rhe E11rth, I would h11ve )'Olt to imitare me; and ro i?1jfill fuch Doéfrinc h:to thú Peoplc, aJ may convcrt rhem from Beaft; mito Men: and from henceforth 1 conftiture and ordainyou Lords and Prince; over this People, that /;y )'Ollr Injf'ruftions, Reafon and Governmenr, they ma1 be conferved. ThUJ Our Father tht Sun . htiving dcclared his ple11fure to rhefe hú two Childrcn, he difpatche'd .them from him; and they tllkjng t(JeÍí" journey from Titicaca Northward, t!t every place where rhey c11me to rtpofe, thry tryed wtth their wedge 'to ftrikf ir in the ground, but it took.._no place, nor would it enter; · 11t !ength they camc to a poor Inn, or place to rej/ in, about f even or cighr Lea;_?,ues Sourh- w11rd from thú City, which to thú day is ca/led Pacarec Tampu, which h· tU much M to {ay; the Shining or Enlighmed Dormitory. This ú one of rho(e Co!onie; which this Princc planted, the Inhabitants whereof hoaft vf this Name and Titfe which our Inca be- flowed upon it; from whence he and hú fl!!.een defcended to the P11/ley of Cozco, whir:h WM then onely á wild ami barren ~untain, · . . ~ . CHAR