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 VllI. . Royal Commentaries. niards found out the u[é of O!!_ick-íi lver ; and tefer the R.eader, to fa tisfie his curio- füy to thac Hiílory of Acojl-a; in which he writes of al! chefe Metals, and particu- larly of the Nature of Quick-íilver, ac large; 'Tis obfervable that the Mines_of the Mounrain Poto.Ji were firíl: difcovered by éeftaindndians, who wereServams to Spa- niards, called in their Laoguage Yanactma ; who under the feal of friendfbip, and promife of fecrecy, kepc ic cornzealed for fome ·rime, enjoying to themfelv5 che benéfic of the firíl .difco..very ; bue finding che Riches immer;¡fe, ané.l difficult to be hiclden, they could noc, or would noc, conceal che incimation thereof from rhefr ,Maíl:ers, who opening che firíl: vein of Ore, fouhd paffage fo a greater treafure: 345 Amongíl chofe Spaniards, to whom chis booty ahd fortunate 1 lot happened,. there was one called Gonralo Bernal, who was afcerwards Srewand to Pedro de Hinojofa; this Man difcourftng fome íhort time after the,difcovery of tlbis Mine, wirh Diego Centeno, a Gentleman ofQg,ality, and ocher Noble perfons, concerning the rich and fpreading veios of-this Mountain, declared it to·be his opinion, chaein cafe chis Mine were diggéd, and che Silver melted, wbich ít would produc.e, chat ~ilver ·would become more common, rand lefs valuabJe thañ Iron. · The which aífertioa, I have feen made goo.d in che ye.a,rs 15'54, anq1j ), when iri the W-ar of Fr{lnci{c'o Hernande:i;, Giron, an IronHorfe·íhoe wasworch five Pieces ofEight, or ftx Dmracs, and a Shoe for a Mule raced at four Pieces ofEigfa, and cwo Nails for íhoing va: Iued at a Tomin, ?r * fifty five ..Mar.ave~i1. 1 have feen a pair df Buskins, or Spattep- li- Abo~t teti Jaíhes, fold at thirty fix Ducats; a Q.g_rre 0f Paper for four Ducats; .an EJl,of P_a fe,,._ penée. ·tia Cloch, dyed in grane, at fixcy Ducats ; al'ld according to this rate, al.Í the fine Cloths made of Sigovia Wool, their Silks, Linen, and ocher Merchandifes of Spai14 were efümated : but the War was the ca u fe '0f this dearnefs., becaúfo in the f pacé of two years, that it continued, there arrived no Sñips in Peru \vith che Commo::. . diñes of Spain. Moreover, che great abundance of Silver which chofe Mines yid- ded, caufed it to be cheap, and of no eíl:eem ;· that :t- Basket of Cuca carne to bé worth thirty f tx Ducats, and a Buíhel of Wheat valued ae twenty,four or twenty five Ducats; at like rates chey fold tBéir Mayz, and all their commodities for Shoes and Gloaching ;1 and .cheirWine alfo was fold at exceffive f)rizes, untill (uch time as it carne to be iqáporred in greatér quantities : 'And tlioúgh ,chis OOunti'ey be rich; and abounding with Gold, Silver, and pretious Stones; yet rh~ Natives are che moa poor and miferable people fa ali che World: . 1 . ' ) e a A P. • , 1 XXV" 1 \ . . . • . f ·, '.i O[ í2J!:i~k_,,-filver ; ánd how. they nzelted theit Ore );efore they difcovered that Mineral. · ' ,~ W . E have in the foregoing pare of this Hiíl:ory ftgnified, that the Incah Kings had a knowledge of Qµick-filver, bue were unacquainted with che Na- ture, or Ufe of ir, and onely admired the live1y and quick mocions of ic ; howfo- ever, having obferved fome certain noxious qualities 'and effeéts it produced, fuch as ftupefaétions, palíies, and tremblings ofche Nerves, the Kings, whofe chief care Was che fafecy of cheir people, ( for which reafon one of their Titleswas, Lovers of the Poor ) did abfolurely forbid their .Subjeéts to u[e or meddle with ic; and chey being poífeífed with an appreheníion of ics noxious qualities, abhorred ic to chat degree, as not to think ic worrhy of cheir choughc or word; fo tha:t chey had no name forQg_ick-filver, unlefs chey have coined one for it fince che Spani~rds in che year 1 5 67, madea difcovery of ic ; and if they had any before, tliey had certain- l y forgocit, asMenare liable to doe, who have no knowledge or praóticeofletters. That which che l nCtU u[ed and permicced to cheirSubjeéts, was a fort ofEarch of a pureVermilion-colour beyond expreflion , found in duíl: wichin the Mines of I Y y Quick·