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.

Rojal Cornmentaries. 1 BooK IX who was Heir. Amongíl: divers other parriculars of Greatnefs, in an exrraor- dinary part iníl:ituted for celebration of this Feíl:ival, one was a Chain of Gold. of that wonderfull bignefs, as made it famous by report through the whole World 1 and yet was never feen by Foreigners, wbofe Avarice was as firong as their curiofü~ to fee ª. piece gf füch m~gnificence ; the defi~n .which t~é frica had'to make 1t, was thlS : In the Countnes of Peru every Provm.ce 0r iNat1on had Dances properly belonging to thei.r Countrey, different from others, oy which they were dilt~nguiíhed one from the other, as much as by the Drefs upon cheir Heads; and thefe Dances were always coníl:ant, and the fame, without any change or alteration of new Modes. The Jnc.whad a fort of Dance which was grave and decent, without jumping, or capring, as others ufed. Their Cuíl:ome was for che Men to dance without admitting the Women iqco che Ring, and to clafp hands one. wich the o~her, rea~lüng them out to che fore- moíl:, uncill ali were ·entred m, and cbamed as it were one to the other, fo that fometimes two or three hundred Men were concerned in che Dance, according to che number of chofe prefent ac the Fefüval; che which they be- gan ·at fome diíl:ance from che K.ing, befare whom they prefented it. Their manner was to begin all at the fame time, and to make three íleps by rule, the firíl: was back, and then- two others forward, like the Chafes and Coupees rhac we ufe in our Spaz¡ifh Dances; fo thílt giving bue one ílep backward, and cwo forward, they íl:ill gained ground, untill they carne to che middle of che place, where che Inca Cate : as .tbey danced they .fang by mrns, not to tire ihemfelves, fo much as they would do , in cafe they all fang together; their Tunes were according to the meafure of their Dances, and che fubj eéts of their Songs were in praife of the prefent Inca, and his ,Anceílours, and chofe of che Bloud Royal , and of cheir 'Afüons and Exploics performed in the times of Peace and War. The Incas alfo there prefent, and ftanding about the K.ing, bore rhei.r part in che Confort, as chofe who were equally concerned in che merriment, and che K.ing himfelf danced fornetimes , to render the Fefüval more fole~n; Frorn this' manaer of clafp41g and linking hands one within another, che Inctt H1111yna Capac took his invention of makiog his Chain of Gold, eíl:eerning that it would be rnuch more íl:ately and majeíl:ical to have thefe Dancers linked and faíl:ened one to the other by this Chain, rather than by tbeir ha.nds. The par- ticulars of chis Chain I did not hear frorn common report, but from my Old Uncle, whom 1 mentioned at the beginning of this Hül:ory, who being·a Pet- fon rnuch pleafed with the remembrance of old Stories, told me tbat chis Chain was fo long, as would reach the length.and breadth of che chief Markec-place 1of Co-tco, where they _danced at the time of all their principal Feaíl:s; and rhough it was not ·neceífary to have it fo long in refpeét to tl-ie Dance, onely the Inca was pleafed to arde( it of that length, for greater State, _and in honour to che Feíl:ival of his Son and Heir, in which nothing was to be deficient which inight render it great and folemn. l íhall not need to inforrn and trouble chofe who have feen ami meafured that Market-place, with an account of the length and breadth of it; howfoever to fatlsfie the curiofüy of fuch as have not been there, 1 dare to affirm, that that place Notth and South is two hundred corn- mon Paces in lengtb, allowing two Foot for every Pace, and an hundred and fifty Paces Eaíl: and Weíl: in breadth, taking in chofe Houfes which the Spani- ards in che Year 1 2)6. wben my Maíl:er Garcilaffo de la Vega was Chief Jufüce, had built on the líde of the River ; fo that chis Chain muíl: have been three hundred and fifty ·Paces long, which make feven hundred Foot; and when I asked che fame Jndian o[ the compafs of chis Chain, -he held up hlsHac\d, poiming to his Wriíl:, fignifying that every Link was of that bignefs. The Accountant ~eneral Auguftine Carate, in· the 14th Chapter of his firíl: Book, having at any time occafion to fpeak of che Rich~s of che Royal Palaces belon- ging to ~he lnC1U, reckoas up vaft Trea(ures, and almoíl: incredible, bm I íhall onely repeat what he fays particularly of this Golden Chain, wbich I have ex- traéted ver.Ú(JJim. ·