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.

BooKIX. Royal . Commentt1.ries. Trees, which are very capacious in chofe Moumains; they had no propriery in Wives, nor Children, but mixed cogether as they cafually,met, and ufed Sodomy- in an open manner : they knew not how to cultivate che Land, or doe any ocher thing which is conducing to humane life. Their Bodies were naked withouc any habit ; cheir Lips chey cut .and ílaíhed both wichin and wichout; cheir Faces they painted in four quarcers, with divers colours; one pare was yellow, anocher blew, anothei· red, and anocher black, changing che colours as-they chought fit: They never combed rheir heads, bue füffered their hairs ro grow long and matted, being full of firaw, or dufi, or any thing that fell upon them; in íhort, they werewor fe than bealls. In che year 1 560, when 1 went for Spain, I remember I faw fome of chefe people ar a place where we touched ro take freíh water, and remained there for three or four days; and there thefe people came out to us in their BoatS. made of Ruíhes ro trade with us, and fell us rbeir great Fiíh, which rhey íhuck with rheir Fifgigs; which they performed wüh fuch dexceriry, chat che Spaniards took great pleafure ro fee them, and would bargain for them befare they firuck them : cheir price was rñade far Bisket and Fleíh, for theyhad no value for S!lver : their .Privities they covered with leaves, .or barks ofTrees, not for the fhame they had of them in the way of common modeíl:y, bue out of refpeél: to che Spaniards ; in íhorc, they were falvage and barbarous above imagination. . It is faid, when Huayna Capac obferved .die barrennefs of chofe Countries, being noching bue Mountains; and che beíl:iality of that naíl:y people, which was fo íl:u- pid, · that he defpaired of ever reducing them -to a tolerable Oeconomy; chat then he íhould fay to his people, Come, and Jet m return again, far thcfe deferve not the Honour of our Dominion. At which words the whole Army faced · about, and rerurned, leaving the people of Paf{au in their ancient filthinefs and brutaliry. CH A P. IX. ·, Of the Giants which were in that -lountrey, and 'the de-' . flruaion of them. B. Efore we conclude our 1-:iiíl:ory reiating to che affaits of chis Counrrey, wecan- not omit one notable particular; which the Natives by tradition from theit' Forefathers have received, telling us of certain Giants which carne ro rhat Coun~ trey by Sea , and landed at that Point, or Cape, which the Spaniards call Sr. He- len's, becaufe they firíl: difcovered it upon rhat day ; and rhough che Spanifh Wri..: ters mentionGiants , yet there is none who treats of them fo much ar large as Pe- dro de Ciefa cfoth, who took his information from the people of rhat Counrrey, where rhefe Giants reGded , we fhall make ufe of his Relarion, and rehearfe his words verbatim, as.he fets rhern clown ; for thóugh {ofoph Acojla, and the Accoun-- tam-General Auguftine de Carate touch chofe particulars ; yet none defcribe them fo much at large as Pedro de Ciet¡a, whofe Words are theíe, in the pd Chapter of his Book : " Seeing chat there are mariy reporcs of Giants in Peru, which, ac- -~, cording to common fame, landed ar che Cape ofSr. He/en, which !yes near to " Puerto Piejo;, I have thought fit to declare my opinion in the cafe, wirhouc re- " gard to the variety of common report, which ofcen magnifies rhings above rhe " trucb. The Natives of chis Coumrey having receivedjt by tradition from cheir " Fathers, tdl us, rhat many Ar.es pafi, there was a fort· of Men of an extraor- " dinary Gzei which arrived at that Coumrey in great Junks; theywere fo large, " that a Man of our ordinary íl:ature reached but to their knees ; and char tbeir · " bodies being proporcionable thereunto, (as we may meafure the body of Hem s- " les by his foot ) were_íl:range moníl:ers to behold : their Heads were grea r, co- ~ '. vered with long hair hanging to their fhoulders; their Eyes were as big as S:iu•. A a a 2 '.: 1;;ers ;