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 IX. " rhat fó Travellers might not miíl:ake their way, or wander either on one hand, ce or che orher ; and in chis manner ali was ordered for _rhe. [pace of five hundred . " Leagues heing che fame diíl:ance as over the Mountams. Bur now the Scakes " fixed in' che fandy Grounds are in 1nany ~arts broken, or plucked up by the " Spaniards, who in che tin;ies, as well or. W,ar as Pe~ce, ma~e ufe. of chem for ce fuel . yet the Walls wh1ch are made m the Valhes remam enme unto this ' ' day ,) by which we may conjeéture and judge of the greatnefs of this work. " And chus did chis Guaynacava go by one way, and return by another, being al- " ways covered with Boughs of Trees, and entertained with the fragrant fmells " of fweet Flowers. Thus far are the Words of Auguftin de Carate. Likewife Pedro de Clefa de Leon difcouríing of this rnauer, and of the Road ·through the Mountains, hath thefe words in the 37th Chapter of bis Bóok : " From Ypiales you travel to a fmall Province called Guaca, and in the way thi- " ther you pafs that farnous Road which the JncM made·in chofe parts, and may " be compared to that which Hannibal made over the Alpes, when he marched in- " to Ita/y ; · and indeed, confidering the great Chambers and Store-houfes which " were made in that way, . ir feems a more difficulc, and a more admirable piece " of \Vork. Of which Pedro de Cie~a enlarges no farther; howfoever in the 6oth Chapter of his Book , fpeaking of che Road over the Plains ; he hath thefe words: " That I may prnceed in my Hiíl:ory wich due method, I have rhought it re- . . " quifüe, before I conclude, to memion fomeching relating to che Road over che ~' Plains, v¡;hich, :is l have rouched in orher places, is a work of fingular remark " and importance : ' And rherefore I muíl: here denote lomething of tbat high " Road over che Plains, half of which, at leaíl:, is a way made by order of che ',' JngM ; the which, though now it is in many place·s broken down, and demo- " ·liíhed , yet the Ruines of it are durable evidences of the power of rhofe who " firíl: commanded the fame to be made. The l ndians attribute chis work to ' ' Guaynact1pa, and Topa Ynga Y11panq11e .his Father, who defcended by thefe Vallíes "' to the lower Provinces ; though fome report, that Inga Yupangue, the Grand- " father of Guaynacapa , and fother of Topa Ynga, was the firíl: who difcovered " that Coafi, and paífed thofe Plains unto it; and that the Caciques, or éhiefGo- " vernours of thofe parts, made the Road fifteen Foot broad by command and " direéhon of that Inga: on each íide a very íl:rong \l\Tall was built, adjoyni ng to ce which, were fi ne groves of Trees planted ; the Boughsof which did fomerirnes " reach over vhe way, being laden with Fruir; and the Aoor, or the way under " foot, was íinooth and eafie ; the Woods and Forefts all along were inhabited " by Singing-birds, Parrot , and Fowls of ali forts. And farther, chis de Ciefa treating of the Store-hcu(es, and places of enterrain- rnent and provifion, fa ith, " That thefe Walls reach ali along the way, excep- " ting onely ch-ofe fandy d~farts which could not bear a foundation : Howfoever'J " as proofs of the greatnefs of che Founder , and as íigns and matks to direét ' ' Travellers, great Timbers, in the manner of Piles, were driven in to the ground « at foch a [pace and difrance as were eaíily feen fromone to the other. And as ce they were very carefull to keep rhe ways in the Vallies clear, and the w~ills " in good repair; fo alfo the like diligence \\:as ufed to keep up rhe Poíls or " Stakes, in cafe any of rh~rn fhould be blown down by che Wind, or over- cc turned by any other accident : So that this Road was certainly a grear pfece. ". of Workmanfhip, though not fo laborious in the making, as that of che Moun- " rains. In thefe Vallies alfo there were fome FortreíTes and Temples of the ·" Sun, which we fhall fpecifie in their due places. Thus far are the Words o f Pedro de Cici a, which we have extraéted verbatim. Likewife '/ohn Botero Benes makes mention of the wo Roads, and in his Qb, fervations denotes them for miraculousWorks ; and, in fhort, fays rhus much of them : ' ' From the City of Co:tco there are two great Roads, or King's Hlgh- ,, ways, ru.nning at leaíl: two thoufa nd Miles in Jengd1, one of which goes by the "' way of the Plains, and the other leads by the Mountains : And in making " thefe ways in the manner they now are, being twenty five Foot broad it was " neceffary to rai(e che Vallies, level the Mountain~, and cur through tÍ1e folid " and living Rocks ; which is a Work fo grea t, as exceeds above :my com- cc parifon , the Pyramids of EgJ'ft, or tbe Roman Edifices. Ali \'\'hich is ex· · traéted