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.

394 · Royal Commentaries. BooK IX. fflpa, the~e was a Turnip to be feen ~f that prodi$ious bignefs ," that ·five Horíes migbt be tied to the top branches of ir, and rhar if he pleaíed, th~y would carry him to [ee it; Garfia wil!ingly accep~ed rhe ~rofer, and wenc tlmher purpofely that he might fay he had feen füch a ftghr, wh1ch when he faw, he found the re- p0rc true for rhe Turnip was fo big, that a Man could frarce encompafs ir with borh his 'Armes; and fo render, that beihg bro~ght to Don G~r_yia's quarcers, ma- ny people ate of ir. In the valley which is cal1cJ the Vale of good Herbs, there are fome Herbs of rwo Yards and a half lon~, for l keep the meafures of fome of them and upon thac aífurance I give chis Relation. In 'rbe Year 1 s- 9 s-. ·and in the Momh of May, being in the Cathedral Church . of Cordova, and there difcourfing wich Don Martín de Contrer.u, and telling him, that being now to write thefe parriculars in my Hiíl:ory, I was a little fcrupulous to deliver the truch of the ílrange increafes of Corn, and the prodigious growrh of Herbs in my Counctey, leíl: to many, who had never gone out of their own, ic íhould feem incredíble, or rhat I took ihe prívilege of a Traveller, which is to lye; but he defüed me not ro forbear to give a true accoum on fuch coníidera- tions, leaving to them t9 believe what they pleafed; for my pare, I can teíl:ifie that I was an Eye-wimefs of the great Turnip in che Valley of Cufapa, where I was thac <lay with Don Garp_a de MendoM, and upon rhe Faith of a Gentleman I faw the five Hor íes tied co the tops of che Turnip, and that afterwards 1 are fome of ir with feveral others; and farther 1 can add, that the fame day 1 faw in rhe Valley of Yca a Melon which weighed an hundred and rhree pounds weighr, che crurh ofwbich was atteíl:ed befare a publick Notary; .and in rhe:Valley o[Yucay 1 ate of one Root of•Lettuce, which weighed íeven .póunds and ·an .half. Many other rhings of rhe like kind concerning Corn, Fruir .and Herbs, rbis Gentleman related to me, which 1 omit io mencion , chac 1 may not feem tedious to che Reader. J ' Acofta, ip rhe 19th Chapter of his 4ch Book, where he creats ·ar rhe Greens, Herbs and Fruics of Peru, hath thefe very Words, which I have extraél:ed verba- tim: " 1 have never heard, faid he, that che Indians ever...had Gardens for Herbs, " onefy that they digged fome little pieées of ground ca fow Herbs..1 Peafe; Beans " and Fitches; nor ha ve 1 learned, that ever aoy kind of rhefe feveral forts of " Pul(e which grow in Europe were fouod in Peru, untill chey were firíl: imported " by the Spaniards, which ftnce have grown and increafed in a wonderfull manner; " for the fertility ofchofe Countries far exceeds the foil of Spain, as we have given " an example of the Melons which grow in the Valley ofYca in Pem, which are " rio1: fown every year like ours, but cake a root which produces Melons for " many Years, and are cut and pruned at che Seafons like a Tree, which is a rhing ·" that never happened in any pare of Spain, &c. Thus far are che Words of Acofta, upon whoíe Authoriry I advenmre with unuch confidence to reporr the great fruirfolnefs of chis Coumrey; and how wonderfully ar the beginning the Fruits of Spain thrived and iocreafed to an incredible greatneís; ro v. hich alfo I íhall add anorher Excellency which Acofta mentions, which is, rhat the Melons did al! prove good, próvided that time were given-chem w·ripen, which gives a farther j ndication of1che .fertiliry of rhis Soil. And.in regard the fir.íl : Melons wliich were feen in the pares adjacent to los Reyes, gáve occafion to ·a pleaf ant íl:ory which·weifhall not omit in chis place, becau"fe it is a farrher evidence of che an- cient ftmpliciry of the Jndi"n1, whicb is chis: A cercain ·Inhabiranc ofche Ciry of fps Rey~1, who was one of the firíl: ·€ nquerours, and a Perfon of Noble Bloud, named ,Antonio Solar, having a Plantation in Pachacamac, about four Leagues di- frant from the City, mai1;irained a•Spaniard •(or his .Baily, to overfee and manure his lánd·; who fent two In4ians, ladeo vYiith1five Melons apiece, being cen in all, ro his Maíler, that1he, ·rnight tafle the fruicof his ground; and therewith fenc a Lerter in one ofthe Baskets, relliog them, chat in cafe tbey·ate any óf rhem, rhat Pa• per w9uld~ifcover ir-. Wirh this chauge .rbey deparceGl, and being halfa days Jour- ney on their way, the~;(ace clown to reíl, and i:epof.e themfelves; during which íl:ay, one f'aid to che other, Let iu t11fte of thü Frui which we carry to our A.fafter, but the other made fome,fcrnple, faying,~ 7/?e' Paper will difcover al!, . M 0111' Steward told m; bue che other réliliedr thac if tbey chrew the Paper belíind the Hedge, ir could not fee tJ:em, nor'arife up in w ~cnéfsl ~gainíl: chem ;1 ~1hicrh concrivancfe pleafed c~e Comp.:m1on, and the•Ra:per bemg· ' la1d aíide, chey cut rhe Melon, _and devoured it. For the Indians ar füíl: noc uhdfrfürnding the.Myíl:ery of hetrers, imagioed that