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 l. . R oyal Commentaries. " íl:arcing up, ran ro his Cornpanions, crying our, d1at rhe Golpe! was defpifed, " :ind trampled under foot; Juíl:ice and Revenge upon rhofe who comemn our " Law, and refu[e our Friend!11ip. In like manner, it is fabulous whar they writé " of rhe Inca, that he íhould fay rhat he was free, and owed not Tribute to any, " for rhar he knew no King füperiour to himfelf. I fhould be glad to be J friend " to rhe Emperour, who hath evidenced his Power and Greamefs in [ending Ar- " mies imo Counrries fo remoce ; bue as to what you mention of Obedience to " rhe Pope, I.cannot underíl:and rhe Reafons which íhould oblige me to a fübjec- "; tfon umo him : For he who pretends to transfer anorñer's right unto his friends, " and commands me to quit and renounce che Kingdom, which I hold by Inheri- ' ' canee, to 1 kncw not w hom, íhews himfelf a Man of liccle underíl:anding, a'nd " Jefs jufüce. And as to che change of my Religion, of which I am in my con- " . fcience fatisfied, and.belieye to be Holy ; it would be dil11onourable, and a "· folly in me to quefüon' rhe truth chereof, which by ancient tradicion, and un- " doubted tefümony, hach been approved by my Anceíl:ours. · All which I fay was falfe, and frarned by the miftakes and flaccery ofWricers 5 for At11h11a!pa never queíl:ioned the. right of paying 1Fibu~e~ b~. t onely infi~ed on the Reafons why, aqd wherefore 1t was due, and expeél:ed from him; which de- rnands, or queíl:ions, put che Indians into acombuíl:ion. The Commander in chief of tbe Spaniardi and Capcains under hirn, fent notwichíl:anding the forrner relation which rhey had forged unto the Emperour, and forbid all people under fevere pe- tialties ro make any other report or narrative ofwhat had paífed in rhis particuiar : che cruch of which is, as 1 have related it, and which may be proved not onely by the Hlíl:orical, or Hyeroglyphical Knots of the .ProVince of Caf{ama.rea, but by the teíl:imony of feveral of thofe Conquerours, who were then. prefent at thofe tranf- aél:ions. B!tu Va/era faith, That one of them was his own f:ather, from whom he hath often heard it confurned. In íhort, we fay that sooolndian~ were killed that day, 3)oo·of which were ílain with theSword, the reíl: were old and i.nfumMen, and Women, andChildren, which were trampled and rrodden under foot, for an jnnurnernble number of all Ages, and both Sexes, were gathered together to fee the Solemnity of this íl:range and unheard-of Embaífy. Moreover a great num- ber bf Imlians periíhed under the Ruines .of a Wall, which fell by force of the violent crouds of people, whith preífed under the íhelter of ir. Two days after this defeat, the Crofs was found in the fame place where Friar Va/verde had let it 'fall,· for no Indian duríl: approach near it, becaufe perhaps it was like that which . the Indians adored in 'Tumpii, ' believing that there was fome Divinity, or myíl:eri::. óus Power in that piece of Wood ; and being ignorant of the Religion of Chrift our Lord, they asked pardon for thofe offences by which they had provoked him 457 to anger. · And now the Indians began to call to mind the ancient Prophecy, delivered by Tradition from their Inca Viracocha, whereby he not onely forecells the change of their Laws, People and Government, but alfo that their f~perfütions and religious Rices and Cerernonies íhould be confumed, and perifh ~&y fue. And in regard they were ignorant of the time when thefe things were to be accomplifhed, whe- ther now or hereafter ; both the King and bis People were íl:rook with fuch afro· nifhmenr, that chey-knew not what to determine; nor did they refolve on any ching either defenfive to themfelves, or offenftve to the Spaniards, onely they con- fidered apd woríhipped them as Gods, and Meífengers of the GreatViracocha, whom they ado~~d under this denomination and belief. Thus far this Relation is extrae~ ted out o'f the Papers of B!M Va/era, which l íhall willingly quote hereafter in fe-: veral~p s Q this following Hiíl:ory ; for he w as not one ly a. religious Man, but ene' very ióus in finding out the truth, and fücere.in laying.down matters as they ywere aél:ed ; in which he was not f atisfied by h is Enquíries from Spani- .1irds, but likewife took his Informations from the Jndians thernfelves : Fo~ . which reafon, wherefoever 1 find any thing of his tending to our purpofe, .l íha1l quote them as authentick for their authoricy; and in the mean tim~, cannot but much lament his lofi leaves, and fcattered fr<rgments. N n rt ·e HA P.