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 Commentariu. BooK ll. CH A P~ IV.' kumtninavi tak§s all ihe Seleéi Virgins of a Conveni a1úl Buríes them alive. T.· W O Spanifh Hiílorians treating of the Cruelties of Rummina71i, fpecifie a· · mongfr the reíl:, one of the moíl: barbarous pieces of inhurnanity that ever was committed: They fay, that when Rumminavi carne to f2.!!1tu, where entertáiri- tc ing fome difcourfe with the Women; pe faid éb them, Cheer up, and be merry, ce Jor the Chriftiam are now coming with whom JOU may fo!ace JOUY felvei ; át whié:h fome ' ' 0f the Women happening innocently to laugh, chinking no hui't; he fpoile~ " their jeíl:, and cut their throats, and burnt down the Clofet or With-drawlng- " room of Atahualpa : Thefe are the words of one of the Writers; and tl1e other agrees with him in the farne fenfe. But che truth of the íl:ory is this : The Ty- rant one day went to vifü the Convem of thofe who are called the Seleét Vir- .gins, wich imention to chufe out from thofe Women who were chere placed, and feparated for che ufe of Atahualpa, fome of che moíl: beautifull and pleafing to his fancy ; in regard that he being declared King, all the Wornen, Efl:ace, and Riches of his Predeceífour devolved to him with the poífefiion of che Kingdom. Dif- courfing one day wich thefe Ladies concerning che prefem ílate, and fucceffes of affairs, he defcribed che behaviour and habit of the Spaniards, whofe Bravery aod Valour he extolled to a high degree, fayin~, That it was no íhame ro fly from ~heir irrefifüble fury ; rhat they were a ílrange forc of people wich Beards in cheir faces, and were mounced upon crearures ca1led Horfes, which were fo ílrong and fierce, chat a ,thoufand Indi11n1 were not ab!e to wichftand che violence of one df ..them, and with the fwifmeís of.his caniere was fo terrible as to rout, and put chem all to fügbt. He added farcher, That rhe Spaniards carried Thunder and Light- ning wich them, by whith they could kili che Indians ar two or three hundred Paces diíl:ant from them, and chac they were armed with Iron from head to foor. In fine, afm he had defcribed them with high admiration, he faid, that chey wore a certain kind of Codpiece, like a Box wnerein to inclofe their Genitals ; it is ro · be fuppofed, he meant che Codpiece to rhe Breeches, ( ufed in rhe days of Our Henry the Eighcb) which was a faíhion neirher modeíl: nor ufefull. The Wo- men hearing the latter pan of the Scory, buríl: out heartily incoa laughrer, fuppo- fing that they had rather plea[ed rhan angred Rumminavi therewíth : but he on rhe contrary incerpreting their laughter to be an effeél: of unchaíl: and difhoneíl cle- , fües, and that they would joyn and concur with che Spa11iard1 when occ:ilion of- fered, he was rranfporred with fuch rage, thar ir broke forrh into chis furious ian- guage: Ah wickfd whorcs and Traytoreffes, if onely rvirh tal~ of the SpaniardS J'Ou are fo pleafed, what wou!d you doe and afJ with them, if they 1vere prefcnt ? Bitt I jhall rakf carc to fpoilyour fport and paftime rvith thcm. So foon as the words were o'ucof his mouth, he imrnediacely commanded his Officers to take and carry ali rhe Wo- rnen, as well the young as rhe old, to a.ílream of \~ater w.hich runs by the City, ~nd to execute u~on rhem rh~ fame pum(hment whKh their La~ infüéts, \Yhich 1. to hmry them alive; accordmg to the Sentence they were camed thirher, and there interred alive under great heaps of íl:ones, which were thrown upon rhem from ce ·rainMountains· and Rocks, which lye on borh fides che River. Tlius did rhis barbarous Tyrant difcover more unhumane cruelry, and relemlefs bowels by this Murther cornmitted on poor lilly Women, ~ ho knew noching bue ho~~ to Knit and Weave; than by his bloudy treachery praéti[ed on ílour Souldiers and Martial Men ; and what farther aggravaces bis crime, was, chac he was rher~ · prefent to fee the execution of his deteíl:able Sentence, being more pica red wirh the objefu of.his cruelty, and his eyes more delighced with the fad and difo1al fight of fo many perifbing Virgins, chan wich any ocher profpeél: or colours which could have been prefented before his view. Thus ended che[e poor Vir- g1ns, ' 1