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-II. Royal Commentarier. perfeét the Hannony amongíl: us. They had alfo otber Pipes, which were Flutes with four or five .íl:ops, like che Pipes of Shepherds; wich rhefe ~bey played not in-confort, but fingly, and tuned them to Sonnets, hich they compofed in rrieetre, rhe Subjeét of which was love, and che P~flions whicn arife from the Favours or ,Difpleafures of a Miíl:refs. Thefe Muficians we¡e. Jndiam trained up in thar arr far diverti fement of che lnou, and the Curacas, who were his Nobles., which, as rufücal and barbarous as it was, ir was not common, bue acquired with great fo. duíl:ry and Study. • . Every Song was fer to its proper Tune; far t.wo Songs of diiferent Subjeéts could not correfpond with che fame Aire, by r eafon that che Mufick which the Gallant made on his Flute, was defigned to exprefs che fatisfafüon or difcohtent . of his Mind, which were not fo intelligible perhaps by the words as by che melan° choly or chearfuh1efs of che Tune which he plaid. A cerrain Spaniard one night late encountered an Jndian w ornan in che Streets of Co~co' ano would have 1 brought her back í:o his Lodgings; but íhe cryed out, For Gor!s fak!, Sir, let m_e go, for that Pipe which )'OU hear in yonder Tówer ca/ls me with great PajJion, and 1 cannot refufe the fummom, for Love confblins me to go, that 1 may he his Wife and he my Huf- /,and. ' · The Songs whkh chey compofed of their Wars, and grand Atchievements, were never fet ca ihe Aires oftheir Flute, 'being too grave and ferious to be in- terrnixed with the pleafures.and fofcneffes of Lave; for tf.iofe wete onely fung ,ac theit printipal Feíl:ivals when they comrnemorated their Viétories and Triumphs. When 1 carne from P eru which was in che Year 1 5 6 o. tbere were then five ln- dians refiding at Cou:o, who were great Maíl:ers on the Flute, an,d could play rea- dily by book any Tune that was laid before them ; they belonged to one ?uan Rodrigue<;;, who lived at aVillage called Labos, not far from the City: ahd now ac this time, being the Year 1602. 'tis reported, That the lndians are fo well irnpro· ved in Mufick, that it was a common thing for a Man to found divers kinds of Iníl:ru~ents; but Vocal .'~folie~ was. not fo ufual in rny time, perhaps becaufe they d1d not nmch praétife their Vmees, though the Mongrils, or fuch as carne of a mixture of Spanifh and lndian bloud, had the faculty to fing with a tunable anda fweet Voice. , r . C ij A P. xv. The Poetry of the Inca' s Amautas, who were Philofophers 0 ; and of the Haravec, who were Poets. T He Amauw, who were Men of che beíl: ingenuity amongíl: them, invented Comedies and Tragedies, which' on their fo!emn Feíl:ivals ·they reprefen~ ted before their King, and the Lords of his Court. The Aétors were noc Men of the cornmon forr, but Curacai, or forne of the young Nobility, and Officers of che Souldiery, becaufe evefy one aéted bis ówn proper part; che plot or argurnenc of their Tragedies was ro repreíent their military Exploits , and che Triumphs, Vietories and Heroick Aél:ions of their renowned Men; and the fubjeél: or de- fign of their Comedies was to demoníl:rate che m:u:mer of good Husbandry in cul• tivaring and rnanuring theit Fields, and to fhew che management of dornefück Affairs, wirh orher familiar matrers. So foon as the Comedy was ended, che Aétors took their places according to their degrees and qualities. Thefe Plays were not rnade up with interludes of obfcene and diíhoneíl: farfes, but fuch as were of ferious entertainment, compofed of grave and acure fentences, fitred to the plar::e and audirory , by whom che Aétors were cominonly rewa.rded with Jewels and ocher Prefents, according to their merit. · H Theif. 49