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 Ir. " troduced; which co ·coníidering men would appear as idle as any of thofe prac- ,, tices which have been in u[~ amongft..-tbe-tl(exican or the Peruvian Common- " wealths. But we who entred by tñ'é Sword, and afforded not time to thefe mi- ,, ferable Indians co give us proofs- of their rationality, but hunced them as wild " Beafis through the Motmtains, and drew them as brutiíh creatures to bear the " burthens of our ílavi01 fervimde, coul~ not emertain any great opini~n of their ' ' Wifedom :. Howfoever, fome obfervmg men, \>vho have been fo cunous, as to " penetrare into the fecrets of their ancient Governmem, and into the methods " of their proceedings, have found that the Order and Rules they followed, were ' ' worthy of admiratlon. Thus far are the words ofTofeph Acofta, who alfo adds, that they had certain compendious Syíl:ems of Morality, digeíl:ed imo Verfe by way of Poecry ; in which alfo many of their Laws, and the great Afüons of their !kings were rehearfed, and kept in a kind of tradition for better infiruél:ion of their poíl:erity; which favouring rather of Trurh, than Romane.e, the Spaniari:U eíl:eem them to be true and particular paílages of rheir Hiíl:ory : But many orher - things afford them rnatter of laughter, being ill-compofed Fables, fuperfritious and vain, and fuch alfo as are comrary to common honefiy. CH A P. XVI. Of thofe few lnflruments which the Indians attained to, and made -ufe of in all their Work._s and Handicraft- Trades. H Aving already declared ho w far t hey were proceeded in their Moral and Na- tural Philofophy, and in thei.ir Poerry ; it follows now chac we íhould de- clare fomerhing of their Mech anicks , and how muro chey failed in the Are of making thofe Iníl.ruments, which are neceífary for fhaping and framing thofe U- tenfils which are required for convenienc living and well-being. And firft co be- gin with cheir Siiverfrnirhs ; of which, chough there were great numbers, and coníl:antly laboured at cheir Trade, yet chey were nor fo skilfull as co make an Anvil of Iron, or any ocher Metal ; caufed, perhaps, for want of knowledge in what rnanner to dig their Iron, and feparate it from irs Ore ; of which chey had feveral Mines, and called it .f2.! Ji""Y ; and therefore iníl:ead thereof chey made ufe of a certain hard Stone, of a yellowiíh colour ; which being pbned, and made fmooch, was rare, and of great value amongíl: them: They knew not che inven- tion of putting a handle of Wood to their Hammers, bue worked with cerrain Iníl:rumems chey had made of Copper, ¡nixed wirh a fort of fine Brafs. Neither did they know how to make Files or Graving-tools, or Bellows for Melcing clown MecaIs ; bue iníl:ead thereof ufed Pipes made of Copper, of about a Y:ird long, the end of which was narrow, that che Breath might pafs more forcibly by rneans of the concraéhon : And as rhe Fire was to be more or lefs, fo accordingly they ufed eight, ten or twelve of rbefe Pipes at once, as rhe quamity of Metal did require: And füll they continue chis way, though our Invencion of Bellows is much more eafie, and forcible co raife the Fire. Nor had chey the u[e of Tongs to c:ike rheir heared Metal out of the Fire , but racher drew it thence by a piece of Wood, or fome Bar of Copper; with which they caft it into a heap of wet Earth, which they kept purpofely by them to cool cheir Metal, untill fuch time . as they could cake it into their hands: Notwithílanding this wam of divers In- ' firuments, they made rnany things with great curiofity, efpecially in Boaring Metals, as we íhall hereafrer difcourfe more ar large. And notwirhíl:anding t-heir funplicicy, experience had ta\Jght chem, rhat the Sceam and EfHuviums from · Metals~