made being a great Legislator In my time the Spaniards opened a way between the Schools and the Palace Cassana of which I have seen a great part of the Walls remaining being made of excellent polished Stone which appeared to have been part of the Royal Lodgings together with a magnificent Hall being so spatious as in the time of rain and wet weather served for a Theatre and place wherein to celebrate their Feasts and Dancings and which was so large that sixty Men might Exercise themselves on Horse-back in it with their Darts and Lances This vast Hall reached as far as to the Convent of St. Francis which because it was something remote from those quarters where the Spaniards inhabited they passed a nearer way to it by the Street Tococachi A great part of this Hall or Gallery was taken up for a Church and divided from the rest wherein were Cells or Dormitories refectory and other Offices for the Convent and the open places belonging to it served for the Cloisters John de Pancorvo one of the first Conquerours gave this Hall and the Ground about it to the Friars it being his lot when a division of Houses was to every Man according to his proportion And though several others had part of this place with him yet he bought them out at a certain price which in those days was purchased at an easie rate Some few years afterwards this Monastery was transferred to the place where it now remains as we shall mention in its due place when we come to speak of the Charities which the Citizens made to the Friars for bying in the Ground and building the Church So that in my time I have seen this great Hall or Gallery demolished and the Shops built in the Street of Cassana which serve for Merchants and Artificers to dwell in Before these Royal Houses was a great and open Court being the chief place of the City called Haucaypata where the great entertainments and rejoycings at the chief Festivals were held the length of it North and South was about 200 paces or 400 foot and the breadth East and West about 150 paces reaching as far as to the stream of water which runs through the City At the end of this open Court to the Southward were two other Royal Palaces situated near the stream and to the Street called Amarucancha or the quarter of the great Serpents fronting to the Street Cassana anciently the Houses of Huayna Capac but now converted into a College for the Jesuits One great Hall or Gallery of these Houses remained in my time but not so spatious as that of Cassana as also a handsome round Tower standing in the middle of the Court before the House But of this Tower we shall speak more at large hereafter for that having been the first quarters which the Spaniards took up in this City they conserved it in good repair being also a rare sumptuous Building no other reliques of these Buildings remained in my time having been all demolished and suffered to decay without repairs When the first division of this City was made amongst the Conquerours the principal quarter of this Royal Palace being that which fronted towards the Market-place fell to the lot of Hernando Piçarro the Brother of the Marquis Francisco Piçarro one of the first Conquerours of that City In the year 1562 I saw this Gentleman at the Court of Madrid Another part of this House was the share of Mancio Serra de Leguiçamo another was given to Antonio Altamirano which he having divided into two Houses I was to have bought one of them Another part hereof was set out by the Spaniards for a Prison and another was given to Alonso Macuela one of the first Conquerours and after him to Martin Dolmos to whom the remaining parts were allotted I do not well remember To the East of Amarucancha which is the Street of the Sun there is another Lane called Ac-llahuaci or the Convent of the Virgins dedicated to the Sun which we have already mentioned and of which we have nothing farther to say than that one part of it was the portion of Francisco Mexia having its Wall adjoining to the great Market-place and now filled with the Shops of Merchants All the places which have been hitherto mentioned whether common Streets or Royal Palaces were all to the Eastward of the River which runs through the Market-place Whence we may observe that the Incas raised those three great Halls or Galleries at the front and on each side of the Market-place for celebrating their Festivals with greater convenience in case it should prove rainy weather at such certain times of the two Solstices and at the beginning of such and such Moons When the Indians made a general insurrection against the Spaniards they burnt all the City excepting onely those three Galleries of the four which we have already mentioned viz. Collcampata Cassana and Amarucancha but the fourth which was the Head-quarter of the Spaniards where now is the Cathedral Church they shot an innumerable number of Arrows into it and set fire to it with Straw in above twenty places Notwithstanding all which the fire was quenched God not suffering it to be burnt that night as we shall hereafter declare and though they attempted it many days and nights afterwards yet God who designed to introduce the Catholick Faith into those Countries did by a strange and wonderfull Providence prevent that destruction that the Spaniards by his mercy might have the greater cause of Triumph In like manner they preserved the Temple of the Sun and the House of the Select Virgins but all the rest was destroyed by fire supposing therewith to turn the Spaniards into Ashes CHAP. XI Of the Streets and Houses on the West-side of the River HItherto we have described the Palaces and Buildings which are to the East-side of the River which passes through the middle of the City On the West-side is that wide and open place called Cussipata which is a very pleasant and chearfull situation In the time of the Incas this Cussipata was all one place with that on the other side of the water for then they covered the River over with great beams and floored it with planks for the more commodious receiving the great Numbers of principal Lords and multitudes of Strangers which crouded to the great Festivals of the Sun This Bridge which the Indians made of planks because they had not the Art of Building an Arch was ruined by the Spaniards who in the place thereof erected four Bridges at a convenient distance one from the other which were likewise of Timber and remaining in my time and afterwards built three other Bridges with Arches which were standing when I departed Those two open places were not divided in my time nor were there Houses on both sides of the water as now they are In the year 1555 when my Lord Garçilasso de la Vega was Governour those Houses were then in building and were appointed
Catalnillas and such as are a size bigger and which speak best they name Loro and the biggest of all which are dull and never speak they call Guacamayas and are good for nothing but to look upon for the beauty of their Feathers Such as these they carry into Spain in Cages for the delight they have in hearing them talk but others which are not so beautifull nor diverting they think not worth the care and charge of transportting so far In the Year 1555 and 56 there was a Parrot at Potosi which was one of those called Loro which was so ready in its Tongue that it would call the Indians as they passed along the Streets by the names of their several Countries such as Colla Yunca Huayru Qucchua c. as if it had been acquainted with the several Sashes they wore on their Heads to distinguish their Countries Upon a certain day there was a beautifull Indian Woman passing the Streets very fine and accompanied with three or four Servant-Maids as if she had been some great Lady or Palla of the Bloud-Royal So soon as the Parrot saw her he fell into a great laughter crying out Huayru Huayru Huayru which is a Nation the most base and contemptible of all the Indians With which the Indian Woman was greatly ashamed being laughed at by the people who in great Numbers were always about the Parrot hearing him talk and when she came near he called her Cupay which is Devil the Indians which were by approved the Saying of the Parrot for they knew that she was an ordinary Woman disguised in the Habit of a Palla or great Lady Some few years past in Sevil there was another Parrot of this kind which did most horribly abuse a certain Physician though unworthy of that name being a mere Quack as he passed the Streets which he did so scurrilously and so much to the purpose that the Doctor took it ill and was really offended Whereupon the Justice commanded the Master not to set the Parrot any more in the Street upon penalty of forfeiting it to the next person offended at his prate The general word which the Indians have for Parrots is Uritu and when they hear a Man talk much and obstreperously with much noise they call him Uritu for the noise and chat which the Parrots make when they fly in great flocks is like the prate of a vain-talking fellow who as the Divine Ariosto says in his twenty fifth Canto Knows little and talks much These Parrots at the season of the year when the Corn is ripe fly out from the Antis to seek their food and being in great flocks they spoil the Mayz or Corn wheresoever they alight they are very strong upon the Wing and fly high but the Guacamacas being a dull and heavy sort of Bird go not out from the Antis And all these different sorts of Parrots keep to their own kind to make the Proverb true that Birds of a Feather flock together CHAP. XXII Of the four famous Rivers and of the Fish which is taken in those which belong to Peru. I Had almost forgot to give a Relation of the Fish which the Indians of Peru have in their fresh-water Rivers of Peru the which Rivers are many and very great of which for brevity sake we shall onely mention four The first is that great River which is now called the Madalena falling into the Sea between Cartagena and Santa Maria the mouth of which according to the Sea-charts is eight Leagues wide having its head or source from the high Mountains of Peru The fierce swiftness of the current with which it falls into the Sea is such that for ten or twelve Leagues the forcible streams are sensibly perceived to reach into the Seas the fury thereof contending with the Waves of the Ocean The River Orellana called so by us being distinct from the Madalena is according to the Sea-charts about fifty four Leagues wide at the mouth of it though some Authours onely reckon it for thirty others forty others seventy making their account with great variety howsoever for my part I shall rather adhere to the opinion of Seamen who are knowing and learned in Maritime affairs and those whose business it is to sail over and measure the Seas and have made Sea-charts and Draughts with great Art the diversity of the opinions in the measures is this because some measuring just at the mouth of the River from side to side make it fifty Leagues but such as draw their lines from the extreme points of Land which extend into the Sea may measure seventy Leagues as is well known to the Pilots The source or head of those Fountains which make this River arises in the division of Cuntisuyu being to the South-West of Cozco and distant about eleven Leagues Westward from thence This River at the very head of it is very deep and not fordable and is very swift and rapid the streams thereof being contracted between very high Mountains which from the bottom to the top where the Snow is lodged upon them measure thirteen fourteen and fifteen Leagues almost perpendicular This River is the greatest of any in all Peru wherefore the Indians call it Apurimac because Apu signifies Chief or Principal both in War and Peace they call it also Capac Mayu Capac signifying plentifull rich abundant and Mayu a River For as Capac was an Epither or Title given to their Kings so they attributed that Title or Dignity to the Chief and Prince of all their Rivers This River keeps its name whilst it passes through the Countrey of Peru but whether it loses its name afterwards or not or that the Nations who live in the Mountains give it any other name I am not able to say In the year 1555 by reason of the great Rains which fell that Winter a vast part of the Mountain tumbled into the River with such mighty and prodigious Rocks as gave a stop to the current of the water for three whole days and so remained till the water overflowing the ruinous Mountain which fell in came at last to take its naturale course at which detention or stoppage of the water the poor Inhabitants which lived below much admiring and not knowing the reason thereof concluded that the end of the World was come and this stoppage below caused the water to rise at fourteen Leagues distance above being sensibly elevated as far as the Bridge which is in the great and royal High-way leading from Cozco to Ciudad Real This River Apurimac runs North and South at least five hundred Leagues from the head and source of it to the Equinoctial thence taking a turn to the Eastward it runs under the Equinoctial six hundred and fifty Leagues measured on a strait line to the place where it falls into the Sea but being measured by the turnings and windings of it 't will make fifteen hundred Leagues as Francis de Orella reports who sailed down that River in a Voyage he made
largely hereafter This Cane they hold with both hands one being placed at the top and the other in the middle and the end being made broad in the shape of an Oar they Row their Boat forward the Boat being very light feels every stroke of the Oar and turns then they change the hand to the other side and so shift it over again which moves the Boat with an incredible swiftness Then for their Fishery when they go to take great Fish they use a Fisgig in the same manner as they strike Whales with in Biscay To this Fisgig which is a sharp Spear at the end of a Staff they fasten a line of about 20 30 or 40 fathom in length the end of which they tye to the head of the Boat the Fish being strook the Indian vears his Line and gives him Rope as fast as he can and when he hath given it all out he then plays with the Fish untill it is quite tired and so mastering it they take it and some of them are of an incredible bigness They Fish also with Nets and Hooks but they make no great matter of their Fishing in that manner for their Nets being small and manageable by one Man can never inclose any number and their Hooks being ill made not knowing the use of Steel or Iron they take very few with that Art for though they have Mines of both Metals yet they know not how to separate and purifie the Ore Their Boats of Rushes are not able to bear Sail because they have no Keel nor hold in the water and perhaps make better way with a Paddle than with a Sail though on their Floats made of Wood they set up a Sail which serves them before the Wind. These are the Arts which the Indians have invented for making short Voyages on the Seas and for passing swift and rapid currents the which have received little improvement for they were in use when I was there and believe they have still continued in the same manner without alteration for they being a poor sort of miserable people of mean dejected spirits follow the old road not aspiring to greater matters than a supply of their necessities In the History of Florida the sixth Book treating there of their Canoes we have touched upon their contrivances to Pass and Navigate on Rivers which have a swift and rapid current so that now we shall not enlarge farther thereupon but rather proceed to the other Conquests of the Inca Capac Yupanqui CHAP. XVII Of the Conquest of five large Provinces besides others of less consideration THE Inca having secured the Countrey of Chayanta with a sufficient force and supplied it with Officers requisite for administration both of their religious and civil Government He proceeded forward to other adjacent Provinces amongst which Charca was of great Renown comprehending many different Nations and Languages under its Dominion all which were in the Division of Collasuyu The chief of principal Countries of which were Tutura Sipispo Chaqui to the Eastward of which and towards the Mountain Antis are other Provinces called Chamuru where grows great plenty of the Herb which they call Cuca though it be not so good as that which grows about Cozco There is also another Province named Sacaca with divers more which for brevity sake we omit to all which the Inca sent his Summons in his accustomary form and manner These several Nations who had already been informed of all the particulars which had passed in Chayanta returned their answers much after the same manner the substance of all which was That it was their great honour to have the knowledge of so holy a Religion as that which enjoined them to adore the Sun and to serve the Inca who was descended from him and that they had the privilege to be offered such good and wholsome Laws for their Government And therefore desiring his Majesty to receive them under his potent Protection they resigned up their lives and fortunes to his disposal and in regard that having received new Laws and superstitious Rites differing from those of their adjacent Neighbours they stood in great danger of having their Apostacy revenged by them they therefore desired that those people also might be reduced and obliged to embrace the same Laws Religion and Worship with them The Inca returned them answer That they should not need to trouble themselves for those matters but that they should rather with entire confidence remit all their care unto him who knew the times and ways best for their protection being assured that their subjection to him was their best security and that none had ever suffered for receiving his Laws and Vassalage but rather lived with joy and comfort under those infallible Oracles which the Sun had gratiously dispensed to them With these assurances this people without other Queries or Demurs yielded themselves on which particulars we shall not farther enlarge in regard nothing of moment offers on that subject In this Conquest the Inca spent two and some say three years and having lest Guards sufficient in the Countrey to curb and prevent all Incursions of the Neighbourhood he returned to Cozco visiting in his way all those Nations which had formerly submitted themselves he commanded the Prince his Son to take another way that so he might please his Subjects in other parts who esteemed themselves highly honoured with the presence of their Kings and Princes The Entry which the Inca made to his Court was very Magnificent and Royal being attended by his own Captains and with the Curacas of the late subjected Provinces who out of honour to the Inca and curiosity to see the Imperial Court made up some part of his Equipage and the people with Demonstrations of Joy and Triumph were not wanting to welcome the return of their Inca. Some few days after the Prince Rocca likewise came whose Arrival the people also celebrated with Dances and Songs in praise of his Noble and Victorious Actions Then the Inca having gratified his Commanders for their pains and faithfulness in the late Expedition he gave them leave to return to their own Houses there to enjoy repose and rest after their long and tedious journies and residing now at his own Court he attended to the government and administration of those matters which respected the happiness and advantage of his Subjects for his Territories were now become very large extending from Cozco along the Coast of that Sea which is called Zur above one hundred and eighty Leagues as far as Tutyra and Chaqui then to the Westward from the City the Dominion reached seventy Leagues one way and eighty another and to the Eastward it ran to the River Paucar tampu being thirteen Leagues full East from the City and to the South-east forty Leagues so that the Empire being grown thus large and wide the Inca thought fit for some time to fix boundaries to his Conquests that so he might attend to the conservation of what he had already
roof of Stone resembling the hollow of the Rock under which he reposed himself The whole Fabrick was made of Stone rarely polished as are all the Buildings of the Indians it had four Doors corresponding to the four Quarters of the Heavens three of them were shut being rather Portals than Gates serving for Ornament more than Use. The Gate which looked Eastward was that alone by which they entred and by which they went out being placed exactly in the middle and because the Indians were not arrived to such Excellency in Architecture as to lay the weight of their Building on Arched Work they supplied that defect by strong and deep foundations of Stone Walls which were more lasting than Timber and for ever durable These Walls were laid three Foot in thickness and seven Foot distant each from the other making twelve several Rows or Isles the top was not covered with Boards but paved Stone for about ten Foot in length and half a Yard in thickness At the Entrance to this Temple turning to the right hand they walked to the end of the first Isle thence turning to the left they went forward to the end of this Walk and then faced again to the right and so winding about again through the several rows they came at length to the end of the twelfth Isle where was a Stair-case by which they ascended to the top of the Temple At the Front of every Isle on each hand there was a Window like a Port-hole to let in the light and below every Window there was a Nich made in the Wall for a seat where the Porter might sit without incumbring or stopping the passage The Stair-case had two passages one to go up and the other to come down that to go up fronted a top with the High Altar The Floor above was paved with a kind of black Marble rarely polished that it looked like Jett brought from some Quarry far distant In place of the High Altar there was a Chapel of about twelve Foot square covered with the same sort of black Stone in-laid in divers Figures in form of Mosaick Work which was the most excellent piece of Art in the whole Fabrick Within this Chapel was the Image of the Apparition placed within the hollow of the Wall as in a Tabernacle with which two other Tabernacles were made to correspond on each side for ornament and better uniformity The Walls of this Temple from the top to the bottom were but three Yards in height without any Window the Cornish of which on all sides both within and without was made of polished Stone and within the Tabernacle of the Chapel was placed a Pedestal on which an Image of Stone was erected representing the Image of the Apparition in such shape and figure as the Inca Viracocha had directed This Image represented the figure of a Man with a Beard of about a span long his Cloaths reaching to his feet not very wide but something scanty like a Cassock About his Neck a strange kind of creature was chained with Claws like a Lion the Image holding one of the links of the Chain in his hand all which was framed and engraven out of Stone And lest the Workmen who had never seen this Figure should mistake any thing of giving it the due form it is reported that the Inca himself did oftentimes sit and shew himself or them in the same habit and figure in which he said the Apparition presented it self Nor would he permit that the Image of the God Viracocha should be undervalued by any form or other shape than that of a King such esteem and superstition did they conceive of their Idol Gods. This Statue did something resemble the Images we make of our Blessed Apostles particularly that of St. Bartholomew whom they paint with the Devil at his feet as they did this Figure of Viracocha with some unknown Beast couching beneath him The Spaniards observing this Temple and the form and fashion of this Statue will have it that the Apostle St. Bartholomew came as far as Peru to Preach the Gospel to these Gentiles and that in Honour and Memory of him the Indians had erected this Temple and Image And such as were Natives of Cozco and of the Mongrel breed between Spanish and Indian Bloud have for above thirty years past Associated themselves into a Fraternity or Community into which they would not suffer any Spaniard to enter These upon their Solemn days are at great Expences taking St. Bartholomew for their Apostle and in despight of all contradiction they will have it that he came and preached in Peru and for that reason will own no other than him for their Patron which seemeth a ridiculous fancy to some Spaniards who laughing at the bravery and fine Vestments they produce on that day tell them that this Festival and Procession is not designed in Honour of the Apostle but of the Inca Viracocha But why the Inca Viracocha should build this Temple in Cacha rather than in Chita where the Spirit appeared to him or in Yahuarpampa where the Victory was fought the Indians cannot well assign any more probable and just reason for it than the free will and pleasure of the Inca unless it were some secret and hidden cause not revealed or made known to any This Temple being of such an odd and strange Model as we have declared was demolished by the Spaniards as many other stately Fabricks in Peru have been destroyed by them which in my opinion ought rather to have been conserved and kept in good repair that Ages to come might see and know the Grandeur and Valour of their Ancestours who were able by their good fortune and conduct to subdue a Nation which was capable to erect such Buildings and Monuments of their Art and Wisedom but perhaps envy or scorn of that people might have moved the Spaniards to destroy their Works not allowing them the Honour to be maintained in repair and indeed the Dilapidation hath been so great that scarce one Stone remains on another the which destruction Men of Curiosity and Lovers of Antiquity do much lament But the reason which they give for it is that they could not be persuaded but that much Treasure lay buried under the Foundation of those Buildings which could not be discovered but by a total subversion of the Fabrick The first thing demolished in this Temple was the Statue they having an opinion that much Gold was buried under the Pedestal on which it was erected other parts of the Temple they digged up sometimes in one place and then in another untill at length they defaced or destroyed the whole Pile and Mass of Building Howsoever the Image of Stone is still in being unto this day though much broken and battered by the Stones which they threw at it CHAP. XXIII Of a famous Picture and of the Reward which was given to those who assisted the Prince IN this our discourse concerning Viracocha we must not omit to add how
Pachacutec his legitimate Son and Heir succeeded in the Empire and having solemnly performed the funeral Rites of his Father he resided for three Years at his Court attending to the due administration of his Government Afterwards he took a progress into all parts of his Dominions passing orderly from one Province to another and though the presence of the Inca might seem of no moment in regard the Lords and Governours were so diligent and faithfull to their trust that the Inca in all the way he travelled received no complaints from the people of Aggrievances and Oppressions laid illegally on them by their Rulers for the frequent appearance of the Inca at certain times did so overawe the Ministers that they were fearfull to act any thing which was not permitted to them by Law or Equity Moreover the appearance of the Inca personally before his Subjects gave them the opportunity to prefer their Petitions and offer their Complaints by way of immediate Address which was much more beneficial to the Subjects than to have their Aggrievances made known by a third hand which by favour or friendship might disguise the laments and make Injustices appear less than they were to the prejudice of the Plaintiffs and herein such care was taken that never any people who lived by the mere Light of Nature and Law of Reason did ever surpass the equitable proceedings of the Incas which indifferency and unbiassed judgment gained them that love of their people that even to this day and to many future Ages will their Memory be sweet and pretious At the end of three Years this Inca returned again to his City and lest he should seem to spend all his time in Peace and Repose he judged it convenient to attend at length unto military Exercises and gain the Reputation of a Souldier by War as well as of a civil and just Governour in the time of Peace to this end he raised an Army of thirty thousand Men with which together with his Brother Capac Yupanqui a valiant Man and worthy of that name he marched through all the Division of Chinchasuyu untill he came to Villca which was the utmost extent on that side of their Conquests There he remained himself whilst he sent his Brother with an Army well furnished with all provisions of War into the Province called Sausa which the Spaniards corruptly call Xauxa which is a most pleasant Countrey containing about thirty thousand inhabitants all of the same Lineage and Name of Huanca They boasted themselves to be descended from one Man and one Woman which they say had their Original from a Fountain they were a sort of fierce and warlike people fleaing those whom they took in the Wars the Skins of which they filled with Ashes and hanged them up in their Temples for Trophies of their Victories with the Skins of some they made Drums being of opinion that the sound of them would terrifie and affright their Enemies These though they were a small people yet had well strengthened and fortified themselves for being all of one Nation they united their Interests to encroach on the Lands and Territories of their Neighbours and to make that good which they had acquired they fortified themselves in such places of Defence as were accustomary in those Countries In the times of their ancient Gentilism before they were reduced under the power of the Inca they worshipped the Image of a Dog in their Temples eating the Flesh of Dogs for the greatest rarity and delicacy in the World so that it is believed their Appetite to Dogs-flesh was the original of their Devotion which was so great to that Beast that the most solemn Feasts and Entertainments were served with many Dishes of Dogs-flesh and to demonstrate their great respect to Dogs they made a sort of Trumpet with their Heads which they sounded for their most pleasant Musick at times of their most solemn Festivals and Dancings and in their Wars they used the same to terrifie and affright their Enemies for said they our God causes these two different Effects by the same Instruments in us it raises Joy and Delight and in our Enemies Horrour and Consternation But all these Superstitions and Errours were quitted and rooted out by the better Instruction and Rudiments of the Inca howsoever to indulge their humour so far as was warrantable they permitted them in place of Dogs-heads to make their Trumpets with the Heads of Deer or Stags or any other Wild-beast as they pleased which afterwards they used at their Festivals and Balls and times of rejoicing and because the Flesh of Dogs was so extremely pleasing and savoury to them they gained the Sirname of Dog that whensoever Huanca was named they added Sir-reverence the Dog. They had likewise another Idol in figure and shape of a Man which was an Oracle through which the Devil spake and returned Answers to all Demands which uttering nothing that was in contradiction or disparagement to the Religion which the Incas professed was still conserved and left undemolished though the Idol of the Dog was broken down and confounded This considerable Nation and the most kindly affectionate to Dogs the Inca Capac Yupanqui subdued by fair terms and presents rather than by force for this was always the Masterpiece of the Incas who made it their Profession to take the Bodies of Men by captivating first and alluring their Souls and Minds All things passing in this manner smoothly with the Huancas and every thing being settled in peace and quietness the Inca divided their Nation into three Divisions the better to divide and supersede the old Feuds and Disputes amongst them arising about the Boundaries and Limits of their Land The first Division they called Sausa the second Marca villca and the third Llacsapallanca The attire of their Heads was ordered not to be altered in the form and manner of it but differenced onely for distinction sake by variety of colours This Province which anciently was called Huanca was by the Spaniards I know not for what reason named Huanca villca without considering that there is another Province called Huanca villca not far from Tumpiz and three hundred Leagues distant one from the other This latter is situate on the Sea-coast and the former far within the Land the which we here intimate to the Reader that so he may know in the perusal of this History to distinguish one from the other that when we shall come to relate many strange occurrences in the Countrey of Huancavillca he may not be confounded by mistaking it for Huanca CHAP. XI Of other Provinces which the Inca subdued of their Manners and Customs and the severity they used against those who were guilty of Sodomy BY the same good policy the Inca Capac Yupanqui allured and invited several other Provinces to submission and Obedience which extend themselves on both hands of the common road amongst which the Provinces of principal note and consideration were Tarma and Pumpu which the
so straitened them that they could receive no sustenance unless it were some small quantities of the Seeds of Herbs and Leaves of Turnips which some few were fain to fight for and gain with the point of the Launce In one of these Sieges of this City they broke the Images of Christ and our Lady and other Saints to the great dishonour of God which none but his infinite Mercy and Patience could have suffered In the last Siege which the Indians laid to this place they surprised the Spaniards and killed the Centinels and without any opposition entred and possessed themselves of the Town exercising such cruelty as was agreeable to the barbarity of their Natures for they butchered the Children and chained the Women and Nuns intending to carry them away into Slavery but whilst they were thus busily employed in packing up and disposing their Booty and plundering every where without order the Spaniards took courage and with that opportunity fell upon them and God assisting their endeavours they rescued their Wives and Nuns from their violent hands and with the loss of some few forced them to fly and quit both their Prey and their City The last Victory which the Indians obtained was when they took Villarrica with great effusion of Spanish bloud they set fire to the four Quarters of the Town and killed all the Friars of St. Dominick St. Francis and the Merceds with all the Clergy that were there carrying all the Women away Captives many of which were Ladies of Quality and Condition And this was the Fate of that City which was once of Fame and great Renown and illustrious amongst the neighbouring Cities of that new World. Thus far proceeds the Relation of Chili in the Year 1604. To all which nothing can be farther said than that these were Judgments of God which his secret Providence permits for the chastisement of Mankind And herewith let us return to the good Inca Yupanqui to conclude the remaining Actions of his Reign CHAP. XXVI Of the quiet Life of the Inca Yupanqui and of the Actions wherein he employed himself untill the time of his Death THE King Yupanqui having established and confirmed the Conquests which his Captains had made under the security of good Laws and settled Religion in all parts having also made provision for his own Royal Revenue and separated a maintainance for the Priesthood of the Sun he determined to put an end to his farther Conquests which are now far extended reaching no less than a thousand Leagues in length so that he resolved to spend the remainder of his Days in erecting Monuments and Trophies of his greatness which might ever conserve his Memory in great Renown To which end he built new Fortresses and many Temples dedicated to the Sun with Houses for the Select Virgins Royal Palaces and made many Aqueducts Walks and Gardens He also endowed the Temple of the Sun in Cozco with greater Riches of which though it stood in no need yet he thought it a duty to contribute some thing towards the glory of him whom he honoured and esteemed for his Father and more especially he busied himself in building and completing the Fortress at Cozco for which his Father had made provision of all materials and gathered great quantities of Stones and Rocks of which we shall hereafter have occasion to discourse more at large He also personally visited all the parts of his Empire that so he might with his own Eyes see the State of things hear the Complaints and Aggrievances of his people and provide a Remedy and Relief for his Subjects to all which he attended with so much care and compassion that he worthily deserved to be surnamed The Pious In these Employments this Prince with great Peace and Tranquillity spent his time for several Years being greatly beloved and obeyed by his Subjects at the end of which falling sick and finding within himself his end to be near he called the Prince who was his Heir and his other Sons together recommending to them by way of Testament the strict observance of their Laws and religious Rites of their Idolatrous Worship and above all encharged them to perform and administer Justice to their Subjects in the most equal balance and therewith he gave them his Blessing of Peace for that now his time was come to depart this Life and rest with his Father the Sun who called and summoned him to his Mansions of Felicity Thus dyed Yupanqui full of Glory and Triumph having enlarged his Empire above five hundred Leagues in length to the Southward being as far as from Atacama to the River Maulli and to the Northward one hundred and forty Leagues along the Coast from Chincha to Chimu He was lamented with great grief and having ranked him in the tenth Order of their Gods who were Children of the Sun because he was the tenth King they celebrated his Obsequies with great solemnity which according to their Custome continued for the space of a whole Year offering unto him many Sacrifices He left Tupac Inca Yupanqui his Heir and eldest Son which he begot of his Wife and Sister called Coya Chimpu Occlo to succeed him in all his Dominions The proper Name of this Queen was Chimpu but the word Occlo was a sacred Title amongst them he left many legitimate Sons and Daughters of the true Bloud besides many other natural Children to the number of about two hundred and fifty which was no great matter amongst them considering the many Women which those Kings maintained in every Province of their Dominions And because this Inca laid the Foundation of this great Work it is requisite that we should treat of it immediately after the Life of its first Founder because it is the most excellent Trophy of the Incan Magnificence and that which may serve for a matter of Ostentation and Glory not onely to the Authour himself and the preceding Kings but sufficient to derive Honour to all their Posterity in future Ages CHAP. XXVII Of the Fortress of Cozco and the greatness of the Stones with which it was built THE Incas who were Kings of Peru erected many wonderfull and stately Edifices their Castles Temples and Royal Palaces their Gardens Store-houses and other Fabricks were Buildings of great Magnificence as is apparent by the ruines of them though very obscure conjectures are to be gathered from such remains The work of greatest ostentation and which evidences most the Power and Majesty of the Incas was the Fortress of Cozco whose greatness is incredible to any who hath not seen it and such as have viewed it with great attention cannot but admire it and believe that such a work was erected by Enchantment or the help of Spirits being that which surpasses the Art and power of Man. For the Stones are so many and so great which were laid in the three first rounds being rather Rocks than Stones as passes all understanding how and in what manner they were hewen from the Quarry or
they soon discovered their errour and in a few days surrendred at discretion Huayna Capac ordained and constituted Masters to teach and instruct them in their Idolatrous Worship and in the rules of a Moral life forbidding them to acknowledge any other Idol but the Sun or sacrifice the bloud of Men or eat humane flesh which last was the most grievous of any to them because they were of any thing the most ravenous of that Thus far the Conquest of those Provinces extended on that side which bordered on the Kingdom of Quitu CHAP. VIII Of the three Marriages of Huayna Capac of the Death of his Father and his Sayings TUpac Inca Yupanqui desisting now wholly from Wars attended to the Government of his Empire visiting divers parts of it at different times to the great joy and comfort of his Vassals who were transported with joy as often as they saw the Inca in their Countries It was he who effectually laboured about the Fortress of Cozco his Father having onely begun and laid the foundation of it this Work was many years in building on which twenty thousand Indians were always employed every Nation and Province taking its turn with that rule and order that nothing could be disposed in better and more exact method and discipline Every two years the Inca visited his Kingdom of Chili sending every year thither many fine Garments for cloathing of the Curacas and their Kindred with more common habit for the ordinary people In exchange for which the Caciques sent much Gold and plumes of Feathers and other Commodities of the growth of their Countrey And this continued untill the time that Don Diego de Almagro invaded that Countrey The Prince Huayna Capac having conquered the Kingdom of Quitu and the Provinces of Quillacenca Pastu Otavallu and Caranque and given instructions for the orderly management of the affairs of those Countries he returned to Cozco to render an account to his Father of all the Actions he had performed in his Service being received by him with great triumph and joy for his happy return And then he married a second time with his second Sister called Rava Occlo because by his first Wife and eldest Sister called Pillcu Huaco he had no Children it being necessary that the Succession should be supplied by an Heir legitimate on the side both of the Father and Mother In like manner he married a third time lawfully according to their Laws and Customs with Mama Runtu the Daughter of his Uncle Auqui Amaru Tupac Inca his Father's second Brother Auqui is a title of distinction given always to the second Sons of the King and in a courtesie to all those of the Royal Bloud but not to others of what quality soever Amaru is a Name given to the greatest Serpents of the Antis The like Names of living Creatures of Flowers or Herbs or any thing supereminent or excellent in its degree or quality the Incas would take upon themselves signifying that as those Creatures were famous in their Species so the Incas were in the generation of Mankind The King Inca Tupac with the consent and advice of his Council ordered that those two Women last married to Huayna Capac should be esteemed and judged as lawfull Wives as the first and not for Concubines their Children being made capable to inherit lest a legitimate Heir should fail in the Succession On which consideration the Marriage with his Cousin Germain was esteemed lawfull because she was the next of kin Huayna Capac wanting a third Sister with whom he might match By his Sister Rava Occlo he had a Son sirnamed Huayna Capac a Huascar Inca the signification of which Name of Huascar we will declare in its proper place because his true and proper Name was Inti Curi Huallpa Of his Cousin Germain who was his third Wife he had Manco Inca who succeeded him in his Kingdom that is in Name onely for the Inheritance was then in reality fallen into the hands of Strangers as we shall see in its due place Some years of peace and tranquillity being passed during the Reign of Tupac Yupanqui he began at length to feel himself crazy and declining towards his end wherefore he assembled the Prince Huayna Capac and all his other Sons and Daughters together to the number of two hundred and more To whom after the custome of former Kings and by way of his last Will and Testament he recommended the practice of Peace and Justice for the good and benefit of their Subjects which would render them Illustrious and make them to appear true Children of the Sun. In particular and especial manner he encharged to his Eldest Son the care of conquering the Barbarous Nations with intent that he might reform their manners and reduce them to the true Religion of the Sun and teach them to live in Societies and with Political Government and that in all things he should imitate the examples of his Ancestors Lastly he encharged him to revenge that perfidious treachery of which the people of Puerto Viejo and the parts adjacent and especially those of Huancavillcas had been guilty in killing those Captains and Instructors which at their request he had sent amongst them lest the impunity and remisness in punishment of that ingratitude should be of ill example to other Subjects and that after having chastised this offence he should endeavour to reform their bestial way of living by teaching them to Manure and Sow their Fields and cover their Bodies And farther he encharged them to live in love and amity together for that he was going to rest and repose himself with his Father the Sun. Thus the Great Inca Tupac Yupanqui died leaving to his Subjects a perpetual memory of his Piety Clemency and many other benefits bestowed on his Empire In consideration of which his people besides his Titles and Appellations of Honour common to other Kings gave him the supereminent denomination of Tupac Yaya which signifies the glorious and resplendent Father Besides the Prince who was his Son and Heir he left five Sons which he had by his Sister Mama Occlo his second Son was called Auqui Amaru Tupac Inca after the name of his Father the third was Quehuar Tupac the fourth Hualpa Tupac Inca Yupanqui which was my Great-Grandfather by the Mothers side the fifth was Titu Inca Rimachi and the sixth was Auqui Mayta His Body was afterwards so well embalmed that when I saw it in the year 1559 it seemed to be alive Blas Valera speaking of this Inca hath these words which I have translated out of Latin. Topac Yupanqui delivered this Philosophical discourse by way of Argument Many say that the Sun lives and that he is the Maker of all things now it is necessary that the thing which is the cause of the Being of another should be assistent and operate in the production thereof now we know that many things receive their Beings during the absence of the Sun and therefore he
I am well assured and I believe ye are all sensible that my Desires to reign and govern are not grounded on Principles of Ambition but that my Kingdoms may recover that Peace and Liberty which they enjoyed under the gentle and easie Government of my Ancestours it being the Duty of every good King to study the Prosperity and Welfare of his People and according to the practice of the Incas to prefer that before any other Consideration whatsoever But I have good reason to suspect and fear that the Designs of these Men whom we call Gods and say they were sent from Heaven are very much different from these Principles Howsoever for my part I cannot but with much Regret and Tenderness towards you seek to gain my point at the cost of your Lives and would rather live in a private manner despoiled of my Empire which is my Inheritance than to recover it at the expence of their Bloud whom I love as dearly as my own Children And now therefore that the Viracochas may not treat you ill for my sake I am resolved to retire my self and to live an Exile from my Countrey that so all Cause of Jealousie and Suspicion being removed by my Absence ye may be received into their good Grace and Favour And now I find the Prophecy of my Father Huayna Capac fully accomplished which was That a Stranger Nation should deprive us of our Empire and destroy our Laws and Religion Had we well considered this before we began the War we should have acquiesced and submitted because my Father the King enjoined us to obey and serve the Viracochas whose Laws as he said were better than ours and their Arms more powerfull than our force Both which things have proved true for so soon as they entred into this Empire Our Oracles became silent which is a sign that they yielded unto theirs And as to their Arms they have had an advantage over ours for though at the beginning we had the fortune to kill some few of them yet at length one hundred and seventy onely which survived were able to deal with us nay as we may say did conquer us seeing that in the end we are forced to retreat The truth is it cannot well be said that they conquered us nor can they boast much of their Victories for setting aside the Miracles which appeared in their Favour they of themselves gained no advantage over us For what can we say to the Fire which burned our own Houses and became extinct so soon as it touched theirs What can we think of that Cavalier who at the Extremity of the Siege appeared with Thunder and Lightning in his Hand and routed and destroyed all before him And then in the Night a most beautiful Princess appeared in the Clouds with an Infant in her Armes which with that astonishing Brightness she darted from her Eyes dismayed and blinded us in such manner that we knew not what we did and even feared to return unto our own Quarters how much less durst we adventure to give Battel to these Viracochas Moreover we have seen and tried how such a handfull of Men have been able to defend themselves against such multitudes of ours without Food Sleep or Rest that when we imagined they were wearied faint and ready to yield they appeared formidable and refreshed with new Vigour All which being considered 't is apparent that the Hand of God is in it and that the Pachacamac who favours them doth discourage and infuse fear into our Minds wherefore let us yield our selves rather than bring so many calamities upon our own Heads For my part I am resolved to retire within the Mountains of Antis and there secure and defend my self better than I am able to doe with all my power and there living quietly and without offence I shall not provoke those Strangers to doe Hurt and Mischief unto you for any Cause or Reason of mine In this my Solitude and Banishment it will be my Comfort to hear that it passeth well with you and that ye live with Liberty and Contentment under this new Government of the Spaniards wherefore instead of my last Will and Testament and in pursuance of that Command left us by my Father I do conjure you to serve and obey them to the utmost of your power so shall ye be well treated and used by them And so farewell and remain in peace and now methinks I am very sorry to leave you in the Hands of Strangers wishing with all my Heart that I were able to take you all with me When the Inca had ended his Speech his People dropped a Floud of Tears with such Groans and Sighs that the fulness of Sorrow stopped the utterance of Words nor durst they dissuade him from this resolution perceiving that he determined so to doe wherefore in the first place he disbanded all his Souldiers that were under Command of their respective Caciques advising them to repair unto their several Provinces and there patiently submit unto and obey and serve the Spaniards but the Inca collecting as many as he could together of his own Bloud and Family both Men and Women fled with them into the wild Mountains of Antis and seated himself at a certain place called Villcapampa where he passed his time as we may imagine in Solitude like a Prince deposed and dispossessed of his Sceptre and there lived untill he was killed by a certain Spaniard to whom he had given Protection and conserved from his Enemies and who most inhumanely sought his Life As we shall see in its due place CHAP. XXX What a certain Author reports of the Incan Kings and their Subjects BLas Valera discoursing of the Wisedom Abilities Prowess and Valour of the Indians of Peru he gives this Character of them as follows which I the rather mention because it conduces much to the matter in hand and will serve to confirm what we have already said and what we shall hereafter report The People of Peru exceed most Nations of the World in quickness of Wit and strength of Judgment the which appears in that they have been able without the help of Letters to attain unto the knowledge of many things which the learning of the Egyptians Caldeans and Greeks could never reach so that if in place of their Knots they had made use of Letters they had surpassed the Romans and Galls and other Nations in all points of Learning whatsoever That rudeness of Manners which appears in them at present is not for want of Natural Parts or Endowments of Mind but for want of practice in the Fashions and Customs of Europe and of Instructours in Liberal Sciences being taught nothing but what relates to Interest and Gain for such of them as have Masters or Teachers and leisure time and liberty to learn nay if they do but see a thing they will imitate it so exactly without being taught that they become better Artists and Mechanicks than the Spaniards themselves and would become
nothing to object against them for which they would have sufficient subject and cause in case they should so soon return with their business uneffected in the mean time he could not but have a sense and feeling of their Labours and Hardships more than of his own howsoever since they saw that he did not flinch nor retreat a step backward he desired them to follow him who was their Captain being thereunto obliged as Cavaliers good Souldiers and Spaniards With which good words and pressing instances being overcome they complied with his desires and proceeded other three Months in their discovery As their Journey lengthned so Sickness increased for the bodies of Men not being able to sustain such Hardships many as well Indians as Spaniards fell sick and died more of Hunger than of any other Distemper Thus seeing that their Men fell sick and died every day so that they were not able to proceed forward they resolved by common consent to return yet not by the same way but taking a compass to the Eastward they came about by the South that for their better satisfaction they might take a round and bring all within their discovery Their way was now over other Mountains not better than those already passed but worse if worse could be And still Famine and Mortality pressed them hard with great discouragement so that they were forced to kill their worst Horses and with ther Flesh to make Broth for their sick people But what was most lamentable to see was Men dying and perishing with mere weakness for not having strength to walk they were left to themselves in the Mountains and not being able to help one the other every one shifted for himself One day they left eleven Men alive in this manner and another day thirteen When they were almost starved and were forced to yield to their weakness the under-jaw fell in that manner that they could not shut their mouths so when they left them all they said was God rest and remain with you and the poor Wretches would answer with an imperfect pronunciation God go with you not having strength to move their Tongues All these particulars besides the common report were related to me by a certain Souldier called de Fortalva I heard it repeated more than once and I could not but weep at the sadness of the story And he farther said that it did not so much trouble him when he left them dead but to abandon Men in that condition alive was more grievous than could be expressed In this manner above eighty Spaniards perished besides Indians in a far greater number Moreover they had another difficulty to pass the River Quiximis for the Timbers which they cut for that purpose were so heavy being sappy and green that they would not float but sink to the bottom nor were there any places where it might be waded over being a very swift and rapid stream and much infested with Alligators which they call Caymanes which are a sort of Crocodile of about twenty five or thirty Foot long and so voracious that they are very dangerous in the Water At length they made some Floats with Boughs fastned together and therewith passed with as much difficulty as we can imagine It happened that being to pass one of these Rivers and seeking the most commodious place they espied two great Trees opposite to each other one on one side and the other on the other side of the River with branches extending so wide that they reached each other it was thought fit to cut down one of these towards the root which they did and so directed the fall of it on the tree on the other side that it fell and rested on the other both which trees being joyned together served for a Bridge over which the Spaniards and Indians taking hold on the boughs passed by three and four at a time At length there remained onely six persons to go over which were three Spaniards and three Indians of which the Captain himself was one who would be the last to bring up the rere the Indians were ordered to go foremost to carry the Arms and two other Spaniards who were intimate Comerades of the Captains were to bear the Saddles and passing in this order near the top of the standing tree that which was cut gave a crack and broke off from that part towards the bottom which remained unhewen the two Spaniards and the three Indians kept their hold fast upon the boughs and the Captain who observed the danger more than those who were before him gave a leap over his Companions and catched firm hold on a bough of the standing tree which breaking with his weight he fell therewith into the Water those which sate on the other tree were likewise carried down the stream with him and were never seen more But two or three of the Captain 's Comerades standing on the other side and observing the danger in which he was followed him on the bank and reaching out to him the end of their Lances he took hold of them and therewith they drew him to the shore and saved him returning thanks to Almighty God for this great deliverance And now travelling on their way forward in what place soever that they found any plenty of wild Fruit or Roots larger than ordinary they would stay there to gather and make provision of them for food in their Journey And having thus wandered above the space of one whole year in the Mountains at length one day whilst they made a stay to gather their Fruits the Captain took a fancy to climb a tree which grew on the highest part of the Mountain to see if he could espy any plain or end of those Rocks or hope to free themselves from that Maze or Labyrinth And being on the top of one of the highest trees which are in those parts like lofty Towers he could not discover any plain Countrey being still environed on all sides with mighty Mountains but looking round about he observed a great flock of Parrots near him which with their usual chattering noise took their flight South-East and at a good distance from him about five or six Leagues as he could guess he observed that they stooped from the Wing to some low Valley Now whereas Parrots are great lovers of Mayz which is their chief food he concluded that in or about the place where he saw them fall there must be some Plantation or Dwelling for people and upon this presumption eying well the place he returned to his Companions and told them that they should be of good comfort for that he had discovered sure and certain tokens and evidences that they should now very speedily arrive at some inhabited Countrey The Spaniards and all their company being comforted and encouraged with this good news took heart and next morning fell to work opening a way through the Boscage with Axe and Hatchet and in the space of thirty Days penetrated and broke through eight
considered that Clause answered That he was ready to obey the Emperour's Command and Royal Signature according unto which he was to keep Possession of Cozco and of other places whereof he was now the Master and according thereunto he desired that he might receive no farther Disturbance and Molestation in his Enjoyment Hereunto Piçarro replied that the Emperour's meaning was that every one should enjoy that whereof he was peaceably possessed and not that which was taken by force of Arms under which the Government of the new Kingdom of Tâ—ledo would fall and therefore he required him immediately to quit and abandon Cozco and other parts in dispute or otherwise that he would chase him from thence by force of Arms for since the arrival of the Emperour 's late Determination the Engagements and Securities he had given of Truce did all cease and expire But Almagro remaining firm and positive in his first Resolutions Piçarro marched with all his Army to Chincha of which his Commanders were such as before related and his chief Counsellour was Hernando his pretence at first being onely to dispossess his Enemies of Chincha to which he had a clear and an undoubted Title Almagro fearing the force of his Enemies and not willing to engage with them retreated towards Cozco and lest they should pursue him too close in the Rere he cut the Bridges and obstructed the ways and fortified himself in Guitara a craggy and mountainous Countrey Piçarro marched close after him and having a better and a more numerous Army Fernando Piçarro by the benefit of the night climbed the mountain with his Musquetiers and gained the Pass Almagro by these means being in a bad condition marched away with all speed possible leaving Orgonnos to bring up the Rere and to retreat as orderly as he could without fighting the which he performed accordingly though as Christopher de Sotelo and others report he had better have given Battel to the Piçarrists who were as it were sea-sick being trouble with a kind of vomiting For it was very ordinary for the Spaniards when at first they came out of the warm or rather hot Plains and ascended to the tops of the snowy Mountains to be taken with a kind of dizziness in the Head and sickness in their Stomachs as if they were Sea-sick such change there is and alteration of Air in so short a distance of place In fine Almagro having joined all his Force into one Body marched directly for Cozco brake all the Bridges behind him caused Armour to be made of Silver and Copper with Musquets and other Fire-arms provided the City with Victuals and repaired the outworks and old Fortifications c. Thus far are the Words of Gomara which are confirmed by Carate though with more brevity And because these Authors to avoid tediousness are so short in the relation of these particulars that they become obscure we shall in the following Chapter serve the Reader with a Coment and enlarge thereupon as the matter requires CHAP. XXXVI A farther Narrative of what hath been formerly mentioned and how Hernando Piçarro marched against Don Diego de Almagro AS we have formerly said Diego de Alvarado was very much a Gentleman and a Person of great Sense and Moderation and indeed he shewed himself so to be in all his Negotiations of things which we have already related of what we are now treating and of what remain for our future Discourse and had not the Passions of the Governours exceeded all the Bounds of Reason he had by his Wisedom and Discretion produced a true and a right understanding between them For when he observed that the Sentence given by the Friars did rather serve to enflame than appease the Differences he vigorously interposed and frequently passing from one to the other he at length produced a good Understanding and Peace between them for it was by his Intercession that Almagro gave Hernando Piçarro his Liberty and that the Marquis yielded to afford a Ship and a free Pass-port to Almagro's Messenger which was sent into Spain And to the end that this Peace might be established for ever he caused all three of them to swear unto the maintenance of the Articles and to oblige them the more firmly thereunto he himself would become Guarranty to both Parties supposing that out of respect to him and in observance of their Oaths as Christians and of their Paroles as Gentlemen they would never violate what they had so solemnly protested Wherefore Gomara saith that the Peace was made at the Instance and Intercession of Diego de Alvarado who moreover became Caution and Guarranty for the same But Orgonnos was he who declared himself against the setting of Hernando at Liberty and when he saw that Almagro was resolved to doe it Sir said he as if he had presaged his Ruine you may loose the Bull if you please and then you shall find that he will attack and kill you without respect to his Word or Oath As to what Gomara relates of the Souldiers of Piçarro that they were like Men that were Seasick we must understand that those who are fresh Men or lately come out of Spain in the Language of Barlovento are called Chapetones and those who are inured to the Countrey are termed Baquianos these I say after they have resided some time in the Plain which are by the Sea-coast and come to the Mountains are presently seized with a Sickness like those at Sea and according to the different Complexions and Constitutions of Men it is much worse for at first they will remain a day or two without eating or drinking and not able to stand on their Legs but continually vomit whatsoever they have in their Stomaches and besides the brightness of the Snow so dazles their Eyes that for two or three days they become perfectly blind though afterwards they recover their sight again The Reason hereof they attribute to the sudden change of Air from one Extreme to the other that is from the hot Plains to the cold Cordillera or the snowy tops of the Mountains for it is not above six hours travel from one Region to the other and it is farther observable that those who descend from the Mountain into the Plains are not affected with this Alteration Acosta in his Treatise concerning this Mountain-sickness describes the Causes and Effects of it much at large in the third Book of his Natural History of the Indies unto which I refer the Reader Matters being in this posture had the Counsel which Christopher de Sotelo and others gave to Orgonnos been followed which was to have faln upon the Enemy in that condition when they were weak and sick they might without much resistence have been defeated which Carate confirms in these Words Rodrigo Orgonnos having no Orders from the Governour to engage lost his advantage which if he had done it is probable he might have had success for the Army of Piçarro was so weakned with the Snows besides other
earnest was Aguire to follow him The first journey which Esquivel took was to the City of Los Reyes being three hundred and twenty leagues distant but in less than fifteen days Aguire was there with him whereupon Esquivel took another flight as far as to the City of Quito being four hundred leagues distant from Los Reyes but in a little more than twenty days Aguire was again with him which being intimated to Esquivel he took another leap as far as Cozco which is five hundred leagues from Quito but in a few days after he arrived there came his old Friend Aguire travelling all the way on foot without Shoes or Stockins saying that it became not the condition of a whipped Rascal to travel on Horseback or appear amongst men In this manner did Aguire haunt and pursue Esquivel for three years and four months who being now tired and wearied with so many long and tedious journies which profited him little he resolved to fix his abode at Cozco where he believed that Aguire would scarce adventure to attempt any thing against him for fear of the Judge who governed that City who was a severe man impartial and inflexible in all his proceedings and accordingly took a Lodging in the middle of the Street of the great Church where he lived with great care and caution wearing a Coat of Mail under his upper Coat and went always armed with his Sword and Dagger which are Weapons not agreeable to his profession At this time a certain Kinsman of my Fathers the Son of Gomez de Tordoya and of his name spoke to Esquivel and told him that since he was his Countrey-man of Estremenno and his Friend he could not but advise him as it was known over all Peru how diligent Aguire had been to dog and follow him with purpose and intent to kill him wherefore if you please I will come and lodge by night in the same House with you which perhaps will divert Aguire from coming thither Esquivel thanked him and told him that he always went well provided for he never put off his Coat of Mail nor laid his offensive Arms aside and to be more wary or cautious than this would be scandalous to the City and shew too much fear of a poor fellow who was of a little and a contemptible presence Howsoever the fury of his mind and the desire of revenge had exalted him above his natural stature and proportion and rendred him as considerable as Diego Garcia de Paredes and John de Urbina who were famous men in their time in virtue and force of this desired revenge he adventured one Monday at noon to enter into the House of Esquivel and having walked for some time in the yard below and in the Gallery above and having passed through a Hall and a Chamber and entring into an inward Chamber where he kept his Books he found him there sleeping with one in his hand and coming softly to him he stabb'd him with his Dagger through the right Temple of his head and gave him three or four stabbs more into the Body not where the Coat of Mail covered him but in the opening of his Clothes After which Aguire returned by the same way that he came and being come to the street Door missing his Hat he had the courage to return again and fetch it and therewith went out into the street and walked like a mad-man without sense or judgment never thinking to take Sanctuary in the Church but walked openly in the streets towards St. Francisco where was a Convent East-ward from the great Church neither did he take refuge there but wandring through a street on the left hand he made a stop at the place where a Foundation was laid for the Convent of St. Clare and in a little Alley thereabouts he met two young Gentlemen Kinsmen to Rodrigo de Peneda to whom he said hide me hide me without being able to say one word more but looked like a man frantick and out of his wits The Gentleman who knew his discontent and his desire of revenge asked him Whether he had killed Esquivel To which Aguire answered Yes hide me hide me Then the Gentleman carried him into the House of a Kinsman of theirs where were three back yards in the farthermost of which there was a kind of a Stie where they fatted their Hogs and Poultery at the time of year and there they concealed him ordering him by no means to go out of that place or shew his head abroad As to the back yards they secured them in that manner that no Indians should go in having no business to doe there and they told him that he should not need to take care for Victuals for they would make a provision for him which they accordingly did for dining and supping always in the House of their Kinsman they would privately at every meal slip Bread and Meat into their Pockets with which upon pretence of going to the back-side on their necessary occasions they relieved this poor Aguire in his Hog-stie and in this manner they fed and maintained him for the space of forty days So soon as the Mayor or Governour heard of the death of Esquivel he commanded the Bells to be rung out and the Indians of Cannaris were set for Guards and Sentinels at the Gates of the City and at the door of the Convents and Proclamation was made that no man should go out of the City without a Pass or License obtained from the Governour and search was made in all Convents and the corners of them that nothing could be more diligently performed unless they would have pulled them down This Watch and Ward continued in the City for thirty days without the least news of Aguire as if he had been sunk under ground At length wearied with a fruitless search the Sentinels and Guards were taken off from the City but howsoever a Watch was continued on the High-ways and maintained with a strict examination of all that passed At the end of forty days these Gentlemen called Santillan and Catanno both of noble extraction with whom I was acquainted and met one of them in Seville when I arrived first in Spain thought fit to free themselves from the danger which they incurred by concealing Aguire for they knew that the Judge was a severe man and would have no mercy on them in case the matter were discovered whereupon they agreed to carry him publickly out of the City and not by any private conveyance the manner was this they shaved his head and his beard and washed his face head neck hands and Arms and from top to toe and cleansed him with water and then smeared him over with a sort of wild Fruit called by the Indians Vitoc which is not good to eat or for any other purpose onely dies with that black hue that being left on for three or four days and afterwards washed over three or four times more it leaves a black deeper than that of an