fication of the fenfes; mothers, daughters, and fifters, were used without diftinction. In fome countries a kind of nuptial rite was observed; but it was no lefs depraved than the vicious impulfe of nature. Those women who were the most lafcivious and incontinent, were the most esteemed. It was the most notorious prostitution of virginity, and most diffolute life in the maiden ftate, that beft recommended to a bufband. Certain tribes were charged with preferving inviolate the chastity of their female children to a marriageable age, when they were expofed in publick, and the proofs of their virginity fhewn to the whole world; others are taxed with the beaftly fin of fodomy; and it is affirmed, that forcery, witchcraft, and the arts of poifoning, arrived at great perfection in feveral of the provinces of this empire. Thefe, however, arc the tales of tradition, blazoned out by the royal hiftorian in the ftrongest colours, only to heighten the compliment intended the Incas, by demonftrating the happy effects of their government, and the furprifing changes wrought on the manners of the moft favage people on earth, by dint of prudence and policy. These effects being fuppofed to exceed human means, the following fable was invented, to account for the manner in which the Peruvians were civilized, and give luftre to the pedigree of the royal line. It is confidently related by Garcilaffo as a tradition univerfally believed in his family; and we thall beg leave to tranfcribe it from his commentaries, rather to fhew the genius of the nation, than to gain the belief of the reader.

GARCILAS SO having one day queftioned the Inca, his uncle, concerning the origin of the nation, and the rife of the Incas, was anfwered in these words. "Coufin, I moft willingly comply with your request; for it is of confequence for you to know thefe things, and imprefs them deeply in your heart. You must therefore underftand, that all this region and country was formerly one intire foreft and defart, and the people a kind of brutes, devoid of religion and government, deftitute of all the arts neceffary to fociety; and ignorant of fowing, reaping, building, fpinning, or weaving. They dwelt in pairs in caves in the rocks and mountains, fed on roots, herbs, grafs, or human flesh. All their cloathing confifted of leaves, or the bark of trees, and the fkins of beafts. In a word, they were altogether favage; they had no property in women, or fingle enjoyment of the fex, but ufed their females in common like the brutes, and gratified their luft on the first object that occurred.

"THIS was the fituation of our ancestors, when our father the Sun, taking pity on their wretchedness, fent a fon

and

and daughter of his own from heaven to earth to inftruct our people in the knowledge of his divinity, that fo they might adore and worship him, giving them laws and precepts to regulate their lives like men endowed with reafon. They were empowered to live in houfes and fociety; they were taught to fow the land, cultivate trees, rear plants, feed flocks, and enjoy them like civilized perfons, who made a proper use of their rational faculties. With these instructions our first parent, the Sun, placed his two children in the lake Titicaca (about eight leagues from the capital city of Cuzco), giving them full liberty to travel to whatever part of the country they chofe, with this reftriction only, that when they ftopped for a night to fleep and refresh themselves, they should ftrike a gold wedge which he gave them into the earth. This wedge was about half a yard in length, and above an inch thick; and if it funk with one ftroke into the ground, there they were ordered to take up their future refidence, and form a court, to which all the people should refort. They were further directed to govern themfelves with reafon, juffice, piety, clemency, and lenity. After they had reduced them to obedience, and fubjected them to laws, they were enjoined to perform all the offices of tender parents to children they love, and to imitate the example fet them by their parent the Sun, who doth good to all the world, furnisheth light and heat, maketh the feeds to vegetate, the trees to be prolific, and the flocks to encrease; watereth the lands with dews from heaven, and daily performs a circuit in which he vifits every corner of the earth, to discover the neceffities and wants of all things, and apply the proper remedies. "Thus, after my example, faid the great author of their being, I would have my children employ all their care in cherishing virtue and rooting out bad habits from the human breaft: from henceforth I conftitute and ordain you lords and fovereigns over this people, that they may be reclaimed to reafon by your inftructions, and maintained in regular fociety by your government." "Thus our father the Sun, proceeded the inca, having declared his pleasure to thefe his two children, difpatched them to execute their important commiffion; and they, beginning their journey from Titicaca northward, tried to ftrike the wedge in the ground at every place they repofed them felves, but it refused to enter. At length, after various fruitless efforts, they arrived at a poor place about feven or eight leagues fouthward from this city (Cuzco), which to this day is called Pacavec Tampu, or the Shining Dormitory. This is one of thofe colonies which this prince planted, the inhabitants of which boaft of the title bellowed on it by the firft of our incas. From hence he and

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his queen defcended to the valley of Cuzco, at that time a wild and barren defart (A), halting at Huanacauti, where again the wedge of gold being tried, was received by the earth with fuch facility, that it funk at one ftroke, and never more appeared." "Then, faid the inca to his fifter and wife in this valley, our father the Sun hath commanded that we should make our abode, and in fo doing we shall perform his pleafure. It is neceffary, therefore, that we fhould now separate and take different ways, in order to affemble the people in such a manner as we may be able to preach and propagate the doctrine among them which he recommends." Accordingly our firft governors proceeded by different ways from the defart of Huanacauti to collect the people, which being the fift place of their refidence which they hallowed by their feet, that we know of, we have defervedly erected a temple wherein to adore and worship our father the Sun, and offer up thanksgivings for this benefit conferred on mankind. Our inca the prince purfued his way northward, while his confort and fifter directed her fteps to the fouth, declaring to all men whom they met in the wild thickets and uncultivated places, that their father the Sun had fent them to be the inftructors and benefactors of thofe inhabitants, and to wean them from that rude and favage life to a method of living more agreeable to reafon and human fociety. In purfuance of these commands, they related to the people, they came to gather those who were fcattered among thofe mountains and rude places into more convenient habitations, where they might live in. fociety and friendship, upon fuch food as was allotted by nature for man. The people heard, beheld, and were astonished. They faw thefe children of the Sun cloathed in the habits in which their father had vefted them; they observed their ears pierced to receive the complaints of the oppreffed, and adorned with jewels as a mark of their fuperior dignity and birth; they greedily fucked in their words and promifes of comfort, yielded to their perfuafion, adored them as the offfpring of a fuperior being, and refigned themfelves to their tutelage and government. Thefe wretches relating the wonder to each other, the fame of the prince and princess spread abroad; infomuch that multitudes of men and women flocked to them, fubmitting themfelves to their obedience.

"GREAT numbers being collected in this manner, our first governors gave orders that provifion fhould be made of fuch fruits as the earth produced for the fuftenance of man; left, (A) Garcilafo, by a flip of been followed by Sir Paul the pen, calls this valley a Raycaut his tranflator. mountain; in which he has

being scattered abroad in fearch of nourishment, the bands of fociety fhould be broken, the main body divided, and the members diminished. Others were employed, in the mean time, in building houfes according to the models given them by the prince. This was the origin of our imperial city of Cuzco, which was then divided into two parts; the one called Hanan Cuzco, or the Upper, and the other Hurin Cuzco, or the Lower Cuzco. Those who affembled under the king inhabited the former, and thofe of the queen's train peopled the latter; a difference arifing from no fuperiority affumed by the king, and intended only to diftinguith his followers from those of his confort, and to remain an eternal monument of the rife and origin of fociety. This is the reafon, added the inca, that in all our empire this diverfity of lineage hath remained, being ever fince diftinguished by the appellations Hanan Aylla and Hurin Aylla, fignifying the upper and lower lineage; and Hanan Sugu and Hurin Sugu, the upper and lower tribes.

"WHEN the city was peopled in the manner above recited, our inca taught his people thofe labours that contribute to the conveniences of life, fuch as ploughing the land, fowing it with grains and feeds fit for the nourishment of man, and the inftruments neceflary to carry on husbandry with facility and advantage. He alfo taught his fubjects to cut channels for thofe rivulets which now water the capital, and to defend their feet from stones and thorns by shoes, and their bodies from the inclemency of the weather and the viciffitudes of feafons by cloathing. On the other hand, the queen inftructed the women in good housewifry, taught them all the domeftic arts; to fpin and weave cotton; to make garments for their - husbands, their children, and themselves; with all the other little offices that could render life agreeable, and reconcile the men to their harder labours.

"THE Indians being reduced to fome form of civility, felicitated themselves on their change of condition; and with fingular acknowledgments of the benefits received, traveiled with joy through the rocks and woods to communicate the happy news to the other favages, who had not yet tafted the bleffings fhowered down by the children of the Sun. They recounted all the favours beftowed on them, and confirmed their relation by fhowing their new habits and cloathing, and defcribing their diet, houfes, and employment. The curiolity of the favages to behold thefe wonders was rouzed: they refolved to have ocular demonstration of all that was repeated, ranged themselves among the reft to learn and to obey; and one in this manner inviting another, the people increased, in feven or eight years, in fo extraordinary a man

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ner, that the inca was enabled to raise a confiderable army, and make conquefts where influence and perfuafion proved infufficient to draw men from their barbarous way of living. He taught them how to make bows and arrows, and inftructed them in the use of these weapons; fo that they foon became a formidable power, and obliged all the furrounding ftates to receive thofe legal reftraints, which ferve to promote the happiness of mankind.

"THAT I may not be tedious, faid the inca, in relating the tranfactions of our ancestors, and the atchievements of our first inca, you must know that he reduced all to the eastward as far as the river Paucartainpee, eighty leagues weftward, quite to the great river called Apurimac, and fouthward, for nine leagues, as far as Quequefona. To the feveral diftrics contained within thefe limits, he fent colonies, to fome places a hundred families, to others leffer numbers, according to circumftances. These were the beginnings of this noble city, and of this vaft empire, which your father and his countrymen (meaning the Spaniards) have conquered from us, or rather of which we are defpoiled and defrauded. These were our first incas and kings in the early ages of the world, from whom the fucceeding princes and We ourselves are descended; but how many years it may be fince the Sun our father fent his offspring among us upon earth, I am not able to ascertain precifely; but I imagine it may be about four hundred years. This inca was called Manco Capac, and his queen was named Caya Mama, of Huaco, both being children and brethren of the fun and moon; and now, having fatisfied at large the requeft you made of me, I abstain from tears, that I may not fill you with fadnefs; although my eyes, refraining from Blowing, occafion drops of blood to fall from my heart on account of the inward grief I feel for the calamities of our empire and the misfortunes of our incas (B)."