now appears at the gates of our houfes a certain tyrant, who threatens to rob us of all our houses, eftates, and property, and to extirpate our nation, if we refufe to receive him for our lord and mafter. In cafe we admit him, we must renounce our antient liberty, our command and authority over other nations, and those rites and inftitutions which have defcended to us through many ages from our ancestors. Nor is this all; for this foreigner, not repofing any confidence in our promifes, will compel us to labour in erecting fortrefies to ferve as fcourges over us, and the fure means of never regaining our freedom. He will feize on the best of our poffef fions, and defpoil us of our wives and children, and the most beautiful of our daughters. What is ftill more grievous, he will trample upon our laws and, antient cuftoms, impofe new bonds upon us, make us worship strange gods, and abolish our own religion. In fhort, he will oblige us to live according to his will and pleasure, which, to a noble mind, is the moft irkfome of all fervitudes. In thefe circumftances, I leave it to you to confider, whether we had not better heal up. all our divifions, unite in one common caufe, and die in the defence of liberty, than tamely to deliver up ourselves as flaves to the capricious will of a tyrant."

THIS fpeech produced warm debates; a few were drawn over by the spirited manner of the inca; but the majority was of opinion, that it was better to refign themselves to the government of fo great, prudent, and merciful, a prince as the inca, than to remain the enslaved vaffals of a petty_tyrant. At laft, it was agreed on all hands, that the present situation of affairs required a temporary compliance, until a proper opportunity fhould occur for recovering and establishing their freedom. Upon this refolution, Tuampalla returned a mild anfwer to the meffenger, who had been detained to know the fentiments of the council. He alfo fent an ambaffy with prefents, and an offer of all his dominions; befeeching the inca to favour the island with his prefence, which all the inhabitants would confider as the greatest honour and felicity. The inca accepted the invitation: having no fufpicion of treachery, he paffed over to the island with a part of his forces; and while he was engaged in fettling the police, furnished the perfidious natives with an opportunity of maffacring a great number of his people, the bodies of whom they threw into the sea, Several princes of the blood perished in this unfortunate affair, which fo deeply affected the inca, that he expreffed his forrow externally, and cloathed himself in a kind of grey woollen. cloth, which was never done except upon very fignal calamities. But his grief foon gave way to indignation and fentiments of

G 4

revenge,

revenge: He affembled his army with the utmoft expedition, and with great facility fubjected the inhabitants, utterly devoid of counfel, policy, and military fkill. Some writers speak of this event as if it happened on the main land, the islanders having no fhare in the plot; but, from circumftances, it is probable that Tumpalla was the author of the confpiracy, and that he was affifted in this treacherous defign by the bulk of his fubjects both on the ifland and continent.

As foon as the reduction of the island was accomplished, the inca gave orders that all the captains, foldiers, and officers, engaged in the revolt, fhould be brought before his tribunal, which was placed in the midst of a circle of his armed foldiers. From these the authors of the confpiracy were felected, bound, and feverely reprimanded by one of the imperial officers; after which they were ordered to prepare themfelves for a punishment adequate to their offence. The fentence paffed on them was, that they fhould fuffer the fame kind of death to which they had cruelly, wantonly, and perfidiously, expofed the foldiers of the inca. Accordingly, fome of them were thrown into the fea, with great weights to fink them to the bottom; others were pierced through with lances, and fixed up in the most confpicuous places as an example; a few were quartered and expofed to publick view in the fame manner, and great numbers were hanged upon trees and gibbets. In this manner was juftice executed upon no less than a thousand of the wretched inhabitants, which melancholy story afterwards became the fubject of those fongs which were repeated to the Spaniards. A fortrefs was erected at Tumpez, and the ifland put under the jurifdiction of the governor of the neighbouring provinces of the continent; after which he attempted to lay a magnificent bridge over the river Guayquille, that was never finished.

On his return to Cuzco, he was met by the Curacas of all the provinces in his way, and prefented with the richest gifts which their country afforded, in token of their vaffalage and esteem. When he entered his capital, his firft care was to vifit the citadel, which was almoft finished, to his great fatisfaction; and then he fent proper perfons to enquire into the ftate of the more remote provinces particularly Charcas and Chili, fending rich prefents to the governors, to be diftributed among the chiefs and leading inhabitants. While he was thus employed, news was brought, that the inhabitants of the province of Chuchupuayas, feeing him embarraffed with the conqueft of Tumbez, and revolt of Puna, had rebelled and maflacred all the imperial officers and magiftrates within their jurifdiction. When this advice arrived, the inça was or

dering his army to the fea-coaft; but he now altered the deftination of his troops, appointing them to march directly to Chuchupuayas, and punish the rebels to the extremity of rigorous juftice. Before the army entered their country, he fent notice to the inhabitants, that if they would now lay down their arms, and return to their obedience, they should ftill be entitled to pardon; but they rejected the propofal with the most brutal contempt, relying upon the natural ftrength and mountainous fituation of their country. This heightened the inca's indignation; he exerted his utmoft diligence in affembling forces, and laying bridges over rivers, and, when he had prepared every thing neceffary to the accomplishment of his defigns, he fet out in full march for the rebellious province, arrived on the banks of a broad river, that feparated him from the enemy, linked all his boats together fo as to form a flying bridge, marched down with the utmost regularity, and, by his formidable appearance, ftruck the enemy with dread and confufion at the confequences of their own rafhness and cruelty. Senfible they could expect no mercy, after fuch acts of barbarity, which they aggravated by the infolence of the answer returned to his meffage, they demolished their huts, and retired with their families to the moft inacceffible mountains, to avoid the refentment of a prince whom they could not withstand in the open field. However, great numbers of the old and infirm. remained behind, either because they were unable to undergo the fatigue of fcaling mountains, or that they had greater confidence in the generofity of the inca. To screen themselves from punishment they addreffed a lady, who had formerly been concubine to the late inca, imploring her interceffion with Huayna Capac, and befeeching with tears, that he would endeavour to appeafe the inca's juft refentment. Wrought upon by their intreaties, the undertook the task, and fet out to meet the army, accompanied by women of all degrees and ages, unattended by a fingle perfon of the other fex. The novelty of the appearance of fuch a croud of females ftruck the monarch, and he made little difficulty about admitting the petitioners into his prefence. Cuchupuya, for that was the name of the principal lady, immediately threw herself at his feet, and spoke to the following effect: "Where is it, fire, you are going? Do you not reflect, that, full of rage and indignation, you are about to destroy that very province, which your pious father was at the trouble of gaining and annexing to his empire? Confider, I befeech you, that you are proceeding directly against the nature of that clemency, upon which you have founded the

most

most durable part of your reputation; that you are going to execute those defolations in your anger, which you will be forry for in your cooler moments. Remember how many

more nations have been rendered faithful and obedient to your crown by mercy, than by the fword. Exercise a virtue now, that never can be displayed more seasonably, and which will eternize your memory. There is no merit in pardoning flight faults, because they scarce deferve punishment; let it be your glory to forgive the worst of all crimes, treafon and murder, for the fake of a whole nation. Your father, great fire, reduced this people, which, though undeferving of fuch a protector, are nevertheless your fubjects; and therefore let not your fury fo far tranfport you in the punishment and the effufion of human blood, as to forget that you are yourfelf a man, and confequently fubject to frailty, although the offspring of the brightest of all the heavenly bodies. Eclipfe not the fplendor of a character, worthy of fo divine an origin, by fuffering yourself to be betrayed into the weakneffes of mortality. Let me repeat it, that the greater the crime is which you pardon, the higher muft your piety be exalted, and the fplendor of that virtue, derived from your ancestors, fhine with the more diftinguished luftre. My earnest prayer therefore is, that you would vouchfafe upon your own account, as well as theirs, to receive this people once more under your protection; that you would vent your anger first against me, and let my blood attone for the crimes of my deluded and infatuated countrymen." When she had finished her discourse,' all the women in her train lifted up their voices, cried out: "O! thou child of the Sun, thou refuge of the diftreffed, have pity on us, and pardon our parents, hufbands, brothers, and children." The inca was moved with their piteous lamentations; for a while he was filent, but, recovering himself, he raised the matron from the ground, and exclaimed in a tranfport of tender paffion, "Well doft thou deferve the name of Mamonchu, or mother of the people, who art fo provident, not only of their good, but of my honour. I heartily thank you for the falutary advice you have adminiftred. If I had given way to my rage, I might very poffibly have repented to-morrow of the rafhnefs of this day's conduct. Well haft thou preferved the duty of a mother towards thy people, in redeeming their lives from deftruction for which, as you have pleaded fo fuccefsfully, you fhall be gratified with the accomplishment of any with in my power. Return with the tidings of peace and happiness to the people, and confider if there be any thing elfe you would require of me. Pardon the criminals when you pleafe, and

offer

offer them whatever grace or favour you think proper; nothing fhall be denied that you promife; and, for the better affurance of this my fincerity, take with you these four incas, my brothers, who are your fons, without any other attendants than their own menial fervants, to whom I fhall give only this commiffion; namely, that they will fettle the people under a good and wholesome government." Convinced by this act of lenity of their error, the Chuchupuayas ever afterwards became faithful and loyal fubjects to the inca, of whofe good understanding we may fufficiently judge from the manner in which he received the admonitions of the matron Cuchapuya.

THE rebels being thus pardoned, Huayna Capac refumed his former intention of fending troops to the fea coaft, in the way to which lay the province of Manta, which had fcarcely as yet acknowledged the dominion of the inca. In the me tropolis of this province, the inhabitants worshipped an eme rald of extraordinary fize, which they kept in a place confecrated for the adoration of this unfeeling deity; and, in the furrounding country, the fame degree of reverence was fhewn for wild beafts and reptiles, from the largeft fnake to the moft diminutive maggot (L). They were alfo ftrongly addicted to the abominably unnatural paffion of fodomy. They flayed their prifoners; and marriages were contracted on condition, that the parents and friends of the bridegroom fhould enjoy the bride before the hufband, for a trial of her virtues. The inca determining to abolish thofe horrible cuftoms, fent them a fevere fummons immediately to furrender, and receive the Peruvian religion and laws, or prepare to expect the worst effects of his vengeance; and they, from conviction of their inability to refift, chearfully fubmitted to whatever he thought fit to propofe. To the conquest of the Mantaefe was added the reduction of feveral other adjacent nations, equally barbarous, with whofe uncouth names we think it unneceffary to trouble the reader's memory; as they were diftinguished only by different kinds of favage ferocity, and yielded without refiftance to the menaces of Huayną

(L) The emerald was expofed to publick view upon folemn feftivals, the Indians coming from all quarters to worship it and make offerings of fmaller emeralds, which the priests perfuaded them were the children and offspring of the great ftone

deity, and the most acceptable prefent they could bring. Hence

arose the vast collection of these precious ftones found here by Alvaredo, on his arrival in Peru, to join the reft of the Spanish invaders. Gar. 1.9. c. 8.

Сарас.