of March they reaped their maize, and celebrated the harvest with joy and feafting.

There being no artist nor manufacturer by profeffion, individuals were taught to do every thing for themfelves. Every one knew how to plough and manure the land: every one was a carpenter, a mafon, a fhoemaker, a weaver, &c.; and the women were the most ingenious and diligent of all. Blas Valera mentions a law, named the law of brotherhood, which, without the profpect of reward, obliged them to be mutually aiding and affisting in ploughing, fowing, and reaping, in building their houfes, and in every fort of occupa

tion.

As the art was unknown of melting down metals by means of bellows, long copper pipes were contrived, contracted at the end next the fire, that the breath might act the more forcibly on it; and they used ten or twelve of thefe pipes together, when they wanted a very hot fire. Having no iron, their hatchets and pick-axes were of copper; they had neither faw nor augre, nor any inftrument that requires iron: ignorant of the ufe of nails, they tied their timber with cords of hemp. The tool

they

they had for cutting ftone, was a sharp flint; and with that tool they shaped the stone by continual rubbing, more than by cutting. Having no engines for raising stones, they did all by strength of arm. These defects notwithstanding, they erected great edifices; witnefs the fortrefs of Cufco, a ftupenduous fabric. It paffes all understanding, by what means the ftones, or rather great rocks, employ'd in that building, were brought from the quarry. One of thefe ftones, measured by Acosta, was thirty feet in length, eighteen in breadth, and fix in thickness.

Having neither fciffars nor needles of metal, they used a certain long thorn for a needle. The mirrors ufed by ladies of quality were of burnished copper: but fuch implements of drefs were reckoned too effeminate for men.

With respect to mufic, they had an instrument of hollow canes glew'd together, the notes of which were like thofe of an organ. They had love-fongs accompanied with a pipe; and war-fongs, which were their festival entertainment. They compofed and acted comedies and tragedies. The art of writing was unknown; but

filken

filken threads, with knots caft upon them of divers colours, enabled them to keep exact accounts, and to fum them up with a readiness that would have rivalled an expert European arithmetician. They had alfo attained to as much geometry as to measure their fields.

In war, their offenfive arms were the bow and arrow, lance, dart, club, and bill. Their defenfive arms, were the hel→ met and target. The army was provided from the King's ftores, and no burden was laid on the people.

In philofophy, they had made no progrefs. An eclipfe of the moon was attributed to her being fick; and they fancied the milky way to be a ewe giving fuck to a lamb. With regard to the fetting fun, they faid, that he was a good fwimmer, and that he pierced through the waves, to rife next morning in the east. But fuch ignorance is not wonderful; for no branch of fcience can make a progrefs without writing.

The people were divided into small bodies of ten families each: every divifion had a head, and a register was kept of the whole; a branch of public police, that

very much resembles the English decennaries.

They made but two meals, one between eight and nine in the morning, the other before funfet. Idlenefs was punished with infamy even children were employ'd according to their capacity. Public vifitors. or monitors were appointed, having accefs to every houfe, for infpecting the manners of the inhabitants; who were rewarded or punished according to their behaviour. Moderation and industry were fo effectually enforc'd by this article of police, that few were reduced to indigence; and thefe got their food and cloathing out of the King's ftores.

With refpect to their laws and customs, children were bound to ferve their parents until the age of twenty-five; and marriage contracted before that time, without confent of parents, was null. Polygamy was prohibited, and perfons were confined to marry within their own tribe. The tradition, that the Inca family were children of the fun, introduced incest among them; for it was a matter of religion to preferve their divine blood pure, without mixture.

It was the chief article of the Peruvian

creed, upon which every other article of their religion depended, that the Inca family were children of their great god the fun, and fent by him to fpread his worfhip and his laws among them. Nothing could have a greater influence upon an ignorant and credulous people, than such a doctrine. The fanctity of the Inca family was fo deeply rooted in the hearts of the Peruvians, that no perfon of that family was thought capable of committing a crime. Such blind veneration for a family, makes it probable, that the government of Peru under the Incas had not fub- ́ fifted many years; for a government founded upon deceit and fuperftition, cannot long fubfist in vigour. However that be, fuch belief of the origin of the Incas, is evidence of great virtue and moderation in that family; for any gross act of tyranny or injustice, would have opened the eyes of the people to fee their error. Moderation in the fovereign and obedience without referve in the fubjects, cannot fail to produce a government mild and gentle; which was verified in that of Peru; fo mild and gentle, that to manure