ufed a certain long thorn for a needle. The mirrors ufed by ladies of quality were of burnished copper: but fuch implements of dress were reckoned too effeminate for the men.

With refpect to mufic, they had an inftrument of hollow canes glewed 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 feftival entertainment. They compofed and acted comedies and tragedies. The art of writing, properly fo called, was unknown; but 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 rivaled an expert European arithmetician. They had also 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 helmet and target. The army was provided from the King's ftores, and was no burden upon 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 setting fun, they said, that he was a good fwimmer, and that he pierced through the waves, to rife next morning in the eaft. But fuch ignorance is not wonderful; for no branch of fcience can make a progrefs without writing.

The people were divided into fmall bodies of ten families each every divifion had a head, and a regifter 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 fun-fet. Idlenefs was punished with infamy: even children were employed according to their capacity. Public vifitors or monitors were appointed, having access to every houfe, for infpecting the manners of the inhabitants; who were rewarded or punished according to their be

haviour.

Book II. haviour. Moderation and induftry were fo effectually enforced by this article of police, that few were reduced to indigence; and these got their food and clothing out of the King's ftores.

With respect 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 inceft among them; for it was a matter of religion to preserve their divine blood pure and unmixed.

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 worship and his laws among them. Nothing could have a greater influence upon an ignorant and credulous people, than fuch 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 fubfifted many years; for a government founded upon deceit and fuperftition, cannot long continue its authority. However that be, fuch belief of the origin of the Incas, is evidence of great virtue and moderation in that family; for any grofs act of tyranny or injustice, would have opened the eyes of the people to fee their error. Moderation in the fovereign, and in the fubjects obedience without referve, cannot fail to produce a government mild and gentle; which was verified in that of Peru, fo mild and gentle, that to manure and cultivate the lands of the Inca, and to lay up the produce in ftore-houses, were the only burdens impofed upon the people, if it was not sometimes to make cloaths and weapons for the army. At the fame time their kings were fo revered, that these articles of labour were performed with great alacrity.

The government was equally gentle with regard to

punish

punishments. Indeed very few crimes were committed, being confidered as a fort of rebellion against their great god the fun. The only crime that feems to have been punished with feverity, is the marauding of foldiers; for death was inflicted, however inconfiderable the damage.

In this empire, there appears to have been the most perfect union between law and religion; which could not fail to produce obedience, order, and tranquillity, among that people, though extremely numerous. The Inca family was famed for moderation: they made conquefts in order to civilize their neighbours; and as they feldom if ever tranfgreffed the bounds of morality, no other art was neceffary to preferve the government entire, but to keep the people ignorant of true religion. They had virgins dedicated to the fun, who, like the veftal virgins in Rome, were under a vow of tual chastity.

perpe

This fubject fhall be concluded with fome flight obfervations on the two governments I have been defcribing. Comparing them together, the Mexican government seems to have been fupported by arms that of Peru by religion.

;

The kings of Peru were hereditary and abfolute : thofe of Mexico elective. In contradiction however to political principles, the government of Peru was by far the milder. It is mentioned above, that the electors of the Mexican kings were hereditary princes; and the fame electors compofed the great council of state. Montefquieu therefore has been misinformed when he terms this a defpotic monarchy (a): a monarchy can never be defpotic, where the fovereign is limited by a great council, the members of which are independent of him. As little reafon has he to term Peru defpotic. An abfolute monarchy it was, but the farthest in the world from being defpotic: on the contrary, we find not in history any government fo well contrived for the good of the people. An Agrarian law, firmly rooted, prevented that great inequality of rank and riches which lead to luxury, and diffolution of manners: a

(a) L'Esprit des loix, liv. 17. ch. 2.

common

commonwealth was naturally the refult of fuch a conftitution; and probably would have taken place, had it not been for a government no less fuitable and ftill more mild, viz. a theocracy under a family fent from heaven to make them happy. This wild opinion, fupported by ignorance and fuperftition, proved an effectual bar against tyranny in the monarch; a moft exemplary conduct on his part being neceffary for fupporting the opinion of his divinity. Upon the whole, comprehending king and fubject, there perhaps never existed more virtue in any other government, whether monarchical or republican.

In Peru there are traces of fome diftinction of ranks, arifing probably from office merely, which, as in France, were a bulwark to the monarch against the peasants. The great fuperiority of the Peruvian Incas, as demi-gods, did not admit a hereditary nobility.

With refpect to the progrefs of arts and manufactures, the two nations differed widely in Mexico, arts and manufactures were carried to a furprifing height, confidering the tools they had to work with: in Peru, they had made no progrefs, every man, as among mere favages, providing the neceffaries of life for himfelf.. As the world goes at prefent, fuch numbers are employed upon our multiplied wants, that not above one of a hundred can be spared for war. In ancient times, when these wants were few, and not much enlarged beyond nature, it is computed that an eighth part could be fpared for war: and hence the numerous armies we read of in the hiftory of ancient nations. The Peruvians had it in their power to go ftill farther: it was poffible to arm the whole males capable of fervice: leaving the women to fupply the few neceffaries that might be wanted during a fhort campaign; and accordingly we find that the Incas were great conquerors.

The religion of the Peruvians, confidered in a political light, was excellent. The veneration they paid their fovereign upon a falfe religious principle, was their only fuperftition: and that fuperftition contributed greatly to improve their morals and their man

ners:

ners: on the other hand, the religion of Mexico was abominable.

Upon the whole, there never was a country deftitute of iron, where arts feem to have been carried higher than in Mexico; and, bating their religion, there never was a country deftitute of writing, where government feems to have been more perfect. I except not the government of Peru, which, not being founded on political principles but on fuperftition, might be more mild, but was far from being fo folidly founded.