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ed with an additional taffel; which made the knights with ardor embrace every opportunity to fignalize themselves. As nothing can be better contrived than fuch a regulation for fupporting a military fpirit, the Mexicans would have been invincible had they understood the order of battle for want of which that potent empire fell a prey to a handful of ftrangers. I differ from those who afcribe that event to the fire-arms of the Spaniards, and to their horfes. Thefe could not be more terrible to the Mexicans, than elephants were at first to the Romans: but familiarity with these unwieldy animals, reftored to the Romans their wonted courage; and the Mexicans probably would have behaved like the Romans, had they equalled the Romans in the art of war.

When that illuftrious people, by their own genius without borrowing from others, had made fuch proficiency in the arts of peace, as well as of war; is it not ftrange, that with refpect to religion they were no better than favages? They not only practifed human facrifices, but dreffed and eat the flesh of those that were facrificed. Their great temple was contrived to raife horror: upon the walls were crouded the figures of noxious ferpents the heads of perfons facrificed were ftuck up in different places, and carefu ly renewed when wafted by time. There were eight temples in the city, nearly of the fame architecture; 2000 of a smaller fize, dedicated to different idols; scarce a street without a tutelar deity; nor a calamity that had not an altar, to which the diftreffed night have recourfe for a remedy. Unparallelled ignorance and ftupidity, obliged every Emperor at his coronation to fwear, that there fhould be no unfeasonable rains, no overflowing of ri vers, no fields affected with fterility, nor any

man hurt with the bad influences of the fun. In fhort, it was a flavish religion, built upon fear, not love. At the fame time, they believed the immortality of the foul, and rewards and punishments in a future ftate; which made them bury with their dead quantities of gold and filver for defraying the expence of their journey; and also made them put to death fome of their fervants to attend them. Women fometimes, actuated with the fame belief, were authors of their own death, in order to accompany their husbands.

The author we chiefly rely on for an account of Peru is Garcilaffo de la Vega: though he may be justly suspected of partiality; for, being of the Inca race, he beftows on the Peruvian government, improvements of later times.The articles that appear the leaft fufpicious are what follow.

The principle of the Peruvian conftitution feems to have been an Agrarian law of the strictest kind. To the fovereign was firft allotted a large proportion of land, for defraying the expences of government; and the remainder was divided among his fubjects, in proportion to the number of each family. These portions were not alienable the fovereign was held proprietor of the whole, as in the feudal fyftem; and from time to time the diftribution was varied according to the circumstances of families. This Agrarian law contributed undoubtedly to the populousness of the kingdom of Peru.

It is a fure fign of improved agriculture, that aqueducts were made by the Peruvians for watering their land. Their plough was of wood, a yard long, flat before, round behind, and pointed at the end for piercing the ground. Agriculture feems to have been carried on by united labour: lands appropriated for maintaining the poor were

first ploughed; next the portion allotted to foldiers performing duty in the field; duty in the field; then every man separately ploughed his own field; after which he affifted his neighbour: they proceeded to the portion of the curaca or lord; and laftly to the King's portion. In the month of March they reaped their maize, and celebrated the harveit with joy and feasting.

There being no artist nor manufacturer by profeffion, individuals were taught to do every thing for themselves. 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 moft 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 affifting in ploughing, fowing and reaping, in building their houses, and in every fort of Occupation.

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 use of nails, they tied their timber with cords of hemp, The tool they had for cutting ftone, was a fharp flint; and with that tool they fhaped the ftone by continual rubbing, more than by cutting, Having no engines for raifing ftones, they did all by ftrength of arm. Thefe defects notwithstanding, they erected great edifices; witnefs the fortress of Cufco, a ftupendous fabric. It paffes all underftanding, by what means the ftones, or rather

great

great rocks, employed in that building, were brought from the quarry. One of these stones, measured by Acofta, was thirty feet in length, eighteen in breadth, and fix in thickness.

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

With respect to mufic, they had an instrument of hollow canes glewed together, the notes of which were like thofe of a 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 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 helmet 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 cast. 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

and a register was kept of the whole; a branch of public police, that very much resembles the Englifh decennaries.

They made but two meals, one between eight and nine in the morning the other before funfet. Idleness was punished with infamy: even children were employed according to their capacity. Public visitors 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 enforced by this article of police, that few were reduced to indigence; and these got their food and cloathing out of the King's ftores.

With refpect to their laws and customs, children were bound to serve 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 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 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, can

not