308 IDOLS OF THE PERUVIANS. 



LIB. v. eternall God into shews and figures of vaine and corruptible 

 things, as men, birds, beasts, and serpents ; we know well 

 that the Egyptians did worship the Dogge of Osiris, the 

 Cow of Isis, and the Sheepe of Ammon ; the Romans did 

 worship the goddesse Februa, of Feavers, and the Tarpeien 

 Goose ; and Athenes the wise woman, the Cocke, and the 

 Raven, and such other like vanities and mockeries, whereof 

 the auntient Histories of the Gentiles are full. Men fell 

 into this great misery, for that they would not subiect 

 themselves to the Lawe of the true God and Creator, as 

 Saint Athanasius dooth learnedly handle, writing against 

 Idolatry. But it is wonderfull strange to see the excesse 

 which hath beene at the Indies, especially in Peru ; for they 

 worshipped rivers, fountaines, the mouthes of rivers, 

 entries of mountaines, rockes or great stones, hilles and the 

 tops of mountains, which they call Apacliitas, and they 

 hold them for matters of great devotion. To conclude, 

 they did worship all things in nature which seemed to 

 them remarkable and different from the rest, as acknow 

 ledging some particular deitie. 



They shewed me in Caxamalca of Nasca a little hill or 

 great mount of sand, which was the chiefe Idoll or Huaca of 

 the Antients. I demaunded of them what divinitie they 

 found in it ? They answered, that they did worship it for 

 the woonder, being a very high mount of sand, in the midst 

 of very thicke mountains of stone. Wee had neede in the 

 cittie of Kings of great store of great wood for the 

 melting of a Bell, and therefore they cut downe a great 

 deformed tree, which for the greatnesse and antiquitie 

 thereof had beene a long time the Oratorio and Huaca of 

 the Indians. And they beleeved there was a certaine 

 Divinity in any thing that was extraordinary and strange in 

 his kinde, attributing the like vnto small stones and 

 mettalls ; yea, vnto rootes and fruites of the earth, as the 

 rootes they call Papas. There is a strange kinde which they 



