362 PERUVIAN CONFESSION. 



LlB - v - the sea, where they may never appeare more.&quot; Others that 

 confessed vsed likewise these baths, with certaine cere 

 monies very like to those the Moores vse at this day, which 

 they call Gtiadoy, and the Indians call them Opacuna. 1 When 

 it chaunced that any man s children died he was held for a 

 great sinner, saying that it was for his shines that the sonne 

 died before the father ; and, therefore, those to whom this 

 had chanced, after they were confessed, they were bath d in 

 this bath called Opavuua, as is saide before. Then some 

 deformed Indian, crookebackt and counterf et by nature, 

 came to whippe them with certaine nettles. If tire Sorcerers 

 or Inchaunters by their lots and divinations affirmed that 

 any sicke body should die, the sicke man makes no difficulty 

 to kill his owne sonne, though he had no other, hoping by 

 that meanes to escape death, saying that in his place he 

 offered his sonne in sacrifice. And this crueltie hath beene 

 practised in some places, even since the Christians came 

 into that countrey. In trueth it is strange that this cus- 

 tome of confessing their secret sinnes hath continued so 

 long amongest them, and to doe so strict penances, as to 

 fast, to give apparell, gold, and silver, to remaine in the 

 mountaineSj and to receive many stripes vpoii the shoulders. 

 Our men say, that in the province of Chucuito, even at this 

 day they meete with this plague of Confessors or Ychuris, 

 whereas many sicke persons repaire vnto them ; but now, 

 by the grace of God, this people beginnes to see cleerely the 

 effect and great benefite of our confession, wherevnto they 

 come with great devotion. And partely this former custome 

 hath been suffered by the providence of the Lord, that con 

 fession might not seeme tedious vnto them. 



By this meanes the Lord is W 7 holy glorified, and the Divell 

 (who is a deceiver) deceived. And for that it concerneth 

 this matter I will reporte the manner of a strange confes 

 sion the Divell hath invented at lappon, as appeares by a 

 1 ( JHI-, ui/a, baths, from Cfxinf, I wash. 



