Hittorie of the Indies lilxj. 



the provinces confefTed themfelves , chiefly thofe of 

 the province ofC&l/at. The Confcfibrs were bound to 

 hold their confeffions fecret, but in certaine cafes limi 

 ted . The finnes that they chiefly confcflcd , was firft 

 to kilionc another out of warre, then to fteale, to take 

 another mans wife, to gtvepoifon or fbrcery to doe a- 

 ny harme : and they helde it to be a grievous finne , to 

 be forgetfull in the reverence of their Guacas, or Orato 

 ries, not to obferve the feafts, or to fpeake ill of the In- 

 /^ 5 and to difobey him. They accufed not themlelves 

 of any fecret a&es and'finnes . But according to the re 

 port of fomePriefts , after the chriftians came into that 

 Countrey, they accufed thcrafelvcs of their thoughts. 

 The/flg4 confefled himfelfe to no man , but onely to 

 the Sunne, that hee might tell them to VtrAchoca, , and 

 that he might forgive them . After the In^ua Kad been 

 confeffed, hee made a certaine bath to cleanfe himfelfe 

 in a running river, faying thefe words : I have told my 

 finnes to the Sunne, receive them, O thou River, and 

 carry them to the fea , where they may never appearc 

 more. Others that confefled,vfed likewife thefe baths, 

 with certaine ceremonies very like to thofe the Moores 

 vfeat this day, which they call Gitadoy, and the Indians 

 call them Opacuna. When it chaunced that any mans 

 children dicd,he was held for a great finner,faying that 

 it was for his finnes that the fbnnedied before the fa- 

 ther. And therefore thofe to whom this had chanced, 

 after they were confc(Ted,they were bath'd in this bath 

 called Opacttna, as is {aide before. Then fome deformed 

 Indian, crookebackt,andcounterfet by nature, came to 

 whippe them with certaine nettles. If the Sorcerers or 

 Inchaunters by their lots and divinations affirmed that 

 any ficke body Ihould die, the ficke man makes nq dif- 



D d ficulty 



