HiHorieoftbe'fndies. lib. 6. 437 



moncths or moones, in the which they imployed and 

 confurned the eleven daics that remaind of the moone 

 as Polo writes. To make the computation of their yeare 

 fiircandcertaine, they vfcd this induftry 5 vppon the 

 mountaines which are about theckty sfCufco (where 

 the Kings Inguas held their court , beeing the greatcft 

 ftn&uaryofthofercalmes, andaswe-fhouldfayan o- 

 ther Rome) there were twelve pillars fet in order,and in 

 fuch diftaunce the one frOiiKhe other, as every month 

 one of thefe pillers did note the rifing and fettingof the 

 funne. They called them Succmga,, by meanes where 

 of they taught and (hewed, thefeafts, and thefeafbns 

 fitte to (bweand reape,and to do other things . They 

 did certaitie facrilices to thefe pillars of the fnnne. Eve- 

 f y month had his proper name,and pecular feafts.They 

 begtnncthe yeare by January as wee doe . Butfince, a 

 king/^4 called Pathacuto, which fignifies a reformer 

 of the Tern pie, beganne their yeare by December, by 

 reafon J (as I coniedlure) that then the Sunne returneth 

 from thelaft poynt of Capricorne, which isihe'-tropike 

 neei-eft vnto them. I know not whether the one or the 

 other haveobfcrvcd any Bifexte, although Ibme holdc 

 the contrary . The weekes which the NleKicaines did 

 reckon, were not properly weekes, being not of feaven 

 dayes : the/ag-nwf likewife made no mention thereof 

 which is no wonder , feeing the account of the weeke 

 is not grounded vpon the courie of tlie funne , as that 

 of the yeare, nor of the moone, as that of the month* 

 but among the Hebrewes it.is grounded vpon thecrc- 

 ation of the world, as 3/<?j//?/reporteth ; and simongeft 

 the Greekes and Latins vpon the number 6f thefeveii 

 .planets , of whofe names the dayes of the weeke have 

 taken their denomination 5 yet was it much for thoffe 



Ff 4 Indi- 



