49 z The y^aturall and Mora If 



hunters, and commonly they made all thofe dances, 

 with a very grave found and pafe : there were other 

 dances and maskes, which they called Guacoflcs, whofe 

 a&ions were pure rcprefentations of the divell. There 

 were alfo men that dance on the flioulders one of ano 

 ther, as they do in Portugal!, the which they call PacUaf. 

 Thegreateft part of thefe dances, were iiiperftitions, 

 dftd kindes of idolatries : for that they honoured their 

 idoIlsandC7/ttv# in that maner. For this reafon the 

 Prelates have laboured to takefrom them thefe dances, 

 all they could: but yet they fuffer them, forthatpartof 

 them are but fportes of recreation , for alwaies they 

 dance after their mancr.) In theft dances, 'they vfe fun- 

 dry fortes of inftruments,whereof,fome are like flutes, 

 or little Canons , others like drummes, and others like 

 cornets : but commonly they fing all with the voyce, 

 andfirftoneortwofingthcfong, then all the reft an- 

 fwer them.Some of thefe fongs were very wittily com- 

 pofed, contayning hiftories, and others were full of fu- 

 perftitionSjandfome were meerc follies. Our men that 

 have converted among them, have laboured to reduce 

 matters of our holy faith to their tunes, the which hath 

 profited well : for that they imploy whole daies to re- 

 hearfc and fing them, for the great pleafure and con* 

 tentthey take in their tunes, They have likewife put 

 our compofitions of muficke into their language , as 

 O#aves,Songs,and Rondcl!s,the which they have ve 

 ry aptly turned^and in truth it is a goodly and very ne- 

 cefiary meanes to inftrud the people/ In Peru,ihey 

 commonly called dances, Tagri, in other Provinces, 

 *3taft*f,ai)d in MexicOiMittottesfthere hath not becne 

 in any other place, any fuch cimofirie of plaies and 

 dances , as in new Sfme, where at this day we fee In. 



dians 



