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Royal Commentaries.
BooK
Vlt
fhall (God willing) treat more at large in its due place. The fecond perfon
thac
entred into the Kingdom of
Chili
was
the Governour
Pedro de Va/djvia,
who
With
a {hong party both of Horfe and Foot , marched beyond the Dominions of the
Inca&,
making conquefl: of
all
before him; the Colonies which he planted
were
thriving and pro[perous, though he himfelf unhappily fell by the
hand
of
his
own
Subje& of the Province of
Araucu,
which he having fubdued, made choice
of
for himfelf, when the Lands were divided amongft the Conquerours. This
worthy
perfon
planted many Colonies , and founded Cities with
Spanifh
Inhabi–
tants ; and amongfl: the refr, that which after
his
own Name was called
Yaldivia.
in the Conquefr of
this
Province he performed many and noble Exploits,
and
afterwards governed
it
with great prudence and jufiice, and had not onely
been
happy in himfelf, but fortunate alfo
to
his
p~o~le, h~d
not
th~
boldnefS of an
In–
dian,
who adventured to cut the thread of
his
life, given a period to the
expeCta–
tion of many other bleffings, which
his
Wifedom and Conduet might have pro–
duced co his Subjelts. And
in
regard the
Death
of this Governour and
General
was in
a
manner without Example, and
char
which was never practifed by che
In–
dians
either before or fince the Entrance of
th~
Spaniards
into diat Countrey ;
and
what turned
to
their greater mifchief;
I
have thought
fit
to relate
it
in
this
place
that
fo
the Reader may be clearly informed of the particulars of that unhappy
bar:
'
tel, according to the
firft
report which came
ofit
to
Peru,
foon after the
Fight
was
ended, and likewife
what
intelligence the fecond report gave of
it;
for better
anderfianding ofwhich,
it
will be neceffary
to
begin from the original and caufe
of
this whole matter.
CH AP.
XXI.
Of the Rebellion of
Chili
again(t
the
Governour
Valdivia.
T
H E
po!feflion and inheritance of the Kingdom of
Chili
falling to the
fhare
and lot of this Gentleman, who was worthy of
an
Empire,
hls
fortune
was
r
be Mall:er al[o of that part> which yielded him a yearly Tribute of
a
hundred
thou fand pieces ofGold : But
in
regard the thirft of Gold encreaf
es
with the
gains
f
it,
and that there is
no
end propofed co Wealth and Riches;
fo
the·more this
Governour amaffed, the more labour and hard ufage he impofed
on
the
Indians,
forcing them beyond their ftrength and abilities,
to
which they had not been
ac–
cut1:omed
to
labour, and dig
in
the Mines
to
fatiate that Avarice of
his, which
was
never to be fatisfied : The people of
AraHcu
(which were the Subje& of
Yaldivia)
not being able to fupport this Yoke of bondage and fervitude, joined chemfelves
vi'ich
others
in
confederacy, and put themfelves into open rebellion, committing
all
the outrages and infolencies they were able upon the
Spaniardr.
The Gover–
nour
Valdivia
having intelligence hereof, marched out with a hundred and
fifty
Hor[e, defpifmg the
Indians,
as the
Spaniards
have always done, on occafion of
fuch-like revolts and mutinies of that people :
But
this contempt of an enemy
coft dear, having been the ruine and defrruction of
Vitldivia,
and of thofe who
were
ith him, who all perifhed by the hands of thofe whom before they had
def
pi
fed.
The fir(l:
news
hich came of this difafiure, was brought
to
the City
de la Pl11ta,
\ hich
is
in
Peru,
by the hand ofan
Indian
wrote
in a fcrip
of Paper,' ithout
form
or date either of
time
or place, in a few words
l
_that
Pedro de Valdivia
,i
wich
i
s-o
Landers, were fwall9wed op by the
Earth.
This report coming
in
a 1croll of
Pa–
per, and
by an
Indian
Meffenger foon gained belief,
being
quickly fpread through
all
Peru,
to the great amazement of the
Spaniard.J,
who could not underfiand
what
rho[e Words fhould mean, of being
f
wallowed up by the Earth ; for they could
not
think
it
poffible
for
150
Spanifh
Horfe to
be
overthrown by
the
Indi11n1;
and
chere-