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BooK
I.
Royal
Commentaries.
.
.. C
H
A
P.
II.
Of the exceUent fruit and Advantages which have refulted
fi
01n
the
Vnion
and
Ag~·eement
of
thefe three
Spanilh
Ca·
valiers.
T
His triple
accord
which
rhete
three
Spaniards
made
at
Panama,
puts
me in
mind of that confederacy which the three Roman Emperours made at
LaJ–
ne,
a place near
Bologna;
but yet in comparing them one with the other, they are
fo
different in their feveral circumfiances, that they feem to hold no agreeable
comparifon or fimilitude
j
for on the one fide thofe
~e:e
Emperours, and thefe
but private and poor Perfons; thofe treated of the D1vifion of the old World,
which had been the Prize and Conquefi: of their Roman Ancell:ours, and which
they defired to enjoy with peace and plenty; but thefe engolfed themfelves into
Toils and Labours, to gain the Empire of a new World, which was fo unknown
to
them, that they were ignorant bOth of the difficulties they were to fufi:ain in
the Conquefts, and of the value of their ViCl:ories when
acq~ed.
If
alfo
we
confider the intentions and effea:s of one anc;i the other, we !hall find the fame
di-
.
\ ediry , for that Triumvirate, compofed ·of three Tyrants, was concluded and
efi:ablifhed on no other ground, than to exercife a tyrannical Power over
all
the
World, and co affliet and defiroy; but this was a defign of three
gen~ous
Gen–
tlemen,
each of which deferved an Imperial Crown, having no other end than to
enrich the World with unknown Treafures, as every days experience proves, and
as
will
be made manifefi: in the following Chapters. Moreover the intention of
[bat
Triumvirate was co betray their Allies, Ftiends
and
Parents into the hands of
their Enemies, but this was
to
facrifice themfelves for the advantage of others,
that
they
might acquire a benefit equally profitable to Enemies, as well as Friends;
all which appear by thofe immenfe Riches which daily ijfue from the Bowels of
the unknown World, and are communicated not onely to Chrillians, but even to
the Gentiles, Jews, Moors, Turks and Hereticks, who enjoy the benefit of thefe
generous Labours. But that which we ought primarily to confider, that by our
Triumvirate ChrilHanity was
fir{l:
introduced into the great Empire of
Peru,
and
a Gate opened
to
the preaching of the Gofpel , by which many faithfull Souls
have been gathered into the bOfome of the Church;
fo
that who
is
it
that
can
fufficiently admire or exprefs the greatnefs of thisEnterprife. Oh thou great
Name
and Family of the
Pipirros,
how much are
all
the Nations and Inhabitants of the
old World indebted unto thee, for thofe vafi Riches they have extratted from
the new; and how much more do thofe two Empires of
Mexico
and
Peru
owe t@
thee, for thofe thy two Sons
Hernando
Cortes,
and
Francu Pi1arro,
and for
thy
Bro–
thers,
Hernando Pirarro,
f
ohn Pifarro,
and
G<rttfalo Pifarro,
oy
whofe indefatigable
labours thofe poor
Indians
have been drawn from the darknefs of obfcure lgn()–
rance
to
the oue light and knowledge of the Gofpe1. How much therefore
is
this
Triumvirate to be approved, and applauded above that of the three
Roman
Em–
perours; of which
Guichiardin,
in hls Hifiory of
Florence,
gives this Cen[ure.
Lai–
no,
a place famous for the League contraeted between
Marciu
AntoniUI,
LepidU&
and
Otaviamu,
who under the term and notion of a Triumvirate contrived, and execu–
ted
fuch
abominable pieces of Tyranny, as had never before been practifed, or
nan:e~
at
Rome;
but our Triumvirate deferves a quite different Charaeter, as the
\V
ntmgs
of
Lope~
de Gomara, Auguftin de Carate,
and other modern Hifiorians
will
ab~dandy
prove, '' .hofe Books and Rebtions we fhall as often quote , as our
f~b1ett
matter on
\.vh1ch
we rreat fhall require a confirmation from their Autho–
my.
H h h
2