642 / 1060
616
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
III.
,, " The¥ were both liberal and generous in
the.i~
Gifts, but
if
either excelled
the
cc
ot~er,
1t
was
Almagro,
~ecaufe
he was amb1t1ous co have his Liberality and
Gifts
known and pubhfhed to the World; but the Marquis on
rhe
contrary
::
~as
fecret, and n <?defl:
io
l
i
~~fts,
defiring.rather to conceal chem, than found
his Trumpet; berng more \ illmg
to
provide for the neceffities of the poor
'' chan
to
make an OHentation of his Charity.
'
'' An Example we have in his kindnefs co a Souldier, whofe Horfe happened
'' to dye; to repair the Lofs whereof, he came to a Pall-Mall belonging to
his
" Houfe, expecring to find the Souldier, that he
might
with his own hand
pre–
" fem him with a fmall Ingot of Gold, of
ten
pounds weight; but the Souldier
'' not being then come, he in the mean time plaid a match in the
Mall,
with his
" Coat on, that he might conceal the Gold; at length (which
was
three hours
'' after) the Souldier came, when calling him aftde, he privately gave him the
" Gold, and told him, that he bad rather have given
him
three times
as much
" than
co
have endured what he did, by
fo
long an expeetation and attendance
ro;
::
him. Manr other
lnllanc~s
might be given of
ch~
nature,
for
the Marquis never
gave any tlung but'
1th
hIS own hand, endeavouring to conceal his Liberality.
"
or
which
reafon
Almagro
was always efieemed the more generous, becaufe
'c
he contrived how
his
Prefents might be given
wich
greater oftentation, and
" with the befi appearance to the World. Howfoever
in
this Verrue of Munifi–
" cence they may
well
be equalized, becaufe (as the Marquis himfelf alledged)
all
'' came
from
their common Purfe, whereof being partners, the moiety of what
'' one gave be.longed to the other; fo that he who confented
to
the Prefent,
wa5
'' as
generous
as
he who delivered it.
" They were both in their Life·time
the
richefi Men
in
ready Money,
and
in
'' Revenue, that have been known
in
many Ages, and were the moll: powerfull
of
'' any under
che
Degree ofCrowned Heads; and yet they dyed fo poor,
that
no
~'
mention is made of the Efiates they left, or of their Money wherewith to
pay ·
" the Charges of their Funeral Expences; refembling
Ct1to,
and
Sililu,
and
other
"
Roman
Captains herein, who were interred
at
the Cofl: of the Publick.
" They were both extremely kind to their Servants, and obliging to their Soul–
" diers, endeavouring to enrich and advance them, and
to
refcue them in
all times
'' ofDanger; in which piece of Gallantry the Marquis was prodigal beyond com–
,, parifon;
as
appear by
hat happened in
paffing
a River, '
hich
they
call
Bar–
«
ranca,
where one of his
Indian
Servants being carried down by force ofthe fiream,
" the Marquis leaped in, and
fa
am after
him,
and catching him by the Hair
of
" his Head, buoyed
him
up above the Water, and with great hazard of
his own
" Life, faved
his,
which none of the mofi adventurous of
his
Army
durU:
haye
<(
attempted; and wl1en his Captains reproved him for his rafhnefS, he anf\vered,
" that none of them knew of what prevalency his Love was unto a
Servant.
" Though the Mar'il_Pis governed longer, and in greater peace,
yet
A!magro
~as
'' much more a
icio~ ,
and deGrous of Rule. They both affetted antiquity, and
" would never change the fafhion of that Habit to
hich they had been accufio–
" med from their youth, efpecially the
Marquis,
who never wore other than a
Jer–
,, kin of black Cloth,
ith Skirts doV\ n
to
his Ankles, ' ich a lhort Wafie a little
" below his
Breall:s;
his Shof!S were made of a
hite Cordivanc, his
Hae
white,
'' with word and Dagger, after rl)e old Fa<hion; fometime5 upon high Days, at
'' the infrance and requell: of his Servants, he
~
ore
.a
Ca{fock, lined with
Martin.r
" Furrs, which the Marquis
de Va/Le
[enc
him from
Spajn;
but when he rerurned
" home from MaG, he fiript them off, and remained in
cHerf_Q;
and about his
(C
Neck hecommonlycafi aTowel
to
wipe the Sweat from his face, when he plaid
" at Bowls, or at Pall-mall, which were his common Exerc1fes in the time of peace,
'' Both thefe Captains were men well enduring labour and unger,
whic~
the
Mar–
«
quis efpecially evidenced by the Paflimes we have mem10ned,
to
which he was
" fo
intent, that no young men could hold out fo long as he. He vvas much more
" given
to
gaming than
Almagro,
for he vvould many times play the vvhok: day at
" Bovvls, not confidering vvith vvhom he plaid, vvhether he vvere
M~mqer
oc
'' Miller, nor vvould he fuffer them to give him up
~is
Bovvls, or ufe <fny
ocher
"
eremonies tovvard him, vvhich belonged to the Dignity of his Perfon.
" Not every fort of bufinefs could divert him from his game, efpecially
if he
19~;
" but
if
in cafe there happened any lnfurrettion or Rebellion amongft the
lnd1~n1,
'-' he vvould then lay all afide, and immediately brace on his Arms, and
ta~mg
" his Lance and Target in his hand, vvould run vvith
all
hafie
to
the place
vvhere