690 / 1060
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
IV
•
but thofe of
Peru,
who fpeak more plainly of this matter
report
chat
h h d
turned Frier in difcontent, becaufe he was fallen under
his
Majefii~
difi leaft a
and
feared lell: he fhould
be
called
co
account
for
the
falfe
relations he hadg·v
ure
£
matters which he had never feen nor underfi
ood of the Counrrey of
Cum
1
_en °d
becaufe be was
confcious
to.
hirnfelf
that he
ha.clbeen a
prin~ipal
Contri;;;
~r'ilie
new Statutes, upon the
f
pec1ous pretence of raifing the King s revenue, and
f
a
zeal
qe
fhewed to the good and benefit of the
Indi11ns :
but how real and
fiut
0
all this
was>
may very well
be
judged by his a
et
ions , of which people
f
pak~~d
talked more at large than can be expreffed in this Hifiory.
Diego Fernll!Jde
n
ports, that
this
Frier
Bartholomtw
was
by the Emperour
created BHhop
of
Ch~
re..
which
is a
Countrey
in
the Kingdom of
Mexico
,
but he durfi not
go to
his~,
by
reafon of the many mifchiefs which he had been the Aucbour of
in
the
/J
a;
•
In the year
1
;62.
I met him at
Madrid,
where
he
gave me.his hand to lrilS.
11
b:t
when
he
.un~erfiood
.that
I
was of
Peru,
and not of
Mxico,
he
was
a
little'
more
referved
m
htS
behaviour towards me.
C H A P.
IV.
;
The Reafons which the Coniplainants gave again/I the neip
Regulations. And
the
manner how
they
prepared
to receive
the Vice-/<ing.
M
UCH and many
were
the Reafons which
the
Complainants prodaced a–
. gaioll
the
new Regulations , as
well
thofe of the
Gey
of
Los R?es
as of
all
Pen1.
And the better to clear
this
point , we mull: obferve , that both at
MexicQ
and
in
Peru
the
Spani~rd.t
had then aCuftome amongfl: them which continued untill
1r60, (
which
was the year that I came from thence) to make cli'6ice of four
Gentlemen
of
principal
quality?
in
whom they
could
repofe moll: confidence and
trull,
to
be
Officers
of
the
Royal
revenue, to colleet the fifths of
the
King's gold
and ftlver,
in
what part foever
it
did arife; and
this
was the
fufi
Tribute which
the
Cuholick
Kings
impofed upon the new World. Thefe Officers of the reve–
nue were Treafurers, Accountants, Faetours and Comptrollers: and to them was
committed
the
care ( befides
the fifths)
to colleet
fuch
Tribute from the
Indians
as became due
by
the death of the Inhabitants, who all
ld their Ellates of
the
KiJ1efides which
Offices,
the
Sp11niards
every year , in all parts where they inhabi–
ted, made choice of two chief Confiables
in
ordinary, one Judge and a deputy
Judge,
with
6,
8,
or
r o
J
ufiices of the peace, more or lefs, according
to
the ex–
tent of the
Couatrey;
and to them feveral
ocher
Officers were adjoined,
to
con–
ferve the iafety and welfare of the
Commonwealth.
Thefe Officers, as
alfo
all Governours, Prefidents, Judges and ocher Minifiers of
Jufiice and their Deputies were concerned
in
the
third
ordinance: by
virrue
of
which both
they,
and fuch
as
had been employed
in
Offices,
were commanded co
quit all claim,
incerefi
and
power
in and
over
che
Indians.
In
oppofition
whereunco
the
Complainants made this Reply. We, faid they,
at the haz.ard and expence of our Lives and Bloud, have gained this large Empire,
which
contains many
Kingdoms
and
Dominions,
the which we annexed to
the
Crown of
Cafti/e.
In reV\ ard of thefe our fervices
and
adventures the
Indians,
which we now poffe{S and retain
in
our
Cervices,
were given and granted
to
us for
two Lives: the which dominion and jurifdietion ought
to
be as firm and valid as
the Seigniories or
Lordfhips
are
in
Spain.
Now
the
reafon
by
this
privilege
is
ta–
ken
from us is
no other dian
becaufe we are
chofen
to
be Cornmiffioner.s of his
Majefties Royal revenue, and employed in the Offices of
J
ufiices of the peace and
Ju<jr~:e
have adminifired thefe Offices faithfully and
v~' ithout
rhe prejudice or
aggrievance
of
any perfon;
what
reafon
is
there that
\:
e lhould
be
deprived
of
our
Indians
7
onely becau[e
we
are
in
the fervice of
his
Majefry, and
bear
01:1f
pare
.
m che