746 / 1060
720
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
IV.
made by
Di~go
Centeno
was not to
.be
jufiified, but rather oppofed by all good
men
who
w1~ed.
well to the
public~
peace and
fec~rity
of che people. And
moreov~r,
to
JU(hfie
th~
Caufe of
P1p:irro,
he
a~momfhed
rhem
ro
call
to mind
the
Menes
of
.Gtm1alo Ptfarro
'·and the
goo~
ServKes he had
done for all the
peo–
ple and Sould1ers of
th_e
Emprr~,
by refcumg
them
from the
execurion of
thofe
ne\'' La\' sand Regulations
which
would have proved their rnine · co perform
whi
h
he had adventured and
~pofed
his
perfon
to
the greatefr
da~gers,
for
no
othe~
reafon, than for the
public~
benefit and welfare of the people. For
it
"as
mamfeft
to
all the World,
that
if
che late new Sramtes and Regulations had ta–
ken place, no
Inh~bitant co~ld
have enjoyed any Efiare, and
fo
have been dif–
abled
from quartering
Soukhers,
and confequemly they could never have fubli–
fied, fo that both one and the other had obligations on them ro favour the
Caule and lnterell of
Pifarro:
for as to what concerned himfelf, he had never
O(?pofe9 his f\'.laiell:y's Law.s
an~
Commands; but in way of a Supplicant wen'–
w1th
his Petmon
to
the V!Ce-king ; but befor.e he could come to him
finding"
him
to
be imprifoned and banHhed by proceffes
from
the Court of
Judi~ature
he
conceived he might juftly fet up his
o
n title to be Governour during
that'
va–
cancy. And in
ca[e
he did at any time alt againll the Vice-king,
it
was
by
or–
der and warrant from the Royal Court of
Jufiice;
an eddence whereof they
might fee before their eyes, if they \\
1
ere pleafed to call them on
Licenciado Ce–
peda
then
pre
Cent
V\
ith
Pifarro,
and \Vas the
mo
ft ancient Judge
of
that
Court
Nor ought there
to
be any quefiion, whether the Judges .. as the
cafe
then flood
were able to confer this
Po~
er upon him or not; and
if
the matter
be
doubtf
ult'
men ought to expeCl: his Majefl:y's determination therein; and in the mean
tim~
acquiefce
in
the Government
of
Pif1-1rro,
who hath given fufficient proofs of his
great abilities to fupport the burthen of
fo
important a Charge, "hich he may
jufily challenge upon the
[core
and merit of his brothers and himfelf, who have
gained the Empire with great labours and hazards of their lives; and indeed none
feerns more
fit
and proper for that emploiment
than
himfelf who is acquainted
v.
ith the Merits of all the Adventurers \\ irh him
in
the Conquefl:; and accor–
dingly knows in
what
manner to reward and gratifie every
man
according to his
defercs ; which
,is
impoffible for others
to
doe, who are Strangers, and
newly
come from
Spain.
With this and fuch kind of reafoning, delivered in his fierce and angry
manner
of expreflion, he
cau
fed himfelf to be obeyed ; for none daring
to
oppofe or con–
tradiet him, they all inclined to join with him againfi
Diego Centeno.
Thus did
Alonfo
de
Toro
rai[e Forces and appoint Captains over them, and to mount his Men
he took all the Hor[es in the City which belonged to pe1 fons that were aged and
infirm; fo that in a fhort time he had gathered almofi three hundred Men indiffe.
rently well armed; and with them marched about fix Leagues from
Couo
towards
the Southward : where he remained for the fpace of twenty days for want of In–
telligence of the Enemy's motion ; at length,
b~in~
impatient, and fearing that he
lofi his time, he marched forwards , and
came \\
Hhm
nvelve leagues of the place ,
where
Diego Centeno
was quartered, who having dh?ided his Forces
into
two parts,
made a recreac; howfoever Meifengers \\'ith Propoficions and Articles of peace
paffed between both Parties with intention
if
poffible
t6
bring matters to an ac–
commodation, but it foon appeared how great the difference wa, and what little
hopes
of compofirion
by the peaceable way of
Treaty.
Wherefore
Alon
fa
de Toro
_proceeded with intent
to
give battel
to
the Enemy
:
but
Diego
Centeno
and his Officers thought
it
not prudence co adventure
[o
c nfide–
rable a Hake, and a matter of that high moment, '' hnein his Majefiy,s fervice
was
concerned
to
be decided
py
fuch a doubtfull event ; for
if
the}' were worfied,
they
f11ould
be irrecoverably loft; wherefore making a recreat, and marching
a–
way , they laded ""hole droves of Sbeep with provifions of the Councrey , arrd
caking with them the
Cunwu,
or
Lords, of the.
Cou~trey,
they left
~11
parts
be–
hind
chem
defolate,
and without provHions
or
mhabuam , for the d1llance of a–
bove fourty leagues round. Howfoever
Alonfo
de
Toro
purfoed .after them, as far
as to the City of
Plate,
which is difiant at leafi a hundred and
e1ghry
leagues from
Co~co :
but
finding the Countries entirely difpeopled, without fullenance or food,
by reafon that the
CuractU
had caufed all their Subjetts co attend them on che
part of
Centeno,
and not being able ro fufiain themfeh
es
longer;
they
refolved ro
return back again
to
Co~co
;
in
which march
A Ion
fa
de Toro
wa
c
lead the Y_an
wnh