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BooK
VI.
Royal
C01nmentaries.
CH AP.
VI.
The
i-c:nfortunate death
of
Di
go
Centeno
in
the
Charcas,
and
of
Licenciado
Carvajal
in
Cozco.
The
foundati-
01i
of the
City
of
Peace,
the Courts of
Judicature are
(et::.
led in
Los Reyes.
~. A
Frer that the Prefident
Gafca
had fini!hed the Diflribution of Lands as he
~
defigned in
Apurimac;,
and was gone
to
Lo-s Reyes
;
the Inhabitants and chief
Lords of
Peru
took their leaves of him , in order to return
to
their own homes
~
Cities and Places
of
aboad; fame to
take
poffeffion
of
their
new
Ellates, and
others to repair their old, which were gone to ruine and decay by the miferies of
the War. Amongll:
the
reft,
Diego Centeno
went to his Efiate , in the Vil–
lage
of Plate, now called the
City
of
Plate,
by
reafon
of the vall: quami–
.ties of Silver whiclf
They
daily dig out of chat Hill adjoining to
it,
called
Po–
tocji;
where his--1ntention '''as co get what Silver and Gold he could, and
therewith tranfport himfelfinto
Spain,
to render an account unto his Majefiy of
all
the Services he had done for his Imperial
Crown;
which his Majefiy
ta ;.
king into his gracious confideration might gratifie him with fome reward, v hich
the Prefident had omitted to doe, for which neglect he efieemed himfelf highly
affronted. This refolution being difcovered to fame friends with whom he con–
fulted;
his
intention
prefently took air and was divulged through the whole King–
dom, being wrote
in
all Letters and Papers ofadvice, which greatly offended the
Government, to hear
that
a perfon
fo
confiderable as
Centeno
was preparing to
carry
his
Complaints into
Spain :
Come
of the great Officers then in power being
jealous of his Defign, would have perfuaded him not co goe, on pretence
of
frien-d–
fuip
to
him; but finding that they could
not
prevail~
they refolved on another
courfe more .certain and fecure
than the
former, which was this; Some of the
Neighbours thereabouts
out of
malice, and fame out of ignorance, wrote a
Let–
ter to
Diego Centeno,
defiriog him to come
t0
the
City
ofPlate, where they might
confulc amongft themfelves concerning
his
Voyage into
Spain,
and other matters
df
their own, which they would recommend to be communicated by him to his Im–
perial Majefry.
Centeno
accordingly prepared for bis
journey
to
the
City; which
being known to his
Indians,
they earnefily perfuaded him not to goe, having recei–
ved fome private intimation, as
they
faid,
from their familiar fpirits, of an intent
to kill him :
but
Centeno
was the more
refolved , becaufe
be would
!hew
how
lit–
tle he valued the fuperftitious witchcrafcs and prefages of the
Indians.
Great
was
the
joy
which thofe who invited him £hewed at his arrival, but fame Souldiers ,
who had been his friends and compani.ons at the time when he
w~
purfued by
Francifco
de
CarvajJ:tl,
and
in
the
Batcels of
Huarina
and
Sacfahuana
privately
fugge–
fied their fears for his appearance there; telling him, that the predietion
whidi
his
own
Indian
fervancs had made known to him, che fame was alfo confirmed by
thofe of that
City,
and fignified to their Mafiers : the which his friends interpre–
ted for a finifier omen , though in reality there appeared no outward caufe or rea–
fon to fufpeB:..it. But
Centeno
carried the matter high, and flighted the vain
fu–
petlHtion of
the
Indians;
faying
tba~
their converfation was with the Devil, who
was the Father
of
Lyes, and therefore no credence was to be given
to
their
prefages:
but a !hart time !hewed the vanity of his confidence, for having
been
four days in the
City ,
he was folemnly
invited
to an entertainment in the houfe
of a certain Gentleman, whofe name
it
is not neceffary
to
fpecifie
here, but one–
ly
to recount the matter of
fatt
like an Hifrorian,
withotJt
other reflexion; feeing
th~t
the perfons
themfelves
are now
in
place, where rhey have given an account of
thJ.S
aetion.
In
fhort, at
this
Banquet fuch a dofe
of
poifon
was prepared, and gi- .
Ven to
Centeno
fo
privately
and
undifcovered, without
any
prefenc fymptams or
t~ments
in the Bowels, as
did
his bdfinefS, and difpatched him in three
dayso
HIS
death was greatly lamented by all forts. of People in
the
Kingdom , for he
was a Gentleman of much goodnefs and affable deportment, which had gained
bim a
geooral
affettion
and
dl:eem,
He
had been
~neemecl
in
all the exploits
and
861
•