893 / 1060
BooK
VI.
Royal Commentaries.
Statutes, which caufed all tb<lt noife and effufion of
fo
much
blou~.
As we
fi~aII
make
appear in its
due
place
and confirm
the fame
by
the
telhmony
of
D1eg9
Hernande~
whom
we !hall
h~ve
occalion
to
quote in divers
p1aces.
But to
~urn
the courfe of this Hifi:ory from
fo
melancholy a fubjeCl: to fome–
thing more divertHing and
pleafan ~
j
we
are
to
kn~w,
that whilfi thefe matters
were in agitation, a Letter was
drrette~
to
the
Ci~y o~
L os
Re_ye1
from
flerna-ndo
Ninno,
Mayor of the City of
Toledo,
to his Son
Rodrigo
Nmno,
of whom. we.have
formerly made mention in the f<:mrth Book o_f the
fe~ond
Parr,
wherem
h1s. Fa–
thef
required him ( the Wars
wuh
Gonfalo
Pi f arro
being ended)
to
hafien
mto
Spain,
co rake poffeffion of an Efiate which a Kinfinan of his had left him
to
in-
herit.
.
The depatture of this Gentleman, who had
always
approved himfelf loyal
to
his Majefiy's fervice in the late Wars againfi the Rebels, was judged by the
Pre~dent and 'the other Officers a
fit
and convenient opportunity for fending thofe eigh–
ty
fix
Souldiers into
Spain
,
who for taking pare
with
Pip1.rro
bad
been condemned
to
the Gallies :
and
accordingly this matter being intimated to
Rodrigo N inno
and
reprefented as a fervice acceptable to his Majefiy, he
a~cepted
the fame, though
much
againft his Will, knowing
that
the charge of eighty fix perfons condem–
ned co the Gallies could not but occafion much trouble and inconvenience to him :
l1owfoever the hopes of a reward prevailed above the thoughts of the trouble;
fo
that he provided his Arms and other neceffaries for condutting rhofe People,
with
whom he departed
to
Los
Reye1,
being in all
eighty fix
Spaniards ;
amonglt
thofe, there wern fix Mulicians, who had formerly ferved
Gon2alo
Pip:trro,
whOm
I knew, and as.J remember, one of them was called
Auguftine
R"'mirez
born at
1'14e–
xico,
his
Fathet was
a
Spaniard,
and
his Mother
an
Indian :
they were
all
excellent
Mailers
of
Mufick, and carried their Infuuments with them, and therewith en–
tertained company wherefoever they came ; · and by the liberality of fame Gen–
tlemen, who
came
to
hear them ,
th~y
received
that
which
ferved
them
to
beat
the charge of their voyage.
•
With
fair
weather and wind
ll.odrigo
Nhmo
happily
arrived at
Panama,
having
along the coaft of
Peru
received affifi:ence for
~curity
of
his Prifoners,
who
were
during that -time fubmiffive and humble, being confcious tothemfelves how much
they·
had offended his Majelly
rWithin that
JU
ifdlcHon :
But
being departed from
Panama
and
Nomhre
d~
Dio.r,
fame of them took the opportunity
tb
make
their
efcape , to avoid rowing
in
the
Gallies ;
for
the truth is ,
Rodrigo
N inno
had
not a
fufficient Ga_ard with him
to
feclire
(o
many ; nor did the Prefident
and
his
Mi-
·
nifiers
fuppljt
him
erewith, imagining that the fole authority of
N inno
was
fuffi-
·
cient to keep them in fubjell:iofi
~
though in reality they coul<l .not find men
in
that Countrey who would be
p~rfwaded
to rake upon
them
the charge to con-·
duet
fo many Gafly-fl.aves
into
Spain.
With this .care and trouble
Njnno,
failing
near the Ifles
0£
Cuba
and
Saint
D omingo
,
efpyed a
French
Pyrate, who gave him
chafe, for at that titne no other Nation ufed
thofe
Seas but
that
onely. The
Sp•
nijh
Captain
who was unprovided of
Men
an~
Arms
for
his defence, and knowing
alfo
that he carried an Enemy withm his Veffe1, bethought himfelf of thls Strate–
gem which was as difcreet as p]ooJanr. H'e
armed
himfelf from bead
to
foot, and
with his
Corflet
and Plume of Feathers in
thi~
Head-piece:
and with his Partifan
in
his
hand went and fiood
by
the Main-maQ; all his Seamen and others he com–
manded to be concealed under the Decks, and his Muficians with their infiru–
ments to afcend upon the Poop, and to firike up and play when rhe Enemy came
near them: all things being thus ordered as
Ninno
had direeted, the Ship failed
on
her courfe, without fear as it were or apprehenfion of the Enemy, who
frill
gave
them chafe, not doubting of a good prize: but
fo
foon as they came up with
them , and fo near as
to
hear the Mufick , and feeing
few
or none appear above
deck, they began
to
imagin, that that Veffel belonged to fame perfon of Qualiry
who was banHhed for Treafon againfi the K'.ing, or
that
was difpoffeifed of his E–
ftate
by
.fome
Law-fuit
or. other
d~ice ~
and
that
being thereby become defperate,
t~ey
believed
~e
had fet himfelf
to
S~a,
and nirned Pyrare, like rhemfelves
11
to repair·
his fortunes with what
booty
and pnze offered on the Seas. The
French-man
\"\'iUt
t~is i~agination
left. offhis chafe, not daring toengage
with
R¢drigo
Ninno,
permit–
tmg him to P?tfue
hIS
Voyage. This Story was told to the Prefident, as he palfed
thofe Hlands mto
Spain;
which the Inhabitants received from the relation of tha.c
Pyrate, whom under aflurance of a white Flag and Articles
gf
Truce they adven.,
S ff
f f
2'
_
tureci