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Royal Commentaries.
BooK .VlI.
íhall (God willing) treat more at large in its due place. The fec~nd perfon that
entred into the Kingdom of
Chili
was che Governour
Pedro de Vald1via,
who with
a firong party boch of Horfe and Fo~c, marched bey_ond th; Dominions of che
JncM,
making conqueíl: of all before 1~m ; che Col~mes wh1ch he planted were
thriving and profperous , chough he himfelf ~nhapp1ly _fell by che hands of his
own Subje& of the Province of
Araucu?
~hICh he havmg fubdued, made ch<4e •
of for himfelf. when che Lands were d1V1ded amongíl: the Conquerours. Tfiis
worchy perfon' pl:mted many Cóloni~s, and fo~nded Ciries wirh-
Spanifh
Inhabi–
tants . and amongíl: che reíl:, that which after h1S own Name was called
Valdivia;
in ch~ Conqueíl: of this Province he performed many and noble Exploirs, and
afterwards governed it with greac prudence and jufüce, and had not onely been
happy in himfelf, but forrunate alfo
to
his people, had not the boldnefs of an
Jn–
dian,
who advenrured to cut che thread of his
life,
given a period to che exp€éta–
tion of many other bleílings, which bis Wifedo1n and ~ondutl: mighc have pro–
duced ro his Subjefü. And
in
regard ilie Deach of thIS Governour and GeFlerat
was in a manner without Example, and that which was never praél:ifed by che
in¿
dian1
eicher before
óf
fince che Entrance of che
'Spaniards
into that Coumrey ; and
what turned
to
their greater miféhief;
I
have thought
fit
to relace it
in
chis place,
thac fo che Reader may be clearly inforrned of che particulars of chac unhappy bat–
tel, according to che
firíl:
report
which
carne ofit to
Peru,
foon after che Fighc was
ended, and likewife what intelligence the fecond report gave of
ir;
for beccer
underíl:anding of which, it will be neceffary
to
begin from the original and caufe
of chis whole rnatter.
CH A P.
XXI.
Of the Rebellion of
Chili
againfi the Governour
Valdi
0
via.
T
H E.
poffeffion and inheritance of the Kingdoni of
Chili
falling to the fhare
and loe of chis Gentleman, who was worrhy of an Empire, bis fortune was
w·be Mafler alfo of chat pare, which yielded him a yearly Tribute of a hundred
rhoufand píeces ofGold :
Bue
in regard che thirfl of Gold encreafes with che gains
of
ít, and that there is no end propofed
to
Vv
ea!th and Riches;
fo
che more chis
Governour amaffed, che more labour and hard ufage he impofed on the
J11dian1,
forcing them beyond their íl:rength and abilities, to which chey had not been ac–
cufiomed to labour, and dig in che Mines to fatiace thac Avarice of hi~,
w
1·
,as
never
to
be fatisfied : The people of
Araucu
(
which were che Sub¡eci:s of
Vi1
divi{I)
not being able to fupport chis'
Y
oke of bondage and fervirude, joined i:hemfelves
wirh ochers in confederacy, and put chemfelves into open rebellion, committing
all
che oucrages and infolencies they were able upon che
Spaniards.
The Gover–
nour
Valdivia
having imelligence hereof, marched out with a hundred and fifty
Horfe, defpifing che
lndiam,
as the
Spaniards
have always done, on oc afion of
fuch-like revolrs and mucinies of that people: But chis comempt of an enemy
coíl: dear, having been che ruine and deíl:ruél:ion of
Valdivia,
and of chofe who
were wirh him, who ali perifhed by che hands of chofe whom before chey had
de[pifed.
The.firfl newswhich came of chis difafiure, was broughr co the City
de la Plata,
which 1s in
Peru,
by the hand ofan
Indian
wrote in a fcrip of Paper, wichouc form
or date eirher of time or place, in a few words, chac
Pedro de Valdivia,
wich
Is-o
Lanciers, were fwallowed up by che Earth. This reporc coming in a
fcroll
of Pa–
pe1:,
and
by an
Indian
Meílenger foon gained belief, being quickly fpread chrough
all
Peru,
to che great amazemenc of che
Spaniards,
who could noc underfiand what
chofe Words fhould mean, of being fwallowed up by rhe Earch; for chey could
not chink ic poílible
for
1
>º
Sp11nifh
Horfe to be overthrown by the
Jndians;
and
theré·