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Thirtyfix
Marai,edir
make fix
pence.
Royal Comméntaries. BooK I.
G HA P. 111.
Of the little Money which Wa-5 in Spain hefofe· the Conquefl
of Peru.
Tº make more evidently appear the great Riches which this Triumvirate put-
. chafed to the World, we rnuíl: rnake a large digreffion from our deíign in
hand ; cjnd (or the rnQr~ t lucidation hereof, we mtiíl: make ufe of the Aueho–
ricy of fom~ HiÍl:oria®, have noted and defcribea the Revenue of certain
Kingdqm~1 which before Conquefl: of Peru were-vafily íhort of that Income,
which th~y y1eld at pr.,efer¡t. Bodinus in his Book ofCommonwealths íhews both
in general, and parcicularly {pecifies fhe Revenues,of fome Commonwea'lths and
Prin~, to have been of inconíiderable value befare the Conqueíl: of Peru, in com–
parifon of their prefent im.provemems, and iníl:ancés in feveral Eíl:ates which were
mortgaged, or íold at mean prices; ~e tells us h~ fn1all was che pay of Souldiers,
and the wages which Princes gave to their Servants, and at how,cheap a rate all
thiogs were fold; and in íhort, that what was formerly valued1 at an hundred
Crowns a year, is now wórch a thoufand; and that all Lands and Houfés are rifen
twenty times i.n the value of cheir rent. Farcher he iníl:aoces in che ranfome which
/.,ewis che 9th. Kiog o(France, paid for bis own Perfon to the Soldan of Egypt;
which he fays amounted to no more tban five hundred thoufand Florins, and this
he compares with the ranfome of three Millions1 which Charles the firíl: of France
P.aid to the Emperour, r;harles the S'th. for his ranfome. Farther he adds, that in
the Reign of Charles the 6th. which was about the Year 1449. the.yearly Re–
venue of the whole Crown of France' did not amount to above fuur hundred thou–
faod Frank~, aod yet in the Year 157+ when Charles the 9th dyed, the fame Re–
veoue was improved to fourteen Millions, and the like proportion ofincreafe was
advanced in all other Kingdoms and Governments, wlúcli Examples ferve foffi-
.cienrly to demoníl:rate in what manner all the World hafh been enriched by che
Trea(ures of Peru. And inregard tl'!at Our Spain hath been efpecially obliged t0
that Countrey, by che vaíl: effiuxes of its Wealth from thence, vve need noc feek
or borrovv proofs hereoffrom other Countries, bue ooely coníider our ovvo; nor
need vve to look many Ages báck, bue onely from the ti[J1e of King Ferdinand,
furnamed theSaint, vvho regained Cordova and Seville, ofvvhom the General Hi~
{tory of Spain, wricten by Don Alonfo che wife, rnakes mentían ; and tells us, that
Don 4/onfo the 9th. King ofLeon, who was Father of K.ing Fernand the Saint, made
,W~r upon him; and chat his Son wrote him word, chac as an obedient Child he
was refolved oever to reíiíl: him , and that he would gladly appeafe his Anger
with any fatjsfaél:ion that he fhould require of him; to wbich Dm Alonfo replied,
That he r-equired ofhim the payment of ten thoufaod Maravedis, which he owed
him, which when he had performed, he would then ceafe his Wars, and enter
!J}tO Amity wjch hirri. The whole Copy of the Leccer-, written ar large, we
have omitted,to recite fot brevity fake; onely we have thoughdit to repeat th~
Anfwer, which was wrote in this manner: That the caufe of his War was for
che recovery of ten chouf¡md Maravedi.·, which che King "[)011 Enrique.:., owed fot'
che high way which he had made to Sant!vanne.:., de la Mota, and thac paying chis
Money, the,QQ.arrel fhould end; whereupon the King Fernando,not being willing
to wage War with his Father for ten thoufand Maravedü, prefently made hi
tisfafüon ; the which is related in the general Chronicle ofSpain, and in the
cular Life of King Fernando. · .
A,bout the fame time a certain Knight, who wore che red Crofs as abadge of
his Pilgrimage unto the Holy Land, named Dia.., began to commic many in–
folences befare bis departure; for which Off s divers complaincs coming againfi–
him, he was cited to appear befare the Courts of Juíl:ice, to make anfwer to chofe
Accufations which were laid againíl: him; upon which fummons Dia. making his
arpea-