4000003871

Royal

Commentaries.-

BooKI.

.r!

C HA

P. ,_.

'X.

Fraricis Pi~arro

proceeds

hi-5 Conquefl.

!farro

and his ~l1~rreetj Companions remained many Momhs in the Iíland of

Gorgona, ,

enduring great hardfhips in that Countrey where are perpetual

Rains, '_Vi~hout Ho~fe or Tent, or ~ny thing to cover them, and where the beft

and choicefi of thei.r food was nothmg but the flefh of great Serpents;

that

feemed, as ifGod had fuíl:ained thern by a miracle; and indeed the Divine Pro–

viden~e appe~red moíl: wonderfully in putting i~ into the Hearts of ali, .befides

there thirteen,

recuro,

de.moníl:rate unto the World, that this Conqueíl: was

not effeéled by Humane, but by Divine Aid; for it is hardly conceivable how,

hut11anely fpeakiñ'g, it fhould enter into the minds of thirteen Men onely,

ad–

ventme on the q)nqueíl: of

Peru,

which therefore we can give no other Ac–

count, than onely that che Divine Merey cornpaffionacihg the Miíeries aod Ig–

norances of thofe Gentiles, was pleafed to incite and inflame a

fue

of Courage in

the Breaíls ofthofe

Spaniards,

fitted for fuch an Enterpriíe; foras God did under

the Old Teíl:ament infufe firengch and virtue into the Locks of

S11mpfon,

now

he was pleaíed by fuch weak meaos as theíe to bring Light out of Darknefs, and

make way for the effuíion and ípreading of his Holy Goípel.

At the end of many Months ( for a diípatch could not be fooner made) the

Ship arrived which

Almagro

fent wich Proviíions, bue wichout Men; a misfortune

diícouragingh that one mighc believe chey would racher have been induced to

return home, t an períiíl: in cheir refolution. Bue God fo influenced their Minds

with íl:range hopes, that they figured unto themíelves a concurrence of all hap–

Omens in their favour, for they no fooner (aw che Ship, than chat they refol–

ved

proceed in their Voyage, and diícover at leaíl: what Coumrey and what

People they were, whp inhabited under the Equinoétial, a Region as yet un–

known to che

Spaniards:

Wich thefe Intentions chey embarked, and at length

with much !abour rhey got out of the Golf in which they were embayed; for

boch the South wind, which always blows in, and che Current, which always

fecs from North to Somh, made it very difficulc to furmount both one and che

other; for indeed it is a wonderfull thing

fee, and ic were well if it were de–

fcribed in our Maps, for the benefit of Navigacion, in whac manner, and wirh

what rapidnefs chofe Srreams run; for "ith che violence of rhe Waves, and force

of the Current, they make fucha noiíe, and raife fuch a froch, as

moíl: terrible

to behold, and is dangerous to Ships, which being fucked in by thoíe Whirl–

pools, are certainly lofr. Many of theíe Currents caíl: up the earth and ílime

from che borcom, chat the Waters are very chick and mrbid, others <1re clear and

]impid; fome are large an~ hroad, and ochers narrow, but thac which

mofe

ílrange to fee, is che vaíl: difference of one Water from the other, that is of one

Water which runs with a fwifc _Stream frorn th~t which is íl:ill, or runs ílowly;

the Waters on each íide are qmec, and íeem hke a Wall

che rapid Stream

which runs in the middle, che reaíoo of which I cannoc cornprehend. It is

fuffi–

cient for our purpofe to tell you, chat cheir Navigation over fuch Currems, and

in an unknown Sea, for many Days and Momhs, was very difficulc; and there–

fore we cannoc fufficiemly

applau

d the courage of thefe thirteen Companions

who would íl:ill advemure,

and.íl

:ruggle und~r all theíe Difcouragemems. They

faffered much by hunger, f

or berng

but few mnumber, they were camious of ha–

zarding therníelves amongíl: the

Indians,

onely chey fometimes watched an oppor–

tunicy

gec Food and Proviíions by flealth and robbery, racher than by force of

Arms, or open appearance.

CHAP.-