4000003871

BooK

Royal

Commentarie.r.

{

:·

C H

P. · XV,111.

The Governour

fends an

Amba/fadour to

King

,Atahualpa.·

H E day following the Governour held a confultation wirh his Brethren and

Captains, touching an Embaífy to be feot to the J(ing

Atahualpa,

whereby

. to ínfor~ him of his intentions to m~ke him a vifit, that

he might communi–

cate

h1m the matters encharged to h1m

the Emperour, and by the Pope ; for

fhat co be filent, and make no returns, would favour ofingratitude, and little fenfe

of the prefems and kind treatment they had received. Wherefore they agreed,

thac lince the

Inca-

had fent his Brother on this Embaífy, that they íhould corre–

fpond

the like manner by the Brother of the-Goveri:lour, qualifiéd with the

farne cha·raétér of Aml5afiadour : Accotdingly

Hernando Pifarro,

and

Hernando de

Soro

were fent to the Court of the

Inca,

no~fár diftant from

Caf{am(lrca,

where he

had a.Royal Palace, and commodious Baths; and where was:a_t that time a nume–

róus concourfe of t_he Nobility and Soúldiery, which flock:ed from all pares to

celebrate certain Fefüvals agreeable to their Religion ,.and with that occafion

refQfm feveral corruptjons and abufes, which by the licentioufnefs of thé Wars

\"yére crepc in amongíl: them ; and for the better fecurity afid confervation of his

own Perfon, and advancément of bis own Tyrannical Power ano Authority, he

enaét~d ¡¡nd eílabliíhed otber Laws and Statutes, precending that they were tranf–

mitted ·to him bY, revelation from the Sun : For the trudí is, though

Atahua!pá

had Murthered as many perfons of the Bloud:-Royal, as he was able, yethe was

füll jealous, and fearfull of thofe few which furvived, leíl: any Precendér íhould on

the pretext of Religion advance one of tqe'tight line to beche trile and legitimare

Heir; to which end he formed new Laws., pretending thac ttieywere derived from

the Sun, to equalize and balance againíl: the anoient Canons,ánd Statutes of Reli–

gion. Thefe two Ambaífadours were in chis mannet dif¡i>'gSched wirh their

In–

rerpreter

Phi!ip,

who though he was a Native of che Iíle

'OÍ

Puna,

and ill verfed

in one or the other Language , yet he was a neceífary infüument ; and füch, as

for want of a better, was very ufefull. With thefe two

Spaniards

the

Curaca

of.

C{lj{amarca

fent cwo hundred

lndians

to attend-and conduét tfiem with greater íl:ate

and·pornp to the prefence of their King, encharging them upon tneir lives to

perform \.\;hatfoever _they íhould command. So foon as thefe Arnbaífadours iiad

paífed

Caf{amarca,

they fent an

Indian

of Qgafüy-out of thofe who attended them

to the King

Atahualpa,

.to acquaint him of cheir <;orning, and to demand his licence,

that rhey might appear in the prefence of bis Highnefs : To which Meífage the

Inca

rnade anfwer, that chey íhould be extremely welcome, for that their Arrival

had been long deGred and expeéted ; and prefemly commanded one of his Major–

Generals with a greac number of his Men to go forth and -meet chofe Defcendants

from the Sun, and perform c9wards them all chat Worfhip and Veneration which

appertained to them. This kind Anfwer of the

Inca

eafed the

Spaniards

ofall the

fear and fufpicion they had conceived upon che rumour, thac the

Inca

was encom–

paífed with a Guard of thirty thoufand Men ; and fo with greac confidence taking

heir way towards che Royal Baths and Palaces, they met .at,out che middle of

their Journey in an open Plain wich thofe Companies of Souldiers which were

fent out to receive them , which

foon as

Herna~do de Soto

.efpied, he fet Spurs to

his Horfe, and boldly rid up to chem with a foil cariere, giving them to under–

ftand, thac if they had been Enemies, as they were Friends, he alone had been

füfficient

e'ncounter wich chem; and then turning-and carveting witb his Horfe,

he carne and íl:opt near che Commander in chief. And here rj-le

Spanifh

Hiíl:ori–

ans recouming ch

is pa

ífage, tell us, that-chis Comm:mder in Chi~f was

Atahua!p_d

himfelf, and tha~

So.to

carne up to his vtryChair pranGng 'rirh his Horfe; ac wh_ich

chough

Atahualpa

fee

med not to be difinayed, or altered, yet feveral of his people,

who ran away and fkd to avoid his Horfe, he caufed to be put to death :.Bu~ this

Auchour was rnif-informed in the Relation he made, for neither was

Atahualpa

th€re

443