4000003871

BooKI.

Royal

Commentariei:.

XXXIIL

•

Of the· Subtilty of

Atahualpa,

anJ the Death of the King

Huafcar Inca.

A.,

Vgu.ftin

Carate

havi~g related the Difcourfe which

Huafaar ;nea

had ent~r~

tained with

Hernandode Soto,

and

Pedro del Bllrco,

(which was the Carne thac

w,e,have already relaced) artd bow they had lefc him in.a fad and c;lefpairing <;on–

dition, he farthér proceeds in che ftxth Chaptér of his fecond Book in chis man-

ne~¡ And fo (fays

h~)

they ·p;~eéded on ~heir J~Ürriey, which was the caufe

'' che Death

of.Huafcar,

anclthe lofs ofall that Gold which he had ·promifed; for

" the Captains to whofe Cuftody he was ,committed, immediately _gave intelli–

" gence to

Ataba/iba

by the Poft, of all thac had paífed; which when he had

" weH confidered, and that if once the lnjufüce _whlch he ·had done to his Bro-

'' ther íhould come to che knowledge of che

Spanifh

.Gov:ernour, together with·

" the Promifes and lntimation which

f!flllfcar

,had given-of agreater abundance ot

·<'

Gold than he could engage for; he greátly feared that his offers would be

" prevalenc wich che Chriftians, (whom he obferv~g to be covetous and thirfiy·

" ofGold,) chat chey woul<l not onely cake the Kúlgdom from him, and tranf–

" fer it to his Brother, bue? to free themfelves from

ali

other troubles ofcompeti–

tion rnight alfo deprive nim of bis

Life,

for which they had

juft

occafion

" on che fcore of

bis

Brocher, whofe Kingdom hé had traiterouíly ufurped, with

" che Death and Slaughter of ali his Kindred ; for which reafon he refolved to

" kill

Huafcar:

Bue in·regard he feared to comrnit tbac Murther, becaufe he had

'' heard che Chriílians frequently fay, tbatone of cheir principal Laws was, That

" he who íhed Man's Bloud, by Man íhould his Bloud be fpilt; he therefore,

" before he would enter upon tbis Actempt, tho-qght.

fit

to try ch~ Mind of che

- "

Spanifh

Governour,-in what manner he \:VOuld be concerned for an Aél: of_this

'' nature. T9·,perform. yvhich with che more Subtilty and Diffimulation, he

'' feigned himfelf0ne day to be very fad and dejeéted, weeping, and fighing, and

" refufing to eat, or [peak. And though che·

Spanifh

Governour was very iin–

" portunate

k~ow ene cau[e and reafon ofhis Melanchoiy, ac length wich much

~' adoe he made Anfwer, that he had received informati0n, how that one of ·his

~' Captains had killed bis Brother

Huafcar,

in che Hands of chofe to whofe

" Cuílody he had comrnitted him; che which he deeply refenced , for that he

" was bis Elder Brocher; and bis Facher; and though he detained him a Prifo–

~·- ner, and under reíl:rainc, yet it was not with any inremion to doe him hurt,

" but onely to fec_ure him in fuch a capacicy , as might difenable him from

~' making any Attempts pn his Kingdom of

f2.J!..itu ,

which did not at all ap–

" pertaiú unto him; for tnat Provine~having been obtained by his Facher'sCon–

queíls, was,conferred and bequeathed by Teílarnent to himfelf, being no part:

" of the Inheritance which belonged to the Elder Son.

Anfwer hereunto

che

"· Governour bid him be of good chear and cornfort, for that Death was naturai

" and common to

a-11 ;

and that

foon as che Countrey was quiet and fettl.ed, ,he·

'' would enquire.into chis Murcher, and puniíh thofe who íhould be found guilty

'' óf

that gr-eat Crime.

Ataba/iba

obferving thac Marquis

Pifarro

was little .con–

,, cerned for che rnatrer, refolved to

kili

bis Brother, and accordingly

Com–

,, rnandswere puc into Executionwirh íuch [peed, rhat it was hard

diíl:inguiíh

'' rvhecher

Huafcar

was

puc

to Death before or after cl1e time that he cefü~ed his

'' Sorrowin preíence of

Pifdrro.

The faulc of chis unhappy accident iscommon–

,, ly objeéted againíl:

Hernando de Soto,

and

Pedro del Barco;

for

chac they being

'' Souldiers, oughc not to h_ave been igrtorant of che Ducy and Refpeét they owe

'' to che Cómmands ofcheir Genef:ll, which are noc to be difpenfedwithon any

ptetence