768 / 1070
734
Royal Commentaries.
BooK-lV.
Palentino
fays
that ic r-ained ali night, that they paíled many rocky places and
great Rivers,'
fo
chat many ~~mes their H~rfes were forced to cake a rounding way
by the fide of íl:eep Mounmns, and commg to che boctom chey plunged inco Ri–
vers
in which manner having marched all che nighc, they ]oíl: feveral Men and
Ho;fes who were
fo
difabled and Jefe behind chat they could not come time
enough
co
the Batee!, and fo foon as ic was day they fóund themfelves within
a
Jeagué of
fl..t!:itu.
Thus far are the words of
Palentino.
The reafon which moved the Vice-king to cake chis croub]efome rnarch, was
in delign to charge the Enemy in che Rere ; but, as
Carate
fairh, he did not
be,
lieve chat either che way was fo bad nor
fo
long; for when he moved bis Carnp,
he was not then above three leagues from
f2.!!_itu,
and yet with the compafs they
took it proved at leaíl: eight leagues : rhis errour was fatal to che Vice-king ; for
whereas he íhould rather have kept his Men and Horfe freíh and
fit
for engage–
ment, chey were iníl:ead thereof Jo haraífed and tired wirh their long march of
eight leaglles over Defarts and unpaífable ·places, that they had need of long reíl:
and repofe to recover them; bue where a misformne and deíl:iny is intended, che
Counfels which are defigned for good are converted to ruine and defirufüon.
CH
A
P.
XXXIV.
The Battel of
Qgicu,
wherein the Vice-~ing
Blafco Nunnez
was defeated ami flain.
T
H
E
Vice-king entring into che Cicy of
~
itu
found no refülance, and'there
it was told him by a cerrain Wornan thac
Pifam
was marching againíl: him,
ac which he wondred much, but was foon made to underfiand che fraud and firate–
geme by which he was decoyed inco thac fnare. On che other fide
Gonp1!0 Pif am
knewnothing of che march of che Vice-king
to
fl!!itu,
bue believed ali che rime
that he had remained in his Camp; bue when in che morning che Scouescarne
near che Tenes , and hearing little or no noife, they advencured in , and under–
fiood from che
Indi11ns
of ali matters which had paíled, and accordingly gave in–
formation thereof to
Gonfalo Pifam,
who was noc wancing to fend che news ro
his
Caprains, who irnmediately raifed their Camp, and marched in an orderly
poíl:ure to
f2..!!.it11,
wich intencion to give Batee! to the Vice-king , in what place
foever chey íhould meet him. The Vice-king was not ignoranc of ali chefe mat–
ters, an? conGdering the great advancage which his Enemies had over him, and
that chere was no fecuricy bue in his Arms, he refolved
ro
hazard aH upon che for–
tune of a Batee!, hoping that fuch as were true Servancs and faichfull Subjeéls to
his Majeíl:y would ¡evolt over to his fide; and fo animating his people with rhefe
expeétations, he marched wirh hisForces out of che Ciry, and both ftdes were fo
full
of courage as if they had been fecure of Viétory ; and chough
Gonpdo Pifarro
had che greacer advamage in his numbers, yec che Vice-king was equal to him
in
theValour and Conduél: of his Capcains,
ali
men
of
great fpiric and renown:
chofe who commanded the Infancry were
Sancho Sanche"-
J
Avila,
his Coufin
rohn
Cabrera,
and
francis Sanche"- ;
his Captains of Horfe were Admira!
Sebaftian de
Belalcafar Cepeda,
and
Pedro de Bitf{an,
and fo both Armies marched to meet each
other:
At
che
füíl:
a skirmiíh was begun by two parties of Musketiers detached
from each Army ; in which che people of
Pifam
had the advamage by che füength
and.goodnefs of their Powder, and by che ufe of their Fire-arms, being che better
Marks-men : by chis time both Armies were come fo near to each other, chat
che decached Parties were forced to recrear to their refpeétive Colours ; ro make
which good on
Pifam's
fide,
¡ohn de Acofta
with another able Souldier called
Pm .,
de Sottomayor
carne in to bring their Party off. Then
Gonfalo Pifarro
commanded
Licenciado Carvajal
to charge the right Wing of che Enemy; and he himfelf de–
figned to lead and bring up che Horfe in che
Front;
bue his Captains diífuaded
him from it, and rather defüed him
to
place himfelf wichin a Squadron of Foot,
where,