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v
Royal
Commentarie,.
Book V.
CH
A
P.
V.
bf
the Co11fuÍtations and Opinions concerning the Revocatio~
of the New Laws: aml of the General Pardon of a!J
faults and crimes paji. What prívate lnflru[-lions ha~
been given to
Paniagua ;
and
Gon~<1lo P1~a rro'
s An–
fwer thereunto.
T
HES E Leccers having at the
firíl:
confulcacion been read three or four times
in preíence of
Gonftilo Pifarro,
and of
licenciado Cepeda
and
Francifco de Car–
vajal; Pir¡arro
demanded cheir opinion chereof:
Cepeda
defired
Carvajal,
becauíe
he was the oldel1 man of che company , chac he would
firft
[peak
to
che matter
in queílion, and chough there were fome little Replies becween chern, -each deíi–
ring che other to begin
firíl :
yet at length
Carvajal
gave bis opinion as followerh:
Theíe are, Sir, in realicy great offers; Let us not negleét ro accepc thefe tair Con–
dicions. Whar fair Conditions, anfwered
Cepeda.
Whac good or benefit can
rhey bring
to
us? Why, faid
Carvajal,
chey are, Sir, both good and.cheap; for
rhey propoíe a revocation of che late Ordinances which gave us
fo
rnuch caufe of
diíconcent , rogether with a General Pardon for ali that
is
paíl. And thac for
orher. marcers a general Aífembly (hall be held confiíling of Mernbers of che
feveral Cities, by whoíe Voces and Direélions, Rules fhall be given
to
order a11
matrers rending to che fervice oí God, to che wellfare of che Counrrey and bene–
fic
of che Inhabiranrs and Planrers thereof; which is as much as we ever defired
or can poffibly expeét : for hy aonu'lling or revoking thofe newOrdinances, we
fecure our
Indiam ;
our properries in ·which was the chief caufe which moved us
to
cake
up Arms, and
ro
advemure our lives in the defence chereof.
The Gene–
ral Pardon exempts us from al! furure Reckonings for what
is
paíl:, and
füll
we
conferve the Governrnenr in our own hands ; lince chat ali che Laws and Rules
which are to be made, are
to
proceed and ro be enaéted from and by the rerpec–
tive Corporations of Cities of which we are principal member . Wherefore
up–
on
che whole matcer my opinion is, thac we íhould accepc of chefe gracious Of–
ters, and in anfwer chereunto rerurn Ambaífadours to che Prefidenc, íignifying
our acceptance oí che cerms propoíed: and to engratiate our íelves wirh him ,
let
him be inviced to chis place, and carried on rnens fhoulders inro che Cicy ;
let
his way hicher be paved wirh Places of Silver and Ingots of Gold, and rreared
in the rnoíl: magnificenr manner imaginable, for having been che Meffenger of
fo
genera~ a good to us : lec us find forne farther way
ro
oblige him to <leal with
us
as·Fr'i.ends , and treac in confidence wich us:
I
do not doubt bue íince he
hath begun thus generouíly ro open himfelf. bue chat he hach yec a larger Com–
miffion , and a power co confer on you the Governmem of chis Empire : bue lec
the
matrer go how it will ,
I
am of opinion , thar he fhould be brought ro chis
place ; and if afrerwards his proceedings do noc pleare u , it
will
remain füll
in
our hands to diípofe of him as we fhall chink
fir.
.
Cepeda
was abfolutely ofanorher opinion, and oppofed ali that
Carvajal
had de–
clared; faying, thac thefe fair promifes were words wirhout fecurity; which
powerfull rnen could eafily avoid , as rhey faw occaÍlon. That if che Prefidenc
were once admitted in, he would fo draw che hearts of ali people to him , as
ro
order and diípofe every thing according to his own will and pleafure: chat rhe
perfoA who was fent wich thefe Letters, was not one of that plain and fimple
íort
as was pretended ; bue a man of great fubclecy and underfianding, and
foil
of In–
trigues and Policies
ro
delude and affeét the minds of che People : and in fum
his concluíion was, chac they oughc noc co receive the Preíidenr arnongl1 chem;
for thac his admittance would prove che ruine and defiruélion oí them al!. This
was in fhort che opinion
óf
thefe two Cooncellours, though the reafons
Pro
and
Con
were more large; and chough
Pifarro
did noc declare himfelf ar chac time ei–
ther one way or orher, yet in
füs
own choughcs he inclined more
to
che opinion
of
Ce-