906 / 1070
Royal
Commentar~es.
BooK
VI.
-
performed
to
bis Maj~y : bu_c n~icher the King nor his Council thought
fü
co
yield to his requefi, bue
to
mamtam che new
Law,
and approV'e yvhat the Court
had 3l;'ted
in
that matcer.
·The Sons
of
Rodrigo
deContrew called _Hernando
:md
Pe·
dro
rd~nted chis agrievance with high indignation, and being young men , raíh
and
10
che heac of their bloud; refolved
to
rife in Arms: and herein·they found
ttnrnuragemenc from one
¡ohn Bermejo,
and ocher Souldiers his Companíons, w(
10
tvére come from
Peru.;
moft of which were highiy difpleafed and incenfed againlt
che Prefident , becaufe for all che 'fervices they had done in the Wars againfr
G
011·
calo Pi;_arro,
he faffered them to fiarve; and infiead of making provifion for
ihem,
he
highly rewarded chofe who
had
taken pare with
Pif4rro
and baniíhed
fuch
as
had ferved che King out
of
che Confines of
Peru:
with thefe and che
líke
O>mplain(s they animated the two brorhers to undercake fome great encerprife ;
~fuading chem that
in
cafe they could once get two or three hundred Souldiers,
.tñey mighc adventure to invade
P,ru
;
and moreover, being already furniíhed
with Shipping and all things requifite for Navigarion , they might wirh much
eále tranfport cheir
mcn
thither ; where being landed they would foon be increa·
fed wirh all that party ofmen which
che
Prefidenc
G11foA
had
difobliged. Having
refolved on che matter, they privately Jiíl:ed meo, and provided Arms , and
when they found themfelves Hrong enough to refift theüfficers of Jufücé, they
began to put cheir defigns into execution : and in the firft place they fell upon
tbe
Bifhop of ~he Province, who having oppofed
their
Farher in
ali
his negocia:tións,
chey in revenge therrof caufed certain Souldiers to enter
bis
houfe, and
kill
him
as he was playing at Chefs. And then prefemly they fet
U¡>
their Standard',
aria
declared for Liberty, calling their _Army che Keepers of che Libercy.
then they
firted fuch Ships out to Sea as were requi6ce, and failed into che South~tea, wirh
íncention to expeét che CQllling of the Preftdent, and
to
cake and
rob
nim in
bis
patiage ; for tbey had received incelligence, that he was on
his
voyage ·cowards
the main Land wich
ali
the treafure belonging to his Majefiy. Howfoever it fée..
med mofl: advifeable to go
firft
to
P
anam_11,
there ·to receive ini?fma,rioh of th~
fiate of Affairs ; and
beftdes ,
they were
10
a
berter poft and fiar.100 there, to
fail
fí-om thence to any pare of
Peru,
than from
Ni,11ragH11.
And havlng íhippéd abouc
chree hundred meo, they arrived at che Port of
P11namA,
where befare tfiey mad'é
a defc-ent inco che Town, rhey informed themfelves by fome of che lnhabirants
whom chey had taken of ali which had lately paíl: ; and how che Prefidenc was
already landed with all che King's Tteafure. And now, as if tbeir good forcune
had offered chis greac boocy to rheir hand , they expeéted untill nignc ; and cheñ
fecretly encered che Port wichout any naife, on confidence chat che Prelidenr was
lodged in the Cicy, and lay fecure, apprehepding no harm; and rherefore chey
doubred not bue to furprize him wichouc ~fs or-hurt to chemfelves. Thus far
A11-
guftine Carate,
And
Gomara
having almo1~faid che fame ching, adds, Chap.
19
3•
Thar che
Conrrew
got up ali che
Pifarrifts
,:,
who were fled from
Gnfca,
and other
Fugitives and men of defperate fortunes, a'nd refolved-to acrempr fome exploics
to enrich themfelves, dedaring that che Treafure and Dorninion of
Pm,
did by
a
Jawfull Ticle belohg to them, as Grand-children defcended fromche
Ped~aria, Je
A1,1i/a,
who were in Partneríhip wirh
Piprm
Alm11gru
and
L111JHt1.
Though chis
\vas bue a weak pretence, yet it ferved che turn, and brought in a greac number of
Villains and Mifcreants to fide wirh rhem.; and under chis colour chey committed
mu€h fpoil and robbery, and fufficienrly enriched rhemfelves, had they knowa
a
mean and wherewirh to be concenred. Thus far
Gomara.
·
Nowche whole Story
is
chis ; The
Contreras
enrered
Panama
by-nighc and macf;_
there
firíl:
acternp>t
en
the houfe'of Doétour
Rebln.
In
four Ships thtm in Port chey ·
~ok eight hundred thoufand pieces of Eight, tome of which were for che King's
and fome for accounc of privare men : in che Treafurer's houfe they feized apqn
fix
hundred thoufand more which were ready to have been carried to
Nomlm de
Di01 ,
as
Gomara
reporcs, Chap.
193.'
'And befides chis quanciry of Gold and
SU
ver ,. chey robbed che Shops of many rich Merchanrs, whence they plundred
fuch.
vafi quanciries
of
commodiries which came from
8pt1in,
that chey were
trOU·
bled how ro difpofe of them or carry them away. Moreover, they fent one oí
cheirCo
mpanions ca1!ed
Salguero
wirh a Parry of Mufqueciers by
\Vay
of
Las CrH·
z.es-co che
Riv.erof
Chayre,
upan incelligence char rhey had fent great quanciries ·or
Gold and Silver by that road" to
Nomine
de
Dios :
and
Salguero
overtook and feized
fevency load
of_Silv«li ,
which was not as yet íhipped aboard, being to
che
value
·
of