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Royal
<;ommentarie1.
BooK
VII.
CH A P. VI.
Francifco
Hernandez
caufes himfelf to be chofen Captain;
,
and Procur;tor-General ofthe whole Empire. The Judges
.
áppoint 0/ficers for their
Army,.
and the Marjbal doth the
li~e.
F
lfte~ days we~e now paíl: fince the .Rebellion firíl: began, when
Hemandei:.
finding himfelfíl:re·ngthened with a number of Souldiers, and dreaded by ali,
for the cruelty he had executed on
Don Baltafar de Caftilla,
he choughc it now time
to
fortifie his auchoríry (as he foolifhly imagined} with fome fpecious name and
title, which mighc found great in che ears of che people; who feeing him owned
by
che
City
wbich was che
Metropolú
of the Empire, might be more t;afily induced
to
follow his caufe and deftgns, which he knew not himfelf whac they were, or
what chey were likely to prove. To chis end he (ummoned a general Aílembly
of che whole City, ac which were prefenc twency five Citizens and Lords of
Jndi–
ans,
as
Diego Hernande:z:.
counced them, and I was acquainted with chem ali; amongíl:
which there was but one head Confiable, and cwo Jufüces, and none of che others
had any Office or righc to
fic
in chat A'ffembly. The Court being fet, he acquain–
ted rhem, thac che reafon he -had to call them together, was
to
láy before chem
the frequenc Orders and Commands fent from the Jufüces
to
the great damage
and prejudice of the people, to free them from which, he propofed to them, as
the beíl: expedient,
to
eleét him for Procurator-General of che whole Empire, and .
to auchorife him in their names humbly to petition and fupplicace bis Majeíl:y to
cake offfuch aggrievances as they íhould judge moíl: oppreffive ; and to enable
him farther in this Office, that they would eleét him for Captain-General, and
chief Juíl:iciary of chat City and of che whole Kingdom, co proteét and govern
them in War and Peace. All which was granted to him without any fcruple or
demurr; more out offear (as Childr,en
fay)
than íhame or !ove, being over-awed
by a Band of abouc an hundred and fifcy Souldiers commanded by cwo Capcains,
called
Diego Gavilan
and
Nunno Medio/a,
who were drawn up in che Market-place
ac the door of the
Tholfey,
where che Council was aífembled. ., So foo'n as the
Court was rifen, Proclamation was made of che Power and Authoricy which was
given
to
Francifco Hernande:{,;
wich which noc being fully ·fatisfied, he forced
che
Cicizens and Inhabicants to declare themfelves well contented wich ali his afüons,
and that what they aéted was by their own free will and confent wichouc any force
.or compulfion upon them. Whilíl: things were chus aéting in
Coz.ca,
the riews ahd
intelligence thereof was carried to
Los
Reyes,
which che Judges would noc believe
ar firíl: ; conceiving it to be a íl:rategeme of the Meífenger, who was agreac Friend,
and as chey fay, Foíl:er Brocher with
Francifco Hernande:z:. Giran,
to try how che
people would take it, and
to
fee how they Hood affeéted to bis caufe and interéíl::
and upon chis belief they apprehended
Hernando Chacon,
being che perfon who
brought che news, which when they found verified and confirmed from other hands
and places, they then ftt him again at libercy; and thought it time to provide for
Wat, and
to
make choice ofOfficers and Commanders of their Army : We can–
noc·here fpecifie che names ofthem particularly, becaufe many of them refufed the
Commands which were offered to them, eíl:eeming them inferiour to their worch
and dignicies, who deferved to be Generals and to cornmand in Chief: wherefore
we
will país over thefe Eleétions for the prefent, and onely fay, that all was carried
on wich heat and faél:ion, as is ufual in turnulcuous meetings, where every one
cornmands and rules: by chis time alfo news of che Rebellion raifed by
Hernandez-.
was come to
Potocji,
where che Marfhal
Alonfo de A!varado
was aétually employed
in
doing jufHce upon Offenders guilty of che Murther of
Pedro de Hinojofa,
and
Con–
fpiratours with
bon Sebaftjan de.Cafti/la :
bue fo foon as chis news carne, a íl:op was
given to farthér profecucion of chofe who deferved deach as well as chofe againfr
whm'n Sencence was already given: and·iníl:ead of punifhment,
it
was thoughc fic
to convert all into clernency and pardon, which tended much to the quiet of the-
people,