4000003871

.Royal

Commentar_ie.s.

BooK

VII.

did oteentimes appear to go forth and skirmifh, and with thac occafion yield–

cd themfdves Prifoners, and called for Q1arter to che Enemy, faying, I fub–

mic and furrender my felf, together with my Arms : And chis was the

fub–

tle dcfign of thefe Souldiers to fave themfelves; for in cafe the King over–

came, they had to alledge, That they were taken Prifoners by the Rebels;

and if the Rebels were viétorious, they could plead, and fay, That

tliey

haq.

revolted to them, and had contributed to ,the fortune of the Day. The

Ju–

ftices fufpeéting chis piece of policy amongft the crafty

Sould!ers, they g

ave

Orders, forbidding

all

Skirmifhes for the future, and all

Communicatio.ns

and

Conferenc'es with the Enemy, though

Qll

pretence of Ki

ndrcd, 1'iriendlhip

Alliance, for.that no gocd effd1:s did ever refult from fuch Interviews.

Fran–

ci(co Hernandez.,

obferving, thac an end was put to the Skirmifhes and Confe–

rences between the Souldiers ; he gave Orders to his Major General, Captain

John de Piedrahita,

to allarm che Kings Camp, thinking thereby to provoke

them to fight; and with eighty Mufqueteers co affail chem by Nighc; and

gave lhem parcicularly in charge to obferve with what readinefs and vigi–

lance chey were received by the Enemy; and with foch Allarms they intend–

ed co}ftantly to moleft and difturb them, until in chis manner harraffing the

Souldi -rs, they lhould with watchfolnefs and continual Duty tire them out,

and de eat them .'.

_Piedrahita

accordingly allarmed che Enemy with his Soul–

diers a~far as he dnrfr advencure; bue to little effeét ; nor did the Kings For–

ces ret(irn any anfwer, feeing chat ali was bue a Bravade, wichout any real

Defign to engage : howfoever

Piedrahita

returned to

Hernandez.

boafüng much

of thi great Afüons he had done, and how he found the Enemies Camp

without Guards or Centinels, and fleeping with fuch fecurity, that in cafe he

had had but two hnndred and fifty Mufqueteers with him, he /hould not have

éloubted bue to have defeated the Enemy, and have taken the Juftices and all

the'ir Captains Prifoners. · Befides which he vapoured, and told many other

Stories of the like nature, a,s is the cuftom of Bravadoes, who talk more than

· they do; and though

Piedrahita

was an eminent Captain in this Rebellion,

ánd hád been fuccefsful in many Encounters; yet in this laft he d,id no–

thing more than what we have rnentioned, and talkéd more than what he

had aéted.

Fr:ancifco Hernandez.

founding himfelf much upon the Reports he had received

Írom his Major General, conceiving them ali to be true, and alfo upon the

nformations which were given him by certaín Souldiers, who were revolted

from the Kings party unto his, did really believe that the Kings Camp was

in great want of Powder, Match, and all forts of Ammunitions:

confidence

of which, he refolved one of chofe Nighcs to-attack the Enemy, feeing that

they detigned not to affault him within his Fortificacions; which he ínterp¡e~

ted to be fucha piecc of Cowardife and lowneís of Spirit in che Enerny,

that

he efteemed them airead

his own, and conquered by him. Hereupon he call–

his Capcains

a Council of War, laying

bePore

them the íl:ace of che

E–

nem ies Camp, ~th the Circurnfrances of ir, and his Opinion to attack them,

<letiring their Concurrence with him ; affuring them of Viétory, not only be–

caufe the Enemy was weak and difcouraged, bue alfo from certain Prediél:i–

ons which Wife-Men had foretold of tbefe matters, which he te,rmed Prophe–

cies, chough they deferved no better name, than of W itchcrafts and Sorceries.

The Captains however were of a different Opinion, and faíd, Tbat tbere was

no neceffüy of engaging che Enemy, and.thactheir bufinefs was only to rernain

quier, and on the defenlive part, which they could eafily do, being well for–

tified in

place inacceffible toan Enemy, and provided with ali things necef–

fary

for tbt:ir fubfiftance: when on the contrary, the Enemy laboured unaer

great wan ts of V'iéluals and Ammunition: And in cafe they defired to reduce

them--to greater extremicies, they had nothing to·do but to march away

the

CharcaJ

;

where having feized ali thc Silver of che Country, and therewith

paid che Souldiery, they might afterwards march along the Coafr

the Sea fide,

to che City of

LoJ Reyes,

which they would find open to chem, aod withouc

Souldiers or Garr'ifon to defend

ic.

Moreover the Enemy wancing Horfes,

and Beafts of Burden, and lron to Shoe them with, were oot in a condition

make a purfuit af~er them; and in caíe they did, they migh+ eafily worfr

them, whenfoever they made Head to oppofo them.

-Aod

lince that,

this