The royal commentaries of Peru, in two parts the first part, treating of the original of their Incas or kings, of their idolatry, of their laws and government both in peace and war, of the reigns and conquests of the Incas, with many other particulars relating to their empire and policies before such time as the Spaniards invaded their countries : the second part, describing the manner by which that new world was conquered by the Spaniards : also the civil wars between the Piçarrists and the Almagrians, occasioned by quarrels arising about the division of that land, of the rise and fall of rebels, and other particulars contained in that history : illustrated with sculptures / written originally in Spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega ; and rendered into English by Sir Paul Rycaut, Kt.

CHAP. XX.

What Francisco Hernandez acted after the Battel. He sends Officers to several parts of the Kingdom to plunder the Cities. The quantity of Silver which they robbed from two Citizens at Cozco.

AFter the Battel Francisco Hernandez, remained forty days within his Fortifi∣cation; both to please himself with the thoughts of Victory, and to cure those of the King's Party who had received wounds in the Fight, whom he caressed and treated as kindly as was possible, to oblige them to remain his Friends, of which many followed him untill the day of his overthrow: during which time, he dispatched his Lieutenant-General Alvarado to Cozco in pursuit of those who had escaped out of the Battel: and likewise ordered his Serjeant-Major Antonio Car∣rillo, to go to the City of Peace, to Cucuito, Potocsi and the City of Plate, and to tra∣vel over all the Provinces to gather what Men, Arms and Horses he could find; that by such an employment he might divert and recover himself from the melan∣choly he had conceived for his late shamefull flight out of the Battel of Chuquinca: and particularly he charged him to get what Gold and Silver he could find, and also the Wine which was hidden; for a certain Souldier, lately of the Marshal's Army, named Francisco Bolonna, told him, that he knew where a great quantity was concea∣led: to bring which, Antonio Carrillo, with a party of twenty Souldiers, taking Fran∣cisco Bolonna together with them, was ordered abroad; of which twenty Souldiers two onely were belonging to Hernandez, and the rest had been the Marshal's men: for which reason it was generally suspected, and secretly whispered, that Hernandez had sent his Serjeant-Major with these men to confound and destroy them, and not to the end declared; which accordingly happened, as we shall see hereafter. Likewise John de Piedrahita was sent to the City of Arequepa, to provide what Men, Horses and Arms he could find: and upon this occasion he gave him the Title of his Major-General of the Army of Liberty; for so Hernandez styled his Forces, cal∣ling them Restorers of the People's Liberty: And then to Alvarado he named him his Lord Lieutenant, that with these swelling Titles these two great Officers might be encouraged with more pride and vain-glory to act the part they had undertaken.

According to Orders Alvarado went to Cozco in pursuit of those who had fled from the Battel at Chuquinca; and the day before he entred into the City seven Souldiers of those formerly belonging to the Marshal came thither (the chief of which was called John de Cardona) and brought the sad news of the Marshal's defeat, to the great grief and amazement of the whole City, who could not believe it possible for such a ruinous fellow as Hernandez to gain such a Victory: and being now affrigh∣ted with the cruelty of this Tyrant, they resolved all to fly, and abandon the Ci∣ty rather than to fall into his merciless hands. Francisco Rodriguez de Villafuerte, who was then High Constable, gathered what people of the City he could toge∣ther, which, with the seven Souldiers that were fled, could scarce make up the number of forty men, and with these he marched by the way of Collao: some of these took up their lodging for the first night about a league and a half from the City of which the High Constable was one, but others proceeded three or four leagues farther, by which means they preserved themselves: for this honest John de Cardona seeing the Constable take up his Quarters so near the Town, he stole privately away from them, and came to Cozco about midnight, where he gave information to Alvarado where Villafuerte and about twenty others with him remained about a league and a half from the Town: whereupon he commanded Alonso Gonçalez the Hangman General with a party of twenty men immediately to march forth and take Villafuerte and his Companions; which was performed with that diligence, that the next morning before eight a Clock Villafuerte and his Companions were all brought back to Cozco, and delivered into the hands of the Lord Lieutenant Alvarado; who intended to have put Villafuerte and several of those with him to death; but in regard no crime could be laid to their charge, the

intercession of the Friends and Relations of Hernandez Giron in their behalf, prevailed for them, and obtained their Pardon. Amongst the many Evils and Impieties which this Alvarado committed by order and direction of his Gene∣ral in this City of Cozco; it was none of the least, that in a Sacrilegious manner he robbed the Cathedral Church, and the Monasteries of the Bells belonging to them. For from the Convent of our Lady of the Merceds, they took one of their two Bells, from the Dominicans they did the like; but from the Convent of St. Francis they took none, because they had but one, which at the earnest intreaty of the Friers, they were perswaded to leave. From the Cathedral, out of five Bells they took only two, and would have taken them all, had not the Bishop with his Clergy appeared in their defence, and thundered out his Curses and Excommunications against them; for the Bells of the Cathedral were very great, and had been blessed and consecrated by the Hands of the Bi∣shop with Chrism and holy Oyl. Of these four Bells they founded six pieces of Cannon, one of which burst upon the tryal; and upon the biggest of their Guns they imprest the word LIBERTIE, which was the plausible name they gave for a pretence of their Rebellion. These Guns which were made of hallowed and sanctified Metal, did never do any service, nor was any Man killed there∣by, as we shall see hereafter. Besides this piece of Sacriledge, this Lord Lieu∣tenant committed several Robberies and Spoils upon the Estates of those who were fled, and of those who were killed at the Battel of Chuquinca, and had the reputation of being rich, because they were better Husbands, and not so prodi∣gal as others who lived in that City; and who, as it was believed, had many Bars of Silver in their possession: Alvarado by his Industry, and by threats and menaces affrighted the Indians into a discovery of two Pits which Alonso de Mesa had made in the Garden of his House; from each of which they drew out sixty Bars of Silver, every Bar being of the value of Three hundred Du∣cats. I my self had the fortune to see them taken out, for the House of A∣lonso de Mesa being in the middle of the Street where my Father's House is, I went thither at the shout they made upon the discovery of so great a prize. Some few days after they took away from the Indians, belonging to John de Saavedra, an hundred and fifty Sheep of that Countrey, laden with three hun∣dred Bars of Silver, all of the same size and value with the others. And now it was believed, that the reason why this John de Saavedra would not fly out of the City the night on which Hernandez began his Rebellion, as my Father and others would have perswaded him, was to conceal and secure his great quanti∣ty of Silver, which was the cause he lost both that and his Life with it. These two parcels of Silver, according to the usual valuation, amounted unto a hun∣dred twenty six thousand Castilian Ducats, of three hundred seventy five Mara∣vedis to each Ducat. And though Palentino saith, That Diego Ortiz de Guzman had some share in the loss thereof; for my part, I must say, That I knew nothing of it, nor did I ever hear, that any other was concerned besides the two before mentioned.