VI.. 1532. BOOK thofe Spaniards, who had never met in America with any thing more dignified than the petty cazique of a barbarous tribe. But their eyes were still powerfully attracted by the vast profufion of wealth which they obferved in the Inca's camp. The rich ornaments worn by him and his, attendants, the veffels of gold and filver in which the repaft offered to them was ferved up, the multitude of utenfils of every kind formed of those precious metals, opened prospects far exceeding any idea of opulence that a European of the fixteenth century could form. Perfidious scheme of Pizarro. ON their return to Caxamalca, while their minds were yet warm with admiration and defire of the wealth which they had beheld, they gave fuch a description of it to their countrymen, as confirmed Pizarro in a refolution which he had already taken. From his own obfervation of American manners during his long service in the New World, as well as from the advantages which Cortes had derived from feizing Montezuma, he knew of what confequence it was to have the Inca in his power. For this purpose, he formed a plan as daring as it was perfidious. Notwithstanding the character that he had affumed of an ambaffador from a powerful monarch, who courted an alliance with the Inca, and in violation of the repeated offers which he had VI. 1532. had made to him of his own friendship and BOOK affiftance, he determined to avail himself of the unfufpicious fimplicity with which Atahualpa relied on his profeffions, and to feize the person of the Inca during the interview to which he had invited him. He prepared for the execution of his scheme with the fame deliberate arrangement, and with as little compunction, as if it had reflected no difgrace on himself or his country. He divided his cavalry into three fmall fquadrons, under the command of his brother Ferdinand, Soto, and Benalcazar; his infantry were formed in one body, except twenty of most tried courage, whom he kept near his own person to fupport him in the dangerous fervice which he referved for himself; the artillery, confifting of two field-pieces and the cross-bowmen, were placed opposite to the avenue by which Atahualpa was to approach. All were commanded to keep within the fquare, and not to move until the fignal for action was given. a Vifited by the Inca. EARLY in the morning the Peruvian camp Nov. 16. was all in motion. But as Atahualpa was folicitous to appear with the greatest splendour and magnificence in his firft interview with the a Xerez, p. 194. strangers, VI. 1532. BOOK strangers, the preparations for this were fo tedious, that the day was far advanced before he began his march. Even then, left the order of the proceffion fhould be deranged, he moved fo flowly, that the Spaniards became impatient, and apprehenfive that fome fufpicion of their intention might be the cause of this delay. In order to remove this, Pizarro dispatched one of his officers with fresh affurances of his friendly difpofition. At length the Inca approached. First of all appeared four hundred men, in an uniform drefs, as harbingers to clear the way before him. He himself, fitting on a throne or couch, adorned with plumes of various colours, and almost covered with plates of gold and filver enriched with precious ftones, was carried on the shoulders of his principal attendants. Behind him came fome chief officers of his court, carried in the fame manner. Several bands of fingers and dancers accompanied this cavalcade; and the whole plain was covered with troops, amount, ing to more than thirty thousand men. Strange harangue of verde. As the Inca drew near the Spanish quarters, father Val. father Vincent Valverde, chaplain to the expedition, advanced with a crucifix in one hand,, and a breviary in the other, and in a long discourse explained to him the doctrine of the creation, the fall of Adam, the incarnation, the fufferings VI. 1532. fufferings and refurrection of Jesus Christ, the BOOK appointment of St. Peter as God's vicegerent on earth, the tranfmiffion of his apoftolic power by fucceffion to the popes, the donation made to the king of Castile by pope Alexander of all the regions in the New World. In confequence of all this, he required Atahualpa to embrace the Christian faith, to acknowledge the fupreme jurisdiction of the pope, and to fubmit to the king of Caftile as his lawful fovereign; promifing, if he complied inftantly with this requifition, that the Caftilian monarch would protect his dominions, and permit him to continue in the exer. cife of his royal authority; but if he should impiously refuse to obey this fummons, he denounced war against him in his master's name, and threatened him with the most dreadful effects of his vengeance. Inca. THIS strange harangue, unfolding deep myfte- Reply of the ries, and alluding to unknown facts, of which no power of eloquence could have conveyed at once a diftinct idea to an American, was fo lamely tranflated by an unskilful interpreter, little acquainted with the idiom of the Spanish tongue, and incapable of expreffing himself with propriety in the language of the Inca, that its general tenor was altogether incomprehenfible to VI. 1532. BOOK to Atahualpa. Some parts in it, of more obvious meaning, filled him with astonishment and indignation. His reply, however, was tem perate. He began with obferving, that he was lord of the dominions over which he reigned by hereditary fucceffion; and added, that he could not conceive how a foreign prieft fhould pretend to difpofe of territories which did not belong to him; that if fuch a prepofterous grant had been made, he, who was the rightful poffeffor, refused to confirm it; that he had no inclination to renounce the religious inftitutions established by his ancestors; nor would he forfake the fervice of the Sun, the immortal divinity whomr he and his people revered, in order to worship the God of the Spaniards, who was fubject to death; that with refpect to other matters contained in his difcourfe, as he had never heard of them before, and did not now understand their meaning, he defired to know where the priest had learned things fo extraordinary. " In this book," answered Valverde, reaching out to him his breviary. The Inca opened it eagerly, and turning over the leaves, lifted it to his ear: "This," fays he, "is filent; it tells me nothing;" and threw it with difdain to the ground. The enraged monk, running towards his countrymen, cried out, "To arms, Christ |