VI. 1533 his birth, to raife his affections to a Coya, BOOK or defcendant of the Sun, one of Atahualpa's wives; and feeing no profpect of gratifying that paffion during the life of the monarch, he endeavoured to fill the ears of the Spaniards with fuch accounts of the Inca's fecret defigns and preparations, as might awaken their jealousy, and incite them to cut him off. WHILE Almagro and his followers openly demanded the life of the Inca, and Philippillo laboured to ruin him by private machinations, that unhappy prince inadvertently contributed to haften his own fate. During his confinement he had attached himself with peculiar affection to Ferdinand Pizarro and Hernando Soto; who, as they were perfons of birth and education fuperior to the rough adventurers with whom they ferved, were accustomed to behave with more decency and attention to the captive monarch. Soothed with this refpect from perfons of fuch high rank, he delighted in their fociety. But in the prefence of the governor he was always uneafy and overawed. This dread foon came to be mingled with contempt. Among all the European arts, what he admired moft was that of reading and writing; and he long deliberated with himself, whether he fhould regard it as a natural or acquired talent. In order to determine BOOK determine this, he defired one of the foldiers, VI. 1533. His trial. who guarded him, to write the name of God on the nail of his thumb. This he fhewed fucceffively to feveral Spaniards, afking its meaning; and to his amazement, they all, without hefitation, returned the fame answer. At length Pizarro entered; and on presenting it to him, he blushed, and with fome confufion was obliged to acknowledge his ignorance. From that moment, Atahualpa confidered him as a mean person, less inftructed than his own foldiers; and he had not address enough to conceal the fentiments with which this discovery infpired him. To be the object of a barbarian's fcorn, not only mortified the pride of Pizarro, but excited fuch refentment in his breast, as added force to all the other confiderations which prompted him to put the Inca to death m. BUT in order to give fome colour of justice to this violent action, and that he himself might be exempted from ftanding fingly refponfible for the commiffion of it, Pizarro refolved to try the Inca with all the formalities obferved in the criminal courts of Spain. Pizarro himself, and Almagro, with two affiftants, were appointed judges, with full power to acquit or to condemn ; m Herrera, dec. 5. lib. iii. c. 4. Vega, p. 11. lib. i. c. 38. an VI. 1533. an attorney-general was named to carry on the BOOK prosecution in the king's name; counsellors were chofen to affift the prisoner in his defence; and clerks were ordained to record the proceedings of court. Before this ftrange tribunal, a charge was exhibited ftill more amazing. It confifted of various articles; that Atahualpa, though a bastard, had difpoffeffed the rightful owner of the throne, and ufurped the regal power; that he had put his brother and lawful fovereign to death; that he was an idolater, and had not only permitted, but commanded the offering of human facrifices; that he had a great number of concubines; that fince his imprisonment he had wasted and embezzled the royal treasures, which now belonged of right to the conquerors; that he had incited his fubjects to take arms against the Spaniards. On these heads of accufation, fome of which are fo ludicrous, others fo abfurd, that the effrontery of Pizarro, in making them the foundation of a ferious procedure, is not lefs furprising than his injuftice, did this ftrange court go on to try the fovereign of a great empire, over whom it had no jurifdiction. With refpect to each of the articles, witnesses were examined; but as they delivered their evidence in their native tongue, Philippillo had it in his power to give their words whatever turn VI. 1533. He is condemned, BOOK. turn beft fuited his malevolent intentions. To judges predetermined in their opinion, this evidence appeared fufficient. They pronounced Atahualpa guilty, and condemned him to be burnt alive. Friar Valverde prostituted the authority of his facred function to confirm this sentence, and by his fignature warranted it to be just. Astonished at his fate, Atahualpa endeavoured to avert it by tears, by promises, and by entreaties, that he might be fent to Spain, where a monarch would be the arbiter of his lot. But pity never touched the unfeeling heart of Pizarro. He ordered him to be led inftantly to execution; and, what added to the bitterness of his last moments, the fame monk who had just ratified his doom, offered to confole, and attempted to convert him. The most powerful argument Valverde employed to prevail with him to embrace the Chriftian faith, was a promise of mitigation in his punishment. The dread of a cruel death extorted from the trembling victim a defire of receiving baptifm. The ceremony was performed; and Atahualpa, instead of being burnt, was ftrangled at the ftake". and executed. n Zarate, lib. ii. c. 7. Xeres, p. 233. Vega. p. 11. lib. i. c. 36, 37. Gomara Hift. c. 117. Herrera, dec. 3. lib. iii. c. 4. HAPPILY VI. 1533. Spaniards HAPPILY for the credit of the Spanish nation, BOOK even among the profligate adventurers which it fent forth to conquer and defolate the New Several World, there were perfons who retained fome proteft tincture of the Caftilian generofity and honour. against it. Though, before the trial of Atahualpa, Ferdinand Pizarro had set out for Spain, and Soto was fent on a separate command at a distance from Caxamalca, this odious tranfaction was not carried on without cenfure and oppofition. Several officers, and among those some of the greatest reputation and moft refpectable families in the fervice, not only remonstrated, but protested against this measure of their general, as difgraceful to their country, as repugnant to every maxim of equity, as a violation of public faith, and an ufurpation of jurifdiction over an independent monarch, to which they had no title. But their laudable endeavours were vain. Numbers, and the opinion of fuch as held every thing to be lawful which they deemed advantageous, prevailed. History, however, records even the unfuccessful exertions of virtue with applaufe; and the Spanish writers, in relating events where the valour of their nation is more confpicuous than its humanity, have not failed to preferve the names of thofe who made this laudable effort to fave their country from |