VI. 1546. BOOK the beginning warned Pizarro, that in the career on which he was entering, it was vain to think of holding a middle courfe; that he must either boldly aim at all, or attempt nothing. From the time that Pizarro obtained poffeffion of the government of Peru, he inculcated the fame maxim with greater earneftness. Upon receiving an account of the victory at Quito, he remonftrated with him in a tone ftill more peremptory. "You have ufurped (faid he, in a letter written to Pizarro on that occafion) the fupreme power in this country, in contempt of the emperor's commiffion to the viceroy. You have marched in hostile array, against the royal standard; you have attacked the reprefentative of your fovereign in the field, have defeated him, and cut off his head. Think not that ever a monarch will forgive fuch infults on his dignity, or that any reconciliation with him can be cordial or fincere. Depend no longer on the precarious favour of another. Affume yourself the fovereignty over a country, to the dominion of which your family has a title founded on the rights both of difcovery and conqueft. It is in your power to attach every Spaniard in Peru of any confequence inviolably to your intereft by liberal grants of lands and of Indians, or by inftituting ranks of nobility, and creating titles of honour fimilar to those which are courted VI. 1546. with so much eagernefs in Europe. By establish- BOOK ing orders of knighthood, with privileges and diftinctions resembling thofe in Spain, you may bestow a gratification upon the officers in your fervice, fuited to the ideas of military men. Nor is it to your countrymen only that you ought to attend; endeavour to gain the natives. By marrying the Coya, or daughter of the Sun next in fucceffion to the crown, you will induce the Indians, out of veneration for the blood of their antient princes, to unite with the Spaniards in fupport of your authority. Thus, at the head of the antient inhabitants of Peru, as well as of the new fettlers there, you may fet at defiance the power of Spain, and repel with ease any feeble force which it can fend at fuch a distance." Cepeda, the lawyer, who was now Pizarro's confidential counsellor, warmly feconded Carvajal's exhortations, and employed whatever learning he poffeffed in demonftrating, that all the founders of great monarchies had been raised to pre-eminence, not by the antiquity of their lineage, or the validity of their rights, but by their own afpiring valour and perfonal meritz. z Vega, p. 11. lib. iv. c. 40. Fernandez, lib. i. c. 34. lib. ii. c. 1. 49. Herrera, dec. 8. lib. ii. c. 10. PIZARRO BOOK VI. PIZARRO liftened attentively to both, and could not conceal the fatisfaction with which he But chufes contemplated the object that they prefented to to negociate his view. But happily for the tranquillity of the 1546. with the court of Spain. Confultations of the Spanish minifters. world, few men poffefs that fuperior strength of mind, and extent of abilities, which are capable of forming and executing fuch daring schemes, as cannot be accomplished without overturning the established order of fociety, and violating those maxims of duty which men are accustomed to hold facred. The mediocrity of Pizarro's talents circumfcribed his ambition within more narrow limits. Inftead of afpiring at independent power, he confined his views to the obtaining from the court of Spain a confirmation of the authority which he now poffeffed; and for that purpose, he sent an officer of distinction thither, to give fuch a representation of his conduct, and of the state of the country, as might induce the emperor and his ministers, either from inclination or from neceffity, to continue him in his prefent ftation. WHILE Pizarro was deliberating with respect to the part which he fhould take, confultations were held in Spain, with no less folicitude, concerning the measures which ought to be pursued in order to re-establish the emperor's authority VI. 1546. authority in Peru. Though unacquainted with BOOK the last exceffes of outrage to which the malcontents had proceeded in that country, the court had received an account of the infurrection against the viceroy, of his imprisonment, and the ufurpation of the government by Pizarro. A revolution fo alarming called for an immediate interpofition of the emperor's abilities and authority. But as he was fully occupied at that time in Germany, in conducting the war against the famous league of Smalkalde, one of the most interesting and arduous enterprifes in his reign, the care of providing a remedy for the diforders in Peru devolved upon his fon Philip, and the counsellors whom Charles had appointed to affift him in the government of Spain during his abfence. At first view, the actions of Pizarro and his adherents appeared so repugnant to the duty of fubjects towards their fovereign, that the greater part of the minifters infifted on declaring them instantly to be guilty of rebellion, and on proceeding to punish them with exemplary rigour. But when the fervour of their zeal and indignation began to abate, innumerable obftacles to the execution of this measure prefented themfelves. The veteran bands of infantry, the strength and glory of the Spanish armies, were then employed in Germany. Spain, exhaufted VOL. III. R of BOOK of men and money by a long feries of wars, in VI. which the had been involved by the restless 1545. ambition of two fucceffive monarchs, could not eafily equip an armament of fufficient force to reduce Pizarro. To tranfport any refpectable body of troops to a country fo remote as.Peru, appeared almoft impoffible. While Pizarro continued master of the South Sea, the direct route by Nombre de Dios and Panama was impracticable. An attempt to march to Quito by land through the new kingdom of Granada, and the province of Popayan, across regions of prodigious extent, defolate, unhealthy, or inhabited by fierce and hoftile tribes, would be attended with unfurmountable danger and hardfhips. The paffage to the South Sea by the Straits of Magellan was fo tedious, fo uncertain, and fo little known in that age, that no confidence could be placed in any effort carried on in a courfe of navigation fo remote and precarious. Nothing then remained but to relinquifh the fyftem which the ardour of their loyalty had firft fuggefted, and to attempt by lenient measures what could not be effected by force. It was manifeft, from Pizarro's folicitude to reprefent his conduct in a favourable light to the emperor, that, notwithstanding the exceffes of which he had been guilty, he ftill retained fenti |