The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

974 Royal Commentaries. BooK vn. from the time that it firfl: begun to the end thereof, ang till the day of bis Death, continued for the fpace of thirteen Months, and fome few day s. It is fa id, that he was the Son of a Knight of the Habit of St. 'Jolm; his Wi f1: a:fterwards entered her felf a Nun in a Convem in the City of Los Reyes, where !he lived with Religious Devotion. But abouc ten ·years afterwards, a Genl"leman called Gomez. de Chaues, .ª Native of t he City of Rodrigo,. be- ing much affeél:ed with the Vertue, Goodnefs, and De\i:otion of Donr¿,a, .M eJJcia de .Almaraz. , the W idow of H erpandez., defircd to perform fome Aétion, whereby ¡he might pleafe , and oblige h 0 er; and fuppofing that none could be more acceptable than to take her Husbanc)'!> Head from the Spike on which it .was fi xed; he, with anothe'r Friend, brought a Ladder by ni ght to the place, where the Head was, and not diftiriguifhing the Head of Henlandez.' from thofe of Pi fa rro and Carvaj al, to be fure of the right, they took them ali three away together, and buried them privately in a Convent. And though the Juíl:ice made diligent enquiry after thofe who had corrimitted this piece of Robbery, yet no difcovery was made there- of: For in rcgard the fight of the Head of PifaiTo was an Eye.foar to the People, to whom his Memory was füll gratefol: lnquifiti on v. as not made with .fuch frriél:nefs, as the Commands of the O:fficers required. This Relation was given me by a Gentlemen, who .f pent feveral years of his Li fe in . Service of his Maj efty in the Empires of Mexico, and Peru, his Name is Don L erois de Cannaveral, and now lives in the City of Cor- doua. Howfoever at the beginning of the year, 1612, a Frier of the Seraphical Order of St. Francis, .who was a great Divine, and born in Peru, c~ lled üwis Geronino de Ore, difco1,1rfing of thefe Heads, · gave me another Relation ; and told me , That in the Ccnvent of St. Francis, in the City óf Los Reyes, five Heads were there depofited, he named Piparro, Carvajal, and Hernande'l'.. Giron, but for the other two, he could not fay whofe they were: OnJy that' that Religious Houfe kept them there in Depofite, without Burial ; and thau he was very defirous to know the Head of Carva;al, having been a Man of great Fame, and Repuration in that Kingdom. l told him, that he might have known that by the Infcription engraven on the lron Grate, on which the Head was fi xed ; but he anfwered, that the Heads were taken from the Iron Spike, and laid promifcuouíly together : AU the diffcrence between thefe two ·Relati- ons is ; that the Friers of the Convent would not bury the Heads, for fear of being concerned· in the Ro0bery, but only kept them in Depo- fite, ar Cuflody, to be forth-coming in cafe they fhould be deman- ded by the q:iurfe of Juftice. This Religious Frier travelled from 1Vfadrid to Cadiz., by Order of his Supe1 iours, and Command of the Royal Council Qf the Indies, to difpatch away twenty four Friers, and to accornpany them hirnfelf to the Kingdoms of Florida, to preach the Gofpel to thofe Gentiles : l cannot fay certainly whether he went with them, or whether he' returned after he had difpatched thofe . Apofl:les. He defired me to give him one of the Books l had wrote of the Hiftory of Florida : And [ prefented him with three Copies thereof, and four of thefe our Commentaries, with which the Good Fa- ther was much pleafed, which he tefüfi ed by the man y thanks he gave me. May bis Divine Majefly profper them in this undertaking, to t he intent that they may draw thofe poor Wretc~es out qf the dark abyfs of Idolatry to the knowledge and Service of the true God. And bere it will not be from our pu rpofe to relate the ftrange rnanner ·of the death of Captain Baltafar Vdaz.qmz. , fo that H ernandcz. Giron may not go to his Grave alone, and without fome Company. lt happened fome months after the former paífages that .Ba!tafar Velaz.quez. refiding in the · City of Los Reyes, and behaving himfelf like a brave young Captain, he had two Impoíl:humes which broke out near his Groin, which he om of bra- very negleéting to Cure, apply'd things to repel and drive ~hem Í!J, not fuffe ring them to operate and break outwardly, which had been the only fafe remedy ; but the CorrupLion fefl:ering within, cau[ed a Cancer in his Bowels with fo much heat, that he was almoft roafte9 ai;ve. The P h ~ fitians not knowing what to apply, gave him Vinegar to refrelh him, which ferved · only