144 OVALLE*S HISTORICAL RELATION OF CfflLE. 



suid fmooth liquid chryflal, which not being animated, did not on its fide give leaps of 

 joy, nor go out of its bed to the tops of the mountains, to welcome thofe who came 

 to deliver it from the tyranny the devil exercifed over it, by infelling it with ftorms and 

 terapefts, and infeding the air with the breath of idolatry, which was breathed in all 

 thofe parts, both eaft, weft, north, and fouth. Oh ! if all the creatures of that world 

 could have come one by one to fee the good that was coming to them by means of the 

 Gofpel, which dawned in thofe mountains ; or, if the predeftinated of that new world 

 could have viewed from their cottages, and poor habitations, or rather from the deep 

 night of their errors and fms, the fun that was beginning to enlighten them from that 

 high mountain, and the virtue and efficacy of grace, which then began to appear to 

 reconcile them with God, and the blood of Chrift, which like a great river was falling 

 through thofe precipices, till it fhould bathe the utmoft parts of the earth, and give 

 life to thofe, who, being fallen and covered with the dark fhadow, did not only not 

 hope for life, but not fo much as know it ; how would the children have leaped out of 

 their cradles, who, to go into paradife, expefted nothing but baptifm, as has happened 

 to great numbers, who juft expired when they were made an end of baptizing ; and 

 the old men, who wanted only the knowledge of the* Gofpel to fhut their eyes, and 

 being reconciled to God, fly into his glory, how they would open them, and lying upon 

 the ground, fly, at leaft with their fpirit if they could not with their body, to receive 

 the preachers of the Gofpel, who brought peace and a general pardon for their fins ! 

 All the other predeftinated, every one according to his ftate, who have by this means 

 been faved, (which are infinite) how they would melt and cry with joy, to hear this 

 news, which is as welcome to them, as that of the coming of Chrift to the holy fathers 

 19 limbo^ who were expeding it with fuch languifliing defires ! 



CHAP. VIII. — Vafco Nunnes de Balboa purfues the Difcovery of the South-Sea, and dies. 



VASCO Nunnes de Balboa, having performed his devotion, and thanked our Lord, 

 with all his companions, for fo great a favour done him, as to bring them to that place, 

 and for the favour he was about to fhew to that new world, by the means of the 

 preachers of the Gofpel, to whom he thus opened a way to publifli it ; he then be- 

 thought himfelf of his fecond obligation, which was to his King ; in conformity to 

 which, he took pofleiTion, in His Majefty*s name, for the crowns of Caftile and Leon, 

 of the place where he was, and of the fea which he difcovered from thence ; cutting 

 for this purpofe many trees, and making great crofles which he fet up, and writ upon 

 them the names of Their Majefties. 



After this they began to go down from the mountain, marching ^rfways prepared for 

 any encounter that they might have with the Caciques in their way ; fo, though the 

 Cacique Chiapes oppofed them with his people, who were ftout and many, yet by fet- 

 ting the dogs at them, and beginning to fire their mufl^ets, they were foon routed. 

 This made the Cacique offer terms of peace, and receive and make much of the Cafti- 

 tians, prefenting them with gold ; and he proved fo good a friend, that he pacified 

 many other Caciques, who were in arms, to hinder the paflage, who likewife made their 

 prefents of gold. 



From the town of Chiapes, Vafco Nunnes fent out, to difcover the coafts of the 

 South-Sea, the captains Francifco Pizarro, Juan de Efcara, and Alonfo Martin, each to 

 a different place : this laft found two canoes dry on the fliore, and the fea below them 

 above half a league : he wondered to fee them fo far frora the fea ; and, as he was 



12 confidering; 



