ovalle's historical gelation of ClilLE. i0^ 



others were of opinion to be content with what they haid difcovered, without expofing 

 themfelves to new dangers, and the accidents of war. But thofe who brought the 

 King's commiflion, infifled extremely, that the Adelantado fhould go to enjoy the 

 effed of the King's favour to him ; and, above all, that which moved Almagro moft, 

 was the jealoufy of feeing the Pizarros mafters of Peru : to which might be added, 

 that if he did not take pofleflion of Cufco, by virtue of the King's patent, he might 

 be in danger of remaining, at laft, without any title to any thing he had. In this 

 confufion of motives, the Adelantado ftuck to the worft, as it happened, fmce he loft 

 his life : he had, it feems, arrived to the top of fortune's wheel ; and it is the fame 

 thing with her to ftand ilill, and to begin to go down ; which he did, till he tumbled 

 quite to the ground, and had his head feparated from his fhoulders. 



The world feldom performs its promifes, otherwife who could have told this great and 

 generous man, that he fhould fall by thofe hands to which he had lent his ? The 

 Pizarros would not have been at that height, if the franknefs and friendfhip of Alma- 

 gro had not afTifted them from the beginning with his fortune and good counfel ; but 

 nothing of all this was fufficient to fave him from death by their procurement. The 

 differences between them grew to that height, that they engaged in a battle againft each 

 other ; in which the Pizarros were conquerors, and Hernando Pizarro, the chief of 

 them, ordered Almagro to be beheaded, being no ways touched by their antient friend- d*,Mh 

 fhip, nor the fubmiffions and tears of Almagro himfelf, though a venerable old man, 

 begging his compaflion with a body full of honourable wounds j but as if he had been 

 a Itatue of marble or brafs, he fhewed no figns of compafTion. It is granted that Al- 

 magro did ill, to leave the conqueft of Chile, fo well begun, and where he might have 

 fettled himfelf and his friends to fuch advantage, to go back to Cufco, to govern there 

 by force, in cafe the Pizarros fhould oppofe him ; but they alfo were much to be 

 blamed, in not coming to fome agreement with their antient friend and companion ; 

 but they are inexcufable in fhewing fo much cruelty, as to put him to death : accord- 

 ingly all their own profperity feemed to end with his, and to turn to a lamentable 

 tragedy, in which they died by one another's hands, as may be feen more at large in 

 the already cited authors. For me, it is my bufinefs to purfue the conqueft and fettle- 

 ment of Chile, which is my theme. 



BOOK V. 



OF THE CONQUEST AND FOUNDATION OF THE KINGDOM OF CHILE. 



CHAP. I. — The Governor Pedro Valdivia enters Chile : — He conquers and fettles that 

 Kingdo?n, and is the Jirjl that enters as far as Mapocho, 



T^^HE more I draw near to the relating the fettlement made in Chile by its firft found- 

 ers and captains, who reduced that kingdom to the obedience of Their Catholic 

 Majefties, and to the knowledge of God, the more I mifs thofe papers and records, 



which 



