156 MARQUES DE FALCES CHARGES AGAINST HIM. 



appeal for mercy if not for justice, the inexorable oidores carried 

 out their remorseless and bloody decree. It is even asserted that 

 these cruel men would not have hesitated to inflict capital punish- 

 ment upon the Marques himself had not the new viceroy, Don 

 Gaston de Peralta, Marques de Falces, arrived at San Juan de 

 Ulua, on the 17th of September, 1566. 



As soon as this personage reached Mexico he began to enquire 

 into the outrage. He was quickly satisfied that the whole pro- 

 ceeding was founded in malice. The oidores were removed, and 

 others being, placed in their posts, the viceroy despatched a missive 

 to the court of Spain containing his views and comments upon the 

 conduct of the late officials. But the document was sent by a 

 man who was secretly a warm friend of the brutal oidores, and, to 

 save them from the condign punishment they deserved, he with- 

 held it from the king. 



Yet these functionaries, still fearing that their crime would be 

 finally punished, not only treacherously intercepted the despatch 

 of the viceroy, but also took the speediest opportunity to send to 

 the king accusations against Don Gaston himself, in which they 

 charged him with negligence in his examination of the conspiracy, 

 with treasonable alliance with the Marques del Valle, and with a 

 design to usurp the government of New Spain. They founded 

 their allegations upon the false oaths of several deponents, who 

 alleged that the viceroy had already prepared and held at his orders 

 thirty thousand armed men. This base imposture, as ridiculous as 

 it was false, originated in an act of Peralta which was altogether 

 innocent. Being a man of fine taste, and determining that the 

 viceroyal residence should be worthy the abode of his sovereign's 

 representative, he caused the palace to be refitted, and, among the 

 adornments of the various saloons, he ordered a large painting to 

 be placed on the walls of one of the chambers in which a battle 

 was represented containing an immense number of combatants. 

 This was the army which the witnesses, upon their oaths, repre- 

 sented to the king, as having been raised and commanded by the 

 viceroy ! It can scarcely be supposed possible that the Audiencia 

 of Mexico would have resorted to such flimsy means to cover their 

 infamy. It seems incredible that such mingled cruelty and child- 

 ishness could ever have proceeded from men who were deputed to 

 govern the greatest colony of Spain. Yet such is the unques- 

 tionable fact, and it indicates, at once, the character of the age 

 and of the men who managed, through the intrigues of court, to 



