Book I. 
136 The Dlfcoveries of the Spaniards 
SECTION XIV. 
The Dif emeries made by the Spaniards in the Prmince called Golden Caftile ; their firjl 
Knowledge of the Soutli-Sea, and their Rfablifoment of Panama, by which a Paf- 
was opened to the Difeovery and Conquef of the great Empire of Peru. 
i, 1 . he Manner in which Vafquez Nunez de Balboa ejiablijhed himfelf in the Government Santa Maria:,- 
in the Province of Caftilla del Oro. 2. He fends two Agents to foUicit Succours ; one to the Admiral 
James Columbus, and the other to the Court of Spain. 3. Phe frft Expedition of Balboa againft the 
Indians, in which he fubdued the Cazique Careta, and entered afterwards into a clofer Friendjhip with him. 
4. He goes, at the Requeft of that Indian Prince, to vifit another Cazique, whofe Name was Comagre. 5^ 
He obtains there the firfi certain Intelligence of the South Seas, and of the Empire of Peru, and its vafi 
Riches. 6 . He returns to Santa Maria, and, receiving ill Hews from Spain, refolves to attempt a Dtf 
covery of the South Seas, m hopes oj pacifying King Ferdinand and his Minifers. y. Phe Marnier in 
which he executed this Refolution, and the wonderful Succefs of his Expedition. 8. Befows the Name of St, 
Michael on a Bay in the South Seas, and carries from thence a vaf Preafure in Gold and Pearls. 
9. Sends another Agent to the Court of Spain, with a full Account of the Importance of thefe new Difeo- 
veries. 10. Don Pedro Arias d’ Avila, by the Inter ef of the Bi fop of Burgos, is fentfrom Spain i 5 
take the Government of Caftilla del Oro. 1 1 . Phis new Governor jirfl cruelly perfecutes Nunez de Balboa, 
and afterwards mof unjufly caiifes him to be beheaded. 12. Arias lays the Foundation of the City ^Panama, 
which by reafon of its unwholfome Situation proves very defruHive to its firjl Inhabitants. 1 3 . He fails in 
mofi of his Attempts for making Conquefis and Difeoveries in America, and finds it diffcult to maintain his 
Power in the Midfi of fomany Hifappointments. 14. He barbaroufiy murders, under a form of fujlice, 
Francis Hernandez, Governor of NiC2i2i.gy\2i, and feizes that Province. 15. Obfervations on the foregoing 
Sedlion, and on the great Difference between Genius and Cunning. 
becaufe the Admiral, James Columbus, was then there, 
and he very well knew that no body could have a greater 
Inclination than he had, to contribute all that lay in his 
Power to promote the King’s Service. 
2. This Point being fettled, he perfuaded the Colony 
that it was highly for their Service to fend a Perfon they 
could confide in diredtly to Sgain, that the Court might 
be informed of the Situation they were in, and of the 
great Probability there was of their making very advan- 
tageous Difeoveries and Conquefts. The Perfon he chofe 
for this important Employment, was his Collegue in the 
Magiftracy, whofe Name was Zamudio, to which no body 
had any Objedlion. By propofing him Balboa gained 
two great Ends ; for, in the firft Place, he fecured the 
foie Authority to himfelf, which was what he always af- 
fefted ; and in the next Place, he committed the Care of 
his Concerns to one vdiofe Interefts were the fame with 
his own : Since he had been as deeply engaged in . the 
before mentioned Revolution as himfelf. There was a 
fmall Ship belonging to the Colony in Port, and this he 
caufed to be fitted up as well as it was pofTible, in order 
to carry the two Deputies, and his old Antagonift Encifo. 
Before their Departure, however it was fuggefted to Bal- 
boa, that he departed not a little from his ufual Wifdom 
in fending the laft mentioned Perfon, whom he had ufedfo 
very ill, to a Place where he might reprefent his Proceed- 
ings in Lights far enough from being to his Advantage. But 
this did not induce him to alter his Refolution, though it 
put him upon taking a Precaution, which anfwered his 
Purpofe very effeftually. Pie remembred that one Pajfe- 
monte, v/ho was the King’s Treafurer General at Santo 
Domingo, had a great Intereft with the Minifters in Spain, 
and therefore he gave Valdivia a confiderable Quantity of 
Gold, which he defired him to prefent the Treafurer, in 
his Name, fuppofing that tliis would attach him clofely 
to his Intereft, and therein he was not at all miftaken ; 
for the Poffefiion of this Gold, and the Hopes of more, 
induced him to efpoufe the Caufe of Nunez de Balboa 
ever after. Thefe Meafures thus taken, he fent the two 
Deputies, together with Encifo, on board the Ship, 
which prefently after failed for Santo Domingo. 
After their Departure, Nunez de Balboa began to con- 
trive, in his own Mind, hovv^ to make the beft Ufe pof- 
fible of the great Pow'er he had obtained, in order to 
make further Difeoveries, and to acquire more Gold, 
which he forefav/ would prove the moft effectual Means 
for fecuring to him this Government, at which he had 
fo ftrangly arrived, and of which he had conceived ftich 
Advantages might be made to the Crown of Spain, as 
2 would 
I T is a Rule that I think ought to be obferved in all 
Works of this Nature, to explain one Subjedl tho- 
roughly before we proceed to another ; and to dwell 
more or lefs upon a Subjeft, according to its Weight and 
Importance : We have hitherto obferved this Rule ftridlly 
in both its Branches, which was the Reafon of dwelling fo 
long upon the Expedition of Cortes ; Since this alone, in 
refpedt to its Confequences, was more than equal to all 
we had mentioned before taken together. In this Section, 
the Matters we propofe to handle, though neceffary to 
underftand the Difeovery and Conqueft of America, and 
more efpecially the Manner in which Peru came firft 
to the Knowledge, and then fell into the Hands, of the 
Spaniards yet being in themfelves of far lefs Confe- 
quence, we fhall fpeak of them more concifely, in order 
to keep within due Bounds, and inform the Reader fully 
without tiring him. 
We have already ftiewn how the Province of Caftilla 
del Oro was difeovered, and fettled by the Induftry and 
Pains of Vafquez Nunez de Balboa, a Man no lefs re- 
markable for the Succefs of his firft Beginnings, than for 
the Miferies that befel him at the Conclufion of his Ad- 
ventures. We have likewife fhewn how he arrived by 
his perfonal Merit, at the extraordinary Authority he ex- 
ercifed in the new Colony, on the Banks of the River 
Darien, where he deprived Encifo of his Command •, and, 
upon his endeavouring to recover it, feized and imprifoned 
him, under Pretence that he had ufurped an Office which 
the King only could beftow *, and for v/hich he confif- 
cated all his Effefts : A very harili and fevere Sentence, 
which was certainly founded, rather in perfonal Refent- 
ment, for the ill Ufage he had met with from him, than 
from any real Concern for the Intereft of the Colony, 
which was far enough from requiring fuch a violent Pro- 
ceeding, though that was the Pretence, But when Men 
have acquired Power, it is not at all ftrange that they 
Ihould lofe Moderation in the Ufe of it j however, there 
were fome in the Colony better inclined than himfelf-, 
who, with fome Difficulty, prevailed upon him to fet 
Encifo at Liberty but it was upon this exprefs Condi- 
tion, that he fliould tranfport himfelf, either to Spain, or 
to Hifpaniola, on board the firft Ship that fhould come 
to Santa Maria, which was the Name of this Settlement. 
I'he next Care of Nunez de Balboa, was to fecure thofe 
Supplies, of which the Colony ftood in need, and with 
this View it was that he made choice of his old Friend 
Valdlivia to go to Hifpafiiola, in order to engage the Go- 
vernor and Council there, to furnifli him and his People 
with all they wanted j of which he had the greater Hopes 
