H3 
S E C T I O N XV. 
72^ Hijl'ory of the Difcovery and Conqueft of the Empire of Peru hy Francis Pi^arrc^ 
together with the Difcovery of Chili, and th^ Conquefl of that Country alfo» 
i. An Account of the firfl Notice which the Spaniards hadfVtxM and of the Copartner Jhip of Almagfo^ 
and Luquez, for the Conquef of that Country. 2. TJoe Terms upon which that Agreement was ?nade, and 
the Shares of the refpeBive Parties. 3. Francis Y\.Z2Xxo undertakes the Difcovery with the AJjiflance of 
Almagro, and meets with many Hardfiips. 4. They refohe to profecute their Defigns notwithftanding 
thefe Difcouragemefits. 5. They proceed to the Port of Tumbez, and the Riches of this Country engages 
them to fend Pizarro into Spain, for which Purpofe they return to Panama. 6. The Voyage of Francis 
Pizarro-?o Europe, his Commiffion from the Emperor and Return to America, j. The Difficulties he found 
in refuming the Difcove?y^ and what followed on his failing for the Coafi of Peru. 8. Dis furprizing 
Succefs which fpread the Terror of the Spanifh Arms throughout all that Empire. 9. The State of 
the Incas of Peru at this Time^ and the Hiflory of the Brothers Huefcar and Atahuallpa. 10. This Suffi 
jeB continued^ to the Time of their Application to Pizarro. 1 1 . The Interview between Atahuallpa and 
Spanifh Embaffiadors. 12. Atahuallpa to vif t Fiz^vro in Perfon, and the Confequences of that 
Vifit. 1 3 . The Spaniards feize on the Perfon of Atahuallpa, and demand a moft extravagant Ranfomt. 
14. While a Prifoner he plots and executes the Murder of his Brother Huefcar. 15. A Confpiracy charg'd 
upon Atahuallpa, for which he is barbaroufy and unjiiflly put to death. 16. The Confufons into which thi 
' Empire of Ftm fell for want of a Chief . ly. Dtfcords a?id Divifions among /A Spaniards. 18. The 
noble Difpofitions of Inca, with other Particulars. 19. The Difcovery of Chili by Diego de 
Almagro, and the Return of Ferdinand Pizarro /m;/ Spain. 20. A civil War breaks out between the 
Marquis Francis Pizarro and his Collegue Almagro, in which the latter is at firft fuccefsful. 21. The 
Marquis Francis Pizarro obtains a fgnal ViBory^ and thereupon puts his old Collegue Almagro to deaths 
which ts followed by new Troubles. 22. A Bafiard Son of Almagro up for himfelf and caufes the Marquis 
Pizarro to be afdjjinated. 23. Vaca de Caftro is fent by the Emperor Charles V. into Peru, who defeats 
the young Almagro and puts him to death. 24. The Wifdom andFirmnefs of this new Governor extinguifoes 
all the Troubles in this Province. 2^. A fuccinB Account of the fubfequent Difcbveries of the Spaniards in 
America. 26. This SubjeB continued and concluded. 27. Obfervations and Remarks upon this SeBion^ 
and upon the State of the Spanifh Empire in the Weft-Indies. 
in the Wars of Hifpaniola and Cuba, and failed after- 
wards with Hojeda to the Gulph of Darien, and was left 
by him as his Lieutenant, in the Colony which he fettled 
there. He ferved afterwards under Vafquez Nunez de 
Balboa, and in the Courfe of feveral Years, that he bore 
Command in thefe Parts, he had juftly gained the Cha* 
radter of a bold, enterprizing, and experienced Officer ; 
He had likewife attained to a very confiderable Fortune 5 
and on the firfl Building of Panama fettled there, and 
feemed difpofed to have paffed the Remainder of his 
Days in quiet. The fecond of thefe Adventurers was 
Diego de Almagro, who took his Name from the Town in 
which he was born in Spain, and thereby did it Honour % 
for as to his Family, it was fo obfcure, that even the 
Glory of his Exploits could not afford Hiflorians Light 
enough to find out who was his Father ; but he was a 
Man of Genius and Experience, and, at the Time he en^ 
tered upon this Affair, of Fortune likewife- The third, 
was a Priefl, one Ferdinand de Luques, or, as fome Wri^ 
ters call him, Lugne, a Man likewife in Years, of great 
Parts, and a much larger Fortune than either of the for- 
mer ; for he was Proprietor of the Hand of T ahago in 
the Bay of Panama, had a good Eflate befides, and a 
very large Sum in ready Money. This Partnerfhip made 
a great Noife, as it was indeed a very fingular thing in 
its Kind, for three private Men to undertake raifing a 
joint Stock for conquering a great Empire 5 and, like 
other Projedls above the Reach of common Minds, it 
was treated as a wild and vifionary Scheme, which would 
certainly end in the Ruin of the Projedlors. 
2. Thefe three great Men did not however give 
themfelves much Pain about what other People faid ; 
in which they fliewed themfelves wife 'and firm. The 
Manner in which they fealed and ratified their Agree- 
ment, was no lefs fingular than the Agreement itielf; 
for they repaired folemnly to high Mafs, which was cele- 
brated by the Priefl; Ferdinand de Luques, who having 
broke the Wafer into three Pieces, took the firft himfelf, 
and gave the others to his Companions, in Token that 
they fiiould piirfue this Defign with the fame Zeal and 
Stead inefs as they did that of their Salvation. It is now 
proper to fee what the Nature was of this Agreement ; 
of 
I. H E Defigns formed by Men of fuperior Abi- 
lities do not perifh with them ; for Envy, be- 
ing fatisfied when they are no more, cherifhes their 
Memory, and preferves their Schemes, in order to de- 
prefs and keep under fucceeding Pretenders to Merit. 
This was the Cafe of Vafquez Nunez de Balboa, who 
firft formed the Projedl of extending the naval Power of 
Spain on the South-Seas, and at the fame Time enlarging 
her Conquefts by Land into the Empire of Peru, of 
which he had procured fome tolerable Accounts before 
he died. It was the Defire that Pedr arias had of wrench- 
ing this Projeft out of the Hands of its Author, that 
put him upon treating Balboa as he did ; but, as we have 
fliewn before, all his Expeditions failed, and fo did thofe 
of feveral Perfons, to whom he granted Licences, for 
profecuting their Difcoveries. At laft, in the Year 1524, 
three Gentlemen, all Inhabitants of the new City of 
Panama, rich, far in Years, and of great Reputation, 
offered to venture upon this Undertaking at their own 
Rifque and Expence, provided they might be allowed 
fajr and reafonable Terms *, fuggefting, at the fame 
Time, that it was more honourable for the Governor to 
grant them fuch Conditions, than to look for new Ad- 
venturers, out of the Bounds of his own Jurifdidlion. 
Pedrarias liftened very readily to this Propofal, nor did 
he at all Icruple granting them as eafy Terms as they 
could defire, believing that he ran no Hazard in fo do- 
ing, fince, if they mifcarried, as every body thought 
they would, he was to lofe nothing ; and, on the other 
Hand, if they fucceeded, he flattered himfelf that he 
fhould always have Force fufficient to maintain his Au- 
thority, and fecure to himfelf the Fruits of their Enter- 
prize. 
In order to conceive rightly on this Affair, it will be 
requifite to give fome Account of thefe Undertakers. 
The firft of them was Francis Pizarro, whom we have 
mentioned more than once before : He was a Native of 
the Town of Truxillo ; and moft of the Spanifh Writers 
agree, that he was a Man of Quality. But how noble 
foever he might be by Birth, moft certain it is, that he 
quitted his Country and went into the Weft-Indies, in 
order to repair his broken Fortune. He ferved firft 
