1 52, lihe D IS CO FEE T and CO NOl/EST Book I. 
dertook the Gdnt'erfion of Atahuallpay and the Argument 
he ufed to induce him to be baptized. Was worthy of hich 
a Preacher. He told him that if he would confent to 
die a Chriftian, he fhould not be burnt, but ftrangied 
only, which had the delired EffefV, and he was accord- 
ly baptized in the Evening, and ftrangied the next Morn- 
ing, to the eternal Diftionour of all who Were concerned 
in fo iniquitous and fcandalous a Proceeding. 
There are fome who pretend that this Murder of the 
Inca was chiefly owing to the Indians themfelves, who 
were for revenging the Death of their lawftui Emperor 
Huefcar \ and thereby fulfilling the prophetic Threatning 
of that Prince at his Death, which has been already men- 
tioned, and this has been very gravely infifted upon as 
an Apology, if not a Defence, for the Condu6t of 
Pizarro and his Officers. A little Confideration, how- 
ever, will fhew us that there could be no Truth in this : 
Firft it appears, that notwithftanding his Brother’s Death, 
Atahuallpa was univerfally acknowledged and obeyed as 
the lawful Inca throughout the whole Empire, which 
does by no Means agree with this Story of the Indians 
defiring to have him put to death. It may indeed be 
faid that things may be true, though they are not pro- 
bable, but then we cannot know them to be true with- 
out Proof, of which none of the Hiftorians who report 
this bring us any, either good or bad. 
Secondly, if it had been fo, the Spaniards would cer- 
tainly have made the Indians his Profecutors, or rather 
have fet up the Inca his Brother, who had a fair Ti- 
tle to the Crown, and have left them to have taken Ven- 
geance for that Crime, which, if they could have done 
it, would have anfwered their Purpofe, and faved their 
Credit ; and as they did not do it,^ we may very fairly 
prefume that no fuch thing was in their Power. It 
muft indeed be allowed that thefe are only negative Ar- 
guments, but yet Arguments they are, whereas what is 
faid on the other Side is meer Suggeftion. 
But thirdly, there is the cleareft Proof of the contra- 
ry ; for as foon as Atahuallpa was murdered, the Indians 
began every where to a6t offenfively againft the Spaniards, 
which they had never done before ; and this ffiews that 
the former Condu6l was the Effedt of Duty to that Prince 
whom the Spaniards would have us believe they difown- 
ed ; and the latter is as clear a Mark of their univerfally 
detefting that Crime, which it is pretended was done at 
their Perfuafion. If therefore we take thefe Confidera- 
tions together, there can be no longer any Doubt but 
what the Spaniards have advanced is a pure Fidlion, con- 
trived to give fome Sort of Colour to an Adlion too foul 
to be avowed, even by thofe who committed it. 
1 6. The Events that followed upon the Death of the 
Inca Atahuallpa, very plainly ffiewed that human Nature 
is the fame in all Countries and Climates ; that fome Men 
from Principles of Flonour, Fidelity, and Love to their 
Country, adhere to what is right, whatever feeming Ad- 
vantages may invite them to purfue a contrary Conduft, 
while others, after gaining to themfelves Charadter, Cre- 
dit, and Employments, by putting on a fpecious Ap- 
pearance of Virtue, ffiew their natural Difpofitions at 
once, when tempted by the Hopes of Gain, and releafed 
from the Fear of any other Puniffiment than what re- 
fults from the Confcioufnefs of having done Evil. 
Rumnavi, one of Atahuallpa' % Generals, who retired 
from the fatal Slaughter at Caxamalca, with the Rear- 
guard of his Army, made himfelf Mafter of ^lito 
and, as foon as he heard of his Mafter’ s Death, cut to 
pieces fuch of his Officers as he believed loyal to the de- 
ceafed Prince,- and endeavoured to keep what he could 
for himfelf, l^iifquis, another of thefe Generals, adled 
much the fame Part ; but, having a better Army under 
his Command, fecured a greater Part of the Country, 
and yet fliewed himfelf far from being valiant, by flying 
before a handful of Spaniards who were fent in purfuit of 
him, and gave a farther Proof his Cruelty, which is a qua- 
lity infeparabie from Cowardice, by murdering a few Spa- 
niards, who, by their Temerity in puihing on too far, had 
fallen into his Hands., 
This Man, juftly apprehending that it would be impof- 
ftble for him to maintain himfelf againft the other In- 
dian Commanders^ as well as againft the Spaniards^ 
while his Power had no other Authority than what it 
derived from Force, contrived to get into his Elands a 
younger Brother of the Inca’s, whofe Name was PmdliL, 
whom he would have perfuaded to have taken the Title 
of Emperor, hoping under the Shadow of his Title to 
have preferved the Power he had obtained. But this 
Prince, though very young, difcovered a Greatnefs of 
Soul truly admirable, and worthy of the highcft Praife 5 
for difdaining a Crown, which he knew could not be 
worn but at the joint Expence of his Family and his 
Country ; he generoufly refufed it, telling ^ifquis that 
he fcorned to derive from the Mifery of the Empire, 
that Authority which he could not hope for in better 
Times •, and, that he efteemed it far more honourable to 
be thought a w'orthy Man, than a bad Monarch ; which 
had fuch an Effeft even on ppuifquis, that, though he had 
him in his Power, he did not attempt to feize his Perfon, 
but allowed him to retire, as he did, to Francis Pizarro^ 
towards whom he behaved with the fame Dignity and 
Firmnefs. He told the General that the true Heir of 
the Empire was his elder Brother Manco Capac *, and that 
if he had any fuch Purpofes as he pretended, of doing 
Juftice, and protefting fuch as had right on their Side, 
he ought to fhew it by declaring in favour of that Prince 
who had already a good Army about him ; and who, 
with the Affiftance of the Spaniards, would infallibly re- 
ftore the Luftre of the imperial Diadem •, which, as we 
ffiall fee hereafter, had the defired Effeft. I mention 
this, though it carries me a little beyond that Period of 
time of wffiich I was fpeaking, that I might not omit 
altogether fo fingular an Example of Virtue and good 
Senfe. 
As for ^ifquis he ftill went on in his old Way, and 
having had Information that the Spanijh General had left 
but a fmall Body of Men to guard Requelma, the royal 
Treafurer, with all the Riches he had taken in his Hands, 
he made a very bold Puffi in Hopes of furprizing him, 
but met with fo brave a Refiftance, that he was obliged 
to retire without carrying his Point •, and this lliews us 
another thing, that there are in all Nations Men of ftich 
low and profligate Difpofitions, as not to be affiamed of 
encreafing the Calamities of their Country, by attending 
folely to their private Intereft in Times of public Confu- 
fion •, when a little Refledion would lliew them that ac- 
quiring Wealth is only expofing themfelves to greater 
Dangers than fuch are in who have lefs, and confequent- 
ly is ading as much againft their Intereft as againft 
their Duty and the Public. All Paffions indeed obfcure 
Fore-fight, but Avarice makes Men ftone blind. 
It is impoffible to conceive a Country in a worfe Con- 
dition than Peru was now in, or a Nation in greater Dif- 
tradion than its Inhabitants. On the one hand they were 
difpirited with fuperftitious Fears of the Spaniards, which 
hindered them from confidering, in a proper Light, their 
Force, and the Strength they were able to bring againft 
them ; on the other, they were no lefs confounded with 
refped to their own Government, fome following one of 
the Incas, and fome another ^ and thus, when Union 
alone could afford them any Chance for Safety, they fplit 
themfelves into Fadions and Parties, and thereby drew 
on their own Ruin. This is a Leflbn worthy of Atten- 
tion ; for what was then the Condition of Peru, may be 
that of any other Country upon the Globe, and confe- 
quently the Behaviour of its Inhabitants may ferve to 
inftrud all other Nations. But it is now time to return 
to the Progrefs of tlie Spaniards, and the Effeds of their 
Arms from which we digreflTed only with a View to 
ftate fome Points to the Reader, as agreeable to the Sub- 
jed, and no lefs worthy of his Attention •, which Talk 
having thus fulfilled, we will refume the Thread of our 
Narrative. 
1 7. Pizarro, however, did not carry his Refentment fo 
far, but that, after he had taken and killed, he thought fit 
to treat, the Corps of the Inca with the Refped due to a 
fovereign Prince ; he celebrated the Inca’s Funeral with 
great Solemnity, and went into Mourning for him ; but 
he foon difcovered how deteftable this Murder rendered 
him among the Natives. The two Fadions immediately 
2 united 
