Chap. m. bf the ENGLISH k AMERICA. %it 
from Weft to Eaft, was the fineft Channel in the new 
World, through which they might pafs from theSouthern 
to the Northern Sea ; that he could not, without betray- 
ing them all, and without ravilhing from them the Fruits 
of their Voyage and Induftry, make others fhare in a 
Favour which Heaven had referved for them alone. By 
this Means he eafily quieted thefe Murmurs, and brought 
his Men to have a Share of that Ambition which flamed 
in his own Breaft. His NecelTities forced him afhore for 
Provifions, and, as he did not take thefe with that Gen- 
tlenefs and Prudence that became him in a ftrange 
Country ; the Natives, unanimoufly took up Arms, 
and with great Boldnefs fell upon the Spaniards^ who 
defended themfelves with much Courage, and killed many 
of their Ahtagonifts with their Crofs-bows ; and upon 
infpediing their Bodies, found that feveral of them 
were Women ; as indeed it was no uncommon thing 
for the Indian Women, in that Country, to fight by the 
Sides of their Hufbands ; but our Spaniard, having 
a romantic Head, improved this flight Incident into a 
formal Hiftoryof a great Nation Amazons, fettled upon 
this River ; By which Fable he overturned his great 
Defign of bellowing his own Name upon it, and 
thereby perpetuating the Memory of his PaflTage ; for 
from this Story of his it received the Name which it ftill 
bears, and will always bear, of the River of Amazons. 
He took care, in the remaining Part of his Paffage, 
to behave with more Prudence and Mildnefs to the Peo- 
ple he met with, among whom were many gentle, and 
even polite Nations, as well as others fierce and warlike. 
In fine, he paffed quite down the River to the Sea ; and 
having coafted about a Cape, now called the North Cape^ 
which by the way is the Name the French have beftowed 
on the Country of Guiana, two hundred Leagues from 
the Ifland of Frinidada, he failed diredlly thither, and 
there bought a Ship to carry him' to Spain where he 
made fuch a Report of the Countries he had feen, to the 
Emperor Charles V. that he obtained as ample a Com- 
milTion as he could defire ; and, in the Year 1549, failed 
with three Ships for the River of Amazons ; but this fecond 
Expedition was the very reverfe of the firft, as being un- 
fortunate from the very Beginning ; for a contagious 
Diftemper fpreading among his Men, obliged him to 
quit two of his three Ships, and afterwards his Company 
was fo reduced as to fail in a fmall Bark, with which he 
propoied to profecute his Difcovery •, but being fliip- 
wrecked on the Coaft of the Caraccas, he there loft the 
reft of his Men, and foon after died himfelf on the Ifland 
of St. Margaret, of downright Defpair. 
The ill Succefs of Orellana'^ Voyage cooled the ardent 
Defire the Spaniards had for the Difcovery of the River of 
Amazons, and it feemed quite extinguiflied by the civil 
Wars of Peru, till the Marquis de Caguete, being Vice- 
roy of that Kingdom, a Gentleman of Navarre, named 
Peter de Orfua, who had always entertained Thoughts 
worthy of his great Courage, turned his Defigns 
on this great River, and believed he fliould be more 
fortunate than Orellana. He prefented himfelf to the 
Viceroy, and propofed his Defigns to him, who 
being well acquainted with his Merit, commended 
his Refolution ; and was perfuaded that if fo difficult a 
Matter fhould fucceed, it muft be by the Condud of fo’ 
wife and brave a Commander. Moft of the Gentry 
came to offer their Service to Orfua, who was fo much 
in every one’s Efteem, that there was no Soldier fo old 
but would leave his Retirement with pleafure, to ferve 
under fo excellent a General , he made Choice of fuch 
amongft them as were fit for his Purpofe ; and to carry on 
the famous Conquefthe defigned he made ail neceflfaryPro- 
vifions, to which alitheLords and Inhabitants of theTowns 
contributed with a great deal of Liberality, being well 
perfuaded that Orfua had Qualities that well deferved to 
be obliged. 
He departed from Cufco in i56o,with the Acclamations 
and good Wifhes of ail the Inhabitants of that Place .* 
He was attended ^¥ith above feven hundred good Soldiers, 
and with a confiderable Number of good Horfes. Be- 
ing well verfed in the Map of Peru, and having been for 
the Scheme of his Journey, he marched 
dueclly to the Province of Mofilones firft, to meet the 
River Mopahajnhai by which he v/as fure of Cnteririg iht6 
the River of Amazons. One would have hoped, an At- 
tempt fo wifely laid, and fo univerfally approved ^ fhould 
have had a happy Iffue, yet never v/as any Projedfe more 
unfuccefsful •, for Orfua had taken with him one Don. 
Fernand de Gufman, a young Man lately come from 
Spain, and another more advanced in Years, named 
Lopez dMguira of Bifcay, a little ill favoured Man^ 
whom he had made his Enfign. Thefe two Wretches 
fell in love with their General’s Lady, whofe Name was 
Agnes, and who had accompanied her Hufband in all his 
Travels ; and thinking they had a favourable Occafiort 
to, fatisfy their Luft and Ambition together, they 
engaged OrfuNs Troop to revolt, and affaffmated 
him. 
After the tragical Faff, the Traitors who committed 
it, who to the Number of feven or eight were in a ftriff 
Confederacy, eleffed Don Fernand de Gufman for their 
King, v/hofe Mind was vain enough to receive that Ti- 
tle which became him fo little; but he did not enjoy it 
long j for thofe very Perfons that had given him th6 
Quality of King,gave him his Death’s Wound too ; and 
d' Aguira fucceeded him, who made himfelf King, not- 
withftanding the Remonftrances of others. He gave all ' 
thofe he had gained to his Party to underftand, that he 
intended to make himfelf Mafter of Guiana, of Peru^ 
and of the new Kingdom of Grenada ; and promifed 
them all the Riches of thofe great Kingdoms. His 
Reign was fo bloody and barbarous, that the like Ty- 
ranny was fcarce ever heard of in the World. Therefore 
the Spaniards, to this Day, called him the Fyrant. How- 
ever he commanded Orfua’s Veffels, and went down the 
River Coca into Amazon, hoping to obtain one of thofe 
Kingdoms, and to make a confiderable Progrefs into it ; 
But having entered the Amazon, he was not able to 
mafter the Current of it, and fo was conftrained to 
fuffer himfelf to be carried down to the Mouth of the 
River above a thoufand Leagues from the Place where 
he embarked, and was driven into the great Channel 
which goes to the North Cape, being the fame Way 
Orellana had taken before him. Going out of the Ama- 
zon he came to the Ifland of St. Margaret, which is 
to this Day called the Fyranf s Port. There he killed 
Don Irean de Villa Andrada, Governor of the Ifland, and 
Don John Sermiento his Father. 
After their Death, with the Affiftance of one John 
Burg, he made himfelf Mafter of the Ifland, plundered 
it entirely, and there committed unheard of Barbarities j 
he killed all that oppofed him, and paffed from thence 
to Cumana, where he exercifed the fame Cruelties. He 
after that defolated all thofe Coafts that bear the Name 
of Caraccas, and all the Provinces along the Rivers Ve- 
nezuella and Bacho. He then came to St. Martha, where 
he put all to the Sword, and entered the new Kingdom 
of Grenada, defigning to march from thence through 
^■ito into Peru. In this Kingdom he was forced to 
a Battle, in which he was utterly defeated and put to 
Flight, and all Ways being flopped, when he found he muff 
perifh, he thereupon begun his Tragedy with a Sort of Bar- 
barity without Example. He had a Daughter by his Wife 
Mendoza, that had followed him in ail his Expeditions^ 
and whom he loved entirely : Daughter (faid he to her) 
I muft kill thee ; I defigned to have placed thee on a 
Throne, but fince Fortune oppofes it I am not willing 
thou ftiouldft live to fuffer the Shame of becoming a Slave 
to my Enemies, and of being called the Daughter of aTy- 
rant and a Traitor ; Die my Child, die hy the Hand of thy 
Father, if thou haji not Courage enough to die hy thy own s 
She, furprized at this Difeourfe, defired him, atleaft, to 
give her fome time to prepare for Death, and to beg, of 
God the Pardon of her Sins. This he granted, but,, 
thinking her too tedious in her Devotion, as ftie was 
praying upon her Knees he flrot her through the Body 
with a Carbine ; but having not killed her outright, he 
ftuck his Dagger into her Heart, and flie falling down at 
the Stroke, cry’d. Ah Father, 'tis enough. Soon after her 
Death he was taken Prifoner and carried to the Ifland la 
Frinidada, where he had a confiderable Eftate. His 
Procefs was made, and he condemned to be quartered,. 
He was publicly executed ^ his Houfes razed to the 
Ground^ 
