CIEZA DE LEON, besides his two chronicles (translations of which already form part of the first series of the Hakluyt Society’s volumes), completed a history of the conquest and civil wars of Peru. The manuscripts have not all been found, but Jimenes de la Espada edited and published the first part of the “War of Quito” by Cieza de Leon in 1880. It is valuable because Cieza was the most trustworthy of all the old writers on Peru, and because he was on the spot and acquainted with many of the actors in the scenes he describes. Cieza is always fair and impartial.

The interest attaching to this recovered work of Cieza is that it records the attempt of the Spanish Government, at the instance of Las Casas, to befriend the Indians by enforcing laws for their protection. It will be seen that the martinet who was sent as Viceroy to carry out the policy of the Government was a hopelessly impossible person. The hopes of the Inca Manco were raised on receiving the news of the Viceroy’s arrival with the New Laws, and he died in the full anticipation that there was a dawn of better things for his people.

The narrative of Cieza is well told and full of interest. But it comes to an end just before the Viceroy’s murder of the Factor Illan Suarez de Carbajal, which was the immediate cause of his overthrow. To the narrative of Cieza is, therefore, added in the present volume a letter from the Bishop of Cuzco to Charles V which describes the murder and subsequent events. The letter is followed by the Indictment of the Judges against the Viceroy, also giving their version of the murder and of the events which followed.

To complete the story a Sequel has been written by the editor, narrating the events from the assumption of the government by Gonzalo Pizarro to his complete victory and the death of the Viceroy at AÑaquito. From that date, for too short a time, Gonzalo Pizarro was Governor of Peru, and in possession of the only approach by Panama, with none to oppose him.

His Camp Master was Francisco de Carbajal, a veteran of the Italian wars, now verging on his eightieth year, and very corpulent. His life story, up to this time, will be found in the narrative of Cieza, in the Sequel, and in notes. Carbajal is accused of great cruelty. It is true that he showed no mercy to traitors and deserters, from policy not from innate cruelty. The treachery of nearly every one in Peru is perfectly astounding, as will be seen in Cieza’s narrative; and strong measures were absolutely inevitable. But he was kind and indulgent to his own men, and he had a wife who was attached to him, a Portuguese lady named Leyton, of good family. Carbajal was a soldier with forty years of experience in the wars of Italy and by far the ablest military man in Peru. He was well educated, extraordinarily sagacious and far-seeing, very witty and humorous, and possessed of almost incredible physical endurance.

The wise old man saw that there could be no forgiveness for Gonzalo Pizarro, and that it was quite futile to send envoys to Spain to explain what had happened and to apply for the governorship for Gonzalo. He, therefore, urged Gonzalo Pizarro to assume the kingship, to create nobles, to grant encomiendas in perpetuity, to marry an Inca princess, and to enact judicious laws for the efficient protection of the Indians. By these measures he would secure the support of all the Spaniards and all the native population—there would be such unanimity that attacks from without would be repulsed. The only safety was in a bold front. The words of wisdom were only listened to with favour, but not adopted.

The Sequel is followed by an interesting letter from Carbajal to Pizarro in which he refers to the kingship.

Pizarro hesitated and was lost. There was the basest treachery. Hinojosa and Aldana delivered up Panama and the fleet to the cleric Pedro de la Gasca, who had been sent out with full powers.

A translation of a curious document in the King’s library at Madrid follows, giving an account of the storm encountered by Gasca on his voyage to Peru.

Next there is a translation of Appendix No. 18 in Espada’s edition of Cieza de Leon’s “Guerra de Quito.” It is only a fragment, but it contains the account of the murder of the Inca Manco, given by his son Titu Cusi Yupanqui, who was an eye-witness.

The last document is the exceedingly interesting Report by Diego Rodriguez de Figueroa of his mission to Titu Cusi Yupanqui Inca, between 1565 and 1568.