CHAPTER XXXII

    Of the things which happened in Lima after the death of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro.

THE Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro having been killed in the manner we have related, the murderers came out shouting, "The tyrant is dead!" All those of the Almagro party who were mounted outside joined the murderers, crying, "Long live the King!"—"Let the kingdom have justice!" Great was the dismay, and sharp were the pangs, which disturbed the mind of the secretary[111] Antonio Picado, who had been occupied during the previous night in dancing and other youthful pastimes, when he heard the uproar and knew of the murder of the Marquis. Without thought or advice, but full of fear, he went to the house of the Treasurer, Alonso de Riquelme, and hid behind the curtains of a bed. The lieutenant, Dr. Juan Blázquez, had gone to hide in the monastery of Santo Domingo. A rumour was spread through the town that the Marquis wanted to kill Don Diego, and when Gómez de Alvarado (the brother of the Adelantado Don Pedro) heard of it, he came to the plaza lance in hand. When he heard the truth, he began to detest what had been done, saying that they had murdered a very valiant man. While he and the Governor, Francisco de Barrionuevo, were saying this, Juan de Herrada came to them. When Gómez de Alvarado saw him, he said: "Does this appear good to you, that you are doing, and have done?" Juan de Herrada answered: "Yesterday you spoke differently." Gómez de Alvarado said: "That is not so." Juan de Herrada turned to reply and said: "You are my father, and you have to bear more than this with patience;" and, in a great rage, ordered him to go into the church. Some of the men of Chile wanted to drag the body of the Marquis out, and set it on the gibbet. They were persuaded from this by the Bishop of Quito and others.

Juan de Barbarán,[69] with his wife, and the secretary Pero López,[70] a native of Llerena, wrapped the body of the Marquis in a white cloth, and hurriedly conveyed it into the church, where, as best they could, they dug a hole into which they put it.[71]

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Don Diego came, with all the principal men of his party, and established himself in the houses of the Marquis, his friends and adherents making a great thing of what they had done, and saying that Don Diego and no other ought to be Governor, and that the King would hold it for good. This being done, the Chile party collected all the arms, horses, and arquebuses there were in the city, committing some outrages and atrocities such as usually happen in such calamitous times. From Diego Gavilán, the conquistador,[72] it is said that they took more than 14,000 pesos in gold, of which he afterwards recovered a small part. They robbed the houses of the Marquis, of his brother Francisco Martín, and of Picado. At the time of the murder of the Marquis there were on a visit Francisco de Godoy, Diego de Agüero, Jerónimo de Aliaga, Rodrigo de Mazuelos, Diego Gavilán, Rivera and others. Hearing the tumult, they had begun to arm themselves in his defence, but when they were ready it was too late, and their help was of no avail. There was great indignation in the city;[113] yet, although many regretted the death of the Marquis, they did not dare to show their feelings, holding for certain that the evil would become worse. The Captain Juan de Sayavedra[73] was absent from the Almagrist consultations, but showed concern rather, after he knew of the death of the Marquis, and retired to his house with some friends, to support Diego Ortíz de Guzmán. Don Baltasar de Castilla presently went to Don Diego and continued to serve him from that time until he was defeated at Chupas. Juan de Herrada, García de Alvarado, Francisco de Chaves, and others came to an agreement as to what should be done, and decided to arrest the citizens. After they had taken their horses and arms, they made prisoners of the licentiate Benito Suárez de Caravajal, the factor Illán Suárez de Caravajal his brother, the Captain Diego de Agüero, Jerónimo de Aliaga, Rodrigo de Mazuelos, and Diego Gavilán, with some others; and they took them to the church, where Gómez de Alvarado was already.

As the tumult in the city was great and all were going about in much perturbation, the friars of the monastery of Our Lady of Mercy, thinking that the men of Chile would proceed to yet greater violence, carried forth the holy sacrament, our true God, so that, out of proper reverence, they would refrain from further murders and robberies. Captain Francisco de Chaves,[74] chancing to pass along the street, did a thing so foul and so un-Christian that I am surprised the Devil did not carry him off straight to hell. It was that, when he saw the friars come out with the Corpus Domini, he exclaimed, giving a shrug, without making any obeisance or salute to the Majesty, but with great disdain and little fear of the Deity, and contempt for the clergy: "Go back into the church, Fathers; there is nothing for you to come out about."

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When they had taken all the arms, imprisoned persons they suspected, and put guards over them, Don Diego and all his captains retired to their lodgings. Captain Cristóbal de Sotelo then went to Don Diego, astonished at learning that the Marquis had been slain with so little opposition. He wished that his party had waited until the arrival of the Judge, for such had always been his advice.