king, being half roasted, was carried from thence, not so much out of pity (for what compassion could ever reach souls so barbarous that, for giving a dubious information of some vessel of gold to be pillaged, they caused not a private man only, but a king, so great both in fortune and merit, to be broiled before their eyes), but it was because his constancy rendered their cruelty still the more shameful. They afterwards hanged him for having had the courage to attempt to set himself free by force of arms from so long a state of captivity and subjection; and he made his exit in a manner becoming so magnanimous a prince.

which the

committed

At another time they burned alive, in one and the The horrid same fire, four hundred and sixty men, viz. four hun- butchery dred of the common people, and sixty of the chief Spaniards lords of a province, whom they had taken prisoners in America of war. These narratives we have from themselves; on their for they do not only confess the facts, but boast of, prisoners and justify them: could it be to prove their justice, or their zeal for their religion? Certainly, these are methods too different from, and contrary to so holy an end. Had it been their view to extend our religion, they would have considered that it is not propagated by the possession of territories, but of hearts; and would have thought the blood spilled by the necessities of war too much, without increasing the effusion by a slaughter, like that of wild beasts, as universal as fire and sword could make it, having only chose to save as many as they intended to make wretched slaves of, to the work and service of their mines so that many of the Spanish generals were put to death on the place of conquest, by order of the kings of Castile, justly offended with the horror of their behaviour; and they were almost all of them hated and despised. God justly permitted that all this great plunder should be swallowed up by the sea in its transportation, or by the civil wars, in which they devoured one another; and the greatest part of

The trea

Americans

as was be

Arst.

them was buried on the spot, without gaining any fruit of their victory.

As for the revenue, and what was in the treasury sure of the of a provident and prudent king, the reason why it not so con- was so far short of the hopes those who came before siderable had conceived, and of that abundance of riches lieved at which the Spaniards found at their first arrival in this new world (for, though a great deal was fetched from thence, we find it nothing in comparison of what might be expected), was because the use of money was entirely unknown there; and that, by consequence, their gold was all a dead stock, being of no other use but for ornament and ostentation, as so much furniture reserved from father to son by many powerful kings, who continually exhausted their mines to form this heap of vessels and statues for the ornament of their palaces and temples; whereas our gold is all in circulation and traffic. We cut ours into a thousand bits, cast it into as many forms, and scatter and disperse it a thousand ways. Let us only suppose that our kings had, in like manner amassed all the gold they could collect in several ages, and have let it lain idle by them.

The Mexi

the world

and thought

The people of the kingdom of Mexico were somecans made what more civilised, and greater artists than the to consist other nations in that part of the world. They judged of five ages, also, as we do, that the universe was near its period; themselves and they looked upon the desolation we brought when amongst them as a sign of it. They believed the the Spa- duration of the world to be divided into five ages, piardscame under five successive suns, four of which had already pate them. finished their career, and what now gave them light

to be in the

last when

to extir

was the fifth. The first sun perished, say they, with all other creatures, by an universal deluge. The second by the fall of the firmament upon us, which suffocated every thing living? and in this age they place the giants, whose bones they showed to the Spaniards; according to the proportion of which the stature of men amounted to twenty hands high. The

third sun they say was annihilated by fire, which burned and consumed every thing. The fourth by a commotion of air and wind, which even threw down several mountains: at which time men did not die, but were transformed into baboons. What impressions will not the laziness of human credulity admit! After the extinction of this fourth sun, the world, say they, lay twenty-five years in continual darkness; in the fifteenth year of which were created a man and a woman, who renewed the human race. Upon a certain day, ten years after this, the sun appeared newly created, and from this day begins their computation of years. The third day after it was created, the ancient gods died, and new ones have been born every day since. After what manner they think this last sun will perish my author has not learned. But their calculation of this fourth change agrees with the great conjunction of the planets, which, eight hundred and odd years ago, as the astrologers compute, produced many great alterations and innovations in the world.

works in

those of

Egypte

As to pomp and magnificence, neither Greece, The magRome, nor Egypt, can, either for utility, difficulty, or nificent grandeur, compare any of their works with the road Peru, sumade in Peru, by the kings of that country, from periorts the city of Quito to that of Cusco (three hundred Greece, leagues in length), it being straight, even, twenty-five Rome, and paces in breadth, paved, and inclosed on both sides with noble high walls; along the innermost of which two brooks are continually running, with beautiful trees, named Moly, on their banks. In this work, where they met with rocks and mountains, they cut through and levelled them, and filled up the chasms with stone and lime. At the end of every day's journey there are fine palaces, furnished with provisions, clothes, and arms, as well for travellers as for soldiers that pass that way. In my estimation of this work, I have computed the difficulty, which is particularly considerable in that place. They did not build with any stones less than such as were ten

The last king of

ried in a chair of

gold to the

field of

battle.

foot square, which they had no other way to transport but by dragging them along by the strength of their arms; nor did they know so much as the art of scaffolding, nor had they any other way to go to work but to raise the ground with the building, taking away the earth when the whole was erected.

We return now to our coaches. Instead of these or any other vehicles, they were carried upon men's shoulders. The last king of Peru, on the day that he was taken, was thus carried upon poles or staves midst of the of gold, and sitting in a chair of gold, to the middle of the field of battle. As fast as these chairmen were killed in the attempt to dismount him (for they were determined to take him alive) others strove to supply their room; so that they could never get him down, what slaughter soever they made of those chairmen, till he was seized and pulled to the ground by a man on horseback.

He who knows

SINCE

CHAPTER VI.

Of the Inconvenience of Greatness.

we cannot attain to it, let us take our rewhat great-venge by railing at it: yet to find fault with a thing ness is my is not absolutely railing at it, there being some without faults in all things how beautiful and desirable soever. ble. In general, greatness has this evident advantage, that

ayoid it

much trou

it lets itself down at pleasure, and has almost the choice of either condition. For a man does not fall from all heights, but may come down from the greatest part of them without falling. Indeed, it seems to me that we value it at too high a rate, and that we also overvalue the resolution of those whom we have either seen or heard to have contemned it, or let themselves down from it of their own accord. Its essence is not so manifestly commodious but it

may
be refused without a miracle. I find it a very
hard thing to bear misfortunes; but to be content
with a moderate fortune, and to avoid greatness, is a
thing, in my opinion, of very little trouble. This
is a virtue, methinks, to which I, who am no con-
jurer, could arrive at without much struggle. What
then ought they to do who would even put into the
balance the glory attending this refusal, wherein
there may be more ambition lurking than even in the
desire and enjoyment of greatness? Forasmuch as
ambition never conducts itself better, according to
its own manner, than by a path which is unfrequent-
ed, and out of the road.

Montaigne

ambitious

ferment.

I spur up my courage to patience; but slacken its rein towards desire. I have as much to wish for as was never another, and allow my wishes as much liberty and of very indiscretion; but yet it never was my lot to wish for high preeither empire or royalty, nor for the eminency of those high and commanding fortunes. I do not aim that way. I love myself too well. When I think of growing greater, it is but very moderately, and by a constrained and timorous increase, such as is proper for me, in resolution, in prudence, in health, beauty, and even in wealth. But that reputation, and that so mighty authority oppress my imagination. And, quite contrary to some others, I would, perhaps, rather choose to be the second or third man in Perigord than the first in Paris; at least, without lying, be the third than the first officer in Paris. I would neither dispute with a porter at the gate, a wretch whom I knew not, nor make crowds open to adore me as I pass. I have been trained up to a middle rank in life, as well by my inclination as my fortune; and have made it appear, by the whole course of my behaviour and undertakings, that I have rather avoided than otherwise to climb above the degree of fortune to which I was born. Every natural constitution is equally just and easy. I have, therefore, so mean a spirit that I measure not good fortune by its height, but by its easy attainment.