was equally folicitous to prevent the Peruvians from recovering poffeffion of their capital, and to wreft it out of the hands of the Pizarros. From impatience to accomplish both, he ventured to return by a new route; and in marching through the fandy plains on the coast, he suffered, from heat and drought, calamities of a new species, hardly inferior to thofe in which he had been involved by cold and famine on the fummits of the Andes. His operations. His arrival at Cuzco (1537.) was in a critical moment. The Spaniards and Peruvians fixed their eyes upon him with equal folicitude. The former, as he did not ftudy to conceal his pretenfions , were at a lofs whether to welcome him as a deliverer, or to take precautions against him as an enemy. The latter, knowing the points in contest between him and his countrymen, flattered themselves that they had more to hope than to dread from his operations. Almagro himself, unacquainted with the detail of the events which had happened in his abfence, and folicitous to learn the precife pofture of affairs, advanced towards the capital flowly, and with great circumfpection.. Various ne gociations with both parties were fet on foot. The Inca conducted them on his part with much addrefs. At first he endeavoured to gain the friendship of Almagro; and after many fruitless overtures, despairing of any cordial union with a Spaniard, he attacked him by furprise with a numerous body of chosen troops. But the Spanifh difcipline and valour maintained their wonted fuperiority. The Peruvians were repulfed with fuch flaughter, that a great part of their army difperfed, and Almagro proceeded to the gates of Cuzco without interruption. Takes poffeffion of Cuzco. The Pizarros, as they had no longer to make head against the Peruvians, directed all their attention towards their new enemy, and took measures to obftru&t his entry into the capital. Prudence, however, reftrained both parties for fome time from turning their arms against one another, while furrounded by common enemies, who would rejoice in the mutual flaughter. Different schemes of accommodation were propofed. Each endeavoured to deceive the other, or to corrupt his followers. The generous, open, affable temper of Almagro gained many adherents of the Pizarros, who were difgufted with their harfh domineering manners. Encouraged by this defection, he advanced towards the city by night, furprifed the centinels, or was admitted by them, and invefting the house where the two brothers refided, compelled them, after an obftinate defence, to furrender at difcretion. Almagro's @laim of jurifdiction over Cuzco was univerfally acknow acknowledged, and a form of adminiftration established in his name. g) Civil war, and firft] fuccefs of Almagro. • Two or three perfons only were killed in this first act of civil hoftility; but it was foon followed by fcenes more bloody. Francis Pizarro having difperfed the Peruvians who had invefted Lima, and received fome confiderable reinforcements from Hifpaniola and Nicaragua, ordered five hundred men, under the command of Alonso de Alvarado, to march to Cuzco, in hopes of relieving his brothers, if they and their garrison were not already cut off by the Peruvians, This body, which, at that period of the Spanish power in America, must be deemed confiderable force, advanced near to the capital before they knew that they had any enemy more formidable than Indians to encounter. It was with astonishment that they beheld their countrymen pofted on the banks of the river Abancay to oppofe their progrefs. Almagro, however, wifhed rather to gain than to conquer them, and by bribes and promifes endeavoured to feduce their leader. The fidelity of Alvarado remained unshaken; but his talents for war were not equal to his virtue. Almagro amufed him with various movements, of which he did not comprehend the meaning, g) Zarate, lib. iii. c. 4. Vega, p. II. lib. ii. c. 29. E Goma while a large detachment of chofen foldiers paffed the river by night, fell upon his camp (July 12. 1537.) by furprise, broke his troops before they had time to form, and took him prifoner, together with his principal officers. h) but does not improve his advantages. By the fudden rout of this body, the conteft between the two rivals muft have been decided, if Almagro had known as well how to improve as how to gain a victory. Rodrigo Orgognez, an officer of great abilities, who having ferved under the conftable Bourbon when he led the Imperial army to Rome, had been accustomed to bold and decifive measures, advised him inftantly to iffue orders for putting to death Ferdinand and Gonzalo Pizarros, Alvarado, and a few other perfons whom he could not hope to gain, and to march directly with his victorious troops to Lima, before the governor had time to prepare for his defence. But Almagro, though he difcerned at once the utility of the counfel, and had courage to have carried it into execution, fuffered himself to be influenced by fentiments unlike thofe of a foldier of fortune grown old in fervice, and by fcruples which fuited not the chief of a party who had drawn his fword in civil war. Feelings of humanity restrained him from shedding the h) Zarate, lib. iii. c. 6. Gom. Hift. c. 138. Vega, p. 11. lib. ii. c. 33, 34, Herrera, dec. 6. lib. ii. c, 9. blood of his opponents and the dread of being deemed a rebel, deterred him from entering at province which the king had allotted to another. Though he knew that arms must terminate the difpute between him and Pizarro, and refolved not to fhun that mode of decifion, yet, with a timid delicacy prepofterous at fuch a juncture, he was fo folicitous that his rival fhould be confidered as the aggreffor, that he marched quietly back to Cuzco, to wait his approach. i) Diftrefs of Pizarro. Pizarro was ftill unacquainted with all the interefting events which had happened near Cuzco. Accounts of Almagro's return, of the lofs of the capital, of the death of one brother, of the imprisonment of the other two, and of the defeat of Alvarado, were brought to him at once. Such a tide of misfortunes almoft overwhelmed a fpirit which had continued firm and erect under the rudeft fhoks of adverfity. His artful condu&t. But the neceffity of attending to his own fafety, as well as the defire of revenge, preferved him from finking under it. He took measures for both with his wonted fagacity, i) Herrera, dec, 6. lib. ii. c. 10, 11, |