The Chief
And Almost The Only Thing That Hindered Him From Raising A
Formidable Rebellion, Was The Mutual Distrust They
Entertained of
one another, each fearing that as soon as the Emperor should publish
an act of grace, or general
Amnesty, the greatest part would lay
down their arms and embrace it; and this suspicion was imagined more
reasonable of the viceroy than of any other. Notwithstanding this
difficulty, the priests, who interested themselves much in this
revolt, ran with the utmost earnestness from church to church,
levelling their sermons against the Emperor and the Catholic
religion; and that they might have the better success in putting a
stop to all ecclesiastical innovations, they came to a resolution of
putting all the missionaries to the sword; and that the viceroy
might have no room to hope for a pardon, they obliged him to give
the first wound to him that should fall into his hands.
As I was the nearest, and by consequence the most exposed, an order
was immediately issued out for apprehending me, it being thought a
good expedient to seize me, and force me to build a citadel, into
which they might retreat if they should happen to meet with a
defeat. The viceroy wrote to me to desire that I would come to him,
he having, as he said, an affair of the highest importance to
communicate.
The frequent assemblies which the viceroy held had already been much
talked of; and I had received advice that he was ready for a revolt,
and that my death was to be the first signal of an open war.
Knowing that the viceroy had made many complaints of the treatment
he received from his father-in-law, I made no doubt that he had some
ill design in hand; and yet could scarce persuade myself that after
all the tokens of friendship I had received from him he would enter
into any measures for destroying me.
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