So Much Were The Almagrians Encouraged By The Patient
Indulgence Of The Marquis, That Their Chiefs Used Even To Pass
Him in
public without saluting him or giving him any token of respect; and one
night some of them had
The audacity to affix three ropes to the gibbet,
one of which was stretched towards the palace of the marquis, another
towards the house of his lieutenant, and the third to that of his
secretary. Even this insolence was forgiven by the marquis, in
consideration of their misery and the unhappy situation of their affairs.
Profiting by this indulgence, the Almagrians assembled together almost
openly, several of their party who were wandering about the country
without property or employment, coming to Lima from the distance even of
two hundred leagues. They resolved upon putting the marquis to death; yet
waited to hear from Spain what judgment might be given in the case of
Ferdinand Pizarro, who was there thrown into prison as accused, of the
murder of Don Diego Almagro; and to prosecute whom Captain Diego Alvarado
had gone home and was actively engaged in soliciting his trial and
punishment. When the conspirators learnt that his majesty had appointed
the licentiate Vaca de Castro to proceed to Peru, on purpose to examine
into all the past disorders, but without orders to prosecute the death of
Almagro with that rigorous severity which they wished and expected, they
resolved upon the execution of their long concerted enterprize. They were
anxious, however, to learn exactly the intentions of Vaca de Castro, as
the intended assassination of the marquis was by no means universally
approved among the Almagrians.
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