re of an
"_apologia pro vita sua_" and that it was directly inspired by Pizarro
himself with the purpose of restoring himself to the Emperor's favor.
Its main purpose was to nullify whatever charges Pizarro's enemies may
have been making to the sovereign. Consequently there are numerous
violations of the truth, all of which are, for us, easy to recognize.

A word as to the previous editions of Pedro Sancho may not be out of
place here. The original manuscript is lost. An Italian translation of
it appears in the "Viaggi" of Giovanni Battista or Giambattista Ramusio,
published in Venice about 1550. The numerous editions of Ramusio's great
work do not need to be listed here. Occasionally the translator has
referred to that of 1563, a copy of which is in his possession. The
edition which has served as a text for the present translation is that
issued and edited by Don Joaquin Garcia Icazbalceta, Mexico, 1849. This
edition, like all of Icazbalceta's work, is painstaking. Professor
Marshall Saville has been good enough to lend me his copy of this
edition, which is very rare, in order that I might have it to work with.
Finally, a small portion of Pedro Sancho's narrative was issued by the
Hakluyt Society of London. The editor, Sir Clements Markham, included it
in the same volume with the reports of Xeres, Miguel de Estete, Hernando
Pizarro. The volume, entitled "Reports on the Discovery of Peru," was
issued by the Hakluyt Society in 1872.

PHILIP AINSWORTH MEANS
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
October 9, 1916

RELATION

Of the events that took place during the conquest and pacification of
these provinces of New Castile, and of the quality of the land, and of
the manner in which the Captain Hernando Pizarro afterward departed to
bear to His Majesty the account of the victory of Caxamalca[1] and of
the capture of the Cacique Atabalipa.[2]

CHAPTER I

Concerning the great quantity of silver and gold which was brought
from Cuzco, and of the portion thereof which was sent to H. M. the
emperor as the royal fifth: How the imprisoned Cacique Atabalipa
declared himself free of his promise which he had made to the
Spaniards to fill a house with gold for ransom: And of the treason
which the said Atabalipa meditated against the Spaniards, for which
betrayal they made him die.

The Captain Hernando Pizarro had departed with the hundred thousan