rge of them and the licentiate Vaca de Castro. On this occasion, he
gave the command of the fleet to Cueto, being afraid lest Don Antonio de
Ribera and his wife, who then had the charge of young Don Gonzalo and
his brothers, children of the late marquis, might conceal them and give
them up to their uncle. This measure occasioned much emotion among the
inhabitants of Lima, and gave great offence to the oydors or judges of
the royal audience, particularly to the licentiate Ortiz de Zarate, who
made strong remonstrances to the viceroy against sending Donna Francisco
Pizarro among the sailors and soldiers, where she could not reside in
decent comfort. This young lady, who was both beautiful and rich, was
now almost grown a woman, and the conduct of the viceroy towards her on
this occasion was considered as harsh, tyrannical, and unnecessary.
Ortiz was unable to prevail on the viceroy to recall his orders
respecting the children of the late marquis; and he even openly declared
that he had come to the resolution of abandoning Lima in the way already
mentioned. All the oydors considered these intended steps as highly
improper and ruinous to the colony; and declared, that as they had been
ordered by his majesty to take up their residence in Lima, they were
determined not to quit that place without a new royal order for the
express purpose. As the viceroy found that every thing he could say was
quite ineffectual to bring over the oydors to his sentiments, he
resolved to gain possession of the _royal seal_, and to carry it off
with himself to Truxillo, by which measure the oydors would be reduced
to the state of private persons in Lima, and unable to hold any sitting
of the royal audience, unless they chose to accompany him to Truxillo.
When this resolution of the viceroy was communicated to the oydors, they
called the chancellor before them, from whom they took the seal, which
they committed to the custody of the licentiate Cepeda, the senior
oydor. This was done by three of the oydors, Cepeda, Texada, and
Alvarez, Ortiz being absent at the time.

On the same evening, all the four oydors assembled in the house of
Cepeda, and agreed to present a formal requisition to the viceroy to
bring back the family of the late marquis from the fleet in which he had
embarked them. After this resolution had been engrossed in the register,
the licentiate Ortiz retired to his own house, being indisposed. The
other three oydors continued in consul