eld in his hand
his staff of authority. This declaration was in a certain measure
verified, for Velasquez, whilst descending from the window, held his
staff between his teeth, that he might be the better able to support
himself with his hands. Martin Pizarro, together with two noblemen and
two pages, were the only persons who remained faithful to the viceroy.
The latter, with the bravery of a lion, made a long stand against his
assailants. "Courage, brother! Down with the traitors!" exclaimed
Martin Pizarro, who, the next moment, lay dead at the viceroy's feet.
At length Pizarro, exhausted by his efforts to defend himself, could
no longer wield his hitherto victorious sword: he was overpowered, and
one of his assailants having stabbed him in the throat, he fell,
mortally wounded. With his last faltering accents he implored the aid
of a confessor; and after losing the power of utterance he traced with
his finger, on the ground, the sign of the cross, kissed it
repeatedly, and breathed his last. Such was the sad end of one of the
greatest heroes of his age;[12] a man guilty of many crimes, but also
unjustly accused of many of which he was innocent. His acts were
consistent with the spirit of his age, and were influenced by the
frightful circumstances in which he was placed. In short, there can be
little doubt that Pizarro was "better than his fame."

The west side of the Plaza Mayor is occupied by the _Cabildo_, or
senate-house (formerly called the _Casa Consistorial_), together with
the city jail, and a row of houses of no very handsome appearance.
The south side is filled by a range of private dwelling-houses, with
balconies looking to the Plaza. The houses, both on the west and
south sides of the square, are built above a colonnade, in which
there are numerous shops.

In the middle of the Plaza is a magnificent bronze fountain with three
basins. From the middle basin rises a pillar, surmounted by a figure
of Fame spouting the water from her trumpet. In the other two basins
the water is ejected from the mouths of four lions. The pillar and
figures for this triple fountain were cast in the year 1650, by the
able artist Antonio Rivas, by order of the then reigning viceroy,
Count de Salvatierra. Besides this principal fountain, there are
several smaller ones, from which the public are permitted to supply
themselves with water.

The second large public square in Lima is the _Plaza de la
Inquisicion_, which, since the wa