The History of the Conquest of Peru | Page 5

the Incas, terminates long before the close of the
narrative. The remaining portion is taken up with the fierce feuds of the
Conquerors, which would seem, from their very nature, to be incapable
of being gathered round a central point of interest. To secure this, we
must look beyond the immediate overthrow of the Indian empire. The
conquest of the natives is but the first step, to be followed by the
conquest of the Spaniards,--the rebel Spaniards, themselves,--till the
supremacy of the Crown is permanently established over the country. It
is not till this period, that the acquisition of this Transatlantic empire
can be said to be completed; and, by fixing the eye on this remoter
point, the successive steps of the narrative will be found leading to one
great result, and that unity of interest preserved which is scarcely less
essential to historic than dramatic composition. How far this has been
effected, in the present work, must be left to the judgment of the reader.
No history of the conquest of Peru, founded on original documents, and
aspiring to the credit of a classic composition, like the "Conquest of
Mexico" by Solis, has been attempted, as far as I am aware, by the
Spaniards. The English possess one of high value, from the pen of
Robertson, whose masterly sketch occupies its due space in his great
work on America. It has been my object to exhibit this same story, in
all its romantic details; not merely to portray the characteristic features
of the Conquest, but to fill up the outline with the coloring of life, so as
to present a minute and faithful picture of the times. For this purpose, I
have, in the composition of the work, availed myself freely of my
manuscript materials, allowed the actors to speak as much as possible
for themselves, and especially made frequent use of their letters; for

nowhere is the heart more likely to disclose itself, than in the freedom
of private correspondence. I have made liberal extracts from these
authorities in the notes, both to sustain the text, and to put in a printed
form those productions of the eminent captains and statesmen of the
time, which are not very accessible to Spaniards themselves.
M. Amedee Pichot, in the Preface to the French translation of the
"Conquest of Mexico," infers from the plan of the composition, that I
must have carefully studied the writings of his countryman, M. de
Barante. The acute critic does me but justice in supposing me familiar
with the principles of that writer's historical theory, so ably developed
in the Preface to his "Ducs de Bourgogne." And I have had occasion to
admire the skilful manner in which he illustrates this theory himself, by
constructing out of the rude materials of a distant time a monument of
genius that transports us at once into the midst of the Feudal Ages,-and
this without the incongruity which usually attaches to a modernantique.
In like manner, I have attempted to seize the characteristic expression
of a distant age, and to exhibit it in the freshness of life. But in an
essential particular, I have deviated from the plan of the French
historian. I have suffered the scaffolding to remain after the building
has been completed. In other words, I have shown to the reader the
steps of the process by which I have come to my conclusions. Instead
of requiring him to take my version of the story on trust, I have
endeavored to give him a reason for my faith. By copious citations
from the original authorities, and by such critical notices of them as
would explain to him the influences to which they were subjected, I
have endeavored to put him in a position for judging for himself, and
thus for revising, and, if need be, reversing, the judgments of the
historian. He will, at any rate, by this means, be enabled to estimate the
difficulty of arriving at truth amidst the conflict of testimony; and he
will learn to place little reliance on those writers who pronounce on the
mysterious past with what Fontenelle calls "a frightful degree of
certainty,"--a spirit the most opposite to that of the true philosophy of
history.
Yet it must be admitted, that the chronicler who records the events of
an earlier age has some obvious advantages in the store of manuscript
materials at his command,--the statements of friends, rivals, and
enemies, furnishing a wholesome counterpoise to each other; and also,

in the general course of events, as they actually occurred, affording the
best commentary on the true motives of the parties. The actor, engaged
in the heat of the strife, finds his view bounded by the circle around
him and his vision blinded by the smoke and dust of the conflict: while