resolving in the execution of this project, to make the judges
prisoners, or even to kill them if necessary, and to take possession of
the city in the name of his majesty. They had assuredly executed their
project, had they not been betrayed by a soldier, who discovered the
whole plot to Cepeda. Immediately on receiving notice of this
conspiracy, Cepeda in concert with the other judges apprehended all the
leaders, namely Alfonso de Montemayor, Paolo de Meneses, Alfonso de
Caceres, Alfonso de Barrionuevo, and some others. Several of these when
put to the torture, had sufficient resolution to refuse confession; but
Barrionuevo confessed partly, in hopes of satisfying the judges, and
that they might not continue his torments. Upon his confession, he was
at first condemned to lose his head; but in the sequel the judges
satisfied themselves with causing his right hand to be cut off; and all
the other leaders of the conspiracy, who persisted in refusing to
confess, were banished from Peru.

After all these revolutionary events, information of every thing that
had occurred in Lima, was transmitted to Gonzalo Pizarro, the judges and
their friends being in hopes that, he would now be induced to dismiss
his army. They were however quite mistaken in this expectation; for he
believed that every thing, even the imprisonment of the viceroy, was a
false rumour, or a mere concerted trick to force him to lay down his
arms, and that they would put him to death when left without support.

In the mean time the licentiate Alvarez, as already mentioned, set sail
from Guavra having charge of the viceroy and his brothers.
Notwithstanding that this judge had been the chief promoter of every
thing that had been done against the viceroy, having even especially
contributed to make him a prisoner, and been most active in punishing
those who had conspired to restore him to the government; yet, on the