The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2Cieza de León, Pedro de
History
The travels of Pedro de Cieza de Léon; part 2
Cieza de León, Pedro de
Incas; Peru -- History -- To 1548
PART I of this very complete Chronicle of Peru was published at Seville
in folio, by Martin Clement in 1553. A second edition, in duodecimo,
was printed at Antwerp by Jean Steeltz in 1554;[12] and another
independent edition, also at Antwerp and in the same year, by Martin
Nucio. In 1555 an Italian translation, by Agostino di Gravalis, appeared
at Rome, and was reprinted at Venice by Giordano Ziletti, in 1560. A
third Italian version was published at Venice in 1566. An English
translation by John Stevens came out in London in 1576. The latest
Spanish edition forms part of the second volume of the _Historiadores
Primitivos de Indias_, in the _Biblioteca de Autores Españoles_ (vol.
26), and is edited by Don Enrique de Vedia. It was published at Madrid
in 1853. Lastly, the Hakluyt Society issued a translation in English in
1864.[13]
PART II remained in manuscript until 1873, when the Peruvian editor, and
in 1880 the Spanish editor, printed their versions. An English
translation is now, for the first time, issued by the Hakluyt Society.
PART III, and _Books I and II_ of PART IV, are still in manuscript and
inaccessible, but Don M. J. de la Espada knows that they exist and
where, although he has not seen them.
_Book III_ of PART IV long remained inedited. The manuscript is in the
Royal Library at Madrid, and is in handwriting of the middle of the
16th century. It includes the war of Quito, and is divided into 239
chapters. A copy of this manuscript was included in the collection of
Don Antonio de Uguina, on whose death it passed into the possession of
M. Ternaux-Compans of Paris. Afterwards Mr. Rich obtained it, and sold
it in 1849 to Mr. Lenox of New York for £600. At length this _Book III_
of Part IV was printed and edited in 1877, with an interesting and very
learned introduction by Don Marcos Jimenez de la Espada.[14]
_Books IV and V_ of PART IV, and the two _Commentaries_, are not known
to be in existence; but they were written, for Cieza de Leon refers to
them in his Prologue as completed.
Mr. Prescott was mistaken in supposing that Cieza de Leon only completed
the First Part.[15] He worked so diligently, and with such ability, and
sound judgment, that he was able to finish the whole of the grand work
he had projected. He is thus the greatest and most illustrious among the
historians of Peru. So that his fate has been peculiarly hard. For more
than three centuries his First Part only has been credited to him. His
most valuable Second Part, though used and highly appreciated by Mr.
Prescott, was attributed to an obscure lawyer who never was out of Spain
in his life. One book of his Fourth Part has also at length been edited,
but all the rest of his work still remains in manuscript. The
accomplished Spanish editor, Don Marcos Jimenez de la Espada, was
influenced in his labours and researches by a generous zeal to repair,
in some degree, the great injustice which has been done to the memory of
Cieza de Leon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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