In the morning of Wednesday the 17th of September the city was in a great state of commotion, and the people took up arms. The Judges came with some followers[63], though not many. They ordered a banner to be displayed, and caused it to be proclaimed that all should be on the side of his Majesty and his Royal Court of Justice. They came to the great square with this proclamation, and marched towards the troops of the Viceroy who were in front of his house. As the Judges approached, the Viceroy’s troops fired their arquebuses in the air, threw up their pikes and all went over to the side of the Judges. The people then entered the Viceroy’s house and arrested him without anyone being killed or wounded, or a drop of blood shed. It was all done so quietly that it appeared to me as if it had been arranged beforehand. It was either a miracle or I cannot understand it. It is beyond me that a Viceroy, having so many troops, should have been arrested and no one hurt. He was delivered to the Judges who sent him as a prisoner to the house of one of them, and thence he was taken to an island[64] near the port, until they could send him in a ship to Spain as a prisoner. I believe that, if there had been resistance, they would have killed the Viceroy, there would have been many deaths, and the country would have been in great danger. The course taken by the Judges, therefore, appears to have been the best and to have averted worse evils. I know not. They will give an account of their proceedings to your Majesty. What I have been able to learn, and what I have seen is that the Viceroy was very unpopular with the people of this land, and that they would rather see him torn to pieces than be governed by him. All the fault lies with the Viceroy, for he knew not the art of governing. If he had entered this land dissimulating, and judging of the good and the bad in it until he reached Lima, he would have been received by the whole land, would have placed his own justices and officials, and would have dominated the country. Then he could have done what he liked, and could have enforced the new laws to the letter, without anyone attempting to thwart him. But he did not wish to receive any advice from the officials and servants of your Majesty. The only advice the Viceroy listened to, came from those of Chile[65], opponents of Gonzalo Pizarro, men he brought from Panama, whither they had been banished by Vaca de Castro. Thus he boldly entered the country, ordering and talking, and it seems to me that all went wrong because he did not listen to the advice of your Majesty’s servants. Also I will not omit to say another truth to your Majesty. All that Blasco Nuñez Vela has done, he has done with the greatest love and devotion, and with zeal to serve your Majesty, and he has not failed in a single point in your Majesty’s service, and in the desire to execute all that your Majesty has ordered.