In the year 1547, Gonzalo Pizarro found himself confronted by fearful alternatives. He had led the great rebellion in Peru. One can picture him sitting in a tent with two friends. One is the young Cepeda, the other the aged Carbajal. Before them lies a paper. It is an offer of Royal pardon. They have to decide, or at least Pizarro has to decide, whether that offer is to be accepted or refused.The Spanish authorities had resolved that, if he accepted the pardon, Pizarro should be given the very power that he was seeking by rebellion, but that, if he refused, he should be subdued and hanged.
The old warrior, Carbajal, urged him to accept. The fiery young Cepeda declared for its refusal. A sceptre and a gallows were the only alternatives. Pizzaro listened to the advice of the younger man and refused the pardon. Pizarro and Carbajal went to the gallows, and Cepeda died in prison.
F W Boreham, The Whisper of God and other sermons (London: Arthur H Stockwell, 1902), 69.
Image: Gonzalo Pizarro
