_Of the visitors that the king doth send euery yeare to visite the
inferior iudges of his prouinces, and of the punishing of such as
they do find culpable._
[Sidenote: A great care to do true iustice.]
It is to be woondred at the great and vigilant care that this heathen
prince hath, in that his ministers and iudges, as wel viceroyes,
gouernors, presidents, as anie other officers, should execute their
offices well and vprightly, as they ought to doo: for in the end of
three yeares that their gouernment doth indure, they do take of them in
residence straight account by the iudges thereof, who bee called
Chaenes. Likewise they doo dispatch euerie yeere in great secrecie into
euerie prouince, other iudges and visitors, that be called Leachis,[115]
the which are persons of great confidence, and prooued by experience of
long time to be of good life, good customes, and haue done good seruice
in the administring of iustice vprightly. These as they trauaile do
inquire in euerie citie and towne that they come in (not being knowen,
and in verie secret manner), all griefes and iniustice that is done in
that prouince, which is the occasion that euerie one dooth liue (as the
prouerbe sayth) with their face discouered. These do carrie from the
king so great authoritie in their commissions giuen them, that without
returning to the court, if they finde any delict culpable, they may
apprehend the iudges and punish them, suspend, and reprieue, and do any
thing touching their commission at their owne pleasure, so that it be
not to take away the life of any man. This (as it is said) none can do
without the consent of the king.
[Sidenote: Ceremonies in performing of their oth.]
And because they should execute their office the better in this
visitation, and with iustice and equitie, they do make them to sweare to
be loyall, true, and secret. The which oth is executed in this order:
they doo giue him to drinke three times of a certaine beuerage which
they doo vse, and that is the confirming of their oth. And for that
their departure should be with more secrecie, the counsell doth command
their secretaries to make their prouisions, leauing in blank a space for
his name that shal haue the prouision, and for the name of the prouince
whether he shall goe, declaring nothing but that which is their
ordinarie, that wheresoeuer the Loytia or iudge (being so dispatched)
shall come, that they shall obey him as the king himselfe. But when
soeuer it is in secret determined who shall goe, then doth the president
of the counsel command the prouision to be sealed, then he himselfe doth
write his name in, and the prouince whether he doth goe. And
tharewithall hee dooth depart from the court in great secrecie, and
vnknowen of any who it is, nor whether he doth go, nor wherefore.
Then when he doth come to the prouince, citie, or town, whether he is
sent, he dooth with like secrecie make his inquirie how the viceroy or
gouernour doth vse himselfe in his gouernment, and how all other
officers do execute their offices, without knowing from whence he came,
nor whether he will, neither what he doth pretend. So after that hee
hath passed throughout all the prouince, and is fullie certified of all
his desire, then doth hee goe vnto the chiefe or metropolitane citie,
whereas are resident all those iudges against whom hee hath made his
visitation, and there he dooth remaine and abide till such time as the
Tutam or viceroy doth make a generall counsell, which is once a month at
the least: and at such time as they are in their counsell hall (and
peraduenture without thought of any such iudge that should come), then
this uisitor doth goe vnto the doore, and sayth vnto the porter, goe and
tell them of the councell, that there is a uisitor that must and will
come in, to notifie vnto them a commandement from the king: then the
viceroy (vnderstanding by these words what he might be) doth commaund
the doores to be open, and doth himselfe and the rest that are with him,
rise vp from their seates, and doth goe and receiue him as their
superior iudge; who doth enter with his prouision open in his handes
(which dooth not cause a small feare amongest them all, but in especiall
vnto such as their owne conscience doth accuse them): he doth read his
prouision in the presence of them all, and at the instant of the
conclusion, the viceroy doth arise from his place and dooth vnto him
great reuerence and complementes, and so doo all the rest,
acknowledgeing their duties.
Then dooth this uisitor place himselfe in the principallest seate of
counsell, and maketh his oration as the common vse is amongst them,
wherein he doth giue them to vnderstande the cause of his comming, and
with what care and diligence he did vse in his visitation to search out
the trueth of matters: after which, with well pondred wordes, he doth
laude and prayse all such as haue well executed their offices, and
according thereunto he doth straight waies place them in their counsels
in the higher seates, and promising them to giue the king and his
counsell large account of their good seruice, that they might be
rewarded according as they do deserue. Likewise he doth sharply
reprehende all such as haue neglected their bounden dueties. Then doth
he read there before them all the sentence pronounced against them,
declaring in summe all such thinges wherein he hath found them culpable,
which hath caused him to pronounce that sentence against them, the
which, although it be never so rigorous, it is foorthwith executed
without any replication or appellation: for from these visitors there is
no appellation.
All such as shalbe punished or reprehended, they do first take away from
them the ensignes of iustice, which be, as I haue told you, the girdle,
bonnet, or narrowe brimd hat: with the which they can neither punish nor
hurt him: and if that any wil absolutely do it, he shall for the same be
deprived of his office, and loose his head. So being cleare of these
things, then do they execute the rigour of the sentence pronounced
against the malefactor. But if there be any doubt in the sentence giuen,
doth he straight waies (vppon the same doubt) ordaine nine iudges to sit
vpon it, admonishing them (with the present before their eyes) to vse
well their offices, wherewith hee doth charge them in the name of the
king. Manie times these visitors do carrie power for to reward all such
as doo well execute their offices, in giuing them roomes and offices of
greater honor: so that the present and knowen reward which is done vnto
the good, and the rigorous punishment for the malefactors, is the
occasion that this mighty kingdome is one of the best ruled and gouerned
of any that is at this time knowen in all the world: waying the
gouernement of the one (as in many places of this historie it is
expressed) and ioyne it vnto the long and great experience which we haue
had in the other, and then you will say as I say. Many times these
visitors do visite the colleges and schooles, such as the king hath
ordained of his owne cost in euerie prouince (as in the processe of this
booke you shall vnderstand), and do examine the schoollers of the same,
animating them to promotion all such as doo profite themselues in their
studies, and doo whip and put in prison, yea and thrust them out of the
schooles all such as are to the contrarie. Of all the which and of their
commencing and rewardes, which is given vnto such as they do find
sufficient, shall be at large declared vnto you in a particular chapter
for the same.