which declareth who don ferdinando de soto was, and how he got the gouernment of florida.

captaine soto was the son of a squire of xerez of badaioz. he went into the spanish indies, when peter arias of auila was gouernour of the west indies: and there he was without any thing else of his owne, saue his sword and target: and for his good qualities and valour, peter arias made him captaine of a troope of horsemen, and by his commandement hee went with fernando pizarro to the conquest of peru: where (as many persons of credit reported which were there present) as well at the taking of atabalipa, lord of peru, as at the assault of the citie of cusco, and in all other places where they found resistance, wheresoeuer hee was present, hee parted all other captaines and principall persons. for which came, besides his part of the treasure of atabalipa, he had a good share: whereby in time he gathered an hundred and foure score thousand duckets together with that which fell to his part: which he brought into spaine: whereof the emperour borrowed a certaine part, which he repaied againe with 60000 rials of plate in the rent of the silkes of granada, and all the rest was deliuered him in the contractation house of siuil. he tooke seruents, to wit, a steward, a gentleman vsher, pages, a gentleman of the house, a chamberlaine, lakies, and al other officers that the house of a noble man requireth. from siuil hee went to the court, and in the court, there accompanied him iohn doierces of siuil, and lewis moscoso d’aluarado, nuncio de tetuan, and john rodriguez lobillo. except iohn d, all the rest came with him from peru: and euery one of them brought fourteene or fifteene thousand duckets: all of them went well and costly apparelled. and although soto of his owne nature was not liberall, yet because that was the first time that hee was to showe himselfe in the court, he spent frankely and went accompanied with those which i haue named, and with his seruants, and many other which resorted vnto him. hee married with donna isabella en bouadilla, daughter of peter arias de auila. farie of punno de rostro. the emperour made him the gouernour of the isle of cuba, and adelantado or president of florida, with a title of marques of certaine part of the lands which he should conquer.