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Show BOOK Vlll. , , II I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ' Portocarrero, cou!in of the count de Medellin, Juan Velafquez de Leon, a near relation to the governor, Diego Ordaz, Francifco de Montejo, Francifco de Lugo, and others, whom we {hall name in the courfe of our hifiory. Amongfi all thefe, Pedro de Alvarado de Badajos, Chriil:oval de Olid de Baeza, in Andalufia, and Gonzales de Sandoval de Medellin, merit particular mention, as they were the fidl: commanders of the troops employed in th;J.t conquefl:, and thofe who made the mofi difiingui{hcd .figure: all three warriors, extremely courageous, enured to the fiHigues of war, and tkilled in the military art, though otherwife difrerent in charaCter. AI'Uarado was a young man of handfome lhape, a.nd extreme agility, fair, graceful, lively, popular, addichtd to luxuries and pleafures, greedy of gold, of which he fl:ood in need to fupport his love of grandeur, and, as !orne authors affirm, unfcrupulou how he obtained it, inhumane and violent in his concut\: in fome expeditions. Olid was fl:out limbed, dark, and double. Both of them were very ferviceable to Cortes in the conquefl:; but they proved ungrateful to him afterwards, and met with a tragical end. Alvarado died .in New Gallicia, killed by a horfe which tumbled from a precipice. Olid was beheaded by his enemies in the fquare or market- place of Naco, in the province of Honduras. Saqdoval, ~ youth of a good family, was fcarcely twenty-two when he enlifi:ed in the expedition of his countryman Cortes. He was well-lhaped, manly in frature, and of a robufi complexion, his hair was of a chefiwt colour and curly, his voice fi:rong and thick; a perfon of few words but cxcellen. t .deeds~ Cortes fcnt him on the moll: difficult and dangerous expeditions, 10 all of which he came ofF with fuccefs and with honour. In the war again{J: .the Mexicans, he headed a part of the Spanilh army, and at tl~e ficge of the capital, he had more than thirty thoufand men under Ius comm~nd, .continually enjoying from his good conduCt the f.:vour o~ the general) the .rcfpcct of the foldicrs, and even the love of his ene1!ues. He foundcl the colony of Medellin, on the coafl: of OhalchlUhcuecan, and that of Spirito Santo, on the river Coatzacualco. lie was comm~nder of t~1e garri.fon of Vera Cruz, and fame time governor of Mex1co; and lll all h1s employments his equity was confpi~ uous. H~ WI\S .conft~nt and afilduous in labour, obedient and faith- 8 ful H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ful to his general, kind to the foldiers, humane (c) to his enemies, and entirely free from the pseva-iling contagion of avarice. In ihort, in all the feries of conquerors, we do not find a more accompliihed or praifeworthy char~Cl:er, as there was no one among them who knew fo well how to unite prudence and difcretion with the ardour of youth, bravery and intrepidity with humanity, modefl:y with merit, and humility with fuccefs. He died in the flower of his age at a place of Andalufia, on his way to the court of Spain with Cortes. As foon as all the preparations for the voyage were made, the governor of Cuba, from the fuggefl:ions and inllnuations of the rivals of Cortes, recalled his commifiion, and ordered him to be imprifoned; but thofe who were charged with his apprehenfion had not courage tQ attempt it, froin feeing fo many refpetl:able and brave men united to fupport the part of their new general ; fo that Cortes who had not only fpent all his own capital in preparations, but alfo contraCted large debts, retained his poll: in fpite of his enemies; and having all things in order and readincfs, weighed anchor from the port of Ajaruco upon the I oth of February, I 51 9· The armament confifl:ed of eleven veffels, five hundred and eight foldiers, divided into eleven companies, one hundred and nine feamen, fixteen horfes, ten pieces of cannon,. and four falconets. They fi:eered under the direCtion of the pilot Alami .. (d Dr. Robinfon :1ccufes Sando~al of that horrid example of feverity made of che p111111• ~h·'fe· where th.c Spantan.IK b~trncd hxty.lords ami four hundred nobles, under the eyes of clwir chllJrcn aad k1ndrcd, and Cites the tc!hmony of Corte7. and Gornara; but Cortes neither af~ rm~ tha~ Sat~Jov:li executed chat punilhment, nor even names it. Bernal Dia1., whofe :mthortty HI tlu~ pomt 1s mor~ to be depended on than Gomara, fays, that Sandoval after he had conquered the Panuchelc, . and tak~n t:vent>: l o rdR~ and fome other pcrlons of note prifoncrs, wr~te to Cortes .to know ~t s ?etcrnun.atton wtth rclpd t to th ~ m; and Cortes, in urder to make tht:tr. condemnanon more ~ufhfinble, lubmitted the proccfs to Diego de Ocampo, judge of that pr~vmcc, who, after havmg h~ard their confcli'lon, fentenced them to be burned, which judgmcur was exec uted. Banal Dtnz docs not Cllprefs the number of thofe who were condemned. Cortt!S Ctys, thnt including lords and other principal pe• fons, four hundred were burned. Suet~ a fcntcnce Wtts no doubt cruel and fcvcrc ; but Robertfon, who enOs mnny reproaches 0 cl S . d h h . d . . n IO pam:ll: s, oug t t? nve evmcc hu tmpartiality hy dednring the motives which they had to aCt ~o vmlently ngnm~ the P_(umchtj:. The lrltter having fubjceted themfelves to the crown of Spatn, renounced thctr o?cdtencc, and, running to arms, difiurbed that whole province; they ktlle~ fou r !~u~drcd Spanmrds, forty of whom they burned alive and eat the others. Sucb atr~c1ou s Jou~gs nrc not funicie11t to cxcufc the Spaniard ~ , but they certainly cxttnuate the fcventy of thctr conduCt. Robertfon read CCjUIIlly in Gomarn of the rebclliou1 deeds of chc PmruC"htfl·, aud the rigour of the Sllunianls·, but he conceals the former aud exaggcrate3 the latter, nos. 7 BOOK VIII. ~ S I! C To IIJ. Arm:~m e nt and voy:tgc of Corte~. |