OCR Text |
Show II I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. ferved any thing new in the inhabitants of that court? ~hey. r~~lied,. that the Mexican populace was then amufcd with th~ publ1c reJOICings, 1 w 11· c h h k' g h"d or·dered to celebrate tho arnval of fuch noble t c m .. ' . . . il:rangers; but that am.ongH: the nobility they perce1ved a fufplCIO~S look j and, among other thingc:, they had heard then: foly, that lt would be eafy to lift up the bridges upon the c.anals, wlllch feemed to indicate fomc fecret confpiracy againll: the Span1ards. . ortes could not Deep from uneJfinefs that whole mg~1t, and pa~c.:d it travcrfing his quarters in deep meditation. A . centmel told hm1, that in one of the chambers there was a door wluch had been fre(h walled up. Cortes made it be opened, and upon entering they found fcveral chambers, where the trcafurc of the deceafed king was depofi~cd. He faw there many idols, a great quantity of works of gold, of gems, of feathers of cotton, and feveral other things which were paid by the tlibutary ;rovinces, or prefented by the feudatory lords to their fovercign. After beholding with amazement fo much riches, he made the door 'be again walled up, and left in its former il:ate. The next morning he called together his captains, reprefen ted to• them the holl:ilities committed by the lord of Nauhtlan upon the garrifon at Vera Cruz and the Toroi1acas their allies, which the allies thcmfelves faid would not have been offered without the exprefs order or permiffion of the king of Mexico. He painted, in fl:rong colours,, the danger in which they then il:ood, and declared his defign to them, exaggerating' the advantages which were to be expeCted from the execution of it, and dimini!hing the evils which it might occafion. Their opinions were various. Some of them rej.ec:t:ed the propofition of the general as .raih and impraCticable, and faid, that it would be fitter to afk permiOion from the king to. retire from the country, fince as he had endeavoured, with fo much earnefinefs, and fuch larg~ prefents,, tG> tlU'n them from ~heir refoluti-on of coming to Mexico, he would promptly confent tq their departure. Some of them thought, that although it was i1ecdfary for them to depart,, yet they imagined th:tt it would be proper to do it fecretly, in order to give the Mexicans no opportuni~y of betraying them in any manner;, but the greater part of them having, it is probable, been, prcv.iouDy biaffcd by the gen~:ral, em braced his p,ropol:tl, rejecting the others as more dangerous and ignominious. " Wh:lt will " they li I S T o· R' Y . 0 F M E X I C 0. " they fay of us?" they a!ked, " when they fee us go fuddcn~y from. a · " court where we have been crowned with honour; .who w1ll not be , " perfuadcd that it is •fear which chafes us away ? If we ever lofe the " reputation of courage, what fccurity can we promife ourfelves, •" either in th.ofe places <Df the Mexicans through which we mufi pafs, " or among out" allies, who will no longer be rell:rained by refpec:t: for " our anns.?" At laO:, the refolution was formed to take Montezuma in his palace, and to bring him prifoncr to their quarters; a refolution moll: ba11barou&, however, and wild to exc fs,. fuggefted by apprehenfions for thei1~ 'n\te, and their pafr uniform. experience of fuccefs,. which, more than any ·thing elfe, encourages men, and leads them gradually on always to fome fiill more dat'ing undc::rtaking .. For the execution of th-is· dangerous plnn, Corte.; put all his troops · in arms, and ihtioned them at proper places. He commanded five of ltlis officers· and twenty-five of his foldicrs, in whom he placed chief ·e:onfidence-, to. repair twe by two to the palace, but in fuch a manner. ' ~hat they might all meet there at once, as if by accident; and having . previouDy obtainea leave of the king, he went himfelf with his inter. preter Marina, at tl~e u{ual ·hour of his vifit to· him. He was ilntrodueed witl1 the otl1er Spaniards into· rho hall of ::mdience, where the king, far from fufpecting what was to happen, received them with his .wontecl·kindnefs; He mnde them fit down, prefented them tofomeworks ef gold~ and oefides prefented OBe of his daughters to Cor.tcs. eorte3, :\frer having exprefied his gratitude, in the moft polite terms) apologifed for not accepting her, allcclging that· he was married in Cuba, and according to. the Chrifiian law, he was not permitted to have tWO · :wives; bu't at lall: he received her into his comp::my, to avoid giving ·eifguft to· the· king, at1d to have an· opportunity of making her a . · hriftian, as he afterwards 1did. To· the other ofli.cers alfo ·he gave forne daughters · of · Mexican lords of tho(e he had in his femglio. 'They converfed afterwards, for fome time, on var·ious fuojec:t:s ; but. · ortes, feeing that thofe difcourfcs diverted· him from his objeCt, told the' king that his vifit then w:~s m·1cle to · communicate to him the proL. ccedings of his vamtl the lord of Nauhtlan : he complained of the holl:ilit i~s cammitted by that lord on the Totonac:ts, on· account of their friend!hip with the Spaniards; of the war made on· the paniards att 77 BOOK IX. ~ |