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Show 354 H I S T 0 R Y 0 F l\II E X I C 0. BOOK VIr. the Taquit/atoque, or the runners, who carried the noti.fi~at_ions of the ""---' magifl:rates, and fummoned guilty p~rfom, and tht: 'Topt!lz or the of-ficers who apprehended and made pnfon_ers: . . . In the kingdom of Acolhuac::m, the JUdicwl power was d1V1ded a .• mongfl: [even principal cities. The judges remained in their tribunals from fun-rife until evening. Their meals were brought to them in the tribunal-hall, nnd that they might not be taken off from their employment, by giving attendance upon their families, nor ha~e any excufe for being corrupted, they ~ere, agreeable to the ufage m the kingdom of Mexico, affigned po.ffefiions ::md labourers, who cultivated their fields. Thofe pofl"e!lions, as they belonged to the oflice, not to the officer, did not pa.fs to his heirs but to his fucceifors in that appointment. In caufes of importance they duril: not pronounce fentence, at leafl: not in the capital, without giving information to the king. Every Mexican month, or every twenty days, an aifembly of all the judges was held before the king, in order to determine all caufes then undecided. If from their being much perplexed and intricate, they were not finiihed at that time, they were referved for another general affembly of a more folemn nature, which was held every eighty days, and was therefore called Nappapjal/atolli, that is, the onferencc of ~ ighty, at which all caufes were finally decided, and in the prefence . of that whole afiembly, puni{hment was inflitl:ed on the guilty. The king pronounced fentence by drawing a line with the point of an arrow upon the head of the guilty perfon, which was painted o.n the procefs~ In the tribunals of the Mexicans the contending parties made their own allegations: at leaf\: we do not know that they employed any othet~ advocates. In criminal caufes the accufer was not flllowed any other proof than that of his witneifes ;. but an accufcd perfon could clear himfdf from guilt by his oath. In difputes about the boundaries of pofi<.:ffions, the paintings of the land were confultcd as authentic wntmgs. All the magifl:ratcs were obliged to give judgment according to tho bws of the kingdom which were reprefentcd by paintings. Of thcie we have fecn many, and have extratl:ed from them a part of that which we !hall lay before our readers on the fubjeCl:. The power of making laws in Tczcuco belonged always to the Icings, who made thofe which they . . H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. 355 they publiGted, be rigoroufly obfervcd. Amongfl: the Mexicans, the BOOK vn. firfi law_s were made, from what we can difcover, by the body of the no- ~ bility; but afterwards the kings became the legiflators of the nation, and while their authority was confined within moderate limits, they were zealous in the obfervance of thofe laws which they or their an-cefiors had promulgated. In the la.ll: years of the monarchy dcfpotifm altered, and changed them 1at ca1 rice. We fhall here enumerate thofe which were in force at the time the Spaniards entered into Mexico. In fome of them much prudence and humanity and a fl:rong atta ch-ment to good cufl:oms will be difcovered; but in others an exccfs of rigour which degenerated in to cruelty. A traitor to the king or the fl:ate was torn in pi~ces, and his rela- ~!~;1• t~:~· tions who were privy to the treafon, and did not difcover it, were de-prived of their liberty. Whoever dared in war, or at any time of public rejoicing, to make ufe or the badges of the kings of Mexico, of Acolhuacan, or Ta:. cuba, or of thofe of the Cihuacoatl, was punilhed with death, and his goods confifcated. Whoever maltreated an ambalfador; miniiler, or courier belonging to the king, fu.ffered death; but ambaffadors at1d couriers were forbid on their part to leave the high road, under pain of loling their privileges. The puniihment of death was inflicted alfo on thofe perfons who occafioned any [edition amongfl: the people; on thofe who carried off, or changed the boundaries placed in the fields by public authority; and likewife on judges who gave a ferttence that was unjuft, or contrary to the laws, ·or made an unfaithful report of any caufe to the king, or a fltperior magiflrate, or allowed themfelves to be corrupted by br!bes. He who in war committed any holl:ility upon the enemy wtthout the order of his chief, or attacked them before the fignal for battle was given, or abandoned the colonrs1 or violated any proclamation publifh-cd to the army, was infallibly beheaded. . He who at market altered the meafures efbbliG1ed by the magJftrates, was guilty of felony, and was put to death without deby in the (une place. z z 2 · Amnr- |