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Show R I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. Maxtlaton bein..,.. more forward and active, arrogated the right to himfelf, and began ~0 command with as much authority. as if ~e h~d. bee~1 already in poifeffion of the kingdom at which l~e afptred,. 1magt~1~1~ tt would be eafy to opprefs his brother, who was a man of n~ ab1ht.~es,. and unikilled in the art of government. He fent informatton to the kings of Mexico and Tlatelolco, and other lords, that they .might honour with their prefence and their tears the funeral ~f .the1r common lord. Nezahuacojotl, though not fummoncd, was wtllmg to be prefent, as may eafily be imagined, to obferve .with his own eye~ the. diCpofition of the court. He was accompamed by a confident1al fnend and a frnall retinue; having entered the hall of the royal palace where the corpfe lay expofed, he found the. kings of Mexico and Tlatelolco,. the three princes,. fons of the late tyrant, and fome other lords. He· faluted them all one after another, according to the order in which. they fat, beginning with the king of Mexico, and prefenteq thenlbunches of flowers, according to the cufrom of that country. Having. paid his compliments he fat down by.. the fide of king Chimalpopoca,., his brother-in-law, to accompany him in condolence. Teuttzintli, one of the· fons of Tezozomoc, who inherited. his cruel:ty,.. conceiv·ing. this a good occafion to execute the iniquitous charge of his father on. Nezahualcojotl,. pr~pofed it to his brother Maxtlaton. He,. however,. though of no lefs inhuman a heart,. had more under.franding and jucigment. " Baniih,." he replied, u bani!h from your mind fuch a thought .. " What would men fay of us if they fuould fee us plotting againft the " life of another while we ought to be employed in mourning for our . "father? They would ·fay, that the grief was not deep which gave ri way to ambition and revenge. Time will prefent us with an occa" fion more favourable for the accomplilhment of our father's purpofe, " without incurring the odium of our fubjetl:s. Nezahualcoj0tl is not " invifible; unlefs he hides himfelf in fire, in water, or in the b0wels" of the earth, he will inevitably fall into our hands .. " This happened on the four.th day after the death of the tyrant, when the co. rpfe was burnt, a.n d his allies buried with unufual pomp and. folem- . nay. The next day the kings of Mexico and Tlatelolco returned to 'their cities, and Maxtlaton began foon -by lef& diffimulation to difcover .his ambi- H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. -ambitious defign of making himfelf mafter of the kingdom, lhewing by his arrogance and daring temper, that where his arts would not be f~fficient, h~ would employ force. Tajatzin had not courage to oppofe h1m, knowmg the bold and violent difpofition of his brother,. and the advantage he had in having fubjeCl:s accufromed to obey him. On fo difficult a point, he took therefore the refolution of reforting to Mexico to confult with king Chimalpopoca, to whom he had been chiefly recommended by his father. This king receiv~d him with particular marks of efteem, and, after the ufual compliments, Chimalpopoca ad .. dre.lfed him. " What are you doing, prince. Is not the kingddm " yours? D.id not your father leave it to you? Why do you not exert " yourfelf to recover it, if you are qnjufrly robbed of it?" " Becaufo " my rights avail but little, if my fubjetl:s do not affift me. My bro" ther has made himfelf mafi:er of the king~om, and .no perfon feems " to give him oppofition : it would be railinefs to oppofe him with no " oth~ power or forces than my defires, and the juftice of my caufe." " What is not to be done, by force may be fupplied by indufi:ry," re .. plied Chimalpop,oca, " I will point. out to you a method to gc:t rid of '~ yolll: brother, and rell:ore . yourfelf without danger to the po.lfefiion " of the throne. Excufe y0urfelf for not inhabiting the palace of your " deceafed father., UI1Per pretence that your grief is revived by the re .. " mell\brance of his atl:ions~ and the love which he bore you, and " tha~ , therefore you are willing. to build yourfelf another palace for you.r " refidcrnce. When it is fin.ilhed, make a fplendid entertainment, and ." inv.it~ your brother to it, and there, in the midft of the rejoicings, it " will , bo eafy.. to free your kingdom of a tyrant, and yourfelf of a rival "' fo dangerous and unj4ft; and .that you may more c~rtainly fucceed, " I ihall.attend to affift you in perfon, with all the forces of my na- " tion." To fuc;h counfel Tajatzin made no reply, but looks of dark· melanc,holy, occalioned by . the love he .had to. blood, or the bafenefs <>f the aCl:.fugge~ed to .him. To aH ·thi~ difcourfe a fervant· of Tajatzin was privy, who had con- cealed himfelf where he . could eafily overhear them, and hoping to m*e his fortune by betraying them, he departed fecretly at night for ~zcapozalao, went dire<Uly t0 the. palace, where having obtained an au'<: hence, he~reveA-led . to Mnxtlaton all he hac;l heard. His mind was fud- U 2. denly BOOK III. '--v-o' , • |