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Show S&c'l'. XIX. Occu rrenccs to Monte7.ll· rna ll h uica· min a. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. by the tyrant, and every Tepaneca they 1l1ould meet with, to death . WhiHl: this [evere pnni{hmcnt was palling at Tezcuco, the troops of the Tlafcalans and Huexotzincas, which had been detached from the main army, made a furious attack on the city of Acolman; they made a general fbughter of al~ whom they met, until they advanced to the houfe of the lord of that city, who was a brother of the tyrant; he having no forces fuHicient to defend himfelf, was ilain among the refl: of their enemies. On the fame day the Chalchefe, who were alfo auxiliaries of the prince, fe11 upon the city of Coatlichan, took it without oppofition, and put its governor to death, who had taken refuge in the greater temple; thus, in one fingle day, the capital and two other coniiderable cities of the kingdom of Acolhuacan, were reduced under Gbe-dience to the prince. The king of Mexico being acquainted with the fuccelfes of his con-fin, fent another embalfy to congratulate him and confirm their alliance. He entrufi:ed this embaffy to ,one of his grandfons, a fon of king Huitzilihuitl, called Monteuczoma, or !vfontezuma, a youth of great ftrength of body and invincible courage, whofe immortal actions obtained hirri the name of ~lacaele, or Man of great Heart, and that of 1/huicamina, or Archer of Heaven ; and to difi:ingui.!h him in the ancient paintings, they reprefented over his head, the heavens pierced with an arrow, as appears in the feventh and eighth pictures of Mendoza's ColleCtion, and as we !hall {hew among the figures of the kings of Mexico. This is the fame hero of Mexico, whom Acofl:a has fo much celebrated under the name of ~lacaellel, or rather Tobar, from whom the other took his character, although miftaken in many actions which he attributes to him ( z). The king as well as his gt:andfon, faw the danger of the enterprize; as the tyrant, to obfl:ruct the progrefs of his rival, and his communication with the Mexicans, had made himfelf mafier of the roads; but the king for this neither delayed to fend the embal.fy, nor did Montezuma difcover the leafl: cowardly .<z) Acofin, or Tobar ruther, is not only mifiaken in many a~Hons which he attributes to th1s hero, but nlfo in regard to his identity ; as he confiders Tlacaelell to be a different perfon from Montezuma, who was cnlled by two, and even three different names. He alfo makes 'fhlcacllel g~a~dfon of Itzcoatl, and at the fame time uncle of Montez\lma ; which is evidently abfurd; as tt as known that Montezuma was fon of Huitzilihuitl, brother· of Itzcoatl ; of courfe he could not be the grandfon of the grandfon of lt7.c011tl, appre- H I 8 T 0 R Y 0 F M E X 1 C 0. apprehenfions; on the c.ontrary, that he might execute the orders of his fovereign more fpeedily, when he left the king he avoided returning te h_is hou~e to equip_ himfelf with neceffaries for his journey, but let out Immedtately on Jus way, giving in charge to anothet· noble, who was to accompany him, the carrying of fuch cloaths as were ne ... ceffary to prefent hir:nfelf before the prince. Having fafely delivered his embaffy, he took leave of the prince to retur~ to Mexico, but in the way fell into an ambufcade laid by his enemtes, was taken prifoner with all his attendants, conducted to Chalco, and prefent~d to rr'oteotzin, lord of that city, and an inveterate enemy of tne Mextcans. Here he was immediately !hut up in a clofe prifon, under the care of ff<.yateotzin, a very refpeCtable perfon, who was or- , der.ed to pro~ide no fuftenance for the prifoners but what his lord pre ... fcnbed, until the mode of death was determined, by which their days were to be concluded. <l.!:!ateotzin revolting at the inhumanity of fuch orders, fupplied them liberally at his own expence. But the cruel Toteotzin, thinking to pay a piece of flattering homage to the Huexotzi~ cas, fent ~is pr~fon ers to them, that, if they judged proper, they m1ght be facnficed m Huexotzinco with the affiftance of the Chalchefe or in Chalco with the affifl:ance of the Huexotzincas. The Huexotzin~ cas, who were always more humane than the Chalchefe, rejected the propofal with difdain. " Why 1l1ould we deprive men of their lives " who have committed no crime, unlefs that of aCting as faithful mefH fengers to their lord; and if they merited to die, we can derive · no :; ·honour !'rom putting ~rifoners to death which do not belong to us. Return m peace, and mform your lord that the nobility of Huexot" zinco will ·not render themfelves infamous by acts fo unworthy of " them." The Chalchefe returned with the prifoners and this anfwer to Toteotzin, who being determined to procure himfelf friends by means of h~s prifone~s, gave information of them t~ Maxtlaton ; leaving it to htm to dectde their fate, and trufting, by this refpeetful adulation, to calm th: anger and indignation which his treachery and incon{bncy in abandomng the party of the Tepanecas, for the prince Nczahualcojot1, muft have excited in the tyrant .. While he waited the anfwer of Maxtlaton, he ordered the prifoners to be {hut up again in the fame prifon, I and I SCJ ROOK. liT. ~ |