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Show 2 Tf 1\00K V. ~ • H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ·who lived on fiih 6nly, the daily confumption was ten Cafiilian pifos of fi{h, (according to the teO:imony of the conqueror Cortez, in his lettet ·s to Charles V.) which is more than three l}undred Roman pounds. Three hundred men, fays Cortez, were employed to take tare of thofe birds, befldcs their phyficians, who obferved their d'iO:empers, and app1icd timely remedies to them. Of thofe three hundred men, fame procured them their food, others difiributed it, others took care of their eggs at the time of their incubation, and others picked their plu. ml()'e at certain feafons of the year; for, befides the pleafure which the king took in feeing fo great a multitude of animals colletted toge- . thet·, he was principally careful of their feathers, not lefs for the fake of the famous Mofaic images, of which we !hall fpeak hereafter, than of the other works which were made of them. The halls and chambers of thofe houfes, were fo many i11 number, as the couqueror above mentioned attefis, that they could have accommodated two great princes with aU their retinue. This celebrated houfe was fituated in the place where, at prefent, the great convent of St. Francis .ftands. The other houfe appropriated to the wild animals, had a large and handfome court, with a chequered pavement, and was divided into va· rious apartments. One of them contained all the birds of prey, from the royal eagle to the kefirel, and many individuals of every fpecies. Thefe birds were dif.hibuted, according to their fpecies, in various fubterraneous chambers, which were more than [even feet deep, and upwards of feventeen in length and breadth. The half of every chamber was covered with flat .ftones : and ftakes were fixed in the wall, OJl which they might fleep, and be defended from rain. The other h~lf of the chamber :was only ·covered with a lattice, through which they enjoyed the light of the fun. For . the fupport of thefe birds, were killed, .daily, near five hundred turkeys. In the fame houfe were many low halls filled w~th a great number of fl:rong wooden cages, in which, lions, tygers, wolves, coyotoo, and wild cats were confined, ~nd all other kinds of wild beafts, which were fed upon cl~er, rabb1ts, hare$, techicl1is-, and other animals, and the intefiines of human f~crifices. · The ~ing of Mexico not only kept all the fpecies of animals, which other pnnces do for ftate, but likewife fuch as by nature feemed exempted H I S T 0 R 'Y 0 F M E ;x I c o. em~ted fro~ flavery, namely, Cl'ocodiles, and.ferpents. The ft:rpents were kept m large cafks or :veff'els; the crocodiles in ponds, which we~e walled round. . !here were alfo, various ponds for .fi.{h, two of wh1ch, that are remam1.ng and ftill beautiful, we have feen in the palace of Chap0ltepec, two mlles from Mexico. Montezuma, who was not fatisfied with having every fort of · 1 · h' 1 1r. an1ma m ts pa ace, a ·10 colleet~d there all irregularly formed men, who either from the colour of their hair, or of theidkin or fome other dcform'ry . h' r. ' 1 m t e1r penons, were oddities of their fpecies. A humour this how- · ever, not unattende~ with ben:ficial confequences, as it gave maint~nance to a number of mtferable obJeCts, and delivered them from the inh _ man infults of their other fellow-creatures. u All his p~laces were furrounded with beautiful gardem, where there was every kmd of beautiful flower, odoriferous herb, and medicinal pl_ant. ~e had, likewife, woods inclofed with walls, and furnifhed With vanety of game, in which he frequently [ported. One of thofc woods was upon an ifiand in the lake, known at prefcnt among the · Spaniards, by the name of Piiion. ' Of all thefe palaces, gardens, and woods, there is now remaining 'the wood of Chapoltepec only, which the Spanifh viceroys have prcferved for their pl~af~re-. .All the others were deftroycd by the conqu~ rors. T_hey la1d m ru.ms_ the moft magnificent buildings of antiquity, fomet1mes from an md1fcreet zeal for religion, fometitnes in rcv. enge, or to make ufe of the materials. They negleCted the cultivatiOn of the royal gardens, cut down the woods, and reduced that country to fuch a ftate, the magnificence of its former kings coula not now 'find belief, were it not confirmed by the teftimony of thofe who were the caufes of its annihilation. . Not ~nly the palaces, but all the other places of pleafure, were kept 215 nooK v. '-'r--1 m exqmfite order and neatnefs, even thofe which were feldom or never vifite~; as the~e was nothing in which he took more pride than the clean1mefs ofh1s own perfon, and of every thing elfe which was his. He ~athed regularly every day, and had baths, therefore, in all his palaces. Every day he wore four dreifes; and that which he once put off, he never after ufed again : thefe were referved as largeiles for the nobles who ferved him, and the foldiers who behaved gallantly in war. Every St eT, IV. The good a11d bad of Montci~lllUh mommg, |