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Show 2 34 BOOK V, II I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0 . In matt rs of re 11. g·1 0n · he was of the fame opinion .w i th his .g reat father Ne za h ua 1C OJ·O tl • He fccretly deiipifed the wor!h1p o. f the 1dols, alt h oug h 11 e nppeat.e d to conform to it with the p.e ople. . c refemdb le.d his t\ther al (o in his great zeal for the laws, and ~n. the r1gorous ~ tm- ·Jl. • f · ll.'ce of which he afforded a ftnkmg example m the !1lll[atl011 0 . jUll.} 1 • • • Llfl: ears of his reign. There was a law wluch forb1d, on pam of death the {peaking of indecent words in the royal palace. One of the p;·inces his fons, who was n:uned Huexotzincalzon, to whom ~c bore more aftection than to any of the rcfi, not lefs_ on ~ccount of IllS difpofition, and the virtues which !ho~1e out evet~ m h1s. ~outh~ ~~~an of his having been the fidl born of hts fons by h1'i' favour.Ite Xocotzlll, violated this law; but the words made ufe of by the pnnce. were. ra. ther the eflett of youthful indifcretion than of any culpable mtent10n. he king was informed of it by one of his mifl:reffes to whom the words had been addrefied. He enquired of her if they had been fpoke l>efore any other perfons, and finding that the prince's tutors had been prefent, he retired to an apartment of his pqlace, defiined for .occafions of mourning and grief. There he Cent for the tutors to cxamme them. They' being afraid of meeting with feyere puni{hment if they concealed the truth, confeffed it openly, but at the fame time ende:1v0L1red to exculpate the prince, by faying, that he neither knew the perfon to whom he fpoke, nor that th~ words were obfcene. But notwithfianding their reprefentations, he ordered the prince to be immediately arrefl: ed, and the fame day pronounced feritence of death upon him. The whole court was afi:oni!hed at fo rigorous a judgment, the nobles pleaded with prayers and tears in his behalf, and the mother of t!1e prince herfelf, relying on the. king's particular affeB:ion for her; pre~ fented herfelf as a plaintiff before him, a11d in order to move him to compaffion, led all her children along with her. But neither reafoning, prayers, nor tears, could bend the king. " My [on," he f.1id, (4 has violated the law. ' If I pardon him, it will be [aid, the laws are " not binding upon every one. I will let my fubjeB:s know. that no " one will be pardoned a tranfgreffion, as 1 do not even· pardon the fon j~· whom I dearly love." The queen pierced with the moil: lively grief, and defpairi'ng of being able to !hake the confi:ancy of the king; told him, " Since you have banilhed from your heart all the afFeCtions of n H father H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ,, father and a hufband for fo .flight a caufe, why do you hefitate to put me " to death and thefcyoung princes whom! have borne to you?" The king then with a grave afpeCl: commanded her to retire, as the c,tfe was withol. lt a remedy. The difappointed quec:n retreated to her apartment, and there, in company with fome of her attendants who went to confole her, abandoned herfelf to grief~ In the. mean while, thofe who were charged with the punilhment of the prince, continued to delay it, that time might [often the rigour of jufl:ice, and give opportunity for the return of parental affection and mercy; but the king. perceiving theit· intention, commanded that they lhould immediately do their duty~ which accordingly' followed, to the general difpleafure of the kingdom,. and the utmoll: difgufl: to 1\{fontezuma, not only on account of the relation between himfclf and the prince, but likcwife of the interference whi-ch he made in the prince's favour,. having been. w1fuccefsful in procuring a repeal of the fentence. After the punifhment was executed, the king fhut himfelf up for forty days in a hall, without letting himfelf be feen by any one, while he fecretly vented his grief, and made the door of his fon.'s apartment be clofed up with a wall, to hide from his fight any remembrancer o£ his forr(i)WS. His feverity in punilhing tranfgre!fors was compenfated by the compa: Oion which he lhewed for the accidental difi:reife.s of any of his fubjeB:s. There was a window in his palaee which looked towards. the marketplace, covered with blinds, from which he ufed to obferve, without being feen, the people that a!fembled there;. and whenever he faw any ill clothed woman he made her be called, and after informing himfelf bf her life and condition, he fupplied her with what was neceifary for herfelf and fami-ly if fhe had any. Ev~ry day at his. palace alms were given to the fick and to orphans. There was an. hofpital a~ Tezcuco for aU thofe who· had. loft their eydight in war, ot had become from any other caufe unfit for fe_rvic ~, where they were fupported at the royal expencc, according to their fl:ations, and freq.uently vifited by the king himfelf.. In fuch beneficent at:ts a great part of his revenues was expended. ~ The genius and talents of this· king have been: higElly extolled by tl!e hiftorians of that kingdom. He endeavoured to imitate, both in his. iludies and in the· conduct of his life, the example of his father, and H h ~ his· J 335 BOOK V. ~ |