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Show 2 6 HO K V. -..-v-- S I CT. XV, 1\ l"'olu tions in the kl nf( dom of 1\l'olh u .t c~ n . H I S 'T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. his refcm blance to him was remarkable. The glory of the Chechemecau kings may be [aid to have ended with him, as the difcord which took place among- his children, dimini!hcd the fp.lendour. of the cou.rt, weakened the force of the fiate, and tended to bnng on 1ts final n un . Nezahualpilli did not declare who was to be his fuccefior in the crown, which all his ancefiors had done. We are ignorant, however, of the motive that caufed this omiffion, and which proved [o prej udicial to the kingdom of Acolhuacan. . . As foon as the fupreme council of the deceafed kmg were certam of his death, they confidered it necefi:ny to eleCt a fu ccefior to him in imitation of the Mexicans. They affembled therefore in order to deliberate on a point of fuch importance, and the oldefi and mofi refpetl: able perfon among them taking the lead in the affembly, reprefented the great difafiers which might accrue to the fiate of Acolhuacan, if the election was retarded : he was of opinion, that the crown fell to the prince Cacama~zin ; fince, befides his prudence and his courao- e, he was the fidl:-born of the fidl: Mexican princefs whom the late ki7,g married. All the other counfellors concurred in this opinion, which was in idclf [o jufi and came from a perfon of fuch authority. The princes who waited in a hall adjoining for the refolution of tho counfel, were defircd to enter there to hear it. When they were all introduced, the principal feat was given to Cacamat~in, who was a youth of twenty-two years, and his brothers Coanocotzin, who was twenty, and Ixthilxochitl who was eighteen, were placed on each fide of him. The fame aged counfellor, who had firfi addreffed the afi{~mbly, then rofe, and declared that the refolution of the council, which included alfq that of the kingdom, was to give the crown to Cacamatzin, on account of the right of primogeniture. Ixtlilxochit1, who was an ambitious and .enterprifing youth, op.pofed it, by faying, that if the king was really dead, he would certainly hav-~ named his fucce!for; that his not having done it was a clear evidence of his life, and while the lawful fovereign was living it w~s criminal in his fubjeC\:s to name a fucce!for. The council who knew the difpofition of lxtlilxochitl, dud1: not openly contradict him, but defircd Coa'nocotzin to deliver his opinion. This pt:ince approved and confirmed the determination of the council, and pointed out the inconveniencies which would enfue if the execution of I it H I S T 0 R Y · 0 F M E X I C 0. ~t was ddayed. H7 was ~ontradiCl:ed, and taxed with being light and mconfiderate by Ixthlxoclutl, and that he could not perceive while he em .. braced fu ch an opini?n th at he was favouring the defigns of Montezuma, '~ho was much mclmed to Cacamatzin, and ufed his endeavours to put h1m on the throne, becaufe he trufied he would find in him a king of wax, to whom he might give what form he pleafed. " It is by no :: means r~afon a b.l e, ~ear brother," replied Coano.cotzin, " to oppofe a refolu tlOil wluch 1s fo prudent and fo jufl:; are you not aware that "if Cacamatzin was not to be king, the crown would belong not to ::you but to. me." " It is. true," faid Ixtlilxochitl, " if the right of fucceffion 1s to be determmed by age only, the crown is due to Ca" camatzin, and in failure of him to you ; but if regard is paid, as it ".o~ght to be, to ~ourage, to me it belongs." The counfellors perce1vmg that the pnnces were growing gradually more vehemcnr and warm in their altercation, impofed filence on them both, and difmiffed the a!fembly. The two princes went to their mother the queen Xocotzin to continue their cavil, while Cacamatzin accompanied by many of the nobility, fet out immediately for Mexico to inform Montezuma of what had happened, and to demand his affifi:ance. Montezuma, who, betides the attachment he had to the prince, faw the jufiice of his claim, and the confent of the nation to it• advifed hfm in the firfi place to fecure. the royal treafures, and promifed to fettle the difpute with his brother,. and to employ the Mexican arms in his behalf if negociations for that purpofe fhould not prove fufficient. l xtlilxochitl, as foon as he knew of the departure of Cacamatzin, ~n d forefaw the confequences of his application to Montezuma, fet ou t from c~ur t with. all his partizans, and went to the frates which belonged to h1s tutors m the mountains of Meztitlan. Coanocotzin fent immediate advice to Cacamatzin to return without delay to T ezcuco, and make uft of t.hat fa vourable opportunity for being crowned. Cacamatzi » availed him[elf of this wife counfel, and came to the court accomp: mied by uitlahuazin the brother of Montezuma, and lord of Iztapalapan~ and many of the Mexican nobility. Cuitlahuazi n, without lortng any time, alfembled the T ezcucan nobility in the HueiBecpan, 01· the great palace of the king of Acolhuacan, and prefen ted prince Caca- |