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Show 238 BOOK V. ~ H I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. Cacamatzm· to be ac k n owledged by them as their lawful fovereigrr.f } Je was rece1·v e d as lrU. C h by them all , and the day for th• e cer• emony o• ••t he coronatt·o n was fi xc d ,. but this was interrupted by. mtelhgence a1 rmng at court, that the prince Ixtlilzochitl was defcendmg from the moun-tains of Meztitlan at the head of a great army. . This turbulent youth as foon as he arrived at Meztlt.lan, aifembled all the lords of the places fituated in thofc great. mountams, and m~dc them acqunintc<.' with his defign of oppofing hts .brother Cacamatzm, pretending that it was his. zeal for_ the honour ~nd hberty.of the Che,ch.emecan and Acolhu, 11 natwns wh1ch moved hun; that tt would .be dtfgraccful, and even dangerous, to pay obedience t~ a king, fo phant. ta 1 ·11 of the monarch of Mexico; that the Mextcans •had forgot what t lC Wl • f . . I' they owed to the Acolhuan natiOn, and were defirous. o mete. 1111g their unjull: ufurpations with the kingdom of Acolh~acan ; that h~ f01 .. his part was refolved to exert all the courage wluch God had grvell' him to defend and fave his country from the tyranny of Montezuma~ Wicl1 thefe arguments, which were probably fuggefied to him by l~is tutors, he fo fired the minds of thofe lords, that they ~11 prof< fled. themfelves willing to ferve him with all their forces, and _rmfe~ fo man_y troops that when the prince defcended from the mountams h1s army 1t is faid amounted to upwards of one hundred thoufand men; wheth:r. it was from the dread of his power, or from an inclination to favour h1s· . pretenfions, he was 'well received in all the places through which he· paffed. He fent an embaffy from Tepepolco to the Otompanefe, commanding them to do obedience to him as their proper king; but theyt replied, that as Ntzahualpilli was dead, they would acknowledge no other fovereign than Cacamatzin, who had been peaceably accepted at' court, and was already i:n poffeffion of the throne of Acolhuacan. This anfwer. fo exafperated· the prince, that he went in great wrathagainft their city. The Otompanefe met him in order of battl.e; but although they for fome time refifted the army of their en~my, they were at laft vanquifued, and their city was taken by the prince. The lord himfelf of Otompan fell among the Oain, which accident foon accelerated the victory. This event threw Cacamatzin and all his court into the utmofi uneafinefs, fearing the enemy might even befiege the capital ; he prepilred fortifi- H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. fortifications againfi them; but the prince being contented with feeing himfelf refpec.ted and feared, did not move from Otompan; but placed guards on the roads, with orders, however, to hurt no pcrfon, to hinder no individuals from pa£Ilng from the court to any other place, and to .lhew refpcCl: and civility to all paifengers of rank. Cacamatzin, knowing the forces, and the refolutions of his brother, and con{idering it would be better for him to facritice even a great part of his kingdom than to lofc it altogether, with the confent of his brother Coanacotzin, difpatched an embaify to treat of an accommodation with him. He fent to tell him, that he might, if he chofe, retain all the dominions in the mountains, as he was contented with the court and the territory of the phin ; that he wa.c; willing alfo to lhare the revenues of his kingdom with his brother Coanacotzin; but at the fame time he requefied him to d.rop every other pretenfion, and not to difimb the public tranquillity. The prince anfwered, that his brothers might aCl: as they thought proper i that he was pleafed that Cacamatzin was in poffeffion of the kingdom of Acolhuacan, that he had no defigns againfi him nor againil: the ibte; that he had no other view in maintaining his army than to oppofe the ambitious defigns of the Mexicans, who had given grounds for the greatetl: difgutl: and fufpicions to his father Nezahualpilli ; that if at that time the kingdom was divided for the common intereil: of the nation, he hoped to fee it again united; that above all things it was necefi3ry to guard againfl: fctlling into the ii1ares of the crafty Montezuma. Ixtlilxochitl· was not deceived in his diffidence of Montezuma, as this king w,ls the very perfon who, as we fhall find hereafter, gave the unfortunate Cacamatzin into the hands of the Spaniards, in f})ite of the ftttachment he pretended to him. This agreement being made with his brother, Cac:unatzin rema.inel1 in peaceable pofleilion of the crown of Acolhuacan; but with greatly diminifhed dominions, as he had ceded a very conlidernble part of th kingdom. Ixtlilocxhi~l kept his troops contl:antly in motion, and frequently appeared with his army in the environs of Mexico, daring Mont<:zuma to a fingle combat with hin). But this king was no Jonget · in a flntc fit to accept fuch a challenge. The fire which he had in his youth had already began to die away with age, and dometl:ic luxury had enervated his mind; nor would it have been prndcnt to have expofc,l 239 BOOK V. ~ |