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Show H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. conquered fix different combatants, who came fucceffively to fight with him, agreeable to the account given by the conqueror Cortes, he was granted his life, his liberty, and all that had been taken from him, and returned with glory to his native country (o). The fame author relates, that in a battle between the Cholulans and Huexotzincas, rh : principal lord of Cholula grew fo warm in the conteil:, that having inad- ..,vertently removed to u great difl:ancc from his own people he wa mad prifoner in fpite of his bravery, and condutl:ed .to Hucxotzinco, where being put upon the gladiatorian ftone, he conquered fevcn combatants which were oppofed to him, and gained his liberty; but tl1c Huexotzincas forefceing, that on account of his finguL.tr courage he would become the caufe of many difafters to them if they granted him his liberty, put him to death contrary to univerfal cufi:om; by which atl: they rendered themfelves eternally infamous among thofe nations. With refpetl: to the number of the vitl:ims which were annually fitcri. ficed we can affirm nothing; the opinions of hiftorians on that hc,1d being extremely different (p ). The number of twenty thoufand, which is conjetl:ured to approt~ch the neareil: to truth, dor;:s not appear to us improbable, if we include in it all the vitl:ims which were .fitcrificcd throughout the whole empire; but if th:.~t number comprehends, as fome hifi:orians afiert, the infmts only, or the v.itl:ims which were facrificed on the mountain Tepeyacac, or in the capital, we think it altogether incredible. It is certain, that the number of £1crifices was (o) Several hiflorions f.1y, that when the lirfl: combatant wns overcome the prifoner became free; but we nrc rnthcr inclined to credit the Conqueror; for it is not probable, thnt they nould liberate a prifoncr for fo fmall a rifk who might flill prove dclt ruc ive to them, or tlut they WOllld deprive their gods of a vi tl im fo acceptable to th eir cruclry. (p) Zurnarraga, the firrl: bi01op of Mexico, f.ry s, in a lctt ct· of the 12th of June, 153 r, nddrcf!cd to the general chaprer of his order, that i11 tbnt capita l :douc twenty tboufimd hu. tni1111iCtims were annually f:tcriljccd. Some authors, quoted by Gomarn, allirm, th at the num.bcr of the f.1crilic ed amounted to fifty thouf:tnd. Acofla write,, that there was a ccrt:~in day of the year on which five thou fund were f:t crificcd in difl'l:rcnr pia <'S of the empire; :tnd another d~y 011 which they f:tc rific ~d tWClltf tlH>ufand. Some :tuthors b licvc, th:tt on the mountain TcpcyacHc alon e, twenty thoufancl were fitcrificcu to the go .ldcfs Tonant7.in. Tot qllcmada, in qtroting, though unfnithfully, the letter of Zurnnrragn, f:tys, th :lt there were twenty thnuf:tnd inf:ults annually f., rifi~:ed. But (Jil the t:ontrary, Las Caf:ts, in his refu tation of the bloody book, wrote hy Dr. Scpulvcd~,, rcdu cs tl.lc facrilkcs to io tin.dl anumlxw, that we arc left ro believe, they amounted not to fifty, or at mull: not to a hundreil. \\'c arc flrong-ly of opinion, thnt all th {c :tllthor~ have erred in the number, Las Cafas by dimilllltio, l, the refi by exn?·g-cration of the truth. Vot. I. Oo not B...O__O_K... _V_,l . Sr: cT. XX. The nu rn bet· or fac ri ticc:-i Utl\:crra in. |