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Show • 422 BOOK VII. ~ H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. whatever figures they chofe. Hill:orians affirm, that the[e works were done with a particular f.·md; b~1t it is moil: certain, they could not do them w:thout fomc inil:rumcnt of flint, or hard copper, which is found in that country. The gems mofl: common among the Mexicans were emeralds, amethyfl:s, cornelians, turq~oiies, and iome others not known in Europe. Emeralds were fo common, that no lord or noble wanted them, and none of them died without having one fixeJ to his lip, that it might ferve him as they imagined inil:ead of a heart. An infinite number of them were iCnt to the court of Spain in the iiril: years after the conqueil:. When Cortes returned the firfl: time to Spain, he brought ;.tlong with him, amongft other inefl:imable jewels, ~five ememlds, whic:h, as Gom:~ra, who was then living, bears teil:imony, were valued at a hundred thoufand ducats, and for one of them fome Genoefe merchants offered him forty thouf<md, i!1 order to fell it again to the grand fignor (.\·); and alfo two emer<1ld va{es, valued, as the celebrated P. Mariana (y) Jays, at three hundred thoufan<.l ducats, which vafes orres loll: by the ihipwreck which he fuffered in 1·he unfortunate expedition of Charles V .. againil: Algiers. At prefent no more fuch gems are wrought, nor is even the place of the mines known where they were formerly dug: but there are il:ill fame enormous pieces of emerald. remaining, namely, a facrcd il:one in the cathcdr<ll church of Angclopoli, and another in the p<!rochial church of ~te chula ( unlefs this is the f..1me tranfported from thence to Angelopoli), which the prieil:s keep fecured with chains of iron, as Betancourt fays, that no one may carry it off'. The potters not only ma9e the necenary family utenfile of clay, bllt alfo other things of mere curioiity, which they embellin1ed with (x) \Vith regard to Cortes's emeralds, the firll was made in fo m of a rofe, the fccond like a horn, the third like a lifh, with eyes of gold; the fourth was a Little bc11, with ·a fine pearl for a clapp~r, and upon the lip th. s infcription in Sp;mifh, Rmdito fJ't im tc crit), that is, JJI,:fj.'·,l h.•, <vbn <'rL'tltcd t!Jer. The tlfth, which was the mofi valuablr, and for whid1 the Gcnocfe merchants woulLI ha1·c given f,>rty thott'.and ducat~ , was a f111all cup with :t foot ofCold, aHd four little chnitlS alfo of gold, which united in a pc:ul in the fo rm of a burron. The lip of the cup 1\':tS gi t t with a ring of gold, on wJ,ich was l'llf!,nlXCd this L:trin fentencc, fttt,.,. ttatoJ mll litrum mmj11rrr.rit 111njor. Thcfc five cmerah.l,, wrought by the Mexicans nt the order of Cortes, were prcfcntcd by him to his fc cond wife, the daughter of the count of Aguilar ; jewels, 1:'Y' Goma~·a, \~ho faw them, ~ct cr than any other wom:m whatloevcr had in all Spain. (y) M:~rmua lll the Summary, or Supplement of the llillory of Spain. vanous H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. various colours; but they did not undcJ!bnd·, by what we can difcover, the art of m::~king gh!s. The mofl: famous potters formerly were the Choh1kfc, whofe vefr ls w.:re m·.tch prifed by the Spaniards; at prefcnt the moil: reputed are the l otters of ~auhtitbn. Their carpenters wrought (everal kinds of wood with inftruments made of copper, of which there are fiill .fome remains of tolerable workmann1ip. Manufacl:mcs of v::1rious kinJs of cloth were common every where; it WJS one of thoiC arts which almoll: every perfon le:1med. They had no wool, nor common iilk, nor lint, nor helllp, but they fupplieJ the want of wool with cotton, that of filk with feathers, with the hair of the rabbtt and hare, and that of lint and hemp with icxot!, or mountain- palm, with the quetzalid.n'/i, the pati, .and other fpecies of the maguei. Of cotton they made large webs, and as delicate aud fine as thofe of Holland, \l•:hich were with much reafon highly efl:eemed in Europe. A fe years after the conqueil:, a facerdotal habit of the Mexicans was brought to Rome, which, as Boturini afrirms, was uncommonly admired on account of its finenefs and beauty. They wove thefe cloths with diffen:: nt figures and colollrs, repreft:nting· different animals and flowers. Of feathers, interwoven with cotton, they made m::1ntles and bed curtains, carpets, gowns, and other things not lefs [oft than beautiful. \Ve have feen fame beautiful n-,antles of this kind which are preferved il:ill by fon;e lords ; they wear them upon extraordinary fcil:ivals, as at tho(c of the coronation of the Spani01 kings. With cott<..n alf<> they interwove the fineil: hair of the belly of rabbits and hares, after having dyed and fpun it into thread; of thde they made mofl: beautiful cloths, and in particular winter waiil:coats for the lords, From t:1e leaves of the Pati and R!:,u:tzalicbtli two fpedes of the mag\tei, they obtained a fine t;uead, w.ith which they made cloths equal to thoic made of lint; nnd from the leaves of other kinds of the maguei, namely, thofe of the mountain-palm, tbey drew a coarfer thread, fimibr to hemp. The method they utcd to prepare thofe materials was the fcm1e which is praCl.ifed by the Europeans for lint and hemp. They foak ~- the leaves in water, then cleaned them, put them ·,in the fun, and beat them until they were fit to fpin. Of 423 BOOK VIr. ~ Sr cT. T.VH. Carpenters, wea r ers, &c. |