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Show • 12 BOOK VIII. ~ H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. the affill:ance which they required for the profecution of their voyage: a piece of attention which 01cwed the vigilance and ]~ofpi~ality of that nation. Having <.:orne on board of the commander s fh1p, and prefen ted themfelves to Cortes in forms of civility, they expbined their commiffion by means of Donna Marina and. Aguilar, as from her not underll:anding the Spanill1, nor he the Mexican, it was necellary at thcic firll: conferences with the Mexi ans, to employ three languages and two interpreters. Donna Marina explained to Aguilar in the M:0:t tongue what the Mcxi ans !aid to her in their langu:1ge, and Aguilar repeated it in SpaniOl to ortes. Tl1is ge neral courteoufly receivl;! d the Mexican s, and knowing how acceptable the European toys had been to them the year before, nnfwered, that he had come into that country for no other purpo!t.: than to traflick with them, and to treat with their king about fome affitirs of the utmoll: importance, and in order to conciliate their favour, he made them tall:e fome Spanifh wine, and prefcnted them with fome finaH trifles 1Which he judged would be worthy their acknowledgment (h). On the fidl: day of Eall:cr, after the Spaniards had landed, a1;d difembarked their cavalry and artillery, and harl, with the afitfl:ance of the Mexicans, made barracks of the branches of trees upon that fandy .lhore, where at preftnt 11:ands the city of new Vera Cruz, two Mcxi<..< m governors of that coall:, named Teuhtlile and Cuitlalpitoc (i), ar- (b) Torquemada f.'\ys, that Monte1.uma having been appriCcd of the new arm:unent which his cc ntin d~ , who were ~laced on . the .'" •untains, hJd obCcrved, immediately diCpa t~.: h cd hi ~ nmba~a.dors to pay worHup to th ~ tmagu1od god ~lc t :talcoatl ; they proceding with 1 he utmolt C'Xptdltloa to the p~ rt of Ch a lc lnul~cucca n, went inOnntly on board of the adru.ira1, 011 the very d:ty ~ f the ~rnl'al of the .Spamards; that Cortes, attending to their er ror and willil\g to· J~ro~t by ~~, rccctved them fitttn g- upon a high throne that had h110ily been funned·, where he iuffcrcd hunfclf to be adored, tt~ be clvtb.cd in the f: , .... ~· cr•' lot.·.• l lt •·••b '1t of (~), c t1, a 1c· oat t , a nee k - lacCI' 'o f hg emd s to be put ab· o·u t hli nc ·k. , and a he·l me·t or viz·o r of "' lld li t · h L eo' ' c wtt gems, to )C put on 118 ea • &c. but tim 18 tmqu: OIOnnhly f:1ffe . The fleet depnrtc·d· from the riv <'r of 'f:4- bali o on Uuly Mondny, nnd arnv cd on ThurCdny 'It the J>Ort of Ul . 'FI · f 'I' 1 1 1 M'.n ' ' U:l. · lC rnoun1 :uns o 1o c 111 a n :In1< 1l< ;dJ an,· from· whence th e tlc•~ t could moO quu· ;· kl Y 1l c d'li 1 t cov t•rc(, arc not I eli t .tn.n I t.r ee . H tn<. re. m1lcs dtHan. t from the C·'l !.l it··t l , nor,. ti.c. t 11 ey 1• r, s 1h nn two hu ndred from the po1 t ot Ul u.1. fo t ha t had 11 even been poffi blc 10 J•·tv" l ·li : d 1 fl 1 l · h · 1 f' · • l ,. . . •· ~ < c c 1 til t 1c ct:t t 1e v cry chy 011 II,' 1f1' .;I 11 h(' t J, a Ja•co, It wa lln J>Ollib le for tht· aml)·,t fl:.u 1 o rs t u 1l .•l l'e arn· vc d t 1l cre on · I hu'r it·. !J he 11 <·a, t ere JS no mentor)· of fuch an CI'C ilt 1 ' · 11 ·•• n y .n. tv 11 01. ·I t , nt1•1 cr ''PilC:Ir f•r o tl' y · of 1\e rn~l Diaz to be ror·dly f: I ~' · . J 1. 1 ,_ . ' · · • tn te :tccount . a ( I .In t I.Lt t IC ••1CXIC 'I I1S were now ~· r bl f I . . which they hnd hc~n led by t h~ firll fl c~t l" h'l ·It I d . I I en I e o t ICir error uuo- . , . . ' ,, ~ Ia appC:t l't:l 1 terc. ( t) bc rn.1l D1a1. wratcs r,.,lflt!i inflc·ttl of 'l' .• ,j11 J' Ie J ) · , • <., I :tn J '' ,,,..,,., · • I· f C · I I · to\!, Il urrcr:t call3 It P iNdl,itvr lind Soli> ·tn, l' ,, .'li I "r- .. :~"1 '" pace o tr~t ~ pa~ r ' • • ~< , oue1 t on, w 10 thought to nmend it, Pilp, t0 ,.. rived H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. 13 rived there with a great retinue of attendants. Cc1·emonies of civility BOOK VIII • and refpeCt being exchanged on both fides, before any conference took ~ place, Cortes, not lcfs for the t 1ke of profj)ering I is future defigns, than of givin rr that idolatrous nation fome idea of the Chrifl:ian reli-gion, ordered that mafs ihonld be celebrated in tht: ir prcfcnce. On this occafion, therefore, it was fung with all poffibk folt.!m nity for the firfl: time in the dominions of Mexico. He invited them afterwards to din e with him and his officers, in order to obtain their good will towards him by courtcG es. As foon ns they ro(l! from table, he led them a fide to commur1 ic, tc his pretenfions to them. He told them that he was a fubjeet of Don Carlos of Aufl:ria, the greate11: king of the Eafl:, whofe bounty, grandeur, and power, he extolled with moll: magnificent praifes; and added, that this great monarch knowing of that land, and of the lord who reigned there, fent him to make him a vifit in his name, and to communicate to him in perfon fome affitirs of great importance; and that therefore he would be glad to know when it would pleafe their lord to hear his embaffy. " You are fcarrely an1ved in this land," anfwcrcd T euhtlile, " and yet you delire immediately to fee our king. I have liil:cned 41 with pleafure to what you have told me concerning the grandeur and u bounty of your fovercign, but know, that our king is not lef.'i boun" tiful and great j I rather wonder that there fhould exifl: another in " the world more powerful than he ; but as you afTert it, I will make " it known to my fovereign, from whofe goodnefs I trull:, that he will " not only have pleafure in receiving intelligence of that great prince, 41 but will likewife do honour to his amballador. Accept in the mean " time this prcfent whi hI ofter you in his name." Upon which taking out from a pctlacalli, or little balk.ct of woven reeds, fevcral ad- · .,1 mirable pieces of workmanlhip of gold, he pn:fcnted them to ortes~ · with various works of feathers, ten loads of garments of fine cotton, and a confiderable quanti ty of provifions (k) . (l·) Solis and Robcrtfon make Teuh tli lc gr ne ral of rhe armi es, and deprive him of the ci· vil g• 1vermnent of that cnafl, w h er<~ ~ we know tbc contrary from Bcrnnl Diaz, Oomar:t, and other ancient hiflori ans. Thofe aut hors fay br li clcs, that in the beginning T cuhtlilc oppoCcd Cortes in his defiJt ll or goinrr to the court, b11t it ap pea rs from the tefiimony of an cient and better hi i!IJ rians1 he did not OJ,pofe him until he had a pofiti vc order from his king to that pur. pule. Cortes |