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Show H I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. faith reciprocally due betwe~n meo.-The fenate agrce~1 to the cou.n ~ f rr ., , t/ but before the me!lengers were d1fpatched wtth. fel 0 -~. emttolfeca ; ,.. 1 'fl · thet. r anfw er, t h e pt. o po1r.e d 0 1· ders were given to X.tcotencat . us was . •1 . . t . 'd yo\tt. h an enemy to peace, nnd cnthufia{hc for mi ttary glory • an m 1 ep1 ' · fi · {h d h · · h , wh9 eagerly accepted of the .commi~ion, as It urm e un Wlt moft eligible opportunity to dtfplay his bravery. . . . Cortes after having waited eight days for the detcnmnatJOn of the Jr.e nate, 1· m' ag·m ·m g th at the dch· y was the coniCqucnc. c of that . ilownefs atten dm. g tl 1e rnaJ · .'.·. fiy of potentates ' and not dou. btmg, from what the Chempoallcfe had told him of being w~ll recetved by the Tlafcalans, left lztacmaxtitlan with all his army, whtch, befides the Tot?nacas and Spaniards, was compofed of a confiderabl~. numb r of ~e~tcan troops f the garrifon of Xocotla, and marched m rcgul-.tr orde1 as ufual to ~he great w~ll, which on that qua~·te~· fepnrate~ the !l:atcs of 1~lafcala from thofe of Mexico; the defcnpt10n and dunenfions of whtch we have given in the preceding book, where we treated of the fortifications of the Mexicans. It was con!l:rutl:cd by the Tlafcalans to defend themfelves from the invafions of the Mexicans on their ea!l:ern frontiers, in the fame manner as they had formed ditches and entrenchments for the fame purpofe in the quarter of the weft. The ~ntrc1nce ?f .the walls which was wont to be guarded by the Ot01mes, at thts tune whe; it was moll: neceffary, upon fome account or other, of which we are ignorant, was left without any garrifon, by which accident the Spanifh army entered without nny oppofition into the territory of the republic, which they could not otherwife have done without fpilling a great deal of blood. . This day, which w.1s the· 31 fl: of An gull:, fome armed Jndtans fuewed them!l!lves at a difbnce. The cavalry, which was advanced before the army, in end avouri11g to come up with them to gain intelligence of the refolution of the fenate, h~\U two horfes killed, and three others and two men wounded; a lofs moil: fenfibly felt in fo fmall a troop of horfc. A body then appeared, imagined to confift of about four thoufttnd men, which was irnmcdiately harged upon by the Spani:: lrds and allies, and in a :!hort time defeated, with the death of fifty Otomies. A little <lf'ter arrived two of the Chempoallefe meifengers, with fame Tbfcalans, who 1nid their complimenti to Cortes in the 8 n:une H I ~ T 0 R Y 0 F M E K I e 0. ,35 name of tho fenate, and made him acquainted with the permiffiqn rBOO,.K,VJII. which was granted him to go with his army to Tlafcala, bl~mi~g the ...______, Otomics for the hoftilities which they had fuftcrcd, and offe!iing to P'lY him for the horfe::s which they had killed. Cortes pretended to believe them, and declared his gratitude to the fenate. The Tlafcalans toqk their leave, and carried their dead oft" the fidd to burn them. Cortcp, on his part, buried the two horfcs which had been killed, that the fight of them might not encourage the enemy to new hofl:ilities. The following day the Spanifi1 army marched to the neighbourhood of two mountains, where there were fome fteep ·grounds and precipices. There the other two Chempoallefe mefiengers, who had •remained il:ill in Tlafcala, arrived bathed in fweat and tears, accuJiqg tl)e Tlafcalans of treachery and cruelty; for that, regardlefs of the rights of nations, they had ill ufcd, imprifoncd, and dcftined them for fa~rifices, which fate they efcaped by fettiug each other free. 'I .his account of the Chempoallefe was certainly falfe, as .it was alt<;>gethJr impofiible, not to fay dill1cult, for vitl:ims to liberate themfelves, .fl(>t only on account of the clofenofs of the cage which confined them,fbut alfo the vigilance of the guards which watched them ; and il:ill moEe fo, becaufe there is no memory among thofe nations that the ,Tl~tf~alaos had ever failed in the refped: due to the charaCters of ambafiadors, and efpecially where they were Co tl:rid:ly connected in friend(Jlip as they were with the Totonacas. What appears more probable is, that the fenate, after it had fent back the two firfl: melfengers, detained the other two to difpatch them after they had tried the il:rength of the Spaniih . troop~; but that the two laO:, grown impatient of delay, al>fcntcd fecretly, and endeavoured to excufc their flight with thefe prctCJ)~es. The Chempoallefe hud hardly finia1ed their fl:ory, when a Tlafcalan Sl!cT. XIX. ~quadron, confifting of about a thoufund men, made their appearance; Wnr of Tl~f- c:rla. and, as they drew near 'the Spaniards, began to throw il:ones, darts,. and arrows at them. Cortes, after having protcficd to them, before the notary royal of the army, by means of three prifoners, that he had not come to do them any hurt, and having entreated them not to treat him as an enemy, . perceiving that nothing would avail, he gave orders to repulfe them. The Tlafcalans retreated gradually until they broi,Jght the Spania~ds tO· the fteep grounds where they coulrl not make ufe of F 2 · their , |