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Show . H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. llOOK VIIT. that if' they {hould defign any thing againfl: the perfon of th.e king, or ~ the {late, force and fi.::vcrity fhould then be:: employed agamfl: them. '1 he prince Cuitlahuatzin rep .... ated what he had f1.id in the fi~fl: con fcn: ncc, which was, that it did not feem expcdtent to ad1111t thofc fhongers into the court; that a valuable prefent ihould be fent to thci~ chief, that he fhould be afked what things of that country he demanded for the great lord in whofc name he came, and that he {hould be o creel the friendD1ip and correfpondence of the Mexican , but at the .fiune time he fhould again be importuned to return to his native country. Among the refl: of the counfellors, fome adopted the opinion of the king of Tczcuco, fome that of the lord of Iztapalapan, while others fideci with Montc~:mma. This unfortunate king fc.tw every where objeCts and motives of terror. The confederacy which he dn:aded of the Tlafcalans with the Sp:miards kept him in the utmofl: nneafincf'i. On the other hand, he was apprehenlive of the alliance of C0rtes with the prince Ixtlilx:ochitl, his nephew and [worn enemy, who from the time that he had confpircd againfl: the king of Tezcuco his brother, had never laid down his arms, and was at this v ry junCl:ure at the head of a formidable army at Otomp.m. Thofe caufes of alarm were ftill more augmented by the rebellion of feveral provinces who had followed the example of the Totonacas. lie fcnt therefore fix ambaf1adors to Cortes, with a thoufand curious cotton drclfcs, and a large quantity of gold and beautiful feathers, <tnd charged them to congratulate hin1 in his name upon his victories, to make him offers of fl:ill more confidcrab'le pre!cnts, and to difluade him from the journey to Mexico, by reprcfcnting to him the ditliculty of the way, and other obfi:acle~ not ea!y to be furmounted. The ambafladors immediately departed, with a retinue of more than two hun..:. drcd men, and having arrived at the Spani(h c:unp, executed with punCtuality the whole of their commiflion. Cort<:s received them with all the rcfpecl: dne to their charaC.1:a, and acknowledged himfelf in:fi1~itely oliged to the bounty of fo great a monarch; but he pmpofdy dctamed the ambafi~tdors, in hopes that in the time of thl:ir fl:ay fome occafion ~f engaging with the Tlafcalans might prcfent itfelf, by whicl\ the Mex1cans might be impreffcd with an idea of the bravery of his troops, and t~1e ~nperiority of the European arms; or that if peace fuould be maoc W1th the republic, they n1ight be witneifes of the fe+ verity II I S T 0 R Y 0 F 'M E X I C 0. verity with which he intended to reprimand the Tl~fcalans for their obll: inncy. It w.1s not long before the occaflon which he fo much de- ' iircd prefcnteJ i fclf. Thre.:e divifions of the enemy came down upon the Span iOl camp with terrible ho wls, and a tempefl: of darts and ar ·rows. Cortes, although he had that day taken a purgative mecii cinc, mounted on horfcb.:tck, and went intrepidly againft: the Thfcalans, who · wcr · defeated without much trouble iu the fight of the Ml:xican ambafTJJors . The parti zans of the old Xi otencatl b ing at lafl: pcr[uaded that the war with the Sp:miard~ W:lS by no means adv.ntageous to the republic, and fearing befides that they might form an alli:mce with tht; :Mexican s, unanimouOy refolv cl to make peace, and chofc the Gnuc general who had fought a6ain!l: then~ to mediate between tlwm. Xicotcncatl, though at .firfl: he rcfu!Cd to do fo, from bei11g aG1amecl of the unhappy ifrue of the war, was at lafl: obliged to charge himfelf with the cornl1lif1ion. lie was accompanied to the camp by a noble and numerous retinu • £\luted Cortes in the name of the republic, excufecl thcmi{.;lves for the hoO:ilitics already {hewn, from having believed him to be the ally of Montezuma, not only on acconnt of the fupcrb prefcnts fcnt him from Mexico, but aHo the brge troop of Mexicalls who followed him; promifed him a firm peace, and an eternal alliance with the T la[calans, and prcfentccl him a little gold, and fome bales of fine cotto:1, apologiflng for the fcantinefs of their offers, with the ')' overtY, of their cou~try occa!ioned by their confl:ant wars with the Mexicans, who prevented their commerce with other provinces. Cortes omitted no demonfl:.·ation of rcfpeCt towards Xicotcncatl; he made an appearance of being f<ttis;fied with his excnfcs, bnt required that the peace fhould be finccre and permanent; for that if they ever broke it, he would take fuch revenge as would m:1ke au exam pic of them to other nations. Peace being concluded, ~nd Xicotencatl having taken his leave, Cortes ordered mafs to be celebrated as a thankfgiving to the Almighty. Every one will be able to imagine the difple.lfllrc the Mexican ambaf: fadors tnu (t have received in feeing fuch an accommodation take place. They complai11ed of it to Cortes, and blamed his eafy credulity in the promifes of men fo perfidious as the Tlafcalans. They told him, that VoL. II. G ' thofe 4I B...O._O_K__ V__II..I . S I'C T. X.'I. i'cacc n nd COil f~d C' l":tl'J of the Tlal ~ ca lans with th~ . pnuiarJs. |