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Show 'H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. BOOK vm. tims, that they did not leave one ~tlivc of all thofe who were' it~ the '-' _,.,,.-.J' fquare. The fl:rcams of blood which flowed about, and the r:~~fu\ yells of the wounded and dying enemy, would have been futhc1~11t ) to have ihocked and waked pity in every bre•tfl: that w.ts not fired w1th the fury of revenge. Having terminated the tragic fcene within, they iffued out to the fl:reets, and {] te:uhed their f words in the bodies of all the Cholulans they mc.;t. The Tlafcalans, on their part, entered the city like famiilied lion s, their fiercenefs growing with the thirft of the blood of their enemies, and eagernefs to pleafe th it· ne<v~ allies. A firoke, fo keen and unexpeCted, put the citizens immediately into di.Corder; but having formed themfelves into fevcral diHerent fquadrons,. they made for fome time a vigorous refifl:ance, until at Jail:, perceiving the havock which the artillery made, and feeling the fuperiority of th'e European arms, they went again into confufion. The greater part of them fought their fafety in flight; fome had recourfe to the fupedl:i'tious hope of razing the walls of the temple to deluge the city: but, finding that expedient totally fruitlefs, they endeavoured to fortify themfelves in their houfes and temples. But neither did this avail~ for the enemy fet inftant fire to every houfe where they met with any refiftance. The houfes and towers ·of the temples were in flames; the firects difcovered nothing but bloody or half-burnt carcafes, and nothing was heard but the infulting menacing clamours of the confederates, the feeble groans of dying men, curfes, and imprecations on the viCl:ors, and complaints to their gods why they had abandoned them in fuch calamities. Amongfl: the many who fled to the towers of the temples, there was but one which furrendered to the vitl:ors. all the 1 refl: were either burnt to ailies, or met a death lefs painful, by precipi-tating themfelves from thofe heights. · By means of this horrid flaughter, in which upwards of fix thoufand: Cholulans (}) periihed, the city became depopulated. The temples and houfes were plundered, the Spaniards feizing all the gems,. gold, add filver, .and the Tlafcalans all the apparel, feathers, and fait. This tnt- (f) Las Cas ha~ grofly disfigured' this event of Cholula. The revenge of the Spaniards was perhaps too ~1gorous: b~t their provocations were Orong. He relates it, as we find it,, among ~he mofi faithful h1ftonans who were prefent1 o' were informed by the ancient Spaniard a, and lnd1ans. gedy H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. gedy was hardly finifhed, when there appeared near Cholula an army of twenty thoufand men, fent by way of fuccour by the republic of .Tlafc~la, under th~ command of general Xicotencatl. It was probable that this was owing to fome difpatch having been fcnt the night before to the fenate, by the chiefs of the Tlafcalan ~roops, encarnpcd without the city. Cortes returned thanks for the fupply, prefented to Xicotencatl and his officers a part of the booty, .and req uefl:ed him to return with his army to Tlafcala, as it was not now neceffitry; but he retained the fix thoufand men who had affifted him in the punifhment of Cholula, that they might accompany him in his journey to Mexico. Thus did the ~tlliance of the Spaniards with the Tlafcalans become gvadually more firm and e!l:abli!hed . . Cortes having returned to his dwelling, where forty of the Cholulan nobility remained io a manner prifoners, he was requefied by them to give way to mercy, after fo much rigour, and to permit one or two of them to go and recall the women, children, and other fugitives, who were wandering in terror and difmay through the mountains. Cortes, being now moved to pity, commanded a cefEaion of arms, and publifhed a general pardon. Upon the report of this proclamation, fuddenly fome were feen to rife from among the dead who had counterfeited death in order to efcape it, and troops of fugitives coming from the mountains to the city, fome bewailing the lofs of a fon, fome a brother, and fome their hufbands. Cortes ordered the dead bodies to be cal'ried off from the temples and the firc:ets, and fet the nobles who were prifoners at liberty. A few days after, that city was aO'ain fo well peopled it appeared to want none of its inhabitants. Here Cortes received the compliments of the Huxeotzioncas and theTlafcalans, and an oath of allegiance to the crown of Spain fro~n the Cholulans themfelves, and the Tepejachefe nation, he adjufted the differences between the two republics of Tlafcala and Cholula, and re-efiablilhed their ancient friendihip and alliance, which continued firm ever after. At length, in order to comply with the duties of humanity and religion, he made all t~e cages of the temples he broke, and fet all the prifoners a-nd flaves at liberty who were de!l:ined for the facrifices. He ordered the greater temple to be cleaned, and raifed there the ftandard of the crofs, after giving the Cholulans,. as he did to all the other people among whom he·fiopped, fome idea of the Chriaian religion. 8 The 53 BOOK VIII. s It c T'. XXVIII. Submiffion of the Cholulans and Tepegachefe to the crown of Spain. |