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Show 54 BOOK VITI. • S· c-T .XX IX. New embn!ly 11 11d prcfcntJ (rom the king of l\1 ex ico. H IS T 0 R Y 0 F M·E Y c o. The Spani!h general, ehted by his fuccefres, or p rhaps dcfiro~s ~f intimidating Montezuma, charged the Mexican amba{fadors to tell theu· mafier, that notwithflanding he hau formerly intended to enter peaceably into Mexico, on feeing and confidering what had happened. in holula, he was uow determined to en tcr as an enemy, and to do hun every evit he could. The ambail:tdors anfwcrcd, that before he took a rcfolution of that kind, he ought to make a more il:riet enquiry into the cond uCt of the Cholulans, to certify himfdf of the good inten tions of their [overeign; that, if he thought proper, one of them would go to the court, and lay his complaints before the king. Cortes confented to it, and after fix days the ambamtdor returned, bringing a large prefcnt to the general, co nfifl:ing of ten plates of gold, worth five thoufuncl fequins; one thoufctnd five hundred habits, and a great quantity of provifions ; thanking him, in the name of his fovereign, for the puni{hment inflicted on the perfidious 'holulans; and prote!l:ing, that the al'my raifed to fu-rprife the Spaniards on their journey, conli!l:cd of the Acatzinchefe and ltzocanefe nation , the allies of Cholula, who, although the fubjcCl:s of the crown of Mexico, hac.l take~ up arms without any order from .th eir fovereign. This was confirmed by the affevcrations of the ambafiadors, and Cortes made an appearance of being perfeCl:ly flti sfied. It is not an eafy matter to clear up the trnth in this particular, neither can we avoid blaming the forwardnefs of fome authors in aficrting fo freely what they do not know. Why 010uld the Cholulaus, who were allowed by all to be a falfe deceitful nat~on, be given more credit than the Mexicans, and Montezuma himfelf, who from the eminence of his rank and characrer, was more worthy of faith? The invariably pacific difpoiition of th at monarch towards the Spaniards, having attempted no hofrile il:roke on many and thofe favourable occafions which occurred, to opprefs them ; and the mod ration with which he always fpoke of th~m, which no authors deny, make the excufe made by the Cholulans Improbable: but, on the other ballll, it a«umes an air of trutl~ from ~ome, though indirect proofs, of the enmity of Montezuma, and 111 partlcular from hofiilities committed upon the garrilon of Vera Cruz by a powerful feudatory of the crown of Mexico. Qyauhpopoca, II I S T 0 R Y 0 F M H X I C 0. Q!_.tauhpopoca, lord ofNauht1an (called by the Spaniards Almeria), a ity 1ituatcd upon the co~dl: of the Mexican gulf, thirty-fix miles towards the north from Vera Cruz, and clofe to the confines of the Mexican empire in th at quarter, h d orders from Montezuma to reduce the Totonacas to their wonted obcdicnc , as loon as ortes had retireu from that coa!l:. lie, in com.plianc<.: with thofe orders, demauded of thofe people with threats, the tribute whi :h they were accu!l:omed to pay to their fovereign. Th~ Totonacas, rendered infoknt from the f.wour of their new allies, anfwered with arrogance, th at they wou~ld no longer pay homage to him who was no longer their king. ~uhpopo a, perceiving that his reque1l:s h::td no influence in bringing again under fubordination men who had fo much con·fi lerrce in their new allies, and no refpeet for their fov ercign, having put himfelf at the head of the Mexican troops which were in the garrifons of thofe frontiers, began to make incur11ons into the fettlemen ts of Totonacapan, puni! hing them by ho!l:ilities for their rebellion. The Totonacas made their complaints to Juan de Efcalante, governor of the garrifon of Vera Cruz, and intreated him to put a fiop to the cruelty of the Mexicans, engaging alfo to afiift him with a large number of troops. Efcalanre fent an embafi'y to the Mexican chief to diffuade him from ho!l:ilities, which he imagined could not be approved of by the king of Mexico, who had tbewn fo much defire to favour the paniards, the proteCtors of the Totonacas. QQauhpopoca anfwered, that he knew better than him whether the puniiliment of thofe rebels was or was not agreeable to the Mexican king; that if the Spaniards intended to [upport them, he, with his troops, would meet him on the plain of Nauhtlan, that arms might decide their conte!l:. The governor could not brook this anfwer; upon which he marched immediately to the appointed place with two horfes and two fmall pie~es of cannon, fifty Spani01 infantry, and about ten thoufand Totonacas. Upon the firft onfet of the Mexicans, the Totonacas were in!l:antly thrown into confufion, and the greater part took to flight; but to the utter ihame of their cowardice, the fifty Spaniards coumgeoufly c ntinued the battle, doing no little damage to the Mexicans. · They, having never experienced the violence of the artillery and the European mode of engagement, retreated in terror to the neighbouring city of Nauhtlan. The Spaniard~ .. 55 HOOK VJ IT . "---'\-~ ·. S" c·r . ... :'<XX. Hc\·olntion, in Totoll OI L·L· pan. |