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Show 6B H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. BOOK IX. u and, that you darted thunder with which the earth trembled : forne ""-"v--J " related, that you were monll:ers thrown up by the ~ca ; thl t the " infatiable thir11: of gold made you abandon your nat1ve country; " that you were greatly addicted to plcafnrcs ; and fuch gluttons, ~h~a t " one of you eat as much as ten of us : but all thefe errors are dtfh " pated by the experience which my fnbjeCts have had of y.o t~ ;. no:" " ' it is known that yon arc mortal men like us, although ddtcnng lll " complexion and beard; we have now feen with our. own eyes that '' thofe wild bea11:s fo renowned, are only fiags more corpulent than " ours; and, that your pretended thunder and lightning are only a " more artificial fp ec ies of .!hooting tubes, whofc balls are puO\e,d wilh " more force, and do more hurt than ours: with regard to your per" fonal qualifications, we are well informed by thofc who h ave had '' communication with you, that you are kind and generous, that you " patiently endure misfortunes, that you are not difpofed to feverity, " unlefs againfi thofe who provoke your anger by ho11:ili ties, nor " make ufe of your arms but in defence of your perfons. · " I do not doubt that you will in like manner have banilhed from "your minds, or that you foon will baniili, thofe falfe ideas-with which "you may have been impreifed by the flattery of my vafials or the adu" lation of my enemies: fame of them may have told you that I am "one of the gods, and that I put on at plcafure the form of a lion,. " a tyger, or any other animal ; but now you fee (taking hold with " his fingers of the D~in of his arm) that I am of flelh and bone li kc " other mortals, although more noble by birth and more powerful "from the elevation of my rank. The Chempoallefe, who, under "your protection, have renounced obedience to me (although their " rebellion .!hall not pafs unpuni01ed) will have made you believe, " that the walls and roofs of my palaces are of gold, but your own eyes. " have now undeceived you : this is one of my palaces~ and you h ere " fee that the walls are made of ll:onc and lime, and the roofs of wood. " I will not deny that my riches arc great, but they are exaggerated by " my fubjects: fame of them will have complained to you of my " cruelty and tyranny; but they term the bwful exerci[e of the fu" prerne authority tyranny, and call that cruelty which is but the I,lC" ceffilry rigour of jull:ice. " Abandoning. H I S T 0 R Y p F M E X I C 0. " Abandoning therefore ali fal.fe conceptions occafioned to either 'BOOK. IX. " of us by unjuft reprefentations, I accept the embaffy of your king ~ " who fends you; I ref peel: his friendlhip, and offer all my kingdom " to his obedience ; fince from the figns we have obferved in the hea- ·" vcns, and what we have feen in you, the peridd feems to be arrived. " when the predictions of our ance11:ors are to be fulfilled, that is, that " there were to come from the quarter of the Eafi, certain men dif- " ferent in habit and in cufioms from us, who were to become lords " of all this country; for we are not the original people of this land. ·" It is not many years fince our ancefiors came here from the regions " of the North, and we h ave not ruled thefc people but as the vice'' roys of ~etzal coatl our god and lawful fov ereign." Cortes anfwcred, by thanking him warmly for the fingular kindneifes he had hitherto receive~ from him, and for the honourable idea he had formed of the Spaniards. He told him he was fent by the greateft mo n~rch of E urope, who, although he might afpire •to fome thing higher in vjrtue of his being the defcendant of ~etzalcoatl, neverthelefs, he contented himfelf with efiablith ing a confederacy and perpetual friend01ip with his majcfty and his fucceffors; that the end of his embaify was not to take away from any one that which he poffeffed, but that of announcing a true religion, and communicating fame important information which would improve his government, and render his vaifals happy; this he would do upon another occafion, if his majefiy would vouchfafe to hear him. T he king aifented to his propofal, and having informed himfelf of the rank and condition of every one of the Spaniards, he took leave, and fame li ttle time after he fent them a large prefent, confill:ing of fome works of gold, and three· bales of fine feathers, dreifes for each of the oHicers, and two bales of dreifes of fine cotton for each of the foldiers. T his prof.!:.,crous beginning might have fecured to the Spaniards the quiet pofieffion of all that vall monarchy, if they had conduCted themfelves with prudence equal to their courage ( n). (n) The learned and judiciom Acofh , t reating of the firft conference with Montc7.urnn, i1l book vii. chap. 2 5• of his Hill ory fays, " Many :1re of opinion, th at confidcr.ing the !late ot "things on th at fir!l: day, it would have been eafy for the ~ p a.nia rds ro have done wirh the king• "and the kingdom whatever they plc:lfcd, and to have communicated to them the bw of J ~fus " Chrifr with peace and contentment to all •. 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