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Show H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ·nooK IX. The next day Cortes being defirous to pay his vifit to the krng, fent ~ri to demand an audience, and obtained it io fipeedily, that thofe who ~~ R CT. • Vi!it of Cor· .brought him the anfwcr of the king were the perfons thcmfclves tcs to the . · tr d d l. h' d · kin;;. oppomted to mtroduce ambanadors, an were to con u::L un an 111- ,firuct him in the ceremonials of that court. Cortes drefled himfelf in his mofi fplendid habit, and took along with him the captains Alva ·varado, Sandoval, Velafquez, and Ordaz. and alfo five foldiers. They proceeded to the royal palace, amid!l: an immenfe multitude of people, and as Coon as they reached the fir!l: gate, the perfons who accompa·uied them ranged themfelves in two files, one on each fide of thc..:m, as it was deemed a want of refpeCt to majeil:y to enter in a crowded manner. After paOing through three courts, and fome halls, to the ·la!l: antichamber in order to come at the hall of audience, they were . politely received by feverallords who kept guard, and were forced to put oft' their !hoes, and to cover their pompous dre!fes with fome coarfe garments. When they entered the hall of audience, the king made iome O:eps towards Cortes and took him by the hand, and giving a look of kindnefs to all the r il:, he made them all fit down. Their conference was long on difterent fubjeCts. The king a{ked fcv cral qut:O:ions concerning the government a11d natural produCtions of Spain ; a1.1d Cortes, after having tttisfied him in every thing, artfully led the d&ourfe upon ~11atters of religion. He explained to him tht: unity of ,od, the cr.eatlOn ?f the world, th fevcrity of the judgments of God, the gl~ry w1th wh1ch he rewards the juf\:, and the eternal puniO~ments to \~h1.ch. he condemns the wicked. Then he fpokc of the rites of Chnil:Jan1ty, and in particular of the pure and unbloody f<1crifice of the mafs; · to draw a comparifon between it and the inhuman f.tcrifi ccs of th~ Mexicans, ~cc.laiming warmly againf\: the barb<1rous cruelty of facrificmg human VJCtuns, and r~eding on their fieDl. Montezuma anfwer~ d, .that with refpetl: to the creation of the world they w re of one fentu~ent; as that which Cortes had jnfi [aid lud been communicated to. hlm by ~is ance~ors; that as to the ref\: he had already been infOit~ ed by h1s ambafladors of the religion of the Spaniards. I, howevei, he added, do not doubt of the goodnef.:l of the God who 11 yo adore ; b .I t J'f. h e 1· s k'm d to Sp3in, our gods are equally fo to Ml exicou 'as the exp<nencc of nnny centuries has !hewn to us. Spare your~ felvcs H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. felves therefore the trouble of endeavouring to induce me to leave their woriliip. With regard to our facrificcs, I do not know why we are to be blamed for facrificing to the gods thofe men who, either on ac-count of their own crimes, or from their fate in war, are defiined to death. But although Cortes did not fucceed in converting him to the Chri!l:ian religion, he obtained a promife, as has been affirmed, that there never iliould be any human fleili prepared for the royal table, either be-caufe the reafon urged by Cortes againfi it, wakened in his mind the hor-ror natural at fuch food, or becaufe he was defirous· of !hewing com pli-ance with the Sp1niards in fome of their demands. On this occafion alfo· he difplayeLl the royal beneficence towards them, prefenting to Cortes,. and his four officers, feveral labours of gold, and ten bales of fine · dreffes of cotton, and a golden necklace to every foldier .. Cortes having returned to his quarters {for thus we may hereafter· name the palace of Axajacat1 where the Spaniards were lodged, he began to reflect on the danger which furrou-ndeO. him in the heart of a city fo O:rong and populous, and refolved to· conciliate the minds of th,c nobles by good condu.a, obfequious· and· kind manners, and ordered his peoplt to behave themfelves with fo much guard and difcretion that tl\e M·exicall'S might have nothing to complain of: but while he appeared to watch with diligence· to keep peace, he w1s revolving in. his mind· moll: daring and ra!h dcfigns, t'ot.:tlly adv<:r.fe to tranquillity.; and in or-· de.r to brjng them to maturity, it being neceffitry to inform himfelf with. his own eyes of the fortifi cations of Mexico, and the forces of the~ Mexicans, he dem:mded permiffion· of the king to vifit the royal pa-· bees, the greater temple, and the fquarc of the market•. The king' ehearfully granted his· requefl:~ unfufpicious of the crafty general, nor f~rcf3w the confequenccs of his great indulgence. The Spaniards h'1W• :lll they wia1cd to fee, . and found cv.ery where new fubjeets of admi,. r•Hion. 71 BOOK IX. ~ The aity of M xi co was then. fituated, as we have already· f.~id, UI ''on· s !CT. h•f ! . a fmall i{bnd in the bke of T ezcuco; fifteen mil s to the weil:ward oDfc fthcrei pctiitoyn •o' f, fro::n that court~ and four to the eaftward from that of Tbcopan; Mexico •. For the conv'.:nience of pafling t0 the m:1in land, th<'re were three gre.tt caufe.wa;.s of earth and il:one, raifed in the lake. . That of Iztapa-lapan ·,. |