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Show BOOKOC. ~ H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. his legs by placing bandages of cotton between the~. ~s he returned to himfdf he broke out into fome exprcffions of Impatience, but he foon calm;d again, attributing his miferies to the fupreme difpl!nfati<D.ns of his gods. This bold aCtion was hardly performed', when Cortes proceeded to execute another not lefs prcfumptuous. After having given orders· to the gu:uds not to admit any Mexican to f~e the kin~, he commanded ~auhpopoca, his fon, and the reO: of Ius acco~phces, to be. led to punilhmcnt; they were conduCted by the Spamards them~elves, ~lt annt:d and formed in order of battle, to keep the people m awe m cafe they {hould be willing to oppo(e the execution of their fentence. But what could that fmall troop of men have done againfl: the immenfe multitude of Mexicans who a!fembled to be fpeCtators of the event? The fire was kindled before the principal palace of the king. The fuel made ufe of was a great quantity of bows, arrcrws, darts, lances, fwords, and fhields, which were taken from an armoury; for Cortes had demanded thefe of the king, that he might rid himfclf of the uneafinefs which the fight of fo many arms occaiioned. ~auhpopoca:, tied hand· and foot and placed upon the pile where he was to be burned, again protefi:ed his innocence, and repeated that what he had done was by the exprefs 'order of his king; he then made prayers., to his gods, and encouraged his companions to bea.r their fufferings. The fire being kindled they were all in a few minu~es confumed, (s} i.n fight of a numerous multitude, who· made no commotion becaufe they were perfuaded as is probable that this punilbment was executed hy order <:>f the king: and it is to be imagined that the fentcnce· had been publifhed in his name. ~s) , Solis,, when he makes mention. o£ the fentcnce of Col'l'Cs againll Qgnuhpopoca, fi>c,lk.s thus : "J uzgofe militarmcnte Ia cauf:1, y fe les dio fentencia de mucrre, con Ia circunllnncia, " d~ c1ue fui~cn quemadoa fubllcamcntc fua cuerpos." · Wherein, without mentioning the fpcct ~ s of pumfluncnt· to whtch they we~~e condtmncd, he makes it be. undcrfiood that the pri• f, . , onca·s were not burned,, but thei1· dead bodies only. Thia is not at nil conh ilcnt with the finCACrity which is req1iifite from un hi!torinn. He fiudlcd to dificrnble whatever did not cooform with the p~neg~ric of his hero; but h.is diiTimulntion is of but little confequence, wlufe not ~nly o~hcr haOonans, but even Cortes h11nfclf affirms it opcnl}, in his letter to l hades v. See 111 p!Lftlcular. Herrera, in his L ccad.ll, book viii, chap. 9• This H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. This conduCt: of Cortes is by no means to be juftified, (]nee befidcs arrog:1ting to himfelf an authority which did not bdon ~· to him, if he believed the king had author of the revolutions at Vera Cruz, why condemn to death, to fo cruel a de:1th, men who had no other guilt than that of executing punCtually the orders of their fovereign ? If he did not bdieve the king guilty, why fubjcet him to fo much ignominy, in contradiCl:iori to the refpeCt due to his charaCter, the gratitude which might naturally have been felt for his bounty, and the juilice claimed by his innocence? It is probable) that Q.Llauhpo.poca had an exprefs order from the king to bring the Totonacas again under ob~dience to his. crown,. and that being unable to execute that . order wi.tho.ut embroiling himfc:lf w.ith the Spaniards, who proteCted -the rebels, he carried thing~ to the extremity which we have feen .. As foon as the ct~iminals were puni!hed, Cortes went to the apart-· ment of the king, and faluting him with exprcffions of aff.eetion,. and~ boafiing the favour which he. had done him in granting him his lif~, he made his fetters be taken oft". The joy which Montezuma then ·felt, was. proportion~d to the anguilh the ignominy had excited; h.e loft aU his fears of ha\ling his life taken from him, and received this phantom Qf liberty as an incomparable benefit; he. was f.o fallen in dignity and fpirit, that he embraced Cortes with the utmoil: affeCl:ion, expre!fed his gratitude to· him in the il:rongeil: terms, and that day !hewed extraordinary. complaifance to the SpaniarJs and his own va/Etls. Cortes took off his guar,d, ahd told the king that whenever he pleafed he might retw·n to h.is palace; well afiured,. howcv.er, the king would not accept his offer;. for he had frequently heard h~m £ty, that it would not be fitting for him to return to his palace while the Spaniards . were in his court.. He was unwilling to quit the q,uarters, on account 0f the dangers the Spaniards would be in whenever he abandoned them ;, but it is alfo probable, that his own perfonal danger likcwife prevent d llim fr.om refuming his liberty, for he was not ignorant how much he had offended and difguftcd his, va!f.1ls, by his debafement of fpirit and. excefs of fubmiffion to. the Spaniards .. It is alfo probable, that the punilhment of ~aulipopoca excited fome ferment among the nobility; for, a few days after, Cacamntzin king of Acolhuacan,. unable. to brook. the authority which the Spaniards BOOK. IX. ~ SecT •. Vrii •. Atternps of the king of Acolhaunc:m agai ll rr rhc Spa11i:u Ja, |