OCR Text |
Show BOOK IX. ~ .H I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. • 11 d _,read lhewn to Cortes; but in a few days after, irt wluch they aa cv Y . . . . d 1 h h he ufed every fnitc of the <rreat diiTimulatwn of Cortes, an at ~u~ 1 . n·l e1f fort to hind°e r fuch intellt.g ence fir om reac_1u ' ng the km()o" or 11s vaua s, the want of harmony between them was dlfcerned. 1 d W the fairetl: opportunity to dcfiroy them both, Montezuma 1a no · 1 r. 11 ·r. . b d . h' b 11. tllofe bloody defigns wluc 11evera 11 - .1f he had har oure 111 IS rean . 1 . ·ton.a ns have 1.'m pute d to 11 ·1 m. Narvaez endeavoured to ahenate 11m from Cortes, an d t h0 1r.e of h'ts party , accufin. g .t he• m al.l of• treafon, . and promifing to punilh their unheard of audactty m •mpnfonmg ~o gteat a km· g, an d to fir ee no t only the king himfelf' but the whole. natton f1ro · m h · n· b t Montezuma was fo far from plottmg any t ung .t c:1r oppre111on ·; u h' · il: Cortes from thcfe fuggetl:ions, that, on the contrary, when t IS agau1 . . 1 · d d · 11. genera 1 ma de h.n n acquainted with the cxpedtuon 1e mten e ag1at ·n uh. Narvaez, Montezuma expretred great uneaiinefs at the danger to w 11c he expofed himfelf with troops fo i~1ferior in number, and offered t<> raife immediately a great army to h1s affifiance. . Cortes had now ufed every poffible means to bnng about a peaceable accommodation, which would unqueftionably have been advantage~u s for ~both armies, but without any other effeCt than th~t of produ~mg {refh menaces and difdain from the fierce and arrogant ~arvaez. Fmding himfelf therefore aompell~d ~o ~ake war upon his countryme_J~, and not wiHing, on account of hts dtffidence and d1firuft of t~e Mextcans to avail himfelf of the affifrance which Montezuma ofh::red, he requefted the fenate of Tlafcala to raife four thoufand war:iors to go ·along with him, and fent one of his foldiers, named Tob11la, a man ·well ikilled in the art of war, to Chinantla, to demand two thouf:lnd men from ·that warlike nation; and alfo to procure three hundred pikes ·of the kind made ufe of by thefe Indians for the purpofe of rdifl:ing the cavalry of Narvaez, as they were both longer and fironger tha1~ ·thofe of the Spaniards. He left in Mexico one hundred and forty foldiers (u), with all their allies, nnder the command of Pedro d' Al~arado, recommending it to them to guard and treat the ~ing well, and to (u) Bernal Dinz fays, that the Sp:mirm.ls left behind in ~exico were eighty-three in num.· ber. In the modern editiont of Cortes's letters, they nrc fmd to have b~tn five hundred; but 'fbc ancient editions fny one hundred and furty, which nppc:m to have been. the ~ruth, conli· drring thc total amount of the Spani!l1 troop1. The number of five hun,h cd IS cv1dcntly .faM'e, and contradilh Cortes in hit own acl<:amr. mam· ' H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. 97 m:.tintain harmony between them a~1d the Mexicans, particularly the nooK. xr. royal family and the nobilitJ. Upon taking leave of the king, he told ~ him, that he left in his place the captain 'l'onatiub (as Alvarado was called by this name of the fun among the Mexicans, bccaufe he was fair), who was charged to fcrve his majefiy in every thing; that he requefl:ed him to continue his proteClion to the Spaniards; that he was going to find that captain who was latdy arrived, and to do every thing pofEhle for putting his royal commands into execution. Montezuma, .after having made new proteil:ations to him of his good-will and attachment, furnifhed him plentifully with provifions and men of burthen to tranfport his baggage, and took leave of him with the utmofi: friendfl1ip. Cortes fct out fwm l\tfexico in the beginning of May, in the year I szo, after having bewn fix months in that capit.1l, with feventy Spaniards, and fomc Mexican nobles, who chofe to accompany him a part of the way. Several hifl:orians arc perfuadcd th.tt the Mexicans went to become fpies, and to give the king an account of every thing which happened; but Cortes did not confider them as fuch, although neither did he place much confidence in them. He made his journey through Cholula, where be was joined by the captain Velafquez, who was returned from Coatzacualco, luving been fent there by Cortes to icarch for a more commodious harbour for the fl1ips. There Cortes alfo received a confiderable fupply of proviiions, which were fent him by the fenate of Tlafcala; but he had not the four thoufand men he demanded; either becanfe they durft not enter into new wars againll: the SpaI1iards, as Bernal Diaz affirms, or becaufe they were unwilling to remove themfclves fo £1r from their native country, as is reported by other hiilorians; or fi·om feeing Cortes with forces fo ii1ferior in number to thofe of his enemy, they dreaded another defeat in the expedition. Some days before he arrived at Chempoalla, Cortes was joined hy the foldier To billa, with three hundred pikes from Chinantla, and in Tapanacuet]a, a village about thirty miles diil:ant from that dty, he was joined by the fitmous captain Sandoval with fixty foldiers ft·om the garrifon of Vera Cruz. At length after having made new propof.'lls to Natvaez, and having ' s~c-r. xzv. difl:ributed fome gold among the partizans of this arrog;1nt general, 1 CVi..tory of -Ortt'& over VoL. II. · 0 Cortes Narvaez.. |