OCR Text |
Show BOOK IX. ~ II I S T 0 R y 0 F M E X 1 C 0. 11 'dnie1ht with two hundred and fifty Cortes entered into hempoa a at ml b h 'kes fwords lhields ( ) men without horft:s, or any other arms t an pt. , • anx d da(7g' ers an d mat ..1 · · 'thout the fmallefl no1fe or rumour to the c ung WI d h d 0 ' • 1 h · enemy we:·e quartere , e rna e greater tern ple of that City, w lere IS h d d 1 . felf' fo furious an affimlt, that, before break of th~~, e ren ere um maHer of the temple, of all his enemies, the artillery, arms, and horfes, 1 [i of his fuldicrs bdng kill d, and fifteen of the enemy, though omna yny oounr both fides were woun d ·d ( ) He made himfdf be acknpw- c J · N }edged captain-general and fuprcmc magif'crate by them all, ~u~ arvaez and Salvatierra, a refpeCtable oflicer, and [worn enem! o o~tesp both in irons in the fort of Vera ' ruz, and made t~e fal~S, rud e~s, nnd C{)tnpaiTes of the !hips, be brought o~ {bore. 1 he hght of t 1e mornm· g of tl1at da•v. , which was vVhitfuntlde, the 27th ·o f M1a y, ·h add hardly appeared·, when the two thoufand troops from Chmant a ~rn~: in good order, and well armed (z), but they came only to be w1tne!1es of the triumph of Cortes, and the !hame of the party under Narvae:t, to fee themfelves conquered by fo few enemies,. who were lefs armed than they. The fuccefs of this attac~ was m _a gr~at meafurc owing to the unparalleled bravery of Sandoval, who, w1th eJghty m n, mounted into the temple in the midfl: of a fl:orm of arrows a~d ball~, attacked the fanetuary where Narvaez was fortified, and fe1zed h1& perfun. . Cortes now finding himfelf mafter of e1ghteen ve1Te1s, and almofi two thoufand men of Spani!h troops, with nearly a hundred horfes, and great fufficiency of ammunition, thought of making ne~ expeditions on the coafl: of the Mexican gulf, and had already appomted the commanders who were to head them, and the people who were to be under their orders, when unlucky news arrived from Mexico, which E>bliged him to repair in hafte to that capital. (-K) Bernal Din faya, that Cortn went to Chcmpoalla with two hundred and fix men ; Torqucmalla makes two hundred and fixty-fi:oc, befidea five captains; but Cortea, who knew T>etter than them, affirms, they were two hundred and fifty. {y) Authors are not agreed as to the number killed in that aff.1ult, we put the number which appears the mon probable, according to the account of the different auth.ora. (z) ~ orne authon fay, that the Chinnntlans were prefent at the afi'ault made on the quarter& of Narvaez; buf Bernal Diaz, who was pref(nt, affirms the contrary. Cortes doea not make mention of them. During H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. During the time Cortes was abfent fi·om Mexico, the fcll:ival of the incenling of Huitzilopochtli happened, which was held in the month 'Toxcatl, which that year began on the 13th of May. This fefl:iva1, the mofl: folemn of all which yearly occurred, was ufually ceh;brnted with dances by the king, the nobles, the pridl:s. and the people. The nobility reque.ll:ed captain Alvarado to confent that the king might go to the temple on this occafion to perform his devotion. Alvarado excufed himfclf from granting the requefl:, on account of the orders given him by Cortes, or becaufe he fufpeCted the Mexicans would meditate fome revolution when they had the king with them, well k11owing how eafily public rejoicings are changed into tumults and diforder. They adopted the defign, therefore, of making that religious cbuce iu the court of the palace (a), or q uarterP of the Spaniards, either by the direCtion of th:tt captain, or by the order of the king himfelf: that he might be prefcnt according to cufi:om. When the day of the feil:ival arrived, many men of the firfi: nobility alfembled in the court, (the number (b) of whom is not known), adorned with various orhaments of gold, gems, and feathers. They began to dance and to fing to the .found of mufical infi:ruments; and in the mean while, Alvarado fi:a- . tioned fome foldicrs at the gate. When he f:\w the Mexicans becbme heated, and poffibly alfo weary with dancing, he gave a fignal to his .men to attack them; they immediately charged with th~ utmofi: fury . upon thofe unfortunate victims, who were unable to m~k~ any rcfiftance, as they were unarmed and fatigued, nor was it poQible for them to eicape by flight, as the gates were guirdeJ. The fiaqghter was terrible, and the cries piteous which the dying utt~red, ar)~ the copious blood which was fhed. This fatal blow was mol1 fcnfibly felt by the Mexicans, for they loft by it the flower of their nobility ; and, to per- (a) The hillorians of tho conr1ue!l f:1y in grneral, that the dance was made in the lowrr area of the greater tcrn~lr, but it is not probable, that the immenfe crowd of people which muft hnve n!lemblcd there, would have permirted fo horrid a Hnughter to hnve been mwde of the nobility, efpeciully, aa the armories were there from whence they could have tak en out ns mnny nrms IIH they required to oppofo tho attrmpt of thofe few tlrangers ; nor is it cr, dible, that the Spaniards would run !uch nn evident rilk of their own dethud:ion. Cortes and Bernal Di:lz rnnko no me~\lon of the place of the dance. AcoOa fays, that it was made in tho palace, nur could it hnve been in any other than that which the king was th en inhnbiting. (u) Hy Gomam, the noblca who were pr<'fent at the dance a•·e reckoned fix hundn:d, by ocher hifiurian3 more t~1111 11 thoufund, and hy Lns Cafaa more than two thoufimd. 0 2 retuate 99 BOO [( IX. ~ s ~ cr, XV. Maff<tcre of the M<'x ic·tn nohili ty, anJ i u fu rrc 'tion of tho pcnplc. .. |