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Show I Of BOOK IX. '"-ry--.; H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ... were almofl: all wounded, and even Ordaz himfdf. Amongll: the d~fl:reffes fuffcred by the Spaniards from the Mexicans tl~at day, the fet.tmg fi~·e to different parts of the quarters· was one, and the. fire was fo vtolent Jl'l fome places, that th<.: Spaniards were obliged to throw down the w~ll, and d~fend the breach with the artillery, and a number of foldiCrs whom they fl:ationed there, till night, when the enemy gave them op-portunity to rebuild the wall and take care of th~ wounded. . The following day, the 26th of J unc, the aftault ~as .more ternble, and the fury of the Mexicans il:ill greater. The Spantards defended thcmfelves with twelve pieces of artillery, which committed uncommon havock upon their enemy; but as the nun1ber of them was infinite, they covered the fight of the dead with fre01 fubftitutcs in their place. Cortes perceiving their obil:inacy, filllied out with the greater part of his troops, and proceeded fighting his way through one of the principal il:reets of the city, took poffeffion of fome of the bridges fet fire to fome houfes, and after continuing in action almoll: the whole day, he returned to the quarters with more than fifty Sp:t· Diards wounded, leaving innumerable Mexicans dead in the fireets. Experience had made o:-tes fenlible, that the great~il: annoyance his troops met with was from the terraces of the houfes; to flmn wl1ich in future he ordered three machines of war to be confl:ruC!:cd, called by the Spaniards Mantas, [o large that each of them would carry twenty armed foldiers, covered with a il:rong roof to defend them from the fioncs thrown from the terraces, furnifhed with wheels alto to make them eafy to move, and little windows or port-holes for the dilcharrre of their guns. · \Vhile thofe machin s were confl:ruCl:ing, great changes took place at court. Montezuma, having afcended one of the towers of the pah.ce, obfcrved from it one of the a~ove m~ntionccl cngagemen ts, nnd mnongfr the multitude his brother Cuitlahuatzin, commanding rhe Mexican troops. At the fight of fo many objeCts of misfortune, his mind was feized with a croud of melancholy thoughts. On the one hand, he faw the danger he was in of loling both his crown and his life; and on the other, the defl:ruC1:ion of thl: buildings of hi capital~ the £laughter of his vafials, and the fuccefs of his enemies; and found there was no other remedy to all thoic evils but the immediate depar-ture H I S T 0 It Y 0 F M E X 1 C 0 . ture of the Spaniards. In thcf(.. m.eJitations he pa!Ted the night, and the d ~')' following be fent early for Cortes, aud fpoke to him on the ful0 e~.l', praying him earncfl:ly not to defer any longer his removal from rbat city. c~rtes required no fuch intreaty to rcfolve upon his retreat from it. He found provilions were ~ anty in extreme; fu d wa · given to the foldiers by meafure, and that fo little, it was fufli cient only to fupporr life, not the il:rength neceilary to oppoie fuch nemie as incciTantly harail~d them. In fhort, he fnv it was impoffibk to render hirntdf mall:er of that city as he intended, nor ould he even fubGil: there. But, on the other hand, he felt no fmall regret to abandon the undertaking he had begun,. lofing in one moment, by his departure all the advantages which his courage, his indufl:ry, and his good fortune had gained him; but fubmitting to the circumil:an t:s of his fi.tuation, he anCwered the king, that he was ready to depart for the- peace of the kingdom, provided his fubjects -would lay down their arms. This conference was hardly ended, when " To arms" was cried through the quarters, on account of a general a1f..1ult of the Mexicans. On every fide they attempted to mount the walls, on pnrpofe to enter while fume troops of archers, conveniently pofl:ed, fhot an immenfe multitude of arrows, to check the oppofition made by the befieged, while Come of the beliegers pu01ed 1o il:renuoufly forward, tha't, in fpite of the artillery and mufkets, they got within the quarters, 'and began to fight man to man with the Spaniards, who, thinking themfelves now almofi: vanqui01ed and overpowered by the multitude, fought with defperation. Montezuma, obferving this moment of the conflict, and his own immediate danger, refolved to let himfelf be feen, in order to refl:rain by his pref~nce and his voice the fury of his fubjeets. Having for this purpofe put on the royal enfigns, and attended by fome of his minifl:ers and two hundred Spaniards, he mounted on a terrace and 01ewed himfdf to the people, his minifl:ers making a fignal for file nee, that they might hear the voice of theif fovevereign. At the fight of the king the alfault cea~ed, all ':ere m~te, and fome in reverence kneeled down. He fpoke m an audtble votce, and addreffed thetn to the following effeCt : " If t~e motiye which " induces you to take arms again!l thofc ftrangers is your zeal for my V OL. . II • P " liberty, BOOK I ' , ~ SrcT. XVI. The king 's aJdrcls to the people. |