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Show '36 BOOK X. ~ , H I s T 0 R y 0 F M E X I C 0. " the death of the Spaniards and om allies : let us go to the ~onqueft of " Mexico the moll: glorious enterprize which can prefent ttfdf to us H through lsfe ; let us go, to punilh, with one ftroke, the p~r~dy, " the pride, and the cruelty of our enemies; t.o extend. the domm10ns ' , of our 1r. 0VCt. e 1· gn, lly adding this large and nch domam to them. ;. to " pave the way to religion, and open the gates of heaven to many m1lhons f r.1 · w1'th the labour of a few days a competence for . " o 10u s .: to gam • . . " our f:: um· 11· es, an d to render all our names unmor.t al; mottves· all C:l·- " pablc of encouraging even the moll: daftardly mmds,. as we~~ as your " generous and noble hearts: I fee no di:nculty ~eforc us, wl11ch your H bravery may not overcome: our ene~me~ a_re .mdeed n~me~ous , but " we are fu perior to them in courage, 111 dtfc1phne, and m arms ; be" ~" d. we have fuch a number of auxiliaries under our command, that 11 cs, b ., . H we might conquer with their affift~nce not on~ ~nly, ut rnany C1t1es " equal to Mexico: however ftrong 1t may be, t,t ~s no~ yet fo powerful " as to withft.and the attacks we lhall make upon 1t by Ian~ and ':ater: u laftly, God, for whofe glory we fight, h~~ !hewn a ~Ifpofi.t10n. to " profper our defigns; his providence h.as preferve~. us. m. the m1dfl: u of all our difafters and dangers, has fent us new compamons ih the " room of thofe we have loft, and converted to our benefit the means ." which our enemies employed for our ruin : what may we not expect e~ in future from his mercy? let us confide in him, and ·not render " our(elves unworthy of his protection by diffidence and pu!illani- • J' . . " lnlty. The Tlafcalans, who endeavoured 'to imitate the ·difcipline of the Spaniards, thought proper alfo to make a review of their,'t'roops before Cortes. The army was preceded by their li:lartial m.afic ·of h'orns, fea-lhells, and otht:r fuch wind-'infl:ruments, after which came the four chiefs of the republic, armed with fword and 1hield, and adorned with moft rich and beautiful plumes, which rofe more than two feet above their heads .; they wore their' hair tied with fillets of gold, pendarlts of gems at their lips and 'ears, and {hoes of great value upon 'their feet; behind them came their four 1hield-bearers, armed with bows and arrows; next ·the four principal ftandards :of the republic appeared, each with'its proper enfign wrought of feathers; 'then palled in regular ranks of twenty each the troops of archers, carrying at certain difl:ances, H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X· I C 0. di{bnces the particular ftandards of their companies, every one of which was compofed of three or four hundred men. They were followed by the troops, armed with (words and lhields, and lafily, by the pikemen. Herrera ll''d Torquemada affirm, that the archers amounted to fixty, the pikemen to ten, and the others armed with {words to forty thoufand in number. Xicotencatl, the younger, made alfo an addrefs to his troops, after the example of Cortes, in which he told them, that the next day, as had already been intimated, they were to march with the brave Spaniards againft the Mexicans, theit inveterate enemies; that although the Tlafcalan name was. fufficient to intimidate all the nations of Anahuac, they mufl: exert themfelves tq acquire new glory from their aCtions. Cortes, on his part, alfembled the principalloJ;ds of the allied ftatest and exhorted them to confl:ant fid~lity to the Spaniards, exaggerating to them the advantages they might hope for, from the ruin of their enemy, and the evils they might dread, if ever from the fuggefl:ions of the Mexicans, or the fear of w~r, or ficklenefs of mind, they i}:lould violate the.ir 'Promifed faith. He then publilhed a military proclama~ tion for the conduCt of his troops, containing the· following articl~s : t n. N 9 pcrfon !hall blafpheme again!l: God, nor the blelfed Virgin, ' nor againft thQ faints. 2d. No perfon !hall quarrel with another, nor put his hanct to pis fword, nor any other weapon, to ftrike him. 3d. No perfon lhall game with his arms, or hi~ hor[¢, or iron tools. 4th. No perfon 1hall force any woman, under pain of <J,eath. sth. No 'perfq>.n '!Pall take away the property of another, nor puniih any Indian, unlefs he is his flave. ' 6th. No perfons ihall make excur.(ions from the camp withotJt our p~rmiffio n. 7th. No perfoq !hall make any Indian prifoner, nor plunder his houfe, withol:'t our permiffion. 8th. No perfon !hall ill ufe thc'allies, but, on the contrary, muft exert every means to maintilin their friendlhip. And becaufe it is .of no fervice to publHh laws, if the obfervance of · them is nQt zealoufly attended to, and delinquents puni!hed, he ordered VoL. II. T two t37 BOOK JC •• La ~4 |