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Show . 140 BOOK X. ~ H I S T 0 .R y 0 F M E X I C 0 . f1 • h. felf to Mexico by water' in fpite of Cortes, who d~ tran portmg Im k h' as he had formerly done, his thrc-- bro . figned to have ta en 1m, . . . thers Cacamatzm. , C . .t catzin and Ixthlxochttl. Coanac t:z.m UJCUI z ' · . h 1 cottld not purfue any other meafure; for ho '~ was ~~ poffi ble e cou d h. k himfelf fecure among the Spaninrds, atter having fcen what .had ~:n ened to his brothers, and Montezuma his uncl~? And partl ll~ larPlyP bem. g appre h en fit ve tha' t m•a ny of his own fubjects . would tnke r f 1 occa.r1. on to de c I are thcn1felvcs his· t!nemies, fome from ·their Iear o t w S aniards or the particular intcrdl: of thei t· families; others, to revenge ~ee death 'of Cuicuitzcatzin, :md pb e Ixtl ilxochitl on_ t~e thro.ne .. The revolutions which happened in th<tt court fufficlel~ tly juihfied the refolution he formed. Cortes w~ts hardly three days m Te~~uco, when the· lords of IIuexotla, Coatlichan , and Atenco, three Clttes fo near, as we have already mentioned , . to Te.zcuc?, tha~ they. appeared like its fuburbs, prefented themfelvcs to h1m, mtreatmg h1~n to accept their alliance and friendlhip. Cortes~ who defire~ nothmg more earncftly that\ to augment his party, rece1ved them kmdl~, and pro,..mifed his proteetion. The court of Mexico, as foon .as 1t knew of this change, fent a feverc reprimand to thofe lords, tellmg the.m, that if their motive for adopting fo bnfe a meafure was the fear wh1ch they had of the power of their enemi~s, it was fit for them alfo to know, that the Mexicans had ftill greater forces, by which they wouM foon fee the Spaniards, with their favourite allies the Tlafcalans, totally crulhed; that if they had been obliged to it, for the inter~fi of the ftates and poffeffions which they owned in Tezcuco, they m1ght come to Mexico, where they would be afiigned better lands. But thofe lords, infiead of being intimidated with the reprimand, or yielding t() the promifes made them, feized the mefiengers, and fent them to Cortes. He demanded of them the purport of their embaHy? To which they anfwered, that as they knew thofe lords to be in his favour, they had come to intreQt them to be mediators for peace between the Mexicans and the Spaniards. Cortes affefud to believe what they told him, fet them at liberty and charged them to tell their fovereign, that he. did not wilh for war, nor would not wage it, if he was not compelled by hofiilities from the Mexicans; that therefore the king ~hould atter1d, and guard a-gainfi offering any injury to the Spaniards, other wife . ~ I 1i 1 S T 0 R Y 0 ,- M E X I C 0 . .otherwife they would become his enemic$, and infallibly ru1ll his ,BoOK.. Kj capital. "" The alliance of thofe cities was of no fmall importance to Cortes.; but t~f all .things it was moft necelfary to bt•ing that court in his favour. both on account of the numerous nobility which it contained,. and their influence on the other cities . of the kingdom. From the fidl: tnoment he enlered that city he ftudied to gain their minds by every civility and courtefy, and enjoined the fame thing to his people, forbidding moft feverely all kinds of hoftility towards the citizens. He difcovered, from the beginning, a -party of the nobility favourable to the prince Ixtlilxochitl, whom he Hill kept confined for fome pur- · pofe in Tlafcala. He made him be brought to court by a firong party of Spaniards and Tlafcalans, prefented him to the nobility, and got them to acknowledge him king, and crown him with the fame ceremonies and rejoicings ufnally made. for their lawful fovereign. Cortes promoted his advancement as muc' h to revenge himfelf of the lawful king Coanacotzin, as· becaufe the kingdom was dependent upon him. The people accepted him, either becaufe they dudl: not oppofe the Spar1iards, or perhaps becaufe they were tired of the governr'n. ent of Coanacot:r.in. Ixtlilxochid was a youth of about twenty-three years; from the time of the firfi entry of the Spaniards into Tlafcab he had declared himfclf openly for the Spaniards, had prefen ted himfelf to Cortes with offers of his army, and inv ited him to make his journey to Mexico by Otompan, where he was then encamped ; but, in fpite of his friendly interHions and obfequioufne(s, he was m3de pri foner by the Spaniards, when they came off in defeat from Mexico, and was .confined ~in Tlafcala until he was called to the throne. 1 he cir cumfiances of tliis event rnakes us believe, that his imprifonment was an honourable opprcffion of his liberty, coloured with one of tholl! fpecious pretexts, which are ufually invented by artful politicians, when, on account of fome particular ditlidencc and di fhDft, they wifh to render themfclves fecure. Ftom long habit with the Spaniards he had become familiarifed with their cufioms and manners. On the throne he had but the appearance of majell:y; he was much lefs the lord of his fub jeCl: s than minill:er of the pleaCure of the Spaniards, to whom he rendered great fervices, not only in the conque.ll: of Mexico, in which he 8 1erved |