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Show ... Secrr.XXIII. Treachery of 1he ochl· mil ns ami other people. SecT XX:W. Vi&ry of lheMe.xicans. · H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. di.CObedience and ra(hncfs,; but when he was informed how conrageoufiy he had conduCted himfelf that day, and taken poffeffion of the moft di.fficult poil:s,. he gave him only a k.ind ndmonition, and inculcated his former orders rcfpeCting the manner of making his entry. The troops of Xochimilco, Cuitlahuac, and other cities on the lake, which were in the camp of Cortes, willing to profit by the opportunity which prefcntcd itfelf in the entries which the Spaniards made, to plunder the houfes of the capital, availed thcmfelves of a moO: abominable piece of treachery. They fent a fecret embafiy to king <lE_auhtemotzin, declaring their inviolable fidelity to the crown, and complaining of t~e Spaniards, becaufc they had forced them to tak~ arms againO: their natural lord; and adding, that they defigned on their next entry to unite with the Mexicans againft thofc enemies of their country,. to km them all, and thus put an end to his calamities. The king praif~;d' their refolution, appointed them the poO:s which they were to occupy, and alfo returned them gifts in reward of their pretended fidelity. Thofe tra.itors entered the city as ufual, and feign.:ing at fidl: to turn th ir arms againf\: the Spaniards, began afterwards. to plunder the houfes of the Mexicans, killing thofe who oppofed them, and jmprifoning the women and children ,; but the Mexicans foon de-· teC):ing their perfidy, fell upun them with fuch mercilefs fury, 'that almoft every qne· of th{!m atoned for his treachery with his life. A great many of them. were. killed in the conteff, and the others, who were made prifoners,, were immediately facrifi.ced by order of the kjng. This. treafon appears to have been both. defigned and. ~xecuted by the very• lowcfr of the populace of thofe cities, who arc always g!lilty of fuch· mcanncffcs. Twenty days were now pait in which the Spaninrds had made con-· tinnal entries into the city. Some captains. and. foldiers weary of {o. many. rept:ated engagements, the ft;uits of which· appeared :ll:ill very diftant to them, complained to the general,. and earneftly conjured him,, . t-0 exert aU the for<i:es he had in one dccifive blow, which would encL all his dangers and· fatigues. The defign formed by them was to advance as far as the center of Tlatelolco, where· the Mexicans had affemb! e~ all their force~, and attempt to ruin them in one night·,, or at: leaH; bnng them to a furrender.. Cortes, who well knew the immi-· 8 nent H I S T 0 R 'f 0 P' M E X I C 0. nent danger of this e1ttterprize, ftrove to divert them from it with afl his arguments; but thofe being of no avail, nor being able to rejeCt a meafure which had been almoft generally adopted, yielded at Jail: to their importunities. He ordered Sandoval to join Alvarado with one hundred and fifteen Spaniards .and ten horfes, to put the cavalry in a1'nbufcade, and carry ofF the baggage untler pretence of making a departure, and abandoning the fiege of the city, in order that the Mexicans, by being induced to purfue them, might be attacked by the cavalry in their rear; to aim at gaining poifel1ion, by the afliftance of fix brigantines, of that great ditch where Alvarado was defeated, making it be filled up and levelled;, to advance not a ftep without leaving the road well accommodated for a retreat, and then to enter in a body into the fquare of the market. On the day fixed for the general a1fau1t, Cortes marched with twentyfive horfes, with all his infantry, and more than an hundred thoufand allies. His brigantines, with more than three thoufand' canoes, formed the two wings of his army on both fides of the road. He entered the city without oppofition, and quickly divided his army into three parts, that _they might each, by three difFerent roads, arrive at the G.rne time in the fquare of the market. The command of the firft divilion. was g,iven to Julian Alderete, treafurer· to the king, who was the perfen that had moil: earnefily prelfed Cortes to undertake this expedition; and he was· ordered to proceed through the principal and largcfr road with feventy Spaniards, feven horfes, and twenty thoufand allies. Of the other two roads, which led from the great road of Tlacopan to the fquarc of the market, the leaft confined, was affigned to the captains· Andrea de Tapia, and George· Alvarado, brother of P. de Alvarado, with eighty Spaniards, and upwards of ten thoufand allies; and the 11at'rowcfi and moll: difficult, the gen¢ral charged himfelf with, having vne hundred foldi -rs,. and the body of the auxiliary troops, leaving the cavalry and artillery. in the entry to each road. The parties entered all at one time, and engaged courageouily. In the beginning the Mexit: ans made fame refiftance, but afterwards feigning cowardice, they retreated,. abandoning the ditches to thct Spaniards, in order that1 allured by the hopes of victory, they might run themfelv.cs into greater dangers. Some Spani:1rds puihcd forward to the frreets near to the fquare of 17l BOO,K X. , |