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Show g I' C To X1<Vlf. H I s T 0 R, y ' 0 F M E X 1 C Q, 1a rgc i111 d be au tu·c:u 1 c1'ty totally ddhoyed • The king con.f ultcJ wit.h • his counfellors, with the general of the army, and the he:1ds of th 1r ro I•. gt·o n ; 11 c cxpl.·'.J 'r1cd to them the fubJi eet of th• e, • cmbafiy, • the fiat~ ofJ tq~ capit;;d, the fcarcity of provifi.ons, the affhcbons of Ius peopl , and the fiill greater evils which threatened them, and c~mn}lllldc~ ~hem to fpeak their opinions freely. Some of them, forefcemg t,hY , lDl)c of the war were inclined 'to peace; others, inftlgatcd by hatred to the SpaniG.rd&, .or , the fen timcnts. of honour, advifcd war. Th~ p~ie!l:s. whofe authority in this, as w~ll as in other matt~rs, was h1g~ly, ref .. pcCl:ed, declared /l:rongly again{l: peace; alleclging feveral p1:etended .Rracles of their gods, whofe ir)d~gjution OQght t01be dre~~d 1f they y1elded to the laims of thoie cruel ,enemies o( their wor{hip, and whofe protcaJioFI ought to be implore<d with prayers and facrifices. This opinion at.lail: prevailed, from the fupedl:itioLls fc:ar which hac! fi ized their minds;. hnd, accordingly, they anfwcted·the Spl\nilh g~neral, th:tt they would continue the war, for they were dete,rmined to defi od tbemfelv<..: to the lafi: rbreath. If they had not been moved to this refolutfOn by fupedl:ition, but by a fenfe of honour, from the love of their ·country and native liberty, they would not have been fo blameable; for, al-l t though they f.1w their ruin inevitable in continuing the r\vmr,r they .had t ndt tmloh h6pe of' bottering their fortune by ,means ,of peace. 1:, The ' experience of pafi: events did not permit them to confi'de . in the promifes which were madc .them; on which .account they. mufi hav~:: reprefented to themfelves, that it ,was. more con1iftent with ideas of honour to' die with their arms in their hands in• defence of their native country and liberty, than to abandon all to the ambition of thofe, ftmngers, and reduce themfelves by a furrender to a wretched frate of fiavcry. F..xpeditiont ar,ainft the Malinulchefc and Mntla· · Two days after the defeat of the Spaniards, fome meffengtrs fent frorh •the c}ty -of ~auhnahuac arrived at the camp of Cortes, to cornplain of the great injuries done them by their neighbours the Malinalchefe, who, according to their affirmations, were going into confederacy with the Cohuicas7 a very numerous nation, on purpofe to de- . ftroy ~auhnahul\c, becaufe they had become the allies of the Spaniards, and afterwards to pafs the n.)Ountains to make an affault, with a 1-~rge army, on the camp of Cortes. This general, ~though he felt . lli,m- H I S T 0 R Y 0 F. . M E X I C 0. himfelf rather in a ftate to demand affi{bnce than to give it, neverthelefs. for the reputation of the Spani01 arms, and to prevent the blow which was threatened, fent the captain Andrea de Tapia with the me{fengers, two hundred Spani:.11·ds, ten horfes, and a large number of allies, with orders to unite themfelves with the troops of ~auhnahuac, and to do every thing which he thought would conduce to the fervice of his king, and the fecurity of the Spaniards. Tapia executed all that was enjoined him by the general, and in a place fituated between Q.uauhnqhuac and Malinalca, had a pitched battle with the enemy, defeated, and purfued them to the foot of the mountain, 011 whofe top th~ city of Malinalco fiood. He could not, according to his wiih; make an aifault upon it, as it was inacceffible to his cavalry, but he laid the countr·y wa!l:e, and the ten days being now expired, which was the time of abfence prefcribed him, he returned to the camp. Two days after, meifengers from the Otomies of the valley of Totloccan arr.ived at the fame camp, praying aid againfi the Matlatzincas. a powerful and warlike nation of the fame valley, who kept them continually at war, had burned one of their fettlements, made many of them prifoners, and befi.des had agreed with the Mexicans to attack with all their forces the camp of Cortes, by the way of the main land w,hile the Me:ieicans attackeCl them from the city. In the entries which the Spaniards had made into Mexico, they had fometimes heard the Mexicans threaten them with the power of the Matlatzincas, and Cortes now perceived, from the account of the Otomies, the great danger he would' run, if he thould give the enemy an opportunity of putting their defign in execution. He would not trull this expedition t0 any other than the brave and gallant Sandoval. This indefatigable officer, although he had been wounded on the day of the defeat of Cortes, had ~tted for feme days as general, inceO.;mtly going round the three camps, making the heft difpofition for their fecurity. Scarcely fourteen days elapfed after tHe defeat of Cortes, when he marched towards the valley ~f Tolioccan with eighteen horfes, a hundred Spanilh infantry, and fixty thou(and allies. In their way they faw fome marks of devafl:ation committed by the Matlatzincas, and when they entered the valley, they found a fettlement newly }aid in ruins, andtfc'\W the troops of the enemy A a 2 loaded 179 BOOK X. ~ ' |
