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of power. It was now that the future conqueror of Mexico first appeared on the ftage: his introduction is curious; it is marked by that artifice which diftinguithes almoft every action of his life, and which every hiftorian but honeft Diaz has unaccountably overlooked.

"Juft at this time Andres de Duero, fecretary to the governor, and Amador de Lares, the Contador of his Majefty in Cuba, made a private propofal to a refpectable Hidalgo named Hernando Cortes, a native of Medellin in Eftremadura, and fon of Martin Cortes de Monroy, and of Catalina Pizarro Altamirano, both, though poor, Hidalgos, and of the good lineages of that province. Hernando Cortes poffeffed a property in the Inland of Cuba, had been twice Alcalde there, and had lately from motives of inclination married a lady named Donna Catalina Suarez Pacheco, daughter of Diego Suarez Pacheco of Avila, and of Maria de Mercaida a Bifcayan. This marriage brought much trouble upon Cortes, and he was frequently in confinement by the interference of D. Velafquez. Leaving this to be related more fully by others, I will now however proceed in my narrative of what took place between Cortes and the Secretary and Contador. These two officers, the particular confidential friends of Velafquez, agreed with Cortes to procure by their intereft with the governor his appointment to the command of the armament, on condition of his giving them, each, equal parts with himfelt, in the treasure which fhould come to his fhare; for the commiffion was to be extended no farther than barter and obtaining gold, and not to colonization. This being agreed amongst them, the Secretary and Contador took fuch measures, praifing and recommending Cortes, and vouching for his fidelity, to Velafquez, who had flood as father to him at his marriage, that they fucceeded in obtaining the commiffion for him, which, it being the office of the Secretary to draw it up, was done as the proverb fays with very good ink, and fully ratified, according to the with of Cortes.

"As foon as the appointment was made public, to fome it gave fatisfaction, and others were difpleafed at it; and one Sunday, the governor going as ufual to mafs attended by the most refpectable perfons of the town and neighbourhood, he placed Hernando Cortes by way of diftinction on his right hand; upon which occafion one Cervantes, called the mad, a kind of buffoon, ran before them repeating his abfurdities fuch as, "Huzza for my mafter Diego, what a captain has he chofen! and how foon he will lofe his fleet!" With much of that kind, but all having a malicious tendency. Andres de Duero who was prefent cuffed him, and bid him be filent, faying he well knew that he repeated what others put in his mouth, but the rogue perfevered, adding, that he would quit his old mafter, and follow the fortunes of Cories. It was certain that the relations of Velafquez hired him to repeat thofe things under the colour of folly, and to alarm the governor; but all he said turned out literally true.

"Cortes immediately on his appointment proceeded with the greatest activity in making his preparations; he alfo dreffed and ap

peared

peared in much greater ftate as to his own perfon than before; wear-
ing a plume of feathers, and a gold medal in his cap, which ornaments
became him very well. His funds were very inadequate to this ex-
pence, for he was much indebted and diftreffed, although he had a
good eftate; being very extravagant, both as to himfelf and the drefs
and ftate of his wife; but certain merchants, his friends, named Jaime
or Jeronymo Tria, and Pedro de Xeres, perceiving that he was rifing
in the world, and fortune likely to favour him, advanced him four
thousand crowns in money, and merchandizes alfo, upon his property.
With this, he caused to be made a standard of gold and velvet, with
the royal arms and a crofs embroidered thereon, and a latin motto, the
meaning of which was, "Brothers follow this holy crofs with true
P. 25.
faith, for with it we shall conquer."

Velasquez instantly repented of what he had done, and took many extraordinary steps to deprive Cortes of his command. He had to do, however, with a man fuperior to him in his own arts, and was conftantly baffled. Omitting thefe, we fhall proceed to Cozumel, where Diaz had formerly touched. Here, fays the author,

"Cortes now fent for me and a Bifcayan named Martin Ramos, in order to question us as to our opinions of the meaning of the word "Caftillan," fo frequently repeated by the Indians of Cotoche, when we came with Captain Hernandez de Cordova; adding that he was convinced that it must allude to fome Spaniards in that country: for which reafon, he queftioned the native chiefs upon the fubject. They all anfwered in the affirmative, and certain Indian merchants then in Cozumel affured us that they had fpoken to them a few days before. Cortes was anxious to obtain their releafe, and being informed that compenfation would be expected, he amply provided his meffengers for the purpofe. By thefe perfons he fent letters to them, and he or dered for this fervice two light veffels, with twenty crossbow-men and musketeers under the command of Diego de Ordas. One fhip was to remain at the point of Cotoche for eight days, while the meffengers went and returned, and the fecond was to bring the report to Cories how the bufinefs proceeded.

"The places where the Spaniards were said to refide, were diftant from the point of Cotoche only about four leagues. The letter which Cortes fent was as follows, "Gentlemen and brothers; here in Cozumel I have been informed that you are detained prifoners by a caI fend cique: I requeft as a favour that you will forthwith join me. a fhip and foldiers, with whatever is neceffary for your ranfom; they have orders to wait eight days, but come with all dispatch to me, from whom you fhall receive every affiftance and protection. I am here with eleven hips and five hundred foldiers, with which I will, with the affiftance of God, proceed to Tabafco, Pontonchan, &c. &c." P. 34.

This letter, which originated in the General's own fagacity, procured him a Spanish prifoner, Jerome de Aguilar, who

-fpoke

1

fpoke the language of the country, and was of fingular fervice to him in his warfare along the coaft, when he lolt feveral of his men ; and was indebted for his perfonal fafety to the terror of the Indians at the fight of his horfes, animals which they could not comprehend.

In the last ftruggle numbers of the Spaniards were wounded, but only two killed; while more than eight hundred of the Indians lay dead on the field. This great difparity the Spanish hiftorians afcribe to the appearance of St. Jago on a white horfe; and it is amufing to obferve the embarrallment of the old foldier on the occafion. His fuperftition and his veracity are at variance, and it is not without a fruggle that the latter prevails.

"In his account of this action Gomara fays, that previous to the arrival of the main body of cavalry under Cortes, Francifco de Morla appeared in the field upon a grey dappled horfe, and that it was one of the holy apoftles, St. Peter or St. Jago, difguised under his perfon. I fay, that all our works and victories are guided by the hand of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and that in this battle, there were fo many enemies to every one of us, that they could have buried us under the duft they could have held in their hands, but that the great mercy of God aided us throughout. What Gomara afferts might be the cafe, and I, finner as I am, was not worthy to be permitted to fee it. What I did fee

was, Francifco de Morla riding in company with Cortes and the reft upon a chefnut horfe, and that circumftance, and all the others of that day appear to me at this moment that I am writing, as if actually pafling in the view of thefe finful eyes. But although I, unworthy foner that I am, was unfit to behold either of thofe holy apoftles, upwards of four hundred of us were prefent, let their teftimony be taken. Let enquiry alfo be made how it happened, that when the town was founded on that fpot, it was not named after one or other of thofe holy apostles, and called St. Jago de la Vitoria, or St. Pedro de la Vitoria, as it was Santa Maria, and a church erected and dedicated to one of thofe holy faints. Very bad chriftians were we indeed, according to the account of Gomara, who when God fent us his apoftles to fight at our head, did not every day after acknowledge and return thanks for fo great a mercy! Would to heaven that it were fo, but until I read the chronicle of Gomara I never heard of it, nor was it ever mentioned amongst the conquerors who were then prefent." P. 47.

Though St. James, however, did not appear on the day of battle, a perfon was defined to be brought forward on the fucceeding one, who had a material influence on the destiny of America; this was the "excellent Donna Marina," as the author calls her, a woman born for the deftruction of her country. She was a Mexican, who fpeedily acquired the Spaith language, and being married to Cortes, to whom she was extremely attached, became interpreter to the army, and facilitated the downfal of a mighty empire.

"On

"On the enfuing day, an altar being built and the crucifix erected, the town of Tabafco changed its name for that of Santa Maria de la Vitoria. The twenty Indian women who had been brought to us, were upon this occafion baptized, the Rev. Father Bartholome de Olmedo preaching to them many good things touching our holy faith. Donna Marina, the principal of them, was a woman of high rank, which indeed the fhewed in her appearance; and thefe were the first christian women in New Spain." P. 50.

The reader may fmile, or fhudder, at the abfurdity of the "good things" there preached to a number of trembling captives, ignorant of what was faid; but will do a great injustice to Olmedo, if he confounds him in his mind with fuch characters as the blood-ftained priest who accompanied the ferocious Pizarro. Olmedo was a pious, rational, and benevolent man; the conftant and intrepid friend of humanity; and, like many of the first miffionaries, an honour and a blessing to the peo ple, and the age in which he lived.

Montezuma had been informed of the drefs, arms, &c. of the Spaniards, by those who had seen them in the second expedition to Yucatan; the accounts, however, were neceffarily fo vague, that they infpired him with equal curiofity and terror. When he heard, therefore, that they were again on the coaft, he fent ambassador after ambaffador, to collect more genuine information. The firft interview is thus defcribed:

"At the appointed time, on the day of the feaft of the refurrection, a nobleman named Tendile who was the governor fpoken of, accompanied by Pitalpitoque afterwards called Ovandillo, and attended by a great train of followers bearing various articles of provifion, with much refpect and ceremony, advanced, and made three reverences to Cortes and the foldiers who were about him. Cortes went to meet and bid the two chiefs welcome: he then caused mass to be faid, after which the tables were placed, and he together with certain of his captains and the two Mexican lords, fat down to dinner. Their repaft ended, and having withdrawn together he informed them, that he was the vaffal of the greatest prince in the world, who had fent us thither, to wait upon the king of those countries, whofe fame had reached him, in order to contract a treaty of peace and amity, and to tell many things to him of the greateft import to be known. To this Tendile fomewhat haughtily replied, faying, "How is this? You are but juft arrived, and you talk of feeing our monarch: receive this prefent which he fends you, and it is time enough to think of other things afterwards." He then took out of a cheft many pieces of gold well wrought, which he prefented to Cortes, together with ten loads of fine mantles of white cot ton adorned with plumage; and many other things, which, it being fo long ago, I do not recollect." P. 55•

C

BRIT. CRIT. VOL, XVII, JAN. 1801.

These

Thefe pieces of gold, and others which were afterwards brought, had their natural effects on the mind of Cortes. Avarice, of the moft fordid and deteftable kind, was his ruling and only palprefion; when, therefore, he found that he had exhaufted the fents and the parience of Montezuma, who would admit of no further intercourfe, he turned, fays Diaz, "to fome of us who were prefent, and faid:

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"Truly this is a great monarch, and rich: with the permiffion of God we muft fee him." To which all the foldiers replied, that they were ready to march. At this moment the bell tolled for the Ave Maria, and all of us fell on our knees, before the holy crofs." P. 59.

Marching to Mexico, however, with his fmall force was ftili a hopeless event; when it was facilitated by an occurrence, which, in more recent times, and among more civilized people, has frequently involved whole ftates in one general deftruction. The people of Zempoalla, a diftrict on the road to Mexico, had been recently added to the fubjects of Montezuma: they now came to Cortes to complain of his tyranny, and to folicit his affiftance in thaking off the yoke. This was precifely what that general wanted; he affured them of his protection, and immediately marched into the country, under their guid

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Early in the morning we proceeded under the conduct of our friendly Indians, and fent forward to the chief of Cempoal to inform him of our approach. When we came within a league of the place, we were met by twenty principal perfons, who prefenting Cortes and the cavalry with very odoriferous flowers tied in bunches, told him, that they came with an excufe on the part of their chief, who was fo fat and unwieldy that he was not able to come out, but had fent them to invite us to his town. Cortes thanked them, and we proceeded. When we entered, we were furprifed with the beauty of the buildings and All the streets as we fituations, and the various plantations of trees. paffed were filled with men and women, attracted by curiofity. Our advanced guard having gone to the great fquare, the buildings of which had been lately whitewashed and plastered, in which art thefe people are very expert, one of our horfemen was fo ftruck with the fplendor of their appearance in the fun, that he came back in full fpeed to Cortes, to tell him that the walls of the houfes were of filver. When we came to know the reality we all laughed heartily at him, and ufed in future to fay that every thing that was white, was filver in his eyes. Thefe buildings were appointed for our lodgings, and large apartments affigned to us, which contained the whole; and here the fat cacique, for fo I am in future to call him, came to pay his refpects to Cortes. They had provided an entertainment for us, with baskets of plums, and bread of maize. We were well pleafed with our fituation, and named the town Villa Viciofa; though fome called it Seville. Cortes ordered that the foldiers fhould give no umbrage to the inhabitants, and that we should for that reafon remain in our quarters.” P. 67.

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