the power of Montezuma, of whom they were the faithful allies.

Before Cortes gave the fignal for murdering the trembling wretches, whom he had thut up, he acquainted them with the charges brought against them by the Tlafcalans, and others.

"This being fucceffively explained to the natives by Donna Marina, they confeffed the whole of the charge, but said that it was planned entirely by the orders of Montezuma. Cortes replied, that fuch crimes were never fuffered to pafs without punishment, and he then commanded a mufket to be fired, as the fignal for flaughter, which was waited for by us, who were as 1 have related well prepared, and falling upon the multitude then inclofed within the courts, we executed their punishment on them in a manner that they will ever remember; for a number of them were killed by us inftantly, and many afterwards burned alive, very contrary to the expectations they had formed from the promises of their gods*. Within two hours our allies the Tlafcalans arrived, and made a defperate flaughter of them in the streets, and as foon as the Cholulans had ceafed to make refiftance, the former ravaged the city, plundering and making them flaves without our having it in our power to prevent them; and on the day after, when the intelligence had reached Tlafcala, fresh hordes crowded hither for the fame purpose." P. 122.

This maffacre, which shocked the Court of Spain, filled the whole country with horror, when the details of it were afterwards given by the good Bishop of Chiapa. In allufion to this, the author fays,

"This which I have related is the reality of the endless story of the Lord Bishop of Chiapa, F. Bart. de las Cafas, who fays we put thefe people to death merely for paftime; but I muft obferve, that certain reverend Francifcans, after the conqueft of Mexico, being fone of the first his Majelly fent to New Spain, went to Cholula on purpose to make the strictest enquiry; the refult of which was, that they found the affair to have happened exactly as I have related it. If this punishment had not taken place our lives would have been in the greatest danger, and had we been defroyed, this country of New Spain would not have been fo eafily gained, or a fecond expedition attempted; or if it had, it might have failed of fuccefs, as the natives would have defended their coafts." P. 125.

Honeft, but fimple Bernal Diaz, thou haft fumbled on the truth!

As Cortes approaches the capital, the narrative becomes infinitely interesting. We cannot refufe our readers the plea

"Above fix thousand Cholulans were put to death on this occa

fion."

fure

fure of witneffing the first interviews of Cortes with Caća, matzin and Montezuma.

"Early in the morning, when we were on the point of marching, a centinel came to inform us, that a great number of Mexicans, richly dreffed, were upon the road. Cortes therefore ordered us to return into our quarters, and at that inftant four of the principal courtiers of Mexico arrived, and waiting on Cortes with great refpect informed him, that Cacamatzin lord of Tezcuco, the nephew of the great Montezuma, was approaching, and requested that he would wait to receive him. Cacamatzin followed in the greateft pomp, carried in a magnificent litter adorned with green plumes, and enriched with jewels, fet in the branched pillars of folid gold. He was borne by eight lords, who affifted him out of the litter, and swept the way by which he was to pafs. When he came into the prefence of Cortes he faid to him, "Malintzin, here am I and thofe lords to attend you to your refidence in our city, by order of the great Montezuma." Cortes embraced the prince, and prefented him with three jewels of that kind called margajitas, which are figured in different colours. We then fet forward on the road to Mexico, which was crowded with multitudes of the natives, and arrived at the caufeway of Iztapalapa, which leads to that capital. When we beheld the number of populous towns on the water and firm ground, and that broad caufeway, running straight and level to the city, we could compare it to nothing but the enchanted scenes we had read of in Amadis of Gaul, from the great towers and temples, and other edifices of lime and tone which feemed to rife out of the water. To many of us it appeared doubtful whether we were afleep or awake; nor is the manner in which I express my felf to be wondered at, for it must be confidered, that never yet did man fee, hear, or dream of any thing equal to the fpectacle which appeared to our eyes on this day.

"When we approached Iztapalapa, we were received by feveral great lords of that country, relations of Montezuma, who conducted us to our lodgings there, in palaces magnificently built of stone, and the timber of which was cedar, with fpacious courts, and apartments furnifred with canopies of the fineft cotton. After having contemplated thefe noble edifices we walked through the gardens, which were admirable to behold from the variety of beautiful and aromatic plants, and the numerous alleys filled with fruit trees, rofes, and various flowers. Here was alfo a lake of the cleareft water, which communieated with the grand lake of Mexico by a channel cut for the purpose, and capable of admitting the largest canoes. The whole was ornamented with works of art, painted, and admirably plaiftered and whitened, and it was rendered more delightful by numbers of beautiful birds. When I beheld the scenes that were around me, I thought within myfelf that this was the garden of the world! This place was, at the time of which I am fpeaking, with one half of the houfes in the water, and the other half on dry land; but all is destroyed, and that which was a lake is now a tract of fields of Indian corn, and fo entirely altered that the natives themfelves could hardly know it.

"On the next day we fet out, accompanied as on the former one, and proceeded by the grand caufeway, which is eight yards wide, and runs in a straight line to the city of Mexico. It was crowded with people, as were all the towers, temples, and caufeways, in every part of the lake, attracted by curiofity to behold men, and animals, fuch as never had before been seen in these countries. We were occupied by very different thoughts; our number did not amount to four hundred and fifty, we had perfectly in our recollection the accounts we had received on our march, that we were to be put to death on our arrival in the city which we now faw before us, approachable only by cause ways, whercon were feveral bridges, the breaking of one of which effectually cut off our retreat. And now let who can, tell me, where are men in this world to be found except ourfelves, who would have hazarded fuch an attempt?

"When we arrived at a place where a small caufeway turns off, which goes to the city of Cuyoacan, we were met by a great number of the lords of the court in their ricbeft dreffes, fent as they faid before the great Montezuma, to bid us welcome. After waiting there fome time, the nephew of Montezuma and other noblemen went back to meet their monarch, who approached, carried in a moft magnificent litter, which was fupported by his principal nobility. When we came near certain towers which are almoft clofe to the city, Montezuma who was then there quitted his litter, and was borne in the arms of the princes of Tezcuco, Iztapalapa, Tacuba, and Cuyoacan, under a canopy of the richest materials, ornamented with green feathers, gold, and precious ftones that hung in the manner of fringe; he was moit richly dreffed and adorned, and wore bufkins of pure gold ornamented with jewels. The princes who fupported him were dreffed in rich habits, different from those in which they came to meet us, and others who preceded the monarch fpread mantles on the ground, left his feet fhould touch it. All who attended him, except the four princes, kept their eyes fixed upon the earth, not daring to look him in the face.

"When Cortes was told that the great Montezuma approached, he difmounted from his horse, and advanced towards him with much refpect; Montezuma bid him welcome, and Cortes replied with a compliment, and it appeared to me, that he offered to yield the right hand to Montezuma, who declined it, and put Cortes on his right. Our general then produced a collar of thofe artificial jewels called marga. jitas, which are of various colours, fet in gold, and threw it upon the neck of Montezuma; after which, he advanced to embrace him, but the lords who furrounded the monarch, taking him by the arm, prevented him, it appearing to them not fufficiently refpectful. Cortes then faid, that he rejoiced in having feen fo great a monarch, and that he was highly honored by his coming out to meet him, as well as by the many other marks of his favor. To this Montezuma made a gracious reply, and gave orders to the princes of Tezcuco and Cuyoacan to attend us to our quarters. Attended by his nobility, he then returned to the city, all the people ftanding clofe to the walls, without daring to lift up their eyes, and thus we paffed, without obftruction from the crowd. Who could count the multitude of men, women, and children, which thronged the streets, the canals, and terraces on the tops of the

Houfes,

houfes, on that day! The whole of what I faw on this occafion is fa frongly imprinted on my memory, that it appears to me as if it had happened only, yesterday: glory to our Lord Jefus Chrift, who gave us courage to venture upon fuch dangers, and brought us fafely through them! And praised be he, that he has fuffered me to live, to write this my true history, although not fo fully and fatisfactorily as the fubject deferves," P. 130.

We recommend this whole chapter (the 8th) to particular notice; it is perhaps the moft interefting and amusing that is to be found in hiftory. The court of Montezuma is described at great length, as indeed it well deferved to be; fince it pro-. bably furpalled in ftate and magnificence that of any contempo rary potentate in Europe. The character of the Monarch is highly amiable; frank. generous, and unfufpecting, he forms a perfect contraft with the gloomy, perfidious, fordid, and cold-blooded Cortes, who is a traitor upon argument, and a murderer upon calculation!

Dr. Robertfon relates the feizure of this Prince; but he attributes it, with the Spanish hiftorians, or rather the gloilers. over of Spanish enormities, to the news of the defeat of Juan de Escalante. The Doctor had certainly read Diaz, and, to do him justice, makes good ufe of the old foldier on many occafions; how is it then, that he did not confult him on the prefent? Whoever has the flighteft knowledge of the ruling paffion of Cortes, muft be convinced, that the true motives of the feizure of Montezuma are to be found in the following paffage :

"Cortes perceiving how adverse the king was to the conversion of his temple into a chriftian church, applied to one of the principal officers of his palace, for materials to conftruct a chapel and altar, within our quarters. His defire being made known to Montezuma, it was inftantly complied with, and timber and workmen being provided, in three days we had it completed. Here we faid mafs every day; we had however to lament the total want of wine for the holy facrament, it having been all used in the illness of Cortes, the reverend father, and others, during the wars in Tlafcala. However we were conftant in our devotions, as well on account of our duty, as in order to imprefs a proper idea of our holy religion, on the minds of Montezuma and the natives. Being employed in looking out for a proper place to fix the holy crofs, one of our carpenters obferved an ap pearance on the wall, as if a door had been there, and lately clofed up. When this was made known to Cortes, it was privately opened, and on entering the apartment, they found riches without end! The fecret foon tranfpired, and we went, all of us, to view them. I was then a young man, and I thought that if all the treafures of the earth had been brought into one place, they could not have amounted to fo much, It was agreed to close up the door again, and we determined to conceal the knowledge of it until the proper time should offer.

"A coun

"A council was now cailed, compofed of Cortes ás prefident, with four captains, and twelve foldiers whereof I was one, and having duly confidered how evidently the Lord guided us, and what wife and va liant captains and brave foldiers we had, as alfo the fickle difpofition of the Indians, who though now kind to us, might change, there was no faying how foon, and that notwithstanding the hofpitality with which Montezuma treated us, he might at any moment fall into an oppofite line of conduft, we resolved to follow the opinion of Cortes, by adopting the mok effectual measure, which was, to seize, and make that monarch our prifoner." P. 150...

Cortes's next exploit (in every refpect worthy of him) was that of burning alive four Mexican nobles before the prifon of their unhappy fovereign, who was put in irons during the execution. The Hiftorian of America thinks this internal barbarity may have flowed from that artful policy which regulated every part of Cortes's behaviour towards the Mexicans." What abufe of language! The policy of Cories con→ fifted in nothing more than the fuperiority of his arms, and a determination to employ them in the deftruction of an innocent people, who were in the tranquil poffettion of the gold for which he thirfted. The "artful policy" of a foot pad is precifely the fame, and is altogether as worthy of the hiftorian's admiration.

The treafures of the "concealed chamber" were not long fuffered to remain in the poffeffion of the captive Monarch. They were carried to the Spanish quarters: the account of their diftribution is not void of intereft.

"Nothing farther was then thought neceffary, than to deduct his Majefty's fifth, and diftribute the shares to the officers and foldiers; Cortes however propofed that the divifion fhould be poftponed until more treasure was brought in, and more exact weights made, but the foldiers were clamorous for an immediate divifion, for they perceived that fince the various articles had been taken to pieces, above a third part was already gone; for Cortes, the captains, and others, were con veying it off and concealing it. At length it was determined to weigh it, and to poftpone the divifion until the enfuing day. It was accordingly fo done, and exclufive of the ornaments and plates of gold, it was found to amount to upwards of fix hundred thousand crowns. 1 will now relate how it was divided, and how the moít of it remained with Cortes and certain others.

"In the partition of the treafure Cortes first laid afide his Majefty's fifth; fecondly, for himself, another fifth; thirdly, a portion of the gold to reimburse the expences in the Inland of Cuba, and alfo for the naval expenditure incurred by Velasquez, and the destruction of the fhips; fourthly, for the expences of our agents in Spain; fifthly, for our foldiers in Villa Rica; fixthly, for the lofs of killed horfes; feventhly, for the reverend father and the captains; eighthly, double hares for the cavalry, musketeers, and crossbow-men. Thus by the