Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 1.djvu/179

Rh Your Royal service to act in the name of Your Majesties in the said town, and in these parts as Chief Justice, and Captain, and head, whom we could all respect and obey until we might give account of everything to Your Royal Highnesses, so that you could provide as best suited your service. Recognising that to no one could we better give such a charge than to the said Fernando Cortes, because, besides being a most suitable person, he is moreover very zealous in the service of Your Majesties, as well as being very experienced in these parts and islands, of which he has always given good proofs, for having spent all that he possessed to serve Your Majesties in this armada, and heeded so little (as we have already related) his possible gains and profits from continuing to trade, we therefore elected him, in the name of Your Royal Highnesses, to the office of Justice and Superior Alcalde, receiving from him the oath which is required in such cases. And, having done this as profitable to the service of Your Majesty, we received him in Your Royal name in our Council and Assembly Chamber, as Chief Justice and Governor of Your Royal arms, and thus he is, and will continue, until Your Majesties provide what is best for your service.

We have wished to fully relate all this to Your Royal Highnesses, that you may know what has been done here, and in what condition we are living here.

Having done as stated, and, being all assembled in our Council Chamber, we agreed to write to Your Majesties, and to send you, in addition to the one-fifth part which belongs to your rents, according to Your Royal prescriptions, all the gold, and silver, and valuables which we have obtained in this country, on account of its being the first, and above which we keep nothing for ourselves. We place this at the disposition of Your Royal Highnesses, as a proof of our very good will for your service, as we have heretofore done with our persons and property,