Page:Letters of Cortes to Emperor Charles V - Vol 2.djvu/369

 and on the mainland for want of good government, when the Catholic Kings, grandparents of Your Majesty, not being properly counselled, but advised by interested people who misrepresented the true conditions, as indeed all those have done who have sent reports from those countries. For two reasons I do desire of Your Sacred Majesty so great a favour as to allow me to come and serve in Your Royal presence, the first and principal one being to satisfy Your Majesty and the rest of the world of my loyalty and fidelity in Your Royal service, because I esteem this more than anything else in the world; for, if I have exposed myself to so many fatigues and dangers, and have suffered such hardships, it was to gain the renown of being a servant of Your Majesty, and of Your Royal and Imperial Crown, and not from covetousness of treasures. Of treasures, indeed, I have had a sufficient quantity if they could satisfy me, — I mean for such a modest esquire as myself, — nor would I have spent them lavishly to advance that which I hold to be my first and most important object. If I have not obtained that favour, which I so much covet, doubtless my sins have been the cause, and I believe that nothing is capable of satisfying me if this immense favour which I implore, is not granted me by Your Majesty.

Lest Your Majesty should imagine that I ask too much, though the sum is hardly sufficient for my decent maintenance at Court, I will be contented with ten millions of yearly revenue. This would enable me to appear worthily after having held the charge of Governor in the Royal name of Your Majesty in these parts, and having extended the Royal patrimony and dominion of Your Majesty by bringing under Your Princely yoke so many provinces, peopled by so many and such great cities; and by destroying idolatries and offences against our