Page:The Conquest of Mexico Volume 1.djvu/523

 officers and soldiers, of whom he was one, suggested the capture of Montezuma to the general who came into the plan with hesitation. (Hist. de la Conquista, cap. 93.) This is contrary to the character of Cortés, who was a man to lead, not to be led, on such occasions. It is contrary to the general report of Historians, though these, it must be confessed, are mainly built on the general’s narrative. It is contrary to anterior probability; since, if the conception seems almost too desperate to have seriously entered into the head of any one man, how much more improbable is it, that it should have originated with a number! Lastly, it is contrary to the positive written statement of Cortés to the emperor, publicly known and circulated, confirmed in print by his chaplain, Gomara, and all this when the thing wat fresh, and when the parties interested were alive to contradict it. We cannot but think that the captain here, as in the case of the burning of the ships, assumes rather more for himself and his comrades than the facts will strictly warrant; an oversight, for which the lapse of half a century—to say nothing of his avowed anxiety to show up the claims of the latter—may furnish some apology.

Page 392 (2).—Even Gomara has the candour to style it a "pretext"—achaque.—Crónica, cap. 83.

Page 392 (3).—Bernal Diaz states the affair, also, differently. According to him, the Aztec governor was enforcing the payment of the customary tribute from the Totonacs, when Escalante, interfering to protect his allies, now subjects of Spain, was slain in an action with the enemy. (Hist. de la Conquista, cap. 93.) Cortés had the best means of knowing the facts, and wrote at the time. He does not usually shrink from avowing his policy, however severe, towards the natives; and I have thought it fair to give him the benefit of his own version of the story.

Page 393 (1).—Oviedo, Hist. de las Ind., MS., lib. 33, cap. 5.—Rel. Seg. de Cortés, ap. Lorenzana, pp. 83, 84. The apparition of the Virgin was seen only by the Aztecs, who, it is true, had to make out the best case for their defeat they could to Montezuma; a suspicious circumstance, which, however, did not stagger the Spaniards. "And indeed all we soldiers who went with Cortés believed this firmly; and it is true that the Divine mercy and Our Lady the Virgin Mary were always with us."-—Bernal Diaz, Hist. de la Conquista, cap. 93.

Page 399 (1).—Herrera, Hist. General, dec. 2, lib. 8, cap. 3.

Page 399 (2).—On one occasion, three soldiers, who left their post without orders, were sentenced to run the gauntlet,—a punishment little short of death.—Ibid., ubi supra.

Page 399 (3).—Bernal Diaz, Hist. de la Conquista, cap. 97.

Page 399 (4).—"And after they had owned to the killing of the Spaniards, they were asked if they were vassals of Muteczuma. And the aforesaid Qualpopoca replied, was there any other lord whose vassal he could be? By this implying that there was no other lord and that they were his vassals."—Rel. Seg. de Cortés, ap. Lorenzana, p. 87.

Page 407 (1).—Bernal Diaz, Hist. de la Conquista, cap. 96.

Page 408 (1).—Ibid. cap. 97.

Page 409 (1).—Ibid., cap. 98.

Page 409 (2).—According to Solis, the devil closed his heart against these good men; though, in the historian's opinion, there is no evidence that this evil counsellor actually appeared and conversed with Montezuma, after the Spaniards had displayed the Cross in Mexico.—Conquista, lib. 3, cap. 20.

Page 410 (1).—Bernal Diaz, Hist. de la Conquista, cap. 99.—Rel. Seg. de Cortés, ap. Lorenzana, p. 88.