Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 16.djvu/345

 Muteçuma: and besought the Emperour to giue him the gouernment of that countrey. And because his people should not rise in mutinie, as they began, he destroyed all his ships.

Cortes presently went from Villa rica de la vera Cruz, leauing there 150 Spanish horsemen, and many Indians to serue them; and the villages round about became his friends. He went vnto the citie of Zempoallan: there he heard newes that Francis Garay, was on the coast with four ships to come on land: And by subtiltie he got nine of his men; of whom he vnderstood, that Garay had beene in Florida, and came vnto the riuer Panuco, where he got some golde, determining to stay there in a towne which is now called Almeria.

Cortes ouerthrew the idols in Zempoallan, and the tombes of their kings, whome they worshipped as Gods, and tolde them that they were to worship the true God. From thence he went toward Mexico the 16. day of August 1519. and trauailed three daies iourney, and came to the citie of Zalapan, and to another beyond it named Sicuchimatl, where they were well receiued, and offered to be conducted to Mexico, because Muteçuma had giuen such commandement. Beyond this place he passed with his companie a certaine hill of three leagues high, wherein there were vines. In another place they found aboue a thousand loades of wood ready cut; and beyond they met with a plaine countrey, and in going through the same, he named it Nombre de Dios.

At the bottome of the mountaine he rested in a towne called Teuhixuacan, and from thence they went through a desolate countrey, and so came to another mountaine that was very colde and full of snow, and they lay in a towne named Zaclotan: And so from towne to towne they were well receiued and feasted till they came into another realme named Tlaxcallan, which waged warre against Muteçuma, and being valiant they skirmished with Cortes; but in the end they agreed and entred into league with him against the Mexicans: and so they went from countrey to countrey till they came within sight of Mexico.

The king Muteçuma fearing them, gaue them good entertainment with lodging and all things necessarie: and they were with this for a time contented: but mistrusting that he and his should be slaine, he tooke Muteçuma prisoner and