152 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



had taught them; but they were intimidated by the Spaniards, who 

 had the ships fire all their artillery, and committed other extrava- 

 gances; SO the Indians returned disgusted and informed their King 

 Motezuma that these were not the people they expected, for they 

 were cruel, haughty, and overbearing. 



425. Thereupon — and not without divine order or permission, as 

 a result of the dreadful sins of that same King, who had caused him- 

 self to be reverenced and worshiped as god, and of those of his min- 

 isters, as well as of those of the Spaniards, although they were the 

 instruments of divine justice — the savage tried to block the Spaniards' 

 penetration of his country, by many methods, and as the most effec- 

 tive, he made use of wizards and sorcerers. They started on their 

 journey to see if they could stop the Spaniards by this means ; but 

 when actually on their way, they were threatened and reproved by 

 the Devil, for Divine Wisdom had so ordained ; and so they returned 

 in fear and trembling to their King Motezuma, reporting that those 

 people were more than human, for all their learning and power did 

 not prevail against them, to prevent their expedition ; whereupon the 

 King became more bewildered and cast down, and decided to make 

 a virtue of necessity by going out to meet them. 



426. Meanwhile the Marquis had formed a friendly alliance with 

 the members of the Tlascalteca tribe, sworn enemies of Motezuma, 

 who gave all possible service and supplies to the Marquis and his 

 men; they pressed onward, and before they entered Mexico City, 

 Motezuma came out to meet them at about a league from the city. 

 He came in great majesty, borne on the shoulders of four of his lords 

 in a golden sedan chair with great wealth of decoration and feather- 

 work; and after the King and the Marquis had exchanged saluta- 

 tions, they entered the city. There the Marquis and his men were 

 lodged in the King's own palaces, which he had vacated for that pur- 

 pose ; and there on the following day through interpreters he gave 

 them an explanation of his coming, making clear to them that the 

 Tlascaltecas and other tribes had complained to him of the abuses 

 they had sufifered at their hands, and that what he proposed was to 

 teach them the Gospel law and make everybody friends so that hence- 

 forward they should live in peace and harmony. They gave an excel- 

 lent reception to all this ; and although at the start they conformed 

 obediently to all that Cortes told them. Divine Providence ordained 

 that when a suitable occasion presented itself, the Marquis, for the 

 better assurance of his project, laid hands on the King and made him 

 prisoner in the midst of his court and his attendants — a feat second 

 to none in the world's history and on a par with the burning of his 



