MEXICAN NOBILITY. 439 



Electors was the greatest, and most honourable next to the u &quot; VI 

 king, and they were chosen presently after the kings elec 

 tion. They were commonly brothers, or very neare kinsmen 

 to the king, and were called Tlacohecalcatl, which signi(ies 

 prince of darts, the which they cast, being a kind of armes 

 they vse much. The next dignitie to this were those they 

 doe call Tlacatecatl, which is to say circumcisers or cutters 

 of men. The third dignitie were of those which they 

 called Ezuahuacatl, which signifies a sheader of blood. All 

 the which Titles and Dignities were exercised by men of 

 warre. There was another, a fourth, intituled, Tliluncalqui, 

 which is as much to say, as Lord of the blacke house, or of 

 darkenesse, by reason of certaine incke wherewith the 

 Priests annoynted themselves, and did serve in their idola 

 tries. All these foure dignities were of the great Counsel!, 

 without whose advise the king might not doe anything of 

 importance; and the king being dead they were to choose 

 another in his place out of one of those foure dignities. 

 Besides these, there were other Counsells and Audiences, 

 and some say there were as many as in Spaine, and that 

 there were divers seates and iurisdictions, with their Coun 

 sellors and Judges of the Court, and others that were vnder 

 them, as Corregidors, chiefe Judges, captaines of lustice, 

 Lieutenants, and others, which were yet inferiour to these, 

 with a very goodly order. All which depended on the fouro 

 first Princes that assisted the king. These foure onely had 

 authority and power to coudemue to death, and the rest 

 sent them instructions of the sentences they had given. 

 By meanes whereof they gave the king to vnderstand what 

 had passed in his Ilealrne. 



There was a good order and settled policie for the re- , 

 venues of the Crowne, for there were officers divided 

 throughout all the provinces, as Receivers and Treasurers, 

 which received the Tributes and royall revenews. And 

 they carried the Tribute to the Court, at the least every 



