468 MEXICAN TRIBUTE TO AZCAPUZALCO. 



LIB. vn. them contentment, seeing thou knowest we live vpon their 

 lands, and within their limites. And ending, hee repeated 

 these wordes : &quot;Thou art welcome, thou and the Qiieene our 

 Mistris, to this your realme.&quot; This was the speech of the 

 old man, which, with other orations (which the Mexicaine 

 histories do celebrate) the children did vse to learne by hart, 

 and so they were kept by tradition, some of them deserve 

 well to be reported in their proper termes. The king 

 aunswering, thanked them, and offered them his care and 

 diligence in their defence and .aide in all he could. After 

 they gave him the othe, and after their maner set the 

 royall crown vpon his head, the which is like to the Crowne 

 of the dukes of Venice : the name of Acamapixtlt, their first 

 king, signifies a handfull of reeds, and therefore they carry 

 in their armories a hand holding many arrows of reedes. 



CHAP. ix. Of the strange tribute the Mexicaines paied to 

 them of Azcapuzalco. 



The Mexicaines happened so well in the election of their 

 new king, that in short time they grew to have some form 

 of a common- weale, and to be famous among strangers ; 

 wherevpon their neighbours, moved with feare, practised to 

 subdue them, especially the Tepanecas, who had Azcap- 

 uzalco for their metropolitane citty, to whome the Mexi 

 caines payed tribute, as strangers dwelling in their land. 

 For the king of Azcapuzalco fearing their power which 

 increased, soght to oppresse the Mexicaines, and having 

 consulted with his subjects, he sent to tel king Acamapixtli 

 that the ordinary tribute they payed was too little, and that 

 from thencefoorth they should bring firre trees, sapines, 

 and willowes for the building of the citty, and moreover 

 they shoulde make him a garden in the water planted with 

 diverse kindes of hearbes and pulses, which they should 



