A TALKING STONE. 509 



that there were great losses preparing for him and for LlB&amp;gt; VXI - 

 his whole realme : many witches and sorcerers went and 

 declared as much ; amongst which thero was one did very 

 particularly foretell him what should happen : and as he 

 was with him hee tolde him that the pulses of his feete and 

 hands failed him. Montec^uma, troubled with these news, , 

 commanded all those sorcerers to be apprehended : but 

 they vanished presently in the prison, wherewith hee grewe 

 into such a rage, that hee might not kill them, as hee putte 

 their wives and children to death, destroying their houses 

 and families. Seeing himselfe importuned and troubled 

 with those advertisements, he sought to appease the anger 

 of his gods : and fur that cause hee laboured to bring a ., 

 huge stone, thereon to make great sacrifices. For the 

 effecting whereof hee sent a great number of people with 

 engines and instruments to bring it : which they could by no 

 meancs moove, although (being obstinate) they had broken 

 many instruments. But as they strove still to raise it they 

 heard a voyce ioyning to the stone, which said they laboured 

 in vaine, and that they should not raise it, for that the 

 Lorde of things created would no more suffer those things 

 to bo doono there. Montecuma, vuderstanding this, com- 

 maunded the sacrifice to be pcrfonrmed in that place, and 

 they say the voyce spake againe : &quot; Have I not told you 

 that it is not the pleasure of the Lord of things created that 

 it should be done: and that you may well know that it is 

 so, I will suffer my selfe to be transported a little, then 

 after you shall not moove mco&quot;. Which happened so in- 

 deede ; for presently they carried it a small distance with 

 great facility, then afterwards they could not moove it, till 

 that after many prayers it suffered it selfo to be transported 

 to the entry of the citty of Mexico, where sodainly it fel / 

 into the Lake, where, seeking for it, they could not finde it, 

 but it was afterwards found in the same place from whence 

 they had remooved it, wherewith they remayued amazed 



