ARRIVAL OF THE SPANIARDS. 513 



CHAP. xxiv. Of the newes Monteruma received of the 



Spaniards arrival in liis Country, and of the 



Ambassage he sent them. 



In the fourteenth yeare of the raigne of Montecuma, LIB. 

 which was in the yeare of our Lord 1517, there appeared ~ 

 in the North seas, shippes, and men landing, whereat the 

 subiects of Montecuma wondred much, and desirous to 

 learno, and to be better satisfied what they were, they 

 went uboord in their canoes, carrying many refreshings 

 of meats and stuffes to make apparrell, vpon colour to sell 

 them. The Spaniards received them into their shippes, 

 and in exchange of their victualls and stuffes, which were 

 acceptable vnto them, they gave them chaines of false 

 stones, red, blew, greeno, and yellow, which the Indians 

 imagined to be precious stones. The Spaniards informing 

 themselves who was their king, and of his great power, 

 dismissed them, willing them to carry those stones vnto 

 their lord, saying, that for that time they could not goe to 

 him, but they would presently returne and visit him. Those 

 of the coast went presently to Mexico with this message, 

 carrying the representation of what they had scene painted 

 on a cloth, both of the shippes, men, and stones which they 

 had given them. King Monteruma remained very pensive 

 with this message, commanding them not to reveale it to 

 any one. The day following, he assembled his counsell, 

 and having showed them the painted clothes and the 

 chaines, he consulted what was to be done ; where it was 

 resolved to set good watches vpon all the sea coastes, to 

 give present advertisement to the king of what they should 

 discover. The yeare following, which was in the beginning 

 of the yeare 1518, they discovered a fleet at sea, in the 

 which was the Marques del Valle Don Fernando Cortes, with 

 his companions, a newes which &quot; much troubled Monte- 



L L 

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&quot;^ CAI i rt^k- &amp;gt; 



