SUBMISSION OF THE MEXICANS. 523 



and Indians agree, that God delivered them here miracu- LlB - Tn - 

 lously, the Virgin Mary defending them on a little hill, 

 whereat this day, three leagues from Mexico, there is a 

 Church built in remembrance thereof, called our Lady of 

 succour. They retyred to their antient friends of Tlascala, 

 whence, by their aide and the valour and pollicie of Cortes, 

 they returned afterwards to make war against Mexico, by 

 water and land, with an invention of brigantines, which 

 they put into the lake, where, after many cornbates, and 

 above threescore dangerous battailes, they conquered 

 Mexico, on S. Ilippolitus day, the 13 of August 1521. 

 The last king of the Mexicans (having obstinately main 

 tained the wars) was in the end taken in a great canoe, 

 whereinto ho fled, who, being brought, with some other of 

 the chiefest noblemen, before Fernando Cortes, this pettie 

 king, with a strange resolution and courage, drawing his 

 dagger, came neere to Cortes, and said vnto him, &quot; Yntill 

 this day I have done my best indevour for the defence of 

 my people : now am I no farther bound, but to give thco 

 this dagger to kill me therewith/ Cortes answered, that 

 he would not kill him, neither was it his intention to hurt 

 them : but their obstinate folly was guiltie of all the misery 

 and afflictions they had suffered, neither were they ignorant 

 how often he had required peace and amity at their hands. 

 He then commanded them to be intreatcd curteously. 

 Many strange and admirable things chanced in this con 

 quest of Mexico : for I neither hold it for an vn truth, nor 

 an addition, which many write, that Clod favoured the 

 Spaniards by many miracles : for else it had bin impossible 

 to surmount so many difficulties without the favour of 

 heaven, and to subiect this nation with so few men. For 

 although we were sinners, and vmvorthy so great a favour, 

 yet the cause of our God, the glorie of our faith, the good 

 of so many thousand soules, as were in these countries, 

 whome the Lord had predestinate, wrought this change 



