oral! 



in the great number of men which they had facrificec*. 

 and in the horrible maner thereof. And to the end we 

 may fee the great miieric wherein the DiveH holdes 

 this blind Nation, I wil relate particularly the cuftomc 

 and inhumane maner which they haveobferved : Firft 

 the men they did facrificc were taken in the vvarres, 

 neythcr did they vfc thefe folemne facrifices but of 

 Captives: fo as it feemes therein they have followed 

 the cuftome of the Ancients. For as (bme Authors fay, 

 they called the facrifice ViftiinA 5 for this reafon , be- 

 caufeitwas of a conquered thing : they alfo called it 

 HojliaqiMpnb hojle , for that it was an offering made of 

 their enemies, although they have applied this word 

 toallkindes ofdcrifices. In truth the Mextcaints d\& 

 not (acrifice any to their idolls, but Captives , and the 

 ordinarie warres they made , was oncly to have Cap 

 tives for their facrifices : and therefore when they did 

 fight, they laboured to take their enemies alive, and 

 not to kill them, to inioy their ficrifices. And this was 

 the reafon which Motc^um* gave to the Marquife d# 

 Vdl y when he asked of him 5 why being fo mighty, and 

 having conquered fb many kingdomes , heehad not 

 fubdued the Province of TlafcaHa, which was fo neeref 

 Mote$umt anfwercd him , that for two reafbnshee had 

 not conquered that Province , although it had becnc 

 eafie,if he would have vndertaken it : the one was for 

 the cxercife of the youth of Mexico , left they fnould 

 fall into idlenes and delight: the other and the chief e 

 caufe why he had refervcd this Province, was, to have 

 Captives for the facrifices of their gods. The. maner 

 they vfed in thefe facrifices,was, they affembled with 

 in thePalifladoe of dead mens failles , (as harh bcene 

 faid,) fuch as (liould befacrificed, vfinga certain e cere 

 mony 



