5<5o The ^aturaUandMoratt 



prcfents to the iudges,provoking them to do in iuftice. 

 If they offended, they were prefently punifhed with 

 death,without remiffion or refpe<5l, were they Noble 

 men, or his kinsmen-yea 3 his owne bretheren. He was 

 little converfant with his people , and feldome fecne, 

 retyring himfelfemoft commonly to care for the go 

 vernment of his realme. Befides that, hee was a great 

 iufticier and very noble, hee was very valiant and hap 

 py, by meanes whereof , hee obtained great vidories, 

 and came to this greatnes , as is written in the Spanifti 

 hiftories , whereon it feemes needelefle to v/rite more. 

 IwMl ne tyh ave a care heereafter to write what the 

 "^ bookesand hiftories of fatlndies make mention of-the 

 which the Spanifh writers have notobferved, having 

 not fufficiently vnderftood the fecrets of this country, 

 the which are things very worthy to be knowne,as we 

 {hall fee heereafter. 



Of the prefaces and ftrange prodigies w 



in Mexico before the foil of their Empire, 

 CHAP. 23. 



Although the holy Scripture forbids vs to give 

 credite to fignes and vaine prognostications, and 

 that S. lerame dotji admonifh vs not to feare tokens 

 f rora heaven, as the Gentilesdo : Yet the fameScrip- 

 ture teacheth vs, that monftrous and prodigious fignes 

 are not altogether to bee contemned y and that often 

 they are fore-runners of fome generall changes and 

 c h^fticements which God will take , as Ettfelius notes 

 well ofCefarea: For that the fame Lord of heaven and 

 earth,fendes fuch prodiges and new things in heaven, 

 in the dements a inbeafts, and in his other creatures, 



that 



