MORGAN.] FIRST DINNER WITNESSED BY THE SPANIARDS. 239 
America, of all mankind, then best represented. That they could under- 
stand it was not to have been expected. Accustomed to monarchy and to 
privileged classes, the principal Aztec war-chief seemed to them quite nat- 
urally a king, and sachems and chiefs followed in their vision as princes 
and lords. But that they should have remained in history as such for three 
centuries is an amusing commentary upon the value of historical writings 
in general. ; 
The dinner of Montezuma, witnessed within the five days named by 
the Spanish soldiers, comes down to us with a slender proportion of reliable 
facts. ‘The accounts of Bernal Diaz and of Cortes form the basis of all 
subsequent descriptions.’ Montezuma was the central figure around whom 
all the others are made to move. A number of men, as Diaz states, were 
to be seen in the house and in the courts, going to and fro, a part of whom 
were thought to be chiefs in attendance upon Montezuma, and the remain- 
der were supposed to be guards. Better proof of the use of guards is 
needed than the suggestion of Diaz. It implies a knowledge of military 
discipline unknown by Indian tribes. It was noticed that Indians went 
barefooted into the presence of Montezuma, which was interpreted as an 
act of servility and deference, although bare feet must have been the rule 
rather than the exception in Tenochtitlan. Diaz further informs us that 
“his cooks had upwards of thirty different ways of dressing meats, and 
they had earthen vessels so contrived as to keep them always hot. For the 
table of Montezuma himself above three hundred dishes were dressed, and 
for his guards above a thousand. Before dinner Montezuma would go out 
and inspect the preparations, and his officers would point out to him which 
were the best, and explain of what birds and flesh they were composed ; 
and of these he would eat. * * * Montezuma was seated on a low 
throne or chair at a table proportionate to the height of his seat. ‘The 
table was covered with white cloth and napkins, and four beautiful women 
presented him with water for his hands in vessels which they called xicales, 
with other vessels under them like plates to catch the water; they also 
presented him with towels. Then two other women brought him small 
cakes of bread, and when the king began to eat, a large screen of wood- 
1The Anonymous Conqueror does not notice it. 
