MORGAN.] THE ACCOUNT OF H. H. BANCROFT. 245 
Imagination might easily expand a napkin into a table-cloth, provided a 
table existed to spread it upon; but in this case, without duly considering 
the relation between the two, the table-cloth has been created, but the table 
refuses to appear. The napkin business, therefore, seems to have been 
slightly overdone. Finally, the call of the scattered household to dinner 
by kettle-drums and whistling savors too strongly of Indian ways and 
usages to be diverted into a summons to the dancers, as Herrera suggests. 
This Aztec dinner-call, on a scale commensurate with a large communal 
household, would have been lost to history but for the special use discerned 
in it to decorate a tale. It recognizes the loitering habits of an Aztec house- 
hold, and perhaps the irregularity of the dinner-hour. 
Passing over the descriptions of Sahagun, Clavigero, and Prescott, 
who have kindled into enthusiasm over this dinner of Montezuma, Mr. 
Hubert H. Bancroft shall be allowed to furnish us with the very latest 
version. ‘Every day,” he remarks, ‘from sunrise until sunset the ante- 
chambers of Montezuma’s palace in Mexico were occupied by six hundred 
noblemen and gentlemen, who passed their time lounging about and dis- 
cussing the gossip of the day in low tones, for it was considered disre- 
spectful to speak loudly or make any noise within the palace limits. They 
were provided with apartments in the palace, and took their meals from 
what remained of the superabundance of the royal table, as did after them 
their own servants, of whom each person of quality was entitled to from 
one to thirty according to his rank. These retainers, numbering two or 
three thousand, filled several outer courts during the day. The king took 
his meals alone in one of the largest halls of the palace. * * * He 
was seated upon a low leather cushion, upon which were thrown various 
soft skins, and his table was of a similar description, except that it was 
larger and rather higher, and was covered with white cotton cloths of 
the finest texture. The dinner-service was of the finest ware of Cholula, 
and many of the goblets were of gold and silver, or fashioned with beauti- 
ful shells. He is said to have possessed a complete service of solid gold, 
but as it was considered below a king’s dignity to use anything at table 
twice, Montezuma, with all his extravagance, was obliged to keep this costly 
dinner-set in the temple. The bill of fare comprised everything edible of 
