Chap. V. AMERICA. 239 



The Natives of the Countrcy are of the Race of the Cbichfcc<e, a Salvage and ThcO:.. 

 Wilde iort of People, of the Province of TS^e^'Gdlicia, efpecilly in the Parts of 

 Tiew&ifcay, living in Forefts and in deep Caves under Ground whofe Pofterity do 

 ftill at this day much trouble and annoy the Countrey thereabuts ; notwithstand- 

 ing all the endeavors of the Spaniards, and the Garrifons whic they keep in thofe 

 parts on purpofe todeftroy them. About five hundred years ag^or more,according 

 to the account of the Mexican .Annals, &\y ex s Hoards,as they areall'd, of thefe Chichi* 

 meet, weary, it feems, of their Woods and fubterraneous dwelings, iffu'd out into 

 the more open Air, and fell down in huge multitudes into uefc Southerly parts 

 of America, which are now call'd Mexico and JS^ew- Spain 5 not A at once, but at fc- 

 veral times, and under feveral names, 1//;^. of the Suchimilci, Cblc#,Tepanec*t, TlafcaU 

 tec<e, and others, who fubduing or driving out the People they ound in thofe parts, 

 Seated themfelves in their room : And though at firft every Nation or Company 

 of them, as they came, feiz'd upon fome Province apart by nemfelves, and held 

 it, as it were, in Soveraignty to themfelves, without acknowrdgement of any de* 

 pendance or fubje&ion to their Neighbors, or thofe that wee there before them } 

 yet in Tract of time, and by fortune of the Wars, which the made one upon an* 

 other, they fell under the Government of one King, vi^,. ;he King of Mexico, 

 which was the chief City of the Province. 



This Kingdom, at the time that the Spaniards firft Difcoverd the Countrey, was ™/j^£ 

 Govern'd by a Prince, nam'd Mote^uma ; one, who by his Vahr and good fuccefs in {■^"Jjfc 

 the Wars, had in a few years of his Reign, before the Spaniarls came thither, fub- ™ is ■**" 

 du'd the better part of a hundred Cities and great Towns tohis Dominion • and 

 held in actual fubmiffion to his Government, and Tributaryto him, no lefs than 

 thirty feveral Cajiques or petty Princes ^ every one of which piid him Tribute, and . 

 were able upon occafion to bring into the Field an hundred tioufand Men : He is 

 faid to have been, for his Perfon, a wife and good Prince, jttft affable, and tender 

 of his Subjects aood : but by reafon of fome heavy exac1:ions,which his own pow- 

 ^r,and the Pra&ife of his Anceftors before him,gave him the :onfidencc to Impofe 

 upon the Conquer'd People, a great part of his Subjects liv'c but unwillingly un- 

 der his Obedience, and rather by conftraint than otherwife : being alfo further ex* 

 afperated againft him by one barbarous Cuftom, which tie Mexicans frequently 

 us'd, V/^. the Sacrificing of Men. Their manner was, wheifoever they had any 

 folemn occafion of doing Honor to their Devil*god Vit%ilopichtli , as they call him, 

 to fend out an Army of Men from Mexico, into fome of thefubdu'd Provinces, (in 

 cafe they had no Enemies nearer Hand) and to fetch in as many Men as they 

 thought good, to be Sacrific'd . whofe flefli likewifc afterwards they did eat in a 

 folemn Banquet. This being a bufinefs of their Satanical Religion, and Mote%uma 

 a Prince extremely Superftitious and Devoted to the Service of his gods, it is faid, 

 that he Sacrific'd commonly, one year with another, twenty thoufand Men, and 

 fome years, upon extraordinary occafions, not lefs than fifty thoufand : So great 

 and grievous a Tyranny, by the juft Judgement and Permiffton of Almighty God, 

 for their great and unnatural fins, did the Enemy of Mankind exercife upon them. 

 He was likewife much given to Women, but it was onely to fuch as were counted 

 his Wives ; of which he is faid to have had no lefs than a hundred and fifty with 

 Child by him at one time. 



The Bounds of this Kingdom at prcfent are thus . on the Eaft it hath a large JVhe^i- 

 Arm of the Sea, which they call The Bay of Ne*- Spain, or The Gulf of Mexico } On "•«»■**' 

 the Weft, it hath fome parts of NemGallicia, and Mare del Znr ; on the North, the 

 reft ofNew-Gallicia, and part of Florida 5 and on the South, Mare del Zur again, and 



B b x part 



III 



M 



