HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



63 



latzincan, Malinalchefe, and Cohuixcan lords, arrived at 

 the camp of Cortes, to make an excufe for their hoftili- 

 ties, and to eftablifti a confederacy, which was raoft 

 lengthening to the Spaniards, and eminently prejudi- 

 cial to the Mexicans. 



From the fide of the main land, or continent, the Spa- 

 niards had no more enemies to alarm them, and Cortes 

 had under his direction fuch an exceffive number of 

 troops, that he was able to have employed in the fiege 

 of Mexico more people than Xerxes fent againft Greece, 

 if from the nature of the fite of that capital, fuch a mul- 

 titude of befiegers would not have been rather a hin- 

 drance. The Mexicans, on the contrary, found them- 

 felves forfaken by their friends and their fubje&s, fur- 

 rounded by enemies, and opprelTed by famine. That 

 unfortunate capital had armed againft it, the Spaniards, 

 the kingdom of Acolhuacan, the republics of Tlafcala, 

 " Huexotzinco, and Cholula, almoft all the cities of the 

 Mexican vale, and the populous nations of the Totona- 

 cas, Mixtecas, Otomies, Tlahuicas, Cohuixcas, Matlat- 

 zincas, and others ; fo that, befides external enemies, 

 more than half of the empire had confpired for its 

 ruin, and the other part flood neuter in its caufe. 



While the commander Sandoval was difplaying his 

 courage againft the Matlatzincas, the general Chichime- 

 catl gave a fignal inftance of his againft the Mexicans. 

 This famous general, when he faw that the Spaniards, 

 after their defeat, flood upon the defenfive only, refolv- 

 cd to make an entry into Mexico with his Tlafcalans 

 alone. He fet out with this view from the camp of Al- 

 varado, where he had conftantly been ftationed fince the 

 beginning of the fiege, accompanying the Spaniards in 

 all their engagements, and every where fignalizing his 



bravery. 



