70 HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



The next day Cortes returned with all his forces, but 

 commanded them to do no hurt to the befieged, moved 

 not lefs by the companion which the fight of their mife- 

 ry excited than the hope he had of inducing them to fur- 

 render. The Mexicans feeing fuch a holl: of enemies 

 come againfl them, and among them their own fubjecls 

 who had formerly ferved them and now threatened them 

 with ruin, finding themfelves reduced to the moft diftrerT- 

 ing fituation, and viewing before their eyes fo many ob- 

 jects of affliction, having hardly a place to fet a foot up- 

 on, except the dead bodies of their citizens, vented their 

 anguifh in horrid cries, and demanded death as the only 

 cure for their pitch of mifery. Some of the common 

 people requefted Cortes to treat with fome nobles who 

 defended an intrenchment about an accommodation : 

 Cortes went to them, but with little hopes of fuccefs to 

 his proportions : they happened to be fome of thofe per- 

 fons who could no longer endure the feverity of the fiege. 

 When they faw Cortes advancing towards them, they 

 called out with the accents of defperation, " If you are 

 " the child of the fun, as fome do imagine, when your 

 " father is fo fwift that in the ihort fpace of a day he 

 " finimes his airy courfe, why are you fo tedious in de- 

 " liver ing us from all our calamities by death ? We 

 Ci would die, that we may pafs to heaven, where our 

 " god Huitzilopochtli waits to give us the repofe and 

 cc reward our fatigues and fervices and facrifices to him 

 " have earned." Cortes made ufe of various argu- 

 ments to move them to a furrender ; but, as they an- 

 fwered that it was not in their power, nor had they any 

 hope of perfuading the king to it, he withdrew, in order 

 to make a felicitation to the fame purpofe by means of 

 an illuftrious perfon whom he had three days before 



made 



