HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



33 



mitted his examination to a judge, and he having freely 

 confeffed the crime, was according to juftice hanged 

 from a window of the quarters. With refpect to his 

 accomplices, Cortes prudently diifembled, afFe&ing not 

 to believe them culpable, and afcribing the infamy im- 

 puted to them by the confeffion, to be the malice of Vil- 

 lafana ; but, in order that in future he might not be ex- 

 pofed to fo much riik of his life, he formed a body-guard 

 of feveral foldiers whofe fidelity and courage he had tried, 

 who attended him day and night, and watched continu- 

 ally over the fafety of his perfon. 



Having thus cruflied, by the punifliment of the ring- 

 leader, that pernicious confpiracy, Cortes applied himfelf 

 with the utmofl activity to put the I aft hand to his great 

 undertaking. On the twenty-eighth of April, after the 

 celebration of the mafs of the Holy Spirit, at which all 

 the Spaniards communicated, and the brigantines were 

 given benediction by a prieft, they were launched into 

 the water, immediately difplayed their fails, and began 

 to plough the lake under a difcharge of the artillery and 

 fmall arms, which was followed by the fmging of Te 

 Deum to the mufic of military inftruments. All thofe 

 demonflrations of fatisfacYion were in confequence of the 

 great confidence Cortes had in the brigantines for the 

 fuccefs of his enterprife, without which perhaps, he 

 would never have been able to have conduced it to a 

 happy end. He afterwards made a review of his army, 

 and found it to confift of eighty-fix horfes, and more 

 than eight hundred infantry, three large iron cannon, 

 fifteen fmaller of copper, a thou fan d Caftilian pounds of 

 gun-powder, and a large quantity of balls and arrows, 

 the number and ftrength of his little army having been 

 doubled by the fupplies of that year from Spain and the 

 Vol. III. F Antilles. 



