HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



25 



being well informed of the irreprehenfible condu& of 

 Sandoval, endeavoured to appeafe his juft refentment 

 by particular marks of honour and efteem. 



Cortes being defirous of an accommodation with the 

 court of Mexico, both in order to avoid the fatigue and 

 diftrelTes of war, and to make himfelf mafter of fo beau- 

 tiful a city without ruining it, refolved to fend thofe two 

 perfons who were prifoners with a letter to king Quauh- 

 temotzin ; which, although it could not be underftood 

 by the court, as they were totally ignorant of the cha- 

 racters of it, would however be a credential and token of 

 his embaffy. He explained the contents of the letter to 

 the melTengers, and charged them to reprefent to their 

 fovereign, that he pretended to nothing more than that 

 the king of Spain fliould be acknowledged lord of that 

 land, agreeably to what had been granted by the Mex- 

 ican nobility in that refpe&able affembly which was held 

 in Mexico, in prefence of Montezuma ; that they Jhould 

 remember the homage which the Mexican lords then did 

 to the great monarch of the Eaft ; that he wiflied to 

 eftablifli a peace, and to make a perpetual alliance with 

 them, and was not difpofed to war unlefs conftrained to 

 it by their hoftilities ; that it would grieve him to fpill 

 fo much Mexican blood, and deftroy fuch a large and 

 beautiful city ; that they themfelves were witneffes of 

 the bravery of the Spaniards, the fuperiority of their 

 arms, the multitude of their allies, and the fuccefs of 

 their enterprifes ; that they fliould finally reflect within 

 themfelves, and not oblige by their obftinacy a war to 

 be continued to the utter ruin of the court and the 

 empire. 



The fruit of this embalTy was foon difcovered in the 

 lamentations of the Chalchefe, who knowing of the great 



force 



