HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



3 



%c that we might conquer with their affiftance not one 

 ** only, but many cities equal to Mexico: however ftrong 

 " it may be, it is not yet fo powerful as to withftand the 

 " attacks we mall make upon it by land and water : 

 " laftly, God, for whofe glory we fight, has fliewn a 

 " difpofition to profper our defigns ; his providence has 

 " preferved us in the midft of all our difafters and dan- 

 " gers, has fent us new companions in the room of thofe 

 " we have loft, and converted to our benefit the means 

 " which our enemies employed for our ruin : what may 

 " we not expect: in future from his mercy ? let us con- 

 " fide in him, and not render ourfelves unworthy of his 

 " protection by diffidence and pufillanimity." 



The Tlafcalans, who endeavoured to imitate the dif- 

 cipline of the Spaniards, thought proper alfo to make a 

 review of their troops before Cortes. The army was 

 preceded by their martial mufic of horns, fea-fhells, and 

 other fuch wind inftruments, after which came the four 

 chiefs of the republic, armed with fvvord and fhield, and 

 adorned with mod rich and beautiful plumes, which rofe 

 more than two feet above their heads ; they wore their 

 hair tied with fillets of gold, pendants of gems at their 

 lips and ears, and fhoes of great value upon their feet; 

 behind them came their four flaield-bearers, armed with 

 bows and arrows ; next the four principal ftandardsof the 

 republic appeared, each with its proper enfign wrought 

 of feathers; then paiTed in regular ranks of twenty each 

 the troops of archers, carrying at certain diftances, the 

 particular ftandards of their companies, every one of 

 which was compofed of three or four hundred men. 

 They were followed by the troops, armed with fwords 

 and ftiields, and lallly, by the pikemen. Herrera and 

 Torquemada affirm, that the archers amounted to fixty, 



the 



