382 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



But although each of thefe authors had not been pof- 

 felTed of thofe qualities which are required to merit our 

 belief, neverthelefs, the uniformity of their teftimonies 

 would be an undeniable proof of the fidelity of their 

 accounts. Authors of little veracity difagree among 

 themfelves, except when they copy each other ; but 

 this does not happen to thofe hiftorians, who, intent 

 only on relating what they have themfelves feen, or 

 found probable from information, did not regard what 

 others had written ; on the contrary, it appears from 

 their works, that at the time they were writing, they 

 had not the writings of others under their eyes. M. de 

 Paw himfelf (/), fpeaking in one of his letters of that 

 rite of the Mexicans of confecrating and eating the ftatue 

 of pafte of Huitzilopochtli) by him called Vitzilipultzi, and 

 of the rite among the Peruvians at their feftival Capac- 

 raime, writes thus to his correfpondent : " I confefs to 

 " you, that the unanimous teftimony of the Spanifh 

 " writers does not allow us to doubt of it." If the 

 confent then of the Spanifh hiftorians, concerning what 

 they did not fee, does not allow us to doubt of it, how 

 fliould he doubt of that which they depofe as eye-wit- 

 neffes ? 



Let us enquire therefore what the ancient Spanifli 

 writers fay of the population of America. All agree 

 in affirming, that thofe countries were well peopled, 

 that there were very many large cities, and an infinite 

 number of villages and hamlets ; that many thoufands 

 of merchants afiembled at the markets of populous 

 cities : that they muttered mod: numerous armies, &c. 

 Cortes, in his letters, and the anonymous conqueror, 



Alfonfo 



(/) Tom. II. Letter i. 



