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When we entered, we were furprifed with the beauty of the buildings 

 and fituation, and the various plantations of trees. All the ftreets as we 

 paffed were filled with men and women, attradted by curiofity. Our 

 advanced guard having gone to the great fquare, the buildings of which 

 had been lately white wafhed and plaiftered, in which art thefe people 

 are very expert, one of our horfemen was fo ftruck with the fplendor of 

 their appearance in the fun, that he came back in full fpeed to Cortes, 

 to tell him that the walls of the houfes were of filver. When we came 

 to know the reality we all laughed heartily at him, and ufed in future to 

 fay that every thing that was white, was filver in his eyes. Thefe 

 buildings were appointed for our lodgings, and large apartments afligned 

 to us, which contained the whole j and here the fat cacique, for fo I 

 am in future to call him, came to pay his refpe<5ts to Cortes. They had 

 provided an entertamment for us, with bafkets of plums, and bread of 

 maize. We were well pleafed with our fituation, and named the town 

 Villa Viciofa; though fome called it Seville. Cortes ordered that the 

 foldiers fliould give no umbrage to the inhabitants, and that we Ihould 

 for that reafon remain in our quarters. 



As foonas the fat cacique underftood that we had dined, he figni- 

 fied to Cortes his intention of waiting on him, which he fhortly after 

 did, attended by many of the principal inhabitants, dreffed in rich 

 mantles, and ornamented with gold. Cortes went out to meet them, 

 with great ceremony, and having embraced the fat cacique, the latter 

 ordered a prefent to be brought, compofed of gold and mantles, but of 

 little value, which he offered to Cortes, faying, '* Great lord, receive 

 " this prefent kindly, for if I had more it fhould be yours." Cortes 

 anfwered that he would repay it with good works, and defired to know 

 what fervices he could, render him, having been fent by the emperor 

 whofe vafTal he was, to redrefs wrongs, punilh the wicked, and pre- 

 vent the facrifice of human fouls. He then faid many things to him 

 concerning our holy faith. As foon as the fat cacique had heard them 

 out, giving a deep figh, he complained bitterly of Montezuma and his 

 officers, faying, that having lately been compelled to fubmit to the 



yoke 



