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our caufe; my hand was to it with the reft: and befidcs thefc, a letter 

 to the following purport was written in the name of the whole army. 



Beginning with the expreflions of refped: due to fo great a monarcli, 

 it proceeded to inform him of the events which had occurred during our 

 expedition, to the period of our eledlion of Cortes, until his Majefty's 

 pleafure on the fubje6t (hould be known ; with our engagement to yield 

 him a fifth of all treafure, after the dedudion for his Majefty. It alfo 

 contained an account of our difcovery of the two Spaniards in this 

 country, and our war in Tabafco, until we brought thofe people to 

 fubmiffion to his Majefty, and to embrace our holy faith, of our ob- 

 taining two excellent linguifts, of our arrival at St. Juan de Ulua, and 

 our interviews with the ambaffadors of Montezuma; our fubfequent 

 march into the country, and our alliance with the people here, who 

 had in confequence renounced obedience to the Mexican mionarch, of 

 the expedition to Cingapacinga, the conftrudion of our fortrefs, and 

 our prefent determination to advance into the country, to the court of 

 the great Montezuma. The letter alfo gave an account of the military 

 and religious cuftoms of the inhabitants, of the former expeditions of 

 our countrymen, and an enumeration of the various articles of treafure 

 which we lent by our agents, and how we alfo fent by the fame oppor- 

 tunity, four natives, whom we refcued out of the cages of Cempoal, 

 where they were fattening for vi6tims. After thefe accounts we fur- 

 ther ftated, how we were at prefent four hundred and fifty foldiers, fur- 

 rounded by hofls of enemies, and ready to lay down our lives for the 

 fervice of God, and his Majefly, and we fupplicated, that his Majefly 

 would be pleafed not to beftow the government of fo great and rich a 

 country, which deferved to be ruled by a great prince or lord, on any 

 unworthy perfon. We alfo ftated to his Majefly our apprehenfion, 

 that the Gk)vernor of Cuba might be attempted to be put in upon us, 

 through the interefl of his patron the Bifhop of Burgos, whom he had 

 attached to him by the aflignment of valuable eflates in that Ifland, in 

 which he failed in his duty to his Majefty, who was by right entitled 

 to them. That thefe things we were bound to reprefent, and await the 



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