( ) 



Cortes. " Malintzin, this prefent our monarch fends you, faying, 

 how grieved he is that you fhould take fo much trouble in coming 

 " from a diftant country to fee him, and that he has already told you 

 " he will give you gold, filver, and chalchihuis for your Teules, 

 *• on condition that you will not approach Mexico. He now repeats 

 his requeft, and promifes that he will fend after you, a great treafure 

 " of gold, filver, and jewels, for your king, four loads of gold for 

 ** yourfelf, and a load for each of your brethren, on condition you 

 *' return immediately ; for as to advancing to Mexico, that, you 

 ** cannot do, as the whole force of the Mexican warriors is in arms 

 " againftyou: and moreover, there is no good road thither, nor are 

 provifions to be had." Cortes embraced the ambaffadors with much 

 urbanity, and returned his thanks for the prefent, faying-, that he was 

 furprifed to find the great Montezuma fo variable in his mind. In re- 

 gard to his offers of treafure for the emperor, he thanked him, and for 

 what had been received, faid he hoped to pay in future fervices ; but 

 fubmitted to him, how he could pofTibly turn back, when fo near his 

 royal reiidence, without taking that opportunity of paying his refpedls, 

 and obeying his mailers orders ; and begged him alfo to coniider, what 

 opinion he would entertain of perfons he had fent on fimilar buiinefs, 

 fhould they adt in the manner he required us to do. To his capital, 

 our monarch expedted we fhould go, and therefore it was ufelefs to 

 fend any more fuch meffages, for he mufl wait upon his Majcfly, and 

 deliver his meffage to him in perfon : and afterwards, if our remaining 

 there was not agreeable, he would obey his orders, and return to the 

 place from whence he came. 



Having thus difpatched Montezuma's ambafTadors we continued 

 our march. Our allies had informed us that Montezuma was to permit 

 us to enter the city, and there put us all to death ; this we well knew, 

 and being like other mortals fond of our lives, it filled us with melan- 

 choly thoughts. Recommending our fouls therefore to our Lord Jefus 

 Chrifl:, who had brought us through our paft dangers, wc proceeded, 

 and halted at a place called Iztapalatengo, one half of the houfes of 



S ' which 



