( MI ) 



.chocolate, and fruit in an immenfe quantity. For his women and va- 

 rious inferior fervants, his eftabliOiment was of a prodigious expence ; 

 and we were aftonifhed, amidft fuch a profufion, at the vafi: regularity 

 that prevailed. His major domo was at this time a prince named Ta- 

 piea; he kept the accounts of Montezuma's rents, in books which 

 occupied an entire houfe. Montezuma had two buildings filled with 

 every kind of arms, richly ornamented with gold and jewels, fuch as 

 (hields large and fmall, clubs like two-handed fwords, and lances much 

 larger than ours, with blades fix feet in length, fo ftrong that if they 

 fix in a fhield they do not break, and (liarp enough to ufe as razors. 

 There was alfo an immenfe quantity of bows and arrows, and darts, 

 together with flings, and (hields which roll up into a fmall compafs, 

 and in adion are let fall and thereby cover the whole body. He had 

 alfo much defenfive armour of quilted cotton ornamented with feathers 

 in different devices, and cafques for the head, made of wood and bone, 

 with plumes of feathers, and many other articles too tedious to 

 mention. 



In this palace was a moft magnificent aviary, which contained 

 every defcription of birds that continent afforded, namely, royal eagles, 

 and a fmaller fpecies, with many other birds, down to the fmallefl 

 parroquets, of beautiful colours. It was here that the ornaments of 

 green feathers were fabricated. The feathers were taken from birds 

 which are of the fize of our pyes in Spain, and which they call here 

 Quetzales, and other birds, whofe plumage is of five different colours, 

 green, red, white, yellow, and blue. The name of this fpecies of 

 bird I do not know. Here was alfo an immenfity of parrots, and cer- 

 tain geefe of fine plumage, and a fpecies which refembled geefe. AW 

 thefe bred here, and were ftripped of their feathers every year at the 

 proper feafon. Here was a large pond of clear running water, where 

 were a number of great birds, entirely red, with very long legs; there 

 are fome like them in the Ifland of Cuba, which they call Ipiris. 

 There was alfo a fpecies which lives entirely in the water. 



Wc 



