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neither hear, nor fpeak to him; whereon the King retired very melan- 

 choly, to his apartment. Cortes made inquiry into the circumftances 

 of the commotion, which evidently was not approved or inftigated by 

 Montezuma. Indeed if he had thought fit to adt againft our party, 

 they could all have been deftroyed, as eafily as feven of them. By what 

 Alvarado told Cortes it appealed, that a number of Indians, enraged at 

 the detention of Montezuma, at the erection of the crucifix in their tem- 

 ple, and by the order of their gods as they faid, had gone thither to 

 pull it down, but to their infinite aflonifliment, found all their ftrength 

 utterly unable to move it. This being reprefented to Montezuma, he 

 defired no attempt of the kind fhould be made again. Alvarado added 

 for his own exculpation, that the attack was made upon him by the 

 friends and fubjedls of Montezuma, in order to liberate their monarch, 

 at the time that they believed Narvaez had deftroyed Cortes and his ar- 

 my. Cortes now afked Alvarado for what reafon he fell upon the Mex- 

 icans, while they were dancing and holding a feflival in honour of their 

 gods. To this Alvarado replied, that it was 'in order to be beforehand 

 with them, having had intelligence of their hoftile intentions againfl 

 him from two of their own nobility and a priefl:. Cortes then afked him 

 if it was true that they had requefled permifTion of him to hold their fef- 

 tival, and the other hereupon replied that it was fo, and that it was in 

 order to take them by furprife, and to punifh and terrify them, fo as to 

 prevent their making war upon the Spaniards, that he had determined 

 to fall on them by anticipation. At hearing this avowal Cortes was 

 highly enraged j he cenfured the condud: of Alvarado in the flrongeft 

 terms, and in this temper left him. 



Alvarado farther faid, that one time when he was attacked by the 

 Mexicans, he endeavoured to fire off one of his guns, and could not get the 

 priming to light ; but fometime after, when they were in very great dan- 

 ger, and expeded all to have been killed, the piece went off of itfclf, 

 and made fuch havock amongfl the enemy that they were completely 

 driven back, and the Spaniards thus miraculoufly faved. I heard feve- 

 ral other foldiers, alfo mention this as a fad: ; it was alfo faid, by Alvara- 

 do 



