( ^'6 ) 



terpofing their bucklers, proteded the King; but expedling that while 

 fpeaking to his people they would not make another attack, they un- 

 guarded him for an inftant, and juft then three ftones and an arrow 

 ftruck him in the head, arm, and leg. 



The King when thus wounded refufed all afliftance, and we were 

 unexped:edly informed of his death. Cortes and our captains wept for 

 him, and he was lamented by them and all the foldiers who had known 

 him, as if he had been their father ; nor is it to be wondered at, con- 

 fidering how good he was. It was faid that he had reigned feventeen 

 years, and that he was the bcft King Mexico had ever been governed 

 by. It was alfo faid that he had fought and conquered in three occa- 

 fions that he had been defied to the field, in the progrefs of fubjugating 

 different ftates to his dominion. 



All the endeavors of our Reverend Father Fray Bartholome, could 

 not prevail on the King to embrace our faith, when he was told that 

 his wounds were mortal, nor could he be induced to have them attended 

 to. After the death of Montezuma, Cortes fent two prifoners, a noble- 

 man and a prieft, to inform the new fovereign, Coadlavaca, and his 

 chiefs, of the event, and how it had happened by the hands of his own 

 lubjed:s. He diredied them to exprefs our grief on the occafion, and 

 our wifh that he fhould be interred with the refped: due to fo great a 

 monarch. Cortes farther fignified to them, that he did not admit or 

 acknowledge the right of the fovereign that they had chofen, but that the 

 throne Ihould be fijled either by a fon of the great Montezuma, or his 

 coufin who was with us in our quarters. Alfo, that we defired unmo- 

 lefted egrefs from the city, on condition of our committing no more ads 

 of hollility by fire or fword. Cortes then caufed the body of the King , 

 to be borne out by fix noblemen, attended by moft of the priefts whom 

 we had taken prifoners, and expofed it to public view. He alfo defired 

 them to obey the lali injundiions of Montezuma, and to deliver his 

 body to the Mexican chiefs. Thefe noblemen accordingly related the 

 ciicumftances of the King's death to Coadlavaca, and we could hear 



the 



