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military officers, and the veteran foldiers, were afTembled by order; and 

 in our prefence the licentiate Ponce de Leon produced his authority from 

 his Majefty, which Cortes having kiffed, and placed upon his head in 

 token of fubmiffion, we all declared our obedience to, as in duty 

 bound. The licentiate then received and returned back the rod of juftice, 

 in token of the furrender of the government into his hands, faying to 

 Cortes, "General, this government I receive from you by his Majelly's 

 *' orders, wherein however it is by no means implied that you are not 

 *' mofl worthy of this, or higher trufts." To which the general replied, 

 that he was always happy in obeying his Majefty's commands, and 

 that it was alfo a fatisfaition to him, that he would be thereby enabled 

 to prove the faifehood and malice of his enemies. The licentiate in 

 anfwer faid, that where were good men, there were. alfo bad, and fuch 

 was the world; but that to each v/ould be repaid in kind. This was 

 all the material bufinefs of the day. On the next, Cortes attended the 

 fummon of the new governor, who fent it with much refped:, and 

 they had a conference, at which no one was prefent except the prior 

 Thomas Ortiz ; but it is faid and believed that the licentiate addreffed 

 Cortes to the following efFed. He firfl obferved that it had been his 

 Majefty 's intention, that thofe who had moft merit in the conqueft of 

 this country, fhould be well provided for in the diflribution of planta- 

 tions, confidering more efpecially the foldiers who firft came thither 

 from Cuba; and that it had been underftood, that this was not the cafe, 

 for that they had been negleded, while others newly arrived had wealth 

 heaped upon them, without any jufl pretenfions. Cortes, to this, re- 

 plied, that all had got fhares, but that fome of thefe it was true turned 

 out much inferior to others ; however it was in his power as governor 

 now to rectify that. The governor then afked him how it happened 

 that he had left Luis de Godoy to perifh for want in a diftant fettlement, 

 when the veterans ought to have been fufFercd to remain and enjoy the 

 comforts of eftabliflied poffelTions in Mexico, and the new colonizations 

 have been affigned to new comers. He alfo enquired how Captain Luis 

 Marin, Bernai Diaz del Callillo, and the others of his approved foldiers 



had 



