( 510 ) 



his royal ordinances that the conquerors and their poflerity fhould be 

 provided for, attending in the firfl: inftance to thofe who were married, 

 as may be feen in the royal cedules. 



When I had written out fairly this my hiftory, two licentiates re- 

 quefted me to lend it to them for their perufal, in order that they might 

 know in detail the occurrences which happened in the conqueft of New 

 Spain, and alfo that they might fee what difference exifted between my 

 account, and thofe of Gomara and the Dodlor Illefcas, relative to the 

 heroic anions of the Marquis Del Valle. I accordingly prefented this 

 book to them for their perufal, with the refpe6b which is due to fcho- 

 lars from a poor illiterate perfon like myfelf, defiring them at the fame 

 time to make no alteration whatever herein, as what I had written was 

 the ftrid: truth. As foon as the)- had read it, one of them who was a 

 great rhetorician, and vain of his knowledge, began to praife the book, 

 and exprefled his furprife at my memory, and at my being able to carry 

 in it fuch a feries of matter, from the time I firft came to thefe coun- 

 tries. 



The licentiates alfo obferved, that in regard to my ftile or language, 

 it was conformable to that in ordinary ufe in Old Caftille, and that as 

 fuch it was the more agreeable, not being embarraffed with flowery 

 affedled phrafes, fuch as are n:iade ufe of by hiftorians in general. 

 They alfo obferved that it feemed to them as if I praifed myfelf greatly, 

 in the battles which I give an account of, whereas I otight to have left 

 that to be done by others ; and that I fhould have given my witneffes, 

 teftimonies, and quotations, as authorities for what I wrote, and not 

 have faid drily, "that I did; this I fawj** it not being conformable to the 

 cuftom of hiftorical writing ; for I am not a witnefs for myfelf. To 

 thefe obfervations I then replied, as I do now, that in the year one 

 thoufand five hundred and forty the Marquis Del Valle wrote a letter to . 

 his Majefty giving an account of me and my fervices, how I had come 

 twice to this country on voyages of difcovery previous to his expedition, 



how 



