ANCIENT HISTORY OF MEXICO. XXVU 



fcripts which would have afForded confiderable aid to this 

 hiilory, were loft through the negligence of the heirs of 

 that learned author ; and there now remain only fome 

 fragments of them preferved in the works of other con- 

 temporary writers, namely, of Gemelli, Betancourt, and 

 Florencia. 



Aguftino de Betancourt, a Francifcan of Mexico : his 

 Ancient and Modern Hiflory of Mexico, printed in that 

 capital, in 1698, in one volume in folio, under the title 

 of The Mexican Theatre^ is nothing elfe in refpe6t to 

 ancient hiflory, but an abridgment of Torquemada done 

 in hafte, and written with little accuracy. 



Antonio de Solis, royal hiftoriographer of America. 

 The Hiflory of the Conquefl of New Spain, written by 

 this polifhed and ingenious Spaniard, is more a panegy- 

 ric than a hiflory. His di^lion is pure and elegant, but 

 his manner is rather aife^led ; the fentences are too much 

 laboured, and the public fpecches are the work of his own 

 fancy ; like one lefs ftudious of truth than embellifliment, 

 he frequently contradicts authors the mofl worthy of 

 credit, and even Cortes himfelf, whofe panegyric he un- 

 dertook. In the lafl books of this hiflory, we fhall take 

 notice of fome of the miflakes of this famous writer. 



In the Eighteenth Century, 



Pedro Fernandez del Pulgar, a learned Spaniard, fuc- 

 ceffor to Solis in the ofHce of hifloriographer. The true 

 History of the Conquest of New Spain^ written by him, is 

 found cited in the Preface of the modern edition of Her- 

 rera, but we have not feen it. It is to be believed, that 

 he fet about writing it for the purpofe of corredling the 

 errors of his predeceflbr. 



Lorenzo 



