HISTORY OF MEXICO. 165 



of without horror. They fent an embaffy to the petty 

 king of -Colhuacan, requefting him to give them one of 

 his datighters, that flie might be confecrated mother 

 their protecting god, fignifying that it was an exprefs 

 command of a god to exalt her to fo high a dignity. 

 The petty king enticed and infatuated by the glory 

 which he would receive from the deification of his daugih* 

 ter, or intimidated by the difaflers which might awa«t 

 him, if he refufed the demand of a god, granted quickly- 

 all that was requefted, efpecially as he could not well 

 fufpe£l: what was to happen. The Mexicans conducted 

 the noble damfel with great triumph to their city ; but 

 were fcarcely arrived, as hiflorians relate, when the de- 

 mon commanded that flie fhould be made a facrifice, 

 and after her death to be flayed ; and that one of the 

 braveft youths of the nation fliould be clothed with her 

 fkin. Whether it was an order of the demon, or, what 

 is more probable, a cruel pretence of the barbarous priefls 

 all was punctually executed. The petty king, invited by 

 the Mexicans to be prefent at the apotheofis of his daugh- 

 ter, went to be a fpeClator of that folemnity, and one of 

 the worfhippers of the new divinity. He was led into 

 the fanCluary, where the youth flood upright by the 

 fide of the idol, clothed in the bloody ilcin of the vic- 

 tim ; but the obfcurity of the place did not permit him 

 to difcern what was before him. They gave him a cen- 

 fer in his hand, and a little copal to begin his worfliip ; 

 but having difcovered, by the light of the flame which 

 the copal made, the horrible fpeClacle, his anguilh af- 

 fe£led his whole frame, and being tranfported with the 

 violent eifeCts of it, he ran out crying with diflraClion, 

 and ordered his people to take revenge of fo barbarous 

 a deed ; but they dared not to undertake it, as they raufl 



inflantly 



