288 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



him, and the foldiers who behaved gallantly in war. 

 Every morning, according to the accounts given by fomc 

 hiftorians, upwards of a thoufand men were employed by 

 him in fweeping and watering the flreetsof the city. 



In one of the royal buildings was an armory filled with 

 all kinds of olFenfive and defenfive arms, which were made 

 ufe of by thofe nations, with military ornaments, and 

 enligns* He kept a furprifing number of artificers at 

 work, in manufa6luring thefe and other things. He had 

 numerous artifts conftantly bufied likewife, namely, gold- 

 fmiths, Mofaic work-men, fculptors, painters, and others. 

 One whole diftridl confifted folely of dancing- maflers, 

 who were trained up to entertain him. 



His zeal for religion was not lefs confpicuous than his 

 magnificence. He built feveral temples to his gods, and 

 made frequent facrifices to them, obferving with great 

 punftuality the eftablifiied rites and ceremonies. He was 

 extremely careful that all the temples, and in particular 

 the greater temple of Mexico, fliould be well kept, and 

 exquifitely clean ; but his vain fear of the auguries and 

 pretended oracles of thofe falfe divinities totally debafed 

 his mind. 



He was anxioufly attentive to the execution of his or- 

 ders, and the laws of the kingdom, and was inexorable 

 in punifhing tranfgrefibrs. He tried, frequently, by fe- 

 cret prefents, the integrity of his magiftrates, and when- 

 ever he found any of them guilty, he puniftied them 

 without remifiion, even if they were of the firft rank of 

 the nobility. 



He was an implacable enemy to idlenefs, and, in order 

 to banifli it as much as poflible from his dominions, he 

 kept his fubjefts perpetually employed ; the military, in 

 conftant warlike excrcifes ; the others, in the culture of 



the 



