10 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



their brother, and unable to cope with the fun, refblved 

 to die by the hands of Xolotl, who after killing all his 

 brothers, put an end to his own life. The heroes before 

 they died left their clothes to their fervants ; and fmce 

 the conquefl of thefe countries by the Spaniards, certain 

 ancient garments have been found, which were preferved 

 by the Indians with extraordinary veneration, under a be- 

 lief that they had them by inheritance from thofe ancient 

 heroes. The men were affected with great melancholy 

 upon lofing their matters ; but Tezcatlipoca commanded 

 one of them to go to the houfe of the fun, and from 

 thence to bring mufic to celebrate his feftival : he told 

 him that for his journey which was to be by fea, he 

 would prepare a bridge of whales and tortoifes, and de- 

 fired him to fing always as he went, a fong which he 

 gave him. This the Mexicans faid, was the origin of 

 the mufic and dancing with which they celebrated the 

 feftivals of their gods. They afcribed the daily facrifice 

 which they made of quails to the fun, to that which the 

 heroes made of thofe birds ; and the barbarous facrifices 

 of human victims, fo common afterwards in thefe coun- 

 tries, they afcribed to the example of Xolotl with his 

 brethren. 



They told a fimilar fable of the origin of the moon. 

 Tezcociztecal, another of thofe men who aflembled in 

 Teotihuacan, following the example of Nanahuatzin, 

 threw himfelf into the fire : but the flames being fome- 

 what lefs fierce, he turned out lefs bright, and was 

 transformed into the moon. To thefe two deities they 

 confecrated thofe two famous temples erected in the 

 plain of Teotihuacatt) of which we fhall give an account 

 in another place. 



Quetzalcoath 



