216 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



He tolfed it up to a certain height, and as it fell he re- 

 ceived and tolTed it up again with his feet ; taking it after- 

 wards between his feet, he turned it rapidly round, and 

 what is more, he did fo with two men fitting aftride upon 

 it, one upon each extremity of the beam. This feat was 

 performed at Rome before pope Clement VII. and many 

 Roman princes, by two Mexicans fent over there by 

 Cortes from Mexico, to the fingular fatisfaftion of the 

 fpc&ators. The exercifes alfo which, in fome countries 

 are called the powers of Hercules, were extremely com- 

 mon amongfl them. One man began to dance ; another 

 placed upright on his moulders, accompanied him in his 

 movements ; while a third, (landing upright upon the 

 head of the fecond, danced and difplayed other inftances 

 of agility. They placed aifo a beam upon the moulders 

 of two dancers, while a third danced upon the end of it. 

 The firft Spaniards, who were witneffes of thofe and 

 other exhibitions of the Mexicans, were fo much aftonifh- 

 edat their agility, that they fufpe&ed fome fupernatural 

 power afMed them, forgetting to make a due allowance 

 for the progrefs of the human genius when aflifted by 

 application and labour. 



Though games, dances, and mufic, conduced lefs to 

 utility than pleafure, this was not the cafe with Hiftory 

 and Painting ; two arts, which ought not to be feparated 

 in the hiftory of Mexico, as they had no other hiflorians 

 than their painters, nor any other writings than their 

 paintings to commemorate the events of the nation. 



The Toltecas were the firft people of the new world 

 who employed the art of painting for the ends of hiftory ; 

 at lead we know of no other nation which did fo before 

 them. The fame practice prevailed, from time imme- 

 morial, among the Acolhuas, the feven Aztecan tribes, 



and 



