292 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



ter, accompanied by a number of nobility. In the fe~ 

 cret conference which he had with him, Cortes, by 

 means of his interpreters, boafted the grandeur and 

 power of his fovereign, by whom he was fent into that 

 country, and charged with feveral commiiTions of the 

 utmoft importance, and amongft others, an injunction to 

 fuccour and relieve opprelfed innocence, " If there- 

 u fore," he added, " I can ferve you in any thing with 

 " my perfon and my troops, name it to me, I will do it 

 " cheerfully." On hearing thefe propofals, the Chem- 

 poallefe chief fetched a deep figh, which was followed 

 by a bitter complaint of the misfortunes of his nation. 

 He told him, that the ftate of the Totonacas had, from 

 time immemorial, been free, and governed by lords of 

 their own nation ; but within a few years fince, had 

 been opprefTed with the rigorous yoke of the Mexicans, 

 who, on the contrary, from a humble commencement, 

 had raifed themfelves to fuch a pitch of grandeur, by a 

 firm and fteady alliance with the kings of Acolhuacan 

 and Tlacopan ; that they had rendered themfelves maf- 

 ters of all that land; that their power was exceffive, 

 and their tyranny in proportion ; that the king of Mex- 

 ico engrolfed to himfelf the gold of his fubjects, and that 

 the receivers of the tributes, befides other cruelties and 

 oppreffion, demanded of the tributaries their fons for 

 facrifices, and their daughters for violation. Cortes ap- 

 peared moved with compaffion for his misfortunes, and 

 offered to give him his affiftance in every thing; defer- 

 ring until another occalion to treat of the manner of do- 

 ing it; as he was then prefTed to go to Chiahuitztla ta 

 examine into the ftate of his vefTels. At this vifit the 

 Chempoallefe chief made him a prefent of fome works 

 of gold, which it is faid were worth a thoufand fequins. 



The 



