HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



333 



They replied, that the Mexican ambaffador, to render an 

 agreeable fervice to their fovereign, had enticed them to 

 meditate their deftru&ion. Cortes then, with a counte- 

 nance full of indignation, thus addreffed the ambafladors 

 who were prefent : c Thofe wretches, to excufe their 

 " crimes, impute the treachery to you and your king ; 

 <c but I neither believe you capable of fuch infamy, nor 

 M can I perfuade myfelf that the great monarch Monte- 

 * c zuma would treat me like a cruel enemy, at the very 

 " time he is giving me the fincereft proofs of his friend- 

 " (hip ; and as he could oppofe me with open force, 

 " that he would employ traitors to anticipate him ! Be 

 " allured, that I will pay regard to your perfons in the 

 " {laughter and blood we {hall flied. To-day, thofe 

 <c traitors {hall perifti, and their city {hall be convulfed. 

 <6 I call heaven and earth to witnefs, that it is their per- 

 " fidy which arms our hands for revenge, unnatural to 

 u our hearts." 



Having fpoken this, and made the {ignal of attack by 

 the difcharge of a mu fleet, the Spaniards fell with fuch 

 fury upon thofe miferable victims, that they did not 

 leave one alive of all thofe who were in the fquare. The 

 ftreams of blood which flowed about, and the painful 

 yells of the wounded and dying enemy, would have been 

 fufficient to have {hocked and waked pity in every breaft 

 that was not fired with the fury of revenge. Having 

 terminated the tragic fcene within, they iffued out to the 

 ftreets, and flbeathed their fwords in the bodies of all the 

 Cholulans they met. The Tlafcalans, on their part, 

 entered the city like famiftied lions, their fiercenefs grow- 

 ing with the third of the blood of their enemies, and 

 cagernefs to pleafe their new allies. A ftroke, fo keen 

 and unexpected, put the citizens immediately into difor- 



der ; 



