HISTORY OF MEXICO. 343 



" your houfe thofe who will drive you from it, and that 

 " you would remedy the evil while you flill have time 

 " and means to do it." " What fliall we do," returned 

 the king, " if our friends, and what is more our gods, 

 " inftead of favouring us, profper our enemies ? 1 am 

 " refolved, and wifli that all would be refolute, not to 

 " fly nor fliew any cowardice, happen what will — but I 

 " pity the aged and the young, who have no ftrength 

 " and can make no defence !" 



Cortes having difmilfed the Mexican ambaffadors, 

 moved with his troops from Ithualco, and proceeded 

 through Amaquemecan and Tlalmanalco, two cities 

 about nine miles diflant from each other, and fituated 

 near the bafe of thofe mountains. Amaquemecan, with 

 its adjacent hamlets, contained two thoufand inhabitants 

 (k). At thofe places the Spaniards were well received, 

 and feveral chiefs of that province vifited Cortes, and 

 prefented him gold and fome Haves ; they complained 

 bitterly of the oppreflion they fufFered from the king of 

 Mexico and his minifters, in the fame terms made ufe of 

 by thofe of Chempoalla and Chiahuitztla, and at the 

 fuggeftion of the Chempoallefe and Tlafcalans, who ac- 

 companied Cortes, entered into a confederacy with the 

 Spaniards for the recovery of their liberty. In fliort, 

 the farther the Spaniards advanced into the country, the 

 more they continued to increafe their forces ; like a ri- 

 vulet, which, by the acceflion of other flreams, fwells in 

 its courfe by degrees into a large river. 



From Tlalmanalco the army marched to Ajotzinco, a 

 village fituated upon the fouthern bank of the lake of 



Chalco 



(I) Amaquemecan, called by the Spaniards Mecameca, is at prefent a village 

 no otherwife noted than for having been the birth-place of the celebrated nun 

 Joan Agnes of the Crofs, a woman ©f wonderful genius and uncommon learn- 

 ing. 



