HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



585 



defcendant of QuetzalcoatI, to whom therefore he yield- 

 ed up the kingdom and owned obedience, and exhorted 

 them all to do the fame (j). In pronouncing himfelf 

 the fubjec"t of another king he felt his fpirit fo wounded, 

 that his voice failed him and tears were fubftituted for 

 words. The forrows of the king were fucceeded by 

 fuch bitter fobs from the whole aifembly, that they af- 

 fected and drew the pity of the Spaniards. To thefe 

 emotions a melancholy filence fucceeded, which was at 

 length broken by one of the mod refpe&able Mexican 

 chiefs, with thefe words : " Since the time, O prince, 

 " is arrived when thofe ancient oracles are to be fulfilled, 

 " and the gods incline and you command that we be- 

 " come the fubje&s of another lord, what elfe have we 

 " to do but to fubmit to the fovereign will of heaven in- 

 " timated to us from your mouth." 



Cortes then thanked the king and all the lords who 

 were prefent for their ready and lincere fubmiffion, and 

 declared that his fovereign did not prefume to take the 



Vol. II. 3 C crown 



(/) The circumftances of the ahove mentioned affembly, of the homage ren- 

 dered to the king of Spain, and of the order intimated from Montezuma to 

 Cortes to depart from the court, is related by hiflorians with fuch variety, that 

 no two of them are found to agree. In the narration of thefe events we chief- 

 ly follow the accounts of Cortes and Bernal Diaz, who were both eye wit- 

 neffes. Solis affirms, that the acknowledgment made by Montezuma was a 

 mean artifice, that he never had any intention to fulfil 'what he promifed, that his aim 

 •was to hafen the departure of the Spaniards, and to temporize for the fecret purpofes of 

 his ambition, "without any regard for his words or engagement ; but if the act of Mon- 

 tezuma was a mere artifice, and he did not mean to effect what he promifed, 

 why in owning himfelf the vaffal of another monarch did he feel fo much an- 

 guilh, that it cut his voice fhort and drew tears from his eyes, as this author 

 himfelf fays. If he only meant to haften the departure of the Spaniards, there 

 was no occafion for fuch a feint. How often, with a {ingle beck to his valfals, 

 could he have facrificed the Spaniards to his gods, or fparing their lives, have 

 made them be bound and condu6ledto the port, that thence they might refume 

 their courfe to Cuba ? The whole of Montezuma's conduct was entirely incon- 

 fiftent with the intentions which Solis afenbes to him. 



