400 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



from the canals. When he entered into the quarters 

 with the rejoicing which is eafy to be imagined on both 

 fides, Montezuma came to meet him in the court with 

 the molt obfequious demonftrations of friendfliip ; but 

 Cortes, either grown infolent from the victory obtained 

 over Narvaez, the number of people under his command, 

 or being perfuaded that it was neceffary to affect to be- 

 lieve the king blameable for the difturbance made by 

 his valfals, paifed along without paying any attention 

 towards him. The king, pierced to the heart at feeing 

 himfelf fo difdainfully treated, retired to his apartment, 

 where his affliction was ftill increafed by the informa- 

 tion brought by his fervants that the Spanifh general 

 had expreifed himfelf in words mofl injurious to his 

 majefty (e). 



Cortes reprimanded the captain Alvarado with great 

 feverity, and would certainly have inflicted upon him 

 the punifliment he deferved, if the circumftances of the 

 time and the perfon had permitted. He forefaw the 

 great ltorm which was now to pour upon them, and he 

 thought it would have been imprudent to have created 

 himfelf an enemy, upon an occafion of fo much danger, 

 of one of the bravefl: captains he had in his army. 



With 



(e) The hiftorian Solis is not difpofed to believe that this mark of contempt 

 was fhewn by Cortes to Montezuma ; and in order to vindicate that general, he 

 wrongs B. Diaz, who affirms it as having been an eye-witnefs; and Herrera, 

 who relates it on the fupport of good documents. He undefervedly accufes B. 

 Diaz of partiality againft Cortes; and of Herrera he fays, that it is to be fuf- 

 pe6ted that he chofe to adopt the account of B. Diaz, for the purpofe of making 

 life of a fentence of Tacitus; ambition, he adds, dangerous to hijlorians, but to 

 none more than Solis himfelf ; for every impartial and well-informed perfon in 

 the hiftory of Mexico will perceive, in reading the works of Solis, that this au- 

 thor, inftead of adjufting the fentences to the relation, on the contrary, adjufts 

 the relation to the fentences. Laftly, as he adduces no better reafons than 

 thofe offered by B. Diaz, we ought to give more credit to the latter as an eye- 

 witnefs of the fait. 



