6 % 
Chap. III. Columbus to Cortes’j Expedition. 
Hs Fancy whatever Defefts there v/ere in his Memory, fo 
that he exhibited things with a Very graceful Propor- 
tion, and the only thing wanting in his Charts was 
a ftrift Regard to Truth •, but, however, they anfwered 
his Purpofe very well, for, befides fecuring to him a 
good Place and a competent Salary, they enabled him to 
impofe his Name on the new World, before he had dif- 
covered a Foot of it. 
The other Creature of the Bifhop’s that diftinguifhed 
himfelf, was Bernard de Santa Clara^ whom he prefer- 
red to be Treafurer of Hifpaniola, under the Governor 
Ohando, who was likewife in the Efteem of the BiFiop, 
and the moft v/orthy of all his Friends ^ the Treafurer 
before mentioned, was a very indifferent Steward for the 
King, but acquired a very good Eftate for himfelf, of 
which he was fo proud, that, befides the Salt for ufe, he 
caufed four large Salt-fellers, full of Gold-duft, to be 
fet every Day upon his Table j which piece of Vanity 
being known in Spain.^ a CommifTion was granted to in- 
fpeft this Gentleman’s Accounts, and by this means it 
was difcovered that he had cheated the King, or, at leaft, 
was indebted to him in 80000 Pefos, which makes near 
25000 Pounds in our Money. The Governor Ohando 
was very fenfible, that, when all this Man had was fold, 
the King would hardly have his Due ; but, to fave the 
Bifliop’s Credit, and his own, he bethought himfelf of a 
very extraordinary Expedient : He loved to. pafs for a 
Man of ftridl Juftice, and therefore he ordered the Trea- 
furer’s Effedls to be fet up to Auftion ; this was, in all 
appeai'ance, very fair, and no Exception could be taken 
at it ; but the Governor, when the Lots came to be put 
up, encouraged People to bid confiderably more than 
they were worth, telling them that he would warrant it a 
good Bargain j they, to merit his Favour and Protedlion, 
bidding upon each other •, the whole of his Effedls were 
fold for 96000 Pefos, fo that the King had his Debt, 
and the Treafurer a very pretty Fortune to begin the 
World with again. Such were the Arts, fuch the In- 
trigues, of thofe Men, who had opprelTed the old Admi- 
ral, and fuch the little dirty Contrivances by which they 
hid their own Failings. 
Yet thefe things were done under the Reign of King 
Ferdinand., efteemed one the wifeft Monarchs of his time ; 
and things went rather worfe under the Emperor Charles 
V, though he was, certainly, in every Refped, as great 
a Prince as ever fat upon the Spanijh Throne. The In- 
ference I would make from thence, is, that at all Events, 
and under all Adminiftrations, Difcoveries ought to be 
atternpted and encouraged, becaufe they carry in them- 
felves fuch Incitements to complete them, that they feldom 
or never fail of proving beneficial in the End, whatever 
Miftakes there may fall out in the Management of them 
at the beginning. 
Some afcribe this to Chance, others with more Senfe 
as well as Decency, to Providence. But, however, cer- 
tain it is, that great Occafions provoke, if they do not 
produce, great Spirits-, and when once the Way is open, 
and two or three Inftances have fiiewn the World that 
many things are pra6ticable, that for feveral Ages were 
thought impOifible, mighty things are performed; for 
Emulation is a noble Principle, and one of the greateft 
Secrets in Government is to excite it ; for it is rarely 
feen that any thing meets either with Favour from the 
Great, or with popular Encouragement, but it is fud- 
denly carried to a great Degree of Perfeftion. When 
once fuch a Spirit is raifed, even the moft difaftrous 
Accidents cannot extinguilh it; the Numbers of Spa- 
niards that periflied in the firft Attempts on the Conti- 
nent, by Ship-wreck, Famine, and Difeafes ; the unfor- 
tunate Ends of Hojeda^ Nicuejfa^ and Cordova,, had no 
bad Effefts in deterring others ; for as all agreed there 
were Gold and Pearls to be met with in thofe Parts ; 
the Thirft of Gain in fome, and the Thirft of Glory in 
others, foon overcame the Terror of fuch Examples, 
which, at firft Sight, one would have thought impoilible 
to have removed ; befides, there wanted not fome who 
diverted the Blame of all thefe Mifcarriages, from the 
Difficulty of the Enterprize, on the Imprudence or 
fome other Imperfedtion of the Commander; and, as 
Slanders always find an eafy Belief, fo the Imputations 
that fell upon the Dead, ferved to encourage the Living ; 
and Men were eafily brought to think that either their 
fuperior Capacities, or better Fortune, v/ould carry them 
through, notwithftanding former Adventurers had failed. 
To thefe we may add feveral concurring Circumftances, 
which gave Life and Vigour to thefe Undertakings, and 
wliich, for the Sake of Brevity, we fliall reduce under 
three general Heads. Firft then, the Marriage of Don 
Diego Colon, to Donna Maria de Foledo, induced a great 
many young Gentlemen, and fome Ladies of good Fa- 
milies, to tranfport themfelves to Hifpaniola, which prov- 
ed of incredible Service to the new Colony, as we may 
eafily conceive, if we refledl on the Spanijh Temper, and 
that it had in it, formerly, a much ftronger Tinfture of 
that Heroic, or if you will, romantic Spirit, of v/hich it ftill 
retains enough, and which, of all others, was the fitted: 
for promoting fuch kind of Exploits. The fecond was 
the eftabliffiing a fovereign Tribunal at Santo Domingo ; 
the Members of which having large Salaries ; fome con- 
fiderable Perfons, and thofe too of a more advanced 
Age, were thereby engaged to accept of thefe Employ- 
ments; which carried over likewife a new Train of young 
People, in Quality of their Dependents, and there being a 
continual Struggle for Power between this new Tribunal, 
or as the Spaniards ftile it, the Royal Audience of Santo 
Domingo, and the Admiral ; this created fuch a Jealoufy 
and Competition amongft the Dependents on both Parties, 
as had very favourable Effedfs on Affairs in general, and 
greatly promoted the Succefs of the Colony ; how much 
foever it might perplex or difturb their Superiors, by 
the Trouble it occafioned. The third and laft that we 
ffiall mention, was the Diftafte taken, efpecially at his 
firft coming to the Crown, againft the Emperor Charles, 
on account of his Partiality in favour of his Country- 
men, the Flemings, which induced the Flower of the Spa- 
nijh Gentry to think rather of advancing their Fortunes 
in the Indies, whither none but Spaniards could go, than 
their Credit in his Service ; whom they judged to be 
neither over- willing to difcern their Merit, nor over-ready 
to reward it. 
Thefe Obfervations as they arife naturally from what 
has been before related, fo they will ferve greatly to 
iiluftrate the following Sedlions ; in which we ffiall ex- 
hibit to the View of the Reader, as great Inftances of Cou- 
rage and Condudt ; of civil Policy, and military Skill, as 
are to be met with in any Hiftory whatever ; and for the 
Honour of the Spaniards it muft be acknowledged, that how 
ill foever thofe Heroes who conquered America were treated 
by their Statefmen ; the learned Pens of that Nation have 
done as much Juftice to their Labours, as themfelves 
could wiffi, and have not fuffered any of their Adfions 
to appear with lefs Luftre to Pofterity in their Writings, 
than the Recital of fuch great and glorious Performances 
deferved. But it is now time to quit thefe Refiedlions, 
and to refume the Thread of our Hiftory, which leads 
us to ffiew on what Grounds, in what manner, and with 
what Force the Conqueft of the great Empire of Memo 
was undertaken. 
SECTION VII. 
“The Expedition of Hernan Cortes for the ReduBion of New Spain, from the lime 
ofh is being appointed to that Command^ u?ito his being obliged to return to the IJland 
of Cozumel. 
i. A'he 
