yo 'Expedition of H 
, mufement is too mean a Gonfideration. But what End, 
,what View fo juft, fo laudable, fo worthy of the Subjedb, 
as the promoting vigoroufly Expeditions of a like nature 
by fo noble an Example. Yet how is this to be done 
otherwife than by explaining the Charadler of Cortes fully, 
and ftiewing how he came to undertake fo great an En- 
terprize with fo flight a Force •, how from the very Be- 
ginning he had all the Difficulties to ftruggle with that 
the Author of an Epic Poem could have fuggefted to 
raife the Charafter of his Hero, and fliewed fuch Forti- 
tude, Sagacity, and Penetration in overcoming them, 
as would have puzzled the greateft Poet to have feigned 
in favour of him, whofe Charadler and Adventures had 
depended folely upon his Imagination. 
Here we fee him fixed upon to be the Commander in 
Chief in the greateft Expedition that hitherto the Spa- 
niards had undertaken, merely for the fake of his perfonal 
Merit and great Abilities. We next find him fufpefted, 
hated, recalled by the very Perfon to whom he owed his 
Power. Yet proceeding, notwithftanding all thefe Diffi- 
culties j and tho* the Beginnings of his Enterprizes were 
not attended with any remarkable Succefs, we fee him 
eftabliffiing an Authority even fuperior to that given him 
by his Commiffion, when by the Contrivances of his Ene- 
mies, his Title to command was fo weakened, as that he 
ERNAN Cortes, Book I. 
had fcarce any legal Authority at all. We fee him from 
his firft fetting out, afting as the Legiflator as well as Ge- 
neral and Commander in Chief, and not only forming 
his own Conduft upon juft, honourable, and heroic Prin- 
ciples, but infufing thefe with great Diligence and Dex- 
' terity into the whole Body of his Followers, as if, not 
content with being a Elero himfelf, his Ambition excited 
him to command an Army of Heroes, and fo to ballance 
his want of Numbers by raifi.ng the Power, the Credit, 
and Courage of the fmall Number he commanded. 
We fee him afting upon all Occafions by the Lights 
of his own Reafon, and without taking the Advice of 
any who were about him ; not that he defpifed Counfel, 
but that for good Reafons, and from juft Motives, he 
fufpefted thofe he would otherwife have admitted of his 
Council. And laftly, we fee him behave towards the In- 
dians with Dignity void of Arrogance, inftilling Courage, 
not Fear, and teaching them Obedience, by propofing 
it as their Intereft, rather than due to his Pleafure. We 
fhall fee him in the fucceeding Sedions uniform in his 
Condu£l, exad; in his Difcipline, fage in his Refolutions, 
vigorous in their Execution, always befieged with new 
Difficulties, and yet furmounting them by the Force of 
his Underftanding, and the Steadinefs of his Virtue. 
SECTION. VIII. 
"The Progrefs of this Expedition from the time of the Spaniards emharling for New Spain, 
to the firft Mejfage fent by Cortes to Motezuma Emperor of Mexico. 
I. Hoe Motives which induced Cortes to refohe to attempt the Cojtqueji of New Spain fo fmall a Force 
and under fo many Fificulties. 2. He arrives at the River Grijalva, his landing oppfed^ but debarks 
at laf in fpite of the Indians. 3. Fhe I own of Tabafco takeUy and a great ViSiory gained over the In- 
dians. 4, A Peace enfues thereupon, to the SatisfaSHon of both Parties-, after which the^ Spaniards em- 
bark in order to continue their Voyage. 5. They land in New Spain, and meet there with Embajfadors 
from Motezuma Emperor of Mexico. 6. Fhe General and Governor of the Province confer with Cor- 
tes ; inquire into the Reafon of his coming thither, and fend an Account of it to their Emperor Mote- 
zuma, 7. Fhe manner in which Indians tranfmitted a full Account op the Spaniards and their Force 
to their Emperor. Fhe Reception that Account met with, and^ the Anfwer returned ^ to Cortes’ j 
quef, by M^otezuma. eq. Remarks and Gbfervations upon this SeSlion, and on the Situation Cortes pound 
himfelf in at this pundture. 
i.ry^HE ffiort Stay that Cortes made in this Ifland 
was fpent in deliberating on the proper Means 
for carrying his great Defigns into Execution, towards 
which he found that good Information was likely to con- 
tribute more than the beft Advice •, he therefore fpent 
many Hours alone with Aguilar, whom he found to be 
a Man of Senfe and Probity, of great Courage, and who 
had a Head perfeblly well turned either for Service in time 
of War, or for Negotiations in time of Peace. It was 
from this Man that he learned perfedly the Humour 
and Temper of the Indians, their Maxims of Govern- 
ment, their military Difcipline, the Advantages derived 
to them from thence, and in what refpedt they were in- 
ferior to the Spaniards. ■ Matters about which he feemed 
to inquire from that natural Curiofity only which is in- 
cident even to the greateft Minds; but, in reality, he had 
nothing lefs in view than to amufe himfelf with hearing 
ftrange Stories, and made thefe Inquiries for the fake of 
knowing how to ufe ail Opportunities that offered, and 
that he might be able to create them where they were 
wanting. 
Among other extraordinary Qualities, he was bieflTed 
with fo happy a Memory, that he retained whatever he 
once heard, and knew how to make ufe of the flighteft 
Circumftances fo as to convert them into material Ad- 
vantages ; of which we lhall fee many remarkable In- 
ftances in the following Sedions. He took occafion 
likewife, during his ftay in this Ifland, to gain over to 
his Intereft the ableft and moft cnterprifing Perfons that 
were embarked with him in this Expedition, by repre- 
fenting to them how infeparably their Interefts were con- 
neded with his, fo that it was impoffible for him to ne- 
gled rewarding them, if by a proper Difcharge of their 
Duty they put it his Power. In all thefe Applications 
he had much lefs regard to the Charader and Station, 
than to the Temper and Capacities of the Men with 
whom he dealt, fo that he admitted to his Converfation 
private Men as well as Officers, which gained him the 
Affedions of the People, and rendered it impoffible for 
any Cabals to be formed againft him, without his hav- 
ing immediate Intelligence of the Motives from whence 
they fprung, and the Perfons by whom they were ma- 
naged. 
He drew likewife another great Advantage from this 
Condud, and that was bringing the greateft Points to 
bear without appearing to have any Concern in them ; 
fo that he never propofed any thing he had a mind to 
carry, but by the help of his Agents he firft infufed it into 
the Minds of the People, and then complied with their 
Will, or rather feemed to comply with it when he 
accompliffied his own. He defeated the Defigns of his 
Enemies by preparing the'People to fuggeft their Diflike 
to them, when propofed by himfelf in Compliance with 
the Refolutions taken in Councils of Vv ar. And by thefe 
Arts he rendered himfelf at once the moft arbitrary and 
defpotic Commander, and the very Man in the World 
leaft fufpeded of having any fuch thing in his Thoughts. 
The Difficulties they had hitherto met with, might 
under any other General have difgufted the People and 
deftroyed their Hopes, but his Management was fo dex- 
trous, that under him they had quite different Effecfts ; 
for he found Means to convince them, that all Mifcar- 
riages were owing to thofe of Velafque%^ Party •, whence 
the^ Soldiers inferred, that all things would go well if 
, Cortes 
