1 
76 T^ke Expedition of FI e 
all that had happened upon the Coaft, fending the Pic- 
tures which were drawn by his Orders, and Corteses, Pre- 
fenti, with the utmoft Diligence. For this Purpofe, the 
Ki rigs of Mexico a great Number of Couriers di- 
ilributed among all the principal Roads of the King- 
dom, chofen out of the fwifteft Indians, and bred up to 
it from little Children. Rewards were paid out of the 
Public Treafury to thofe v/ho arrived firft at the ap- 
pointed Place. Thofe Couriers were relieved at every 
Town, like our Poft-horfes, and made the greateit 
Speed, becaufe they fucceeded one another before they 
were tired, fo that the firft four of the Couriers never 
ceafed. The Aniwer came in feven Days, and Ideutile 
brought it to the Sfanijh Quarters, together with a Pre- 
fent from Motezuma, which loaded an hundred Indians •, 
and before he delivered his Embaffy, he caufed them to 
lay Mats of. Palm-tree Leaves upon the Ground, and 
place in order upon them the feveral things of which the 
Prefent v/as compofed. 
There v^cre various forts of Cotton Cloth well wove, 
and fo fine, that they could not be diftinguifhed from 
Silk but by feeling, a Quantity of Plumes and other 
Curiolities made of Feathers, whofe beautiful and na- 
tural Variety of Colours the Indian Artifts knew to 
mix and difpofe with fo much Skill, that without mak- 
ing ufe of artificial Colours, or of the Pencil, they would 
draw Pidures and imitate Nature. They next produced 
a great Number of Arms, Bows, Arrows, and Targets, 
made of the fineft forts of Woods ; two very large 
Plates of a circular Form, the one of Gold, which by 
its embolTing reprefented the Sun ; and the other of Sil- 
ver, reprefenting the Moon ; and laftly, a confiderable 
Quantity of Jewels, Pieces of Gold, fome Precious Stones, 
Collars of Gold, Rings,, Pendants after their Fafliion, 
and other Ornaments of greater Weight, in the Shape of 
Birds and Beafts, fo curioufly wrought, that notwith- 
ftanding the great Value of the Metal, the Workmanfhip 
exceeded it. As fbon as Teutile had brought his Wealth 
before the Spaniards, he turned to Cortes and told him. 
That the great Emperor Motezurna fent him thefe in 
Return for his Prefents, and to fliew how much he va- 
lued his King’s Friendfliip, but that he did not think it 
convenient, nor was it polfible in the prefent Pofture of 
his Affairs to grant the Permiffion he afked, of paffing to 
his Court. 
Cortes returned Thanks for the Prefent, and anfwered 
V eutile, That it was far from his Intention to be wanting 
in Obedience to Motezurna, but that it was not in his 
Power to go back without Difhonour to the King,* or 
to forbear perfifting in his Demand with all the Earneft- 
nefs to which he was obliged by the Reputation of a 
Crown that was honoured and refpedted among the 
greateft Princes of the World. The Spaniards reafon- 
ed amongft themfelves very differently upon thofe Pre- 
fents, fome conceiving great Hopes from conquering fo 
rich a Country, while many concluded, the attacking fo 
powerful a Monarch with fuch an Handful of Men, to 
be a Piece of Rafhnefs ; but the greateft Part juftified 
the Conftancy of their Captain, looking on the Conqueft 
as good as made. Cortes gave them leave to talk on, 
concealing his Sentiments till a proper time ; and to keep 
his People out of Idlenefs, which was the way to make 
them difpute lefs, he ordered two VeffeJs out to view 
the Coaft and fearch out fome Port or Bay where the 
Fleet might be more under Shelter, and fome more fertile 
Plain, where they might be accommodated until the 
return of Motezurna"^ Anfwer, making a Pretence of 
the Sufferings of his People in this fandy Soil, where the 
Heat of the Summer was doubled by Refledtion, and the 
Perfecution of the Mofquitoes made even the Hours of 
Reft uneafy. He appointed Captain Francifeo de Mon- 
tejo to command this Cruize, and picked out the Sol- 
diers that were to bear him company, being thofe that 
feemed moft averfe to his own Opinion. He ordered 
him to run along as far as he could, fleering the fame 
Courfe he had done the Year before with Grijalva, and 
R NAN. C O R T £ s, Book I. 
that he fnould take notice of what Towns appeared along 
the Coaft, without landing to view them, allotting ten 
Days for their Return •, by which Means he executed 
what w^as proper to be done, employed thofe that were 
troublefome, and entertained the reft with Hopes oi Re- 
lief. 
9. The Skill and Condiidt of Cortes appear manifeftly 
in the Prudence v/ith v/hich, in his Circumftances, he 
took ftich Precautions. But tho’ they made him fome- 
what eafy for the prefent, yet they were fo far from fil- 
ling him with Confidence, that on the contrary his Mind 
was never more occupied than at this Jundlure. Fie 
faw a new Scene opened, not only unexpedledly, but 
direftly oppofite to his Expedlations. He found, in- 
ftead of fmall and narrow Diftridls, which hitherto fthe 
Spanijh Arms had eafily fubdued, a v/ide extended Em- 
pire, towdiich Spam itfelf was, in comparifon, a Province; 
and this under the Dominion of one potent Monarch, 
whofe Pov/er defeended to him through a Line of glo- 
rious Princes, renowned for the Wifdom of their Poli- 
tics and the Compafs of their Conquefts : Fie found this 
Monarch well apprized of his Defigns, and determined 
to oppofe them with the whole Force of his Empire. 
On the other hand, thefe Informations fo clearly con- 
vinced him of the Weaknefs; or rather Inequality of 
his Army ; and he was at the fame time fo fenfible of 
the Difficulties, v/hich perplexed- him in the Command 
of it, that he began ferioufly to doubt whether it was 
poftible for him to perform what his Ambition had 
prompted him to undertake. Fle kept this Concern of 
his fo well concealed, that nothing of it appeared either 
in his Countenance or his Language, the former appear- 
ing more open, and the latter afiuming a more refolute 
Tone than in times when for want of good Information 
he had lefs Fears about him ; he determined, however, 
not to relinquifh his Enterprize, but to pufh it as far as 
it would go, and never to think of a Retreat till he was 
fully fatisfied that the Obftacles that lay in his way were 
abfolutely infurmountable. He applied himfelf there- 
fore with the utmoft Diligence to raife the Spirits, and 
heighten the Fortitude of his Soldiers. 
In order to this, he took Pains to fhew them the great 
Advantages derived from their Difeipline, and the fmall 
Strength that occurred from Numbers, where they want- 
ed that material Circumftance. He taught them to 
obferve how favourable the Divifions of the Indians 
among themfelves were to their Defign, and of what 
vaft Importance it was to preferve the Good Will of 
thofe who were inclined to favour them, v/hich was no 
otherwife to be done than by behaving towards them 
with all the Kindnefs and Clemency .imaginable. But 
above all, he made it his Bufinefs to inflame their Hopes 
with the Profperil of that vaft Wealth which mu ft ac- 
crue to them from ' the Poffeffions of fo rich a Country, 
and for the fake of which, it would be requifite, and 
at the fame time highly reafonable to forego certain 
trifling and temporary Advantages, particularly, fuch as 
refulted from plundering the little Towns that fell into 
their Hands, and treating all that came under their 
Power as Vaffals and Slaves. He fhewed them that this 
muft neceffarily break their Spirits, and enervate their 
Power, which at the fame time that it rendered thefe 
Indiafis ufelefs as Subjefts, loft all that Acceffion of 
Strength which might be derived from them as Allies, 
and without which it was Amply imipoffible they could 
carry on their Enterprize with any Probability of Suc- 
cefs. 
By a frequent and conftant Prarilice of thefe Methods, 
he brought his Troops to a Degree of Confidence, which 
as yet he v/anted himfelf, and rendered them not only 
willing to obey his Commands, but impatient even of 
necefiary Delays, and fo little afraid of Danger as to 
treat with Contempt fuch as attempted to infmuate, that 
their General engaged in an Undertaking to which his 
Forces were utterly unequal. 
SECTION 
