blame, that he did not either communicate his Sufpicions, 
or his Difcoveries to Motezuma^ or fo iliuch as confer 
with him on the prefent Poftiire of his Affairs, fmce that 
Monarch teftified great Affedlion to the Spaniards \ and, 
if applied to in time, might have prevented things from 
coming to Extremities. 
But Alverado^ it feems, depended upon his own Fore- 
fight, and the Courage of his Soldiers •, and underftand- 
ing that the Indians'yvQTt adtually preparing, under Colour 
of a folemn Dance, which was one of the principal Rites 
of their Religion, to furprize and cut off the Spaniards, 
he refolved to be beforehand wnth them, and to put it 
out of their Power, by fhutting them up in the great 
Temple where this Dance was to be performed by their 
principal Nobility, in which he fucceeded ; but when he 
had them in his Power, and faw that they were richly 
•adorned with Gold and Jewels, he either commanded, or 
at leaft permitted, his Soldiers to fall upon them, and cut 
them to Pieces, and ftrip the dead Bodies of their valua- 
ble Ornaments, which afforded the Indians that efcaped, 
a fair Pretence of carrying on an open and avowed War, 
which from that time they did, and almoft every Day at- 
tacked the Spaniards in their Quarters; which, though 
they were not able to force, and notwithftanding they 
killed but three or four, and loft feveral hundreds, 
nay, fome thoufands of their own People, yet they con- 
tinued the War with the greateft' Obftinacy, fuppofing, 
that in Time the Spaniards would expend their Ammu- 
nition, and, that fooner or later they fhould deftroy them 
all. The Spajtiards themfelves apprehended this, and 
therefore preffed Cortes to haften his March, in order to 
relieve them. 
I o. He was very fenfible of their Diftrefs, and of the 
Neceffity of extricating them from it ; and therefore, 
with as little Delay as polTible, he quitted Tlafcala, 
taking with him fome of the braveft Troops of that Re- 
public, with whom he continued his March towards 
Mexico ; which City, without meeting many Difficulties 
on the Road, he entered upon the Feaft of St. John, 
1520. He .met with no Oppofition, for the Indians had 
quitted a great Part of the City, and had broke down 
feveral Bridges. However he advanced with great Cau- 
tion, and at length arrived at the Spanijh Quarters, where 
he was received with the utmoft Joy by Alverado. 
The Spanijh Writers differ as to his Behaviour towards 
Motezuma ; fome fay that he ufed him kindly, but others 
Fxprefly affirm, that he did not fo much as pay him a 
Vifit, and that he afterwards repented of this, as of one 
of the greateft Miftakes he ever made. He added, how- 
ever, another of a different Nature *, for, in Hopes of 
pacifying the Indians, he releafed Motezuma' s, Brother, 
who proved his moft dangerous Enemy, and therefore 
the Indians chofe him for their Captain. He aimed, at 
firft, at an Accommodation, but he foon found that 
imprafticable, and that Motezuma had entirely loft his Au- 
thority, which proved of very ill Confequence to the Spa- 
niards, Cortes fent Antony del Rio to Zempoalla, to give an 
. Account of the Pofture of Affairs, and haften the March 
of thofe that ftayed behind ; and as he was paffmg a 
Horfeback, through Tlatlelulco, which is the Market- 
Place, the People howled, and began to purfue him ; 
being thus followed, and feeing a Stop before, he thought 
it beft to turn back, and breaking through the Crowd 
with his Horfe, Sword in Hand, returned to the 
Quarters. Cortes then fent five Horfe-men to fee how 
Matters ftood, who found fome Timber taken of the 
Bridges, under which the Cuts of Water ran, and turn- 
ing another Way, found the like in other Streets, many 
People on the Tops of the Houfes pointing to them to 
pafs the Bridges. 
The next Day Hojeda and Marquez went to feek Pro- 
vifions, and finding a Bridge broken, and tM Waters in 
the Trench deep, they made a Ihift to get over, by 
throv/ing in Rubbifh, pieces of Matts, and other Things ; 
then paffmg along a little Street, Marquez heard a great 
Cry, and returning to his Companion, they agreed to 
fiy- and had it not been for a I’lafcalan they had with 
them, who was their Guide, there were fo many Windings 
of Streets, that they had been in great Danger; They met 
E R N A N Cortes, 'Book I. 
with an Indian Prieft crying out, and behaving liimfelf like' 
a Mad-man ; they purfiied him, and he ran into an Houfe 
that was full of tame Cranes, which, when they faw him, 
began to fet up their Cry, in fuch a Manner, that Hojeda 
came out in a Confternation ; the Citizens flocked toge- 
ther on all Hands, great Cries were heard, and the Tops 
of the Houfes were full of Men. Six Spaniards that 
were at the Top of the Temple looking out, gave No- 
tice of the Difturbance, and Hojeda and Marquez, com- 
ing in, two hundred Men fallied out of the Quarters, 
whilft the reft were arming. They fought with a great 
Number of Indians, who preffed on furioufly, witliout 
any Dread of the Swords •, the Aftion iafted till Night, 
an infinite Number of Mexicans being flain, and not 
one Spaniard-, thus was Cortes convinced that the War 
was unavoidable, and therefore he endeavoured to fend 
privately for Salcedo, who had been left behind with 
the Wardrobe. He ordered Men out to throw down 
fome Trenches the Indians had caft up, that the Horfes 
might pafs. 
As foon as it was Day, the Shouting, Whiffling, and 
Fighting, began again, and continued the vfficie Day, 
with the Deftru(ftion of many Mexicans \ and fome Spa- 
niards were hurt, becaufe the Indians threw Stones from 
the Tops of Houfes ; but the Fire-arms and Crofs-bows 
drove them. The next Day the Lidians affaulted Cortes 
the third Time, in a moft defperate Manner, killing Carezo 
an Horfe-man ; and Cortes finding that the greateft Mif- 
chief came from Tops of Houfes, he left the Horfe-men, 
and with one hundred and forty Muiketeers and Crofs- 
bow Men, entered the Street of Habuca, gained it en- 
tirely, and cam.e to Tahuca, where they might have for- 
tified and fecured themfelves with all their Wealth ; but, 
defpifing the Indians, they returned to their Quarters, 
and were fet upon, in the Streets, by vaft Numbers of 
Indians, where the Horfes having no room, were of little 
Ufe. 
They took one Spaniard alive, and facrificed him in 
Sight of all the reft •, they alfo took two Pieces of Can- 
non, and threw them into the Trenches, fo that the Spa- 
niards, with much Difficulty, returned to their Quarters ; 
and the Indians again cleared thofe Places which the Spa- 
niards had filled up for their Horfes to pafs •, the next 
Day they engaged the fourth Time ; the Indians being fo 
numerous, that it was wonderful to behold ; who attack- 
ed the Court of the great Temple, where, though it was 
large, no Ufe could be made of the Horfes, becaufe it 
was paved with broad Stones ; many great Men were on 
the Top of the Temple, commanding where the Attack 
ffiould be made. Cortes fent Efcohar, his Chamberlain, 
againft them, with one hundred Men ; and by that time 
they were got up four Steps, there came down upon 
them, fuch a Shower of Stones, pieces of Timber, Sticks, 
and Fire-brands, that they were forced to retire : Three 
times they were repulfed in this Manner. Cortes, being in- 
formed of it, tied a Target to his Arm, becaufe he v/as 
wounded in the Hand, went to that Place, faid it was a 
Shame there ffiould be any longer Delay in that Affair, 
advanced foremoft, and was followed by many. 
They ^ot up the Steps, and though many Spaniards 
were knocked down, tell upon the three hundred Gen- 
tlemen that were there, and left not fix of them alive, 
fome being killed with the Sword, and others throwing 
themfelves headlong from the Parapet of the Temple ; 
two laid, hold of Cortes to caft themfelves down with him, 
but he being a ftrong Man, got loofe. The fame hap- 
pened to Hojeda, and he would have periflred in that 
Manner, had not one near him relieved him. They went 
up to the Top of the Temple, where they found no Man, 
but much Cacao and Meat ; and the Hajcdlans and Zem- 
poallan Indians had a good Day of it, for they fed upon 
the Mexicans that were killed. The Mexicayis came on 
again the next Day in a greater P.age, and had nev/ Yy' ays 
of fighting, being aflifted by the neighbouring Tov/ns. 
They threw their Javelins clofe by the Ground, to 
wound the Feet and Fegs, and in this Manner above 
two hundred Spaniards were hurt, till they prennded Ar- 
mour. 
The Arrows flewfo thick, that thofe who were appointed 
I 
