I ao ^he Expedition FI E R N a N Cortes^ Book I. 
without any other Tye than that of coming from the fame 
Country. 
Notwithftanding this good Fortune, he could not quiet 
the Soldiers of Nar^VaeZy who were importunate with him, 
for leave to return to the Me of Cuba ; they put him in 
Mind of his Promife, and he could not deny but that 
they went upon the Expedition to Tepeaca on that Con- 
dition ; for which Reafon he was not willing to enter into 
any nev/ Difputes with them, and the rather becaufe he 
found his Troops augmented with Soldiers, better difci- 
plined, and did not think it a proper time to march at 
the Head of unwilling Mutineers. 
For thefe Reafons therefore he ordered a Proclamation 
to be made : 'That whoever had a Mind to return homey 
*was free to gOy and Jbould be furnijhed with Vejfelsy and 
every thing elfe that was neceffary. The greateft Part of 
the Soldiers of Narvaez made ufe of the Opportunity, 
but fome- flayed ; and what deferves to be remarked is, 
that Andres de Dueroy who appeared on feveral Occafions 
fo much attached to the Interefl of CorteSy was one of 
thofe who retired j and although there be no Account of 
th^ Reafon of this Separation, we may very well believe 
there was but little Sincerity in the Pretences with 
which he coloured his Retreat ; fince we find him, fhortly 
after, making ufe of all his Interefl; at Court in favour of 
Velafquez. 
g. Cortes having now got rid of thefe Mutineers, whom 
Alverado had the Care of conducing to the Veffels, be- 
gan to confider of the Time neceffary to be employed 
in’ building the Brigantines. He difpatched new Or- 
ders to the Confederates, to hold themfelves in readinefs 
to march upon the firfl; Notice, diredling the Quantity of 
Provifions and Arms they were to provide : And at his 
Leifure Hours he wrote an Account of all the Particulars 
of the Conquefl^ to be fent to the Emperor; defigning 
to equip a Veffel, and fend new Agents, who might haften 
the Difpatch of the former, or give him Notice of the 
Condition his Affairs were in at the Court of Spain ; his 
Uncertainty therein being now one of his greateft Dif- 
quiets. 
Cortes drew up this Account in form of a Letter, and 
repeating every thing of Importance in the Difpatches 
he fent the Year before by the Captains Portocarrero 
and Montexoy he gave his Majefty a faithful Relation of 
all his Adventures, from the Time he marched out of 
ZempoalUy and by his Courage and Conduft made his 
triumphant Entry into the capital City of the Empire, 
till he was afterward forced to retreat to Tlafcala with 
confiderable Lofs. He alfo acquainted him with how 
much Security he was able to maintain himfelf in that 
Province, together with the Number of Spaniards that 
had augmented his Troops, and the great Confederacies 
he had made with divers Indian Nations, for renewing the 
War againft the Mexicans. He exprefled, with a noble 
and generous Confidence, the Hope he had of reducing 
to his Majefty’s Obedience all that new World, whole 
Bounds to the North were unknown even to the Natives. 
He enlarged upon the Riches of that Empire, the Ferti- 
lity of the Soil, and the Wealth of the feveral Princes. 
He highly extolled the Valour and Conftancy of the Spa- 
niardsy and the Affedlion and Fidelity of the Tlafcalans ; 
with Relation to himfelf, he left it to his Adtions to fpeak 
for him. He defired fpeedy Juftice againft the unfair 
Proceedings of VelafqueZy and Francifco Garay ; and made 
prelTing Inftances of an immediate Succour of Soldiers, 
Horfes, Arms, and other warlike Provifions. He re- 
prefented, in yet ftronger Terms, the Neceflity of fending 
fome Ecclefiaftics and Regulars of approved Virtue, 
to affift Father Olmedo in the Converfion of the Indians ; 
giving an Account that fome of the Chief among them 
Were already baptized, and that in the reft there was 
fuch a Difpofition to receive the Truth, as gave great 
Hopes of its making a confiderable Progrefs. 
The General fent thefe Difpatches by the Captains, 
Mendoca and Ordaz. His private Inftruftions to them 
were, “ That before they difcovered their Commiffion, 
“ or made any Declaration of their being fent by him, 
they fliould firfl: find his Father, and the two Agents 
“ who were fent the Year before, and jointly carry on 
“ their Negociation, according as the Condition of his 
“ Affairs fliould require.” He remitted alfo a fecond 
Prefent to the Emperor, confifting of Gold and other 
Curiofities, which had been preferved at Tlafcaluy to 
which the Soldiers alfo contributed, and were, upon this 
Occafion, very liberal ; adding the Booty acquired in 
the Expeditions of Tepeaca and Guacachula ; -a Prefent 
lefs in Value than the former, but more deferving, as. being 
amaffed in the Midft of their Difgraces, after thofe Loffes 
whereof Cortes had given a faithful Account in his Letters. 
10. It is now neceffary, in order to the perfect: under-, 
ftanding of what is to follov/, that we fliould look over 
into SpaiUy in order to fee what Effedts both thefe and 
the former Applications produced in his Favour had ; fince, 
at prefent, he was not in more Danger from the Arms of 
his Foes in the new World, than from the repeated Ef- 
forts of thofe implacable Enemies which, in fpite of all 
his glorious Succeffes, laboured his Deftruftion in the 
old. That we may perform what we intend of this kind 
at once, we will take up things from the Beginning, re- 
ducing the whole of this Controverfy in the Spanifo Court, 
into as narrow a Compafs as is po'flible. It was a long 
time that Martin CorteSy with the two firfl; Envoys of his 
Son, Alonfo Portocarreroy and Francifco de Mo?itexOy held 
the wretched Employment of waiting in the Anticham- 
bers of the Minifters, fo far from being admitted to Au- 
dience, that, not daring to importune them, they only 
prefented themfelves in the Throngs as they paffed by, 
and were forced to content themfelves with receiving an 
accidental Glance of an Eye, the comfortlefs Notice 
taken of thofe who are afraid to ruin their Pretenfions, by 
advancing them unfeafonably. The Emperor, hov/ever, 
gave them a very favourable Hearing, and found fufli- 
cient time to inform himfelf, exadtly, of all that paffed 
in new Spainy and to judge what might be expedled from 
the Enterprize. And, in order to this, he made himfelf 
Mafter of the whole Affair, not difdaining to aflc Queftions 
upon many Points. By this Means the Emperor difcover- 
ed the great Advantages which might be expefted from 
fuch wonderful Beginnings : And the Idea he at that 
time formed of the Merit of Cortes helped to recom- 
mend him to his Favour, as he was naturally inclined 
to value extraordinary Men. 
The fudden Departure of the Emperor did not permit 
him to come to any Refolution, in a Matter wherein fo 
many Difficulties were raifed, as well by the Agents of 
VelafqueZy as by fome Minifters who fupported them. 
But when the Day of his Embarkation came, which was 
the 2oth of Mayy 1520, his Majefty did, in a particular 
Manner, recommend the Affair of Cortes to Cardinal 
Adrianoy Governor of the Kingdom in his Abfence. The 
Cardinal was very fincerely defirous to favour his Caufe ; 
but as the Informations, by which he was to govern him- 
felf, came from the Council of the Indies (where the 
Votes were influenced by the Authority and Prejudice of 
the Prefident the Biffiop of Burgos) he found himfelf at a 
Lofs how to come to any Refolution ; nor v/as it an eafy 
Matter to affure himfelf of making a right Judgment, 
while the Reprefentations of Velafauez cam.e cloathed with 
the Appearance of Juftice, and the noble Exploits of 
Cortes were difcredited with the Name of Rebellion. Af- 
terwards, when it was moft neceffary, there wanted Time 
to examine into the Truth of this Affair, the Cares of the 
Minifters being employed in Matters of the laft Import- 
ance. It was, indeed, a very improper time to con- 
fider of new Enterprizes, when the Minifters were fo 
wholly employed in finding Remedies for the Evils which 
affliifted the State within Doors, that thofe without made 
no Sort of ImprelTion upon them : So that Martin CorteSy 
and his Friends, fenfible of the fmall Advantages they 
reaped by their Solicitations, and of the general Diforders 
of Affairs, retired to Medilliny with a Refolution to let 
the Storm blow over, and expedl the Return of the Em- 
peror, who was perfeftly well apprized of the Affair, and 
had fliewn a Difpofition to do Juftice to .their Preten- 
fions ; and they plainly faw that his Authority was necef- 
fary to furmount the Oppofition of the Bifhop of Burgos y 
and Other Impediments which arofe from the prefent Pof- 
ture of Affairs. - ' 
T Some 
