^3^ ^ Ex pe tilt ion of H 
ger and Thirfl:, and Want of all Neceffaries, began to 
occafion Murmuring among the People, and Difference 
arnong the Soldiers, applied himfelf with the greateft 
Diligence to cut off all Relief from the City *, and, to 
juftify his own Proceedings, he fent two or three Noblemen, 
who were Prifoners, to Guatimozin, with Overtures of 
Peace, on very advantageous Conditions; offering to leave 
him in fuilPoffefllon of hisEmpire^ provided he would only 
acknowledge the fovereign Dominion of the King of 
Spain, whofe Right was already owned amdno- the 
Mexicans, from the Tradition of their Anceffors, and the 
Confent of feveral Ages. This was the Subftance of his 
Propofal, which he repeated, becaufe it grieved him to 
deftroy fo beautiful and fo wealthy a City, which he 
looked upon as a rich Jewel in his Sovereign’s Diadem. 
Guatimozin received the Propofal with fome\^hat lefs 
Pride than he was wont, and, as feveral Prifoners report- 
ed, he called a Council of his chief Officers and Minifters, 
with the Priefts; whofe Opinions were principally con- 
fidered in all public Affairs, in which he laid before them 
the miferable Condition to v/hich the City was re- 
“ duced, the Numbers they had loft, the Complaints of 
“ the People upon their beginning to want, the Dif- 
truftion of their Habitations, and defired their Ad- . 
“ vice, exprefling as much Inclination to Peace as was 
“ fufficient to give room for their Flattery or Refpeft 
“ to fecond him.” 
This fo far fucceeded, that all his Officers and Mi- 
nifters concluded immediately to receive the Overtures 
towards an Accommodation, leaving it till afterwards to 
confider of fuch particular Conditions of Peace as would 
be moft for the Intereft of the State: But the Priefts 
pofitively oppos’d allTreaty, feigning to have receiv’d fome 
Anfwers from their Idols, which gave them frefh Affurance 
of Vidlory. The Opinion of the Priefts fo far prevailed, 
that all who had Votes concurred with them ; and Guati- 
mozin, not without much Regret, becaufe he had already 
began to prefage his own Ruin, refolved to carry on the 
War, and Paid to his Minifters, “ That he would put to 
‘‘ Death the firft Man who ffiould prefume again to men- 
tion Peace, to whatever Diftrefs the City ffiould be re- 
duced, without excepting the Priefts themfelves, who 
were moft obliged to fupport theOracles of their Gods.” 
Cortes, being informed of this Determination, refolved 
to puffi his Attacks by all the three Caufways at the fame 
time, and carry Fire and Sword into the very Heart of 
the City, and fending his Orders to the Commanders of 
the two Attacks of ‘Tacuba and Tapeaquilla, he, at the 
Time appointed, marched himfejf by the Caufway of 
Cayoacan, at the Head of the Troops commanded by 
Colonel Olid. The Enemy had cleared the Ditches, and 
caft up Works *, but the five Brigantines which were 
ftationed upon that Attack eafily overthrew their For- 
tifications at the Time the Ditches were filling up, and 
the Army advanced without any confiderable Oppofition, 
till coming to the laft Bridge, which opened upon the 
Quay, they met with another fort of Difficulty. 
The Indians had broke down fome part of the Cauf- 
way to enlarge the Ditch, which was fixty Feet long, 
and turned into it the Water of the Canals, that it might 
be the deeper. On the oppofite Bank they had raifed 
a Fortification covered with Planks, in which were Rows 
of Loopholes with fome fort of Traverfes ; and they 
had provided a Multitude of Men to defend that Poft : 
But the firft Difcharges of the Artillery deftroyed all that 
Fortification, and the Enemies, having fuffered much by 
the Fall thereof, and finding themfelves expofed to the 
Balls, retired into the City, without turning their Backs 
or abating their Threats. Thus they left the Shore 
free, and Cortes, unwilling to lofe a Moment, imme- 
diately ordered the Spaniards to poffefs themfelves of it, 
making Ufe of his Brigantines and Canoes' to land his 
Men, and the Horfe pafled the fame way with three 
Pieces of Artillery, which he thought fufficient for that 
Service. 
Before they advanced againft the Enemy, who were 
ftill pofted behind the Trenches made acrofs the Streets, 
he ordered the Treafurer, Julian de Alderete, to flay there 
and fill up and fecure that Ditch, and the Brigantines 
E R N A N C O R T E s, Book I. 
to draw near to the Place were the Aftion was, and do 
what Damage they could to the Enemy. The firft 
Engagement prefently began, and Julian de Alderete^ 
hearing the Noife of the Battle, and feeing the Advances 
of the Spaniarus, looked upon the Employment of filling 
up a Ditch to be unworthy of him when his Companions 
were fighting, and inconfiderately advanced to join the 
reft, leaving^that Charge to another of his Company, 
who either aid not know how to perform it, or elfe 
would not take upon him a Piece of Work which was 
thought diffionourable to him who committed the Care 
of it to him ; fo that all the Men under his Command 
followed him to the Engagement ; and that Ditch which 
at the Time of the Attack had been thought impraiti* 
cable remained intirely abandoned. 
The Mexicans refolutely flood the firft Charge. R 
co^tht Spaniards t\o imdllTi-oiihlt and fome Bio^d, to 
make themfelves Mafters of their Trenches ; and the 
Hazard was ftill greater when they had pafled the ruined 
Buildings, and were obliged to defend themfelves from 
the Arrows and Darts of the Enemy, which came pour- 
ing on them from the Tops of the Houfes and the Win- 
dows; but in the Heat of the Engagement there appear- 
ed a fudden Slacknefs in the Enemy, which feemed to be 
theEffedl of fome new Order, for they haftily quitted the 
Ground they had defended. This Change was then fup- 
pofed, and afterwards appeared,to fpring iromGuatimczm’% 
being informed that the great Ditch was abandoned; 
whereupon he ordered his Commanders to preferve their 
Troops, and to fall upon the Spayiiards in their Retreat. 
fufpedled this Motion of the Enemy, and, in re- 
gard that he had but barely time enough to return to his 
Quarters before Night, he began his Retreat, ordering 
firft fome Eloufes to be fet on fire, in order to prevent 
their receiving any Damage from them on the next At« 
tack ; but they had fcarce began to march, when their 
Ears were ftunned with the melancholy Sound of the 
Sacred Trumpet, fo called by the Mexicans, becaufe it 
was not permitted to any but the Priefts to found it, and 
that only when they animated the People on the Part of 
their Gods : The Sound was vehemently loud and ftrong, 
and the Tune compofed of difmal Notes, which infpired 
thofe Barbarians with a new kind of Rage, fuch as 
made them defpife Life, through a Motive of Religion. 
Next followed the intolerable Noife of their hideous 
Outcries ; and, when the Army marched out of the City,' 
they fell upon the Rear, which was brought up by the 
Spaniards, an incredible Multitude of their moft refolute 
Warriors being picked out of the whole Army, for 
this Adlion. 
The Fire-arms and Crofs-bdws faced about, and made 
Head ; and Cortes, with the Cavalry, endeavoured to put 
a ftop to the Enemy ; but, being informed of the Dif- 
ficulty of the Ditch, which hindered the Retreat, he 
would have formed his Battalions, and could not ; be- 
caufe the Confederates, who had received Orders to re- 
tire, being the firft that cam.e to the Ditch, haftily threw 
themfelves into it, in the greateft Confufion ; fo that 
his Orders were not heard, or not obeyed. Many got to 
the Caufway in the Brigantines and Canoes, but more 
threw themfelves into the Water, where they found 
whole Troops of Mexicans, who either wounded or 
drowned them. Cortes was left with fome of his own 
People to maintain the Fight, ■ his Horfe was killed un- 
der him, and Captain Guzman, alighting to give him 
his, was taken Prifoner, without Poflibihty of being ref- 
cued. Cortes, at laft, got to the Brigantines, and re- 
turned to his Quarters, wounded and defeated : Above 
forty Spaniards were taken alive, to ferve as Sacrifices to 
their Idols; one Piece of Cannon was loft; above a 
thoLifand I’lafcalans w'ere killed ; and there was fcarce 
any one Spaniard that was not hurt. This was, in reali- 
ty, a very terrible Blow, of the Confequence of which 
Cortes was very fenfible; but he would not fuffer his 
Countenance to Ipeak the Grief of his Heart : On the 
contrary, he appeared, if not chearful, ferene ; and tho* 
not gay, yet tolerably compofed. 
While ’Cortes was employed in this Attack, San- 
doval 
I 
i 
