Chap. III. for the Redu&ion N E w S p a i N. 
131 
doval and Aherado entered at the fame time, and met 
with the fame Oppofition, with very little Difference in 
the Succefs of their Attacks : But they did not meet with 
the Misfortune of the Ditch, and therefore their Lofs was 
lefs ; though in both Attacks they loft about twenty Spa- 
niards^ v/hich makes up the Account of above fixty of 
his own People, in the A6lion of Cuyoacan. ^The Trea- 
iurtv Alderete^ confidering the Damage which his Breach 
of Orders had occafioned, was fenfible of his Offence, 
and haftened to the General’s Prefence with much Sor- 
row, offering his Head to atone for his Crime. Cortes gave 
him a fevere Reprimand, without any farther Punifh- 
ment ; not thinking it proper, at that Jundure, to dif- 
courage the Soldiers, by infliding upon that Officer, the 
Chaftifement which he merited. Upon this Occafion they 
were very fenfible, fays a Spanijh Author, of the fingular 
Gift of a private Soldier, Juan Catalan, who, without 
any other Medicine than a little Oil, and certain Bene- 
didions, cured their Wounds in fo ffiort a time, that it 
did not look like the Work of Nature. 
2 1 . The Mexicans celebrated their Vidory with great Re- 
joicings, and that Night the Spaniards faw, from their 
Quarters, all the Temples of the City crowded with in- 
numerable Lights, and Veffels of Perfumes 5 and in the 
principal Temple, dedicated to the God of War, they 
heard the Sound of military Inftruments in feveral Con- 
certs, which were not altogether difagreeable. With thefe 
pompous Preparations they celebrated the Sacrifice of 
thofe miferable Spaniat'ds, who were takers alive-, the 
Blood of whofe leaping Hearts, ftill warm, was fprin- 
kled upon their Idol ; while thefe wretched Vidims, with 
their laft Breath, were calling upon the God of Truth. 
This was fuppofed to be the Occafion of that extraordi- 
nary Solemnity ; and the Fires gave fo great a Light, 
that the Motion of the People was perceived. The Ad- 
vantage they had gained, joined to the Satisfadion of 
having appeafed their God of War, by the Sacrifice of 
fo many Spaniards, fo far raifed the Pride of the Mexicans, 
that the very fame Night, a little before Break of Day* 
they advanced by the three Caufways, to beat up the 
Quarters, with a Defign to fet fire to the Brigantines, 
and to compleat the Deftrudion of thofe People ; whom 
they, with good Reafon, concluded to be either wounded 
or fpent with Fatigue but they knew not how to con- 
ceal their Motion ; for the infernal Trumpet, which in- 
fpired them with fo much Fury, turning their Defpair 
into religious Worfhip, gave Notice of their Approach, 
and the Spaniards were fo well prepared to receive them, 
that they were repulfed by the Artillery of the Brigan- 
tines, and fome Pieces which were mounted at their 
Lodgment ; which, playing upon the Caufway, upon 
thofe throngs of People, fufficiently chaftifed their Pre- 
fumption. 
The next Day Guatimozin employed feveral Artifices 
to intimidate the Indian Allies ; he gave out that Cortes 
had been killed in his Retreat on the Caufway, thereby 
giving the People Hopes that they ffiould ftiortly be 
delivered from their Oppreffions : He fent the Heads of 
the facrificed Spaniards to all the neighbouring Towns, 
that thofe Tokens of his Vidory might bring fuch as 
had fallen off from him, back to their Obedience : And 
laftly, he reported that their fupreme Deity, the God of 
War, being appealed by the Blood of thefe their Ene- 
mies, had informed him by an intelligible Voice, that the 
War Ihould be at an End in eight Days, and, that all 
ffiould infallibly periffi who negleded this Advice. This 
he invented, concluding that he ffiould quickly make 
an End of all the Spaniards-, and he found Means to 
fend feveral Perfons unknown, into the Enemies Qiiarters, 
who fpread thefe Threatenings among the Indian Nations 
which ferved againft him. 
The Oracles of that Idol had fuch Reputation among 
the moft diftant Nations, that the Indians were perfuad- 
ed of the Infallibility of thefe Threats : The Notion of 
eight Days fo precifely limited for the fatal Period of 
their Lives, had fuch an Effed:, that they refolved 
immediately to quit the Army ; and, during the two or 
three Jirft Nights, the greateft Part of the confederate 
Troops deferred, even the flafcalans and fezcucans diffi 
banded with the fame Diforder, either becatife they real- 
ly feared the Oracle, or that they were led away by the 
Example of thofe who did. This was a freffi Afflidtion 
unto Cortes, almoft caufing him to defpair of the Suc- 
cefs of his Enterprize. But the Moment that he was^ 
informed of the Occafion of that fudden Change, he fent 
their own Commanders after the Fugitives to ftop them ; 
delaying till the eight Days affigned by the Oracle 
being paft, they might be fenfible of the Impofture of 
the Predi(ftion.j and better difpofed to return to the Army, 
22. This notable Contrivance of Cortes had the defired 
Effedt ; for when the eight Days were expired, the Indians^ 
having fully recovered from their Fright, returned to their 
Quarters with freffi Vigour and Refblution. Don Her- 
nando, Prince of fezcuco, fent his Brother to bring back 
thofe of his Nation, who returned with him, and fome 
new Levies that were coming to join the Army. The 
flafcalan Deferters did not dare to proceed on their Jour- 
ney, for fear of expofing themfelves to Puniffiment, but 
waited to fee the Event of the Predidlion, with a Defign, 
to join fuch of their Nation as fiiould have the good For- 
tune to efcape after the imaginary Defeat but at the 
time they were undeceived of their Credulity, they had 
an Opportunity of incorporating themfelves with a P.e- 
inforcement that was coming from flafcala, and were 
better received in the Army upon their Return. The/ 
Noife this Increafe of Forces, and the Diftrefs of the capi- 
tal City, made in the neighbouring Countries, prevailed 
with feveral Nations who had been Enemies or Neu- 
ters, to declare in Favour of the Spaniards. One of the 
moft confiderable,- was the Nation of Otomies, affierce 
unnatural People who,' after the Example of Beafts, 
preferved their Liberty amongft Mountains, and had 
hitherto kept themfelves free from the Mexican Empire,^ 
without any other Fortification than the Sterility of their 
Country, which afforded no Temptation to a Conqueror. 
Thus Cortes once more found himfelf at the Head of 
an Army, of upwards of two hundred thoufand Men, 
paffing in a few Days from a terrible Storm to an agree- 
able Calm. The Mexicans were hot idle during this Suf* 
penfion of Arms, to which the Spaniards were reduced. 
They made frequent Sallies, beating up the Spanijh Quar- 
ters both by Night and Day,' and were always repulfed 
with Lofs. By fome of the laft Prifoners, Cortes was- 
informed of the great Diftrefs the City was in ^ that the 
Soldiers were diffatisfied, and the People reduced to Ex- 
tremity for want of Bread and Water ; that abundance 
of People died by drinking the brackiffi Water of their 
Pits, and that the Provifions they got by Canoes were 
equally divided among the Nobles, and- became the 
Subjeeft of Impatience and Difeontent to the Populace, 
whofe Clamours began to give fome Sufpicion of their 
Fidelity. Upon which Intelligence Cortes affembled his 
Captains to confult what was proper to be done. He 
reprefented the fmall Hopes he had that Want v/ould 
oblige the Befieged to furrender, becaufe of the implaca- 
ble Hatred they bore the Spaniards, and of thofe pretend- 
ed Anfwers of their Idols. He gave his own Opinion to 
proceed immediately to Aftion, for the Reafons he had 
alledged, and for fear the Allies fiiould again defert him. 
And it was alfo refolved not to retire as before, but that 
each of the Spanijh Corps ffiould endeavour to make their 
Qiiarters good in that Part of the City, into which they 
ffiould be able to penetrate. 
The General, after this Refolution was tak^n, and 
having made Provifion neceflary for the Subfiftance 
of his Troops, in a City where all things were wanting, 
caufed the Forces, at the dawning of the appointed Day, 
to march out of their refpebtive Quarters - Alverado from 
facuha, Sandoval {xQm. fapeaqiiilla, and the General,^ with, 
the Body of Troops, commanded by Olid, from Cuyoa- 
can each having his Brigantines and Canoes to fupport 
him. They found all three Caufways in a pofture of De- 
fence, the Bridges drawn up, and the Ditches all cleared 
and guarded. All thefe Difficulties they furmoimted 
with the fame Induftry they had done others, and, after 
fome fmall Delay, the three Bodies arrived in the City 5. 
and foon gained the ruined Streets. All the Spaniards at- 
tempted the firft Day was, only to lodge themfelves,- each 
