Francisco López de Gómara

“ And I assure you, that the desire of glory dothe further extend, than treasure, the whiche in sorte, mortall life doth obtayne. I haue now prepared Shippes, Armor, Horses, and other furniture for the warres, with victuall sufficient, and all things that are vsed as necessary in Conquestes. I haue bin at greate costes and charges, wherein I haue not onely employed myne owne goodes, but also the goodes of my friendes, yet me thinketh that the employmente thereof dothe encrease my treasure and honor. We ought (louing fellowes) to leaue off small things, when great matters doe offer themselues. ”

“ There are of these foule so many sortes and seuerall colours, that I can not number them: some wilde, some tame, some water foule, and other some of rapine. All the brauery of the market, is the place where golde and feathers ioyntly wrought is solde, for any thyng that is in request is there liuely wrought in golde and feathers and gallant colours. The Indians are so expert and perfite in this science, that they will worke or make a Butterflie, any wilde beaste, trées, roses, floures, hearbes, rootes or any other thyng so liuely, that it is a thyng maruelous to behold. ”

“ The towne is called in the Indian tongue Potonchan, that is to saye, a place that stincketh, and our menne named it, the victorie.
The armor of the Indians.
The Lord (as ye haue heard) was called Tauasco, and therefore the firste Spaniardes that came thyther, named the riuer Tauasco, but Grijalua called it after hys owne name, whose name and remembraunce will not so soone be forgotten. And truely all those that do discouer newe countreys, ought to make perpetuall their owne names. ”

“ My Lords and friendes, you know the iourney which I haue nowe in hande, to morrowe God willing I will departe to the warre and siege of Mexico, and enter into the land of youre enimies and mine: And the thing that now I do require, and also pray, is, that you remayne faithfull and constant in your promise made, as hithervnto you haue done, and so I trust you will continue. ”

“ There is a greate difference betwixte an inhabitant of Mexico, and a Conqueror, for a Conqueror is a name of honor, and hathe landes and rentes, and the inhabitante or onely dweller payeth rente for hys house. When this Citie was a building, & not throughlye furnished, Cortes came from Culhuacan to dwell there. The fame of Cortes, and maiestie of Mexico, was blowen abroade into farre prouinces, by meanes whereof, it is now so replenished, as I haue before declared, yea & hath so many Spanyards, who haue conquered aboue 400. leagues of land, being all gouerned by the princely seate of Mexico. ”

“ Remember also whome ye are, and who are these Infidels, abhorred of God, and friends vnto the Diuel, without weapon, and experience in warre: if we chance to fight, the handes of each of vs shal shew by déede with sword, the vallor and courage of our heartes: yea, and although we all die, yet shall we remaine with victory, for that we haue fulfilled the thing we tooke in hand, and the seruice which we owe vnto God as faithfull Christiās, with our duetie as true subiects to our prince. ”

“ Al the whiche creatures ye as blinde and ignorant do hold for Goddes.
It vvas maruel that Cortes vvas not taken for an heretike.
Our almighty God after he had finished and made all the former workes with his own blessed hands, made one man & one woman, and being so formed and wrought, he put a soule and breath into each body, and then deliuered the worlde vnto them, shewyng them Paradise and glory. So that of that manne and woman, we all mortall menne procéeded in generation, and in this sorte are the handy worke of God, kinsmen and brethren. ”

“ In the middest of the market standeth a house whiche may be séene throughout the fayre, & there sitteth twelue auncient men for iudges to dispatch lawe matters: their buying and selling is to chaunge one ware for another, as thus, one giueth a hen for a bundell of Maiz, other giue mantels for salte, or money whiche is Cacao, and this is theyr order to choppe and chaunge: they haue measure and strike for all kynde of corne, and other earthen measures for Hony and Wine, and if any measure be falsified, they punish the offenders and breake their measures. ”

“ It was no sooner day, but the Indians beganne theyr assault a fresh, with more courage and furie than the day before, so that our men were fayne to trust to their artillery, the whiche the Indians feared not a whitte: for if a shotte carried ten, fiftene or twentie Indians at a clappe, they would close againe as though one man had not bene missyng. ”

“ When Cortes sawe this sorrowfull sight, he sate hym downe, not to take any rest for his wearinesse, but only to bewayle the dead men, yea and also them that were aliue and in greate daunger, and also to ponder the vnstedfastnesse of cruell fortune in the perdition of so many his friends, such great treasure and lordshippe, so greate a Citie and Kingdome, but also to bewayle the sorrowfull estate that he himself stoode in, seyng the moste of his men wounded & hurte, and knowyng not whyther to goe, for that he was not certayne of the helpe and friendship of Tlaxcaltecas. ”

“ Cortes came out with other twoo hundreth men, and gate some bridges, burned some houses, and slew many that defended them. But the Indians were so many in number, that no hurte appeared, yea and our men were so fewe in comparison of them, that although they fought al the day, yet had they much a doe to defend themselues, how much more to offende. That day neuer a Spaniarde was slayne outright, but thrée score of them were wounded and hurte, wherby they had inough to do to cure them for that night, and to procure remedy and defence against the hurtes whiche they receyued from the house toppes. ”

“ They are men well made, and good warriors, the lyke are not among the Indians. They are very poore, and haue no other riches, but only the grayne or corne called Centli, and with the gayne and profite thereof, they doe both cloth themselues, and paye their tributes, and prouide all other necessaries. They haue many market places, but the greatest and most vsed dayly, standeth in the stréete of Ocotelulco, whiche is so famous, that 30000. persons come thither in one day to buy and sell, whyche is to say, changing one thing for another, for they know not what money meaneth. ”

“ It is a harde thing to take a fierce Lion in hunting as they do, being in manner a naked people, and the beast couragious and strong, but yet the Prouerbe saith, slight and cunning is better than strength.
It is a more straunge thyng to take any foule that flieth in the ayre as their Fauconers doe, for after they haue once marked and set eye vpon any foule, the Faulconers of Mutezuma will vnder take to catch him, although the foule be neuer so swifte of wing, beyng at the least so commaunded by the King. ”

“ Cortes aunswered, that hée would rather suffer deathe, than to leaue the Countrey whiche he had conquered and pacifyed with his handes and industrie, without anye commaundemente from the Emperoure: and (quoth he) if againste all equitie and iustice, he will contend with me in warre, I will defend me as well as I may, and if I haue the victory (as I trust in God and the righte that I haue on my side,) I shall not stand in néede of shipping, and if I be slaine, muche lesse. ”

“ Our men seing before their eies the doleful sight, would fain haue gone to reuēge the cruel custome. But as time then required they had ynough to doe, to put themselues in sauetie through the great troupe of Indians which came vpon them, who now feared neither horse nor sword. This day as ye haue heard, were fortie Spaniards sacrificed, and Cortes wounded in one of hys legges, and thirtie moe of his men: they loste a piece of Ordinance, and foure horses. ”

“ The Indians affirme that he was of the greatest bloud of all his linage, and the greatest kyng in estate, that euer was in Mexico. It is also to be noted, that when the kingdomes do most florish, then are they niest to a chāge, or else to change their Lorde, as doth appeare in this history of Mutezuma. Our men lost more by ye death of Mutezuma than the natural Indians, if we cōsider the murder and destruction that incontinent did follow. Mutezuma was a man very moderate in his diet, and not so vicious as other Indiās, although he had many wiues. ”

“ It is nowe but thrée score myles thyther, and the worste is paste, as you doe sée, if we come thither, as I truste in Iesus wée shall, then shall we not onely gette and winne for the Emperoure oure naturall Lorde a riche Lande, greate Kingdomes, infinite Vassalles, but lykewyse for oure selues muche riches, as Golde, Siluer, Pretious stones, Pearles, and other commoditie, and besides thys, the greatest honour that euer any nation did obtayne. For loke howe great a King this is, howe large his countrey is, and what greate multitude of people hée hath, so muche the more is our glory. ”

“ Is there any of you that woulde willingly be slayne? no truely: why then doe you slea other so cruelly, and where you can put no soules, why doe you take them from thence? there is none of you, nor your false Gods, that can make soules, nor can forge mens bodies of fleshe and bone, for if yée coulde, there is none of you woulde be without children, accordyng to your owne appetite and desire, in fashion, beautie and workemanship. ”

“ Mutezuma being a simple man, gaue credite to all Cortez his talke: Cortes likewise aduertised his men of his procéedings, and sayd vnto them, Mutezuma would haue vs departe out of his Countrey, bycause his vassals and the Diuell hathe entised him therevnto: wherefore it is néedefull that we build shipping, and therefore I praye you goe with these Indians, and procure to cut downe the best timber fit for oure purpose, and in the meane season God will prouide for vs, whose affayres we haue nowe in hand, of remedie and succour in suche sort that we lose not this frutefull countrey. ”

“ The night followyng our men slepte not quietly with feare of inuasion of their enimies, but they came not, for they neuer vse to fighte in the nighte season. And as soone as it was day Cortes sente to the Captaynes of Tlaxcallan, to requyre them of peace and friendshippe, willyng them quietly to suffer the passage through their countrey to Mexico, for that they meant them no hurte but rather good will. ”

“ It may please you to leaue of your determination, least that in so doing all the Citie fall into an vprore and rebellion to defende their good Gods, and auncient Religion, the which Gods had alwayes prouided them of water, bread, health, light, and all other things néedefull. This notwithstanding, the first time that Mutezuma wente to the temple after his imprisonment, Cortes and his company wente with him, and euery of them layde handes vpon the idols, & threwe them downe headlong from their seates, and Altars, and other Chapels. ”

“ The Indians séeyng their enimies so nigh vnto them, beganne to fighte with courage, shooting arrowes, throwing of dartes and stones, wherewith they hurte about twenty Spanyardes: yea, and though the fearefull noyse of the Ordinance did many times so annoy them, being things so straunge, and neuer before séene of them, yet they fledde not from the walles, but resisted the Christians valiantlye, and suffered them not to enter the Towne that way, if they had not bin assaulted in another place. ”

“ The newe kyng did appoint those who shoulde die for to serue the king his father, but yet many of them had rather bene without his seruice, notwithstanding some simple soules estéemed that odious death for a thyng of immortall glory. First seuen Gentlewomen of noble parentage were appoynted to die, the one to haue the office of keper of his iewels which he was wont to were, another for the office of cup bearer, another to giue him water with a basen and ewer, another to giue him alwayes the vrinall, another to be his Cooke, and another to serue for landres. ”

“ Their dogges haue Foxe faces and barke not, these they gelde and fatten to eate. This Iland is ful of high moūtaines, & at the feete of them, good pastures, many Deare, and wilde Boares, Connyes and Hares, but they are not great. The Spaniardes with their handguns and crossebowes prouide them of that victual, fresh salt and dried. The people of this Iland are Idolaters, they doe sacrifice children, but not manye. And many times in stead of children they sacrifice dogges. They are poore people, but very charitable and louing in their false religion and beliefe. ”

“ Therefore if you will accept hope for Vertue, or Vertue for hope, and also if ye forsake me not, as I will not forsake you, I will with Gods help make you in shorte time the richest men that euer passed this way. ”

“ The house is always white and smooth in the side walles: they haue certain stones like vnto mylstones, wt a little hole in the middest that passeth through the stone, the hole is so small, that scarcely the ball maye passe through, but hée that chanceth to strike the ball into the hole, whiche seldome happeneth, winneth the game, and by an auntiente lawe and custome among Tennis players, he ought to haue the clokes of all those that stande and beholde the play, on that side that the ball went in, and in some Tennis Courtes, the halfe of the garmentes of them that stande lookyng on. ”