The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne: atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the Valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to readeLópez de Gómara, Francisco
History
The pleasant historie of the conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne: atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes, marques of the Valley of Huaxacac, most delectable to reade
López de Gómara, Francisco
Cortés, Hernán, 1485-1547; Mexico -- History -- Conquest, 1519-1540; Nahuatl language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
My kinsmen, friendes and seruants, yée do well know that eightene
yeares I haue bene your kyng, as my fathers and Grandfathers were, and
alwaies I haue bene vnto you a louing Prince, and yée vnto me good and
obedient subiectes, and so I hope you will remayne all the dayes of my
life. Ye ought to haue in remembrance, that eyther ye haue heard of
your fathers, or else our adeuines haue instructed you, that we are not
naturalles of this countrey, nor yet our kingdome is durable, bycause
our forefathers came from a farre countrey, and theyr king and captayne
who brought them hither, returned againe to his naturall countrey,
saying that he woulde sende suche as shoulde rule and gouerne vs, if by
chaunce hée himselfe returned not. Beleeue ye assuredly, that the king
whiche wée haue looked for so many yeares, is he that hath nowe sente
these Spaniardes, whiche yée here sée. Who dothe certifie, that wée are
their kinsmen, and that they haue had notice of vs a long tyme: lette
vs therefore gyue thankes vnto the Goddes, that nowe they are comen in
our dayes, beyng a thing that we so muche desired.
[Sidenote: Poore Mutezuma.]
Yée shall nowe doe me seruice and pleasure, that yée yéelde your selues
vnto this Captayne for vassals of the Emperoure King of Spayne our
soueraygne, I my self haue already yéelded me for his seruitour and
friend, praying you that from hence forwardes ye obey him as ye haue
obeyed mée. And that yée yéelde and pay vnto him the tributes, customes
and seruice that ye were wont to pay vnto me, and in so doyng, ye can
doe me no greater pleasure. Hys harte then woulde not suffer hym to
speake any more, with the sobbes, sighes, and teares, that fell from
hys eyes. All his subiectes there presente fell into a crie, wéepyng
and mournyng, that for a good space they had no power to speake:
they gaue thankes, and sighings, vtteryng with their mouthes many
dolefull, and sorrowfull speaches, yea that it pitied our owne men
at the hartes. But in conclusion, they answered that they would obey
his commaundement. Then _Mutezuma_ and the Burgesses of Parliament in
order yelded themselues for vassals of the king of _Castile_, promising
loyaltie. This acte was set downe by the Notarie, and with witnesses
auctorized. Then the _Indians_ departed home to their houses with
sorowfull hartes, God knoweth, as you may imagine. It was a straunge
thing to sée _Mutezuma_ wéepe with so many Noble men and Gentlemen, yea
and with what griefe they became subiects to an vnknowë Prince, but
they coulde not otherwise doe, seyng that _Mutezuma_ did commaunde the
same.
[Sidenote: A true prophecie.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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