Hovve Cortez fledde from Mexico.

TOC

But Cortes waying the substance of the matter, sawe in effecte that his syde wente to wracke, wherefore he requested hys menne to departe from thence, who were not a little ioyfull to heare their Captayne pronounce that saying, for few or none of them escaped vnhurt and wounded. They feared death, but yet wanted not stomacke and hearte to dye. The Indians were so many, that if the Chrystians shoulde but onlye haue cutte their throtes without resistance, yet they had bin too few for that purpose.

They were also in suche necessitie of bread, that pinched them sore. Their pouder and shotte was spente, and almost all other prouision. Their house was welnigh beaten downe about their eares. All these causes were sufficient to leaue Mexico, and to séeke to saue their liues: yet on the other side, they iudged it an euill case, to turne their backes to their enimies, for (quoth they) the very stones riseth vp against hym that flyeth. They feared agayne the passage of the arches where the bridges hadde bin, so that now they were full besette with sorrow, care, and misery: but in fyne, they all agréed to departe that nighte, for many dayes before, one of their companye called Botello, who presumed to haue good skyll in the Arte of Nigromācie, did declare vnto them, that if they would depart from Mexico at a certayne houre appoynted, that then they shuld escape, or else not: but whether they gaue credite to his sayings or no, they fully determined to departe that night, and like vnto politike and good Souldyers, they prepared a bridge of tymber to carrie wyth them, to passe ouer the arches where bridges hadde bin. This is most certayne, they were all priuie and agréede to the departure, and not as some report, that Cortes fledde away, leauing aboue two hundred Spanyardes in the house, who knewe nothyng of hys departure, and were afterwardes all slayne, sacrifised, and eaten in Mexico, for out of the Citie he coulde not haue departed so secretely, but it shoulde haue come to their eares: howe muche more out of one house, where they were all togither.

Revvarde of a couetous mind.

Cortes called Iohn de Guzman hys Chamberlayne, commaunding him to open the hall where the treasure was, and called all the officers and others, to sée the distribution of the same. First the kings portion was deducted, and he gaue a Horse of his owne, and men to carrie it: and for the remainder, he willed euery man to take what he listed, for he gaue it frankely vnto them. The souldiers which had come with Naruaez, & now serued Cortes, were somewhat hungry of treasure, so that they tooke as much golde and other riches, as they myghte possible carrie, but it cost them déere, for at their going out of the Citie, with the waight of their heauie burthens, they coulde neyther fighte, nor yet make hast on their way, vppon whiche occasion, the Indians caught many of them, and drewe them by the héeles to the slaughterhouse of Sacrifice, where they were slayne and eaten: yet those that escaped, had eache of them some profyte, for that pray was well worth seauen hundred thousand Ducketes: but beeyng things wrought in greate péeces, they were troublesome to carrie, so that he whiche carried least, escaped best. Yet some doe thinke, that there remayned in that house a great parte of the treasure, but it was not so, for after our men had taken what they would, then came in the Tlaxcaltecas, and made spoyle of all the rest.

Cortes gaue charge to certayne of his menne, to garde with much respecte, a sonne and two daughters of Mutezuma, Cacama, and his brother, and manye other greate Gentlemen his prisoners.

He also appoynted other fortie mē to carrie the bridge of timber, and other Indians to carrie the Ordinance, and a little grayne of Centli that remayned.

The vantgarde he committed to Gonsalo de Sandoual, and Antonio de Quiniones: and the reregarde he committed to Pedro de Aluarado, and he hymselfe remayned with a hundred men, to vse his discretion. In this order, and with good deliberation, at midnight he departed from Mexico in a darke myst, and so quietely, that none of the Indians knewe thereof, commendyng themselues vnto GOD, beséechyng hym in theyr prayers, to delyuer them from that presente daunger, and tooke the way of Tlacopan, béeyng the same way that he came into the Citie.

The firste arche whereof the bridge was throwen downe, they passed with the timber bridge whiche they carried with them at ease.

In this meane time the watche and espies which warded in the hiest temples, had descried their flight, and began to sounde their instruments of warre with a maruelous crie, saying, they flie, they flie: And sodenly with this noyse, they hauing no armour to put on, nor other impedimēt, ioyned an infinite company of them togither, and followed with greate celeritie, yea and with suche a heauy and terrible noyse, that all the lake pronounced the Eccho, saying, let the cursed and wicked be slayne, who hath done vnto vs such great hurte.

But when Cortes came to plante his bridge vpon the second arche of the Cittie, there mette him a greate company of Indians to defende the same, yet with much adoe he planted his bridge and passed thervpon with fiue horsemen and a hundred Spaniardes, and with them procéeded through the Calsey to the mayne lande passing many perilous places, wherein swamme both man and horse, for the bridge of timber was broken: this done, he lefte his foote menne on the firme lande, vnder the gouernement of Iohn Xaramillo, and returned backe with the fiue horsemen for to succour and helpe the residue of his company whiche were behinde. But when he came vnto them, he found some fighting with great courage, but many slaine. He lost also his golde and fardage, his ordinance and prisoners, yea in fine he founde a maruellous change and alteracion of the estate he lefte them in, wherevpon lyke a good Captayne he shewed his wisdome and valour, helpyng and recoueryng as many of his men, as he myght, and brought them into safetie. He lefte also Captayne Aluarado to succour the reste.

But Aluarado with all his power and strength could not resiste the fury of the enimies, wherefore with the Lance in his hande he beganne to flie, seyng the greate slaughter of his company, so that hée was forced to passe ouer the dead carkases, yea and vpon some that were not throughly dead, who made a lamentable, pytifull, and dolefull mone. And commyng to the next arche, whose brydge was broken downe, of necessitie he tooke hys Lance, and therewith leaped such a space, that the Indians were amased to sée, for none of his fellowes could doe the like, although they approued the enterprise, and were drowned for their labour.

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. Yea and what harde hart, woulde not haue relented to behold the dead bodies, who a litle before had entred that same way, with suche magnificall triumphe, pompe and pleasure. But yet hauing care of those whom he had lefte on the firme lande, he made haste to Tlacopan.

This sorowfull night, which was the tenth of July in An .1520. were slaine aboute .450. Spaniardes, 4000. Indian friends, and .46. horse, yea & (as I iudge) all the prisoners which were in his company. If this mishap had fortuned in the day time, possible so many and so great a nūber had not perished. But where it fortuned by night, the noyse of the wounded was sorrowful, & of the victors horrible and feareful. The Indians cried victory, calling vpon their diuelish and filthy Goddes with ioy & pleasure, our men being ouercome, cursed their vnfortunate lot, yea the hower, and he that brought them thither, others cried vnto God for succour, others sayd helpe, help, for I stande in daūger of drowning. I know not certenly whether moe perished in the water or the lande, hopyng to saue themselues by swimming and leapyng ouer the sluces and broken places, for they say, that a Spaniarde was no sooner in the water, but an Indian was vppon his backe. They haue great dexteritie & skill in swimming, so that catching any Spaniarde in the water, they would take him by the one arme, and carrie him whither they pleased, yea & would vnpanch him in the water. If these Indians had not occupied themselues in taking the spoyle of those that were fallen and slaine, certenly one Christian had not escaped that day: but in fine, the greatest number of Spaniardes that were killed, were those that went moste laden with golde plate and other iewels, & those which escaped, were they that carried least burdens, & the first that with noble courage made way to passe through the troupe of Indians.

Nowe wée may safely say, that the couetous desire of gold, wherof they had plenty, was cause of their death, and they may answere that they died riche. After that those, whiche had escaped, were paste the calsey, the Indians stayed and followed them no further, eyther for that they contented themselues with that whiche they had done, or else they durst not fight in open fields: But principally it is thought, that they abode to mourne and lament for the death of Mutezuma his chyldren, not knowing till then their sorrowfull ende. But nowe seyng the thyng present before their eyes, they wrang theyr hands, and made a pitifull dole and crie, and the rather, bycause they themselues had slayne them against their willes.