The number of vviues that Mutezuma had in his house.

TOC

Mvtezuma had many houses as wel in Mexico as without, for his recreation and pleasure, as also for his ordinary dwelling. To write of al it should be tedious, but where his continual abyding was, he named Tepac, that is to say, Pallace. And that Pallace had twenty dores or gates which had their outcomming into the cōmon streates.

It hath thrée courtes, and in the one standeth a fayre fountaine, many halles, and a hundred chambers of twentie-thrée, and thirtie foote long, an hundered bathes & hothouses: and although the building was without nayles, yet very good workmanship.

The walles were made of masons work, and wrought of Marble, Iaspe, and other blacke stone, with vaines of redde, like vnto rubies and other stones, whiche glistered very fayre: the Rooffes wer wrought of Tymber, and curiously carued: the Timber was Cedre, Cipers, & Pynetree: the chambers were painted and hong with cloth of cotten, and clothe made of Conneys haire and feathers. The beddes were poore and of no vallew, for they were nothing but Mantels layde vpon mattes, or vpon Hay, or else mattes alone: fewe men lay within those houses.

There were a thousande women, and some affyrme y^t there were thrée thousand, accounting gentlewomen, seruaunts and slaues: the most were noble mens daughters, Mutezuma toke of them for himselfe, those that liked him best, and the others he gaue in mariage to Gentlemen his seruaunts.

The saying was that he had at one tyme a hundreth & fiftie women hys wiues with childe, who through the perswasion of the Deuill tooke Medicines to caste theyr creatures, bycause they knewe that they shoulde not inherite the state: these hys wiues had many olde women for their Guarde, for no man was permitted to looke vpon them.

The shielde of armes that is sette in his pallayce, and likewyse carried to the warres, is an Eagle soryng vpon a Tiger hys talents bente as takyng pray. Some thynk it is a Gryphon and not an Egle. The Gryphons in time paste, say they, did cause the vale of Auacatlan to be dispeopled, for they were greate deuourers of menne, and that theyr abidyng was in the Mountaynes of Teoacan: they approue that these Mountains were called Cuitlachtepelt, of Cuitlachtli, which is a Gryphon bigger than a Lion: but the Spaniardes dyd neuer sée any of them.

The Indians by theyr olde Pictures doe paynt those Gryphons to haue a kynde of heare and no feathers, and also affirme, that with theyr talandes & téeth they breake mens bones. They haue the courage of a Lion and the countenaunce of an Egle: they paynte him with foure féete, and téeth, with a kinde of downe more lyke woolle than feathers, with his beake, talandes and wings.

And in all those things the picture agreeth with our paynting and wryting, in suche sorte that a Gryphon is no approued naturall Foule, nor yet beast. Plinie iudgeth this tale of Gryphons to be lies. There are also other Lordes that giue the Gryphon in their armes, flying with a harte in his Talandes.