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of his people, advanced to the battlements in his BOOK royal robes, and with all the pomp in which he used to appear on folemn occafions. At fight of their fovereign, whom they had long been accustomed to honour, and almoft to revere as a god, the weapons dropt from their hands, every tongue was filent, all bowed their heads, and many proftrated themselves on the ground, Montezuma addreffed them with every argument that could mitigate their rage, or perfuade them to ceafe from hoftilities. When he ended his discourse, a fullen murmur of disapprobation run through the ranks; to this fucceeded reproaches and threats; and the fury of the multitude rifing in a moment above every restraint of decency or respect, flights of arrows and volleys of stones poured in fo violently upon the ramparts, that before the Spanish foldiers, appointed to cover Montezuma with their bucklers, had time to lift them in his defence, two arrows wounded the unhappy monarch, and the blow of a stone on his temple struck him to the ground. On feeing him fall, the Mexicans were fo much astonished, that, with a tranfition not uncommon in popular tumults, they paffed in a moment from one extreme to the other, remorfe fucceeded to infult, and they fled with horror, as if the

vengeance

of

BOOK Heaven were pursuing the crime which they had

V.

1530.

New con

ficts.

committed. The Spaniards, without moleftation, carried Montezuma to his apartments, and Cortes haftened thither to confole him under his misfortune. But the unhappy monarch now perceived how low he was funk, and the haughty spirit which feemed to have been fo long extinct, returning, he fcorned to furvive this laft humiliation, and to protract an ignominious life, not only as the prifoner and tool of his enemies, but as the object of contempt or deteftation among his fubjects. In a tranfport of rage he tore the bandages from his wounds, and refused, with fuch obftinacy, to take any nourishment, that he foon ended his wretched days, rejecting with difdain all the folicitations of the Spaniards to embrace the Christian faith.

UPON the death of Montezuma, Cortes having loft all hope of bringing the Mexicans to an accommodation, faw no profpect of safety but in attempting a retreat, and began to prepare for it. But a fudden motion of the Mexicans engaged him in new conflicts. They took poffeffion of a high tower in the great temple which overlooked the Spanish quarters, and placing there a garrifon of their principal warriors, not a Spaniard could ftir without being expofed to their miffile wea, pons. From this poft it was necessary to dislodge

them

them at any rifk; and Juan de Efcobar, with a numerous detachment of chofen foldiers, was ordered to make the attack. But Efcobar, though a gallant officer, and at the head of troops accustomed to conquer, and who now fought under the eyes of their countrymen, was thrice repulsed. Cortes, fenfible that not only the reputation, but the fafety of his army depended on the fuccefs of this affault, ordered a buckler to be tied to his arm, as he could not manage it with his wounded hand, and rushed with his drawn fword into the thickest of the combatants. Encouraged by the presence of their general, the Spaniards returned to the charge with fuch vigour, that they gradually forced their way up the steps, and drove the Mexicans to the platform at the top of the tower. There a dreadful carnage began, when two young Mexicans of high rank, obferving Cortes as he animated his foldiers by his voice and example, refolved to facrifice their own lives in order to cut off the author of all the calamities which defolated their country. They approached him in a fupplicant posture, as if they had intended to lay down their arms, and feizing him in a moment, hurried him towards the battlements, over which they threw themselves headlong, in hopes of dragging him along to be dashed in pieces by the fame fall. But Cortes, by his

strength

BOOK

V.

1520.

V.

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BOOK ftrength and agility, broke loofe from their grafp, and the gallant youths perished in this generous though unfuccessful attempt to fave their country. As foon as the Spaniards became mafters of the tower, they fet fire to it, and, without farther moleftation, continued the preparations for their retreat.

The Spa

THIS became the more neceffary, as the don the city. Mexicans were fo much aftonished at the last

niards aban

effort of the Spanish valour, that they began to change their whole fyftem of hoftility, and, instead of inceffant attacks, endeavoured, by barricading the streets, and breaking down the caufeways, to cut off the communication of the Spaniards with the continent, and thus to ftarve an enemy whom they could not fubdue. The first point to be determined by Cortes and his followers, was, whether they should march out openly in the face of day, when they could dif cern every danger, and fee how to regulate their

f M. Clavigero has cenfured me with afperity for relating this gallant action of the two Mexicans, and for fuppofing that there were battlements round the temple of Mexico. I related the attempt to destroy Cortes on the authority of Her. dec. 2. lib. x. c. 9. and of Torquemada, lib. 4. c. 69. I followed them likewife in fuppofing the uppermoft platform of the temple to be encompassed by a battlement or rail.

Own

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own motions, as well as how to refift the affaults BOOK of the enemy; or, whether they fhould endeavour to retire fecretly in the night? The latter was preferred, partly from hopes that their national fuperftition would restrain the Mexicans from venturing to attack them in the night, and partly from their own fond belief in the predictions of a private foldier, who having acquired univerfal credit by a fmattering of learning, and his pretenfions to aftrology, boldly affured his countrymen of fuccefs, if they made their retreat in this manner. They began to move, towards midnight, in three divifions. Sandoval led the van; Pedro Alvarado, and Velafquez de Leon, had the conduct of the rear; and Cortes commanded in the centre, where he placed the prifoners, among whom were a fon and two daughters of Montezuma, together with several Mexicans of diftinction, the artillery, the baggage, and a portable bridge of timber, intended to be laid over the breaches in the causeway. They marched in profound filence along the causeway which led to Tacuba, because it was fhorter than any of the reft, and lying most remote from the road towards Tlafcala and the fea-coaft, had been left more entire by the Mexicans. They reached the firft breach in it without moleftation, hoping that their retreat was undiscovered.

BUT