1521. attribute to the romantic valour of their country- BOOK men, it adds, on the other, to the merit and abilities of Cortes, who, under every difadvantage, acquired fuch an afcendant over unknown nations, as to render them inftruments towards carrying his fchemes into execution'. the booty, and difap point t of the Spa 1 THE exultation of the Spaniards, on accom Smallness of plifhing this arduous enterprise, was at first exceffive. But this was quickly damped by the cruel difappointment of thofe fanguine hopes, niards. which had animated them amidst fo many hardfhips and dangers. Inftead of the inexhauftible wealth which they expected from becoming mafters of Montezuma's treasures, and the ornaments of fo many temples, their rapacioufnefs could collect only an inconfiderable booty amidst ruins and defolation. Guatimozin, aware of his impending fate, had ordered what remained of the riches amaffed by his ancestors to be thrown into the lake. The Indian auxiliaries, while the Spaniards were engaged in conflict with the enemy, had carried off the most valuable part of the spoil. The fum to be divided among See NOTE VI. The gold and filver, according to Cortes, amounted only to 120,000 pefos, Relat. 280. A. a fum much inferior to that which the Spaniards had formerly divided in Mexico. the V. 1521. BOOK the conquerors was fo fmall, that many of them difdained to accept of the pittance which fell to their fhare, and all murmured and exclaimed i fome, against Cortes and his confidents, whom they fufpected of having fecretly appropriated to their own use a large portion of the riches which fhould have been brought into the common ftock; others, against Guatimozin, whom they accufed of obftinacy, in refufing to difcover the place where he had hidden his treasure. Guatimozin tortured. ARGUMENTS, intreaties, and promises were employed in order to footh them, but with fo little effect, that Cortes, from folicitude to check this growing spirit of difcontent, gave way to a deed which stains the glory of all his great actions. Without regarding the former dignity of Guatimozin, or feeling any reverence for thofe virtues which he had difplayed, he fubjected the unhappy monarch, together with his chief favourite, to torture, in order to force from them a discovery of the royal treasures, which it was fuppofed they had concealed, Guatimozin bore whatever the refined cruelty of his tormentors could inflict, with the invincible fortitude of an American warrior. His fellow-fufferer, overcome by the violence of the anguish, turned a dejected eye towards his mafter, which feemed to implore his permiffion to to reveal all that he knew. But the high-spirited в O O K V. 1521. All the pro vinces of the mpire lub mit. THE fate of the capital, as both parties had foreseen, decided that of the empire. The provinces fubmitted one after another to the conquerors. Small detachments of Spaniards marching through them without interruption, penetrated in different quarters to the great Southern Ocean, which, according to the ideas of Columbus, they imagined would open a fhort as well as easy paffage to the East Indies, and fecure to the crown of Caftile all the envied wealth of those fertile regions"; and the active Cortes mind of Cortes began already to form fchemes fchemes of for attempting this important discovery ". t B. Diaz. c. 157. Gomara Cron. c. 146. Herrera, dec. 3. lib. ii. c. 8. Torquem. Mon. Ind. i. 574. " Cortes Relat. 280. D. &c. B. Diaz. c. 157. ▾ Herrera, dec. 3. lib. ii. c. 17. Gomara Cron. c. 149. forms new difcoveries, HE BOOK V. 1521. which are Ly Magellan. He did not know, that during the progress of his victorious arms in Mexico, the very scheme, of which he began to form fome idea, had been completed undertaken and accomplished. As this is one of the moft fplendid events in the history of the Spanish discoveries, and has been productive of effects peculiarly interesting to those extensive provinces which Cortes had now fubjected to the crown of Caftile, the account of its rise and progress merits a particular detail. FERDINAND MAGALHAENS, or Magellan, a Portuguese gentleman of honourable birth, having ferved feveral years in the Eaft Indies, with diftinguished valour, under the famous Albuquerque, demanded the recompence which he thought due to his fervices, with the boldnefs natural to a high-fpirited foldier. But as his general would not grant his fuit, and he expected greater juftice from his fovereign whom he knew to be a good judge and a generous rewarder of merit, he quitted India abruptly, and returned to Lisbon. In order to induce Emanuel to liften more favourably to his claim, he not only stated his past services, but offered to add to them by conducting his countrymen to the Molucca or Spice Islands, by holding a westerly courfe; which he contended would be both fhorter and lefs hazardous than V. 1524. that which the Portuguese now followed by the BOOK Cape of Good Hope, through the immenfe extent of the Eaftern Ocean. This was the original and favourite project of Columbus, and Magellan founded his hopes of fuccefs on the ideas of that great navigator, confirmed by many obfervations, the refult of his own naval experience, as well as that of his countrymen in their intercourfe with the Eaft. But though the Portuguese monarchs had the merit of having first awakened and encouraged the spirit of discovery in that age, it was their destiny, in the course of a few years, to reject two grand schemes for this purpose, the execution of which would have been attended with a great acceffion of glory to themselves, and of power to their kingdom. In confequence of fome ill-founded prejudice against Magellan, or of fome dark intrigue which contemporary hiftorians have not explained, Emanuel would neither beftow the recompence which he claimed, nor approve of the scheme which he proposed; and dismissed him with a difdainful coldnefs intolerable to a man conscious of what he deferved, and animated with the fanguine hopes of fuccefs peculiar to those who are capable of forming or of conducting new and great undertakings. In a transport of refentment, Magellan formally renounced his 1 allegiance 1517. |