678 / 1060
. I
,
·
Royal Commentaries.
·BooK
III.
mand , That
fo
foon as the Courrs were fetled
and efiabli!hed
i~
the
City
f
Lo.r fi..eye.r,
~here
his Majefiy
comman~ed
they lhould be held; the
f~veral La\~s
m~nuoned
m
~he ~equel
of the Comrruffions, iliould be obferved
and
maimained
w
tthom: any v10lanon.
Thus
~mch
is
~eporte~
by
Diego
Fernan~e:::..
in the fecond Chapter of his Book
and the like alfo is mentioned
by
Auguftme Garate
,
alrnoll:
~n
the fame termes
~
ancl that thefe
LaY\'S
were
iffued
out
and
dated in the month of
April
1
>
43
'
And now, in the firll: place, we
will
briefly relate the happy
foc~efs
0 (
thefe
matters in
Mexico,
from whence we\
'ill
proceed
to
Peru,
and there declare the
fad and doJefull effe& thereof; which happened in that
Kingdom
as well to
Spaniards
as
Indians.
~~
the month
?f
NO'Vember,
1
S'
4
3.
the
Vice-~ing
, together with his
J
ug_ges,
Mimfters,
and
Chief
Super-Intenden~,
Don
Francifco
Tello
de
Sandoval,
embarked at
San Lucar
upon a noble Fleet, confilhng of about
p.
Sail of good and tall
ips ..
and loafing from thence with a profperous gale arrived in
1
:z.
days at the
Hland~
of the
Canaries
;
fror:1 .'vhence
~aving
taken fome refrefhments, they purfued their
voyage ;
and
then
d1v1ded
their Fleet, thofe for New
Spain
fleering their courfe
ro the right-hand,
and
thofe for
Peru
unto
the
left;
where
~
e
will
leave
our
Vice–
king
in profecution of his voyage, to
relate the
fuccefs of the Vilitor or Super–
Inrendenc in the Kingdom of
Mexico.
Ar:id paffing
by
the many particu1ats of
his voyage, which are mentioned
by
Diego
Fernande~
Paletino;
we iliall
fay
in
iliort, that in the month of
Fehr.
1544·
he fafely arrivec;i in the Port
of
St.
~ohn
de
Viva,
and from thence proceeded
to
Veracru~;
and in a fhort time aftern ards
came
to
Mexico
;
being received
in his
way
thither by
all People
with that re·
f
pect; duty and joy, as was due to his Qgalicy and Comrniffton.
But the People of
Mexico,
being informed of the Rules and Inlhud:ions he
brought
with him, refolved co goe forth
and
meet him at fame
tbort
difiance
from the City ; not with Mufick or Merriment, but as
Diego Fernande.{.
repons,
clothed
in Mourning, and with
Cuch fadnefs and
farrow
in
tfieir countenances, as
might cefi fie their refentments, fears and apprehenfions, they conceived at his en–
.trance imo the Government.
Which Intention being
made
known to the Vice-king
Don Antonio
de
Mend'ofa,
he prefently endeavoured to prevent the fame, and to put the People into a better
humour, commanding them
t0
receive
him with Joy and
Minh;
and
accordin~
ly
the Vice-king and Council, with the Officers of State, che Mayor and
Alder–
men of the City, as alfo the Clergy, with above
6o_o
Gendemen all richly ador·
ned and "'·ell-armed, went forth
to
receive him at half a League dill:ance from
rhe City. The Vice-king and the Super-Imendent met, and entertained each
o–
ther with much conwlement and ceremonies, and the like
pa!fed
with
all
others:
~md
then he proceeded to the Monafiery of
St.
Domingo,
at his
entrance
into which
he was
received
by Father
{ohn Cumarrage,
of the Order of
St.
Francu,
Arch-bHhop
of
Mexico,
and '''as
condueted
thither
by
the
Vice-king,
who
having
feen him
there in his Lodging, he left him, and committed him
to
his repofe. All which
being thus far
related by
Diego
Fernande~,
he proceeds
to
give us a defcription of
the City of
Mexico
in thefe words.
<c
If
it
may be lawfull for me, who am an
Indian,
and for that reafon may feem
'' pJrtial to my own Counrrey:
I i11ould gladly repeat
the
words which
he
ufes
in honour of that great City, which may be compared to the ancient greatnefs of
Rome
in its glory : Hi words are thefe.
" This great City of
Mexico
is fimared
'
''
in
a plain , and founded arnidfi the Waters like
Venice;
and therefore for the
'' better communication of the Inhabitants ,
1t
is furnifhed \.vith a grear number
<c
of Bridges.
The
Lake in which
this
City
is
builr
1
though it feems to be of
" one fingle Water ; yet in real ity
it confills
of two, which are of
different
na–
" cures , the one is of a bitterifh and brackifh fort of
Waters :
and the other of
'' a weet tall:e and
holefome for the body: the Sale-water ebbs and flows; but
" the weer-water doth not
fo ,
but being of a higher ficuation falls imo the
<c
Salt-\
ater,
and the Salt-\vater on the contrary doth not arife
fo
high as
to
da–
,, mage
t
e other.
'' The Salt-water Lake is about five Leagues broad, and eight League
in
'' length
; and the Sweet-water is much of the like dimenfioo; upon thefe Lakes
'' about
l.oothoufand fmall Boats are emploied,
which rhe
Natives
call
Aca!es,
'' and the
Spaniards, Canoes
~
they are all made of one piece of Timber , and are
" bigger