4000003870

Royal

Commentaries.

pace of feveral day , until Monday the

24th

March,

when the new Statutes

~:ere

publickly proclaimed, at which time the perfons who were

prefent

~·ere,

the V1ce–

kiog, the

Vifitor,

and all the Council.

foon

th~

Proclamauon

was

~nded,

le Sheriffof the City

broke

through the

Cr~ud,

and m a confufed manner.

cam~

!llp

the Vifitor, and delivered him a Petition which he had

pr~pared

~·1t~

fe–

veral Reafons againfi the new Statutes

the

P~o~le

at. the fame

rnne

~urmurm~,

and

feemingly refolved

mainrain

theJr former hberues: .. Upon

wh1c~

the

Vi–

fitor

fearing

the outrage of the People, began ,to excufe h1mfelf, and with much

.eam~finefs

declared, rhat what he had done therein ,.was.not of choice;

but by

compullion :

promiling

ith all

~he_

affur.ance

imaginable~

·that wharfoever

.ju

char Proclamation tended to rhe pre1ud1ce of the Conquerours he vmuld never

~nforce

or execute; and that he would affuredly perform whatfoever he had pro–

..mifed

to the Deputies of che

Common

Council of the People. And whereas.they

Seemed

give no credence to his words,

much

complain~d

~nd

with vehe–

..ment Affeverations vowed and [wore

them , that

was mfim

tely co

ncerned,

itJld

that

they

themfelves did not

much

d~fire

the flourHhing

elta.ce

and con–

rurion

New Spain,

as he

did.

lie

moneover promifed upon

Oath

wnte

unto

his

Ma1effy

m favour of the

Conquerour <tnd Inhabitants, befeeching his

Majelly

not onely to conferve unto

chem

rheir Efiates and Revenue, Privileges.and ancient

Ch~rters,

but

likewife, to

-confirm and

enlarge

the fame,

anq to confer upon them thofe ocher

Lands

be e..

ual!y <iivided,

\\'hich lye

wafte and

without

Poffeffor.

[n like manne-r the

BHhop

MexitJo,obferving

the

.general.fadneij

and difconrent

which

appeared

the

coun–

tenance of the

Citizens,

offered

eng~ge

·his own

Faith and Credit, that the Vi...

ficor

111ould

perform

hatfoeve1 heha<l

prorniied; and for an evidence of

his

kind–

nefs, he invue

~all

the People on

the

ne>0c

day

beimg the twenty fifth of

Manib,

and

the

great

Fe'lival

of 'our Lady, to be prefent at the great Church, where

promifed to give them a Semon.,

and

that rhe Vificor

(lu~ul celelDr~te

Mafs.

With tbefe

Prornifes and

Aifu 'anaes, though-their Minds

were

licole

eafed .;

,er

they

departed fad

~nd fearful~

dm1bting

ithe performance of the many 'Prorni-,

fes wllich

w.ere

tnade

chem; a"ftcl thmigh

they

paffed

that night

with

fear

and

anguH.h

nrind;

yet

in the

morning

t-bey iffocked

t!he

great Cimrch, where

die Vice-king, the Judges and Officers of

the

Corp©ration af the City were pre–

fent.

The V1fitor having finHhed the Ma:fS, cbe BHhop of

Mexico

afcended the

Pulpit, and

began his err:non, in

which

he produced many Texts of Holy Scri–

-prure pertinent to the Affii6tion

the

People, and enforced chem with that

~al

and fervour of Spirit as gave great comfort and conforation

rhe People.

After \vhich their

fullennefs

began to vanHh,

and more cheerfulnefs

appeJred

their converfation and

bufinefs

that the Attorney 1General and Judges went

·t-o

make their vifit

Don

Francifco

TeUo,

contriving with him the form and me-.

thoe:i

~hereby

they were

make

their

applicatic:m toihis MJjeft:y for a redreCs of

the!e

aggrievances

which \.Vere defignecl

againfi: them : in

purfaance

which

with the confent and advice of cbe Vilicor,

mey

named two Friers oflgood elteem'

a.fld two Burgomafters of the City Council, .whom they deputed in

~ebalf

th~

~'hole

Kingdon:i

carry

uhe~r

addrefs

int?

G~rmany,

where t

he E

inperour at that

tune

refided

bemg

employed

111

Wars agamft the

Lutherans:

w.i.oh

them the Vili–

tor fent

his

Lerters of recommendation ,

giving his

Majefry

co un

derfiand

how

mtt~h

the fo[penfion of the _late Statutes concerned the Service

G@d, ;tnd'of his

Ma1efiy: and the

conferv~on

th~

common peace and .quiet of

cha~

Councrey;

and on the contrary, what mconveruences, troubles am:f

confullc:>tis

might refult

from che execution of them.

•

all which

particulars

the Vilitor

~erformed

his word like a

Genr.leman.

For

htS Letters

s Ma jelly, ha

v~ng i~

the:firft place give.o a relation of his voy–

ag~,

an_d

what

happened.at

his

arn\'~l

,in

New

SpAin,

he touched upon divers–

thmgs

~elatmg

the execuuo~

the New Statutes; remarking

what

in every

Law might

pr?perly

re!hamed

enlarged:

within this Letter he inclo{ed a

p~per

contammg

Heads,

relating

to foch Gonditions as were proper and

ten:.

dmg

t-0

the

'"el

fare. of

~he

Indiam

and in what manner they might

befr con–

ferve.d, and the Nanves mcreafed : howfoever the Articles

\\'ere

all for the mofr

part

favour of _rhe

Spaniards

who were Inhabitants of rhofe

Countries.

yY1th

the!e D1fpatches the .perfons deputed to carry the Addrefs en1barked for

Spam,

and

WHh them

feveral. others who were willing to be abfent,

avoid the

force

~55