4000003871

49°

R~yal

Commentaries.

..,,;as no poffibilicy to efcape; he fol!O\;,ed

Cortes

wich che L'a~ce in his hand, and ,

paffing over che dead bodies, and íuch as were wounded and groaning, he carne

" ro che Bridge

Cabrera,

and leaped over ir wirh his Lance, at which not onely

" che

lndians,

bue che

Spaniards

were ,~oniíhed,

for

that no other was able

" doe che like; fome indeed

time

wer~ who attempted

ít,

bue falling fhorr chey

,¡

~'ere

irlfo.w

."ed~

Thqs

f~t

~re

che

V'{

ordJ o'f

Gom1r1.

I remembe~., .wJ1eh IJwa5 a Boy, that I have hearcl che

Spamards

d1fcourfe mud1

of che greac aétivicy of chis Gentleman ; and that che fecond time after

Mexicó

was fubdued, how he had fet cwo Marble Pillars at each end of che Arch of che

Bridge, for marks of the leap which he had taken ; to which, for che truth of whac '

I have faid, I refer my felf, in cafe they be

Hill

remaining, rhough ic is a wonder

if envy and emulation of chis Age harh not defuoyed chern.

The firíl: time thac chis

Don Pedro de Alvarado

was at

Seville,

wirh deíign to em–

bark for che

Indies,

he, wirh fo1r¡e other yo11ng Sparks his Companions, afcended

co che top of th12 Sceeple of che Great Churdí

enjoy che Air, and cake a view

of thac moíl: pleafant profpeél:; where feeing a Beam cbruíl: out from che Tower

of abo

fil

ten or c_welve Fooc long, and had been chere placed fome

ew days be–

fore for a Scaffold, to mend fome part of che Sceeple. One of chofe Gentlernen

tbat was wich him, I do not well remember his Name, bue he was a Native of

Cordoua

;

knowing how much

Don Pedro

did boaíl-, and avail himfelf of his aél:i–

vity, he on a füdden laid aíide bis Sword and Cloak, and wicbouc fpeaking a

word, went out of che Tower opon the Beam, meafuring of it foot by foor, un–

till he carne to the end of ir ; and then rnrning abouc, walked back again with

che fame even íl:ead~neís as before.

Don Pedro

obferving chis bold aél:ion, and .believing chat ir was onely to dare

him, Ccorned to be out-done; and therefore keeping on both his Sword and

Cloak, threw one end of his Cloak over his !efe fhoulder, and the other pare

holding cloíe under his right arme, and his Sword with his left ; be in that poíl-ure

rnarched

fortl;)

UROn che Timber, and

c::oming

te,

the

end thereof, gave a fudden

mm rounc: meafuring it with the fame foocing oack umill he carne

che Tower.

Certainly it was a very,bold and c{aring afüon both of one and che other. Ano–

ther time it happened, tbac rhis

Don Pedro,

with fome orher offüs youchfull Com–

panions, goií)g to Htmt, met fom<:l CQuntreY, fellows, who ro ouc-vye each other,

were jumping over a certain \i'Vell, thac was very broad, fome of which leaped

over ir,

p\.lt

fome would noc advencure. Ac lengch carne

Don Pldr:o,

and

pla–

Fing his feet togecher, juíl: at the brink of the Well ;

Norv,

faid he,

1hió were a

good

fta,iding_jumj,,

I durft aiventure

it :

Wich rhat he gave a leap, and reached che

other ficje onely wich che f9re-part of his feer, and gave again on a fudden a jerk

back co che very place where he had taken his leap forwards.

Thefe and foch–

like feacs of aél:ivity are recounted of chis Gentkman, and orhers who were t:m–

ployed in che Conqueíl: of chis new World, as if God, who had chat greac Work

for chem to doe, had endued rhem with abilities of body and mind proportioned

co fo great an enterprize; for if che very Journey

felf rhrough chofe unknown

pares wich peace and quiecnefs, were a maccer of labour and hardíliip; how much

more difficulc muíl: ir be

pafs thofe Srraits and craggy' Moumains by force of

Arms? B

ue in re:ilicy, ic was che Divine Aíliílence v hich cci-operared with rhe

:Prowe.fs

of thefe Heroes ; for wichout füch a mirarnlous concu~rence, humane

power c

oitld never have attained to fuch migbcy Archievemenrs. Thus we have

mentioned fometliing of che Aél:ivicy of

A/varado

;

bue his Ac1s and Monumenrs

of bis Valour are .recorded in che Hiílories which write of

Me:r:ico, Nic11ragm,

:ind

Pme,

chough not fo fully as bis greac Wortbinefs deferved.

Moreover, he was

comely a Perfon both Walking, and on Horfe-back,

· bat ret~1r in~ one _tiltJe from

M:xico

into

Spain,

to cle~r hirnfelf of fome Aíperfi–

dns wh1Ch h1s env1ous Adverfanes had charged upon hun ; and commg, as his du–

ty was, to kifs che Ernperour's hands, and render him an account of his Services:

His Majeíly being then ac

Aranjue~,

in one of che Walks of chat Garden, and fee–

ini

Don

Pedro

with a manly gate, and handfome Air coming rowards bim, asked

who he was ? and being rold that

was

A/varado

;

7hú M an,

faid che Emperour,

hath not the fafhion

and

meen

a perfon that can begui!ty of f,1ch

11llions

as are chárged

upoí?

hifff:

An~

~cq9itting hi!ll of all che ~alum~ies with which he ,yas íbunder–

ed,

he-gaye

h1m h1s hand co kiís, ~nd rece1ved

h1m

ro favour.