and your own house, rest and refresh yourself after the toils of your
journey, and the conflicts in which you have been engaged, which have
been brought upon you, as I well know, by all the people from
Puntunchan to this place; and I am aware that the Cempoallans and the
Tlascalans have told you much evil of me, but believe no more than you
see with your own eyes, especially from those who are my enemies, some
of whom were once my subjects, and having rebelled upon your arrival,
make these statements to ingratiate themselves in your favor. These
people, I know, have informed you that I possessed houses with walls of
gold, and that my carpets and other things in common use were of the
texture of gold; and that I was a god, or made myself one, and many
other such things. The houses, as you see, are of stone and lime and
earth.' And then he opened his robes and showed his person to me,
saying: 'You see that I am composed of flesh and bone like yourself,
and that I am mortal and palpable to the touch,' at the same time
pinching his arms and body with his hands. 'See,' he continued, 'how
they have deceived you. It is true that I have some things of gold,
which {167} my ancestors have left me; all that I have is at your
service whenever you wish it. I am now going to my other houses where
I reside; you will be here provided with everything necessary for
yourself and your people, and will suffer no embarrassment, as you are
in your own house and country.' I answered him in respect to all that
he had said, expressing my acknowledgments, and adding whatever the
occasion seemed to demand, especially endeavoring to confirm him in the
belief that Your Majesty was the sovereign they had looked for; and
after this he took his leave, and having gone, we were liberally
supplied with fowls, bread, fruits and other things required for the
use of our quarters. In this way I was for six days amply provided
with all that was necessary, and visited by many of the nobility."

It throws a somewhat amusing light on the interview when we note that
the presents exchanged were of great value on Montezuma's part, while
the gift of Cortes was a collar of cheap imitation diamonds!

The emotions of the Spaniards at this singular meeting between the
immeasurable distance of the past and present were so strong that even
the rough soldier felt it. "And when we beheld," says Bernal Diaz, "so
many cities and towns rising up from the water, and o