in, our agents themselves wrote to his
majesty, who had just arrived from Flanders,[37] and inclosed certain
papers which had been drawn up by his holiness respecting the
subject-matter. His majesty, after making the most minute inquiries into
the affair, confirmed the decision of the pope, appointed Cortes
governor of New Spain, and also ordered that Velasquez should be
reimbursed the expenses of the expedition. But the emperor even went
further than this, and deprived Velasquez of the government of Cuba,
because he had fitted out the armament under Narvaez for New Spain
without his permission, and in opposition to the commands of the royal
court of audience at St. Domingo, and of the Hieronymite brotherhood;
also because he had refused to obey the orders of the auditor Vasquez de
Aillon, and had even had the audacity to throw him into prison, though
he had been expressly despatched to Cuba by order of the royal court of
audience to forbid the armament leaving this island.

When the bishop of Burgos was informed of the decision to which his
holiness and his majesty had come, he fell ill from excessive vexation,
quitted the court and retired to his country seat at Toro. His brother,
Don Antonio de Fonseca,[38] lord of Coca and Alaexos, tried all in his
power to get him reinstated into his late office, but all his endeavours
proved fruitless with the emperor.

Thus, all in a moment, everything terminated favorably for Cortes, but
the instability of good fortune soon began to show itself, for now
Narvaez, Christobal de Tapia, and the soldier Cardenas brought heavy
accusations against him. To all of which was added the charges preferred
against our general by the pilot Umbria, whom Cortes had sentenced to
have his legs cut off on the occasion when Cermenno and Escudero were
hung for a conspiracy they had formed against his life.

CHAPTER CLXVIII.

_How Narvaez, Christobal de Tapia, the pilot Umbria, and the soldier
Cardenas, bring heavy accusations against Cortes, at the instigation
of the bishop of Burgos, and what judgment his majesty pronounced._

After the pope and the emperor, as I have just related, had pronounced
judgment in favour of Cortes, Pamfilo de Narvaez and Christobal de Tapia
arrived in Spain. They were accompanied by the soldier Cardenas and the
pilot Umbria, and immediately repaired to the bishop of Burgos at Toro,
and begged of him to aid in the accusations which they had determin