particular; and he created the more evil, as at that time Narvaez,
Christobal de Tapia, and the agents of Velasquez had renewed their
charges against Cortes, complaining to his majesty that he could not
depend upon the honesty of the decision to which the commissioners had
come, as Cortes had bribed them all with valuable presents. All this
created a most unfavorable change in Cortes' affairs, and he fell so
greatly into his majesty's displeasure that matters, in all likelihood,
would have terminated most unfavorably for him if the duke of Bejar, who
was greatly attached to Cortes, had not employed his utmost endeavours
for him and become his bail until he should be summoned to take his
trial in due form. The duke's reason for espousing Cortes' cause so
warmly was, because the preliminaries of a marriage had been settled
between the latter and a niece of the duke. This lady's name was Juana
de Zunniga, daughter to the earl of Aguilar Don Carlos de Arellano, and
she had also a brother who was a great favorite with the emperor. As
about this time also the 80,000 pesos, with the other valuable presents
arrived in Spain, accompanied by letters from Cortes, in which he
expressed to his majesty his thanks for the great honours which his
majesty had bestowed upon him, and for the just sentence he had
pronounced in his favour; the inquiries which were going to be
instituted against him were dropped, and the storm which was gathering
over him blew over. But now again the proud inscription which he had
placed on the silver field-piece created a great deal of ill-feeling
towards him, and several of the dukes, marquisses and earls, who had
likewise rendered great services to our emperor, considered it amazingly
presumptuous that Cortes should attempt, by this inscription, to raise
his merits so far above all others. Even his greatest patrons, the
admiral of Castile, the duke of Bejar, and the earl of Aguilar, greatly
disapproved of this self-praise.[43] But why, I ask, should they term
this presumptuous in our general? Can any one mention to me another
general who has accomplished so many heroic deeds as Cortes, or who has
conquered for our emperor a country of the magnitude of New Spain, or
who has been the means of converting so many thousands of heathens to
Christianity? Though, to be sure, the merit and glory of all this is not
due to Cortes alone, but also to his brave companions in arms! We have
equally merited for ourselves gr