w they are received by Cortes._

The reader will remember my mentioning in a former chapter that we
begged of his imperial majesty to send to New Spain some really good
and pious monks of the Franciscan order, that they might assist us to
convert the Indians to Christianity, and preach the doctrine of our holy
faith to them, in which father Olmedo had made so good a beginning.
Cortes and the whole of us Conquistadores had also on the same occasion
written to the general of the Franciscan order, who was afterwards the
cardinal, brother Francisco de los Angeles, and begged of him to send us
some very pious men of his order, that we might be enabled to fulfil our
promise to the Indians, whom we had so often assured that the emperor
would despatch to them religious men, who led a much more pious life
than we did. This we had repeatedly told the Indians, and they always
inquired of us in return if those men would possess the same good
qualities as father Olmedo. To which we answered in the affirmative.

It was in compliance with this, our request, that the general of the
Franciscan order sent the twelve monks, with their superior, who arrived
in Vera Cruz. Among these religious men was also the father Toribio
Motalma, to whom the caziques and distinguished personages of Mexico
gave the name of _Motolinia_,[45] which signifies _the poor brother_,
because he distributed everything he received among the Indians; so that
it often happened he had nothing left to still his hunger. He was always
clad in the meanest garments, went barefoot, and was continually
preaching to the Indians, who became greatly attached to him, and they
revered him as a holy person.

When Cortes received intelligence of the arrival of these reverend
personages in Vera Cruz, he gave orders that they should be received
with the profoundest respect in every town they passed through on their
road to Mexico, whether Indian or Spanish. If they halted at a distance
from any habitations, huts were to be constructed for them; in every
township they came to the bells were to be rung, the whole of the
inhabitants were to go out to meet them with crosses, wax lights, and
flying colours; and in order to give the Indians some notion of humility
and veneration, the Spaniards were particularly instructed to fall down
on their knees before them, and to kiss their hands and their cowls.

Besides all this, Cortes sent refreshments for these monks to every
stage along th