d down his
cheeks; and though he felt that all was mere empty sound he had heard,
he nevertheless thanked Cortes for his kindness, adding, that at present
he felt no inclination to go anywhere.

His nephews, relations, and grandees daily stormed him with petitions to
allow them to make war upon us, and release him from confinement. And,
indeed, it required all his persuasion to prevent them from rising up in
arms immediately. If he were once, said they, outside of our quarters,
they would take forcible possession of his person. The whole of the
inhabitants in his metropolis would rise up in arms, and if then he
would not join them, they would care little about him, and elect a new
king. Motecusuma, however, succeeded in silencing them by the assurance
that Huitzilopochtli had himself advised him to bear with his
confinement.

To account for Motecusuma thus quietly submitting to his confinement, I
must here remark that Cortes ordered Aguilar to acquaint him secretly
that if even our general himself gave his consent to his liberation, it
would be of no avail, as all our officers and soldiers would oppose it.
Cortes feigned to be unconscious of all this, and embraced the monarch
under the assurances of sincere friendship. He likewise gave him his
page Orteguilla, who had already gained some knowledge of the Mexican
language, the monarch having expressed a wish to have a Spanish
attendant. This young man was of the greatest utility both to Motecusuma
and ourselves, the monarch learning many things from him relating to
Spain, and we again a good deal of the discourses which passed between
the former and his generals: he was in every way attentive to the
monarch, who became exceedingly fond of him. On the whole, Motecusuma
appeared perfectly content with the civilities we showed him, and he
continually felt greater delight in our company; for whenever any one of
us passed by him, he immediately entered into discourse with us: we were
quite at our ease with him, even when Cortes was present, and took off
our helmets in his presence, which, as well as our weapons, we never
laid aside; and the monarch always treated us with great respect.

The severe example which Cortes had made of the Mexican generals had had
its full effect. The news thereof ran like wildfire through the whole of
New Spain; the tribes along the coast, by whom our troops of Vera Cruz
had been defeated, were seized with terror, and again offered their
servic