inclinations, even if he should remain
alone. This pacified many of the malcontents; but Juan Velasquez de Leon,
Diego de Ordas, Escobar, Escudero, and some others were so violent in
their opposition, that Cortes was obliged to have them arrested, and they
were detained for some time in irons. By a private concert with Cortes,
Juan de Escalente demanded by our authority, that the instructions from
Velasquez should be produced, that we might be enabled to lay a detailed
account of the whole proceedings before the king for our justification.
The tenor of these was, "To return as soon as we had procured all the gold
which could be had." This appeared afterwards to have been a very
necessary precaution, from the steps which were taken against us by Don
Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, bishop of Burgos and archbishop of Rossano.

[1] Clavigero denominates this part of the Mexican empire by the
incommunicable name of Chalchiuhcuecan.--E.

[2] In the work of Bernal Diaz, the names of these two Mexican chiefs are
Tendile and Pitaipitoque. We have here adopted the orthography of
Clavigero in preference, because he appears to have perfectly
understood the Mexican language; and shall continue to do so in the
sequel without farther notice, as often as his work enables us to do
it with certainty--E.

[3] Perhaps mock-pearls, or the word may possibly be the same with what we
term marcasites.--E.

[4] Clavigero calls this a gilt mask or vizor.--E.

[5] According to Clavigero, there was an ancient tradition current among
the Mexicans, that _Quetzalcoatl_, their god of the air, had
disappeared long ago, promising to return after a certain period, and
to govern them in peace and happiness; and on the first appearance of
the Spaniards on their coast, observing certain marks of resemblance
between them and their mythological notions of this god, they believed
their god of the air had returned, and was about to resume the
government.--E.

[6] Clavigero alleges that this name neither is nor can be Mexican, but
does not correct the orthography.--E.

[7] According to Clavigero, this plate was thirty palms of Toledo in
circumference and was worth 10,000 sequins, representing what he calls
the _Mexican centary_, or rather _cycle_ of fifty-two years, and
having the sun in the centre.--E.

[8] By Clavigero this expression is made _Teuctin_, which he says
signifies l