tejlimonies of Spantflj writers. 2 1 1
and beds of ftate ; but the bedding and furniture in our northern Indian huts, is the fame with what they were pleated to defcribe, in the wonder ful Mexican palaces. In this they have not done juftice to the grand red monarch, whom they raifed up, (with his 1000 women, or 3000 accord ing to fome,) only to magnify the Spanim power by overthrowing him.
Montezuma in an oration to his people, at the arrival of the Spaniards, is faid by Malvendar, to have perfuaded his people to yield to the power of his Catholic Majefty's arms, for their own fore-fathers were ftrangers in that land, and brought there long before that period in a fleet. The emperor, who they pretend bore fuch univerfal arbitrary fway, is raifed by their pens, from the ufual rank of a war chieftain, to his imperial great- nefs : But defpotic power is death to their ears, as it is deftruftive of their darling liberty, and reputed theocratic government ; they have no name for a fubjeft, but fay, " the people." In order to carry on the felf- flattering war-romance, they began the epocha of that great fidlitious em pire, in the time of the ambitious and formidable Montezuma, that their handful of heaven-favoured popim faints might have the more honour in deftroying it : had they defcribed it of a long continuance, they forefaw that the world would deteft the fallacy, as foon as they learned the lan guage of the pretended empire ; correfpondent to which, our own great Emperor Powhatan of Virginia, was foon dethroned. We are fufficiently informed by the rambling Mifiifippi Indians, that Motehjhuma is a com mon high war-name of the South-American leaders j and which the fate he is faid to receive, ftrongly corroborates. Our Indians urge with a great deal of vehemence, that as every one is promoted only by public virtue, and has his equals in civil and martial affairs, thofe Spanim books that have mentioned red emperors, and great empires in America, ought to be burnt in fome of the remaining old years accurfed fire. And this Indian fixed opinion feems to be fufficiently confirmed by the fituation of Mexico, as it is only about 315 miles from fouth to north \ and narrower than 200 miles along the northern coaft and lies between Tlafcala and Mechoacan, to the weft of the former, and eaft of the latter, whence the Mexicans were con tinually harrafled by thofe lurking fwift-footed favages, who could fecure their retreat home, in the fpace of two or three days. When we confider the vicinity of thofe two inimical dates to the pretended puifiant empire of Mexico, which might have eafily crufhed them to pieces, with her for-
E e 2 midable^
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