When he had arrived within twelve miles of Tezcuco, a town almost equal in magnitude to Mexico, he was met by the accountant Albornoz, who stood ready there to receive him, and, if possible, to regain his friendship, for he greatly feared the resentment of our general. Besides Albornoz, there were numbers of other Spaniards from this neighbourhood who came out to meet him, and the caziques of the town had marched out to the distance of eight miles, and performed various dances and games in his honour, all of which pleased our general very much. In Tezcuco itself other rejoicings took place, and here he passed the night, though he might easily have reached Mexico on the same day, but he had been requested by the treasurer, all the other chief authorities, and the Conquistadores to defer his arrival thither until the morrow, in order that they might make preparations to receive him in the most splendid manner possible.
The following morning accordingly, the treasurer, accompanied by all the city authorities, the officers of the crown, the Conquistadores, and all Cortes' best friends came out to meet him, clothed in their full uniform, and preceded by a large band of music. The Mexican caziques then followed with their several devices, decked out in their full war costume in which they had fought against us under their late monarch Quauhtemoctzin; they celebrated all manner of games after their fashion, while at the same time the lake was covered with canoes full of armed Indians, just in the same manner as when they fought with us who were stationed on the causeways. In short, the rejoicings in the city were so manifold and great that a description can give no idea of them. During the whole day there was dancing and music in every street, and in the evening every house was illuminated. But what was better than all this, the Franciscan monks, on the following day, formed a solemn procession to the church, and public thanksgivings were offered up to the Almighty for Cortes' safe return.
Cortes himself, immediately on his entering the city, had repaired to their cloister to attend mass, and to offer up his thanks to God for having preserved his life in all the dangers of the late campaign. Not until he had performed this duty did our general repair to his dwelling, which had been finished during his absence, and had indeed every appearance of a magnificent palace, in which he was really courted and feared as though he had been a king. From every province the Indians sent ambassadors to him with presents, and even the caziques of Coatlan came to pay their respects to him, and bring him presents.
Cortes' entry into Mexico took place in the month of June, 1524 or 1525, I forget which.[49] He remained quiet for several days to rest from his fatigues before he ordered the turbulent personages to be seized, and an inquiry to be made into the late conduct of the veedor and factor. In the same way Diego de Ocampo, or Gonzalo de Ocampo, I really cannot remember which of the two it was on whom those libellous papers were found against Cortes, was also thrown into chains. The scribe Ocaña, an old man, who was commonly called the life and soul of the factor, shared a similar fate. Criminal suits, as they are termed, were certainly instituted against these personages, and Cortes might have inflicted due punishment upon them without any further ceremony, and his just retribution would have met with every approbation in Spain; but he neglected to do so, though his majesty himself had fully expected he would have adopted such a course. This I can assure the reader to be a fact, for I was told it by the members of the council of the Indies themselves, when I was in Spain in the year 1540 on account of some lawsuits which were pending between myself and others. The bishop Bartolomé de las Casas was present at the time. It was the opinion of all that Cortes had been remarkably negligent in this matter, and that he had shown very little of his wonted spirit on the occasion.
CHAPTER CXCI.
How the licentiate Luis Ponce de Leon, who was commissioned to make inquiries into Cortes' government of New Spain, arrives in the harbour of San Juan de Ulua.
I have already mentioned in a former chapter that the emperor, during his stay at Toledo, had commissioned Luis Ponce de Leon to repair to Mexico, and there to institute a formal inquiry against Cortes; and if he found him guilty, to punish him so severely, that the whole world might know it. He had been previously furnished with all the particulars of the several accusations which had been brought against Cortes.
It was not for a length of time that this man received the necessary despatches, which had greatly retarded his departure. At length, however, he arrived, after a favorable passage, with three or four vessels, in the harbour of San Juan de Ulua, where he immediately landed, and repaired to the town of Medellin. As he made no secret of the purport of his arrival, one of the officers of Cortes' household immediately sent his master intelligence of the nature of this gentleman's visit, so that Cortes was apprized of it four days after Leon's arrival. When our general received these letters from Villalobos, the officer above mentioned, he happened to be in the Franciscan cloister, making the holy communion, and humbly supplicating the Almighty to bless his endeavours. This news was the more disagreeable to him, as Ponce de Leon seemed to hasten his journey to Mexico in such a manner as if he did not wish to allow him time to make the necessary arrangements for his reception. In the meantime, however, he despatched some of his most confidential friends to learn something more of the newly arrived, and whether they were really provided with a proper commission from his majesty; but a couple of days after he had received the first news, three couriers arrived from Leon with letters for Cortes; among others there was one from the emperor, in which his majesty acquainted him that an investigation would be instituted against him on various accounts. Our general perused the emperor's letter with the deepest veneration, and declared that it was a proof of great mercy on the part of his majesty to have despatched a proper judge, that justice might be done him against his enemies. Cortes returned an answer to Leon by the same couriers, expressing himself in the most obliging and friendly terms, requesting of him at the same time to state along which road he intended journeying to Mexico, in order that he might make the necessary preparations for his reception at the different stages along his route.
The licentiate, in reply to this letter, returned Cortes the most sincere thanks for his kind wishes, saying he was desirous of staying a few days where he was, to rest from the fatigues of the sea voyage.