The daye appointed to the enimies for the combate, Cortes made his prayers vnto God, & then enformed each Captayne what he should do, and came foorth with twētie horsemen, thrée hundred Spanyardes, and a great number of Indians, with their péeces of Ordinance, and where in thrée or foure dayes before they had not skirmished, time serued the Mexicans at will to open al those places which were dammed vp before, and also to builde better bulwarkes thā those which were throwen downe, attending with that horrible noyse accustomed. But whē they sawe the Vergantines on eache side, theyr ioy was turned into sorrowe, and beganne to fainte, the whiche oure men vnderstood well, and therewith alanded themselues vpon the calsey, and wanne the bulwarke and the bridge. Our army procéedyng forward, set vppon the enimies, vntill they came to another bridge, the whyche was likewise wonne in shorte time, and this pursued from bridge to bridge, alwayes fighting, vntill they had driuen them from the Calsey and stréetes.
Cortes for his part lost no time, for he with tenne thousande Indians laboured to damme vp againe the sluses and broken places of the bridges, making the way plaine both for Horsemen and footemen: it was so much to doe, that all those ten thousand Indians were occupyed therein from the morning vntill the euening.
The other Spanyards and Indian friends skirmished continually, and slew many of their enimies. Likewyse the Horsemen so scoured the stréetes, that the enimies were forced to locke them vp in their houses & Temples. It was a notable thing to sée how our Indians played the menne that daye againste the Citizens: sometimes they would chalenge them the fielde: other times they would conuite them to supper, and shewe vnto them legges, armes, and other péeces of mās flesh, saying behold your owne flesh which shal serue for our supper and brekefast, and to morrow we wil come for more, therefore flye not, you are valiant fellowes, yet it were better for you to dye fighting than with hunger. And after all this spéech, euery one of them called vppon the name of his owne Towne with a loude voyce, setting fire vppon their houses. The Mexicans were replenished with sorrow, to sée themselues so afflicted with Spanyardes, but yet theyr sorrowe was the greater, to heare their owne vassals so raile againste them, saying and crying at their owne dores, victory, victory, Tlaxcallan, Chalcho, Tezcuco, Xochmilco, and other Townes: the eating of the fleshe gréeued them not, for they did the like.
Cortes séeing the Mexicans so stoute and hard harted, with full determination eyther to defend themselues or else to dye, therevpon he bethought himselfe vppon two things, the one was, that he shoulde not obteyne the treasure whiche he had séene in the time of Mutezuma: the other was, that they gaue him occasion totally to destroy the Citie. Both these things gréeued him much, but especially the destructiō of the citie. He ymagined with himselfe what he mighte doe, to bring them to acknowledge their error, and the hurt that mighte fall vpon them, and for these considerations he pluckt downe their Towers, and brake their idolles. He burned also the greate house wherein he was lodged before, and the house of foule which was néere at hād. There was not one Spanyard who had séene that magnificall building before, but lamented sore the sight: but to agréeue the Citizens, it was commaunded to be burned. There was neuer Mexican, that thought any humaine force, how much lesse so fewe Spanyards, shoulde haue entred into Mexico in despite of them all, and to sette fire vpon their principallest edifices within the Citie. While this house was a burning, Cortes gathered his men, and retired to his Campe. The Mexicans would fayne haue remedyed the fire, but it was too late, and séeing our men retire, they followed wyth their noyse accustomed, and slue some of our men, who were laden with the spoyle, and came behinde the reste. The horsmen relieued our men, and caused the enimy to retire, in such wise, that before night al our men were in safetie and the enimies in their houses, the one sorte full of sorowe, and the others wearied with fighte and trauel. The slaughter was great that day, but the burning, and spoyle of houses was greater, for besides those whiche wee haue spoken of, the Vergantines did the like where they wente, and the other Captaines also were not idle where they were appointed.
Things that happened to Pedro de Aluarado through his bolde attempt.
Pedro de Aluarado, would passe his army to ye market place of Tlalulco, for he toke much payn & stoode in perill in susteyning ye bridges which he had gotten, hauing hys forte almost a league frō thence. And again, he being a man of a haughtie stomacke, thinking as wel to get honor as his general, and likewise being procured by his company, who sayde, that it were a shame for them if Cortez should winne that market place, being more nearer vnto them, than vnto him: wherevpon he determined to winne those bridges which as yet wer vnwonne, and to place himselfe in the market place. He procéeded with all his army vntill they came to another brokē bridge, which was sixtie paces of length, and two fadome depe, the whiche with the helpe of the Vergantines, he wan in short space, and gaue order to certaine of his men to damme it vppe substancially, and he himselfe pursued his enimies, with fiftie Spaniardes. But when the Citizens sawe so few in number, and al footemen, (for the horses coulde not passe the sluce so soone,) they came vpon them so sodainely & fiercely, that they made our men to turne their backes, and trust to theyr legges, yea and our men fel into the water, they knewe not which way. They slew many of our Indias[=a?], and four Spaniards, who forthwith they sacrifised, and eate their fleshe in the open sight of al the army.
Aluarado saw his owne folly, in not beleauing Cortes, who had always forewarned him, not to procede foreward, vntil he had made the way sure behinde him: but Aluarado his counsellers payde their counsel with life Cortes sorrowed for the same, for the like had happened vnto him, if he had giuen credite to their counsel. But as a prudent captain, he considered the matter better, for euery house was then an Ilande, the calsey broken in many places, and the zoties or house toppes beset with stones, for these and suche like places vsed Quahutimoc. Cortes went to see where Aluarado had pitched hys campe, and also to rebuke him for that which was past, and to aduise him what he shold do: But when he came and found him so farre within the libertie of the Citie, and the daungerous places which hadde passed, he dyd highly cōmend his valiaunt and good seruice: he also cōmuned with him of manye things concerning the siege, and then returned to his owne campe.