There were a thousande women, and some affyrme yt there were thrée thousand, accounting gentlewomen, seruaunts and slaues: the most were noble mens daughters, Mutezuma toke of them for himselfe, those that liked him best, and the others he gaue in mariage to Gentlemen his seruaunts.
The saying was that he had at one tyme a hundreth & fiftie women hys wiues with childe, who through the perswasion of the Deuill tooke Medicines to caste theyr creatures, bycause they knewe that they shoulde not inherite the state: these hys wiues had many olde women for their Guarde, for no man was permitted to looke vpon them.
The shielde of armes that is sette in his pallayce, and likewyse carried to the warres, is an Eagle soryng vpon a Tiger hys talents bente as takyng pray. Some thynk it is a Gryphon and not an Egle. The Gryphons in time paste, say they, did cause the vale of Auacatlan to be dispeopled, for they were greate deuourers of menne, and that theyr abidyng was in the Mountaynes of Teoacan: they approue that these Mountains were called Cuitlachtepelt, of Cuitlachtli, which is a Gryphon bigger than a Lion: but the Spaniardes dyd neuer sée any of them.
The Indians by theyr olde Pictures doe paynt those Gryphons to haue a kynde of heare and no feathers, and also affirme, that with theyr talandes & téeth they breake mens bones. They haue the courage of a Lion and the countenaunce of an Egle: they paynte him with foure féete, and téeth, with a kinde of downe more lyke woolle than feathers, with his beake, talandes and wings.
And in all those things the picture agreeth with our paynting and wryting, in suche sorte that a Gryphon is no approued naturall Foule, nor yet beast. Plinie iudgeth this tale of Gryphons to be lies. There are also other Lordes that giue the Gryphon in their armes, flying with a harte in his Talandes.
A house of Foule, vvhiche vvere onely preserued for their feathers.
Mvtezuma had another house, with very good lodgings and fayre gallaries, buylt vpō pillers of Iaspe, whiche extendeth towarde a goodly garden, in the whiche there are ten pondes or moe, some of salte water for sea foule, & other some of fresh water for riuer foule and lake foule, which pondes are deuised wt sluyses to emptie & to fill at their pleasure for the cleannesse of the feathers. There is such a number of foule, that scarcely the ponds may holde them, and of suche diuers kindes bothe in feathers and makyng, as sure it was an admiration for the Spaniardes to beholde, for the moste of them they knew not, nor yet had at any tyme séene the lyke. And to euery kynde of foule they gaue suche bayte as they were wont to féede of in the fieldes or Riuers. There did belong to that house thrée hundred persons of seruice: some were to clense the pondes: other some did fishe for bayte: other some serued them with meate: other did loose them and trimme theyr feathers: others had care to looke to their egges: others to sette them abroode: others cured them when they were sicke: and the principallest office was to plucke the feathers: for of them was made riche Mantels, Tapissarie, Targattes, Tuffes of feathers, and many other things wrought with Golde and Siluer: a most perfite worke.