Cortez considering the great multitude of Indians his enimies, and also the greate courage, with desire of reuengement: and waying also how his men were weake and wéeryed with fight, yet (I may say) with great desire to goe frō thence, if that the Citizens would haue suffered them: he began againe to require them with peace, and to desire them of truce, saying vnto them also, that they should consider, how that many of their side were slayne, and yet they coulde kill none of them. They béeing more hard harted than before, answered that they vtterly refused his offer, saying, that they neuer woulde haue peace with those who had slained their men and burned their Gods: yea (quoth they) and although some of vs are killed, yet wée also do both kill and hurt, for ye are mortall men, and not immortall, as we are: beholde ye also the number of vs, vpon Zoties, in windowes and stréetes: assure youre selues there are thrée tymes as manye within the houses. So wée shall sooner make an ende of you by kyllyng one and one, than you shall doe of vs by killing a thousande by thousande, or ten thousand by ten thousand: for ending all these whome you sée, there wyll come so many more, and after them so manye more: but if ye were once killed, there woulde come no more Spanyardes, yea and when oure weapons can not throughly destroy you, that then we will sterue you to deathe with hunger and famine, yea and though nowe you would depart, it is too late, bycause ye bridges are throwen downe, and the calseys broken, and succoure by water you haue none. In this communications the daye was spente, and night at hand, their heads occupyed, and heartes full heauie, for hunger alone hadde bin ynough to finish theyr dayes, without any further warre. That nighte, the one halfe of the number of Spanyardes armed themselues, and late in the euening came forthe into the Citie. The Indiās now being not accustomed to fight at such houres, the Spanyardes burned aboue thrée hundred houses in one stréete, and in some of them found many Citizens, of whome they left not one aliue. They burned and spoyled thrée Zoties néere vnto their owne lodging, whiche hadde greately annoyed them before. The residue of the Spanyardes whiche abode at home, amended the engins, and repaired their houses. As this iourney hapned well vnto them, earely in the morning they procéeded out againe, and wente to the bridge where their engins hadde bin broken, and although they founde there greate resistance, yet the matter imported their liues. They foughte with noble courage, and gote manye towers, houses and Zoties. They wanne also four of the eyght bridges which were in the Citie, leauing gard in those places whyche were wonne, returning to their Campe with manye woundes, beyng both wéery and full of care and sorrow.
The next daye they came forth againe, and wanne the other foure bridges, and dammed them vp with earth, in such sorte, that the Horsemen that way followed the enimies to the firme lande. Cortez being occupyed in damming vp the ditches, and making plaine way of the bridges, there came certayne messengers vnto him, saying, that néere at hand, abode many noblemen and Captaines to treate of peace, requiring hym to come vnto them, praying him to bring Tlamacazque his prisoner, who was one of the principallest of the Diuels Cleargie there, to heare the treatie of the matter.
Cortes wente, and carried the Priest with him, whome he appoynted to require them to ceasse from contention, and to remoue their siege, but he came not backe wyth aunswere. All thys was a fayned fetche, to sée the state of the Christian Campe, or else to recouer their religious Tlamacazque. Cortes séeyng theyr deceyte, wente hys way to dinner, and was no sooner sette at hys meate, but certayne Tlaxcaltecas came running in with an open crye, saying, that theyr enimies hadde recouered agayne the bridges, and wente armed vp and downe the stréetes, and hadde also slayne the most of the Spanyardes that were lefte in garde of the bridges. Incontinente Cortes wente out with the Horsemenne, who were readyest at that tyme, and made way through the troupe of enimies, following them euen vnto the firme lande, but at theyr returne, the footemen that were hurt and wéeried in kéeping of the stréete, coulde not susteyne the force and furie of the infinite number of Indians, whyche came vpon them, yea with muche adoe they coulde escape home to their forte. The multitude was not so greate of Indians in the stréete, but also by water in Canoas, so that stones flewe on both sydes, and galled oure men cruelly. Cortes was hurte in one of hys knées very sore, wherevppon it was blowen abroade through the Citie, that Cortes was slayne, whiche newes dyd greately discourage our men, and much animate the Indians. But yet Cortes for all hys payne and hurt, ceassed not to embolden & encourage hys Souldyers, who set afreshe vpon the enimies. At the farthest bridge fel two Horses, which troubled muche oure men that followed. Cortes made suche way among the Indians, that the Horsemen hadde reasonable passage, and béeyng ye hindmost man himselfe, he was in great peril of taking. It was a maruell to sée what a spring hee gaue with hys Horse, and thereby escaped, but in conclusion, with stones they were forced to returne to their hold, beyng very late.
As soone as he had ended his supper, he sente some of his men to gard the stréete and bridges, and to defend the same againste the enemie. They were somewhat ioyfull of their procéedings and good successe whiche they hadde the same day.
Hovve Cortez fledde from Mexico.
But Cortes waying the substance of the matter, sawe in effecte that his syde wente to wracke, wherefore he requested hys menne to departe from thence, who were not a little ioyfull to heare their Captayne pronounce that saying, for few or none of them escaped vnhurt and wounded. They feared death, but yet wanted not stomacke and hearte to dye. The Indians were so many, that if the Chrystians shoulde but onlye haue cutte their throtes without resistance, yet they had bin too few for that purpose.
They were also in suche necessitie of bread, that pinched them sore. Their pouder and shotte was spente, and almost all other prouision. Their house was welnigh beaten downe about their eares. All these causes were sufficient to leaue Mexico, and to séeke to saue their liues: yet on the other side, they iudged it an euill case, to turne their backes to their enimies, for (quoth they) the very stones riseth vp against hym that flyeth. They feared agayne the passage of the arches where the bridges hadde bin, so that now they were full besette with sorrow, care, and misery: but in fyne, they all agréed to departe that nighte, for many dayes before, one of their companye called Botello, who presumed to haue good skyll in the Arte of Nigromācie, did declare vnto them, that if they would depart from Mexico at a certayne houre appoynted, that then they shuld escape, or else not: but whether they gaue credite to his sayings or no, they fully determined to departe that night, and like vnto politike and good Souldyers, they prepared a bridge of tymber to carrie wyth them, to passe ouer the arches where bridges hadde bin. This is most certayne, they were all priuie and agréede to the departure, and not as some report, that Cortes fledde away, leauing aboue two hundred Spanyardes in the house, who knewe nothyng of hys departure, and were afterwardes all slayne, sacrifised, and eaten in Mexico, for out of the Citie he coulde not haue departed so secretely, but it shoulde haue come to their eares: howe muche more out of one house, where they were all togither.