_How Cortes receives letters from the Cardinal de Siguenza, then
president of the council of the Indies, and from several other
cavaliers, advising him to repair to Spain without delay; the death
of his father Martin Cortes; and of other matters._
Cortes was about taking his departure for Spain, when letters arrived
for him from Don Garcia de Loaysa, cardinal of Siguenza, president of
the council of the Indies and subsequently archbishop of Seville, and
from the duke of Bejar, and other cavaliers in Spain, all of whom
assured him that his enemies drew the greatest advantage from the
continued postponement of his arrival in Spain, and daily brought fresh
accusations against him. He was openly accused, they said, of the
foulest of crimes, and of having poisoned the different governors whom
his majesty had sent to New Spain. It was necessary, therefore, that he
should repair immediately to the imperial court, which could not fail to
produce a good effect, and all the calumnies which had been heaped upon
him would recoil upon his enemies, and prove the very means of raising
him to the highest honours. They at the same time announced to him the
death of his father Martin Cortes; and as he was still in mourning[50]
for his wife Dona Catalina Suarez, he put on additional mourning for his
father, to whose memory he in every way paid the highest honours. The
different accounts which he had received caused him altogether
considerable grief, and if he had previously felt a great desire to
return to Spain, he felt now the more so; and as he was informed that
the two vessels which had arrived in Vera Cruz were newly built, and
fast sailers, he despatched his mayor-domo Pedro Ruiz de Esquival
thither to purchase them. Various kinds of provisions were then
collected in great abundance, of the most expensive kinds, and
everything was regulated for his voyage in a manner due to so
distinguished and wealthy a person. The two vessels were so plentifully
provisioned, that they had sufficient victuals for a voyage of two
years, although the number of people on board was much greater than
ordinary.
The mayor-domo, who was to repair to Vera Cruz, had, in order to take
the shortest route thither, embarked in a canoe on the lake of Mexico,
for the township of Ayotzinco. This canoe, of considerable size, was
manned with six Mexican rowers, and Ruiz had with him a number of gold
bars, for the purchase of the vessels, and a negro slave to attend upon
him. Whether he was waylaid by any one in the midst of the lake, and
murdered, could never be discovered, but certain it is that neither the
canoe, the rowers, nor the negro were ever seen again; only the body of
Ruiz was found, four days after, on a small island of the lake, half
devoured by the birds of prey. Various conjectures were made respecting
the death of this man, and many persons said he had bragged too openly
of the great favours which were bestowed upon him by the ladies, and
that he had most likely boasted of things which never happened. Others
maintained that something much worse had taken place, which, however, I
will not go into here; in short, it was never known, nor was there ever
much trouble taken to investigate, how this man came to his end, and we
can only wish that his poor soul may rest in peace.
Cortes, on learning the untimely end of this man, despatched other
officers of his household to Vera Cruz, to make the necessary
preparations there for his departure, and he made it publicly known that
all those who were desirous of leaving for Spain, and could obtain the
governor's permission thereto, should have a free passage with him. He
then departed, in company of Sandoval, Andreas de Tapia, and of several
other cavaliers, for Vera Cruz, where the whole of them, after having
confessed, and made the holy communion, set sail for Spain.
Cortes had so very favorable a passage, that, without touching at the
Havannah or any other port, he arrived safe in forty-one days off the
coast of Spain, and cast anchor near the town of Palos, opposite the
church of our dear lady of Rabida. At the first sight of land every one
on board fell down on his knees, and with uplighted hands offered up
fervent thanks to God for this prosperous voyage. Cortes' arrival in
Spain took place in the month of December of the year 1527.
During this voyage Sandoval fell dangerously ill, and Cortes' joy at his
safe arrival in his native land was soon changed into excessive grief,
for a few days after it pleased the Almighty to take away this our
general's faithful companion in arms. Sandoval was still at Palos, and
lodged in the house of a rope-maker; and here, while lying on his
death-bed, he was forced patiently to behold the master of the house
open one of his trunks, and take out thirteen bars of gold. This fellow
had watched the favorable opportunity when Sandoval's servants had all
hastened to the Rabida, to call Cortes to his dying friend, so that he
was left quite alone; besides which, he was so helpless and weak, that
he durst not even cry out, lest the rope-maker, who had the very
countenance of a villain, should have smothered him with the cushions.
The thief immediately fled with the gold bars, and escaped to Portugal,
nor was he ever heard of again.
Cortes, on learning the dangerous state in which Sandoval lay, hastened
to his bedside, where he learnt what I have just stated, from the
latter's own mouth. Persons were immediately sent in pursuit of the
thief, but it was too late, the fellow got clear away.
Sandoval's health was daily growing worse, so that at length the
physicians gave up all hopes of his life, and told him his end was
drawing nigh. Saudoval then confessed, and received the last sacraments
with the greatest devotion. He made his last will, to which he appointed
Cortes executor, set apart large sums for the poor and the cloisters,
and left his sister or sisters heir to his property. I am not sure
whether he had more than one sister, but I know that subsequently a
sister of his married a natural son of the earl of Medellin. A short
time after he had made his will Sandoval rendered up his soul into the
hands of his Maker, and his death caused universal and heartfelt grief.
He was buried with every imaginable pomp in the monastery of our dear
lady of Rabida, and Cortes, with the whole of his suite, put on mourning
for him. May God have mercy upon his soul! Amen!
The next thing Cortes did was to announce his arrival to his majesty, to
the cardinal de Siguenza, the duke of Bejar, the earl of Aguilar, and to
many other cavaliers of distinction. He also mentioned Sandoval's
death, and was unbounded in the praise of his excellent character, of
the important services he had rendered to the crown, of his great
talents as a commander, and of his personal courage. Though the monarch
was greatly rejoiced at the arrival of Cortes in Spain, yet the death of
Sandoval caused him much grief, as he had been duly informed of the many
excellent qualities of this officer. The cardinal de Siguenza and the
whole of the council of the Indies were no less grieved at his death.
The duke of Bejar, the earl of Aguilar, and several other cavaliers
certainly evinced no less sorrow at the death of this brave officer, yet
it was soon lost in the joy they experienced at the arrival of Cortes.
The duke of Bejar and the earl of Aguilar now called upon his majesty,
who had already received Cortes' letter. During this audience the former
told his majesty that he himself had always been convinced of Cortes'
loyalty, and that a man who had rendered the greatest services to his
monarch could not fail to be equally faithful to that sovereign in all
other matters; and this was sufficiently evident in the conduct of
Cortes, who, placing all his reliance on a clear conscience, had
fearlessly come to Spain. The duke had every reason for thus expressing
himself, for during the time when various heavy accusations had been
brought against Cortes, he had become responsible for him and his
companions in arms with both his life and property; nor had he omitted
on any occasion to extol our loyalty and our services to the skies;
which at that time seemed the more meritorious, as Peru was not yet
discovered. The emperor, indeed, changed his sentiments with regard to
Cortes in so wonderful a degree as to issue orders that he was to be
received with the highest honours in every town he passed through. The
first person who gave Cortes a splendid reception was the duke of Medina
Sidonia, in Seville, who supplied him with beautiful horses. Having
rested in this town for a few days, Cortes hastened by long days'
journeys to the convent of our dear lady of Guadaloupe, there to make
his devotions. It happened fortunately for him that the distinguished
lady Dona Maria de Mendoza, wife of the comendador-mayor of Leon, should
arrive there at the same time. She had a number of ladies of quality in
her suite; among others her sister, who was two years afterwards married
to the governor of the Canary islands. Cortes was highly delighted at
this circumstance, and after making his devotions to our dear lady of
Guadaloupe, bestowing rich alms on the poor, and having ordered a number
of masses to be said, he repaired, though in deep mourning, with the
whole of his suite, and several other cavaliers, who had come to offer
their services to him, to pay his respects to Dona Maria de Mendoza, her
exceedingly beautiful sister, and to the other ladies: and as Cortes
was a man of excellent good breeding, of a frank and cheerful
disposition, and eloquent in address, he the more easily gained the good
wishes of these ladies, and the fame of his great exploits was re-echoed
from one end of Spain to the other. He was possessed of sufficient
wealth to bestow with an unsparing hand; and to the whole of these
ladies he presented the most valuable presents in gold, trinkets of
beautiful workmanship, penaches of green feathers, decorated with gold,
silver, and pearls; of course, the most splendid of these presents fell
to the share of the distinguished lady Maria de Mendoza and her charming
sister. This latter lady he even presented with several bars of gold, to
be worked into all manner of fine ornaments. Among these presents to the
ladies he did not forget the most delicious perfumes and balsams: he
also made his Indian buffoons and rope dancers perform in their
presence; and on learning that the last-mentioned lady had lost one of
her mules, he secretly purchased two others for her, and gave them in
charge of her major-domo.
Cortes remained in the town of Guadaloupe until these ladies returned to
the imperial court, which, at that time, was in Toledo. He accompanied
them on their journey, and gave them banquets and feasts everywhere
along their route; and he so completely gained the good wishes of Dona
Maria de Mendoza by his graceful behaviour, his great splendour, and the
attentions he paid her, that she began seriously to think of making a
match between her sister and Cortes. If the latter had not promised his
hand to Dona Juana de Guzman, niece to the duke of Bejar, a match would
certainly have been brought about between them; and by this alliance
with the comendador-mayor of Leon he would have increased his good
fortune, and have obtained from his majesty the appointment of governor
of New Spain. However, I will say no more on this subject, for
everything is guided and directed by the hand of God.
Dona Maria de Mendoza, in her letters to her husband, could scarcely say
sufficient in praise of Cortes. All the fame of his deeds of arms, said
she, were really nothing when compared to his own personal qualities: in
order to appreciate his whole worth, it was necessary to listen to the
charm of his conversation, learn the noble frankness of his disposition,
and the grace with which his every action was accompanied. It was
impossible, she continued, that his majesty could have a more devoted
servant among his subjects, and she hoped her husband would fully
acquaint his majesty with the great merits of this man, that he might
receive the rewards which he so richly deserved.
The comendador-mayor was vastly pleased with the excellent opinion which
his wife entertained of Cortes, and the attentions the latter had shown
her, so that he was quite prepossessed in his favour; and as at that
time no one stood on a more confidential footing with the emperor than
the comendador himself, he laid his own wife's letter before the
emperor, and strongly recommended Cortes to his majesty's favour. But it
appears that the emperor was already most favorably inclined towards
him, and had, as the duke of Bejar afterwards assured Cortes, on the
first news of his arrival in Spain, expressed a great desire to make the
acquaintance of the man who had rendered him so many important services,
and of whose dangerous and deceitful character so much had been told
him.
When Cortes arrived at the imperial court, his majesty ordered
apartments to be given him in the palace. When he had approached near to
the town, the duke of Bejar, the earl of Aguilar, and several other
gentlemen of distinction went out to meet him, and gave him a most
honorable reception. On the following day, he was allowed to throw
himself at his majesty's feet; and to show him every possible
distinction on the occasion, he was accompanied by the admiral of
Castile, the duke of Bejar, and the comendador-mayor of Leon. After
Cortes had obtained leave from his majesty to speak, he knelt down, but
his majesty immediately desired him to rise; upon which Cortes addressed
the emperor, and enumerated the many important services he had rendered
the crown, the various conquests he had made down to the perilous
expedition to the Honduras, and then recounted the disturbances and
conspiracies which the veedor and factor had caused in Mexico during his
absence. Though this address was of considerable length, yet he spoke
everything with great fluency and ease, concluding with these words: "In
order, however, not to tire your majesty's patience any longer by
listening to me, and as it ill becomes a subject like myself to address
the first monarch of the world to any greater length, as I am
unaccustomed to speak with your majesty, and as the mental pain which I
suffer from the many injustices which have been done me might force
unbecoming expressions from my lips, I have drawn up in this memorial a
statement of everything I wished to say, from which your majesty may
learn the full particulars of every circumstance that has transpired."
With these words Cortes knelt down, and handed over to his majesty the
memorial, and was going to kiss his feet for having granted him so
lengthened an audience, but the emperor again desired him to rise; upon
which the admiral of Castile and the duke of Bejar addressed his
majesty in praise of Cortes, and said how richly he had merited reward.
The emperor then upon the spot created him marquis del Valle Oaxaca,
bestowed a number of townships upon him, and presented him with the
cross of the order of Santiago. The income that he was to have was not
mentioned at the time, and I am unable to say how it came to be
overlooked. The emperor also appointed him captain-general of New Spain
and of the South Sea; after which Cortes had a second audience of his
majesty to thank him for the many favours he had bestowed upon him, and
his majesty, as on the previous occasion, received him with every mark
of distinction.
Cortes had been but a few days at Toledo when he fell so dangerously ill
that every person despaired of his life. The duke of Bejar and the
comendador of Leon fearing his end was drawing nigh, requested his
majesty to visit the sick man at his bedside before his death, as a mark
of distinction to him for the many services he had rendered to the
crown. His majesty was pleased to comply with this request, and he
repaired to Cortes' lodgings, accompanied by several dukes, marquisses,
and other distinguished personages. This, at court, was considered the
highest honour and mark of respect that could be paid to a subject. When
Cortes, therefore, was restored to good health, envy strove to do its
worst to poison the favour in which he stood with his majesty, under the
protection of the earl of Nassau, the duke of Bejar, and the admiral of
Castile.
It happened one Sunday that Cortes came rather late to mass in the
cathedral church. His majesty had already taken his seat, and the
noblemen of his suite, each according to his respective rank and
station. Cortes, clothed in his deep mourning cloak, passed by all these
illustrious noblemen, and seated himself next to the earl of Nassau, who
sat very near to his majesty. This self-assumed precedence of so many
illustrious personages, as it was termed, appeared so presumptuous, and
showed so great a want of propriety, that those persons who considered
themselves slighted thereby, immediately began to murmur forth their
disapprobation of such conduct. However, the duke of Bejar, the admiral
of Castile, and the earl of Aguilar, who were present, took Cortes'
side, and observed that no reproach could be made to the latter on this
score, as his majesty, to do him honour, had ordered that he should take
his seat next to the earl of Nassau. It should also be taken into
consideration, these noblemen further said, what vast territories Cortes
had added to the crown, how greatly indebted the whole of Christendom
was to him; that their titles had merely descended to them from their
forefathers, whereas the marks of distinction which his majesty was
pleased to confer upon Cortes were the immediate consequences of the
latter's own merits.
However, it is certainly true that the great favour in which Cortes
stood with the emperor, the admiral of Castile, the earl of Nassau, and
with the duke of Bejar, added to the title of marquis which had been
conferred upon him, had turned his head a little; for he now began to
neglect his other patrons, the cardinal de Siguenza, the
comendador-mayor of Leon, the latter's wife Dona Maria de Mendoza, and
the members of the council of the Indies, all of whom had interested
themselves so greatly for him; and he exclusively courted the three
noblemen above mentioned, with whose protection he imagined he could
obtain anything. The first thing he did was to storm his majesty with
petitions to appoint him governor of New Spain, each time enumerating
the many important services he had rendered the crown, promising, should
his majesty be pleased to grant his prayer, to equip an armament for a
voyage of discovery to the islands and rich countries of the South seas.
His distinguished patrons likewise used all their influence with his
majesty to obtain this appointment for him. The emperor, however,
replied, that Cortes must be satisfied with the rich marquisate he had
conferred upon him, for he had now also to think of those with whose
assistance Cortes had accomplished his undertakings, and who certainly
deserved a reward for their exertions.
From this moment Cortes began gradually to fall in his majesty's favour.
Some ascribed this to the president of the council of the Indies,
cardinal de Siguenza, who had, in a consultation with his majesty,
declared himself against conferring the appointment of governor on
Cortes. Others ascribed it to the comendador-mayor of Leon and his wife
Dona Maria de Mendoza, who felt piqued at the manner in which Cortes had
latterly neglected them. However this may have been, I cannot say; but
his majesty adhered to his first determination, and refused to grant
Cortes his request. The emperor at this time was about to embark at
Barcelona for Flanders, being accompanied by a great number of
distinguished personages, and the three patrons of Cortes persevered in
their endeavours to obtain the appointment in question for him, until at
length his majesty forbade the earl of Nassau to speak another word
about it, remarking to him at the same time that the marquisate he had
conferred upon Cortes produced a larger annual income than he (the earl)
obtained from his whole territory of Nassau.
We will now wish his majesty a good voyage, and say a few words
respecting Cortes' marriage with Dona Juana de Zunniga. The banquets
which took place on this occasion were of the most sumptuous nature, and
the presents which Cortes made his bride, as I have been informed by
persons who saw them, were so expensive and magnificent, that nothing in
Spain had ever before been seen like them. Even the empress Isabella, it
is said, expressed a wish, from the descriptions which had been given
her of these presents by the jewellers, to possess similar ones, and
that she had accepted with indifference several precious stones which
Cortes had presented to her, because they were not equal in beauty and
value to those he had given to his wife.
Cortes, upon the whole, experienced a great deal of vexation during his
stay in Spain. Above all, it is said, the empress changed her previous
favorable sentiments with regard to Cortes, when she learnt his
ungrateful conduct towards the comendador-mayor of Leon, his wife Dona
Maria, and the cardinal de Siguenza; and that he had kept back jewels of
much greater value than he had presented to her. Yet she commanded the
council of the Indies to promote his interests in every possible manner.
An agreement was also signed between him and the crown, namely, that he
should equip a couple of vessels, at his own expense for a certain
number of years, for the discovery of new islands and countries in the
South Sea, with the condition, however, that he should have a certain
share of the profits arising therefrom.
About this time also the comendador-mayor of the order of Alcantara, Don
Pedro de la Cueva, was staying at the imperial court. This was the same
gentleman who was some time previously commanded by his majesty to
repair with a considerable body of troops to New Spain, there to make an
inquiry into the conduct of Cortes, with full power, if he found him
guilty, to cut off his head. At present, however, he gave every proof of
sincere joy at the distinguished title and the many favours which had
been conferred upon him by the emperor, and he now daily courted the
company of the marquis Don Hernando Cortes. He likewise told Cortes that
he might congratulate himself on having come to Spain; for he assured
him that if even he had not found him guilty of any offence, he would
still have had to pay all the expenses of the armament, which would have
amounted to above 300,000 pesos.
Besides all I have above related, many other things were written to us
by persons who were present in Spain at the time, and by Cortes himself,
but I will not go into them here; and though the latter expatiated a
good deal on the many favours which had been bestowed upon him at
court, yet he never mentioned a word why he was not appointed governor
of New Spain.
A few days after he had been created marquis, Cortes despatched the
cavalier Juan de Herrada to Rome in his name to kiss the feet of his
holiness pope Clement, and beg his acceptance of a valuable present in
jewels and gold trinkets. He ordered Herrada to take along with him two
Indian buffoons, and likewise wrote a lengthened epistle to his
holiness, in which he gave him a full account of the countries he had
discovered and subdued; of the great services he had above all rendered
to God, and then to his majesty; of the idol worship practised among the
Indians, and what a great number of the latter had already been
converted to Christianity. What he further told his holiness I cannot
say; but we learnt from Herrada, when he afterwards returned to New
Spain, that Cortes had begged his holiness to remit a certain portion of
the tithes.
I ought also to mention that this Juan de Herrada was an excellent
soldier, and that he had accompanied us on our expedition to the
Honduras. After his return from Rome he went to Peru, where Don Diego de
Almagro appointed him governor to his younger son Don Diego, and
otherwise placed implicit confidence in him. He likewise commanded the
small but determined body of men who put the elder Pizarro to death, and
afterwards became a chief officer under Almagro the younger.
At Rome, Herrada, with his fine presents and Indian buffoons, met with
the best reception; and his holiness declared, during the audience which
he granted him, that he could not sufficiently thank the Almighty that
he lived in an age when so many extensive countries were discovered, and
so many heathens converted to our holy religion. He said that Cortes and
his troops had rendered the greatest services to God, to our master the
emperor Don Carlos, and to the whole of Christendom, and we were
deserving of the highest rewards. His holiness even ordered a solemn
procession and a day of thanksgiving, and sent especial bulls, by which
he granted us absolution of our sins, and gave other indulgences to the
cloisters and churches. He likewise confirmed and approved of everything
Cortes had done in New Spain, only he refused to grant the latter's
request with respect to the tithes.
This is all I know of the contents of the letter which his holiness
wrote to Cortes; but everything I have above related of this mission to
Rome I learnt from Herrada himself and from another soldier who had
accompanied him named Campo. They staid altogether eight days at Rome,
and his holiness, with the cardinals, were highly delighted with the
performances of the Indian buffoons. His holiness even created Herrada a
count palatine, presented him with a large sum of money for his journey
back, and gave him a letter to our emperor, in which he requested his
majesty to bestow upon him some lucrative commendary; but as Cortes, on
his return to New Spain, had no longer the power to distribute lands or
Indians, Herrada never derived any benefit from the pope's letter, and
he repaired to Peru, where he made a brilliant career.