_How our agents passed through the Bahama channel with the most
favorable wind, and arrived in Castile after a short passage; and of
our success at court._
Our agents had a most favorable voyage to the Havannah, and thence
through the Bahama roads: their further course was equally prosperous,
and they very soon arrived at the Tercera isles, and from there to
Sevilla, where they hired a carriage and posted to the imperial court
residence, at that time in Valladolid. Here the archbishop Fonseca
governed at will, he being, moreover, president of Indian affairs, and
the emperor then still very young, and residing in Flanders.
Our agents waited upon the archbishop, in the full expectation of being
well received with thanks. They handed over to him the letters with the
details of our adventures, also the presents, with the valuable things,
and begged of him to forward all this to his majesty by a courier, whom
they would accompany themselves. However, instead of meeting with a
kind reception, they were very coolly received, and dismissed with a few
dry and harsh words. They begged of him to mention the great services
which Cortes and his men had rendered his majesty, and repeatedly urged
him to send the letters and presents to the emperor, that he might learn
everything as it had really taken place. He, however, answered in a very
haughty tone, desiring them not to give themselves any further trouble:
he would fully inform his majesty of what had taken place; not, however,
according to their story, but conformably to truth; that, namely, we had
rebelled against Velasquez. This was followed by many other sharp
rebukes.
About this time also, Benito Martin, chaplain to Velasquez, arrived in
Valladolid, preferring heavy accusations against Cortes and all of us,
which set the archbishop more and more against us. Francisco de Montejo
had not the courage to step forward and defend our cause; but
Puertocarrero, as cousin to the earl of Medellin, durst presume the
more: he therefore took up the question, and most urgently begged of the
archbishop to give them a quiet hearing, and not to answer them so
harshly. They demanded nothing further of him than to forward the
presents to his majesty; they had a right to ask this, for we were
servants of the crown, and merited a remuneration, but not the remarks
he had allowed himself to make.
These words so greatly incensed the archbishop, that he ordered
Puertocarrero to be thrown into prison, on account of some previous
affair which had come to his ears; he having, namely, three years ago,
carried off a married woman, named Maria Rodriguez, of Medellin, and
taken her to India. Such was the first reception which our presents and
services met with in Spain, and nothing remained for our agents but to
hold their tongues for the present, and wait until a more favorable time
and opportunity should present itself. The archbishop now forwarded his
account to the emperor, who was then in Flanders, in which he extolled
the merits of his creature Velasquez to the very skies, saying
everything that was bad of Cortes and all of us; nor did he mention one
single word about our letters.
Upon this Puertocarrero, Montejo, Martin Cortes, the father of our
general, the licentiate Nunez, who was reporter to the royal council,
and a near relation to Cortes, determined to despatch a courier of their
own to the emperor in Flanders. They fortunately possessed duplicates of
all our despatches and letters, as also a list of all the presents we
had destined for his majesty.
With these papers they likewise sent a separate letter to the emperor
with complaints against the archbishop and the whole of his doings with
Diego Velasquez. In this resolution they were backed by other cavaliers
who were at variance with the archbishop, who, upon the whole, had many
enemies on account of his haughty behaviour and the abuse he made of the
important offices he filled. And as the great services we had rendered
to God and his majesty, in whom we had alone reposed our trust, were
looked upon in a favorable light, it also happened that his majesty made
the strictest inquiries into the whole affair. His majesty was so highly
pleased with what we had done, that the dukes, marquisses, earls, and
other cavaliers, for days together spoke of nothing but Cortes, our
courageous behaviour, our conquests, and of the riches we had sent over.
It was owing to this as well as to the unfaithful and distorted account
which the archbishop had drawn up respecting these matters, and
particularly because he had not sent all the presents, but kept the
major part to himself, that he fell from that moment into his majesty's
displeasure. In the meantime the archbishop's agents in Flanders had
sent him information of all that had passed, which vexed him in no small
degree, and if previously he had blackened Cortes and all of us to his
majesty, he now boldly accused us of high treason. But the Lord very
soon bridled his rage; for two years after he received his dismissal,
and then in his turn experienced the curse of malice and contempt. We,
on the contrary, were looked upon as loyal men who had rendered services
to the crown, as shall be mentioned in the proper place. For the present
the emperor informed our agents, that he would himself shortly visit
Spain to investigate the matter more closely and reward us. Our agents,
therefore, awaited his majesty's arrival in Spain.
Before I proceed any further with my narrative, I must answer one
question, which several cavaliers have very justly put to me; namely,
how it was possible for me to relate these things, as I was not present
myself, but making the campaign in New Spain, when our agents were
despatched with the letters and presents, and met with this ill
treatment from the archbishop of Rosano? To which my answer is, that our
agents forwarded to us, the true conquistadores, verbatim all that had
passed between them and the latter, as also the favorable decision which
the emperor came to in our behalf; of which Cortes sent copies to all
the towns where we happened to be stationed, to show us how favorably
everything had terminated, and what a great enemy we had in the
archbishop. After this digression we will return to our quarters in New
Spain, and see what happened there in the meantime.