CHAPTER V.
Transactions in Old
IN the year one thousand
five hundred and twenty one, our most Holy Father Pope Adrian of Lobayana succeeded to the sovereign pontificate. He was
then governor of Castille, and resided in the city of
The first was, that Velasquez had
bribed him with a district, with the people of which he worked gold mines.
Secondly, that in the
year one thousand five
hundred and seventeen, when one hundred and ten of us procured vessels at our
own expence and set out for the discovery of
Thirdly that Velasquez had sent twenty thousand crowns in
gold, which his nephew Juan de Grijalva had obtained,
to the bishop, and no part to his Majesty; and that when Cortes sent a present
of gold the bishop seized it, suppressing
our letters, and substituting others, ascribing the said present to Velasquez.
Also that the bishop retained one half of the treasure, and when Puertocarrero applied to him for permission to wait upon
his Majesty, he caused him to be seized and thrown into prison, where he died.
Also, that he sent orders to the officers of the Casa de Contractacion
of
These things being all brought to light, his holiness was
pleased to order, that the Bishop of Burgos should have no farther authority in
holy bulls of absolution. All
this his Majesty graciously
thought proper to confirm, so far as relates to the civil and military establishment, adding thereto his
order to Velasquez to give up his government of Cuba, on account of his having,
sent out the armament under Narvaez in defiance of the peremptory orders of the
royal chamber of audience, and of the brethren of the order of St. Jerome. The
Bishop of Burgos was so affected by the censure which his holiness the Pope
passed upon his conduct, and by his Majesty’s orders in consequence thereof, that when he retired to his country
seat at Toro he fell dangerously ill.
At this period arrived in Old Castille, Pamphilo de Narvaez, and Christoval
de Tapia, whom the Bishop of Burgos had created governor of
They made strong accusations against Cortes; first, that
Velasquez fitted out armaments three times to
his own great cost, and entrusted the command of the last to Cortes, who broke
his engagement. Farther, that when Velasquez sent Narvaez with his Majesty’s
commission as governor general of
distance; and that he had
given poison to Francisco de Garay, to get from him
his troops and shipping. There were many other accusations brought forward, so
that his Majesty was at last tired of hearing them, believing them to be true.
Narvaez, when admitted into the Emperor’s presence
addressed him in his pompous tone of voice, as follows. “Your Majesty must
further know, that on the night I was taken prisoner, having your royal
commission in my pocket, my eye put out, and in apprehension of being burnt
alive, for the apartment was in flames, one of Cortes’s
captains, Alonzo de Avila at preterit prisoner in France, violently tore your
commission out of my pocket, and when I claimed it, declaring what it was, he denied the fact, and said that
they were bonds for money owing me by Spaniards in Mexico, and which I was
coming to enforce.” At this the Emperor could not refrain from laughing. In
regard to the charges, his Majesty said, he would give orders that strict justice should be done; and he forthwith commanded that
certain persons of his royal privy council should be formed into a court of
enquiry to hear and decide upon these allegations.
The persons who composed this court were Mercurio Catarinaria grand chancellor of
This court gave notice to the
parties to come forward; and accordingly they produced their charges in the
same form that they had been laid
before his Majesty. To the charges brought by Velasquez it was replied, that De
Cordova was the discoverer of
and these captains had there
colleted twenty thousand crowns, the principal part of which went to Velasquez.
Farther, that Velasquez gave the Bishop of Burgos Indians in the
In reply to the charges brought against Cortes by Narvaez
it was represented, that on his coming to
King Montezuma, that he came to rescue him, and thereby
caused such a disturbance in the country, as produced a dangerous war. That on his arrival at Vera Cruz, Cortes had written to him a
friendly letter, desiring to see his commission, to which Narvaez would make no
answer; but declared war against Cortes and his companions, notwithstanding
that Cortes invited him to, and represented the necessity of, an amicable
junction, for the good of his Majesty’s service, lest all should be lost. But
Cortes finding that all his offers were neglected, and Narvaez not shewing him his Majesty’s commission, and knowing the misconduct
of Narvaez in seizing his Majesty’s oydor, to bring
him to punishment for so doing, went to him, determined to see his authority,
and to know the reason of his conduct, and that Narvaez had, then attempted to surprise and seize him, of which he could adduce proofs and
witnesses, amongst others Andrez de Duero, who was at
that time with Narvaez. In regard to his causing the failure of Garay, and poisoning him at breakfast, it was replied that
the failure of the expedition was owing to Garay’s
own misconduct, and ignorance of the country. That when Garay
found his situation hopeless, he accepted the friendly offer which Cortes had
made him, of an hospitable reception at Mexico, where an alliance was agreed
upon between the families, and Garay was to have had
assistance to establish a colony on the river Palmas; and that if it was God’s
will to take him from this life, according to the oaths of the physicians, by a
pleurisy, it was not in the power of Cortes to prevent it. Cortes also proved
in answer to the charge of, having retained his Majesty’s fifth, that he had
fairly expended it in the service, together with six thousand crowns of his own
property: that the fifth which he deducted for himself was according to
compact, and in regard to the charge of detaining the soldiers prize money it
was replied, that in the capture of Mexico very little gold remained to be
divided, inasmuch as the wealth of the place was almost all fallen into the
hands of the Tlascalan and Tezcucan allies. In regard
to burning the feet of Guatimotzin, it was
done contrary to the inclination of Cortes, by his Majesty’s officers, to force
him to discover where Montezuma’s treasure was concealed. In answer to the
charge of his buildings it was stated, that they
were truly sumptuous, and that the cypresses and stones
were brought from a great distance, but that the said buildings were for the
use and honor of his Majesty and his successors: that the materials were
brought the principal part of the way by water, and that the work was carried
an by the general labour of the Indians, under the
order of Guatimotzin, as is always the case in building the houses of the great
in that country. As to the complaint of Alonzo de Avila forcibly taking the
commission from Narvaez, it appeared upon inspection that there was no commission whatever in those papers, the whole of which were
receipts for the purchase of horses, and other things similar; but that Cortes
never saw them, nor was it done by his order. In regard to the complaints of
the pilots against Cortes; the feet of Umbria were cut off by the hand of
justice, as a punishment for running away with his ship, and Cardenas had
refuted to take his share in the division of the gold, consenting that the
whole should be sent to his Majesty, but that Cortes had given him out of his
own purse three hundred crowns, which was as much as he deserved, being a
person of little consideration, and no soldier. In regard to the charge
relative to Tapia, it was alledged that had he come
to Mexico and produced his Majesty’s orders, they should have been received by
Cortes, prostrate on the ground, with all respect, and humility; but his
incapacity was so notorious, that it was the universal desire, and advice, of
the Spaniards then in New Spain, that Cortes should remain in the command.
These charges and exculpations having been duly weighed by the court for five
days, it was determined to lay the whole of the proceedings before his Majesty,
together with their decision, which was accordingly done. The sentence which
they gave was entirely in favour of Cortes: the merit and
valour of him and the old conquerors of
Narvaez was referred for redress to France, where Avila
who had seized his papers was at present prisoner; the pilots Umbria and
Cardenas obtained royal cedules, granting to them
property in New Spain to the amount of one thousand crowns in rent; and it was
ordained, that Cortes’s veterans should all have
immediate and ample gratifications, in lands and Indians, and should enjoy
pre-eminence and precedency, such as their valour deserved. The sentence thus given was taken to
When Las Casas and Rodrigo de
Paz brought the intelligence to
and De Paz obtained other
valuable possessions, and was appointed by Cortes his major domo and secretary.
To all those who came from his country of
Some readers may be curious to learn how these matters
came to my knowledge; to which I reply, that the conquerors received
information of the proceedings of our agents or procuradors,
in four or five letters written by them from Castille; but I used then to say
often, that it appeared to me that they procured only for Cortes and
themselves, and during all that time, we who had made Cortes what he was,
remained encountering one danger and hardship after another. May God grant us
his protection, and instil into the mind of our great
Caesar the determination to cause his true and just intentions to be carried
into effect.