he emperor Henry the Fourth.

CHAPTER CCXIII.

_Of the planets and signs in the heavens which prognosticated our
arrival in New Spain; how these were interpreted by the Mexicans;
and of other matters._

The Mexicans relate that, shortly before our arrival in New Spain, there
appeared a figure in the heavens of a circular form, like a carriage
wheel, the colours of which were a mixture of green and red. Shortly
after a second, of a similar form, made its appearance, which moved
towards the rising of the sun, and joined the first. Motecusuma, who at
that time sat upon the throne of Mexico, assembled his priests and
soothsayers, and desired them to watch, and explain to him these
wonderful signs, which had never been seen before. The priests
accordingly communicated with their god Huitzilopochtli, who answered,
that they portended dreadful wars and horrible pestilence, and that it
was necessary to sacrifice some human beings.

Shortly after these signs had been seen in the heavens we arrived in New
Spain, and ten months after Narvaez came, and brought with him a negro,
who was ill with the smallpox. From this person the disease spread among
the inhabitants of Sempoalla, and thence, like a true pestilence,
throughout the whole of New Spain.

When, subsequently, we fought the severe battles during the night of
sorrows, and lost 550 of our men, who were either killed in our retreat
or taken prisoners, and sacrificed to the Mexican idols, the
interpretations which the priests had given of the signs were considered
perfectly correct. These signs were not seen by any of us, but I have
related this exactly as told by the Mexicans, for it is so described in
their hieroglyphic writing, which we always found correct.

The following appearance I beheld with my own eyes, which any one else
might have seen if he had taken the trouble of looking up. In the year
1527 there appeared in the heavens a sign, which had the shape of a long
sword, and seemed as if it stood between the province of Panuco and the
town of Tezcuco, and remained unchanged in the heavens for the space of
twenty days. The Mexicans and their papas declared it was a sign of some
pestilence, and certainly a few days after the measles, and another
eruptive disease, like leprosy, broke out, which was accompanied by a
very nauseous smell, and carried off numbers of persons, though it did
not prove so destructive as the smallpox.

In the year 1528