er, take this as a
precept._ At another time: _We are much more conquered ourselves than
conquerors, and should not be called the conquerors of New Spain, but
the conquered of Cortes._ Then again: _Cortes is not content with taking
his share of the gold as general, but must also have his royal fifths._
Again: _Alas! how my heart does grieve, ever since I have seen my share
of the booty!_ And then again: _Diego Velasquez has spent all his
fortune to discover the coast up to Panuco, but Cortes has reaped the
harvest._ Such like sayings were numerous, many of which I should not
wish to repeat here.

Cortes never neglected to read these epigrams as soon as he rose in the
morning; the greater part of which were in rhyme, and not exactly so
homely as those above quoted. As he was himself a bit of a poet, he
wrote answers in verse beneath them, which had always reference to his
deeds of arms, and tended to lower those of Diego Velasquez, Grijalva,
and of Narvaez. These, his answers, were so pointed, that each day the
epigrams became more severe, when Cortes at length wrote: _White wall,
the paper of fools!_ And the following morning was found under it: _And
of the wise and honest!_ Our general very well knew who were the writers
of these verses; namely, a certain Tirado, one of Velasquez's partisans,
and son-in-law of the elder Ramirez, who lived in la Puebla; a certain
Villalobos, who returned afterwards to Spain; and one Mansilla, with
others, who were always ready to oppose Cortes in everything. These
verses grew at length of so scandalous a nature, that father Olmedo told
Cortes he ought to put a stop to them. Our general followed this good
advice, and ordered that no one henceforth should presume to dirty the
walls with any beastly sayings, under threats of severe punishment.

For the rest we were all deeply in debt. A crossbow was not to be
purchased for less than forty or fifty pesos, a musket cost one hundred,
a sword fifty, and a horse from 800 to 1000 pesos, and above. Thus
extravagantly had we to pay for everything! A surgeon, who called
himself Mastre Juan, and who had cured some very severe wounds, demanded
most exorbitant fees for his cures. There was also an apothecary and
barber, named Murcia, who likewise cured wounds. Various other
impositions were practised, and payment was demanded of the men as soon
as they had obtained their shares of the booty.

Serious complaints were made about this, and Cortes knew