dious journey from such distant
countries to behold his person. He now likewise, again renews the offer
to pay you a quantity of gold, silver, and chalchihuis stones, in shape
of tribute to your monarch, and as a present to you and the other teules
who are with you; but, at the same time, he again begs of you not to
advance any further, but to return from whence you came. He promises to
send abundance of gold, silver, and jewels, for your emperor, to the
harbour on the sea coast; he will present you with four loads of gold,
and your companions with one each:[43] but he altogether forbids you to
enter into Mexico, as all his troops are under arms to oppose you; add
to which, the only access to the metropolis is by one narrow causeway,
and we could not supply you with provisions there."[44]

Besides these, the ambassadors offered many other reasons in order to
dissuade us from advancing any further. However unpleasant this
disclosure might sound in his ears, Cortes, nevertheless, embraced the
ambassadors most affectionately, and accepted the presents, the value of
which I cannot now remember. I must also remark that Motecusuma never
sent any message to us which was not accompanied by some present in
gold.

On this occasion Cortes again told the ambassadors that he was surprised
how their master, who had styled himself our friend so very many times,
and was so powerful a monarch, could so often change his mind. Desire a
thing one day, to countermand it the next. With respect to his offer of
the gold for our emperor and ourselves, we were thankful for his kind
intentions, as also for the presents they now brought with them, and he
would certainly some day render him valuable services in return. He
would ask them himself if it would be acting right after we had advanced
within such a short distance of his metropolis, to turn back without
fulfilling our monarch's commission? Motecusuma should place himself in
our position and consider, if he had sent ambassadors to a monarch of
his own rank, how he would like it, if they returned home after arriving
almost at his palace, without once seeing that monarch or fulfilling
their commission to him? How would he receive these ambassadors when
they appeared before him? Would he not look upon them as cowards and
spiritless beings? Our emperor, at least, would not look upon us in any
other light, and treat us accordingly if we returned so to his court. We
had now no choice left, and we