Moctezuma II

Pues vinieron los que habian inviado á Méjico, y fueron delante el cazonci y mostráronle otro presente que le inviaba Montezuma de mantas ricas y mástiles y espejos, y saludáronle, y dijoles: “seáis bien venidos; ya os he tornado á ver; mucho tiempo ha que los viejos nuestros antepasados fueron otra vez á Méjico; pues decí como os ha ido.” Respondieron los mensajeros: “señor, llegamos á Méjico y entramos de noche, y lleváronnos en una canoa, y estábamos ya desatinados, que no sabíamos por donde íbamos, y salió nos á rescebir Montezuma, y mostrámosle el presente que le inviabas.”

Then the men who had been sent to Mexico came back. They went before the cazonci and showed him another present that Montezuma had sent him: rich mantles, loincloths, and mirrors. They greeted him, and he said to them, “Welcome. I see you again. It has been a long time since our ancestors, the old men, last went to Mexico. Now tell me how it went for you.” The messengers answered, “Lord, we reached Mexico and entered by night. They took us in a canoe, and we were already lost; we did not know where we were going. Montezuma came out to receive us, and we showed him the present you sent him.”

Dijímosles pues tornemos á Méjico, y tornamos, y saliéronnos á rescibir los señores, y despidímonos de Montezuma, y díjonos: “Tornaos á Mechuacan, que ya venistes, ó habéis visto la tierra, no nos volvamos atrás de la guerra que les queremos dar; haga esto que le rogamos; vuestro señor que ha de decir de nosotros si no venís? Habemos por ventura de ser esclavos? cómo han de llegar allá á Mechuacan? Aquí muramos todos, primero nosotros y vosotros, y no vayan á vuestra tierra; esto es lo que le diréis á vuestro señor; vengan que aquí hay mucha comida para que tenga fuerza la gente para la guerra: no tengas lástima de la gente; muramos presto y tengamos nuestro estrado de la gente que morirá si no saliéremos con la nuestra, si los cobardes y para poco de nuestros dioses no nos favorescieren, que mucho tiempo ha que le habian dicho á nuestro dios que ninguno le destruiría su reino, y no habemos oido mas reinos deste y Mechuacan; pues tornaos;” y ansí nos partimos y salieron con nosotros á despedirnos. Estas son las nuevas que tenemos.”

We said to them, ‘Let us go back to Mexico,’ and we went back. The lords came out to receive us, and we took our leave of Montezuma. He said to us, ‘Go back to Mechuacan. You have come and you have seen the land. Let us not turn back from the war we mean to make on them. Let your lord do what we ask of him. What will he say of us if you do not come? Are we to become slaves? How could the strangers ever reach Mechuacan? Let us all die here, first ourselves and then you, so that they never reach your land. Tell your lord this. Let your people come, for there is plenty of food here to keep the warriors strong. Do not spare the people. Let us die soon, and make our bed among those who will die, if we do not win, if the cowards and weaklings among our gods do not favor us. Long ago they told our god that no one would destroy his kingdom, and we have heard of no kingdoms but this one and Mechuacan. Now go back.’ And so we left, and they came out with us to see us off. That is the news we bring.”