22

VEYTIA.

[Book I.

diligent study. The rest of his life he devoted to letters; especiallyto the illustration of the national history and antiquities. As theexecutor of the unfortunate Boturini , with whom he had contracted anintimacy in Madrid , he obtained access to his valuable collection ofmanuscripts in Mexico , and from them, and every other source' whichhis position in society and his eminent character opened to him, hecomposed various works, none of which, however, except the onebefore us, has been admitted to the honors of the press. The timeof his death is/not given by his editor, but it was probably not laterthan 1780.

Veytia’s history covers the whole period, from the first occupationof Anahuac to the middle of the fifteenth century, at which point hislabors were unfortunately terminated by his death. In the early portionhe has endeavoured to trace the migratory movements and historicalannals of the principal races who entered the country. Every pagebears testimony to the extent and fidelity of his researches; and, if wefeel but moderate confidence in the results, the fault is not imputableto him, so much as to the dark and doubtful nature of the subject. Ashe descends to later ages, he is more occupied with the fortunes of theTezcucan than with those of the Aztec dynasty, which have been amply'discussed by others of his countrymen. The premature close of his' la-bors prevented him, probably, from giving that attention to the domesticinstitutions of the people he describes, to which they are entitled asthe most important subject of inquiry to the historian. The deficiencyhas been supplied by his judicious editor, Orteaga, from other sources.In the early part of his work, Yeytia has explained the chronologicalsystem of the Aztecs , but, like most writers preceding the accurateGama, with indifferent success. As a critic, he certainly ranks muchhigher than the annalists who preceded him ; and, when his ownreligion is not involved, shows a discriminating judgment. When itis, he betrays a full measure of the credulity which still maintains itshold on too many even of the well informed of his countrymen. Theeditor of the work has given a very interesting letter from the AbbéClavigero to Yeytia, written when the former was a poor and hum-ble exile, and in the tone of one addressing a person of high stand-ing and literary eminence. Both were employed on the same subject.The writings of the poor Abbé, published again and again, and trans-lated into various languages, have spread his fame throughout Europe ;while the name of Veytia, whose works have been locked up in theirprimitive manuscript, is scarcely known beyond the boundaries ofMexico .