460

APPENDIX.

[Part II.

fogosos, é echan piedras mui grandísimas fuera de si quemadas, élanzan aquellas bocas mucho humo, é es cosa de mui horrible aspecto,en especial como le viéron quando murió la pecadora de dolía Beatrizde la Cueva, Muger del Adelantado Don Pedro de Alvarado. Plegaá nuestro Señor de quedar con Vmd., Señor Alcaide, é dadme liceocia que atiende la Barca para irme á la Nao.

Alc. Señor Thoan Cano, el Espíritu Sancto vaya con Vm., y osdé tan próspero viage é navegación, que en pocos dias y en salva-mento lleguéis á Vuestra Casa, y halléis á la S™ doña Isabel y loshijos é hijas con la salud que Vmd. y ellos os deseáis.

No. XII. — See Vol. II., p. 345.

GRANT OF CORTÉS TO DOÑA ISABEL MONTEZUMA, DAUGHTER OF THEEMPEROR MONTEZUMA ; DATED AT MEXICO, JUNE 27, 1626.

[Montezuma , on his death-bed, commended, as we haveseen in the History, three favorite daughters to the protec-tion of Cortés. After their father’s death they were bap-tized, and after the Conquest were married to Spaniards ofhonorable family, and from them have descended severalnoble houses in Spain. Cortés granted, by way of dowry,to the eldest, Doña Isabel, the city of Tacuba and severalother places, embracing an extensive and very populous dis-trict. I have given here the instrument containing thisgrant, which has a singular degree of interest, from the no-tices it contains of Montezuma’s last moments, and thestrong testimony it bears to his unswerving friendship for theSpaniards. Some allowance must be made by the readerfor the obvious endeavour of Cortés to exhibit Montezuma’sconduct in so favorable a light to the Castilian government,as might authorize the extensive grant to his daughter.

The instrument in the Muñoz collection was taken froman ancient copy in the library of Don Rafael Floranes of' Valladolid .]