158 Merits and Demerits of "Residencias.” B. XIV. avail,* as it was known that after the residencia Ch. 3. he was to be reinstated as governor; and woe to the unfortunate individual who should be rash enough to bring any charge against so vindictive a man who, in a few months, would be in full power again! "Pero como todos conosçian pues no confiaban de tal manera questa residencia era grangeada de juzgado, ni á ninguno conpor Pedrarías, é que passada, se venia pedir ni enojar al que se avia de quedar en el mesmo avia de quedar mandando la officio de gobernador, començaron tierra, porque despues no le los cuerdos á burlar é murmurar destruyesse por tal causa; é assí de tal cuenta, porque les paresçia ninguno ovo tan falto de sesso que era mejor disimular sus que se pusiesse en tal jornada, quexas é agravios que no trabaxar pues avia de ser tiempo perdido." é andar caminos en valde, gas--OVIEDO, Hist. Gen. y Nat. tando dineros, si allí fuessen; de Indias, lib. 29, cap. 17. CHAPTER IV. THE RESIDENCIA OF CORTES-DEATH OF PONCE DE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO-PONCE DE LEON'S INSTRUCTIONS of Cortes THE residencia of Cortes was commenced; B. XIV. and during the whole time that it lasted Ch. 4. (namely, seventeen days), not a single charge was brought against him.* In his fifth letter to the Emperor, he successfully repels the The reply accusations, made against him by "serpent to the tongues," with regard to his wealth and posses- made sions, asserting that, if he has received much, he against has spent much more,—and that, too, not in buying heritages for himself, but in extending the patrimony of the King. He declares, that, at the present moment, he is poor, and much indebted.† "Y luego fué pregonado públicamente en la plaza de esta ciudad mi residencia, y estuve en ella diez y siete dias sin que se me pusiese demanda alguna."Documentos Inéditos, tom. 4, p. 150. "Y cuanto á lo que dicen de tener yo mucha parte de la tierra, así lo confieso, y que he habido harta suma y cantidad de oro; pero digo que no ha sido tanta que haya bastado para que yo deje de ser pobre y estar accusations him. 160 The "Residencia" of Cortes, B. XIV. Indeed, he makes the following curious offer to Ch. 4. the King. His Majesty had been informed that Cortes possessed two hundred cuentos of rent, upon which Cortes offers to His Majesty to commute all that he has for twenty cuentos of rent in New Spain, or ten in the mother country.† The residencia of Cortes, however, was broken off by an unexpected event. Ponce de Leon had been ill before this formal ceremony of taking the wands of justice: he returned to his apartments, shivering, and unable to eat. He threw himself on his bed, from which he was never to rise. The fever increased: in a few days it was evident that he was about to die; and, summoning to his bedside the King's civil servants, in their presence vicios, y aun para lo de acá pienso será V. M. de mí muy servido porque sabré como testigo de vista decir á V. A. lo que á su Real servicio conviene que acá mande proveer, y no podrá ser engañado por falsas relaciones." Documentos Inéditos, tom. 4, p. 157. adeudado en mas de cincuenta | tampoco podrá encubrir mis ser- "Digo que siendo V. M. servido de me hacer merced de me mandar dar en esos reinos diez cuentos de renta y que yo en ellos le vaya á servir, no será para mí pequeña merced con dejar todo cuanto acá tengo, * "Por tanto á V. M. suplico porque de esta manera satisfaria reciba en servicio todo cuanto yo mi deseo que es servir á V. M. acá tengo, y en esos reinos me en su Real presencia, y V. M. haga merced de los veinte cuentos así mismo se satisfaria de mi de renta, y quedarle han los ciento lealtad y seria de mí muy sery ochenta, y yo serviré en la vido."-Relacion al EMPERAReal presencia de V. M. donde DOR, por HERNAN CORTÉS. Doc. nadie pienso me hará ventaja ni | Inéd., tom. 4, p. 159. * The "Residencia" of Cortes. 161 Ch. 4. Leon dies. 1526. he delivered his wand of office to Marcos de B. XIV. Aguilar, and soon after expired. In those days eminent persons seldom died suddenly without Ponce de the suspicion of their having been assisted out of the world; and, as Ponce de Leon's death, at this juncture, was apparently convenient for Cortes, there were not wanting people-to use a Spanish phrase of that day-who probably believed, and loudly asserted, that the new Governor had been poisoned by the man he came to supersede. This accusation, no doubt, travelled, with all the swiftness of malignity, to the Spanish Court. Calumny, which can not only make a cloud seem like a mountain, but can almost transform a cloud into a mountain, was often busy with the name of Cortes. This is the third time-I almost scorn to mention it-that he was accused of poisoning persons whose existence was supposed to be inconvenient to him.† Any man, however, who is much talked of, will be much misrepresented. Indeed, malignant intention is, unhappily, the least part of calumny, which has its sources in idle talk, playful fancies, gross misapprehensions, utter exaggerations, and many other rivulets of error that sometimes flow together into one huge river of calumniation, which pursues its muddy, mischievous course, unchecked, for ages. B. XIV. Marcos de succeeds Ponce de Meanwhile, in Mexico, it was immediately a Ch. 4. subject of discussion, as might have been foreseen, whether Ponce de Leon could delegate the power he had received from the Emperor. That question, after many juntas (for the disputed point is a difficult one), was determined in favour of Marcos de Aguilar, who was accordingly accepted as the Governor. There is always, however, a loss of power in these transmissions of authority. The loss was not of much importance in the present case, for Marcos de Aguilar was a sickly man,* and the charge of such a difficult government so He dies. rapidly augmented his malady, that he died about two months after his appointment. Again Cortes seemed to be delivered, by a happy accident, from the troubles of his residencia. Before his death, Marcos de Aguilar had, in his turn, taken care to nominate a successor, and had chosen the Treasurer, Alonzo de Estrada. The question respecting the delegation of authority was renewed, and much disputed over. The result, too, was different, for it was at last agreed upon that Estrada should but in concert with govern, Gonzalo de Sandoval, and that Cortes should have charge of the government of the Indians, and of the war department. Indeed, it appears as if the main body of the civil servants of Mexico wished that Cortes should resume the whole power which he had held before the arrival The Treasurer and Sandoval Marcos de * "Estava tan doliente y hético, que le dava de mamar una muger de Castilla, y tenia unas cabras que tambien bebia leche dellas."-BERNAL DIAZ, cap. 193. |