Work overview

Text 18 of 137

CHAPTER XVII.

The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Vol 1 (of 2) Written by Himself Containing a True and Full Account of the Discovery and Conquest of Mexico and New Spain.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo · 2010

Contents

Text 18 of 137

  1. 01Front matter
  2. 02CHAPTER I.
  3. 03CHAPTER II.
  4. 04CHAPTER III.
  5. 05CHAPTER IV.
  6. 06CHAPTER V.
  7. 07CHAPTER VI.
  8. 08CHAPTER VII.
  9. 09CHAPTER VIII.
  10. 10CHAPTER IX.
  11. 11CHAPTER X.
  12. 12CHAPTER XI.
  13. 13CHAPTER XII.
  14. 14CHAPTER XIII.
  15. 15CHAPTER XIV.
  16. 16CHAPTER XV.
  17. 17CHAPTER XVI.
  18. 18CHAPTER XVII.
  19. 19CHAPTER XVIII.
  20. 20CHAPTER XIX.
  21. 21CHAPTER XX.
  22. 22CHAPTER XXI.
  23. 23CHAPTER XXII.
  24. 24CHAPTER XXIII.
  25. 25CHAPTER XXIV.
  26. 26CHAPTER XXV.
  27. 27CHAPTER XXVI.
  28. 28CHAPTER XXVII.
  29. 29CHAPTER XXVIII.
  30. 30CHAPTER XXIX.
  31. 31CHAPTER XXX.
  32. 32CHAPTER XXXI.
  33. 33CHAPTER XXXII.
  34. 34CHAPTER XXXIII.
  35. 35CHAPTER XXXIV.
  36. 36CHAPTER XXXV.
  37. 37CHAPTER XXXVI.
  38. 38CHAPTER XXXVII.
  39. 39CHAPTER XXXVIII.
  40. 40CHAPTER XXXIX.
  41. 41CHAPTER XL.
  42. 42CHAPTER XLI.
  43. 43CHAPTER XLII.
  44. 44CHAPTER XLIII.
  45. 45CHAPTER XLIV.
  46. 46CHAPTER XLV.
  47. 47CHAPTER XLVI.
  48. 48CHAPTER XLVII.
  49. 49CHAPTER XLVIII.
  50. 50CHAPTER XLIX.
  51. 51CHAPTER L.
  52. 52CHAPTER LI.
  53. 53CHAPTER LII.
  54. 54CHAPTER LIII.
  55. 55CHAPTER LIV.
  56. 56CHAPTER LV.
  57. 57CHAPTER LVI.
  58. 58CHAPTER LVII.
  59. 59CHAPTER LVIII.
  60. 60CHAPTER LIX.
  61. 61CHAPTER LX.
  62. 62CHAPTER LXI.
  63. 63CHAPTER LXII.
  64. 64CHAPTER LXIII.
  65. 65CHAPTER LXIV.
  66. 66CHAPTER LXV.
  67. 67CHAPTER LXVI.
  68. 68CHAPTER LXVII.
  69. 69CHAPTER LXVIII.
  70. 70CHAPTER LXIX.
  71. 71CHAPTER LXX.
  72. 72CHAPTER LXXI.
  73. 73CHAPTER LXXII.
  74. 74CHAPTER LXXIII.
  75. 75CHAPTER LXXIV.
  76. 76CHAPTER LXXV.
  77. 77CHAPTER LXXVI.
  78. 78CHAPTER LXXVII.
  79. 79CHAPTER LXXVIII.
  80. 80CHAPTER LXXIX.
  81. 81CHAPTER LXXX.
  82. 82CHAPTER LXXXI.
  83. 83CHAPTER LXXXII.
  84. 84CHAPTER LXXXIII.
  85. 85CHAPTER LXXXIV.
  86. 86CHAPTER LXXXV.
  87. 87CHAPTER LXXXVI.
  88. 88CHAPTER LXXXVII.
  89. 89CHAPTER LXXXVIII.
  90. 90CHAPTER LXXXIX.
  91. 91CHAPTER XC.
  92. 92CHAPTER XCI.
  93. 93CHAPTER XCII.
  94. 94CHAPTER XCIII.
  95. 95CHAPTER XCIV.
  96. 96CHAPTER XCV.
  97. 97CHAPTER XCVI.
  98. 98CHAPTER XCVII.
  99. 99CHAPTER XCVIII.
  100. 100CHAPTER XCIX.
  101. 101CHAPTER C.
  102. 102CHAPTER CI.
  103. 103CHAPTER CII.
  104. 104CHAPTER CIII.
  105. 105CHAPTER CIV.
  106. 106CHAPTER CV.
  107. 107CHAPTER CVI.
  108. 108CHAPTER CVII.
  109. 109CHAPTER CVIII.
  110. 110CHAPTER CIX.
  111. 111CHAPTER CX.
  112. 112CHAPTER CXI.
  113. 113CHAPTER CXII.
  114. 114CHAPTER CXIII.
  115. 115CHAPTER CXIV.
  116. 116CHAPTER CXV.
  117. 117CHAPTER CXVI.
  118. 118CHAPTER CXVII.
  119. 119CHAPTER CXVIII.
  120. 120CHAPTER CXIX.
  121. 121CHAPTER CXX.
  122. 122CHAPTER CXXI.
  123. 123CHAPTER CXXII.
  124. 124CHAPTER CXXIII.
  125. 125CHAPTER CXXIV.
  126. 126CHAPTER CXXV.
  127. 127CHAPTER CXXVI.
  128. 128CHAPTER CXXVII.
  129. 129CHAPTER CXXVIII.
  130. 130CHAPTER CXXIX.
  131. 131CHAPTER CXXX.
  132. 132CHAPTER CXXXI.
  133. 133CHAPTER CXXXII.
  134. 134CHAPTER CXXXIII.
  135. 135CHAPTER CXXXIV.
  136. 136CHAPTER CXXXV.
  137. 137CHAPTER CXXXVI.
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Work overview

Text 18 of 137

CHAPTER XVII.

Bernal Díaz del Castillo · about 3 minutes

Original source ↗

CHAPTER XVII.

_Diego Velasquez despatches one of his officials to Spain._

My readers may perhaps think, that what I am now about to relate does not exactly belong to this history; but in the course of it they will readily perceive that I have been obliged to notice many circumstances before I could introduce them to the captain, Hernando Cortes. They ought also to bear in mind, that it often happens that two or three things take place at the same moment; in which case there only remains for the historian to treat of one circumstance after the other, and begin with that which lies nearest at hand. In this place the following comes first under our consideration.

After the arrival of Pedro de Alvarado with the gold which we had made in the newly-discovered country, Diego Velasquez began to fear that some one at court, who might have received private information of all this, would anticipate him, in forwarding his imperial majesty the first news of our important discovery, and so rob him of the reward. He, therefore, despatched one of his chaplains, named Benito Martinez, a thorough man of business, to Spain, with letters and a few of the valuable things, to Don Juan Rodriguez Fonseca, bishop of Burgos, and archbishop of Rosano. He wrote at the same time to the licentiate Louis Zapata, and the secretary Lope Conchillos, who at that time had the conduct of all Indian affairs under the archbishop.

Diego Velasquez was quite devoted to these gentlemen, and had presented them with considerable Indian villages in Cuba, with the inhabitants of which they worked their gold mines. But he took particular care to provide well for the archbishop, troubling himself very little about his majesty, who was at that time in Flanders.

He sent moreover to these, his patrons, a great portion of the gold trinkets which Alvarado had brought with him; for everything that was determined in the imperial council of India depended upon these gentlemen. Diego Velasquez therefore sought, by means of his chaplain, to obtain unlimited permission to fit out armaments at any time he might think proper to make voyages of discovery, and to found colonies in the new countries as well as in those that might subsequently be discovered: in the accounts he transmitted to Spain, he spoke of the many thousands of gold-pesos which he had already spent in like undertakings; thereby giving such a favorable direction to the negotiations of his chaplain, Benito Martinez, that his expectations were more than fulfilled, who even obtained for him the additional title of Adelantado of Cuba. This latter appointment, however, did not arrive until the new expedition under Cortes had left. I will not make any further remarks on these matters at present, but rather say a few words respecting Francisco Lopez de Gomara's History of the Conquest of New Spain and Mexico. His history fell into my hands while I was writing my own, and I soon foresaw that I should have to contradict him in many instances. My intention is to give a faithful account, and that in due order, of every circumstance; this will greatly differ from his narrative, which is quite at variance with truth.