Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-02-01
WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA


\ to punish him for his hospitality to those
1 who had desecrateL and destroyed theil
( shrines.
sWhen faaier OImedo, therefore.
kneelns at his side, with the uplifted
crucifx, affectionately besousht him to
es brace the sign Of mans redemption,he
coidly repulsed the priest. exclaiming. i
! have but a few moments to live; and will
not. at this hour. desert the faith Of my
fathers One thing, however, seemed
to press heavily on. Montezuma's mind
This was the fate Of his children. especi-
ally OF three daughters, whom he had by
his two wives: for there were certain
rites Of marriage. which distinguished the
lawful wife from the concubine Calling
1 Cortes to his bedside. he earnestly com
mended these children particularly to
his care, as the most precious Jewels
that he could leave him. He besought
! the general to interest his master, the
Emperor, in their behalf. and to see that
| they should not be left destitute, but be
allowed some portion of their right
iulinherltanee. Your lord viii do this
be concluded. sf it were only for the
friendly Offices have rendered the Span
iards. and fe love | have shown
them-tboues pas brought me to this
chndltions 81 Nor this bear them no
il! will.' Such according to Cortes
himself,were the words Of the dying mon
arch. Not long after. on the 50th of
June, 1890. he expired in the arms Of
some OF his own mobiles, who still remain
ee faithful in attendance on his per-
son. Thus exclaiinsa native historian,
one OF his enemies. Tlascalau, thus
died the unfortunate Montezuma, who
had swayed the sceptre with such con-
safnmate policy and wisdom; and who
was held IN greater reverence and awe
that any other prince of his lineage, or
any, indeed. that ever sat on throne
IN this Western world. With him may
be said to have terminated the royal line
OF She Az.ecs, and the glory to have pass
ed away from the empire. which under
him had reached the zenith Of its pros
perity.' the tidinss of his death, says
the old Castalan chronic!er, DiaZ, .were
received with great grief by every cava-
lier and soldier in the army who had ac-
cess TO his person; for we all loved him
as father.--and no wonder. seeing how
guod he was.' This staple, but emphat-
ic. testimony to his desert, at such
time. IS in itself the best refntaiinn Of the
suspicion occasionally entertained of his
fidelity TO the Christians.
1T Is not easy TO depict the portrait Of
Montezuma in its true colors, since it
has been exhibited to US under two as
poets, OF the most opposite and contra
dictory character. In the accounts gath
cred OF him by the Spanarls, on COM
ing INTO the country, he was uniformly
represented as bold and varlike. un.
serupulous as to the means of gratifying
his ambition. hollow and peritlious, the
terror OF his foes, with haushry bear
ing which made him feared even by his
own people. they found him, on the
contrary, not merely affable and gracious
but disposed to wave all the advantages
oil his own position, and to place them on
footing with himself; making their
wishes bis law; gentle even to eliiminacy
IN his de2ortnent. and constant IN his
friendship. while his whole nation was in
arms against them. Yet these traits, SO
contradictory, were truly enough drawn.
They are to be explained by the extraor-
dlnaiy circumstances of his position.
when Montezuma assembled the
throne, he was scarcely twenty.three
years OF age. Young and ambitious of
extending his empire, he was continual
iy engaged in war, and is said to have
been present himself in nine pitched
battles. He was greatly renowned for
his martial prowess. for he belonged to
Quacaicfin; the highest military order of
his nation, and one into which but few,
even OF his soyereisns. had been admit
teo. In later life. he preferred intrigue
70 violence, as more consonant to his
character and priestly education. 10
th's he was as great adept as any prince
OF ais time. and by arts not very honora-
oie To himself succeeded in filching away
much Oh the territory of his royal klns-
man OF Iezcuco. Severe in the admin
lstratlon of justice he made important re-
forms IN the arrangement of the tribunals.
lie introduced other innovations in the
royal househ old. creating new Offices,
introducing lavish magnficence and
forms Of courtly etiquette unknown 10
h's ruder predecessors. He was, in
short, most attentive 10 all that concern
60 the exterior and pomp of roya,ty.-
Seuate and decorous, he was careful Of his
own dignity, and might be said to be as
great an actor of maiestv' among the
barbarian potentates of the New World,
as LOUIS the Fourteenth was among the
polished princes of Europe.
lie was tincturcd moreover. with that
spirit Of bigotrv, which threw such a
shade over the latter days of the French
monarch. He receivedtne Spanards as
the beings predicted by his oracles. -
The anxious dread, with which he hac e.
yaded their proffered visit, was fourded
on the same feelings which led him so