The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo Vol. 2

1/25/22, 8:50 PM The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Memoirs of the Conquistador Bernal Diaz del Castillo written by himself, containing a true an…
highest rewards from his majesty, and his holiness, as the pastor of our souls, would
supplicate the Almighty in prayer to send a blessing on our endeavours in the service of
Christianity. This letterwas likewise accompanied by other bulls, by which absolution was
granted us for all the sins we had committed during the conquest.
After this very favorable decision of his holiness, both as supremepontiff and governor of
Spain, our agents themselves wrote to his majesty,who had just arrived from Flanders, [37]
and inclosed certain paperswhich had been drawn up by his holiness respecting the subjectmatter.His
majesty, after making the most minute inquiries into the affair,confirmed the
decision of the pope, appointed Cortes governor of New Spain, and also ordered that
Velasquez should be reimbursed the expensesof the expedition. But the emperor even went
further thanthis, and deprived Velasquez of the government of Cuba, because hehad fitted
out the armament under Narvaez for New Spain without hispermission, and in opposition
to the commands of the royal court of audience at St. Domingo, and of the Hieronymite
brotherhood; also because he had refused to obey the orders of the auditor Vasquez de
Aillon, and had even had the audacity to throw him into prison, though he had been
expressly despatched to Cuba by order of the royal courtof audience to forbid the armament
leaving this island.
[Pg 198]
When the bishop of Burgos was informed of the decision to which his holiness and his
majesty had come, he fell ill from excessive vexation,quitted the court and retired to his
country seat at Toro. Hisbrother, Don Antonio de Fonseca, [38] lord of Coca and Alaexos,
triedall in his power to get him reinstated into his late office, but all hisendeavours proved
fruitless with the emperor.
Thus, all in a moment, everything terminated favorably for Cortes, but the instability of
good fortune soon began to show itself, for now Narvaez, Christobal de Tapia, and the
soldier Cardenas brought heavy accusations against him. To all of which was added the
charges preferredagainst our general by the pilot Umbria, whom Cortes had sentencedto
have his legs cut off on the occasion when Cermenno and Escudero were hung for a
conspiracy they had formed against his life.
CHAPTER CLXVIII.
How Narvaez, Christobal de Tapia, the pilot Umbria, and the soldier
Cardenas, bring heavy accusations against Cortes, at the instigation of the
bishop of Burgos, and what judgment his majesty pronounced.
After the pope and the emperor, as I have just related, had pronouncedjudgment in favour
of Cortes, Pamfilo de Narvaez and Christobal de Tapia arrived in Spain. They were
accompanied by thesoldier Cardenas and the pilot Umbria, and immediately repaired tothe
bishop of Burgos at Toro, and begged of him to aid in the accusations which they had
determined to bring against Cortes beforehis majesty. As nothing could be more welcome
to the bishop thanthis, he promised to lend them every support, and upon his advicethey
joined Velasquez's agents, named Bernardino Velasquez, Benito Martin, and Manuel de
Rojas, and presented themselves to his majesty,before whom they preferred the following
charges against Cortes:
[Pg 199]
Firstly. Diego Velasquez had sent out three several armaments for the discovery and
colonization of New Spain, in which he had expendedlarge sums of money. Of one of these
expeditions he had appointedCortes commander-in-chief, but the latter had deserted with
the wholearmament and had refused all further obedience to him.
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