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…
prepared, and he received the holysacrament with the greatest humility, and then made his
last will, inwhich he appointed the licentiate Marcos de Aguilar, who had accompaniedhim
from Hispaniola, to succeed him in the government.
There were many persons who maintained that this Aguilar was nota licentiate, but that he
had only the degree of bachelor; and that,properly speaking, he was not qualified to fill an
appointment of this nature. Ponce de Leon, however, seems to have been of a different
opinion, and he had his commission drawn out in such a manner that all the actions and
inquiries, including the criminal suits against thefactor and veedor, should remain as they
then were, until his majestyhad been informed how far he himself had progressed in these
matters;for which purpose a vessel was immediately to be despatched to Spain.
After he had thus arranged his earthly affairs, and had performed the last duties for the
salvation of his soul, he died on the ninth dayafter he had fallen ill, and delivered up his
immortal soul into thehands of his Maker. Great, indeed, was the grief and despondency
which his sudden death occasioned to all the Conquistadores. Theymourned his loss as if he
had been their common father, because they were convinced that it had been his real
intention to reward andhonour all those who had proved themselves faithful servants to his
majesty; for which purpose his majesty had given him the necessary powers and
instructions. The Conquistadores, therefore, sincerely lamented the untimely end of this
gentleman; and even Cortes himselfand the greater part of the cavaliers in Mexico put on
mourningfor him. His interment took place in the Franciscan cloisters withevery pomp and
ceremony.
[Pg 311]
Luis Ponce was very fond of music, and several cavaliers who attendedon him told me that,
in the last days of his illness, he desiredsome one to play on the guitar at his bedside, in
order to cheer himup. In his last moments even he desired the musician to play adance, but
as he was not able to move his legs from excessive weakness,he at least accompanied the
movements with his lips, and thishe continued to do until he breathed his last.
The enemies of Cortes and Sandoval, on this occasion, again began to whisper their
calumnies abroad, and asserted that they had poisonedLeon in the same manner as they had
Garay. Loudest among theseslanderers was father Thomas Ortiz, but the latter himself, with
several brothers of his order, died of the same infectious disease a few months after. It
appears that the vessel which brought Leon from Spain was infected with a kind of
pestilential fever; for of above one hundred persons who were on board, many had died
during the passage, anda still greater number perished of the same disorder soon after their
arrival in Medellin. Most of the monks, likewise, fell victims to thisdisorder; and it was
even said that the disease had spread to Mexico.
CHAPTER CXCIII.
How after the death of Ponce de Leon, Marcos de Aguilar assumes the
government; the disputes which arose in consequence, and of othermatters.
Those of the Conquistadores who were ill inclined towards Cortes, desired that the
commission of inquiry might be continued, notwithstandingthat Ponce de Leon had died,
but our general declared thatthis could not take place according to the wording of Leon's
last will;yet, if Aguilar was willing to proceed with the inquiry, he had noobjections.
[Pg 312]
But now the town-council of Mexico threw in their objections, andmaintained that Leon
was not empowered to leave Marcos de Aguilarsole governor. An important office of this
kind required a very differentkind of person to Aguilar, who, besides being far advanced in
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