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…
About this time also the comendador-mayor of the order of Alcantara, Don Pedro de la
Cueva, was staying at the imperial court. This wasthe same gentleman who was some time
previously commanded by hismajesty to repair with a considerable body of troops to New
Spain,there to make an inquiry into the conduct of Cortes, with full power,if he found him
guilty, to cut off his head. At present, however, hegave every proof of sincere joy at the
distinguished title and the many favours which had been conferred upon him by the
emperor, and henow daily courted the company of the marquis Don Hernando Cortes.He
likewise told Cortes that he might congratulate himself on having come to Spain; for he
assured him that if even he had not found himguilty of any offence, he would still have had
to pay all the expenses of the armament, which would have amounted to above 300,000
pesos.
Besides all I have above related, many other things were written tous by persons who were
present in Spain at the time, and by Corteshimself, but I will not go into them here; and
though the latter expatiated a good deal on the many favours which had been bestowed
uponhim at court, yet he never mentioned a word why he was not appointedgovernor of
New Spain.
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A few days after he had been created marquis, Cortes despatched the cavalier Juan de
Herrada to Rome in his name to kiss the feet of his holiness pope Clement, and beg his
acceptance of a valuable present in jewels and gold trinkets. He ordered Herrada to take
alongwith him two Indian buffoons, and likewise wrote a lengthened epistleto his holiness,
in which he gave him a full account of the countrieshe had discovered and subdued; of the
great services he had above allrendered to God, and then to his majesty; of the idol worship
practised among the Indians, and what a great number of the latter had already been
converted to Christianity. What he further told his holinessI cannot say; but we learnt from
Herrada, when he afterwardsreturned to New Spain, that Cortes had begged his holiness to
remit acertain portion of the tithes.
I ought also to mention that this Juan de Herrada was an excellentsoldier, and that he had
accompanied us on our expedition to theHonduras. After his return from Rome he went to
Peru, where DonDiego de Almagro appointed him governor to his younger son DonDiego,
and otherwise placed implicit confidence in him. He likewise commanded the small but
determined body of men who put the elderPizarro to death, and afterwards became a chief
officer under Almagrothe younger.
At Rome, Herrada, with his fine presents and Indian buffoons, metwith the best reception;
and his holiness declared, during the audience which he granted him, that he could not
sufficiently thank the Almightythat he lived in an age when so many extensive countries
were discovered,and so many heathens converted to our holy religion. He saidthat Cortes
and his troops had rendered the greatest services to God,to our master the emperor Don
Carlos, and to the whole of Christendom,and we were deserving of the highest rewards. His
holiness even ordered a solemn procession and a day of thanksgiving, and sent especial
bulls, by which he granted us absolution of our sins, and gave other indulgences to the
cloisters and churches. He likewise confirmedand approved of everything Cortes had done
in New Spain, only herefused to grant the latter's request with respect to the tithes.
This is all I know of the contents of the letter which his holiness wrote to Cortes; but
everything I have above related of this missionto Rome I learnt from Herrada himself and
from another soldier whohad accompanied him named Campo. They staid altogether eight
days at Rome, and his holiness, with the cardinals, were highly delighted with the
performances of the Indian buffoons. His holinesseven created Herrada a count palatine,
presented him with a large sumof money for his journey back, and gave him a letter to our
emperor, in which he requested his majesty to bestow upon him some lucrative
commendary; but as Cortes, on his return to New Spain, had no longer the power to
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