exquifitely dreffed in the opinion even of the Spaniards. They used falt, which was made by the fun.

ut by sa The women were dextrous at fpinning; and manufactures of cotton and hair abounded every where.

The populousness of Mexico and Peru afford irrefragable evidence, that the arts of peace were there carried to a great height. The city of Mexico contained 60,000 families *; and Montezuma had thirty vaffals who could bring into the field, each of them, 100,000 fighting men. Tlafcalla, a neighbouring republic, governed by a fenate, was fo populous, as to be almost a match for the Emperor of Mexico, ut lo sumalo vd just won by 21 The public edifices in the city of Mexico, and houses of the nobility, were of fstone, and well built. The royal palace had thirty gates opening to as many streets. The principal front was of jafper, black, red, and white, well polished built and adorned like the front, led to Montezuma's apartment, having large rooms, floors covered with mats of different kinds, walls hung with a mixture of cotton-cloth and rabbit-furs; the innermoft room adorned with hangings of feathers, beautified with various figures in lively colours. In that building, large ceilings were formed fo artificially without nails, as to make the planks fustain each other. Water was brought into the city of Mexico, from a mountain at a league's distance...

Three fquares,

Gold and filver were in fo high esteem, that veffels made of these metals were permitted to none but to the Emperor. Confidering the value put upon gold and filver, the want of current coin would argue great dulnefs in that nation, if inftances did

• We cannot altogether rely on what is reported of this ancient empire with refpect to numbers. The city of Mexico, tho' confiderably enlarged fince the Spanish. conqueft, doth not at prefent contain more than 60,000 fouls, including 20,000. Negroes and Mulattoes.

not

not daily occur of improvements, after being carried to a confiderable height, stopping short at the very threshold of perfection. The want of current coin made fairs the more neceffary, which were carried on with the most perfect regularity: 'judges on the fpot decided mercantile differences; and inferior officers, making constant circuits, preferved peace and order. The abundance and variety of the commodities brought to market, and the order preferved by fuch multitudes, amazed the Spaniards; a spectacle deserving admiration, as a testimony of the grandeur and good government of that extenfive empire:

The fine arts were not unknown in Mexico. Their goldfiniths were excellent workmen, particularly in moulding gold and filver into the form of animals. Their painters made landscapes and other imitations of nature with feathers, fo artfully mixed as to bestow both life and colouring; of which fort of work, there were instances no lefs extraordinary for patience than for skill. Their drinking-cups were of the fineft earth exquifitely made, differing from each other in colour, and even in fiell. Of the same materials, they made great variety of veffels both for ufe and orna

ment.

They were not ignorant either of music or of poetry; and one of their capital amufements was fongs fet to mufic mufic upon the atchievements of their kings and ancestors.

With fuch a progrefs both in the useful and fine arts, is it not furprising, that tho they had measures, they knew nothing of weights on 1000 Fas grid sloth go.mal tot mom gavoy to plane

As to the art of writing, a capital article in the conduct of go-" venment, they were extremely deficient. That art, as mentioned above, was no farther advanced than the ufing figures compofed of painted feathers, by which they made a fhift to communicate fome fimple thoughts; and in that manner was Montezuma informed of the Spanish invafion frown al die vola bɔ enou

There

There was great ingenuity fhewn in regulating the calendar; the Mexican year was divided into 365 days; and into 18 months, containing 20 days each, which made 360; the remaining five intercalary days were added at the end of the year, for making it correspond to the courfe of the fun. They religiously employ'd these five days upon diverfions, being of opinion that they were appropriated to that end by their ancestors.

Murder, theft, and corruption in officers of state, were capital crimes. Adultery alfo was capital; for female chastity was in high estimation. At the fame time, confent was deemed a fufficient caufe of divorce, the law leaving it to the parties concerned, who ought to be the best judges. In cafe of a divorce, the father took care of the male children, leaving the female children with the mother. But to prevent rash feparations, it was capital for them to unite again.

It may be gathered from what has been said, that there was a distinction of rank among the Mexicans. So religiously was it observed, as to be display'd even in their buildings: the city of Mexico was divided into two parts, one appropriated to the Emperor and nobility, and one left to plebeians.

Education of children was an important article in the Mexican police. Public schools were allotted for plebeian children; and colleges well endowed for the fons of the nobility, where they continued till they were fit for bufinefs. The masters were confidered as officers of state; not without reafon, as their office was to qualify young men for ferving their king and country. Such of the young nobles as made choice of a military life, were fent to the army, and made to fuffer great hardships before they could be inlifted. They had indeed a powerful motive for perfeverance, the most honourable of all employments being that of a foldier. Young women of quality were educated with no lefs care, by proper matrons chosen with the utmost circumfpection.

As

As hereditary nobility, especially in an extenfive empire, leads to monarchy, the government of México was monarchical; and as the progress of monarchy is from being elective to be hereditary, Mexico had advanced no farther than to be an elective monarchy, of which Montezuma was the eleventh king. It would in time have become hereditary, had it not been fubdued by the` Spaniards. And it was an example of an elective monarchy that approaches the nearest to hereditáry; for the power of election, as well as the privilege of being elected, were confined to the princes of the blood-royal. As a talent for war was chiefly regarded in chusing a fucceffor to the throne, the Mexican kings always commanded their own armies. The Emperor-elect, before his coronation, was obliged to make fome conqueft, or perform fome warlike exploit; a custom that fupported the military` fpirit, and enlarged the kingdom. From every king was exacted a coronation-oath, to adhere to the religion of his ancestors, to maintain the laws and cuftoms of the empire, and to be a father to his people.

'The various affairs of government were distributed among different boards with great propriety. The management of the royal patrimony was allotted to one board; appeals from inferior tribunals, to another; the levying of troops, and the providing of magazines, to a third: matters of fupreme importance were referved to a council of ftate, held generally in the King's prefence. These boards, all of them, were compofed of men experienced in the arts of war and of peace: the council of ftate was compofed of those who elected the Emperor.

Concerning the patrimony of the crown, mines of gold and filver belonged to the Emperor; and the duty on falt brought in a great revenue. But the capital duty was, a third of the land-rents, the estates of the nobles excepted; upon whom no tribute was impofed, but to ferve in the army with a number of their vaffals,

and

and to guard the Emperor's perfon. Goods manufactured and · fold were subjected to a duty; which was not prejudicial to their manufactures, because there was no rival nation within reach,

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and

Snever

Montezuma introduced a multitude of ceremonies into his court, ntending to infpire, veneration for his perfon; an excellent politic in rude times, of however, little fignificancy among nations en lightened and rational. Veneration, and humility were fo much the tone of the court, that it was even thought indecent in the Mexican lords, to appear before the King in their richeft habits. Weffels of gold and filver were appropriated to his table, and not permitted even to the princes of the blood. The table-cloths ar -napkins, made of the finest cotton, with the earthen ware, never made a fecond appearance at the Emperor's table, but Pentaple, but were distributed among the fervants, a atque edifiaw sind un In war,, their offenfive weapons were bows and arrows; and a iron was not known in America, their arrows were headed with bones sharpened at the point. They used alfo dart and long wooden fwords, in which were fixed sharp flints; and men of more than ordinary strength fought with clubs. They They befide had fingers, who threw stones with great force and defenfive arms, used only by commanders and perf var force and dexterity. Their perfons of diftinction, were a coat of quilted cotton, a fort of breast-plate, and a fhield of wood or tortoife-fhell, adorned with plates of fuch metal as they could procure. The private men fought naked; their faces and bodies being deformed with paint, in order to terrify the enemy. They had warlike inftruments of mufic, fuch as feashells, flutes made of large canes, and a fort of drum made of the trunk of a tree! hollow'd. Their battalions confifted of great numbers crouded together, without even the appearance of order. They attacked with fury, and terrible outcries, in order to intimidate the enemy practice, prompted by nature, and formerly ufed by many nations. It was not defpifed even by the Romans;

VOL. II.

སམས་ན