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Tous les autres exemplaires origiriaux sont film^s en commengant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE ". le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent 6tre filmAs A des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT VOLUME XXXVIII ESSAYS AND MISCELLANY SAN FRANCISCO THE HISTORY COMPANY, PUBLISHERS 1890 Kiitored iiwordinB to Act of Congress in the Your 1890, by HUBERT H. BANCROFT, lu the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Wasliington. Alt li'uihts Reserved. CONTENTS OF THIS N^OLUME. CHAPTER I. TlIK KARI.Y AMERICAN CIIRONICLERM, 1 CHAPTER II. TIIK NKW C'lVILIZATFON, 3g CHAPTER III. ROOT UIUHKRH AND GOLD DIOUERS 54 CHAPTER IV. OITU TREATMENT OF THE NATIVB RACES 65 CHAPTER V. HISTORY WRITINO yg CHAPTER VI. i;riticism, 2 j3 CHAPTER VII. WORK j4g CHAPTER VIII. BAITRE LE FER SUR l'ENCLUME Ig5 CHAPTER IX. WCIAL ANALYSIS 2g2 CHAPTER X. NATION-MAKING, .jQg vl CONTKNTS. (HAPTKR XI. PAOE. I'WO HIIIKS OK A VK.X KD f^lKSTION, 2.<5 CIIAPTKK Xll. n.K ,H Kv svsr.M 280 CHAPTKlt XriT. MONOOLIANISM IV AMERinA 309 CHAPTER XIV. 410 MONKV AN1> MONOI'OLY, CHAPTER XV. LITEKATUKK «»K CKNTKAL AMEUKA '*''•' CHAPTER XVI. LITERATITRE OK COLONIAI. MEXICO ^^l CHAPTER XVH. MTERATUKE OF MEXICO ItUKINd THE I'ltESENT CENTHKY 537 CHAPTER XVni. EARLY CALIFORNIA LITERATURE ^91 CHAPTER XIX. PLATO REVISED ^^^ i FAnE, . . 2:uilders might now be translated by skillful students ; that a clew to the labyrinths of race and origin haa bien found ; that conjecture in this direction had be- gun for science a new era, and that there nniains little affecti)ig American archa;olf)gy which the w theory will not make plain. For not one of these statements was Lii.ie any foundation in fact or reason . They even went further to astonish the woild, by asserting that the early American annals are by the light of this new theory transformed, and to a great extent annulled, the eyes of the first comers having deceived them; that the aboriginal culture, its arts, literature, sciences, polities, and religions, mean not these, but other things, as is clearly shown by the "new interpretation," and that the tales of the con- (juerors nmst accordingly be written anew, written and read by this new transforming light; that there never was an Aztec or a jNIaya emiure, but only wild tribes leagued like the northern savayes: that Yuca- tan never had great cities, nor Montezuma a palace, but that as an ordinary Indian chief this personage liad lived in the communal dwelling of his tribe ; that wc can see America as Cortes saw it, not in the words of Cortes and his companions, or in the monumental remains of the south, but in the reflection of New Mexican villages, and through the mental vagaries of one man after the annihilation of fact" presented by a hundred men. THE EARLY AMEr.ICAN CHRONICLERS. All that was seen and said at tlie time of the con- quest, and all that has since been seen or said conflict- ing with this fancy, is illusion; reasonable, tangible evidence, such alone as could be accepted by unbiassed connnon-sensc, was not admissible if conflicthig with the preconceived idea. I was surprised that such conceits should ever assume tangible form and be re- ceived as truth by any considerable nundx-r of scholars ; that such conceits should ever be disseminated as facts by men pretending to a love of truth. It seems some- what difficult for the average mind, slowly undergoing eternal emancipation, to establish the true relative values of learned and unlearned ignorance. In the former category may be placed all those unprovable s[)eculations destined to end whore they begin, and which so largely occupy the attention of tlie human race. And so loniX as tliose wlio assume the roles of toacliers present tlieir illusions in ])k'asing forms, with a fah- amount of dogmatic assurance, they will find listeners. In the present instance the disciples are far worse tlian the master. I fail to see the wisdom of tliiis attempting to sweep from tlie face of tlie earth by mere negation all persons and facts op[)oshig a propo- sition. It is not by such nuotheses are established; blank negation never yet overthrew substantial truth. It seems a long leap, indeed, from a theory resting on a trace of certain organizations in the north, to an arbitrary conclusion that the Mayas were identical in their institutions with the Pueblo Indians, (irant the fundanuMital doctrine, and there is yet a wide distance between Zuhi and TJxmal. It requires a vivid imagination to see only joint-tenement structures in the remains at Palenque. But admitting it, the radical (hftennice in plan, architecture, and sculptured and stucco decora- tions, to employ Morgan's own line of argument, suggests a corresponding devtlojHncnt and im))rove- ment in other institutions and arts, which would hi- il FACTS AND FANCY. trocIucG some troublesome variations in the assumed identity with the Pueblos and Iroquois, even if all started together. The Maya hieroglyphs, and even certain of the Aztec, form also an obstacle by no means so easily removed. True, not being deciphered, their actual grade cannot be positively proved; yet the common picture-writing contains enough of the phonetic element to place the better class high above tlie line fixed by the new transforminij li[)()rtersof the all-embrac- ing consanguinity. In the earlier life of the hypothe- sis tlie changes to what are called descriptive consan- guinity and the inheritance of property were made tests of civilization; but these tests were aljandoni'd wlien it was ascertained, among other things, that the Aztecs did inlierit personal property, and to a certain extent landed estate. If this were the only theory ever advanced to prove indemonstrable propositions regarding the Americans, it might be more imposing; but it is only one of fifty, each of which has had its day and its supporters, and we cannot look forward with any degree of con- fidence to the fulfilment of promises bailed on grounds so weak and fictitious. Nor do I regard such inves- tigation as in every respect beneficial; on the con- trary, it is clearly detrimental wheu facts are warped to fit theories, the theory being of less importance to mankind than the fact. On the other hand it is true that great discoveries have sprung from apparently puerile conceits ; and fact;, are sure to live, however sometimes distorted, while false doctrines are sure to die, however ably presented. In commyed by learned super- sition these many centuries ; if the universe, or any part of it, does not accord with the doctrine, so much the worse for the universe, which nuist there- upon be reconstructed. As the good elder of one of our fashionable churches latelv remarked, " If the bible affirmed that Jonah swallowed the whale, I should believe it." Without advancing adequate evidence to show the existence of his systeniamong the Nahuas, Mr Morgan eii'jfa'jfes in saijo discussions concerning; it, transform- ing by the light of the new interpretation as many of the new facts into his fancies as suits his purpose. In doing this, he allows the chroniclers to be right in whatever they say supporting his views; hi all such statements as oppose his system they were in error. It was indeed a transforming light that enabled this man to see, not being present, what others could by no means perceive though they were on the ground; and he kindly admits that the early histories of Spanish America may for the most part be trusted, except where his pet project is touched. This, thon, is my opinion of the ISIorgan thoory. There may be grounds for certain of its suppositions in certain directions, but there are not sufficient THE EARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. i ! grounds for its acceptance as affecting the nations of the Mexican and Central A.nierican table-lands. In all such discussions there may be marshalled many analogies, some of tliem remarkable Nature is everywhere one; the nations of the earth, of whatever origin, are formed on one model But for every anal- ogy these tlieorists have found, their predecessors have found a score of analogies in support of some other theory. Analogy presents no reliable basis for prov- ing origin or race migrations. In looking over Mr Morojan's writinujs, it is to be noticed tliat traces of his tests to prove his tlieories become fainter and fainter as tlie southern and more advanced nations are approached. His attempt to locate the ancient Cibola shows no small lack of skill in tlie use of evidence. Likewise, though more dog- matical in some respects, in his later works he appa- rently relinquishes in some degree the positions which at first were maintained with such obsthiacy, and spends some time in qualifying some of the more pal- pable of his former errors, yet still insisting in ex- tending his doctrhics over the southern plateaux. In estimating the relative advancement of peoples, some standard of measurement is necessary. The term savage and civilized, as employed by various persons, liave widely different significations. Proba- bly no words so freely used are so little understood. The terms are usually employed to designate fixed conditions, when by the very nature of things such conditions cannot properly be applied to man. Mr Morgan classified culture periods under the categories of savagism, barbarism, anlish poc^try, and American invention are certaudy far enou'jh in advance of the first use of the iihomtic alplial)et to entitle such accomplishments to a new categorv. One estimates a nation's civilization by its agri- culture ; another by its manufactures; others by the quality of its religion, morality, literature, or politi- cal and social institutions. Some say that tillers of the soil should be preferred before herders of cattle; some hold workers in iron and coal above workers in gold and feathers; some place pottery in advance of sculpture; the fine arts before the industrial; some compare implements of war, others phonetic ( harac- ters, otheis knowledu'e of the movements of the heavenlv bodies; some would take a general average. But weighing a people's civilization, or lack t)f it, by any of these standards, yet other standards are necessarv bv which to measure pron'ress. What is meant by half civilized, or quarter civiliz' d, or wholly civilized? A 1''df civilized nation is a nation half as civilized as ours. But is ours civilized, fully < ivilized ? Is there ]io higher culture, or refinement, or Justice, or humanity in store for nian than those formed on present I'Airopean models, which sanction <(iercion, l)loo(ly arbitrament, international robbery, tlu' exter- mination of primitive peoples, and hide in society under more comely coverings all the iniquities of sav- 10 THE EARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. Judging from tlie past and the presoiit there is yet another six thousand, or sixty thousand years of progress for man, and then lie may be still a savage compared with his condition at the end of the next twelve thousand or one hundred and twenty thousfyul years' term. Is there then no such thing as civilization ^ Assuredly not, in the significance of a fixed condition, a goal attained, a ct)mplete and perfcH'ted idea or state. Civilization and savagism are relative and not absolute terms. True, tempoiary standards have to be adopted at different stages in history for the sake t)f argument and elucidation; but to attempt to make them absolute and i>p['ly them to fixed conditions is to render them meaning- less, and make null the conditions indicated. The moment the man ]>rimcval kindles a fire, or employs a crooked stick in procuring food, he has entered upon his nev(!r ending progressional journey; he is no longer wholly and primordially savage. The terms being riglitly employed, there are no absolute savages or civilized pet)[)lcs on the earth to-day; and when there are so many standards by which })rogress may ])roperly be measured, is it wise to warp fundamental facts in dogmatically thrusting one people into the category of half civilized, and another but slightly different into that of one quarter savage? We might have a hundred fixed stages, not one of which by any possibility could be so defined in words as completely to fit any one of the millions of human conditions. Howsoever definite an idea we mav have of that end of the line which began with man, of the other which will never cease spinning until the last human being has left the i)lanet, we can have no conception. For aught we know it may not stop short of t)nmiscience. Civilization is an mifolding, and dcveh)ps mainly from its own germ ; it is not a superficial acquisition, but an inward growth, even if nourished by extra- neous food. You may whitewash a savage with your superiority, but you cannot civilize him at once. AZTEC CULTURE. 11 Whether we turn to the extreme eastern kingdoms of Asia, or to the region watered by the Euphrates and tlio Nile, all inhabited since the remotest historic past by races of acknowledged culture, everywhere we iiiid vast differences and strong })eculiarities in the respective cultures, developed by environment. Some of the characteristics are of a high order, others de- scend to a grade of actual barbarism; some are in course of develo])nient, others stationa/y^ or even iitrogradhig. The Nahua culture partawes of the s.iine traits, fashioned by its peculiar environment. For purposes of his own, Mr Morgan arbitrarily de- scribes limits to what is called civilization in order if possible to i>revent the Nahuas from entering its pre- cincts. In this effort he ignores many distinctively liigher traits which the most superficial observer nmst discover amono' the southern races; he chooses to disregard or slight the very distitict evidences of not merely settled life, but of settled connnunities uniler a high form of government, with advanced institu- tions and arts. I will present briefly some facts and characteristics on which, according to my conception of the term, the Nahuas and ^layas may justly lay claim to be called civilized. I will give beforehand the proof that these traits did actually exist among the peo[)les of the Mexican and Central American table-lands at the time of their conquest by the Spaniards, laying before the reader the principal authorities in their true char- acter as fully as I am able to discover it, with all their merits and demerits, tlieir veracity and men- dacity; making as close and critical an analysis of their writings as the most skeptical could desire. I am not aware of any special dtsire to prove the pres- ence or absence of a civilization in this instance. If my historical writings display any one marked pecu- liarity, it is that of a critical incredulity in respect of both Indian and Spanish tales. I have avoided, so 12 THF, EARLY AMERICAN CIIROXICLERS. :|J far as ])()SHil)lo, placing myself in a position where I should be tempted to e.\aggerati\ I have no theory to advocate. My narrations are based on the reports of eye-witnesses whose characters have bi! with tlie ]']gyptians, Cliahleaiis, or other peoples, and to the routes and pur})o.se.s of the great migrations of the earth ; but there has as 3et ai»p('ared no evidence whatever to base any such ex})eetations upon. Towards deciphering the picture writings (;f the aboriginal peoples of the ^Texican and Central American table-lands, little or no advance has betii made. Nevertheless, there were anioni; t\\v native nations inhal/iting this region prior to the coiupiest wise ;ind al)le men, who, after the Spaniards haport in any way conflicting with the preconceived idea must be thrown m\ U THE KARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. out or explained away. Imagine my account of the aborigines announced as A Description of the Naticc Races of North America^ founded on such parts of existimj Spanish Testinioni/, and on such Material Relics as seem to agree with the researches of Leir/s jr. Morrjan among the Iro(/uois of Xcw York! If, after the evidence in the [>re.sent instance is fully j^nven, the reader prefers denoniinatinjjf the peoj^les I'cferrcd to as savages or satyrs, I have not the slightest objection. With tlie first expedition to Mexico went two men by the name of Diaz, one a priest and the other a soldier. Both wrote accounts of what they saw, thus giving us at the outset narratives from ecclesiastical and secular standpoints. It was a voyage along the coast; they did not penetrate the interior. Observa- tion being general, the descriptions arc general. There was nothing remarkable about the priest; ho was not particularly intelligent or honest. I see no reason to doubt the commonplace incidents of the voyage as given in the Itinerario de Grijalva. The towns, with tlieir white stone buildings and temple-towers glisten- ing in the foliage, remind him of Seville; when he mentions a miracle which happens at one of then», we know he is not telling the truth. Indeed, an experienced judge can almost always arrive at the truth even if the evidence comes only from the mouths of Ij'ing witnesses, provided he can examine them apart. Where the evidence is abundant, the judge soon knows more of the facts of the case than any one witness, and can easily discern the true state- ments from the false. But on the whole, the priest Juan Diaz was quite moderate in his descriptions of what we know from other sources to have been there. The same evidence is offered in the Ilistoria Ver- dadera of Bernal Diaz, who attended not only on this vo3'age, but on the first and succeeding expeditions; all is plain, unvarnished, and devoid of coloring. If hyperbole was ever to be employed it should be in DL\Z, TERRAZAS. 15 connection with the revelation of these first startlini^ evidences of a new art and a stranj^e race. But the enthusiasm of the autlior becomes marked only as he ascends later with Cortes to the table-land and there beholds the varied extent of the new culture. What 8tron<(er proof can there be of its superior «j^rade when lie passes by with comparative indillbrence tlie Vucatec s])eciinen, known to us to be of rare beauty, and ex- pivssos njarked wonder only on reachinijf Mexico? ]Jernal Diaz wrote rather late in life, after manv accounts had already been jjfiven. He piided himst-lf on giving a true history, was (juite as ready to iight with his pen as with his sword, and havinuf had niany (|uan'els, and still harboring many jealousies, was viry apt to criticise what others said; and he did so criticise and refute. The truth is, there were hero many .and opposing elements in the evidence to win- now it from falsehood, far more than are usually found in early materials for history. The memorials of the relatives of Velazquez to the king are not worth considering, being little more than masses of misstatements and exaggerations. The personage known is the Anonymous Con- queror, probably Francisco do Teriazas, mayordomo of Cortt'S, gave a clear description of Mexico, the country, people, towns, and institutions, and particu- larly the capital city, arranged in paragraphs with proper headings, with drawings of the great temple and of the city. His method and language denote in- telligence and inspire confidence. No reason is known why he should exaggerate, many being a])paront why he should render a true account. If his testi- mony can be ruled out on the ground that it does not fit a theory, then can that of any man wlio furnishes material for historv, and our histories may as well be written with the theories as authorities, and liavu done with it. Dealing wholly with native institutions, the writer seems to have no desire, as is the case with some, to magnify native strength and resources for the le THE EARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. sake of r.ilsini^ the cstimato of the deeds of liiinself and comradtjs; on the contrary, in .s[)ouking of native troops and arms, where a soldier would be most in- clined to hoast, the description rather nu)d<;rates the idea of th((ii' jirowess. The population of Mexico lie gives lower than most writers, and yet, when descrihinj^ tlie city and its arts, he grows quite elocjuent on the ni:'-e, the heauty, the civilized features. The wliolo narrative hears the stamp of reliability, and the stu- dent may easily from internal evidence and com- j)arison deduct approximate truth. There are documents, such as Carta del Ejet'cito and J^i'oixnr.ti (Ic Lcjdldc, attested under oath by lunuh'eds, Mipli(!(l also to Europeans by Chinese — that he o-rows indignant, declaring that none who had any knowledge of jNIexican institutions and capacity could use such a term. He spoke while evidences were quite fresh, and well knew what ho affirmed. Similar conllrm- atory evidence may bo found massed in the various collections of letters and narratives about the Indies brought to light from the archives of Spain and America, and ])ublished by the editors of the extensive Odecclon de Documentos Ineditos; Colccciou de Docu- mc.ntos jxira lallistoria de Mexico, etc.; by the leai'ned Navarrete, Ramirez, Icazbalceta, Ternaux-Compans, and others. Still stronger evidence of the reliability of the early authorities comes from the consideration that the rumors of IMexico's grandeur and wealth attracted vast hordes of hungry seekers for gold, grants of land, iid office. Of course, -iiost of them were disap- jjointed, and Cortes, from his inability to please and ^jratify all, raised a host of enemies, who joined the large number already arraigned against him by reason of his successes. Their aim was naturally to vilify Essays and Miscellany l> rf 18 THE EARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. liim, to lower the achievements of the conquest, and to dispara|ijc tlie country which had failed to satisfy them. If ever a subject was assailed, it was tliis of Mexico, her resources and people; assailed, too, during the very opening years of tlie occupation, wlien the testimony of eye-witnesses was abundant, and ]iarticu- larly of the disappointed, whose voice was loudest. Notwithstanding all this the glories of Mexico stand unshaken, and greater grow the confirmed ideas of the superior condition of her i-ace in nund)er, culture, and resources; and this, too, when the Spanish gov- ernment began to discountenance the glowing reports of native superiority, and to lower the estimates of aboriginal wealth and condition, with a view to keep foreign attention fr~. u the country, and to hide the facts which would tell ajjainst it while crushiii!.j aliiuh culture and enslaving a noble race. Thus it was that the writincrs of Sahacfun, Las Casas, and others, were suppressed or neglected. But if many such were lost, otliers came finally to light to receive additional confirmation from the native records. It is to these records that we must loolc not only for confirmation of what the chroniclers relate, but for the only reliable data on political ma- chinery and other esoteric subjects with which Span- iards could not become so well acquainted. The value of native records as supplementary and confirmatory testimony is self-apparent, since they Mere written by and for the natives themselves, and naturally without the idea of exaggeration or deception Ixjing dominant. A sufficient nund)er of original and copied native manuscripts or paintings exists in different museums and libraries, relatinar not onlv to historic events, but describing the nature and development of institutions and arts. Besides the actual records, many histories exist, by natives and friars, based wholly on such paintings and on traditions and ])ersonal observations, such as those of Tezozomoc, Camargo, and Ixtlilxochitl. *A TfATIVE HISTORIANS. 19 Each of these native authors wrote from a different standpoint, in the interest of his respective nation- ahty. Camargo, for instance, as a Tlascultec is bit- terly hostile to the Aztecs, and seeks of course to detract from their grandeur in order to exalt his own people. Ho rather avoids dwelling on Aztec glories; nevertheless frequent admissions appear which helj) to confirm the impression of their advanced institu- tions. Ixtlilxochitl, again, writes from the family nichives of his royal house of Tezcuco, and dwells u|)on the deeds and grandeur of his city and tribe. None of these authors possess sufficient skill to C(Mi- ccal the coloring wliich constitutes their chief defect as authorities. A number of chroniclers, and even modern writers like Brasseur de Bourlxmrg, have used native paintings and narratives more or less I'or their histories, while certain others, like Veytia, de- pend upon them or their translations almost wholly. Ixtlilxochitl was called by Bustamante the Cicero of Amihuac, and of course is to b(^ read with allowance wlien speaking of liis people. And so with Fatlicr Duran — I would no more trust a zealous priest while defending the natives than I would trust Morgan while defending his theory. The reliability of translators is best judged by tlie method used by Father 8ahagun in the formation of the Jlistoria General, the three v.,lumes of whidi are devoted to an account of native manners and cus- toms, their domestic aD'\ ])ul)lic life, their festivals and rites, their institutions and traits. Instructed by his superiors, the friar called ujxm intelligent and learned Indians in different places to paint in hiero- glyphics their accounts of these subjects. To these, explanations were attached in full Mexican text, and tested by fui'ther inquiries, and then translatetl into Spanish by Sahagun. Many of the narrativ*es aiu vague and absurd, yet these very faults point in most cases to simple-minded earnestness and frankness, and render the work rather easier for the discriminating 20 THE EARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. student to sift. The honesty of Sahag-un's labors brought upon them obloquy and neglect, which only the more serve to commend the work to us. It is from such sources, original and translated native records, and verbal and wi-itten narrations of eye-witnesses, that succeeding wi'itcrs, or chroniclers proper, obtained the main portion of their accounts of conquests and aboriginal institutions. They tliem- sclvcs had opportunities for observation ; and actuated l>y different motives, they were naturally impelled to investigate and weigh to a certain extent, whether through eagerness for fame, or from desire to raise the achievenunts of favoi-iti^s, or to detract from the glories of envied or detestetl leaders. Las Casas, for instance, in his different works stands forward as a pronounced champion of the natives, and unflinchingly lashes the conquerors and liistorians for what he terms cruelty, unjust policy-, and false statement. His IIisto)u'(i. AjKjlof/cfiixi is purely a defence of the Indians, their institutions and characteristics, and consequently to be accepted with cjiution. The need of this caution becomes stronger when we behold the extreme exagijerations to which he is led in the Brcvc Iicldclon, claiming to be an expose of Spanish excesses and cruelties. In the Ilistor'm de his Indias, again, he allows his feelings of friendship I'or Velazquez to detract from the achievxnnents of Cortes. On everv hand, therefore, the historian finds reasons for accepting with caution the statements of Las Casas; but thus forewarned, he is able to reject tl\e false and determine the true. He also finds that wlien not blinded by zeal the worthy bishop is honest, and withal a keen and valuable observer, guided by practical sagacity and endowed with a certain genius. His contemporary, Oviedo, although l(>ss talented, is by no means deficient in knowledge, and a varied experience in both hemispheres had given him a useful insight into affairs. He is not partial to the natives, and Las Casas actually denounces his state- LAS CASAS, OVIEDO, TETER MARTYR, GOMARA, 21 mcnts against them as lies. This is hardly just, ex- cept ill some instances. Vv'liile personally acquainted only with the region to the south of Nicaragua Lake, his account embraces all Spanish con(iuests in the western Indies, the facts being gathered from every accessible source, and either compiled or given in fcioparate form. Indian and Spaniard, fi'iend, foe, and rival, all receive a hearing and a record, so that his ^\()l•k is to a great extent a mass of testimonv from o|)[i(>site sides. This to the hasty reader may [)resent a loutradictory apj)earance, as Las Casas is led to assume, but to the student such material is valualilc. A third contemporary and famous writer is Peter ^Martyr, a man of brilliant attainments, deep, clear mind, and honest purpose, who had gained for him- self a prominent position in Spain, and even a seat in tlie Council of the Indies. Naturally interested in the New World, whose affairs were then unfolding, hi' eagerly questioned those who came thence, con- sulted their charts and reports, and was thus enabled to form a more accurate opinion about the Indians and their land, one that was thus founded on reliable and varied testimony. A fault, however, is the haste with which his summaries were formed, both in order and detail; yet even this defect tends to leave the nari'ative unvarnished and free from a dangerous elaboration. Even Las Casas admits its credibility. The different minds, motives, prejudices, and even antagonisms, of these three writers eacli impart an additional value to their respective writings from which tlie historian cannot fail to derive benefit. Like Peter ]\rart3'r, Goinara took his material entirely from testimony, chielly letters, rejiorts, and other documents in the archives of Cortes, his patron, and collections to which his inlluence gained access. His high literary tastes gave a zest to his writings, but impelled him also to elaboration, and his llistorln de Mexico is colored by his predilections as biographer 22 THE EARLY A^klERICAN CHRONICLERS. I of the conqueror. On the other hand, he finds en- dorsement in the decree which was issued against his history because of its treatment of government affairs, and comparison with other histories reveals the many vahiable points which he has brought to hght. The adoption of his Mexican work by so prominent a native as Chimalpain is to a certain ex- tent an assurance of its truthfuhiess. Munoz places Gomara among the first of the chroniclers. lie had no special reason that we can see to extol unduly native institutions. He wrote early enough to know all about them, but not so early as to be carried away by a first enthusiasm. ]\Iade socretar}^ and chaplain to Cortes in 1540, his object of adulation was his patron, in I'ecounting whose deeds he cannot be trusted. Neither had Cortes, as before remarked, special interest, least of idl at this time, in magnitying the civilization — the civilization he had destroyed. Alvarado and others of the chron- iclers were repeatedly tried by the Spanish govern- ment I'or their cruelty to the natives, whom it was the desire of both church and state to preserve. It would therefore be rather in favor of the conquerors to hold them up as ignoble and low. The learned and elegant Antonio de Solis, though so bigoted as to render his deductions in many in- stances puerile, and though constantly raving against the natives, was closely followed by both Robertson and Prescott. Herrera, the historiographer of the Indies, uses the material of all the preceding writers, in addition to original narratives, and has in his Ilistoria General the most complete account of American affairs up to his time. His method of massing material makes it most valuable, but a slavish adherence to chronology destroys the sequence, interferes with broad views, and renders the reading uninteresting. This defect is increased by a bald, prolix stjde, the effect of inexpe- rienced aid, and by the extreme patriotism and piety i; HERRERA, TORQUEMADA, MEXDIETA 23 which often set aside integrity and humanity. On the other hand, he in some measure tempered and corrected the exaggerations of lils predecessors. Torquemada was less critical in accepting material, but he was indefatigable In his eftbrts to exhaust the Information about New Spain and her natives, and his Monarquia Indiana is the most comjilete account extant in its combination of topics. Though an able work, It contains many errors; yet the manllbld sources of Information all the more help the student to airive at the truth. Torquemada amassed a great store of ])rlvate information about native institutions during the fifty years of his labor among the Indians, and lie made use of many histories then uni)ubllshed — instance those of Sahagun, INlendleta, and others. Mendleta was an ardent champion of the natives, and a bitter opponent of the audiencia and govern- ment officials; yet in nmndane affairs he })ossessed sitund judgment, so much so that he was fre(|uently intrusted with important missions of a diplomatic na- ture, lie became the liistorlan of his provuicia, and gained the title of Its Cicero. His Hidoria Eclesi- dstica, which treats chiefly of the missionary progress of his order, contains a large amount of matter on native customs, arts, and ttivits. ]MendIcta may be regarded as the pupil of Toriblo de Benavente, whose humility of si)lrlt caused him to ado])t the name of Motollnia, applied by the Indians out of connnlseratlon for his appearance. Not that he was very humble in all matters, as may be setin from his bitter attack on Las Casas. In this in- stance, however, he was merely an exponent of the hostility prevailing between the Franciscans, to which he belonged, and the Dominicans, which led to many pen contests and contradictory measures for tlie In- dians, from all of which the historian gains new facts. Motolinia arrived In Mexico in 1524, and wandered over It and the countries to the south for a series of years, teaching and converting. He is claimed to have 24 THE EARLY AMERICAN CHRONICLERS. baptized over four hundred thousand persons. His knowlcdj^c of the aborigines and long intercourse with them before their customs were chan'^ed, cnaljlcd him to acquire most important information about them. All this, together with the story of his mission work, is related in the Jlidoria tie los Indios de Niwva Espaha, written in a rambling manner, with a nliive acceptance of the marvellous, yet bearing a stamp of truthfulness that wins confidence. Occasionally there have risen M'riters who, from excess of zeal, personal ambition, or careless study of facts, sought to cast doubts on nati\e culture and similar topics, like De Pan and Raynal, only to evoke replies more or less hasty. This unsatisfactory contest I'oused the ire, among others, of tlie learned Jesuit Clavigero. Himself born in Mexico, his patriotic zoal was kindled, and during a residence there of thirty-five years, till driven forth by the general edict against his order, ho made the ancient history and institutions thereof his special study. The result was the Storia Antica del JUcssico, which if less bulkv than l^onjuemada's work, is far more satisfactory in its ])lan for thoroughness and clearness, and remains the leading authority in its field. Clavigero is generally admitted to have refuted the two prominent 'Oppo- nents above named on the culture questions, even though liis statements are at times colored with the licat of ar