DIALOGUE VIII.

FERNANDO CORTEZ—­WILLIAM PENN.

Cortez.—­Is it possible, William Penn, that you should seriously compare your glory with mine?  The planter of a small colony in North America presume to vie with the conqueror of the great Mexican Empire?

Penn.—­Friend, I pretend to no glory—­the Lord preserve me from it.  All glory is His; but this I say, that I was His instrument in a more glorious work than that performed by thee—­incomparably more glorious.

Cortez.—­Dost thou not know, William Penn, that with less than six hundred Spanish foot, eighteen horse, and a few small pieces of cannon, I fought and defeated innumerable armies of very brave men; dethroned an emperor who had been raised to the throne by his valour, and excelled all his countrymen in the science of war, as much as they excelled all the rest of the West Indian nations?  That I made him my prisoner in his own capital; and, after he had been deposed and slain by his subjects, vanquished and took Guatimozin, his successor, and accomplished my conquest of the whole empire of Mexico, which I loyally annexed to the Spanish Crown?  Dost thou not know that, in doing these wonderful acts, I showed as much courage as Alexander the Great, as much prudence as Caesar?  That by my policy I ranged under my banners the powerful commonwealth of Tlascala, and brought them to assist me in subduing the Mexicans, though with the loss of their own beloved independence? and that, to consummate my glory, when the Governor of Cuba, Velasquez, would have taken my command from me and sacrificed me to his envy and jealousy, I drew from him all his forces and joined them to my own, showing myself as superior to all other Spaniards as I was to the Indians?

Penn.—­I know very well that thou wast as fierce as a lion and as subtle as a serpent.  The devil perhaps may place thee as high in his black list of heroes as Alexander or Caesar.  It is not my business to interfere with him in settling thy rank.  But hark thee, friend Cortez.  What right hadst thou, or had the King of Spain himself, to the Mexican Empire?  Answer me that, if thou canst.

Cortez.—­The Pope gave it to my master.

Penn.—­The devil offered to give our Lord all the kingdoms of the earth, and I suppose the Pope, as his vicar, gave thy master this; in return for which he fell down and worshipped him, like an idolater as he was.  But suppose the high priest of Mexico had taken it into his head to give Spain to Montezuma, would his grant have been good?

Cortez.—­These are questions of casuistry which it is not the business of a soldier to decide.  We leave that to gownsmen.  But pray, Mr. Penn, what right had you to the province you settled?

Penn.—­An honest right of fair purchase.  We gave the native savages some things they wanted, and they in return gave us lands they did not want.  All was amicably agreed on, not a drop of blood shed to stain our acquisition.