History of Mexico 15161521 Author:Hubert Howe Bancroft Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER V. SAILING OF THE EXPEDITION. 1518-1519. Thi Quality Of Leader Desired—Instructions Issued To Hernan Cor- Tes, Commander-in-chief—The Character Of... more » Cortes Undergoes A Chance—Cost Of The Expedition—By Whom Borne—Places Estab- Lished For Enlistment—The Banner—Cortes Puts On The Great Man—More Of His Character—The Scene At Santiago Harbor— The Governor's Jester—Dark Suspicions Of Velazquez—Departure Feom Santiago—Cortes At Trinidad—Fresh Recruits—Verdugo Receives Orders To Depose Cortes—The Fleet Proceeds To Sax Cristobal, Or The Haeana—Review At Guaouanico—Speech Of Cortes—Organization Into Companies—Departure Fhom Cuba. With relations so lovingly established, and with a personal knowledge of the military genins of Cortes, and the strength and versatility of his character, it would seem that here would be the first instant choice of the governor for the command of the important expedition now in preparation. But the quality of the man required did not altogether hinge on merit. As we have seen, Velazquez required for his purpose an anomalous ereation. He must be able but humble; able to command men, and able likewise to obey his chief; honest to Velazquez, but false, if necessary, to all the world else. It was not an Alexander or an Alcibiades that was wanted; not so much a man as a thing: "Piper, non homo," as Petronins Arbiter said; pungent as pepper, and not a human being. Be this as it may, the sordid friendship of Ldres and Duero prevailed with the governor, and on the 23d' of October, 1518, his instructions to Hernan Cortes, cominander-in-chief of the expedition, were drawn up before the notary, Alonso de Escalante, in accordance with the permission granted by the authorities at Santo Domingo, which limited the enterprise to exploration; the privilege t...« less