An vproare among the souldiers against _Cortez, and the punishment for the same_.
There wer some in the host y^t murmured against the election of _Cortez_, for thereby was excluded _Iames Valasques_, vnto whö they bare good wil.
Some were _Valasques_ friends, and other some his kinesfolkes, who letted not to say openly, that _Cortez_ by flattery, sutteltie and giftes had gotten and obtayned his purpose.
[Sidenote: Tvvo hanged, and tvvo whipped.]
And that the dissymulation in makyng hym selfe to bee entreated and prayed to accepte that charge and office, was a thing craftily fayned, whereby suche election coulde not bee of anye value, and chieflye without any such authority of the Ierome Friers dame, who ruled and gouerned the _Indians_ as chiefe presidents: how muche more they hadde newes that _Iames Velasques_ had already obteyned the gouernement of that land, and _Yucatan_. Then _Cortez_ began to vnderstande in those matters, and made informatiö who had raysed vp this rumoure, and béeing knowen, he apprehended the chiefest, and sent them prisoners aboorde his Ship: and to molifye their wrath, he shortly releassed them agayne, the which afterwards was cause of more mischief, for these his enimies woulde haue fledde with a Vergantine and killed the maister, pretending to flye vnto the Ilande of _Cuba_, for to aduertise _Iames Velasques_ of the great present sent vnto the Emperour, to the intent it shoulde be taken from their attorners passing néere the porte of _Hauana_, with all the letters and relations of their businesse, bycause the Emperoure shoulde not sée it, to conceyue well of their procéedings. Then _Cortez_ began to be agréeued in earnest, and apprehended diuers of them, whose confessions being taken, the matter was manifestly knowen to be true, and therevppon according to the processe, hée condemned those that were most culpable, and caused forthwith two of them to be hanged, who were _Iohn Escudero_, and _Iames Cermenio_ pilot, and condemned _Gonsalo de Vmbria_ and _Alonso Penate_ to be whipped, and incontinent execution was done, all the rest being pardoned.
With this correction _Cortez_ was more feared, and also estéemed, than before he was, for certainely if he hadde vsed gentlenesse, he should neuer haue tamed them, yea and if he had not loked to them in time, he had bin spoyled: for their pretence was, to haue aduertised _Iames Velasques_, who would haue preuented them of their Shyps and present, and yet afterwarde he sente a Caruell after the sayd Ship, although it were too late.