So runne the excellente menne their race

From the adventures of Cortez in Mexico, before he even meets Montezuma.  You get the idea there's a lot missing from the story from the point of view of the other characters:
At that time one Iuan Xuarez natural of the Citie of Granada, carried to the Ile of Cuba his mother and thrée sisters, whiche came to the Iland of Santo Domingo, with that vicequéene the Lady Mary of Toledo, in Anno .1509. hoping to marrie them there with rich men, for they were very poore. And the one of them named Cathelina was wont to say, That she shoulde be a greate Gentlewoman: it was eyther hyr dreames and fantasies, or else some Astronomer hadde made hir beléeue so, but hir mother was reported to bée very cunning. The maydens were beautifull, for which cause, and also being there but fewe Spanishe women, they were muche made of, and often feasted. But Cortez was woer to the saide Cathelina, and at the ende married with hir: Although at the first there was some strife about the matter, and Cortez put in prison, bycause he refused hir for his wife, but she demaunded him as hir husband by faith and troth of hand. . . .  Contrariwyse Iames Velasques gaue credit to his talebearers, bicause Cortez refused to marrie [with] Cathelina Xuarez, & vsed vncourteous words vnto him in ye presence of many that stoode by . . . . 
And when Cortez sawe himselfe in the stockes, he feared some proces of false witnesse, as many times dothe happen in those parties. At time conueniente he brake the locke off the stockes, and layde hand upon the Sword and Target of the kéeper, and brake up a windowe, escaping thereby into the stréete, and tooke the Church for Sanctuary. But when Iaymes Velasques had notice thereof, he was greatlye offended with Christopher Lagos the Jayler, saying, that for money he had losed him: wherefore he procured by al meanes to plucke him out of the Sanctuary. But Cortez hauing intelligence of his dealing, did resiste and withstand his force. Yet notwithstanding one daye Cortez walking before the Churche dore, and being carelesse of his businesse, was caught by the backe with a Serieant called Iohn Esquier and others, and then was put aboorde a Shyppe vnder hatches. 
Cortez was welbeloued among his neighboures, who did well consider the euill will that the Gouernour bare vnto him. But nowe Cortez séeing himselfe vnder hatches, despaired of his libertie, and did verily thinke, that he shoulde be sent prisoner to the Chancerie of Santo Domingo, or else to Spayne, who being in this extremitie, soughte all meanes to get hys foote out of the chayne, and at length he gote it out, and the same nighte he changed his apparell with a ladde that serued him, and by the Pump of the Shippe he gote out, not heard of any his kéepers, climbing softly along the Shippe syde, he entred the Skiffe and went hys way therewith, and bycause they shoulde not pursue after him, he losed the Boate of another Shippe that roade by them. The Currant of Macaguanigua a riuer of Barucoa, was so fierce, that he could not gette in with his Skiffe, bicause he had no help to row, & was also very werie, fearing to be drowned if he should put himselfe to the land, wherefore he stripped himselfe naked, and tyed a nyght-kerchiefe aboute hys head, with certayne wrytings apperteyning to his office of Notarie and Clearkshippe to the Treasourer, and other things that were agaynst the Gouernoure Iames Velasques, and in this sorte swamme to lande, and wente home to hys owne house, and spake with Iohn Xuarez hys brother in law, and tooke Sanctuarie agayne with Armour. 
Then the Gouernoure Iames Velasques sente hym worde, that all matters shoulde bée forgotten, and that they shoulde remayne friendes, as in tyme past they hadde bin, and to goe with hym to the Warres agaynste certayne Indians that hadde rebelled. Cortez made hym no aunswere, but incontinent married with mistresse Catalina Xuarez according to his promise, and to lyue in peace. Iames Velasques procéeded on hys iourney wyth a greate companye agaynste the Rebelles. 
Then sayde Cortez to hys brother in lawe Iohn Xuares, bryng me (quoth he) my Launce and my Crosbowe to the Townes ende. And so in that euening hée wente out of Sanctuarie, and taking hys Crossebowe in hande, hée wente with his brother in lawe to a certayne Farme, where Iames Velasques was alone, with his householde seruauntes, for hys armye was lodged in a Village thereby, and came thither somewhat late, and at suche tyme as the Gouernoure was perusing hys Booke of charges, and knocked at his dore which stoode open, saying: Héere is Cortez that woulde speake with the Gouernoure, and so wente in. 
When Iames Velasques sawe hym armed, and at such an houre, he was maruellously afrayde, desiring hym to rest hymselfe, and also to accepte hys Supper: No Sir (quoth he) my onely comming is, but to knowe the complayntes you haue of me, and to satisfye you therein, and also to bée youre friende and seruitor. They then embraced eache other in token of friendship. And after long talke, they lay both in one bedde, where Iames de Orrelano founde them, who went to carrie newes to the Gouernoure, how Cortez had fledde. 
After this sort came Cortez agayne to his former friendshyppe with Iames Velasques, and procéeded with him to the Warres, but afterwarde at his returne, he was lyke to haue bin drowned in the sea: For as he came from the Caues of Bani to visite certayne of hys Shepheardes and Indians that wrought in the Pines of Barrucoa where his dwelling was, his Canoa or little boate ouerthrew, being night, and halfe a league from land, with tempeste, wherby he was put to his shiftes, and forced to swimme, and happened to espye lyght that certayne Shepheardes had which were at supper néere the Sea side. By suche like perils and daungers, runne the excellente menne their race, vntill that they arriue at the Hauen where their good lotte is preserued.

8 comments:

  1. That's a fine tale from an interesting era.

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  2. Most people think the Conquistadors were all favored by the crown, and basically did what they pleased, as others did the work, but these men endured tremendous hardships and overcame great obstacles in their travels. This was indeed a fascinating look into one of these men. I'll have to ask my father if he ever read anything like this when he as in college getting his Latin American Studies B.A. (Before he got smart and became a CPA).

    Tex- is this available online? Have a link?

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  3. The book is "The Pleasant Historie of the Conquest of the VVeast India, now called new Spayne, Atchieued by the vvorthy Prince Hernando Cortes Marques of the valley of Huaxatac, most delectable to Reade: Translated out of the Spanishe tongue, by T.N., Anno .1578." The original Spanish manuscript apparently was written by Francisco Lâopez de Gâomara. The action is set in about 1519.

    It will be available online when it finishes going through the rounds at Project Gutenberg, sometime later this year, I'd guess. It's a challenging book to proofread, not only because of the archaic spelling but because it's in "blackletter," which is like old-fashioned German-style calligraphy, which makes the OCR software spit out 100% gibberish. But the proofing should be done within a few weeks, and otherwise the book doesn't look as though it will pose many problems in conversion to HTML and finalization for posting.

    I wouldn't be surprised if there were a version already online, but I'll bet it's full of proofing errors. When I Google a weird word or phrase from one of these old books, I often find another version online that's been scanned but not particularly cleaned up. Gutenberg has really high standards for cleaning up.

    And now you can see what I do almost all day every day. It's been just over a year since I found Project Gutenberg, and I've worked on it every single day since then, including holidays. Absolutely addictive.

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  4. That's fantastic. What's a little surprising to me is how easily I can read that text (although, in the blackletter, I'm sure I'd have a heck of time!). That's one I'll have to look for. Thanks, Tex!

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  5. If you can read that, you can read Malory in the original -- or nearly, with a small additional vocabulary that separates the late Middle English from the Early Modern English. Try the Norton Critical Edition of Le Morte Darthur, if you are so inclined.

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  6. Hm, I don't think I would have thought of doing that (as opposed to reading a 'translation' into modern English, but now I'm thinking it would be fun. I'll have to see. Thanks for the tip.

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  7. Oh, and now that I can see the page in blackletter- yeah, I could muddle through it, but it would take quite a while to get comfortable with that. Quite a project, Tex.

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  8. At first I thought I'd never get used to it--then after a week you hardly notice any more. Now I can even work on the German projects in "Fraktur"' font, which seemed impenetrable before. The brain lays down new paths.

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