| Gómara . | Bernal Díaz . |
|---|---|
| If I begged you heretofore not to come here, it was because my people were afraid of you . . . | And if he had on other occasions sent to say that we should not enter his city, it was . . . because his vassals were afraid . . . |
| for you . . . brought animals that . . . swallow men, and because, since you came from heaven, you could call down the lightning and thunder. . . | . . . they said that we shot out flashes of lightning, and killed many Indians with our horses, and that we were angry Teules . . . |
| But now that I know you to be mortal men and honorable . . . | . . . and now that he . . . knew that we were flesh and bone, and had sound sense . . . |
| . . . what I have been told about you is jests and lies . . . | . . . and other childish stories . . . |
| And if you come believing that I am a god, and that the walls and roof of my house, as well as my service, are all of fine gold, as I understand you were told by those of. . . Tlaxcala . . . , I wish to disabuse you, even though I do not think you are the kind of men who would believe such nonsense. | . . . I know very well that these people of Tlaxcala . . . have told you that I am a sort of God or Teul, and that everything in my house is made of gold and silver and precious stones, I know well enough that you are wise and did not believe it but took it as a joke. |
| Touch my body, which is of flesh and bone.. . . The houses that you see are of sticks and mud, or at most of stone. Do you not see how you have been lied to? For the rest . . . in the treasure of my father and grandfather I have . . . riches, guarded for long years, as is the custom of kings. | Behold now . . . my body is of flesh and bone like yours, my houses and palaces of stone and wood and lime; that I am a great king and inherit the riches of my ancestors is true, but not all the nonsense and lies that they have told you about me. . . .69 |
| Gómara . | Bernal Díaz . |
|---|---|
| If I begged you heretofore not to come here, it was because my people were afraid of you . . . | And if he had on other occasions sent to say that we should not enter his city, it was . . . because his vassals were afraid . . . |
| for you . . . brought animals that . . . swallow men, and because, since you came from heaven, you could call down the lightning and thunder. . . | . . . they said that we shot out flashes of lightning, and killed many Indians with our horses, and that we were angry Teules . . . |
| But now that I know you to be mortal men and honorable . . . | . . . and now that he . . . knew that we were flesh and bone, and had sound sense . . . |
| . . . what I have been told about you is jests and lies . . . | . . . and other childish stories . . . |
| And if you come believing that I am a god, and that the walls and roof of my house, as well as my service, are all of fine gold, as I understand you were told by those of. . . Tlaxcala . . . , I wish to disabuse you, even though I do not think you are the kind of men who would believe such nonsense. | . . . I know very well that these people of Tlaxcala . . . have told you that I am a sort of God or Teul, and that everything in my house is made of gold and silver and precious stones, I know well enough that you are wise and did not believe it but took it as a joke. |
| Touch my body, which is of flesh and bone.. . . The houses that you see are of sticks and mud, or at most of stone. Do you not see how you have been lied to? For the rest . . . in the treasure of my father and grandfather I have . . . riches, guarded for long years, as is the custom of kings. | Behold now . . . my body is of flesh and bone like yours, my houses and palaces of stone and wood and lime; that I am a great king and inherit the riches of my ancestors is true, but not all the nonsense and lies that they have told you about me. . . .69 |