sabemos por mucha esperiencia que dello tenemos.
\nDice que se confesaban los viejos, y de los grandes pecados de la carne. Desto bien se arguye que, aunque habían hecho muchos pecados en tiempo de su juventud, no se confesaban dellos hasta la vejez, por no se obligar a cesar de pecar ante de la vejez, por la opinión que tenían que el que tornaba a reincidir en los pecados, al que se confesaba una vez no tenía remedio.
\nEn lo arriba dicho no hay poco fundamento para argüir que estos indios desta Nueva España se tenían por obligados de se confesar una vez en la vida, y esto in lumine natural, sin haber tenido noticia de las cosas de la fe.
\nthanks to the extensive experience that we have concerning this matter.
\n[The Nahuatl text] says that older people used to confess the great sins of the flesh. Because of this, one can properly argue that, even though they had committed many sins in their youth, they would not confess them until they were older, so as not to have to stop sinning before reaching old age, due to the opinion that they held: that one who returned to reoffending in his or her sins after once having confessed him- or herself would not find forgiveness.
\nThere is considerable basis, considering what has been said above, to argue that these Indians of this New Spain considered themselves obliged to go to confession once in a lifetime, and this [done] naturally in the light,1 without any knowledge of the things of the faith.2
\n[ma]macue.
\nAuh yn jquac otlamaceuh, njman oalauh yn jchan:
\nic cenmajan, monemjlizcuepa: qujlmach intla oc cepa tlatlacoz, qujl ça aocmo tlaoculilonj.
\nQujlmach çan yio vey nequalli, vey nequaujtectli, in tetlaximaliztli: in qujtoaia veuetque.
\nJnjc moiolmelaoaia veuetque: qujlmach, iehoatl, ynjc amo tzacujltilozque, njcan tlalticpac, yn jntlapilchioal: yntla otetlaxin: ynjc amo quatetlaxililoz, ynjc amo quatepitzinjloz, ynjc amo quatetzotzonaloz, moiolmelaoa.
\nJn tlapouhqui, yn jixpan tlalilo, tlapilchioalli: çan njman acan qujtoa, in tlein ixpan tlalilo, in tlein ilhujlo: ipampa ca amo ieh yn jlhujlo, in nonotzalo, ca tloque, ca naoque, in maco, in jlhujlo, in tlapilchioalli: ca amo ieh motta, im maceoalli.
\nthy paper skirt.”
\nAnd when he had done his penance, then he went to his house.
\nThus in the end he changed his way of life. It was said that if he were to sin again—so it was said—no more might he gain mercy therefor.
\nIt was said that they told only of great faults, grave misdeeds, adultery, [and only] the aged so spoke.
\nThus the aged confessed—it was said—that they might not be punished here on earth for their sins; if they had committed adultery, so that their heads might not be pierced, nor crushed, nor beaten with stones, [therefore] they confessed.
\nThe soothsayer before whom sins were laid nowhere spoke of what had been placed before him, of what had been said. For what was said, what was confided, was not to him. For the sins were given—they were told—to him of the near, the nigh, whom mortal man might not see.
\nCorresponding Spanish text has: ”que son menores en dignidad, que los arriba dichos.”↩