hijos como hijas, por no tener qué comer. Y oyendo Motecuzuma que los señores vendieron sus hijos y hijas por la hambre, hubo gran misericordia, y mandó a sus vasallos que juntasen todos los esclavos hidalgos que se habían comprado. Y luego el señor mandó dar a sus dueños a cada uno su paga o sus dones, como mantas de cuatro piernas, y delgadas, y cuachtles; son como de Campech. Y también les dieron maíz por los que habían comprado los principales. Y fue la paga doblado del precio que habían dado.
\nY en este lugar donde llamaban Tlacxitlan los jueces no diferían los pleitos de la gente popular, sino procuraban de determinarlos presto, ni recibían cohechos, ni favorecían al culpado, sino hacían la justicia derechamente.
\nsons and daughters, since they had nothing to eat. And when Moteuczoma heard that the lords, moved by hunger, sold their own sons and daughters, he showed great mercy and ordered his vassals to gather all the hidalgo slaves who had been bought. And then the lord ordered that each of their owners be given their due price or gifts, such as broad capes,1 thin [capes], and cuachtles,2 which are like those from Campeche. And they also gave [the owners] maize in exchange for the nobles whom they had bought. And the payment was the double of the price that they had [originally] paid.
\nAnd in this place that they called Tlacxitlan, the judges would not delay the lawsuits of the common people, but they would take care to settle them promptly; and they would not take bribes or favor the accused but would apply righteous justice instead.
\n[ma]ceoalcuepaloz, anoço aca ilpiloz quauhcalco tlaliloz: ioan vncan qujntlatlacollaçaia, in tlatlacoti.
\nTlatocati in motecuçuma, oxiujtl in maianaloc, in pipilti mjiequjntin, in qujnnamacaque in jntelpuchoan, ioan in jmjchpuchoan, in jcoac in oqujcac motecuçuma: tlanaoati injc nechicolozque, in jxqujchtin tlaçotipipilti, ioan notzalozque in jntecujiohoan, injc macozque, injc cuepililozque in jntlatquj. Veuej tilmatli, ioan quachtli, ioan tlaolli, injc qujmpatiotica pipilti, ioã oppamjxtlapan injc qujntlaxtlaujli, injc qujntlatlacollaz pipilti.
\nIn oncan jn tlacxitlan amo tle vecaoaia in neteilhujlli, çan njman iciuhca motzontequja, in tlein vncan caqujtiloia tlatoque atle qujcnjuhchioaia atle tlaxtlaujltica qujxpachoaia, anoço qujuecaoaia.
\nor made a commoner; or one would be seized and jailed in a wooden cage.1 And there they delivered slaves from [undeserved] bondage.
\n[When] Moctezuma was lord, there was famine for two years, and many noblemen sold their young sons and maidens. When Moctezuma heard of this, he commanded that all [these] noble youths be brought together, and that their masters be told that their goods [which they had paid for them] were to be restored and returned to them. With large capes and mantles, and dried maize grains he paid the price for the noblemen. And a double forfeit he then paid in order to redeem and deliver the noblemen from bondage.
\nIn that place, the Tlacxitlan, they did not delay the hearings. At once, forthwith, a judgment was pronounced. And in what was there made known, the lords did nothing for friendship’s sake; they exacted nothing as reward; nor delayed [any case].
\nSee Pls. 67, 87.↩