Codex Nuttall

furnishes convincing evidence of continued relations with Mexico.^1 Footnote 1: This mitre was identified and described, for the first time, by me in my paper "On Ancient Mexican Featherwork," published in the Report of the Madrid Commission, Columbian Historical Exposition, Madrid, 1892.

It is well known that, until comparatively recent times, all of the priceless specimens of Ancient Mexican Mosaic work, now divided between the Kircherian Museum original: "Museo Kircheriana" in Rome and the British Museum in London, were likewise preserved in the Medici palace at Florence.^2 Footnote 2: The small, ancient Mexican jadeite mask, which now figures in the famous gem collection in the Uffizi Gallery at Florence, may have been included in the unique group of curiosities. Among these are inlaid objects which answer to descriptions of gifts and insignia sent by Montezuma to Cortés shortly after his landing in Mexico, and by the latter from Vera Cruz to Charles V, on July 10, 1519. They reached Seville on November 5, 1519, exactly four days previous to the entry of the Spaniards into the City of Mexico, but were not presented to the young Emperor until the spring of 1520. It is well known that Charles V distributed as gifts to various sovereigns some of these first curiosities received from the New World. The fact that the name of the Portuguese sovereign, who died in 1521, is inscribed upon the Vienna Codex constitutes a proof that this must have been among the presents received by Charles V in 1520, for it was not until 1522 that a fresh consignment of rarities was sent by Cortés. These were, however, stolen and lost, and it was only in 1524 that Diego de Soto brought the next notable set of presents from the New World to Spain.

The evidence furnished by the inscription is corroborated by the fact that the only inventory which contains any mention of native books is that of the first and choicest gifts which were sent by Cortés from Vera Cruz on July 10, 1519, and consisted of the presents which had been previously conveyed to him by Montezuma's messengers. In this inventory there is the following entry: "Besides, two books such as the Indians here have." original Spanish: "Mas dos libros de los que aca tienen los indios."^1 Footnote 1: Collection of Unpublished Documents for the History of Spain original title: "Coleccion de documentos inéditos para la Historia de España", Vol. I, p. 464.

The closely interwoven chain of documentary evidence and living facts which may be summarized as follows, appears to lead to an identification of the Vienna and its sister-Codex with the two native books recorded in the inventory of 1519:

1. It is obvious that the two books mentioned in the inventory of 1519, among presents known to have been conveyed to Cortés by Montezuma's messengers, must have come from one and the same source, at the same time, and been, in all probability, the work of the same scribe.

2. In the Vienna and its sister-Codex we have, at the present day, two of the finest examples of Mexican pictography in existence, which conspicuously bear the same date (1 Reed original: "1 Acatl" = 1519 Julian Calendar) and are unquestionably the work of the same artist.

3. The two books entered in the inventory of 1519 were received, in the spring of 1520, by Charles V, who is known to have distributed to various sovereigns some of the other curiosities from the New World.

4. The inscription on the Vienna Codex testifies that prior to 1521, it had passed into the hands of King