The Life of Las Casas: the apostle of the indies

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PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR. [HE

life

Las Casas appears

of

to

me

one

of the most interesting, indeed I maysay the most interesting, of all those that I have ever studied

;

and I think

it is

more than

the natural prejudice of a writer for his hero,

me to look upon him as one of the most remarkable personages that has ever appeared in history. It is well knoAvn that he has that inclines

ever been put in the foremost rank of philanthropists;

were

but he had other qualifications which

also extraordinary.

He was

not a mere

philanthropist, possessed only with one idea.

He

had one of those large minds which take an interest in As an historian, a man of everything. letters, a colonist, a missionary, a theologian,

active ruler in the Church, a

man

an

of business,

and an observer of natural history and

science.

PREFACE.

yi

he holds a very high position amongst the notable

men

of his

own

The ways,

age.

the customs, the

the laws, of the religion, the policy, whom he saw, the new animals, the the

new

herbs, were

all

new people new trees,

observed and chronicled

by him. In an age eminently superstitious, he was entirely devoid of superstition.

At

when

a period

the most extravagant ideas as to the divine rights

of kings prevailed, he took occasion to remind

j

are only kings themselves to their faces, that they of the for the to people ; good govern permitted

and dared

to

upbraid Philip the Second for his

and

neglect of Spanish

busying

French

At

himself

with

Indian

Flemish,

affairs,

through

English,

and

policy.

a period

when brute

force

appealed to in all matters, but

was universally

more

especially in

those that pertained to religion, he contended before

Juntas and Royal Councils that missionary enterprise all

is

a thing that should stand independent of

military support

forth with his

;

in his hand, relying only

life

the protection that

depending neither

that a missionary should go

God

upon

will vouchsafe him, civil

nor military

on

and

assist-

PREFACE,

vii

In fact his works would, even In the

ance.

present day, form the

best

manual extant

for

missionaries.

He in

had certainly great advantages: he lived

most

stirring times;

he was associated with

the greatest personages of his day

;

and he had

the privilege of taking part in the discovery and colonization of a

new

world.

Eloquent, devoted, charitable, fervent, sometimes too fervent, yet very skilful in managing

men, he

prototype. Saint Paul that he

remind the reader of

will doubtless

should

;

and

have been

it

was very

called,

as

his

fitting

he was,

the " Apostle of the Indies."

Nothwithstanding our experience, largely confirmed by history, of the ingenuity often manifested in neglecting to confer

who most

deserve

it,

honour upon those

one cannot help wondering

Romish Church never thought of enLas Casas as a saint, amongst such fellow-

that the rolling

labourers as Saint Charles of Borromeo, or Saint

Francis of Assisi.

His

life is

very interesting,

circumstance, that,

if

only from this

perhaps more than any man

of his time, he rose to great heights of

power and

PREFACE.

viii

and then, to use a phrase of his own, His sheer down " into terrible abysses."

Influence, fell

however, almost always rose indomitable " did not long retain him as and the " abysses :

spirit,

their captive.

Among

his singular advantages

must be men-

tioned his great physical powers, and tenacity of life.

I do not

being

ill.

He

remember

that he ever mentions

exceeded in his journeyings his

renowned master and

friend, Charles the Fifth,

and he lived fully as laborious a

life

as did that

monarch.

When

Charles, a youth of sixteen, came to

the throne. Las Casas was a of great

young king's attachment whose

active

life

at Indian affairs;

and

man

power and Influence, ;

full

soon

won

the

during the whole of

he worked vigorously with him

and when, broken

in spirit, Charles retired to

Casas was in

of about forty,

He

in health

San Yuste, Las

vigour, and had his

way with

Philip the Second, not, however, without the aid

of the

Luperial recluse.

For almost the

last

business which Charles attended to was one in

which the dying monarch gave to his friend

Las Casas.

his

warm

support

PREFACE. With

Charles's

affairs;

failed to

grandfather,

Las Casas had

Catholic,

ix

also

Ferdinand

worked

the

at Indian

and, with his usual sincerity, had not

inform that king of

concerned

his soul

many

truths which

and the welfare of

his

king-

dom.

Columbus, Cardinal Ximenes, Cortes, Pizarro, Vasco Nunez, Gattinara the great Flemish

man, were

all

known

to

generations of notable

men

:

states-

in fact, he

saw

— statesmen, monarchs,

and

discoverers,

inventors, flourish,

Las Casas

conquerors

—

rise,

and die; and he had continually to re-

commence

his

arduous conflict with

new

states-

He surmen, new conquerors, and new kings. vived Ferdinand fifty years, Charles the Fifth eight years,

Columbus

sixty years, Cortes nine-

teen

Ximenes

forty-nine years, Pizarro

years,

twenty-five

years,

and

Gattinara

thirty-seven

years.

He

was twenty-eight years old when he commenced his first voyage to the Indies; and he was

still

in full vigour, not failing in sight, hearing,

or intellect, when, at ninety-two years of age,

he contended before Philip the Second's ministers in favour of the

Guatemalans havinor Courts of

PREFACE.

2

Justice of their own.

Having

climate of Valladolid, doubtless

the pleasant

left

excited

by the

cause he was urging, and denying himself the rest he required,

he was unable to bear up against

that treacherous air of Madrid, of which the pro-

verb justly says, " though candle, off,

it

it

will not

man," and

will yet kill a

prematurely, as I always

blow out a so,

feel, in

was cut

the ninety-

second year of his age.

His powers, like those of a great statesman of our own time, decidedly improved as he grew older.

He

became, I believe, a better writer, a more

eloquent speaker, and a

much wider and more life.

His

written

when

tolerant thinker towards the end of his

best treatise* (in

my judgment) was

he was ninety years of age, and its

topics

is

even now, when

have been worn somewhat threadbare,

a most interesting work.

To show great I

natural

that

I

have not

powers as

need only refer

with Sepulveda.

to

his

w^ell

exawo-erated as

his

his

learning,

celebrated controversy

This Sepulveda was then the

greatest scholar in Spain, and

*

On

Peru.

was backed, more-

PREFACE.

XI

Las Casas was by other learned men but In argument he was all. quite a match for them

over,

;

Texts, quotations, conclu-

superior.

decidedly

sions of Councils, opinions of fathers

men were showered down upon

and school-

him.

He met

with weapons readily produced from the same armouries, and showed that he too had

them

all

Thomas Aquinas and

not in vain studied his Saint

in

His great opponent, Sepulveda,

Aristotle.

his

a private

speaks of

describing the

letter

Las

as " most

Casas

controversy, subtle,

most

compared with whom the Ulysses of Homer was inert and stuttering." Las Casas, at the time of the controversy, was

vigilant,

and most

fluent,

seventy-six years of age.

The reader think that

if

of this introduction will perhaps

Las Casas

described, and his it is

life is

is

such a

man

as I. have

of such exceeding interest,

so strange that, comparatively speaking,

has been heard about him.

be easily explained.

His

little

This, however, can

life

can only be fully

to books, manuscripts, pourtrayed after reference and official documents of the greatest rarity, not

within the reach even of scholars, until recent years.

The government

of

Spain has of late

PREFACE.

xii

years thrown open to

unreserved manner,

all

its

students, in the most treasures,

literary

afforded every facility for their study.

and

In mo-

dern times, too, the Americans have taken great pains to investigate the early records of America,

and have always been remarkably generous, in the use they have allowed to be made of the documents which they have rescued and brought toofether.*

There are few men to whom, up to the present time, the words which Shakespeare makes Mark

Antony say of Las Casas :

"

—

Ctesar, Avould

more apply than

to

The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones.'

At one

inauspicious

moment

of his

life

he

advised a course which has ever since been the

one blot upon his well-earned

*

A

short letter of

Las Casas

— of

fame,

bought

amounting

to

too

Las Casas who had

very often not a maravedi in his pocket

been

and

— has

sometimes

by an enterprising American at a sum more than ten thousand maravedis, and the

purchaser was but too glad use to an historian.

if his

purchase could be of any

PREFACE,

xiii

often has this advice been the only thing which,

when

He

certainly did advise that negroes should

be brouo;ht to the

New

World.

have amply shown

I

ever,

Conquest"

that he

advice, and that

acted upon.

it

I think,

the

in

was not the

"

how-

Spanish

to give this

first

had long before been largely be remembered, that

It is also to

this advice, to introduce negroes,

small

been men-

Casas has

occurred to men's minds respecting

tioned, has

him.

of Las

name

the

part of his

been carried into

was but a very

Had

scheme.

general

effect as a

whole,

it

that

would have

afforded the most efficient protection for negroes,

Indians, and for

all

those

to the Spanish Colonial

who were

to be subject

Empire.

However, Las Casas makes no such defence for himself, but thus frankly

saying, in his

owns

his great error,

" This advice, that licence history,

should be given to bring negro slaves to these lands, the

Clerigo Casas

first

gave, not consi-

dering the injustice with which the Portuguese take after

them and make them he had

thing, he

apprehended

slaves;

the

would not have given

in the world.

which advice, nature of the for all

For he always held

he had

that

they

PREFACE.

xiv

had

been made

cally

;

for the

slaves

unjustly,

and tyranni-

same reason holds good of them

as of the Indians."*

This one error must not be allowed to over-

shadow the long and noble career of one, who never, as far as I am aware, on any other occasion, yielded to worldly policy

who,

for nearly

a grand cause, never and who confronted great

sixty years, held

fast to

growing weary of

it

;

;

statesmen, potent churchmen, and mighty kings,

with perfect fearlessness, in defence of an injured, a calumniated, and down-trodden race, totally unable to protect themselves

—a

race

from the

advance of a pseudo-civilization which destroyed as

much

as

it civilized.

October, 1867.

*

It

is

a curious fact in history, that this suggestion of

Las Casas tended,

as far as

it

importation of negroes into the to

was adopted, to check the New World. The licence

import was restricted, for a term of eight years, to the of 4000, whereas the emperor had been requested

number

to allow the importation of negroes without

whatever.

any restriction

PREFACE. The greater life

is

to be

part of the subject-matter for this

found in

America," but I

Arthur it,

with

XV

am

my

"

Spanish Conquest in

indebted to

my

Helps, for having utilized

my

son,

Edmund

and added to

assistance, in the preparation of the

present biographical narrative.

^ibC ^^-^

^yi^i".^ CONTENTS. Chapter

I.

Pago

HARACTER of Las and Education in

Casas— His Parentage

— He joins

an Expedition to Cuba

moned

to

with Narvaez

—He

.....

Xagua

is

sum-

Chapter IL

—

—

The Conversion of Las Casas His Voyage to Spain He goes to Court— The Death of King Ferdinand

17

Chapter HI. Las Casas sees the Cardinal Ximenes

—He

is

appointed

wrongs of the Lidiana, " Protector with the Jerouimite Fathers, and made

to go out

and inquire

of the Indians"

into the

—He retuins b

to Spain

37

CONTENTS.

xviii

Chaptee IV. Page

Las Casas

is

introduced to the Grand Chancellor, and

—

Scheme before the King His checked by the Death of the Chancellor

lays his Emigration

Plans are

He

—

holds a Controversy with the Bishop of Burgos

.

55

Chapter V. Las Casas brings forward Colony

—After

his

Plan for founding a with the

failing in gaining his point

Council of the Indies, he goes to Court, and succeeds obtaining full power to carry out his design

xa.

.

92

Chapter VI.

—

Ocampo's Expedition Hv Audiencia He is put in command of an Expedition to the Terra-firma His followers

Las Casas

tries to detain

—

complains to the

—

....

desert him on his arrival there

129

Chapter VII. Las Casas alone

— He —Fate of

in the land

Franciscan Monastery

is

received into the

his

Colony

.

.144

Chapter VIII. Las Casas becomes a Dominican himself to Literature

Monk— He

devotes 161 /

CONTENTS.

six

Chapter IX. Las Casas

He

in the

Dominican Monastery

" proposes to conquer the

the aid of his

monks

.

— His Studies— Page

Land

,

of

War " .

,

with

.178

,

Chapter X. Las Casas succeeds the

"Land

of

in converting

War"

— He

is

by peaceable means sent to Spain, and

detained there by the Council of the Lidies

Chapter

.

.

XL

— He made Bishop —His troubles with flock—He resigns the bishopric— His Controversy with Sepulveda

Las Casas writes on Indian

affairs

of Chiapa

199

is

his

.

232

Chapter XII. Las Casas appeals his Life

—He —His Death—Review of

to Philip II. through Carranza

writes a Treatise on

Peru

.

277

THE LIFE OF LAS CASAS. CHAPTER L Character of Las Casus— His Parerdage and Education^' He joins with Narvaez in moned

to

an Expedition

to

Cuba

—He

is

sum-

Xagua.

ARTHOLOMEW

de Las Casas was

the son of Antonio de Las Casas, one of Columbus's

voyage. T474.

shipmates In his

Bartholomew was born at His father became

rich,

first

Seville in

and sent him

a student to Salamanca, where he remained

as till

he was eighteen, and took a licentiate's degree then hear nothing of importance concerning

We him

when he accompanied his father in an expedition under Columbus to the West till

1498,

Indies, returning to Cadiz with the expedition in

1500.

In 1502 he accompanied Nicholas de Ovando, a distinguished knight of Alacantara,

B

who was going

2

CHARACTER OF LAS

out to

HIspaniola

CASAS.

governor of the

as

was afterwards ordained

Indies,

and now,

priest,*

at the

age of thirty-six, eight years after his arrival the Indies, began to

make

the stage of history.

He

person,

of that force

ability,

that

career.

in

appearance on

his

was a very notable of character and general

would

have

Indeed, he did

fulfil

three or four vo-

an eager

man

of business, a la-

he

cations, being

excelled

in

any

borious and accurate historian, a great reformer, a great philanthropist, and a vigorous ecclesiastic.

The utmost

that friends or enemies, I imagine,

could with the slightest truth allege against him,

If

was an over-fervent temperament. to arrange the faculties of great

generally, according to our

combine two characters

And,

in this case,

might have been

we

to

we had

men, we should

easy-working fancies,

make our men

should not be sorry,

so, to

have had a

little

of.

if it

of the

wary nature of such a man as King Ferdinand the Second intermixed with the nobler elements of

Las Casas.

Considering, however, what great

things Las Casas strove after, and

" sang the first new mass" in the Indies, from which that he was the first priest ordained there. appesurs *

it

how much he

He

i

ii

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA. accomplished, is

it is

3

ungracious to dwell more than

needful upon any defect or superfluity of his

If

character.

it

can be proved that he was on any

occasion too impetuous in

word

or deed,

a cause that might have driven any

with

it

beyond

all

it

was

in

man charged

bounds of prudence in the ex-

pression of his indignation.

His nature had the

merit of being as constant as

it

was eloquent, acute, ficing, pious.

We

truthful,

was ardent.

self-sacri-

bold,

need not do more

of such a character than show

it

He

in praise

in action.

In the whole course of West Indian colonizaand humane forethought never could have been more wanted than at this period,

tion, a wise

Hispaniola was rapidly becoming depopulated of Indians,

and

population,

on

the

we may

mode of renewing

the

critical

the

We3t

Indies.

almost

say, depended the

future destinies of slavery.

In the year 1511 the Admiral

Columbus, Ovando's Hispaniola, undertook

He

a

successor

the

as

Don Diego governor of

subjection of Cuba.

chose for his Captain, Diego Velazquez, one

of the original conqu«rors, a

man

of wealth,

whose

were

in that part

possessio33o in Hispaniola

of the island nearest to Cuba.

THE OCCUPATIO'N OF CUBA.

4

La6 fasas joins Velazquez in an

expedition topacificate

Cuba.

The

earliest

West

with

nection

mention made of Las Casas in conIndian history,

is

his

being

summoned by Diego Velazquez,

to

Cuba, where he arrived

same time as

by Velazquez Casas

selected

as his lieutenant to join with

the population

in

the

Narvaez, who had been

de

Pamphilo

at

proceed to

and pacification

such were the terms in vogue

—

Las

—

xbr

of the island of

Cuba.

One

of the

successful

He

first

it

:

expeditions of Narvaez was un-

was

in

the province of

Bayamo.

himself was nearly killed, and would never

have escaped, but

for the terror

which

his horse,

an animal not hitherto seen by these Indians,

These Indians, however, who had

inspired. at the

approach of the Spaniards, returned

pardon, and to be received into subjection.

appears astonishing, but

The

may be

to

fled

beg This

easily explained.

which they fled were occupied had food enough for themother who Indians, by territories into

selves only

;

and, therefore, after a brief sojouru,

unhappy fugitives, becoming most unwelcome guests, were tempted to return to their own the

country

;

for the Spaniards,

though

terrible visit-

ors in other respects, did not at once create a

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

5

famine in those parts which they occupied, bv reason of the comparative smallness of their numbers.

these

By niards

first

means the province where the Spalanded, called Maici, and the adjacent

one of Bayamo, were brought into complete suband the inhabitants were then divided jection; into repartimientos*

quez amongst

his followers. After this

who was about

to be married,

bride, leaving his his lieutenant (for

and Las Casas

On

and apportioned by Velaz-

went

Velazquez,

to receive his

nephew, Juan de Grivalva, as Narvaez had not yet returned),

as

an adviser to the lieutenant.

the return of Narvaez, orders from Velazquez

reached the place where Narvaez and Las Casas

were

stationed, directing

them

to

make an expe-

dition into the country of Camaguey, for the pur" " of puse The assuring it, to use their phrase. *

A

repartimiento

(such a one)

was a deed that ran thus

:

—" To you

given an encomienda (or commandery) of so Indians with such a Cacique, and you are to teach many them the things of our Holy Catholic Faith." With is

respect

" to the implied condition of teaching the Indians the Catholic Faith,"

it

was no more attended

to

than any formal clause in a deed which the parties concerned to be a mere last

formality.

is

from

Holy

first

to

supposed by

Expedition

aid

nS'^

orTiA!^^

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

6

narrative of this expedition, which detail

is

given in inV

by Las Casas, an eye-witness and

actor in the scene he describes,

And

is

very

principa.

instructive;.

here I must say for Las Casas, that I

have not the slightest doubt of the truth of any statement which he thus vouches for. He manifests

throughout his writings, in various

things, his accuracy

and truthfulness.

little

For

in-

Nature of

stancc, he

mony.

nunciation oi the Indian names, and shows a fair

is

careful to point out the exact pro-

appreciation of those persons he

opposed

is

most bitterly

to.

Before they reached the province of Camaguey they came to a place called Cueyba. the very spot

where Ojeda — one

who

followed

Columbus

left

an image of the Virgin.

—when

received with great kindness

This was

of the explorers

shipwrecked, had

Ojeda

had been

by the Indians in was

that vicinity, and the image which he left

now

held in the highest reverence by the natives,

who had

built a church, adorning

it

inside with

ornamental work made of cotton, and had set up an altar for the image. Moreover, they had composed couplets in honour of the Virgin, which they sang to sweet melodies, and accompar-ied

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA. with (lancing. cial

7

This image was also held in espe-

reverence by the Spaniards, and Las Casas

being anxious on that account to obtain

it

ex-

in

change o o for another image o which he had brought with him, entered into treaty with the Cacique for that

was

purpose.

The Indian

chief,

however,

so alarmed at these overtures, that he fled

by Las

night, taking the beloved image with him.

Casas,

when he heard

of this, v/as greatly discon-

certed, fearing lest the neighbouring population

should take up arras on behalf of their image.

He

managed, however, to quiet them, assuring them, that he would not only let them keep their

own

image, but that he would bestow upon them

the one which he had brought with him.

Such gentle means as these were invariably pursued by Las Casas with the greatest effect ;

and

it

is

evident from this story

how very

easy

the conversion of the Indians would have been

mild means, instead of which text with some, and the

it

by was made the pre-

real justification with

others, for the greatest inhumanities.

The commands

so

much

Las CasHs

simple people, that

when

by the natives of

of Las Casas

reverence from these

he sent by a messenger any

met with

bit of

paper Inserted at

Cuba.

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

8

the end of a stick, and the messenger declared that

the paper bore such and such orders, they were

The Indians had

implicitly obeyed.

in general

the greatest respect and wonder for the

commu-

the Spaniards by letter, for it apthem peared quite a miracle, how the information of what had been done in one place was nication

among

to

made known

in another

by means of these mys-

terious pieces of paper.

One

of the chief cares of the Clerigo (the

title

by which Las Casas describes himself) was, whenever they halted in any Indian town or village, to assign

the

separate

Spaniards.

quarters to the Indians and this

By

and much

many

disorders

cipal

business was

means he prevented cruelty.

to assemble

order to baptize them

;

But

his prin-

the children in

and, as he observes, there

were many that God bestowed his sacred baptism

upon all

in

good time ;

those

for none, or scarcely any, of

children remained alive a few months

afterwards.

In the course of this journey of pacification, the Spaniards

approached a large

town of the

Indians called Caonao, where an immense

ber of

the

natives

num-

had conffregated together.

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA. chiefly

to

see

the horses

9

which the Spaniards

In the morning of the day on which the Spaniards under Narvaez and Las brought with them.

Casas, amounting to about a hundred men, arrived at

Caonao, they stopped to breakfast in the dry bed of a stream where there wei*e many stones

suitable for grindstones

;

and they

all

took the

opportunity of sharpening their swords.

From

thence a wide and arid plain led them to Caonao.

They would have

suffered terribly from thirst,

but that some Indians kindly brought them water

on the road.

At

last

they reached Caonao at the

Here they halted. The chief town and the vicinity

time of vespers.

population of this Indian

was assembled together in one spot, sitting on the ground, and gazing, no doubt with wonder, at

the horses of the

Spaniards.

Apart, in a

large hut, were five hundred of the natives, who,

being more timid than tent

to

the

prepare victuals for

others,

were

con-

their visitors, but

had with them about a

The Spaniards thousand of their own

The

Clerigo was preparino-

declined any nearer approaches.

Indian attendants.

for the division of the rations

when suddenly

a

amongst the men,

Spaniard, prompted, as

was

THE OCCUPATION OF

10

thought, by the Devil,

drew

rest

to

theirs

drew

CLfBA.

his

sword

and immediately they

:

the

all

began hack and hew the poor Indians, who were sit;

ting quietly near them,

than so

sistance

moment when was

in

and offering no more re-

many

At

sheep.

the

precise

the massacre began, the Clerigo

the apartment where the Spaniards were

to sleep for the

with him

:

night.

He

had

five

Spaniards

some Indians who had brouo-ht the

baggage were lying on the ground, sunk

The

tigue.

five

in fa-

Spaniards hearing the blows of

the swords of their comrades without, immediately

upon the Indians who had brought the bagLas Casas, however, was enabled to pregage. fell

vent that slaughter, and the

five

out to join their comrades. also,

Spaniards ];ushed

The Clerigo went

and, to his grief and horror, saw heaps of

dead bodies already strewed about, " like sheaves " What of corn," waiting to be gathered up. think you these Spaniards have been doing ?" ex-

claimed Narvaez to Las Casas **

replied,

Devil."* *

"Que

I

;

and Las Casas

commend both you and them The

to

the

Clerigo did not stop, however, to

OS ofresco k vos

Casas, Hist, de las Lidias,

MS.

y a lib

ellos el Diablo." iii.

cap. 29.

— La«

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

11

oandy words with the Commander, but rushed hither and thither, endeavouring to prevent the indiscriminate slaughter which was going on, of

men, women, and children.

Then he

entered the

Indians had great hut, where he found that many had escaped already been slaughtered, but some

and the woodwork, and were up

by the

pillars

aloft.

To them he

shall

exclaimed,

be no more slaughter

— no

which, one of them, a young these

twenty, trusting to

" Fear not, there

more

man

words,

" ;

upon

of five-and-

came down.

But, as Las Casas justly says, the Clerigo could not be in

all

places at once, and, as

it

happened,

he left this hut directly, indeed, before the poor

young man got down, upon which a Spaniard drew a short sword, and ran the Indian through Las Casas was back

the body.

in time to afford

the last rites of the Church to the dying youth.

To

see

the

fearful

wounds that were made,

seemed, the historian

guided the

men

bed of the

river.

When

says, as if the Devil

it

had

that day to those stones in the dry

inquiry was

made

as to

who had been

sacre at

the author of this massacre, no one replied.

shows how causeless the massacre was,

The mas-

This

for if there

Caonao causeless.

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

]2

had been any good reason for it, the Spaniard who first drew his sword would have justified

and

himself,

it

;

may have been

It

action.

man

may

requisite

towards

panic

in

the

this

one

much

less into

for

account than

but, whatever the cause, the whole

;

transaction

for

merit

have been momentary madness,

such things are taken is

claimed

perhaps

shows the conduct of the Spaniards

the

Indians

in

a

most

unfavourable

light.

The maxim,

War, when most

that the evil consequences of

war

fatal

in its con-

much upon

depend, not so

the

nature

of the

sequences.

victory, or the rage of the

combatants, or the

cause of the quarrel, as upon the contempt, jusor not, which the victorious side has for

tifiable

the vanquished, seems to

out

history.

and cruel

applicable through-

The wars between

results,

nations that

may have most sanguinary

one another

respect

me

but not so injurious

to

humanity

when Spartan conquers Helot, Mahomedan conquers Christian, Spaniard conquers Moor or as

Indian

much

;

or as, in general,

civilization, or

other nation of creed.

much

little

when one

bigotry, conquers an-

civilization,

The Komans may

nation with

in

or of another

some instances have

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA. Offered a splendid exception to this rule

the general history of the world

On

the

news of

this

it

13

but in

;

holds good.

massacre at Caonao,*

all

The Indians fly to

of the

inhabitants

the

province *

deserted their

of the

towns, flying for refuge to the innumerable

on that

The

coast,

islets

called the " Garden of the Queen."

Spaniards, leaving the Indian town of Cao-

nao, which

they had

desolated in the

related above, formed a

camp

for each Spaniard

attendants.

had

manner

in the vicinity, or

rather ordered the Indians to form

it

for

them,

at least eight or ten native

Amongst those much repute

old Indian of

of Las Casas was an in the island, called

Camacho, who had accompanied the Clerigo voOne day, luntarily, to be under his protection. while the Spaniards were at this camp, a young Indian, sent as a spy from the former inhabitants

of Caonao, came into tne camp, and making his

way

directly to the Clerigo's tent, addressed

macho, begging

to

Ca-

be taken into the Clerigo's

service,

and requesting that he might be allowed

* "

quedo piante ni mamante." Las Casas. A pro" There remained neither the child that

No

Terbial expression

—

—

sucks nor the one that chirrups."

the

"Gardt-n Queen."

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

14

to bring his

younger brother

formed Las CasaG of the news, as catinsr

it

this,

Camacho

also.

who was

delighted with

gave an opportunity of communi-

with those Indians

who had

fled.

Accord-

ingly he received the Indian very kindly,

him some

trifling

bring back

his

assure

in-

made

presents, and besought him to their

to

homes, and to

countrymen them that they should not be further

molested.

gave the

The young man, to whom Camacho name of Adrianico, took his leave, pro-

mising to bring his brother and the rest of the Indians.

began

Some days

passed away, and Las Casas

to think that Adrianico

to perform his promise, his

would not be able

when one evening he made

appearance with his brother and a hundred

and eighty Indian not mentioned,

men and women.

Children are

and I conjecture these Indians

would not run the

risk of brino-ino-

them within

the power of the Spaniards. It

was a melancholy sight

to see the little

band

of fugitives, with their small bundles of household things on

their shoulders,

and their

strings of

beads as presents for the Clerigo and the Spaniards, returning, perforce, for

want of food—

and perhaps too with some of that inextinguish-

THE OCCUPATION OF CUBA. able fondness for

home which endears

part of the world to

its

inhabitants

—

U

so large a

to the spot

where they had but lately seen such cruelties perThe Clepetrated on their friends and relations.

was delighted to see them, but very sad too, when he considered their gentleness, their humi-

rigo

lity,

philo de all

and their

their poverty,

Pam-

sufferings.

Narvaez united with Las Casas

in doing

he could to assure these poor people of their

safety

and they were dismissed to their empty

;

homes. This example of good treatment reassured the Indians of that vicinity,

who

in consequence

returned to their houses.

The Spaniards pursued their purpose of pacificating Cuba, now taking to their vessels and

now

coasting along the northern shore, and

When

versing the interior of the country.

came

to the province of

the Indians, having

tra-

they

Havana, they found that

heard of the

massacre at

Caonao and other such proceedings, had all fled upon which Las Casas sent messengers to the ;

Tpc

1

n

•

xi

ditierent Caciques, the messengers •If

.

terious pieces sticks,

p oi

•

•

i_

beanng mys-

xiiji

paper inserted at the

which had before been found so

and assuring these Caciques of

If oi

end

efficacious,

safety and protec-

^as Ca? asas sends to the caciques

to

assure them of safety,

16

HIE OCCUPATION OF CUBA.

tlon.

The

result was, that eighteen or nineteen

of these Caciques came and placed themselves in

power of the Spaniards

the

and

;

it is

an asto-

nishing instance of the barbarity and folly of the

Spanish captain Narvaez, that he put them in chains,

them

and expressed an intention of burning

alive.

vince by this

Probably he thought that the promeans, losing all its chiefs at one

blow, would become hopeless and obedient.

this

monstrous treachery, to which he would have

been so unwilling a party treaties, partly

the release of

by all

;

and partly by en-

threats, succeeded in procuring

these Caciques except one, the

most powerful, who was carried but was afterwards set at Las Casas joins

Wlaz-

quez at Xagua.

The

manner protested against

Clerigo in the strongest

to

Velazquez,

liberty.

This seems a strange method of assuring and .„

.

pacificating the

Indians

;

sources, and the absence of

had now

war

as they

any

resistance, caused

The

island of

but their want of re-

any experience of such

to encounter, if they

them

easily to

Cuba was now

made

succumb.

considered to be

pacificated, and Pamphilo de Narvaez and Las

Casas were ordered to join Velazquez at Xagua.

CHAPTER The Conversion of Las Casas goes

to

Voyage

to

Spain

—He

— The Death of King Ferdinand.

Court

?AS CASAS, I

—His

II.

after see,

rows

as the reader will here-

had many troubles and

to bear

;

sor-

but at this particular

period he was blessed with that which

is

always

one of the greatest blessings, but which, like hospitality in a partially civilized country, seems to

have flourished more, as being more needed, In a word, he had a real

in rude, hard times. friend.

This friend's

Renteria.

name was Pedro de

Their friendship was most intimate,

De Ren-

and had subsisted for many years. teria, as often

happens in friendship, presented

a curious contrast to

who might

la

Las Casas.

well have been a

contemplative person,

was

monk —

given much

c

He

a

man

a devout,

to solitude

and

^

r.

Las Lasas j^.^^^^, friend.

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

18

prayer

;

and Las Casas mentions a

trait in

his

character which exactly coincides with the rest of

namely, that he was a most liberal

it,

man

;

but that

seemed rather to flow from habit and

his liberality

a carelessness about worldly goods than from a deliberate

volence.

judgment exercised

in matters of bene-

This good man's occupations, however,

were entirely

secular,

and he was employed by

Diego Velazquez as Alcalde. "When the island was considered Partnership

between Las Casas and R(3nteria.

and the Governor began

to be settled

to give repartimientos ,

knowing the friendship that existed between Las Casas and Renteria, he gave them a large village in

common, and Indians

in repartimiento*

This land

of theirs was about a league from Xagua, on the river

Arimao

and there they

;

lived, the Clerigo

* " Didle (a Pedro de Renteria) Indies de repartimiento

juntamente con

el

Padre, dando a ambos un buen Pueblo

y grande, con los cuales el Padre comenzo a entender en hacer grangerias y en echar parte de ellos en las minas, teniendo harto mas euidado de ellas que de dar doctrina a los

como lo era principalmente pero en aquella materia tan ciego estaba

Indios, habiendo de ser

aquel su oficio

;

por aquel tiempo

que lib.

el

tenia por hijos." ili.

cap 32.

buen Padre como

— Las Casas, Hist,

los Seglares todos

de las Indias, MS.,

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

19

having the greater part of the management of the and joint affairs, as being much the more lively the

was

Indeed, he confesses that he

busier man. as

much engaged

Las Casaa a busy,

moneymaking'

as others in

sending his

man.

Indians to the mines and making as large a profit

At

of their labour as possible.

the same time,

however, he was kind to them personally, and provided carefully for their sustenance; but, to use his

own

" he took no more heed than

words,

the other Spaniards to bethink himself that his

Indians were unbelievers, and of the duty that there was on his part to give

and

them

to bring

them

instruction,

bosom of the Church of

to the

Christ."*

As whole

there

was but one other

island,

Las Casas

and no

friar, it

clerigo

in

was necessary

the for

mass and to preach. " the Feast It happened that he had to do so on of Pentecost," in the year 1514; and studying occasionally to say

either the sermons that

he preached himself, or

that he heard the other clerigo preach at this

time, he began to ponder over certam passages ,

(" authorities" *

Las Casas,

he

calls

them) of

Hist, de las Indias,

MS.,

lib.

Scripture.

iii.

cap. 78

Las Casas

communes with himself.

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

20

The 34th chapter

of Eccleslasticus, the

19th, 20th, 21st and

22nd verses,

and then enchained, his attention " He that sacrificeth of a

:

first

18th,

arrested,

—

thing wrongfully

gotten, his offering is ridiculous

men

unjust

;

and the

gifts

of

are not accepted.

" The Most High ings of the wicked

is

neither

:

by the multitude of

not pleased with the offer-

he pacified

is

for sin

sacrifices.

" Whoso bringeth an offering of the goods of the poor doeth as one that killeth the son before his father's eyes.

" The bread of the needy defraudeth him thereof

"

He

slayeth

that taketh

him

of his hire

;

is

is

a

away

is

their life

man his

;

he that

of blood.

neighbour's living

and he that defraudeth the labourer a bloodshedder."

I think that the Clerigo might have dwelt upon

one of the remaining verses of the chapter with great profit

"

When

whose

:

—

one prayeth, and

voice will the

Lord hear

another curseth ?

"

In recounting the steps which led to his conversion. Las Casas takes care to say, that what he

CONVERSION OF LAS had formerly heard

I'd

CASA^'.

the Dominicans preach

Hispaniola was, at this

critical

period of his

in

life,

of ^t

Then he had only slighted but he now words; particularly remembers

great service to him. their

a contest he had with a certain Religioso, fused to give Indians. it

may

him

This

is

who

re-

absolution, because he possessed

an instance of the great mistake

be to hold your tongue about the truth,

for fear it should

provoke contest and harden an

The

adversary in his opinion. has heard sink into a and, even

when he

rently fixed in his

found that

if

man

at

truths which he

some time or other

Good argument

:

from a contest, appaconceits, it would often be

not lost

upon men.

retires

own

he had to renew the contest the next

day, he would not take up quite the same position that he had maintained before.

The good seed

sown by the Dominicans had now, after having been buried for some years, found a most fruitful soil;

and

it

shot

up

the ardent soul of the

in

Clerigo like grain in that

warm

upon which he

Las Casas studied the

stood.

principles of the matter

:

land of the tropics

from the principles he

turned to considering the facts about him

;

and,

with his candid mind thus fully aroused, he soon

came

to the conclusion that the

system of reparti-

Las Casas convinced of the evil of reparti' mientos.

CONVERSION OF LAS

CASAS.

mientos was inig^uitous,* and that he mustjpreach it.

against

"What, then, must he do with his Alas,

was necessaiy

it

to give

Las Casas resolves to is

own

Indians.

felt that

as considerate towards

them up

!

Not

them up for any worldlyno one in Cuba would be

that he grudged giving

motive, but he

own Indians?

them

as he,

even in the

^^y^ ^^ ^^^ darkness, had been; and that they would be worked to death as indeed they were.

—

But

still,

the answer to

all

the sermons he might

preach would be his

own

He

them up.

resolved to give

repartimiento of Indians.

Las Casas was not only the friend, Now, but the partner, of Pedro de Renteria, this deteras

mination on the part of the Clerigo was a matter

which would

affect

the

interests of his friend;

and, unluckily, Renteria happened to be absent

from home

at this time,

having gone to Jamaica

"

* Pasados pues algunos dias en aquesta consideration, cada dia mas y mas certificandola por lo que leia cu&nto al y dej-echo,

en

si

y

via del hecho, aplicandolo

mismo convencido de

la

uno

al otro,

misma verdad,

determino

ser injusto y

tirinico todo cuanto cerca de los Tndios en estas Indias se

cometia."

—Las

Casas, Hist, de las Indias, MS.,

lib. iii.

cap. 78.

/

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

>

upon went his

to the to

*\'^^

Las Casas, however,

their joint affairs.

mind

23

Governor Velazquez, and

laid

him upon the subject of the

open

reparti-

iieinfornu the

mientos, putting the matter boldly as

own

his lordship's

The

rest of the Spaniards.

Clerigo added, that he must give

but wished that

slaves,

concerned

salvation, as well as that of

Las Casas and the

be kept secret

it

determination might

this

Pedro

till

own

his

up

de

Renteria should

return.

The Governor was

greatly astonished

Casas, who, no doubt, took

thing he did take

up

warmly

;

for

Las

hand any-

in

at all, passed for a

man

fond

of gain, and very busy in the things of this world.

Velazquez, in replying, besought the Clerigo to consider the matter well indeed, to think of

it

—

—and

would repent of afterwards.

to take fifteen

to

do nothing that he

Las Casas thanked

his lordship for his kindness, but bade

the fifteen days as already past if he.

Las Casas, were

days,

;

to repent,

him count

and added, that

and were to ask

for the Indians again, even with tears of blood,

God would were

punish the Governor severely

to listen

the interview

;

to such a request.

and

it is

if

he

Thus ended

to the Governor's credit

Governor.

i'

?;.;:

'*'

%'>??i^

•

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

that he ever afterwards held the Clerlgo in greater

esteem than before.

Las Casas, however, did not long confine his conversion to the Governor alone, nor

efforts at

did he conceal his intention until his partner had Las Casas

returned

preaches

of "

against repartimientos.

home

;

for,

The Assumption

when preaching on the day of Our Lady," he took occa-

sion to mention publicly the

come

to as regards his

urge upon

own

conclusion he had affairs,

and

also to

his congregation in the strongest

man-

ner his conviction of the danger to their souls they retained their repartimientos of Indians.

were amazed tion;

if

All

some were struck with compuncothers were as much surprised to hear it ;

called a sin to

had been told

make use of it

was

the Indians as

sinful

to

if

make use

they

of the

beasts of the field.

After Las Casas had uttered

manv

exhortations

both in public and in private, and had found that

they were of

little avail,

he meditated

the fountain head of authority, the

The

how

King

to

go

to

of Spain.

Clerigo's resources were exhausted: he had

not a maravedi* or the

Equal

means of getting one, ex-

to nbout two-thirds of a farthino^.

"

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

M^^C^'''*

cept by selling a mare which was worth a hundred pesos.*

Resolvee ^o

.

-r>

Resolving, however, to go, he wrote to

go

to

^P^iQ-

Eenteria, telling him that business of importance

was taking him teria could

to Castille,

and that unless Een-

return immediately, he. Las Casas,

could not wait to see him

—a

thing, as he adds,

not imaginable by the good Eenteria, so firm was their friendship.

was a singular coincidence

It

that, not

before this time, the services of the also

long

Church had

brought into active existence very serious

I'll thoughts m the 1

breast of Pedro de Eenteria.

.

There

be a

while apparently engaged in their ordinary secular business, had,

unknown

to themselves,

been com-

municating to each other generous thoughts about their poor Indians,

embodied in

in words.

Jamaica

which had not hitherto been

While Eenteria was

"

farthing.

went

Lent

in

(these pauses from the world are not to

be despised

A peso

waitino-

for the despatch of his business, he

into a Franciscan monastery to spend his

" retreat

!);

silent

of thought

between

.

community of thought not expressed in language; and, perhaps, these two good men,

may

A

communitj

/>!-«

and there thinking over the miseries

was equivalent

to four shillings

and eight pence

tbe friends.

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

26

of the Indians, the shape his thoughts had taken was, whether something for the children, at least,

might not be done.

Finally, he had

come

to the

conclusion to ask the King's leave to found col-

where he might collect the young Indians, and have them instructed and brought up. For

leges

this

purpose, Renteria resolved to go to Spain

himself, in order to obtain the King's sanction

;

and^ immediately after receiving the letter of the Clerigo, he hurried back to Cuba.

As

the meeting of the friends took place in

the presence of others, and as Renteria was wel-

comed back by the Governor Conference between Las Casas and his friend Renteria.

in person, they

had

no opportunity for any explanation until they were alone together at night then, in their dig:

nified

speak

Spanish first,

and

way, they agreed who should after a friendly contention, the

humble Renteria spoke of the

he

said,

first, which was the mark " I have thought sometimes," " the miseries, sufferings, and evil upon

inferior.

which these native people are leading and how from day to day they are all being con-

life

;

sumed, as the people were in Hispaniola. appeared to to

me

that

it

It has

would be an act of piety

go and inform the King of

this

—

for he cannot

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS. know anything least

of

it

— and

him

to ask

27

that at the

he should give us his royal licence to found

some

where

colleges,

the

children

be

might

brought up and taught, and where we may shelter them from such violent and vehement destruc-

Las Casas heard Renteria's words with

tion."*

astonishment and reverential joy, thinking sign of divine favour, that so good a teria

man

it

a

Ren-

as

should thus unexpectedly confirm his

own

resolve.

When

it

thus began

was the Clerigo's turn to speak, he " " You must know, sir and brother

—

(for these people did not omit the courtesy which,

however varied presume

no other than

unhappy men gave

a

in its form, affection should not

to dispense with), to

this matter,

is

Clerigo then

during Ren-

His friend replied in all humifor him to go, but for Las

was not

Casas, who, as a lettered

*

The

(the Indians).

teria's absence.

know

purpose

account of what he had already

full

it

my

go and seek a remedy for these

"

thought and done in

lity, that

" that

better

Las Casas,

how

man

to establish

Hist, de las Indias,

(letrado),

would

what he should

MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 75.

They agree Casas'*^^

to^Spain!

28

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

urge.

Renteria begged, therefore, that the stock

aud merchandize which he had just brought with

him from Jamaica, and the farm, perty, might be turned into

their joint proto equip

money

Las

Casas for his journey and his stay at court and he added, " May God our Lord be He who ;

may

ever keep you in the

The farm was

sold,

way and defend

and in

this

Bad

Casas was provided for his journey.

world

is

coming

said to be, there is

for

you."

manner Las as the

always money forth-

any good purpose, when people really

believe in the proposer.

At

this

time Pedro de Cordova, the prelate of

the Dominicans in the

four brethren First

Domi-

as

of his order from

he was to them.

to

his

Cuba

World, sent over

They were very welcome

Cuba.

nicans in t:uba.

New

;

They

Hispaniola to to

Las Casas,

listened with interest

account of the state of the Indians in

and Brother Bernardo, the most eloquent

and learned amongst them, preached to the same purpose and with fully as much animation, as the

Clerigo

himself had done.

terrified the hearers,

their

way

Their sermons

but did not seem to change

of proceeding.

The Dominicans,

ac-

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

29

cordingly, resolved to send back one of their bro-

therhood, Gutierrez de Ampudia, to

Cordova, to inform

him of the

Pedro de

state of things at

was arranged that Gutierrez should accompany Las Casas, who, by giving out that he was going to Paris, to study there and take a Cuba.

It

Cuba without

degree, contrived to leave

ing the notice of the Governor,

attract-

who might,

per-

haps, have detained him, had his true purpose and destination been

known.

So Las Casas quitted the

island of

Cuba

in

Las Casas Cuba.

quits

company with Gutierrez de Ampudia and another Dominican, without being much observed by any one, or meeting with any hindrance. After their departure cruelties of the

increased

sought

;

for

from

the

island,

the

Spaniards towards the Indians

and, as the Indians naturally enough

some refuge

in flight, the

trained dogs to pursue them.

had recourse

to suicide as a

they believed

m

Spaniards

The Indians then means of

escape, for

a future state of being,

ease and felicity, they thought,

where

awaited them.

Accordingly they put themselves to death, whole families doing so together,

and villages inviting

other villages to join them in their departure

Suicide of the Indians.

CONVERSION OF LAS CASAS.

so

from a world that was no longer tolerable to

Some hanged themselves

them.

;

others drank

the poisonous juice of the Yuca.

One

pathetic and yet ludicrous occurrence

mentioned in connection with

this

practice

is

of

A

number of them amongst the Indians. to one master had resolved to hang belonging themselves, and so to escape from their labours suicide

and

their

sufferings.

The master being made

aware of their intention, came upon them just as '* Go they were about to carry it into effect. seek

me

a rope, too," he exclaimed,

hang myself with you."

He

"

for I

must

then gave them to

understand that he could not live without them, as they

were

so useful to

him

;

and that he must

go where they were going. They, believing that they would not get rid of him even in a future state of existence, agreed to

were

;

and with sorrow

remain where they

laid aside their ropes to

resume their labours.

Meanwhile, Las

Casas

and his companions

were pursuing their journey, having arrived the port of Hanaguana, in Hispaniola.

Gutierrez, unhappily,

fell ill

at

Father

of a fever and died on

VOYAGE OF LAS CASAS TO the road safety.

;

but Las Casas reached

On

arriving

there, he

St.

SPAIN.

31

Domingo

in

Las Casa* arrives

found that the

at St.

Domingo.

Prelate of the Dominicans was absent, having just

commenced

a voyage for the purpose of founding

monasteries in the Terra-firma, being accompanied

not only by monks of his

own

order, but also

by

Franciscans, and by some monks from Picardy, who had lately come to the Indies. It

happened that a great storm compelled the

Prelate and his

company to return to port and thus Las Casas was fortunate enough to obtain an ;

interview with one of

whom

he ever speaks with

great veneration, the Prelate of the Dominicans,

Pedro de Cordova.

monk received Las Casas very and kindly, applauded his purpose greatly, but at the same time gave but little hope of its being This excellent

brought to a successful termination in King Ferdinand's time, on account of the credit which, he Bishop of Burgos and the Secretary, Lope Conchillos, had with the King, and their

said, the

being entirely in favour of the system of repartimientos, and moreover possessing Indians themeelves.

The

Clerigo,

grieved

but not

dismayed

at

Interview-

between Las Casas and De Cordova.

LAS CASAS AT THE COURT OF SPAIN.

32

these words, declared his intention to persevere, to the delight of

Pedro de Cordova, who,

as the

Dominican monastery was very poor, and only partly built, resolved to send Antonio Montesino, one of

monks, in company with Las Casas

his

King, to

solicit

Moreover, Las Casas embarks for Spain.

Sept. 1315.

aid

to

if

the

to the

alms for completing the building.

any opportunity should Clerigo

in September, 1515,

in

his

offer,

he was

And

mission.

so,

Las Casas, Montesino, and

another brother embarked at St. Domingo for Spain.

After their arrival at Seville, Montesino preLas Casas arrives at Seville.

sented Las Casas to the Archbishop of Seville,

Don Fray Diego favour with

suading the

de Deza, a prelate in great

King Ferdinand, who had been perKing to come to his diocese, as being

an excellent climate for the aged.

Ferdinand had listened

to,

way from Burgos

to

his

The Archbishop

received

and furnished him with to

some of the

ters, the

the

King

courtiers.

This advice

and was now making the South of Spain.

Las Casas

graciously,

letters to the

Armed

Kins and

with these let-

Clerigo continued his journey, and found at Plasencia, arriving there a

few days

LAS CASAS AT THE COURT OF SPAIN,

33

Las Casas

before Christmas in the year 1515.

shunned the ministers Lope de Conchillos and the Bishop of Burgos, knowing

they were likely to be

;

how

prejudiced

but he sought an inter-

La a Casas sees

view with the King, and, obtaining large to the

Monarch of the

brought him to Spain.

He

niotives

it,

spoke at

which had

had come, he

King

Ferdi-

nand. Dec. 1515,

said, to

inform his Highness of the wrongs and sufferings of the Indians, and of

how they

died without a

knowledge of the Faith and without the Sacraments, of the ruin of the country, of the diminu-

and he concluded by saying, that as these things concerned both the King's conscience and the welfare of his realm, and as to

tion of the revenue

;

be understood they must be stated in

begged

for another

dinand,

now an

was near

detail,

and a long audience.

old and ailing

he

Fer-

man, whose death

deny Las Casas the second audience he asked for, but said he would at hand, did not

willingly hear

him some day during the Christmas

Festival.

In the mean time. Las Casas poured his complaints against the King's ministers, and his narrative of the

wrongs of the Indians, into the ears

Las Casas gains the

King's Confessor.

of the

King's

Confessor,

Tomas de Matienzo,

34

LAS CASAS AT THE COURT OF SPAIN.

who, repeating them to the King, received orders to tell Las Casas to go to Seville and wait there

coming (Ferdinand was about to immediately), when he would give him a

for the King's set off

long audience, and provide a remedy for the evils

he complained

of.

The Confessor

Casas to see the Bishop of Burgos,*

management of Indian

chief

affairs,

advised Las

who had

and

also

the

Con-

* The Bishop of Burgos was one of those ready, bold, and dexterous men, with a great reputation for fidelity, who are such favourites with princes. He went through so

many

stages of preferment, that

him

it is

sometimes

difficult to

and the student of early American history will have a bad opinion of many Spanish bishops, if he does not trace

;

discover that

various

it is

Bishop Fonseca who re-appears under

designations.

He

held successively

the Arch-

diaconate of Seville, the Bishoprics of Badajoz, Cordova,

and Conde, the Archbishopric of Eosano (in with the Bishopric of Burgos, besides the ofiice of Italy), Capellan mayor to Isabella, and afterwards to Ferdinand. Palencia,

The

Indies had a narrow escape of having

him

for their

In the year 1513, Ferdinand instructed hia ambassador at Rome to apply for the institution of a uni-

Patriarch.

versal patriarchate of the Indies to be given to Archbishop

Fonseca,

"What answer the Pope gave to this application does not appear ; but it is at any rate satisfactory to find that Bishop Fonseca was not appointed Patriarch of the Indies.

LAS CASAS AT THE COURT OF SPAIN. chillos,

for,

as

he observed, the matter would

ultimately have to come into their hands

perhaps,

and

evils

would

35

when they had heard

;

and,

the miseries

all

which the Clerigo could tell them, they Las Casas, to show that he was

soften.

not obstinate, sought out these ministers, and

submitted his views and his information to them. Conchillos received the Clerigo with the utmost courtesy and kindness, and seems to have listened a

little

to

what Las Casas had

to tell

him: the

Las Bishop, on the contrary, was very rough. Casas finished his audience with the Bishop by

how seven thousand

informing him

months

perished in three

went on

* ;

children had

death of

these children, the ungodly Bishop broke in with these words, " is this to

Look you, what

me, and what

is

which Las Casas replied

:

it

"

a droll fool

to the Is

it

to

whom

?

then

Oh is it

said these words,

*

I do not

to

To

" ?

these souls

God

!

And

And, having

he took his leave.

know

what

nothing to your

great and eternal

of any concern

;

King ?"

Lordship, or to the King, that all should perish

Las Casas

Bishop of Buro-os.

and, as the Clerigo

the account of the

detailinsr

Interview

what transaction he

alludes.

LAS CASAS AT THE COURT OF SPAIN.

36

Considering the number of excellent churchmen

whose conduct comes out nobly and colonization of the Indies, it that

we

in the discovery is

not surprising

should meet with one bad bishop

;

but

it is

the

one

almost heartbreaking to consider, that

it is

who

the rest to

could have done more than

all

redress the wrongs of the Indians, and to recover affairs in

the

New

World.

Las Casas Seville.

in

what one bad appointment may do Las Casas soon after left the court for

see

departs for

Let men

power

!

where almost the

first

Seville,

thing he heard of on his

arrival, was the death of the King, which took place at Madrigalejos, a little village on the road

to Seville,

on the 23rd of January, 1516.

CHAPTER Las Casas out

sees the Cardinal

and inquire

into the

Ximenes

—He

wrongs of

Jeronimite Fathers, and made

He

III.

''''

is

appointed

to

go

the Indians, with the

Protector of the

Indians"—

returns to Spain.

S soon

as

Las Casas heard of the King's

death, he prepared to go to Flanders, to

produce what impression he could upon the

new King;

but, previously to taking this

step, he went to Madrid, to lay his statement of

the wrongs of the Indians before the Cardinal-

Governor Ximenes, and the Ambassador Adrian.

They were governing

conjointly,

Ximenes having

been appointed regent by Ferdinand during the minority of Charles the Fifth, and Adrian of Utrecht (who had been Charles's tutor) having been instructed by the young King to act in concert Avith the Cardinal.

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

38

Las Casas resolved

them know of

to let

tended journey, and to

tell

them

his in-

that if they

could remedy the evils he complained of he would stay

with them;

if

not,

go on

he would

to

Flanders.

He

drew up

his

began by laying man was horrified

it

at

statement in

Latin,

what he read

;

and

That good

before Adrian.

and without

delay he went into the apartment of the Cardinal

two great men were lodged in the same building), to ask him if such things could be. (for the

The Las Casas

of

result

the

conference

was, that

Las

Casas was informed by Ximenes that he need not

sees

Ximenes.

proceed to Flanders, but that a remedy for the evils

he

spoke of should

be found there, at

Madrid.

The

associates

council, to hear

Indian

affairs,

Licentiate

whom

the Cardinal took into

what Las Casas had

were the Ambassador Adrian, the

Zapata, Dr.

Caravajal, Dr. Palacios

Rubios, and the Bishop of Avila. tant

personages

times before say.

to tell of

summoned

the

These imporClerigo

many

them, and heard what he had to

In the course of these hearings a curious

circumstance took place, which

is

well worth re-

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES. cording.

During one of these juntas* the

39

cai'dinal

ordered that the laws of Burgos (the last laws

made touching is

the Indians) should be read.

It

some

a slight circumstance, but serves to give

indication of the excellence of the Cardinal as a

man

of business and a

he should wish

to

member

know

was, and what they were

of a council, that

exactly where the matter

The Clerk

to start from.

of the Junta, an old retainer of Conchillos,

when

he came to the law about giving a pound of

meat

to the Indians

probably

thinking

on Sundays and feastdays, that

in

this

touched himself or his friends, read

some it

The Cardinal bade

the clerk read

gave the same reading.

it

Las Casas

" That law says no such thing."

annoyed

look to what you say."

was not

to be silenced

by

himself to be in the right.

my

heart, that."

head

*

to

be cut

fear,

said again,

The

Cardinal,

"

Be

But Las Casas when he knew

" Your Lordship off,"

He

again.

at these interruptions, exclaimed,

silent, or

order

way

Avrongly.

Las Casas, who knew the laws almost by at once exclaimed, " The law does not say

may

he exclaimed, "

A junta was a council.

A

junta

to hear

if

^as Casas.

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

40

what the clerk reads

what the law

is

Some

says."

members of the Council took the papers from the clerk's hands, and found that Las Casas was " right.

You may

imagine,"

he

" that

adds,

that clerk (whose name, for his honour's sake, I will not mention) wished that he

had not been

born, so that

he might not have met with the

confusion of

face

he

then

Las

met with."

Casas concludes by remarking, " that the Clerigo lost

nothing of the reg-ard which the Cardinal

had

for him,

and the credit which he gave

to

him."

The Ximenes appoints Las Casas

and Dr. Palacios to

draw up apian.

result

of these meetings was, that the

Cardinal appointed Las Casas and Dr. Palacios

Rubios,

who had

all along;

_

shown great

interest

.

in favour of the Indians, to

draw up a plan

for

securing their liberty and arranging their govern-

At

ment.

the request of

Las Casas, Antonio

Montesino was afterwards added mittee.

Their

Las Casas,

made

way

as the

to

this

com-

of proceeding was as follows.

more experienced

in the matter,

the rough draft of any proposition, which

he then showed to Antonio Montesino, who generally

approved

it,

then to the doctor,

same, except that he perhaps added to it

in official language.

It

who it,

did the

and put

was then taken

to the

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

41

Cardinal and the Ambassador; and council held

upon

it.

The thing were thus

done and the mode of doing

to be

after

much

labour arrived at

Jt

the legis-

:

was accordingly complete. And now the persons who were to have the great charge of

lation

The

administering the law had to be sought out.

Cardinal bade Las Casas find these persons

;

but

the Clerigo, from his absence for so long a time

from

Castille,

begged

to

not

did

know

persons, and

fit

give the commission back

Cardinal's hands, presenting at the

memorial in which he stated what

were the

The "

into

the

same time a

in

his opinion

qualifications for the office in question.

Cardinal, smiling, observed to

Las Casas,

Well, Father, we have some good persons."

The Cardinal

resolved to look for .

his

men

.

amongst the Jeronimite monks, on

account of

mixed up with the contention that had already taken place between the Franciscans and Dominicans touching the fitness of the Intheir not being

dians for freedom. to

that effect to

called a chapter,

Ximenes, accordingly, wrote the General of the Order, who

when twelve of the brethren were

named, and a deputation of four priors was sent the Cardinal to inform him of the nomination.

to

Jeronimites chospn to administer

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

42

Las Casas, who was naturally anxious about the answer of the Jeronimites, went one Sunday to hear

morning

There he found a venerable man praycloister upon asking him whether

Madrid. Four of their priors come to

Madrid.

mass at their convent near to

ing in the

:

there was any reply to the Cardinal's missive,

the old priors

man

told him, that he

was one of the

who had brought an answer,

that they

arrived last night, and that the Cardinal, having

been made aware of their

arrival,

was

to

come

to

the convent that day.

Accordingly, in the course of the day, the Cardinal and

Adrian came with a cavalcade of cour-

The monks

tiers to the convent.

Junta

in

the

sacristy,

the

received the

main body of the

courtiers remaining outside in the choir

them,

Bishop Indian Proceedings at

The

doubtless

to

of Burgos, affairs,

but

his

no

small

chagrin, the

long accustomed

now

Cardinal, after

amongst

;

to

direct

of no authority in them.

thanking the Order for the

tiie

Jeronimite moDiistery.

tenor of their reply, and magnifying the

hand, desired Las Casas to be called

work

for,

in

who,

with great delight, walked through the assembled courtiers, much regarded by them, but most of all,

as he conjectures,

by the Bishop of Burgos.

ADMINISTBATION OF XIMENES. Entering the

Las Casas knelt down

sacristy.

before the Cardinal,

who

43

told

him

thank

to

God

that the desires which God had given him were in the

way

The Cardinal

of being accomplished.

then informed him that the priors had brought twelve names of persons

but

the work,

that

Eminence added,

would

three

that this night

letters of credit to the

have

suffice.

for

His

Las Casas should

General of the Jero-

Las Casas obtains letters of credit to

nimites and

was

who might be chosen

to ffo

money

for his journey,

and that he

and confer with that Prelate about the

choice of the three, informing the General of the office in question. requisite qualities for the

Casas was then to bring to court the

first

Las

Jeroni-

mite of the chosen three

whom

ready to accompany him.

The despatches should

he should find

at thereupon be prepared, after which he might

once set

We gers

off

may in

with them * for Seville. observe throughout that nothing lin-

the

Cardinal's

statesmen live by * "

Y

habido

el

laredes, venios con

hands.

delay, believe in

primero que de el

Commonplace it,

los tres

hope in

it,

mas presto hal-

a esta Corte, y hacerse ban los Des-

Sevilla los podeis despues llevar." pachos, y de camino para —Las Casas, Hist, dc las Indias, MS., lib. iii. cap. 85.

the Jeronirai.

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

44

pray to

it

who knew

man

but his Eminence worked as a

:

that the night

was coming,

"

which

in

no man can work."

Las Casas, almost

in

tears with joy, poured

out his thanks and blessings on the Cardinal, and

concluded by saying, that the money was not necessary, for that he had enough to sustain in this business.

"

Go

The Cardinal

am

to. Father, I

smiled, and said,

richer than

you

{AndUf Padre, que yo soy mas rico que vos). " the Cardinal then Las Casas went out,

many

him

favourable things of some one

who

are."

And saying

shall

be

nameless."*

The Clerigo

received his letters, conferred with

the General of the Order of St. Jerome, and three

brethren were chosen.

de Figueroa, Prior of

Their names were Luis

La Mejorada

;

Alonso de

Santo Domingo, Prior of the Convent of Ortega ;

and Bernardino Manzanedo. ThpJeroniMadrid.

Las Casas brought with him Bernardino Manthe other two joined him zancdo to Madrid ;

there, and they

*

"Diciendo

Casas, Hist, de

all

multa

lived with

favorabilia

las Indias,

MS.,

him

de

lib. iii.

at his inn.

Johanne."

cap. 85.

— L^s

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

45

Afterwards, however, they went to a hospital of their

own Order

in

While staying

that city.

there, they were waylaid, so

to

agents for the Spanish colonists,

by the who told them speak,

manner of things against the Indians, and spoke ill of Las Casas; and, in the end, suc-

all

ceeded, as he thinks, in prejudicing the minds of the Fathers to that extent, that even before they

Las Casas and Dr. Palacios Rubios began think that no good would come of this mission,

set out.

to

which promised

The

at the first so well.

preparations, however, for their departure

and their orders and instructions were

went

on,

made

ready.

The

on their arrival at St. Domingo, they

eifect that,

should take away

members of

all

the Indians belonging to

the Council, or to any other absentees.

The second was, the judges and Indians.

order was a cedula, to the

first

The

that they should also deprive

officers

the Indies

in

of their

third was, that they should hold all the judges and " who had lived, as

a court of impeachment upon other

officers in the colony,

the saying

'

is,

as

Moors without a

Then came the main body which I will not quote

"

king.'

of

instructions,

here, and concerning

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

46

which

sufficient to

it is

dissatisfied with

many

say that

Las Casas was and especially

of them,

with regard to the compulsory* working at the mines, and the payment to be demanded from the Indians for whatever cattle and implements were

He

to be furnished them.

the

for

provision

declared that

all

was

capture

also averse to the

of the

Caribs, and

these things were inserted con-

trary to his wishes.

I hardly see how, without

prophetic vision, any body of statesmen of that time,

who had

not themselves been in the Indies,

could have been wise and foreseeino; enough to leave the Indians alone in their settlements, not J

as Casas' '°"

anY'^'^

Compelling them to go to the mines, but looking forward to the time when they would become

difficulties.

civilized

*

and taxable communities.

The words

of Las Casas on this subject, though some-

what unpractical, are very remarkable they indicate

:

—" Y

solo el

for the noble spirit

pensamiento de que habian por

fuerza de andar en las Minas la tercera parte bastaba para Manifiesto es que se les habia de dar del todo acaballos.

Haciendas y los Ganados y lo demas de valde para que comenzaran a respirar y saber que cosa era Libertad (sec

las

MS.), 6 a costa del Key, 6 de los Espaiioles que de ellos con tanto riesgo de sus vidas se habian aprovechado."

in

—

Las Casas,

Hist, de las hidias,

MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 88.

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES. The

despatches

now

being

the Jeronimite

for

47

Fathers

concluded, other matters connected

with this great proposed reform were brought to a

Las Casas was by a cedula formally

close.

appointed to advise and inform the Jeronimite Fathers, to be in correspondence with the govern-

ment, and generally to take such steps in the matter as mio^ht be for the service of

God and

All authorities were to abet

their Highnesses.

named " Protector

Las Casas

of the Indians," with a salary of a hundred pesos

appointed Protector of the

him

in the same.

He

was

also

of gold, which he himself observes, " was then not "

Peru (infierno del Peru) " had not been discovered, which, with its multias that hell of

little,

tude of quintals of gold, has impoverished and

These are remarkable words

destroyed Spain." for that time.

It

now

only remained that the legal part of

the reform contemplated

provided

for.

To

ensure

a lawyer of repute large powers.

*

To

He

by Ximenes should be this,

the Cardinal chose

named Zuazo, giving him very was

to take

a residencia* of

take a residencia was equivalent to making an inquiry concerning, or calling to account, a public officer.

Indians,

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

48

the Judges in the Indies, and what was of

all

more importance, appealed

his decisions

The

against.

were not

to

be and

Licentiate Zapata

Dr. Caravajal called these powers exorbitant, and refused to give their signature, which was necessary, to the instructions.

Zuazo threatened if

This led to

much

delay.

to return to Valladolid, saying,

he once returned to his college, no one should

get him out of

it

Upon this Las Casas Cardinal, who supposed that

again.

hurried off to the

Zuazo had already gone upon his mission, when the Clerigo informed his Eminence of the delay and the cause of

The

it.

Cardinal, who, as

Casas then observes, was not a with {iiingimo con

el

se

man

Las

to be played

hurlaba), sent

for

the

Licentiate Zapata and Dr. Caravajal, and bade

them Zuazo

in his presence sign all the provisions of the

powers

for

Zuazo

:

which they

ever, a certain private

which was

to denote

mark

At

them

how-

to their signatures,

what they intended

wards to say, namely, that forced

did, putting,

the

Cardinal

after-

had

to sign.

last, all

was ready

for these seeds of well-

devised legislation to be taken out and sown in the

Indies.

Las Casas went

to take

leave of

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES. Ximenes and this

hands.

to kiss

occasion refrain

the Cardinal,

He

from uttering

telling

49

could not on his

mind

to

him that the Jeronimite

Fathers would do no good thing, and informing him of their interviews with the agents from the It

colonies.

sick

old

moves our pity

to think that the

man, wearied enough with rapacious

Flemish courtiers and untameable Spanish grandees, should now be told, after he had given so

much time and

attention to this business of the

Indies, that the mission

may Las Casas he

said,

Whom

;

and

that, after a short time,

then can

we

going there: be watchful for after

receiving

Casas

left for Seville.

the Cardinal's

The Jeronimite Fathers and commenced

Well

add, that the Cardinal seemed

struck with alarm

"

would do no good.

their

— voyage,

in

trust ? all."

You

are

Upon

this,

benediction.

Las

the Clerigo then different vessels,

however, for probably being somewhat tired of his discourses, and perhaps not wishing to alarm the

in

more than could be helped by being seen such close contact with one so odious to them

as

Las Casas, the Fathers had contrived on some

colonists

£

Las Casas of the Cardinal.

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

50

pretext to prevent his going with them, though

he much wished

it

and when they arrived at

;

St.

The

Jeionimites arrive atSt.

Domingo, they seemed inclined there, too, to take a Separate course from what he thought ^ °

Domina^o. Dec. 1516.

right.

He

shrewd

official

.

.

speaks of them as gained over by the

men they

fell

amongst, such as the

In discourse with Las

Treasurer Pasamonte.

Casas, the Fathers began, he says, to gild over

and excuse the inhumanity of the

what was a shameful defect

colonists

in their

mode

;

and

of pro-

ceeding according to his view of the case, they did not put in received,

to

execution the charge they had

take

the

away

Spanish Judges and

men

Indians from

in office,

the

though they

deprived the absentees of their Indians.

In three months' time Zuazo arrived. Casas

now

resolved on a bold, perhaps

say, a violent step, though if

Las

we may

we had been

eye-

witnesses of the cruelties that he had seen, our indignation, like his, might not always have been Las Casas

amenable to prudence.

He

resolved, himself, to

the Judges.

Hiipeach the Judges.*

To

use his

he brouo;ht against them

*

The

''

own

phrase,

a tremendous accusation

Jueces de apelacion."

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

51

(pusoles

una

to their

conduct in bringing Indians from the

Lucayan

terrible

islands,

acusacion), both in respect

and

also in

reference to the

infamous proceedings connected with an incident

Cumana, where two poor Dominicans were left to be murdered by the natives. Certainly, if any charges were to be made against these Judges, it in

must be admitted that the subjects of accusation were well chosen.

The Jeronimite Fathers were much grieved this bold step

being taken by Las Casas.

They

evidently wished to manage things quietly

were proceeding mainly with the second remedies for the Indians, giving them in

at

;

and

class of

reparti-

miento to such of the colonists as they thought

well

of,

and publishing the orders for ameliorating

the condition of the subject people.

seem on the whole

to

The Fathers

have made great

efforts to

do good, which must not pass without due recogI think with Las Casas, that if they had nition. t^ntured to adopt the scheme, which he. Dr. Palacios

Rubios, and Antonio Montesino, had

planned (the main points of which were, the doing

away with

the system of repartimientos and

pulsory working at the mines),

it

com-

would have

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

52

been better

Ximenes

;

and there

lived,

no doubt

is

that, while

they would have had a sufficiently

powerful protector to enable them to carry out such a measure. But, though not determined

enough to carry out such a bold undertaking, which few men, indeed, would have had courase for,

and leaving many of the colonists

session of their Indians, efforts to carry

they

in pos-

made great

still

out the second class of measures

and the benefit of

for the relief of the Indians

the colony.

Las Casas may complain of the Jeronimites, but I have no doubt they were more vigorous,

and aimed

mere

autlior

hazards a

remark

illustrates to

my

mind what

thought about government, sions

when

almost any

persons would have done

official

conduct The

at better purposes than

those do best in

— it

:

and

their

I have long

that there are occa-

who

are not strictly

about

government.

bred up for to

and who are not, therefore, likely

it,

have the vigour and force of their natures en-

crusted with routine and deadened by a slavish belief in the incomplete traditions of the past.

Such measured proceedings

as the Jeronimite

Las Casas distrusts

the .Teroaimites.

Fathers at

first

temperament

adopted did not accord with the

of Las Casas

;

neither were they

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

53

such remedies as the fearful nature of the disease

demanded.

Moreover, in addition to his

dis-

approval of their measures, he distrusted the

men

themselves.

whom

He

that they had relations

states

they wished to benefit in the

Hispaniola, but as they feared

island

of

him too much

to

do so there, they recommended these relations to

Diego Velazquez, the Governor of Cuba and Las Casas observed, that in a letter which he ;

to

happened

see

when they were about

Honour

" (

to close

Chaplains to

Your

Capellanes de Vuestra Merced), a

mode

they signe4 themselves,

it,

"

of describing themselves

which seemed

to

him

conclusive of the position the Fathers were going to take

up with regard

The

to this Governor.

Protector of the Indians, therefore, resolved to return to

Fathers

:

Castllle

and in

and

to

this resolve

appeal against

the

he was strengthened

by the opinion of Zuazo and of Pedro de Cordova, still continued to be the head of the Domini-

who

can Order in those parts.

The Fathers were much

disconcerted

when

they heard of the intention of Las Casas to return to court, saying that set

he was a torch that would

everything in a flame, and they had thoughts

ADMINISTRATION OF XIMENES.

54:

of stopping him

;

but

this

was not within the

scope of their powers.

What

what they afterwards

was

own body

did,

to court, to

they could do, and

make

to send

one of their

representations on

their behalf.

Meanwhile the Clerigo

Las Casas returns to Spain,

Domingo in May, 1517, and in July reached Aranda on the Douro, where he found Cardinal Ximenes at the left

St.

1517.

point of death.

Las Casas seems

to

have been

few days before their death. This time, though, whatever he complaints might have been able to make of the administration of Indian aifairs, he had nofated to appear to great personages a

Sees

Ximenes.

thing to say which could

of the dying statesman.

Ximenes had, he the

little

says,

wound

The

the conscience

Clerigo's letters to

been intercepted, and, in

that passed between

them then, the

Protector of the Indians found the Cardinal

informed of what had occurred in Hispaniola.

ill-

CHAPTER Las Casas

is

introduced to the

IV.

Grand

Chancellor, and lays

—

Emigration Scheme before the King His Plans are checked by the Death of the Chancellor He holds a Conhis

—

troversy with the Bishop of Burgos.

;HOSE who

have never lived at courts

have been very apt to magnify the vice and treachery of such places, just as

who

those

dwell in the country are prone to be-

lieve in the singular after

all,

wickedness of towns; but,

Virtue, like the rest of us, being

some-

times very weary of dulness, quits groves and

primeval settlements, to take up her abode with polished people.

And,

certainly,

whenever the

course of this narrative conducts us to the court

of Spain, even the most cursory reader cannot fail to

was

at

have the pleasure of observing that there least sympathy for the injured, and gene-

ADMINISTRATION OF

56

Always some redress at the court of

some quarter or other, an earnest endeavour to redress the wrong, which stand in

rally? in

striking

and favourable contrast with the

terrible

Spain.

oppressions and misdeeds that meet his eyes at

every turn in the pages which record the proceedings of the

coming

Spanish colonists.

It

is

like

into daylight again after sudden darkness.

I cannot illustrate this contrast better than by

an incident which occurred in Trinidad about this

time, and which will serve to

show what

enormities were occasionally perpetrated in the

West the

even

Indies,

Jeroniraite

under

the

supervision

Such a

Fathers.

of

narrative,

moreover, will give us a deeper interest in the efforts

of

the

Protector

of

the

Indians,

will

explain his vehemence, and tend to justify his views.

Here,

too,

I must premise

that

Las Casas,

according to ray observation of his writings and character, Accuracy of Las Casas.

may be thoroughly

trusted whenever

speaking of things of which he has como Seeing his vehemence, an petent knowledge.

he

is

•

ordinary

observer might be apt to doubt

his

accuracv, though there has never been a greater mistake, or a

much more common

one, than to

THE FLEMINGS.

57

confound vehemence with inaccuracy.

Far from

being an inaccurate man, he was studiously accurate,

which

is

to be seen

manner of

in all

little

throughout his history

things.

His countenance,*

though benevolence may be

too,

its

chief cha-

racteristic, gives strong indications of acuteness,

firmness, and refinement, and

is

rather the face of

a lawyer or a statesman than of an ecclesiastic.

Indeed he was not especially siasticjf

excepting

in

so far

fitted for

as

a

world, if essentially a good man,

an eccle-

man

of the

may make an

excellent ecclesiastic, as often happens.

He

was,

moreover, a gentleman, and in hio history shows delicacy and kindness in suppressing

there

is

names where

no occasion to mention them, and where

the bringing persons forward would give them or their descendants unnecessary pain.

The *

The

following narrative of what occurred at portrait of

Las Casas

is

to be seen, if I recollect

rightly, in a private collection at Seville.

t In a very

na'ive

in his history, that

it

way he

lets you see somehow or other was not so much care for the Faith,

though he was a deeply religious man, as natural pity that led him to espouse the cause of the Indians, which, especially in those times,

motive.

would have been thought

so

His portrait.

much

the inferior

HOW

58

WERE

INDIANS we

Trinidad, to hear which

court of Spain for a time,

is

are going to quit the

given on the authority

of Las Casas.

There was a certain man named Juan Bono, and he was employed by the members of the midiencia of St. Domingo to go and obtain

He

Indians.

and

his

the

to

men,

number of

or sixty, landed on the island of Trinidad.

fifty

Now

Indians

the

of

were a mild,

Trinidad

loving, credulous race, the enemies of the Caribs

who

ate

human

ing, the Indians,

went

to

On Juan

flesh.

Bono's land-

armed with bows and arrows,

meet the Spaniards, and

to ask

them

who they were, and what they wanted. Juan Bono replied, that his crew were good and peaceful people,

Indians

;

upon

who had come

which, as

good fellowship,

the

natives

houses for the Spaniards.

to live with the

commencement

the

offered

to

The Spanish

of

build

captain

expressed a wish to have one large house built.

The accommodating Indians it.

It

was

to

set about

be in the form of a

bell,

building

and to be

hundred persons to live in. On any great occasion it would hold many more. Every day, while this house was being built, large

enough

for a

OBTAINED AT TRINIDAD. the Spaniards were fed with

by

their

fish,

good-natured hosts.

very anxious to

59

bread, and fruit

Juan Bono was

see the roof on, and the Indians

continued to work at the building with alacrity.

At

last it

was completed, being two

stories high,

and so constructed that those within could not see those without.

Upon

a certain day

collected the Indians together,

Juan Bono

men, women, and

children, in the building, to see, as he told them,

" what was

Whether they thought

to be done."

they were coming to some festival, or that they

were to do something more

for the great house,

However, there they

does not appear.

much

four hundred of them, looking with at their

men round

were,

delight

Meanwhile, Juan Bono

own handiwork.

brought his

all

the building, with drawn

swords in their hands: then, having thoroughly entrapped his Indian friends, he entered with a party of armed men, and bade the Indians keep still,

or he

would

kill

them.

They

did not listen

to him, but rushed against the door.

massacre ensued. their

way

out,

but

Some

of the

many

what they saw, and losing and bound.

A

A

horrible

Indians forced

of them, stupified at heart,

were captured

hundred, however, escaped, and.

.^uan Bono'f story.

HOW

60

Juai.

snatching

story.

their

up

own

WERE

assembled

their arras,

houses, and prepared

they would not hear of it " he resolved to

:

Las Casas

says,

pletely for the hospitality

had received," and

one of

iit

to defend

Juan Bono summoned them

selves.

render

INDIANS

;

them-

to

sur-

and then, as

pay them comand kind treatment he

so, setting fire to

the house, the

whole hundred men, together with some women and children, were burnt captain and his

men

alive.

The Spanish

retired to the ships with their

captives: and his vessel happening to touch at Porto Rico when the Jeronimite Fathers were there, gave occasion to His

this

depth of ingratitude,

proceeding •

1

did

to

to complain of

Fathers, who, however,

1

nothing in the

ment.

Las Casas

the

The reader

way

of remedy or punish-

will be surprised to hear the

Clerigo's authority for this deplorable narrative. It

is

Juan Bono

"

himself.

From

life

own mouth

Juan Bono acknow-

I heard that which I write.

ledged that never in hiy

his

had he met with the

kindness of father and mother but in the island of Trinidad.

'Well, then,

man

of perdition,

you reward them with such ungrateful why 'On my faith. Padre wickedness and cruelty ? did

'

because they (he meant the auditors) gave

me

fo*

OBTAINED AT TRINIDAD. destruction (he

peace

if

meant

61

instruction) to take

I could not by war.'

them

In

"

Such were the transactions which Las Casas must have had

in his

mind when he was pleading

the cause of the Indians at the court of Spain

;

and that man would have been more than mortal, who, broodino; over these things, and to find a

for them,

remedy

and courtly

in his language

I feel confident that

been

struo-o-linor

was always temperate demeanour.

in his

Paul would not have

St.

so.

Returning now to the court of Spain, I

will

recount what took place immediately after the death of the great Cardinal. administration of the

much

into

aflfairs

On

before, was only sixteen years old not be expected that he was yet real

weight

affairs.

It has

ment on the death of Ximenes,

of Spain

The King,

confusion.

in

that event the

Spanish govern-

;

fell

inevitably

as

mentioned

and

to

it

could

have much

been a

common

saying, that he did not give promise, at this period jf his

life,

of the sagacity which he afterwards

^lanifested.

that Charles

be as

This

was

is

as a

a man — grave,

a mistake.

The

truth

boy what he turned out

is,

Charles

to

the Fifth as a boy.

undemonstrative, cautious,

ADMINISTRATION OF

62

No

thoughtful, valiant.

servant

and I think

;

now

mation he

doubt he was very obmanifest that the infor-

it is

obtained

about Indian

aifairs,

swayed him throughout his reign, and influenced him in the advice he gave in a great matter, connected with the government of the Spanish

which occurred many when he had withdrawn

colonies,

years after, at a

period

for the

from

all

human

affairs.

At

this

most part

time of his

life

he trusted to his councillors, like a sensible boy,

was very constant

to them,

and exceedingly

liberal

to all persons about him.

The two men who had now

the supreme were Chievres,* the King's former Governor, and his present Lord Chamberauthority in Spain,

lain Chievres

— and by

cellor

settled

and Selvagiusruie

the

i

tice

;

Grand Chancellor, Jean Salvage, The Chan-

the Spaniards Selvagius.

Called

i

n

ail

matters

•

i

i

•

connected with jus-

the other, those connected with patronage.

Las Casas speaks well of the

disposition of the

Flemings, especially of their humanity; and he *

He

period

;

is

called familiarly Chievres

by

writers of that

but his name was William de Croy, Lord of

Chievres, in

Aarschot.

Hainault,

afterwards Marquis

or

Duke

of

THE FLEMINGS.

63

seems to think that the Chancellor was an upright

man.

These ministers were not without their especial

They

perplexities.

or what to do

:

did not

know whom

to trust,

Perplexity

Flemings.

and they were too cautious to

act without sufficient knowledge.

They

did not

even know the language of the country they governed. it.

In

The King himself was busy

this state of things

learning

the public business

languished.

The

affairs

much more

of the

Indies,

however, gained

attention than might have been ex-

pected at this juncture.

Las Casas was

at

appeal against the

St.

It

happened thus: as Domingo, on his way to

proceedings of the Jeroni-

mite Fathers, he had seen those Franciscan monks

from Picardy, who had now been some time in the island, and, as

the reader may remember, had formed part of Pedro de Cordova's company, when he set out for the Terra-firma. These

monks, with others, had signed letters of recommendation in favour of Las Casas, and by good fortune some of the foreign to

the

monks were known

Grand Chancellor, and

their

signatures

Las Casas

known

to

Chaaceilor.

ADMINISTRATION OF

64

proved a favourable introduction for the Protector

He soon

of the Indians. arising from

enlarged the advantages

this introduction

and

;

at last be-

came on such terms with the Chancellor, that

this

great functionarv used to give Las Casas

the

letters

and memorials from the

all

colonists or their

and the Clerigo then turned them into Latin, and made his remarks upon them, showing what was true and what was false, or

representatives,

wherein he approved, or dissented from, the views The Chan-

of the Writer.

Las

spoke of

C.-isas

for the

Finally, the

Las Casas

Highness's

to the

commands

Grand Chancellor

King, and received his

that they

two should con-

and provide a remedy

sult together,

for the

bad

government of the Indies.* Again, therefore, great hopes might naturally be

that

entertained

now be done on

something effectual would

Las Casas

behalf of the Indians.

prepared his memorials, taking for his basis the plan which the Jeronimites had carried out to Hispaniola, and

which by

He

partially acted upon. *

"Domlnus

remedia Indis

noster jubet

—

faciatis

Hist, de las Indias,

MS.,

iii.

time they had

added, however, some

quod vos

vestra lib.

this

et ego

memorialia." cap. 99.

apponamus

—Las

Casas,

THE FLEMINGS.

65

other things; amongst them, that of securing to

the Indians their entire liberty.

And he provided

a scheme for furnishing Hispaniola with labourers

from the mother country.

The

outline of this scheme

The King was to

emigrate

to give to

was

as

follows:—

every labourer willing to

Hispaniola his

living

during

the

journey from his place of abode to Seville, at the rate of half a real a

day throughout the journey, for great and small, child and parent. At Seville the emigrants were to be lodged in the Casa de Contratacion (the India House), and were to

la

have from eleven to thirteen maravedis a day.

From

thence they were to have a free passage to

Hispaniola, and to be provided with food for a

And

year.* * "

if

La drden de

the climate " should try la

them

so

poblacion deila hizo de esta manera

;

diese a cada labrador

que quisiese venir a poblar en ella desde que partiese de su poblacion hasta Sevilla de comer, para lo qual se seiialo a cada persona chico con grande medio real cada dia y en Sevilla se les diese posada que

el

Rey

;

en la casa de la Contratacion, y once a trece maravedises para comer cada dia, de manera que tanto se dava al niiio de

teta,

"

como a

sus Padres.

De

alH pasage y matalotage hasta esta Isla, y en ella un si la ano de comer hasta que ellos lo tuviesen de suyo.

Y

tierra los

probase tanto que no estubiesen para trabajar

Proposed

from Spain.

ADMINISTRATION OF

66

much," that

at the expiration of this year they

should not be able to work for themselves, the

King was

to continue to maintain them, but this

was

extra maintenance

be put down to the

to

account of the emigrants, as a loan which they

The King was to give them lands own lands), furnish them with ploughshares

were (his

to repay.

and spades, and provide

medicines

Lastly, whatever rights and their holdings

were

to

was certainly a most

And,

for

them.

profits accrued from

become hereditary.

This

liberal plan of emigration.

in addition, there

were other privileges held

out as inducements to these labourers.

In connection with the above scheme. Las Licences

Casas, unfortunately for his reputation in after

to

import negrofs suggested by Las Casas.

ages, added another provision, namely, that each

Spanish resident

in the island

should have licence

to import a dozen negro slaves.

The

of

origin

this

suggestion

was,

as

he

informs us, that the colonists had told him, that mas tiempo de un

Key

afio,

les diese, fuese

pudiese." cap. 10.

—Las

que

lo

que demas de un se lo

afio

que

el

prestado para que pagase quando Casas, Hist, de las Indias, MS., lib. iii.

THE FLEMINGS. if

licence

were given them to import a dozen

slaves

negro

each,

the

they,

would

colonists,

And

then set free the Indians. that

67

so, recollecting

statement of the colonists, he added this

Las Casas,

provision.

advice, that

writing his history in

owns

his old age, thus frankly

his error

" This

:

should be given to

licence

He

after-

wards owns his error.

bring

negro slaves to these lands, the Clerigo Casas

first

gave, not considering the injustice with which the Portuguese take them, and

which advice,

after

make them

slaves

;

he had apprehended the nature

of the thing, he would not have given for

all

he

For he always held that they had been made slaves unjustly and tyrannically had

in the world.

;

for the

same reason holds good of them

The above

Indians."*

and truthfully

confession

worded — " not

is

as of the

delicately "

considering

—he

does not say, not being aware of; but, though * " Este aviso de

que

negros a estas tierras

;

it

se diese licencia para traer esclavos

did primero el Clerigo Casas, no ad-

toman j

virtiendo la injusticia con que los Portugueses los

qual despues de que cayd en ello no lo diera por quanto habia en el mundo. Porque siempre los tuvo por injusta y tiranicamente hechos esclavos porque

haoen esclavos

;

el

:

la

misma razon

es

Hist, de las Indias,

de

ellos

MS.,

que de

lib.

iii.

ios Indies."

cap. 101.

—Las

Casas,

'

ADMINISTRATION OF

68

was a matter known not watchful, as

it

to him, his moral sense

were, about

We

it.

was

must be

careful not to press the admissions of a generous

mind too

far, or to

the suggestion of It Negro slavery not introduced into the Indies by Las Casas.

exaggerate the importance of

Las Casas.

would be quite erroneous to look upon

this

sugsestion as being the introduction of negro

From the

slavery.

earliest times of the discovery

of America, negroes had been sent there

;

and the

young King Charles had, while in Flanders, granted licences to his courtiers for the importation of ne-

groes into Hispaniola. ficance,

and what

not aware

of,

it is

But, what

is

strange that

of more signi-

Las Casas was

or did not mention, the Jeronimite

Fathers had also come to the

conclusion that

West

negroes must be introduced into the W^riting in January, 1518,

not have

when

known what was

relation to this subject, they

Indies.

the Fathers could

passing in Spain in

recommended

licences

to be given to the inhabitants of Hispaniola, or to The

Jeronimites give the

other persons, to bring negroes there.

tenour of their letter

same advice as Las Casas.

before

it

From

the

appears that they had

recommended the same

thing.

Zuazo, the

judge of residencia, and the legal colleague of Las Casas, wrote to the same effect.

He, however.

THE FLEMINGS.

69

suggested that the negroes should be placed in

Fray Bernandino de

settlements, and married.

Manzanedo, the Jeronimite Father, who had been sent over to counteract

Las Casas, gave the same

advice as his brethren about the introduction of

He

added a proviso, which does not appear in their letter (perhaps it did exist in one of the earlier ones), that there should be as many negroes.

women The

as

men

sent over, or more.

Casas was approved ^^

of Las suggestion *=='

of by the Chancellor,' and by Adrian,^ the colleague & •^

.7

of the late Cardinal: and, indeed, there was hardly a

man

it is

of that time

Selvao:ius

and Adrian approve thisadvic«.

probable

who would

have seen further than the excellent Clerigo

did.

Las Casas was asked, what number of negroes would suffice ? He replied that he did not know ;

upon which a letter was sent to the officers of the India House at Seville, to ascertain the fit number in their opinion.

would

They

said that four

at present suffice, being

thousand

one thousand for

each of the islands, Hispaniola, Porto Rico, Cuba,

and Jamaica.

Somebody now suggested to the Governor De Bresa, a Fleming of much influence

and a member of the Council, that he should ask

Licence to for

4000

nc^ro6S.

for this licence to

be given to him.

De

Bresa

ADMINISTRATION OF

io

accordingly asked the

King

for

it,

who granted

and the Fleming sold this licence to certain Genoese merchants for twenty-five thou-

his request

;

sand ducats, having obtained from the King a pledge that for eight years he would give no other licence of this kind.

The consequence

of this monopoly enjoyed by

the Genoese merchants was, that negroes were sold at a great price, of

complaints.

which there are frequent

Las

Both

Pasamonte

and

Casas

(rarely found in accord) suggested to the Unexpected result of the

monopoly,

would be better

King

pay the twenty-five ^• thousand ducats and resume the licence, or to that

it

to

^

abridge

its

term.

Figueroa, writing to the

peror from St.

"

Negroes are

come

for

Domingo very much

(e.

e.

in July, 1520, savs: in request

:

—

none have

It

would have been

De Bresa

the customs' duties

about a year.

better to have given

Em-

the duties that had been usually paid on

the importation of slaves) than to have placed a prohibition."

immediate

I have scarcely a doubt that the

effect of the

measure adopted

in conse-

quence of the Clerigo's suggestion was greatly to check that importation of negro slaves, which

THE FLEMINGS.

71

otherwise, had the licence been general, would

have been very abundant.

Before quitting

this

subject, something

must

be said for Las Casas which he does not allege This

for

himself.*

the

was not negroes °

all his

of

suggestion

an

isolated

his

about

one.

Had

been carried out, and the

suggestions

Indians thereby been preserved, as I firmly believe they fiiight

have been, these negroes might

have remained a very insignificant number general population.

By

in the

the destruction of In-

dians a void in the laborious part of the

com-

munity was being constantly created, which had

up by the labour of negroes.

The

negroes could bear the labour in the mines

much

to be filled

any man who perof whose Christian virtues and

better than the Indians; and

ceived that a race, capabilities

he thought highly, were fading away

by reason of being subjected their natures

*

Las Casas

were incompetent

is

much

to to

labour which endure, and

misrepresented by Herrera,

who

gives an account of the suggestion as if it were made, not in addition to, but in substitution for, other measures

Excuses foi Las Casas.

ADMINISTRATION OF

72

which they were most unjustly condemned

to,

might prefer the misery of the smaller number of another race treated with equal injustice, but

more capable of enduring it. I do not say that Las Casas considered all these things but, at ;

any

collect, that it

we must

rate, in estimating his conduct,

we

re-

look at the matter centuries after

occurred, and see

all

the extent of the evil

man

arising from circumstances which no

could

then be expected to foresee, and which were inconsistent with the rest of the Clerigo's plans for

the preservation of the Indians.

I suspect that the wisest amongst us would

very likely have erred with him sure that, taking for granted, as

court was to

all his

:

and I

am

not

plans together, and taking

he did then, that his influence at

last, his

suggestion about the negroes

was an impolitic one. One more piece of advice Las Casas gave at this time, which, if it had been adopted, would

He

have been most serviceable. forts

thirty

for

proposed thai

mercantile purposes, containing about

persons,

should

be

erected

at

along the coast of the Terra-firma, to

merchandize of Spain for gold,

silver,

intervals

traffic

with

and precious

THE FLEMINGS stones

73

and, in each of these forts, ecclesiastics

;

were to be placed, to undertake the superintendence of spiritual matters.

In

be seen an anticipation of our

scheme may-

this

own

plans for com-

mercial intercourse with Africa.

And, indeed,

constantly reminded by the proceedings in those times of what has occurred much later and

one

is

under the auspices of other nations.

Of all

these suggestions,

some of them

excellent, the only questionable one

Such

adopted.

the irony of

is

life.

certainly

was

at once

If

we may

imagine immortal beings beholding, with alternations of

hope and

world, this fatal all

those

who

fear, the great contests of the

conclusion was a thing which

love

mankind must have regarded

with poignant sorrow and dismay.

Turning our thoughts from bad angels

men,

it is

to

bad

vexatious to find the Bishop of Burgos

creeping back to power just at

this period.

For

a long time the Bishop had been quite in the

background: and Conchillos, Ferdinand's minister,

who

also formerly

had great weight in the

government of the Indies^ finding himself without any authority, had retired to his estate. But

ADMINISTRATION OF

74

now, owing,

It is

said,

to the effect of sixteen

thousand ducats, or because the Bishop had been so

long

the Indian

in

engaged

that his absence was felt (for Bishop of

means

Called to the Council

power.

as

Las Casas

by no was re-

is

certain of the bribery), the Bishop

Burgos recalled to

administration

and he opposed, as quietly

;

he could, the excellent plans of Las Casas for

The Bishop

colonization.

that

said,

for

these

twenty years he had been endeavouring to find labourers to go to the Indies, and that he had not yet found twenty

Casas

find

to

engaged

men who would three

Clerigo, too, could give a reason

had not succeeded that

it

in getting

go.

Las

thousand.

The

why

the Bishop

labourers,

saying

was because the Indies had been made a

penal colony.

At cil,

the time of these altercations in the

the court had been moving from Valladolid,

in order that the

King might take formal

sion of the throne of Aragon. Las Casas falls

the

Coun-

joumcy,

at

posses-

In the course of

Aranda on the Douro, Las Casas

ill.

fell

The King's regard for him.

he

ill,

and was

tells US,

left

behind,

cvcn the boy ^

how Micer Bartholomew Micer BartolomSy

much

King ij is

" (

regretted, as

saying, ^ a

Oh

" I wonder

que tal estard

The King, young

as he was,

THE FLEMINGS. ^vas likely to

Las Casas

;

one subject

who

and, though a person is

like

has but

apt to be rather troublesome, yet

Moreover, anything that has

welcome

it is

man

approve of a sound-hearted

interest for him.

his devotedness elicits a certain

in

7o

to

and earnestness

life

sombre people.

am

I

parti-

cular in noticing this liking of the for

Las Casas,

as

young King attribute some of but I cannot

the King's future proceedings with regard to the

Indians to the information he was silently acquir-

Thus

ing from the Clerigo at this period. that good seed fort to those efforts,

is

who

not

got better,

which should be a com-

own

in their

and seem to

the Clerigo,

lost,

whom

it is

time make great

effect nothing.

the court left

In a few days ill

at

Aranda,

and he overtook them before they

Las Casas recovers.

reached Saragossa.

The Grand Chancellor The

ceived him very kindly.

re-

great business of

Indian government, of was no reformation at all which only the part that had been accomplished, was now to be proceeded the reformation

with.

of the

Again, however,

it

was delayed

—

by the illness of the Bishop of Burgos,

now

to

be

consulted

;

though,

retained his full favour with the

as

this

time

who had

Las Casas

Chancellor, of

76

ADMINISTRATION OF

which there

is

good evidence, the Bishop was not

able to thwart the views of the

Clerigo.

Las

Casas received at this juncture the evidence of

Roman

Father

concerning the horrible cruelties

committed by one of the captains of Pedrarias, named Espinosa, which caused the destruction of 40,000 souls;* and Las Casas took care to bring this evidence before the Chancellor, who sent him with

it

At

to the Bishop.

on the Bishop's recovery, the Junt.i was on the point of " called to-morrow," it may be being together last,

for the business of the Indies

—

—

(Las Casas is speaking of a certain Friday when he is to sup with the Chancellor), when, in the evening of that day, the Chancellor's servants

him that a ill

page of his, a nephew,

little

in the house,

* "

is

tell

who was

dead, at which he appeared

Entre tanto reclbid una Carta

el

Clerigo de SevIUa del

Padre Fray Reginaldo de quien arriba en

el Capitulo noventa y ocho hizimos mencion, haciendole saber, como habia llegado alli de la tierra firme un Religiose de San Fran-

llamado Fray Francisco de Sant Roman, que afirmaba per sus ojos, haver visto meter a espada, y echar a perros brabos sobre quarenta mill animas de Indios." Las Casas. cisco,

—

Hist, de las Indias,

MS.,

lib. iii.

cap. 102.

THE FLEMINGS. very sorrowful.

" To-morrow

"

77

the Chancellor

liinrss

and

death of

himself feels

ill,

and does not go to the palace.

There are symptoms of ever, he

is

his room.

fever.

well enough to go to the

We

window

may imagine with what

Las Casas heard of the

Seivagius.

On Monday, how-

illness

:

it

may

of

anxiety

be that

he was the very person who, ever on the watch, perceived the Chancellor at the window. fever

was not

the poor

man

those days.

to

be baffled

:

But the

they did not bleed

in time, according to the theory of

He

died,

and on Wednesday he was " And the

.

not even on the face of the earth.

Grand Chancellor being dead, of a truth there died, for that time, all

hope of a remedy

for the

Indians."

This, as

Las Casas

remai'ks,

time* when the " salvation

"

was the second

of those nations (the

a

second

reverse for the Indies.

* I suppose the first time

Casas,

Ximenes took Indian

name

three occasions— 1.

was -when, according to Las hand but I should

affairs in

;

The appointment of the Junta •who made the laws of Burgos. 2. The appointment of Jeronimites. 3. The present one, viz. the appointment by the

King of the Chancellor Selvagius and Las Casas

vide a

remedy

for the Indies.

to pro-

ADMINISTRATION OF

78

Indians) seemed

and when a reverse

assured,

occurred, and hope altogether vanished away. fearfully valuable is the life of a great

despotic state

:

and

it

console us,

may

So

man

in a

who

live

under representative governments, for a certain mediocrity and public

affairs,

difficulty in the

that at least

we

management

are not subject to

these dreadful reverses occasioned

What

one man.

by

is

the increase

men, and

gained by us

of insight in

will live

of

by the

is

of

mostly gained

large

and augment

loss

bodies

itself

of

with the

advancement of the general thought of the nation.

Bishop of Burgos in full power again.

Upon

the

Grand

Chancellor's death, the Bishop

of Burgos instantly regained ° ^

in the

all his .

government of the Indies

;

old influence

and down went

theClerigo "into the abysses," as he expresses

Nothing was cellor, a

to be

it.

done with the interim Chan-

very phlegmatic Dean,* who praised the

Clerigo's unwearied efforts, but could not

up energy enough

to assist

to use our historian's

own

summon

" and certainly," " when a man words,

him

:

of a choleric temperament, like the Clerigo, and

*

The Dean

of Besanqon.

THE FLEMINGS.

79

an excessively phlegmatic person,

like the

Dean, have to transact business together, torment to each of them.

slight

slyly adds, his

"

it

good no

it is

However," he

did not kill the Dean, such was

phlegmatic patience."

At tion,

this time,

on the Bishop of Burgos's

an especial Council for Indian

He

sug-o-es-

affairs

was

Council for the Indies. 1518.

was appointed president Hernando de Vega and Zapata, both of whom had connections in the colonies, and who had themselves formed.

;

been deprived of Indians by the

Ximenes, were of the historian,

this

Council

was put upon

it;

;

first

law of

Peter Martyr,

also

Don

Garcia

de Padilla, the only person in the Council likely

up new views. The appointment of such a council was very disheartening to Las Casas, to take

who, nevertheless,

went about

his

like a

work

brave

just as if

man all

as he was,

were smooth

before him and shining brightly upon him.

The

first

act of the Bishop

Jeronimite Fathers.

Though

fore this they had possessed

was for

to

recal the

some time be-

no real power (we

find that their letters to the authorities in

Spain were never answered), their presence and their influence must still have been productive of

Jeronimitea

ADMINISTRATION OF

80

good, and must at least have been

felt as

siderable restraint

Those, there-

fore,

who

upon

evil-doers.

a con-

cared for the welfare of the Indies, must

have been sorry to see the policy of the

vestige of the

last

great Ximenes now

altogether effaced

from the Indian government. It has been stated*

that,

on the Jeronimite

Fathers placing the Indians in settlements, the small-pox came Effect of the smallpox in the Indies over-rated,

As

bers.

among them and

carried off

num-

I said before, I think this cause of the

destruction of the Indians (a very convenient one ^ •'

for the conquerors to allege) has

rated

;

and I am confirmed

letter written

at court

been exagge-

by Zuazo, which must have

about four or

five

by a

in this opinion

arrived

months before

this

time, in which he says nothing of the small- pox,

but assigns as one of the main causes of the decrease

of

the Indians the

frequent change of

sovernment that there had been, which led

new

repartimientos,

and

to

changes of climate and

water for the Indians, which were fatal " as in a number of small of them ;

—

to

to

many

things, passed

*

See OviEDO and Herrera.

THE FLEMINGS.

81

rapidly from hand to hand, even with care, the

uiimber

is

Just at

soon diminished."

this time,

was carrying

it

when

the Bishop of Burgos

with a high hand in the Council

of the Indies, a

little gleam of good fortune broke most unexpectedly upon Las Casas and his cause. In all his affairs at court, he had principally been

conversant with the late Chancellor

knowledge of the business for which

worked

at court

;

yet some

Las Casas

with such indomitable persever-

ance was doubtless generally circulated amongst

Amongst them there was a certain Monsieur de Bure (a young man, as I conjecture),

the courtiers.

who,

it

appears, had a desire to

make

himself ac-

quainted with this business of the Indians.

caused his wish to be made

known

He

to the Clerigo

:

they had a meeting in the palace, and Las Casas

acquainted him fully with the whole state of the case.

Monsieur de Bure was much

affected

by

De Bure was a powerful nephew of De Laxao,* who en-

the Clerigo's narration.

man, being the

joyed great influence with the King, and who,

• Carl Puper, Lord of Laxao.

G

Fiemisb favour

ADMINISTRATION OF

82

being the sommelier

room. wit,

dii

corps,* slept in the King's

De Laxao was

a person celebrated for his

and probably on that account

his society

was

exceedingly relished by the grave young King. Monsieur de Bure brought Las Casas to his uncle De Laxao, who also was much interested in the

account which Las Casas gave of Indian

affairs,

and the result was, that he found protectors these powerful

men

in

of the King's household and

council.

At

this

time

the

Spanish

court sent

over

Rodrigo de Figueroa to take a residencia of the Domingo, and of the judges ap-

auditors of St. Resideyicias

taken of

pointed by the Admiral.

A

certain Doctor de la

several

Gama was

authorities in the

Lieutenant-Governor of San Juan, and of Velaz-

appointed to take a residencia of the

Indies.

* Sommelier was corrupted into Sumiller by the Spaniards. " La persona following is the definition of the office

The

:

—

muy distinguida en palacio, a cuyo cargo c-std la asistencia al rey en su retrete, para vestirle y desnudarle, y todo lo perteneciente a la "

cama

real.

Es nombre Introducido en

goiia."

—Diccionario

demia Espancla.

de

la

Summus

prcefectus cuhiculi

Castilla con la casa

Lengua Castellana por

de Borla

Aca-

THE FLEMINGS. in

quez

83

Cuba; and Lope de Sosa was sent

to

succeed Pedrarias as governor of the Terra-firma,

and

to take

a residencia of the same Governor.

Information having been given that the inhabitants of Trinidad cil

were cannibals, the King's Coun-

resolved to order

war

to

be made upon them

;

but Las Casas prevailed upon the Council to in-

which Figueroa was to the Clerigo Bartolome de

sert in the instructions

take with him, that, as

Las Casas

asserted that the natives of Trinidad

were not cannibals, Figueroa should, on arriving at St. Domingo, examine carefully into the truth

He

of this statement. ,

these poor

'11 islanders

did so, and found that M 1 1 i were not cannibals, but very ,

The

nativeH of Trinidad not canni-

quiet people, as Figueroa himself afterwards bore testimony.

At

this period the

Clerigo received a letter

from Pedro de Cordova,

some

horrible

exploits of the Spaniards

island of Trinidad,

way

in which, after telling of

that seems to

in

the

and expressing himself in a

show he was much

dissatisfied

with the proceedings of the Jeronimite Fathers, the good prelate of the Dominicans went on to say, that he wished the

King would

set apart

one

hundred leagues on the coast of the Terra-firma

Pedro de letter,

ADMINISTRATION OF

84

about

be

to

Cumana,

entered

solely

by the

Franciscan and Dominican monks, for the purpose of preaching the Gospel there. that no

His desire was,

layman might be permitted to enter, so

that no hindrance might occur to the good

work ;

and he suggested, that, if Las Casas could not obtain a hundred leagues, he should endeavour to obtain ten

;

tract of land

and

that, if

he could not get such a

on the Terra-firma

set apart for this

purpose, he should try and get some called

Pedro de C/.rdova'3 clan.

the Islands

little islands,

of Alonso, about fifteen

or

twenty leagues from the coast. The object was, that this land set apart mioht be a city of refuge .

.

for the poor Indians,

the Gospel to them. that, if

and a place wherein to teach

Pedro de Cordova added

none of these requests should be granted,

he would

recal

the brethren of his Order from

those parts, for it was of no use their preaching " when the Indians saw those who called themselves Christians

acting in opposition to

Chris-

tians."

The good Father imagined was

very powerful at court,

things had

that

Las Casas

not knowing

how

been changed by the death of the

Chancellor, and

by the return of the Bishop of

THE FLEMINGS. Burgos

to

power.

85

Las Casas, however, did what

he could to further the request of Pedro de Cordova, but with

no

avail, the Bishop of Burgos would be well advised indeed to King grant a hundred leagues without any profit to Such was the reply, as Las Casas notes, himself.

saying, the

of one of the successors of the apostles,

down

their

lives

for

sake

the

who

laid

of conversion.

And, as for profit to the King, "no profit did he derive for forty years and more from those hundred leagues, or from eight thousand in addition,

except to have them ravaged, desolated, and

destroyed."* «

As

nothing could be done at present in the

scheme suggested by Pedro de Cordova, Las Casas

returned to the prosecution of his

own

plan, namely, the sending out of labourers to the

West India Cardinal

islands.

In

this

he was favoured by

Adrian and the other Flemings: and

he succeeded in obtaining

all

the provisions and

orders that he wanted for that purpose.

Amongst

others, he procured that a certain esquire called

Las Casas,

Hist, de las Tndias,

MS.,

lib. iii.

cap. 104.

Emigration Las Casas.

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

86

Berrio, an Italian, should be appointed

King, and called the king's captain. accompany Las Casas, to be under

He

by the was to

his

orders,

and to give notice by trumpet in the various towns of the purpose which Las Casas came to This man, however, had no intention

announce.

of really serving under the Clerigo, but he went

Bishop of Burgos, and secretly got his orders altered from " Do what he shall desire " Do what you," to may seem good to you."* to the

The

Clerigo, with his squire and other atten-

dants, set off on his expedition for procuring emi-

grant labourers. ,

He

directed his course froha

Saragossa towards Castille, assembling the people

and informing them of the benefits

Las Casas

in the cliurches,

pursues his emigration scheme.

and privileges they would acquire by emigrating.

Numbers consented

At

in a book.

to go, inscribing their

names

Berlanga, out of a population of

two hundred, more than seventy inscribed

their

names.

into

those

the inducement with

these

times,

It

to

gives

see

that

a

curious insight

* "

Manda el Obispo luego que se raya la Cedula, y que donde decia hagais lo que el os dixere, hagais lo que os pareciere." cap, 104.

— Las

Casas, Hist, de

las Indias,

MS.,

lib.

iii.

FOUNDING A COLONY. to

people

87

emigrate, was to get

away from the They came to Las

seignorial rights over them.

Casas with the greatest secrecy; and he relates this

speech made by four of them.

"

Senor, no one

of us wishes to go to the Indies for want of means here, for each of us has a

hundred thousand mara-

vedis of hacienda and more, but

we go

to leave

our children in a free land under royal jurisdiction."*

As was

be expected, the lords of these

to

places were very hostile to

opposition was a

subordination

Las Casas

trifling evil

of Berrio.

but their

;

to the in-

compared This

man

often

re-

quested leave to go to Andalucia, where his wife

The Clerigo would not allow

was.

would come, he

said, to Andalucia in

this

;

they

good time

;

they were upon duty now: but no remonstrances to retain Berrio, who came one day, booted and spurred, to the Clerigo, and asked If

sufficed

he had any orders then learrt for the in fact self:

first

no servant of

and the

Las Casas,

man

Andalucia.

for

Las Casas

time that this Berrio was

his,

but free

to act for

him-

accordingly took his departure

Hist, de las Iiidias,

MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 104.

a

motive

gration.

•

>

:

*"

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

•'""^^^^^^ in this

most wilful fashion.

The mischief

did

Berrio went to Andalucia, and,

not stop here.

two hundred vagabonds, tapsters and roysterers and idle people, anything but labourers, went with them to the India House

having collected about

at

The

Seville.

official

persons

there, having

received no orders about them, were in complete perplexity what to do.

They shipped them

off,

however, in two vessels which happened to be on the point of sailing at that time

;

and the unfor-

tunate rabble of emigrants arrived in this

There again the

way

at

people had

Failure of the

St.

emigration

rcccived no orders to provide anything for the

scheiuf.

Domingo.

emigrants,

into the hospitals

mode of

of

many

life

Thus ended

;

;

whom

official

died; others crowded

others returned to their former

and others preyed upon the Indians. this miserable

expedition

;

and

this

may justly be attributed to the outrageous conduct of the Bishop of Burgos in altering a

ending

despatch, after

it

had been aigned.

Las Casas resolved was now

to return to court.

He

fully assured of the facility of obtaining

emigrants, but he did not wish to do any more at

present than he had done in the matter, consider-

FOUNDING A COLONY. ing the probable opposition of the great lords and the defection of Berrio, and also taking into ac-

common

count the readiness of the emigrate, which made

it

people to

only a subject of more

urgent concern to consider carefully what was to be done.

When

the Bishop of Burgos had heard

the Clerigo's account of his expedition, in which

he told his Lordship that he could answer for procuring not only three thousand but eight thousand "a labourers, the Bishop said it was great matter, a great matter indeed

came of

this

j"

but, as usual, nothing

speech, only that

energetic remonstrances

by repeated and

Las Casas prevailed upon

the Council to send wine and provisions after the

poor wretches

who had

supplies, however,

These

already sailed.

came too

late.

And

so

ended

this plan for the benefit of the Indies.

With

all

our aids and appliances of modern

times, we, too, find emigration to be

— one of the main dertaking

no light un-

diflSculties

being that

the emigrants are generally of one class, so that the peculiarities of that one class are liable to be

developed to the uttermost, and have to be provided for all at once.

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

90

A

controversy that the Clerlgo had at Barce-

lona with the Bishop of Burgos about the emigration Las Casas contends

scheme deserves

to be mentioned.

Las Casas

would not in any way further the proposed emi-

for

support of

assured of the emigrants o;ration,' without being =" => »

emigrants,

receiving support for a year after their arrival.

This was a fundamental part of his plan, and finding that

it

was not

to be conceded,

and that

other persons were being sought for to take charge

of the emigration, he wrote to the towns which

he had previously against going.

visited,

When

and warned the people

Las Casas was arguing

one day before the Council of the Indies for the allowance of a year's support to be made to the emigrants, the Bishop said that the

King would

spend more with those labourers, than with an

armada of twenty thousand men (the Lord Bishop was much more versed in fitting out armadas than which Las Casas replied " It appears then to your Lordship, that after you

in saying masses), to

:

have been the death of so many Indians, you wish be the death of Christians also." "I do not " whether the know," he adds, Bishop, who was

to

no

fool,

In

took

fine,

it."

however, he could make nothing of

this

FOUNDING A COLONY.

x,i

obdurate Bishop, and, almost glad to be freed from the responsibility of the emigration scheme, he

Las Casas abandons iiis

emi-

gration

immediately turned his

fertile

mind

to another

plan, which he thought with worldly men might

appear more feasible.

scheme.

CHAPTER Las Casas brings forward

V.

Plan for founding a Colony.

his

After failing in gaining his point with the Indies,

power

to

carry out his design.

.^5 AS CASAS »--

i-v^^^^-H'

^-iJ^^^^

orlcjlnal

still

pondered

enclosing, as

it

were, a hundred leagues

the entrance of laymen into

however, was

it

That scheme, Bishop

held out no solid pecuniary ad-

vantage to the crown.

notable

it.

and forbidding

liable to the objection of the

of Burgos, that

new and

over the

plan of Pedro de Cordova, for

alonsr the coast of the Terra-firma,

Las Casas's

Council of the

he goes to Court, and succeeds in obtaining full

These two things,

profit^

^q Kingo

and the preaching a o of the Gospel, must therefore be combined and from this idea

f^j.

;

plan.

came

the following ingenious proposition.

may mention here, in the way of parenthesis, that a new Grand Chancellor, a learned and good I

PLAN FOR FOUNDING A COLONY.

had come from

maiij according to our historian,

This was Charles the Fifth's celebrated

Flanders.

man whose

Chancellor, Arborio de Gattinara, a

name

is

found in connection with several of the

greatest events of the age in which he lived.

before his death, in 1529, he was

His moderation is

well

93

made a

in reference to the

Just

The Chancellor Gattinara concerned in great affairs.

cardinal.

Reformation

known, and coincides with the high esteem for Erasmus. I imagine him to

His moderatioii.

which he had

have been one of the statesmen,

if

earliest of those professional

may be

the phrase

used,

who were

afterwards so trustfully employed by Charles the

and in another generation by Elizabeth of Gattinara and Granvella correspond England. Fifth,

to Burleigh, the elder

men who

Bacon, and the other

states-

stood round the throne of that Queen.

Gattinara favoured Las Casas almost as

much He

as his predecessor in the chancellor's office, Selvagius,

had done.

cellor loved

only a poor

The

Clerigo savs that the Chan-

him much suitor,

;

and

as

Las Casas was

whose claims

for

attention

were no other than the justness and the goodness of his cause,

it

is

greatly to

the

credit of this

Chancellor that he was always willing to give audience to Las Casas, and that he uniformly do-

favours the (lerigo.

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

94

Whether, however, Gattinara had

fended him. not quite as

much

influence as Selvagius (and

it

was not on such good terms with Chievres), or whether he himself was won over

is

to

certain he

certain extent

a

it is

by the Bishop of Burgos, had more

clear that this mischievous prelate

power now in Indian affairs than he had possessed under the former Chancellor. Gattinara,

great

though mixed up with so many

affairs in

in Spain,

France, in Germany, in Italy, and

was never perhaps seen

so closely, nor,

I imagine, to such advantage, as he will be in the

following pages.

The new

proposition which

bring forward under this

Las Casas had

new dynasty

to

(for the

change of chancellors was almost a change of It dynasty to him), is a very remarkable one.

formed the turning-point of the Clerigo's own life, and in its consequences had the widest influence

The

upon the fortunes of the it was as follows

substance of

Las Casas engaged

:

to

find

New

—

fifty

World.

Spaniards,

which he thought he could do amongst the colonists, moderate and reasonable men, who

FOUNDING A COLONY.

95

would undertake the good work he had in hand for them out of Christian motives, at the same 1

time

^

.

havmg

interests

.

n

.

^

a fair view to furthering their

He

by lawful means.

to fifty, because fifty

own

The plan Casasfor colonizing the Terratirma.

limited himself

would be more manageable

than a greater number, and would be sufficient for peaceful converse with the Indians.

These

were to subscribe two hundred

fifty

ducats each, making ten thousand in the whole,

which he thought would be enough to provide the requisite outfit and sustenance for a year, and presents for the Indians.

The

fifty

were

to

wear a peculiar

dress, white

cloth with red crosses, like that of the Knights of

Calatrava, but having some additional ornament.

His

Much

knights.

of the scheme the

was afterwards thrown on

ridicule

name

;

this part

and the proposed knights obtained

of sanheiiitos* in allusion to the dress of

penitent convicts of the Inquisition.

The

object,

however, of having a peculiar dress, was to distinguish this band from any Spaniards Indians had seen before.

They were

a message to the Indians, of a *

The garment

new

called a sanbenito

yellow cross before and behind.

whom

the

also to brino-

tenour,

tellino-

had a large red and

/

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

96

them

King

that they were sent to salute

of Spain,

who had heard

them from the

of the evils and

oppressions they (the Indians) had suffered, that they were to give them presents as a sign of

amity, and to protect them from the other Spaniards

who had done them

injury.

Las Casas says that he had it in his mind, if God had prospered the work, to get the Pope and the

King

to allow this

body

to be

formed into a

religious fraternity.

For the

Induceinents to the King.

profit of the

King, Las Casas held out

the following inducements

;

—

that he

would pacify

the country assigned to him, which he requested

should begin a hundred leagues above Paria* and

extend

* i.

e.,

down

the

coast

a

thousand

leagues;!

That means a hundred leagues to the eastward of Paria, " Conviene taking the river Dulce as the eastern limit.

a saber desde cien leguas arriba de

llamaban

de

los

Arvacas, la

llegasen."

Paria, del Rio que que agora llamamos el Rio j la tierra costa abajo hasta a donde las mill leguas

el rio dulce,

— Las

Casas, Hist, de las Lidias, MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 131.

f It was ultimately restricted to about two hundred and sixty leagues.

A letter

has recently been brought to light, bearing the of Las Casas, but without date, which must, howsignature

FOUNDING A COLONY. that

being settled there

after

97

three

years,

he

would contrive that the King should have fifteen thousand ducats of tribute from the Indians and the Spanish settlements, if there should be any

and that

this tribute

until, at the

;

should increase gradually,

tenth year, and thenceforward,

it

should amount to seventy thousand ducats.

e\er, have been addressed

by him

to the

Grand Chancellor

in the course of these negociations. It begins by stating that he does not wish to lose more time in a thing which is so manifestly good as this business, as he the time which is and so "

adds,

practicable," unless,

lost

here should prevent

it

(sino que lo que aqui se pierde de

tiempo pudiendose escusaf).

He that

mentions that he

first

asked for a thousand leagues to the Council of the ;

when the matter was referred

Indies, they reduced

it

to six

hundred, and in those six

hundred there were only two provinces, namely Cenu and SantaMartha, which produced gold, and that these provinces were included

in a

hundred leagues.

He

also

mentions that

he had asked for the pearl fisheries, but that they had been " taken" from him. This, however, he had acceded to, on the condition that those Spaniards to go to the pearl fisheries, should

who had

juring and scandalizing the Indians.

now Cenu

is

the permission

be prevented from in-

He

intimates, that

about to be taken from him, and

will greatly diminish

that, if so, it

the inducements which he can hold

out to secular persons to join in his enterprize, and aid

H

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

98

Las Casas ments

also offered

to

found three

settle-

in the course of five years, with a fortress

Moreover, he would obtain

in each of them.

knowledge about the country ashim, and give the King information on

geographical

signed to that head

:

and he would do what he could to

convert the natives without to the

to

being any charge

King.

him with

may

its

their funds

judge,

we

" ;

go and spend their

"

he adds, as your Lordship few laymen who will be inclined

for,"

shall find

estates,

and

to die

and labour,

solely

to serve God, to convert souls, and to preach their faith to

the infidels, (porque, como

v. s.

puede juzgur, pocos seglares

hallaremos que se quieran mover d yr d gastar sus haziendas

y a morir y trabajar como dicho es solamente por servir a Dios y convertir animas y predicar su fee d los yvfieles). He puts it plainly to the Grand Chancellor, whether

Lope de

Sosa,

who went out

to supersede Pedrarias in the

government of Darien, will not have enough to govern, and " his people to destroy, without the province of Genu. Sin la provincia del

muy

Genu queda d Lope de Sosa harta

rica de oro desde el

tierra

y

Darien versus occidentem para

el pueda governar y su gente destruyr." After offering many good reasons to the Chancellor for the request being granted, he prays that, at least, the pro-

que

vince of

Genu may be divided between himself and Lope

de Sosa,

or, if that

ditions

be not possible, that the onerous confor himself and his knights

which he had undertaken

might be diminished accordingly.

FOUNDING A COLONY. The

Clerigo on his part

King should ask

demanded, that the

for a brief

•allow the Clerigo to take

99

from the Pope,

with him twelve

to

priests,

Franciscans

and Dominicans, who should come

voluntarily

and that His Holiness should give a

:

plenary indulgence to

all

those

who

should die on

the voyage, or in the act of assisting in the said conversion.

He

demanded

also

that he

dians from the islands,

him of

He dians

their

own

made

also

accord. it

a provision, that

who had been taken from

Terra-firraa

should be

which might be

We

come now

combine

own

to the

all

the In-

that part of the

assigned to him,

placed in his charge for the

being restored to their

to

if

might take ten Inthey would come with

purpose of

country.

inducements for the

in this enterprize.

They were

fifty

to have

the twelfth part of the revenues accruing to the

King, and to be enabled to leave

this to

heirs for ever.*

*

This was granted only for four descents.

their

Demands./

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

100

Then they were Golden Spur, and

them

of

to be

to

made Knights

of the

have a grant of arms.

Such

should appoint were to

as the Clerigo

have the government of the proposed fortresses

There were

and of the settlements. other provisions and

also

many

exemptions made in

their

favour (such for instance as their free),

salt

being tax-

which we need not recount.

Each of

the fifty might import three negroes

half of the after, if it

number men,

half

—

women,* and here-

should seem good to the Clerigo, they

might have seven more negro slaves each. evident, therefore, that at this time

It

is

Las Casas

had not discovered his error with regard

to the

negroes.

On

Nofvro-

hem

to the settlement of Las Casas.

behalf

mauded

that .

,

i

the

of

Indians,

Las Casas de-

King should give assurance

the i

n

•

that, neither at this present

nor at

any luture

time, should the Indians within the limits agreed

upon, being in due obedience and tributary, be given to the Spaniards in repartimientos, or in slavery of any kind. *

Rather a

diificult

matter

;

but I suppose

it

means that

the total r umber brought over should consist of an equal

number

of males and females.

FOUNDING A COLONY. There was

101

to be a treasurer, a contador,

and a

judge. Also, as a false relation of what should take place in these territories might be carried to the

King, the King was to promise, that on no account would he make any change in the order of things, as regarded this without first colony,

hearing from the treasurer and the contador. Several other matters of detail were provided for ; but the above is an outline of the most im-

portant portions of this proposal made Casas.

bearings,

it

presents certain points of attack

upon the whole,

if sufficient

to the head of the colony, well.

by Las

Like any thing of long extent and large

it

The plan may remind

;

but,

power were given was likely to work the reader of feudal

times, and of an abbot with a large domain and a retinue of knights to do his Those bidding.

abbacies, probably, did not

work

ill

for the poor

in their neighbourhood.

The it

may

great scheme being

ready, in which

be observed that Las Casas asked nothing

for himself, he explained cellor

now

it

to the

Grand Chan-

and the other Flemings, who received

it

Las Casas plan be-

Council of

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

102

favourably, and desired him to lay

before the

it

was very ill received by the unflagging enemy of Las Casas, the Bishop of Burgos, and by the rest of the There

Council of the Indies.

councillors.

Still

it

they did not utterly reject

but sought by delay to put

At

aside.

it

it,

this

time the Grand Chancellor and Chievres were obliged to go to the borders of France, to treat

of peace

with

Las Casas

French King.

the

urged the settlement of his business

Flemings that he

mentionino; to the to leave

He

receives

;

and, on

would have

the court on account of his poverty, a

Monsicur dc Bure and a relation of

his

advanced

gifts.

the Clerigo money, for fear he should have to leave

while the

Chancellor was

The

absent.

favour of Las Casas with the Flemings on the

King's arrival in Spain has been attributed to a wish to oppose the policy of Ximenes and the

Spanish councillors.

These

gifts

to

Las Casas

He

cannot be accounted for on this supposition. says that these

there

is

men had no

interest to serve

;

and

every reason to believe, that they acted

from a regard

for the

goodness of his

man and

cause.

Chievres returned

:

but

a belief in the

The Chancellor and still

Las Casas could

FOUNDING A COLONY. make do way

in the Council of the Indies.

daunted, however, his vigour stirred cause,

103

fertile

genius and amazino-

up new means

and there

is

Not

for

furthering his thus brought before us one

of the most interesting episodes in the whole of this narrative.

It has

been a common practice at courts,

have certain

set

preachers.

to

For the Spanish

court at this time there were eight preachers to

King: and Las Casas bethought himself of laying his troubles and the wrongs of the Indians before these ecclesiastics, and beseechins: their the

favour and

assistance.

I will here

give

their

names, as I think we ought not to o-rudse naminff

men, who, though they come but once or twice before us, and speak but a few words in the great drama of history, do so in a way that ought to confer reputation

First, then, there upon them. were the brothers Coronel, Maestro Luis and

Maestro Antonio, both very learned men, doctors of the University of Paris ; then there was Miguel

de Salamanca, also a doctor of the same univer-

and a master in theology, afterwards Bishop Cuba then Doctor de la Fuente, a celebrated

sity,

of

;

The Kir^s

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

104

man

in the time of the late Cardinal

of his University of Alcala

;

Ximenes,

then brother Alonso

de Leon, of the Franciscan Order, very learned in theology St.

brother Dionysius, of the Order of

;

"a great preacher and very copious

Augustin,

in eloquence

" :

names of the other two Las

the

Casas had forgotten.

The King's preachers and Las Casas formed

The preachers and Las

Casas form

a

Junta of

their

own.

They admitted one

a Junta.

other religiosos into

it,

a brother, as

it

was

or

said,

of Scotland,* being one of them.

the

Queen

last

mentioned noble

monk was one

two

of those

of

This

who

had come over from Picardy in the year 1516 or and who himself had gained experience of 1517 ;

the proceedings of the Spaniards on the coast of

The bold Scot wished

Cumana.

to propose

to

the Junta a large question of the most searching *

"For

este tiempo (1516, or early in 1517,) vinieron

quatorce religiosos de Sant Francisco, todos extrangeros de Picardia, personas muy religiosas, de muchas letras y muy principales, y de gran celo para emplearse en la conversion

de estas gentes, y entre ellos vino un hermano de la Reyna de Escocia (segun se decia) varon de gran autorldad, viejo muy cano y todos ellos de edad madura, y que parecian

como unos de

Las Casas,

los

que imaginamos Senadores de Roma."-

Hist, de las Indias,

MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 94.

FOUNDING A COLONY.

105

and fundamental nature, namely, " "With what justice or right could an entrance be made into the Indies after the

manner which the Spaniards

adopted in entering those countries?"

Each day the Junta thus constituted met monastery of Santa Catalina, and formed,

at the as the

historian describes, a sort of antagonist Council

to that held

daily on Indian

affairs

under the

They met

auspices of the Bishop of Burgos.

at

....

The

court

the same hour as the Indian Council, perhaps the

employ

better to evade observation, for I

themselves in Indian

imagme ~o

their

affairs.

proceedings were kept quite secret. The conclusion this Junta came

they were obliged by the Divine

to,

was, that

Law

to under-

take to procure a remedy for the

evils

of the

and they bound themselves to each other by oath, that none of them were to be dismayed, or to desist from the undertaking until it should Indies

:

be accomplished.

They

resolved to begin

by

form of fraternal correction."

" the evangelical First, they

would

if go and admonish the Council of the Indies this had no effect, they would then admonish the ;

Chancellor

;

if

he were obdurate they would ad-

monish Monsieur Chievres

;

and, if none of these

PLAN OF LAS CASAS FOR

lOG

admonitions addressed to the

officers

were of any avail, they would King and admonish him. If

all

of the crown

finally

to the

go

these earthly powers turned a deaf ear to

fraternal admonitions, they, the brethren,

then preach publicly against

men, not omitting to the

King

to give his

all

would

of these great

due share of blame

himself.

This resolution, drawn up in writing, they subscribed to

;

and they swore upon the cross and

the gospels to carry out their resolve.

On

a certain day they entered the Council of

the Indies, to the astonishment of the Bishop of They admonish the

Burgos, and the rest of the Council, and having-

Council of

requested leave to speak, laid before the Council

the Indies.

their admonitions

and suggestions, bringing their

discourse to an end

by urging upon

their

wisdom

the careful consideration of the proposals they had

advocated.

The Council The Council

and

received the paper with courtesy,

even with somewhat of approbation.

To

receive

the preachers'

sugges-

tions.

me

it

seems, as

it

did to

scheme of the preachers

Las Casas, that the

for the regeneration of

the Indies laboured under a great, if not a vital objection,

in

allowing too

much work

at

the

FOUNDING A COLONY. But, on the whole,

mines.

markable

state

paper

it

a

is

sagacious,

;

107

very re-

humane, and

bold.

The Council meanour

to

preachers

;

of the Indies seems by quiet de-

have absorbed the opposition of the and these good men, thinking that

they had produced the proper impression upon the minds of the statesmen, left the matter in their hands, considering themselves to

As

vow.

their

filled

more heard of

gether, they are no Still

we must

went

carries civilization ,

T

•

is

and waters are

many

have

ful-

acting to-

in this history.

not conclude that their labours and

their boldness

a metropolis,

men

a body of

r

for nothing.

The

river that

through a country, and creates

1 1

led by

.

1

many streams whose names

lost in

it

;

and

in like

Legislatior the work of many

manner,

are the unnoticed currents of thought and

endeavour which go to form the main volume of wise legislation.

In the meanwhile the indefatigable Las Casas, hope of any good coming from the

Las Casas

/•I 1 1 remonstrance ol the preachers, pressed on with

presses on

having

little

.

,

his

own

sp.nprrip

vigour

his

own scheme

of colonization.

The

Bishop of Burgos and the Council of the Indies

LAS CASAS RENEWS

108

with equal vigour resisted

The

it.

by many of the Flemings, and, access

having

to

Clerigo, backed

as he intimates,

young King and being

the

favourably received by him, took up a position of attack in reference to the Council of the Indies,

and inveighed against

proceedings with his

its

The end

usual boldness.

of this contest was,

that the King, with the advice of the Chancellor,

appointed a special Council to judge between Las

Casas and the Council of the Indies in the matter

between them. Las Casas being permitted

at issue to

name some

Council.

moned

of the

members of

The Bishop of Burgos, when sum

to attend this Council,

mons, pleading indisposition occasion, being

summoned

council, and supposing

or state, he

mayed

this judicial

came

it

:

evaded the sumbut, on another

in general terms to a

to

be a council of war

readily enough, and

to find that Indian affairs

was

dis-

and the business

of Las Casas were the questions to be discussed.

Being heard before !i^^"'^' cess.

this judicial Council,

La?

Casas eventually succeeded in obtaining a tract of land, extending from the province of Paria, to that

of Santa Martha, about 260 leagues along the coast,

and the proper

official

papers were put in course

HIS of preparation. his business at

OWN SCHEME.

109

The Clerigo thought now, that court was really ended. But the

Bishop had another arrow in the historian, had just

his quiver.

Oviedo,

come over from the

Nctn- op-

Indies;

and he and two others offered to take the land that

Las Casas asked

higher sum

for,

to the King.

agreeing to pay a

much

It is curious to look

back and see these two men, who were

to be the

most celebrated historians of the Indies, bidding against each other for the land to found a colony

there

;

but in those days

men

of letters were

men

of action, as perhaps they would be in any time, if

they were not supposed to be unfitted for

The

Council, which I have described as the

new

Las Casas

Las Casas spoke out very boldly T

before tbe Council.

judicial Council,

proposition. 1

•

/.

before

it.

it

was summoned

1-1 and, m the course oi

/•

;

to hear this

1

the proceedmgs,

Antonio de Fonseca, the brother of the Bishop of Burgos, a

man

of great authority, thus addressed

Las Casas, interrupting him probably in the midst " You cannot now ^f some statement say that :

the

members

of the Indian Council have been the

death of the Indians, for you have taken Indians away."

by Ximenes,

He

all their

alluded to the order issued

that the

Indians should be taken

LAS CASAS RENEWS

110

away from absentee were members of the "

My

amongst whom Las Casas replied,

proprietors,

Council.

Lord, their Lordships have not been the

death of

all

the Indians, but they have been the

death of immense numbers where they possessed

them

the principal destruction, however, of the

:

Indians has been effected by private persons, which destruction their Lordships have abetted."

The Bishop

in a furious

manner then broke

into the discussion with these

nate man, indeed, the King,

he

is

A

fortu-

of the Council of

being of the Council of the King,

To

unmannerly speech the Clerigo replied with

Las Casas

much

replies to the Bishop

man

of Burgos in Council,

he who

" :

to put himself in contest with Casas."

is

this

if,

is

words

readiucss and dignity

is

Casas,

if,

" :

A

more fortunate

having come from the Indies two

thousand leagues, encountering such risks dangers, to advise the

King and

and

his Council, in

order that they might not lose their souls (que no

vayan a los Infiernos) on account of the tyranny and destruction which is going on in the Indies, in place of being thanked and honoured for it, he

se

should have to put himself in contest with the Council."

At

the end of the proceedings the votes were

taken, and were found to be in favour of

Las

HIS Casas.

Still,

much

to be

OWN SCHEME.

Ul

the Council of the Indies, not likely

softened by the

way

in

which he had

spoken out before the great Council on

make

occasion, continued to

miss the

late

Cardinal,

resistance.

this last

Here we

who would never have

allowed for a day these mean endeavours to un-

dermine a great undertaking.

As

a

new

device,

the Council of the Indies drew up and presented to the Chancellor a

memorial against the proposed

grant being made to Las Casas, consisting of thirty articles,

most of them of a very absurd character.

Amongst them were such that

Las Casas, being a

the King's jurisdiction

;

allegations as these

Clerigo.

countries with

article the

—

was not under

and that he would league

with the Genoese and Venetians, and make foreign

:

plunder.

off to

In their

Council alleged, that they had

last

many

other reasons which were secret, but which they

would

tell

His Highness

addressed to the King),

(for the

memorial was

when he should be

pleased

to hear them.

The memorial was cil

;

laid before the great

Coun-

and the result was, that the Chancellor, upon

coming out of it, said to Las Casas, that he must The difficulty give an answer to this document. then arose of getting the memorial, for the Council

Memorial against Casas.

1

.hs

MEMORIAL AGAIXST

112

of the Indies made frivolous excuses for withholding

Months were wasted

it.

about this

which may give us some notion of the perseverance and endurance of the Pro-

trumpery

TheChan-

affair,

tcctor of the

Indians.

At

the

last

Chancellor

Dellor ob-

tains the

memorial.

He

got the memorial into his hands. vited

Las Casas

to dinner,

then in-

and afterwards, taking

out of his escrutoire a large bundle of papers, he said to the Clerigo,

" Answer now

they say against you."

to these things

Las Casas

replied, that

the Council of the Indies had been months pre-

" and I have to answer paring this accusation,

them

in a

Give

me

the papers for as

hours as they had months, and your Lord-

many ship

credo*

shall

see that I will

answer them."

The

Chancellor said, that he could not part with the papers, as he had promised he would not let

them

go out of his possession, but Las Casas might answer them there.

So, of an evening, while the

Chancellor was at his work, the Clerigo came,

and sat reply.

in a corner of the

room, and drew up his

Chancellors, even in those days, seem to

have been greatly overworked *

;

but, indeed, this

In the time he could recite his

belief.

LAS CASAS.

113

has always been the case, that the world, of

kinds, gets into knots, as

all

and one man

is

men, who, with selves,

work

are is

work of the

often left to do the

looking on and noting

At

how

;

six

them-

dissatisfaction to

infinite

done.

were

it

work of

ill

the

eleven o'clock, a collation

was always brought in at twelve, the Clerigo took his leave, and went home to his posada, not ;

without some fear of what might happen to him

on the way from such powerful enemies as were In four evenings Las Casas

ranged against him.

had prepared

his reply.

The Chancellor then summonefl the reply before them.

laid

been successful, for

all

a council, and

It seems to have

the Bishop of Burgos could

" The preachers of the King have made these answers for him." This, of say against

course, the

it

was,

Chancellor

reported to the

King

knew

to

the whole

be

false.

He

course of the

and His Highness ordered that ; Micer Bartolome should have the grant, and

proceedings

that no notice should be taken of the offers of

those

who wished

The reader

to outbid him.

will think that

he has

now accom-

panied the Clerigo to a triumphant 'ionclusion of I

Las

C'asas

to the

memorial.

LAS CASAS

114

present business

his left,

at

but, before

;

he was destined to have what he

terrible

King

combat

" ;

this

time

it

still

this

combat.

happened that the Bishop

of Darien came to court

The court was

much depended,

an account of

it

will hereafter appear

so

affairs

will be well to give

Just at

calls

he

"a

will bring the young whose upon disposition and

and, as

into presence,

knowledge of Indian it

court

— upon

what business

from a statement of

at Barcelona, but,

own.

his

on account

of a pestilence that prevailed there, the

King was

" Molins de Rey," three lodged at a place called leagues from the town

Altercation

between the Bishop of

Daneu

and Las

;

and the great Lords oc-

cupied houses in the suburbs.

Las Casas, seeing

the Bishop of Darien for the

first

time, in the

King's apartments, asked what prelate that was. " The Bishop of the Indies." They told him,

Las Casas went up as I

am

to him,

and

said,

concerned in the Indies,

"

it is

Casas.

kiss the

hands of your Lordship."

asked who

My

my

Lord,

duty to

The Bishop

was that addressed him, and, being " O, Sefior Casas and informed, rudely replied, it

!

"

what sermon have you Las Casas, who was never daunted by bishop " There was a or councillor, answered at once, to preach to us

?

PREVAILS AT COURT.

115

Lord, when I desired to hear you preach" ^the Bishop had been King's preacher

my

time,

in former days),

Lordship, that

that lost

the

I

now

I have two

declare to your sermons ready for

you please to hear and well conmay be worth more than all the money from the Indies." " You have

you, which, sider them,

"but

if

you bring

your senses ; you have

An

Bishop.

your senses," said

acquaintance of the

said to his Lordship,

of Seiior

lost

Bishop " All these Lords approve

Casas, and of his

intentions."

The

" With Bishop replied, good intentions he may do a thing which shall be mortal sin." At this

moment, when the Clerigo, once engaged in con troversy, would doubtless have uttered some severe and angry speech, the doors of the council chamber, where the King was, opened, and the Bishop of Badajoz came out, for

was waiting,

Now

as he

was

whom

the Bishop of Badajoz,

credit with the

the other Bishop

to dine with him.

who was

in

great

King, had always favoured the

and Las Casas, fearing that the Bishop of Darien might injure him with his brother Clerigo

;

Bishop, resolved to go to his house that day. He went there when the company had finished

BISHOP OF DARIEN

116

and found the Bishop of Badajoz

their dinner,

playing at

Admiral

(a las tahlas) with the

backgammon

Don Diego Columbus,

creating himself until

it

the Bishop re-

was the hour

to return

There was a knot

to the King's lodgings again.

of bystanders looking on at the game, and one of

them happened to say to the Bishop of Darien, that wheat was grown in Hispaniola. The Bishop said that

it

was not

Now

possible.

Las Casas

some grains of happened wheat which had been grown under an orange to have

in his purse

tree in the garden of the The Bishop

of St.

in the

wrong.

Domingo

;

and

Dominican Monastery most

so, after controverting

respectfully the assertion of the Bishop, he pro-

duced the wheat.

The Bishop

replied with fierce-

ness, and then launched into a general attack of the rudest kind upon Las Casas, declaring his

unfitness for the business he had

upon.

Great

ecclesiastics

disposed and well-spoken

come

to court

have mostly been well-

men

;

but,

when

there

has arisen an insolent one, his ill-breeding has

always, I imagine, far outgone that of other men.

The

fervid

Las Casas was not behindhand

in the

war of words, and

told the Bishop that he drank

the blood of his

own

flock,

and that unless he

COMES TO COURT. returned to the last farthing

all

the

117

money he had

brought over, he was no more likely than Judas Iscariot.

down

to laugh

rigo told

these

be saved

The Bishop endeavoured The Cleviolent sayings.

him he ought

At

to

to

weep rather than

to

Bishop of Badajoz, using the " No more, authority of a host, interfered, saying, and another Admiral the no more;" and after laugh.

last the

great Lord had said some words in favour of

Las

Casas, the Clerigo retired.

The Bishop

of Badajoz,

when he saw

the

King

him of what had taken place between the Bishop of Darien and the Clerigo, saying that His Highness would have been amused in the afternoon, told

to hear

what Micer Bartolome

I have but to

little

said to the Bishop.

doubt that there was supposed

be some truth in the hard sayings of the Cle-

rigo.

The King

resolved to hear what they both

and for that purpose fixed an hour of audience three days from that time. The Admiral

had

to say,

of the Indies, as the matter concerned him, was

happened that a Franciscan brother from Hispaniola had just requested to be present

;

and, as

it

arrived at court, he also was ordered to attend this audience.

by the King

AUDIENCE BY THE KING

118

The day came

The King

:

the

King took

his seat

on the

gives

audience to persons concerned

in the Indies.

throne, a few of his greatest councillors beino;

ranged around him on benches below. of the proceedings was as follows.

The order The Chan-

and the Lord of Croy ascended the dais where the King was seated, and on their knees cellor

conferred with him and received his commands.

Then, when they had returned the

Chancellor gave

mands

:

— "Reverend

utterance

Bishop,

to their places, to

His

these

com-

Majesty"

(Charles had just been elected Emperor, and was therefore styled Majesty) " commands you to speak, if you have anything to say touching the Indies."

The Bishop

Bishop of

of Darien then rose, and made, as

Darien's

speech.

Las Casas admits, an elegant exordium, saying how he had long desired to see that Royal Preand that now, God having complied with desire, he knew that the face of Priam was

sence, his

worthy of

his

come from the

Having finished this went on to say, that he had

kingdom.

exordium, the Bishop

Indies, and had secret matters of

much importance to communicate, which had better be told to His Majesty and the Council only, wherefore he begged that those

who were

not

ON AFFAIRS OF THE

INDIES.

119

of the Council, might be ordered to depart.

The

desired, through the

King

Chancellor, that the

Bishop should say there and then whatever he

had

to say.

Part of the Bishop's speech

remarkable, that

own

it

is

so

better to give that in his

is

words.

"

Sir, the Catholic

Very powerful

grandfather (niay

lie

make an armada

to

be in glory

!

)

King your

determined to

go and people the Terra-

firma of the Indies, and he begged our very holy

me Bishop

Father to create

ment

;

and returning, I have been as

of that

new

settle-

and, not counting the time passed in going

we were much

five years there, and,

people and took with us no

more provisions than were necessary

for

the

journey, the greatest part died of hunger, and

we who remained, did,

have

rob and

all this

kill

was going

and

in order not to die as those

time done no other thing than

eat.

Seeing, then, that the land

to destruction,

and that the

vernor was bad, and the second that

Your Majesty had

in a

much

intelligence of this, as to

King."

Go-

worse, and

happy hour arrived

in these kingdoms, I determined to

You

first

come and give my Lord and

Touching the Indians, the Bishop

said.

His opinion of the goTernors of Dariea.

AUDIENCE BY THE KING

120

that from

own

what he had seen of them, both

diocese,

and on

in his

his journey, his opinion

were by nature slaves. Las Casas was now commanded

was

that they

Speech of Las Casas.

will be nccdless, as his thoughts facts

cipal

however,

appears

to recount his speech,

which he enumerated, have already

that the

which the Clerigo, I " Plato was a :

in Hell,

am

quoted

sorry to say,

narrative.

to

Plato, to

made

this

now burning make use of his

Gentile, and

and we are only

doctrine as far as

this

Bishop of Darien, in the

course of his argument, had

reply

It

on these subjects, and the prin-

been stated in various parts of It

to speak.

is

consistent with our holv

it is

Faith and Christian customs."

Though reported in

the speech of the Clerigo need not be full,

one declaration that he made

must not be omitted,

in

that he had not taken

which he told the King,

up

his vocation to please

him, but to please God, and in proof of this bold " I renounce whatever assertion, went on to say,

temporal honour or reward Your Majesty

may

wish to confer upon me."* *

Indeed, he went so far as to say that, with all respect would not go from where he stood

for so great a King, he

ON AFFAIRS OF THE Las Casas having

INDIES. the

finished,

"

Father was ordered to speak. " I have been certain

121

Franciscan

My

Lord," he

Hispaniola, and I was

go and

visit

thousand.

commanded with

others to

and take the number of Indians in

the island, and

we found

that they were so

many

Afterwards, at the end of two years,

a similar charge was again given to me, and we found that there had perished so many thousand.

And

who were

thus the infinity of people

island has been destroyed.

Now,

if

in that

the blood of

one person unjustly put to death was of such effect that it

God

until he

was not removed out of the sisht of had taken vengeance for

it,

and the

blood of the others never ceases to exclaim dica sanguinem nostrum,

Deus

noster,^

'

what

Vinwill

the blood do of such innumerable people as have

to the corner of the room, merely to serve His Majesty, it were to perform his duty as a subject, and unless

unless

he thought that it were consistent with the will of God to do so. " Es cierto (hablando con todo acatamiento y reverencia que se deve a tan alto Rey e Serior) que de aqui

—

a aquel rincon no

me mudare

gestad, salva la fidelidad que

por servir a Vuestra

oomo subdito devo,

y creyese hacer a Dios en Casas, Hist, de las Indias, MS.,

sase

ello lib.

gran iii.

a

Franciscan

years in the island of

said,

Speech of

sacrificio."

cap. 148.

Ma-

sino pen-

— Las

monk.

AUDIENCE BY THE KING

122

perished in those lands under such great tyranny

and injustice?

Then, by the blood of Jesus

by the wounds* of St. Francis, I pray and entreat Your Majesty, that you would find a Christ and

for such

remedy

wickedness and such destruction

of people, as perish daily there, so that the divine justice

upon

may

not pour out

its

severe indignation

of us."

all

was a short speech, but uttered with such fervour, that it seemed to Las Casas as if all the It

persons there present were already listening to

words pronounced

in the

Day

of Judgment.

The Admiral was then requested

to

speak.

Speech of theAdmiral

He

of the

bearing witness as to what the religiosos had done

Indies.

in

spoke prudently, acknowledging the

denouncing these

evils,

and praying

also

evils,

on his

part for a remedy.

Upon

the

Admiral's

ceasing

to

speak,

the

Bishop of Darlen asked for leave to reply, but he was desired to deliver in writing what more he Audience ended.

had to

say.

The King then

rose,

into his room, and the audience

may be hoped

that the

The

and retired

was ended.

It

young Emperor, who, we stigmata.

ON AFFAIRS OF THE are told,

was unmoved by

had now begun

INDIES.

new

his

but

title,*

to reign for himself,t

123

found

who

much

to ponder over, from this his first audience in the

of the Indies.

affairs

may be

It

as well to

mention here, that the

Bishop of Darien did submit his information and ^

his opinions

about the Indies in writing, that his

memorials were very

much

in accordance with

Las Casas had already made,

the statements that

and that the Bishop, when asked his opinion respecting the Clerigo's plan, approved of great delight, as cellor

Las Casas

and Laxao, as

tells us,

men who

it,

to the

of the Chan-

loved to favour a

good design, and had no mean ends of their own. It may be remarked that Peter Martyr, who is always

sufficiently

much

finds

severe upon

the

Flemings,

to praise in this Chancellor.

*

"Rex, jam Caesar, quicquid in humaiiis praestare fortuna potest visus est nihili facere. Tanta est ejus gravitas et animi magnitudo, ut habere sub pedibus universum pras se ferre videatur."

" I

—Peter Martyr,

Porque, como

el

eran frecuentes los consejns." Jndias,

MS.,

lib.

iii.

Epist., 648.

Rey comenzaba entonces a

cap. 147.

—Las

reinar,

Casas, Hist, de las

Bishop of Dariea gives his opinion ia writing.

J

LAS CASAS OBTAINS HIS GRANT,

24

At Jeronimites.

time the Jeronimite Fathers came to

this

on their return from Hispaniola

court,

;

but, not

being able to obtain an audience of the King,

they retired to their monasteries, and, I believe,

were no more heard of in the government of the Indies.

The King went there,

and

Coruna, in order to embark

to proceed to

Germany

made Emperor with

of being

and the

to

last

were given

for the

purpose

the due formalities,

seven days before his embarkation

to the business of the Indies.

In one

of the Councils held on this occasion, the Cardinal

Adrian (the former colleague of Ximenes) made a great speech in favour of the liberty of the

Indians

be

was resolved that they ought to and should be treated as free men. The and

;

free,

it

The grant

grant to Las Casas was also concluded, and the

Casas.

King signed

the necessary deed on the 19th of

May, 1520.

On

the 20th he embarked for Flan-

was during this voyage that he landed ders. and his object in making this visit was at Dover It

;

to prevent, if possible, the injury

councillors, foresaw

might

which he, or

arise to his affairs

his

from

the meeting of the Kings of France and England at

the proposed tourney, afterwards called the

Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Cardinal Adrian was

AND COMPLETES HIS BUSINESS. nominated

as

125

Kegent of Spain during the King's

absence.

In the settlement of the details of the business, he

was

left to the

Clerisro's

mercy of the Bishop

of Burgos, and a most formidable opposition might in consequence have to say, the

Bishop

.

been expected .

.

affair,

but, strange

;

facilitated the settlement of the

thus showing himself to have some noble-

ness of mind, for, the

King and the Flemish

ministers having departed.

shadow of

former

his

Las Casas was but a

The

self.

Clerigo, too,

his old adversary's relentings with equal

meeting

generosity,

expresses

a

hope (though mingled

with great fear about the result) that

the

all

mischief the Bishop had been the cause of in the Indies might not

Las Casas his not

come upon

his

soul;

some excuse for the Bishop in been a learned man, but having having finds

Each

followed the ignorance of the learned.

must have in

other as one of the chiefs " I love a foe like CathOssiAN, who says,

mor is

felt for the

his soul

:

fame

like a

It

and

in his

great

;

battles.

his

arm

But

is

the

strong little

;

there

soul

is

vapour that hovers round a marshy lake. rises on the green hill, lest the winds

never

meet

is

it

there."

Bishop of Burgos favours the Clerigo,

SUSPICIONS OF AGUIRRE.

126

We 'i'^e

Clerigo's

purpose UQchanged.

must not suppose

that,

absorbed in

all

these

the secular negociations, > the Clerlgo o b had changed o

main

drift of his purpose. ^ ^

at

still

lowest, philanthropic, as

tual, or, at the

srather

That was

spiri-

we may

from a remarkable answer which he made

an early stage of the proceedings to a certain

licentiate,

Aguirre, a very good man, of

called

great authority in those times,

whom Queen

had chosen for one of her executors.

bella

Isa-

This

man had always loved and favoured Las Casas, but when he found that the Clerigo was pursuing an enterprize in which Aguirre heard of rents being paid to the King, and of honours being

sought for by Las Casas on behalf of his com-

" that such a panions, the licentiate said

manner

of proceeding in preaching the gospel had scandalized him, for

poral interests,

it

evinced an aiming after tem-

which he had never hitherto sus-

pected in the Clerigo,"*

*

"

Dijo que le habia desedificado aquella manera de proceder en la predicacion Evangelica, porque mostraba pretender temporal interese, lo que nunca hasta entonces habia sospechado de el." Las Casas, Hist, de las Iridias,

—

MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 137.

APOLOGY OF LAS CASAS,

127

Las Casas, having heard what Aguirre had said, took occasion to speak to him one day in the following terms

" :

Senor,

if

you were

to see

our Lord Jesus Christ maltreated, vituperated, and afflicted, would you not implore with all your

might that those who had him in their power would give him to you, that you might serve and " " " Yes," said Aguirre. worship him ? Then," " Las if would not Casas, replied they give him 1 11 n to you, but would sell him, would you redeem him?" "Without a doubt." " Well, then, Se" that is what I have Las fior," 1

rejoined

done, for I have

•

Casas,

left'

our Lord, suffering

in the Indl^^s stripes,

and

Jesus Christ,

afflictions,

and

crucifixion, not once but thousands of times, at

the hands of the Spaniards, late those

who

destroy and deso-

Indian nations, taking from them the

opportunity of conversion and penitence, so that

they die without faith and without sacraments."

Then Las Casas went on had sought

to

to explain

how

he

these things In the

remedy way would most have approved. To the answer had been, that the King would

that Aguirre this

have no rents, wherefore, when he. Las Casas,

saw that

his

opponents would

sell

him the

gospel.

His reply licentiate

Aguirre.

APOLOGY OF LAS

128

CASAS.

he had offered those temporal inducements which Aguirre had heard of and disapproved.

The swer,

man.

licentiate considered this a sufficient an-

and

so,

I

think,

would any reasonable

CHAPTER Las Casas plains

to

tries

to detain

the

Audiencia

Expedition

to the

VI.

—

Ocampos Expedition He comis put in command of an

—He

Terra-jirma

— His followers desert

him.

on his arrival there.

EFOR.E ther,

followins;

Las Casas anv

we must mention

that in

far-

1518

several monks, Franciscans, as well as

Dominicans, founded two monasteries on the Pearl Coast, one called Santa other Cumana.

Fe

de Chiribichi and the

They were very

successful

attracting to themselves the Indians,

peaceful and unmolested the

the

name

off

till

of Ojeda, a pearl fisher,

neighbouring

want of

life,

island

in

and lived a

a Spaniard of

who dwelt

in

of Cubagua, being in

slaves, treacherously captured

some of the Indians dwelling in

and carried their neio-h-

Ojeda had previously visited the Dominicans, and it is supposed that the Indians

bourhood.

REVOLT OF THE INDIANS.

130

imagined the Dominicans (who, however, were perfectly innocent) to be connected in

some way

with this outrage, and resolved to revenge themselves.

A few

Sundays afterwards,

celebrating mass, the Indians rushed

dered several of them.

mana were

as they

were

and mur-

in,

The Franciscans

at

Cu-

attacked, and the fury of the

also

Indians, once excited, was such that they did

not spare even the live creatures found in the

monastery,

down

to the cats.

The Spaniards on the

island of

Cubagua, hearing

that the infuriated Indians intended attacking them,

were seized with a panic, and deserted the and when the Indians poured over

wave they found great

it

island,

like a furious

stores of goods

and mer-

chandize which these wealthy pearl fishers had left

The autho-

behind them.

When

these events at

Cubagua and on the

rities at St.

Domingo

Pearl Coast came to the knowledge of the au-

send an expedition to Chiribichi.

diencia at St.

expedition to

Domingo, they resolved to send an Chiriblchi and its vicinity, to avenge

the murder of the

— Cubagua,

Indians.

monks and

the devastation of

and, as a matter of course, to enslave

This expedition was

now on

its

way,

OCAMPO'S EXPEDITION.

131

and was expected at Porto Rico, when Las Casas and this is the news with which arrived there ;

he was greeted.

We

may

imagine the dismay

that such tidings, appreciated

by him

in all their

consequences, would cause in his mind. nately for himself, he was one of those find

some

Fortu-

men who

relief for their misfortunes in their in-

Moreover, he probably entertained a hope that he would yet be able to prevent the

dignation.

mischief which

when his

he foresaw;

and,

accordingly,

the vessels arrived at Porto Rico, he showed

powers to Ocampo,

whom

the audiencia had

entrusted with the command, and endeavoured to

But Ocampo, with

detain the expedition.

all

due

expressions of civility to Las Casas, said, that he

must execute

his orders,

and that the audiencia

would bear him harmless. cordingly sailed on

:

buting his labourers

The

expedition ac-

and Las Casas,

by

after distri-

threes and fours amongst

the inhabitants of Porto Rico, hastened to St.

Domino-o.

His appearance there was very unwelcome. Indeed, from the exertions he had already made at the court of Spain and elsewhere in favour of the Indians, he was odious to

all

the Spanish

Las Casas seeks to detain

Ocampo.

OCAMPO'S EXPEDITION.

132

He

colonists.*

endeavoured to carry things witL

a high hand, but

met with the usual hindrances

and vexations that he had endured both at home

and abroad from his countrymen

in office.

They

not dare, however, to oppose him openly, clothed as he was with the King's authority, and did

having the reputation of being in favour with the

He demanded

all-powerful Flemish ministers. that a proclamation should be

made

Order of which he was the bearer no one should dare

:

of the Royal

namely

to injure or affront

— that

any of the

natives of those provinces which were within the limits granted to the Clerigo

did do so,

it

fiscation of

would be

all

their

Las Casas.

If they

at the peril of the con-

goods, and

even of their

This was proclaimed in the usual manner,

lives.

with sound of trumpet, in the principal the Admiral and

all

streets,

the chief authorities being

present.

He

then demanded, that, with the least pos-

* " El que

muchos no quisieron ver porque ya era por todas estas tierras odioso por saber que pi-etendia libertar los Indios y librallos de las manos de sus matadores." Las

—

Casas, Hist, de las Indias, MS.,

lib.

iii.

cap. 156.

OCAMPO'S EXPEDITION. sible delay,

they should recal their ,

fleet,

.

133

discon.

tinue the war, and cause their troops to quit the territory

which had been given in charge

to him.

Again, they did not dare to refuse openly, but

made answer

that they

were about

to take the

matter into consideration:

and many days they

spent in discourse about

without their coming

to

it

any conclusion. Meanwhile, a counter attack was very skilfully Clerigo's enemies, which term pro-

made by the

bably included the whole population of the colony,

with the exception of a few private friends, and

of the Dominican monks, or any other persons in

There was a certain Biscayan shipwright who had two vessels of his own that were constantly engaged in the Cubaguan slave-

religious orders.

trade, for so

it

may

be called.

sooner saw Las Casas and

knew

This

man no

the business

upon which he had come, than, as the Clerigo expresses it, he would sooner have seen the Evil One.

Scanning the ship of Las Casas with

all

the critical dislike of an enemy, the Biscayan

pronounced that it

could not be

it

was not sea-worthy, and that

made sea-worthy.

Here was a

subject for enquiry which the authorities

Efforts of

Las

,

were

C'iisas

to couu-

Ocampo's expedition.

OCAMPO'S EXPEDITION.

134

willing

should be

The King's

without

investigated

delay.

must not be permitted to that were not sea-worthy. An

subjects

go in vessels examination was made, the

hostile

shipwright

being, according to the Clerigo's recollection, one

The body

of the persons appointed to examine. thus

condemned

constituted

nouncing

it

able of being

neither

made

judges and

ofiicial

to

Las Casas

this," as

to all

;

for

all,

both

men, had a share in the busi-

Las Casas

By

lost

the condemnation of

what was worth

500 pesos of gold, and, what were able at the present juncture,

and the means of

pro-

hinder the business of the

odious

ness of man-stealing." his vessel.

vessel,

for navigation, nor cap-

" All

fit.

" was done declares, Clerigo, as being

fit

the

—

far

to

him

more valu-

time, reputation,

transit.

Meanwhile, Ocampo had reached the port of Maracapana, in the territory of Gil Gonzalez, where the Spaniard took a very crafty method of securing the chief

approaching the coast,

but a few of the

men

of that district.

On

all his

men

Ocampo kept

sailors,

under hatches.

The

Indians, on hailing the vessels, enquired whence they came, to which the Spaniards answered

OCAMPO'S EXPEDITION. "

Castilla."

Hayti?" Castilla,"

The Indians shouted out " Hayti, The Spaniards again replied "Castilla,

and made signs that they had wine and

other things from Spain to barter.

The

thinking that they had to deal with

who

did not

coast,

135

Indians,

Spaniards

know what had happened on

that

no longer hesitated to enter the vessels and

exchange goods.

The Cacique himself, more wary

than his followers, remained in a boat near to the vessel.

lent

But one of the

swimmer,

let

sailors,

himself

into the Cacique's canoe,

the water, and, stabbing

who was an

down by

excel-

a rope, sprung

plunged with him into

him

in several places

with a dagger, succeeded, with the help of some other sailors, in carrying

him

to the vessel.

At

the same time, a signal having been given on board, the concealed Spaniards rushed on deck,

and the Indians in the vessel were captured.

Gil

Gongalez and the principal chiefs were hung from the yard-arm as an example of terror to the Indians standing on the shore. said,

Amongst these,

was the Cacique of Cumana.

it is

Now Oeampo

had on board the wife, or one of the wives, of

this

Cacique, named Donna Maria, who had been

car-

ried

by Flores from Cubagua

to Hispaniola.

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