A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies: Or, a faithful NARRATIVE OF THE Horrid and Unexampled Massacres, Butcheries, and all manner of Cruelties, that Hell and Malice could invent, committed by the Popish Spanish Party on the inhabitants of West-India, TOGETHER With the Devastations of several Kingdoms in America by Fire and Sword, for the space of Forty and Two Years, from the time of its first Discovery by them.Casas, Bartolomé de las
History
A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies: Or, a faithful NARRATIVE OF THE Horrid and Unexampled Massacres, Butcheries, and all manner of Cruelties, that Hell and Malice could invent, committed by the Popish Spanish Party on the inhabitants of West-India, TOGETHER With the Devastations of several Kingdoms in America by Fire and Sword, for the space of Forty and Two Years, from the time of its first Discovery by them.
Casas, Bartolomé de las
Indians, Treatment of -- Latin America; Spain -- Colonies -- America
More particularly this appear'd in the _Perusian_ Kingdoms, where _An.
Dom._ 1542, they acted such Horrid and Stupendous Enormities, that the
like were never known or heard in _America_, or throughout the whole
World before that time: Nor were they only practised upon the
_Indians_, who were mostly destroy'd, but upon themselves also, God
permitting them by his just Judgement to be their own Executioners, and
sheath their Swords in one anothers Bowels. In like manner the other
parts of this New World being moved by the Example of these Rebels,
refused to yield Obedience to those Laws. The rest pretending to
petition his Majesty turn Rebellious themselves; for they would not
voluntarily resign those Estates, Goods and Chattels they have already
usurped, nor willingly manumit those _Indians_, who were doomed to be
their Slaves, during Life; and where they restrain'd the Murdering
Sword from doing Execution, they opprest them gradually with personal
Vassalage, injust and intolerable Burthens; which his Majesty could not
possibly hitherto avert or hinder, because they are all universally,
some publickly and openly, others clancularly and secretly, so
naturally addicted to Rob, Thieve and Steal; and thus under pretext of
serving the King, they dishonour God, and defraud his Imperial Majesty.
Here the Author having finished the matter of Fact in this Compendious
History, for Confirmation of what he has here written, quotes a tedious
and imperfect Epistle (as he styles it) beginning and ending anonymous
withal, containing the Cruelties committed by the _Spaniards_, the same
in effect as our Author has prementioned, now in regard that I judge
such reiterated Cruelties and repeated Barbarisms are Offensive to the
Reader, he having sailed already too long, and too far in an Ocean of
Innocent _Indian_ blood: I have omitted all but Two or Three Stories
not taken notice of by the Author. One of the Tyrants, (who followed
the steps of _John Ampudia_, a notorious Villain) gave way to a grat
Slaughter of Sheep the chief Food and Support of the _Spaniards_ as
well as _Indians_, permitting them to kill Two or Three Hundred at a
time, only for their Brains, Fat, or Suet, whose Flesh was then
altogether useless, and not fit to be eaten; but many _Indians_, the
_Spaniards_ Friends and Confederates followed them, desiring they might
have the hearts to feed upon, whereupon they butchered a great many of
them, for this only Reason, because they would not eat the other parts
of the Body. Two of their gang in the Province of _Peru_ kild Twenty
Five Sheep, who were sold among the _Spaniards_ for Twenty Five Crowns,
merely to get the fat and brains out of them: Thus the frequent and
extraordinary Slaughter of their Sheep above a Hundred Thousand Head of
Cattel were destroy'd. And upon this Account the Region was reduced to
great penury and want, and at length perished with Hunger. Nay the
Province of _Quito_, which abounded with Corn beyond Expression, by
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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