Bartholomew de Las Casas; his life, apostolate, and writingsMacNutt, Francis Augustus
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Bartholomew de Las Casas; his life, apostolate, and writings
MacNutt, Francis Augustus
Casas, Bartolomé de las, 1474-1566
As though the Son of God, who died for each of them, had commanded
in his law, when he said Euntes, docete omnes gentes that intimation
should be sent to peaceful and quiet infidels, in their own
countries, that, if they did not receive it at once, without other
teaching or doctrine, and that if they did not subject themselves to
the dominion of a king, of whom they had never heard, nor seen, and
particularly whose messengers are so cruel, so wicked, and such
horrible tyrants, they should therefore, lose their rights, their
lands and liberty, their wives and children, with all their lives;
such a blunder is stupid and worthy of infamy, obloquy, and hell.
6.6. This wretched and unhappy governor, in giving instructions as to the
said intimations, the better to justify them—they being of
themselves unseemly, unreasonable and most unjust—commanded these
thieves sent by him, to act as follows: when they had determined to
invade and plunder some province, where they had heard that gold was
to be found, they should go when the Indians were in their towns,
and safe in their houses; these wretched Spanish assassins went by
night and, halting at midnight half a league from the town, they
published or read the said intimation among themselves saying:
Princes and Indians of such a place in this continent, we make known
unto you, that there is one God, one Pope, and one King of Castile,
who is Lord of this country; come at once to render him obedience
etc. otherwise know that we shall make war on you, kill you, and put
you into slavery etc. And towards sunrise, the innocent natives
being still asleep with their wives and children, they attacked the
town, setting fire to the houses that were usually of straw, burning
the children, the women and many others alive, before they awoke.
They killed whom they would, and those whom they took alive, they
afterwards killed with tortures, to force them to indicate other
towns where there was gold, or more than was to be found there; and
the others that survived, they put into chains as slaves. Then when
the fire was extinguished or low they went to look for the gold that
was in the houses.
7.7. In this way and with such operations, were this wretched man and all
the bad Christians he took with him occupied during the year 1514,
till the year 1521 or 1522, sending on these raids six or more
servants, who collected for him a certain portion of all the gold
and pearls and jewels the Spaniards stole, and of the slaves they
captured, besides the share that belonged to him as Captain General.
The officers of the king did the same, each sending as many boys or
servants as he could. And also the first bishop of that kingdom
sent his servants to obtain part of this profit.
9.8.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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