Bartholomew de Las Casas; his life, apostolate, and writingsMacNutt, Francis Augustus
History
Bartholomew de Las Casas; his life, apostolate, and writings
MacNutt, Francis Augustus
Casas, Bartolomé de las, 1474-1566
community’s to defend themselves; while they defended the door
however, the Spaniards set fire to the house, and burnt them alive;
they then took the prey they had captured, amounting to perhaps a
hundred and eighty or two hundred men, and carried them bound to
their ship. Hoisting sail they departed for the island of San Juan,
where they sold one half as slaves, and afterwards to Hispaniola,
where they sold the remainder.
9.9. When I at the time reproved the captain in the same island of San
Juan for such infamous treachery and malice, he replied “Go to,
Senor, thus was I commanded, and instructions were given me by those
who sent me, that if I could not capture them in war, I should take
them under pretext of peace.”
10.10. And in truth he told me that in all his life he had found neither
father nor mother, if not in the island of Trinidad; such were the
good services the Indians had rendered him. This he said to his
greater shame and the aggravation of his sins.
11.11. Numberless times have they done these things on this continent,
capturing people and making them slaves under promise of safe
conduct. Let it be seen what sort of acts these are: and whether
those Indians taken in such a way, are justly made slaves.
12.12. Another time the friars of our Order of St. Dominic determined to
go and preach to those people and convert them, for they were
without the hope or the light of doctrine by which to save their
souls, as they still are to-day in the Indies; they sent a monk, who
was a theological scholar of great virtue and sanctity, accompanied
by a serving friar as his companion; his object was to see the
country, become intimate with the people, and seek convenient sites
to build monasteries.
13.13. When the monks arrived, the Indians received them as angels from
heaven, and listened with great affection, attention, and joy to
those words which they could make them understand more by signs than
speech, as they did not know the language.
14.14. It happened that after the departure of the vessel that had brought
the monks, another ship arrived there; the Spaniards on board of it
practising their infernal custom, deceitfully enticed the lord of
that land, named Don Alonso, on board without the monks perceiving
it; either the friars or some other Spaniards, had given him this
name, for the Indians like and desire Christian names and at once
ask to have them, even before they know enough to be baptised. So
they deceived the said Don Alonso, to make him come aboard their
ship, with his wife and certain other persons, by telling him they
would prepare a feast there for him.
15.15. At last seventeen persons went on board with the lord and his wife,
confident that as the monks were in the country, out of respect for
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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