The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part IIHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 13: America, Part II
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
We are able to yelde a goodd and perfecte accompte, that here is, within
the space of forty yeres, by these said tyranies and devilishe doinges of
the Spaniardes, don to deathe unjustly and tyranously more then twelve
million soules, men, women, and children. And I verely doe believe, and
thinke I doe not mistake therein, there are deade more then fiftene
millions of soules.
Thus havinge hearde of the multitudes of soules slayne, you shall heare
the manner of their slaughter.
In the chapiter of Hispaniola it thus followeth:
Nowe after sondry other forces, violences, and tormentes which they
wroughte againste them, the Indians perceaved that those were no men
descended from heaven. Some of them, therefore, hidd their victualls,
others hidd their wives and their children. Some other fledd into the
mountaines to seperate themselves afarr of from a nation of so harde
natured and ghastly conversation. The Spaniardes buffeted them with their
fistes and bastianadoes, pressinge also to lay their handes on the lordes
of the townes. And these cases ended in so greate an hazarde and
desperatnes, that a Spanishe capitaine durste adventure to ravishe
forcibly the wife of the greatest kinge and lorde of this ile. Since which
time the Indians began to searche meanes to caste the Spaniardes oute of
their landes, and sett themselves in arms. But what kinde of armes! Very
weake and feble to withstande or resiste, and of lesse defence. Wherefore
all their warres are no more warres, then the playenge of children when as
they playe at _jogo de cane_ or reedes. The Spaniardes with their horses,
speares, and launces, began to comitt murders and straunge cruelties. They
entred into townes, burroughes, and villages, sparinge neither children
nor olde men, neyther women with childe, neither them that laye in; but
they ripped their bellies and cutt them in peces, as if they had bene
openinge of lambes shutt upp in their folde. They laied wagers with suche
as with one thruste of a sworde, woulde paunche or bowell a man in the
middest, or with one blowe of a sworde most readily and moste deliverly
cut of his heade, or that woulde best perce his entralls at one stroke.
They tooke the little soules by the heeles, rampinge them from their
mothers brestes, and crusshed their heades against the cliftes. Others
they caste into the rivers, laughinge and mockinge; and when they tombled
into the water, they saied: Nowe shifte for thy selfe suche a one’s corps.
They put others, together with their mothers, and all that they mett, to
the edge of the sworde. They made certaine gibbetts longe and loughe, in
such sorte that the feete of the hanged one touched in a manner the
grounde; every one enoughe for thirtene, in the honour and worshippe of
our Saviour and his twelve apostles (as they used to speake), and setting
to fire, burned them all quicke that were fastened. Unto all others, whome
they used to take and reserve alive, cuttinge of their twoo handes as nere
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account