Florida -- History -- Spanish colony, 1565-1763 -- Sources; Saint Augustine (Fla.) -- History
God, who with His power has created us from nothing, it being His
will--we live, although with work and misfortune, it matters not how, so
we live, with our limited understanding, every day without ceasing as we
are commanded by our Creator, since He so wishes it, we praise and
reverence Him. Leaving this apart we also, the nobility and all in
general, old men and old women, children, orphans and disabled, as many
as are found in this territory called Habalache, every day we say it
seems to us, we do not reverence, embrace and receive in our hearts our
principal Casique and King and his noble words. Saying this among
ourselves it seems to make us more humble and disposed to receive your
words when it reaches our ears. As at present, we could long since have
written you, for the obedience we show you, and not waited for your many
noble works, and to make known to you of what we are here seeing and
suffering, being not only ourselves, but all in this world, who were
created from nothing by the will of God. Our priests whose duty it is to
care for our souls, cleanse them and absolve them, teaches us good
things, and takes away and quenches in us ugly and evil things helping
us on to be good Christians, as it is for this you have shown us such
great mercy, and so we recognize it, and are believing with one heart.
Second: Although we are ignorant people, we think that our hearts and
souls belong to our Creator--our bodies and their government, and to
whom they belong to teach and punish is to our Head, whom thou art, and
whom we recognize as our chief Casique and King, and as the grass grows
and has roots, bathed by the dews of night, so we and all your miserable
vassals are nourished by your noble words, and although bodily we do not
see you with our eyes, we take it from the one who represents you as
your Governor and Captain-General--and to him we look as to you and as
your words coming from him who we see, hear and understand, and guard,
believing and obeying him--
* * * * *
_Sire_:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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