The Spanish colonie, or Briefe chronicle of the acts and gestes of the Spaniardes in the West Indies, called the newe world, for the space of xl. yeeres: written in the Castilian tongue by the reuerend Bishop Bartholomew de las Cases or Casaus, a friar of the order of S. Dominicke. And nowe first translated into english, by M.M.S.

To the Reader.

Spanish cruelties and tyrannies, perpe∣trated in the West Indies, commonly termed The newe found worlde.

Briefly described in the Castilian language, by the Bishop Tryer Bartholomew de las Casas or Casaus, a Spaniarde of the order of Saint Dominick, faith∣fully translated by Iames Aliggrodo, to serue as a President and warning, to the xij. Prouinces of the lowe Countries.

Happie is hee whome other mens harmes doe make to beware.

GOds iudgementes are so pro∣found as mans wisdome, no not the power of Angels is able to enter into their depth. Thou shalt (frendly Reader) in this dis∣course beholde so many milli∣ons of mē put to death, as hard∣ly there haue been so many spa∣niardes procreated into this worlde since their firste fathers the Gothes inhabited their Countries, either since their second progenitors the Sarazens expelled and murdered the most part of the Gothes, as it seemeth that the Spaniardes haue murdered and put to death in the Westerne Indies by all such meanes as barbarousnesse it selfe coulde imagine or forge vpon the anueld of crueltie. They haue destroyed thrise so much lande as chri∣stendome

doth comprehende: such torments haue they inuen∣ted, yea so great and excessiue haue their trecherie been, that the posteritie shall hardly thinke that euer so barbarous or cruell a nation haue bin in the worlde, if as you woulde say we had not with our eyes seene it, and with our hands felt it. I confesse that I neuer loued that nation generally, by reason of their intollera∣ble pride, notwithstanding I can not but cōmend & loue sundry excellent persons that are among thē. Howbeit, God is my wit∣nes, hatred procureth me not to write those things, as also the au∣thour of the booke is by nation a Spaniard, and besides writeth farre more bitterly then my selfe.

But two reasons haue moued me to publishe this preface, which I do dedicate to all the prouinces of the Lowe countreys: The one, to the end, awaking thēselus out of their sleep, may be∣gin to thinke vpon Gods iudgements: and refraine from their wickednes and vice. The other, that they may also consider with what enemie they are to deale, and so to beholde as it were in a picture or table, what stay they are like to bee at, when through their rechlesnesse, quarrels, controuersies, and partialities them∣selues haue opened the way to such an enemie: and what they may looke for. Most mē do ground their opinion vpon the good∣nesse of their cause, concluding, that in as much as God is iust, he will graunt victorie to the right, and will ouerthrowe the wicked. This was Iobes friendes disputation, where they con∣cluded that for that Iob was afflicted, vndoubtedly he was wic∣ked. Which reason is drawen out of a certaine rule, which it see∣meth that nature hath printed in our hartes, that is, that God punisheth the euill, and in mercie rewardeth the good deedes. There vpon did the inhabitants of Malta report that Gods ven∣geance would not permit S. Paul to liue, when after he had esca∣ped so dangerous shipwracke, the Viper leaped vpon his hande. Howebeit notwithstanding this rule be certaine and true, yet do manie therein diuersely deceiue them selues, concluding thereby that GOD sendeth no affliction but to the wicked, as if hee laide not his crosse also vpon the good: As Iob, the Prophetes, and Martyres: yea, his owne sonne Iesus Christ, and that for the mortifiyng of the fleshe, and more and more to quicken man in good liuing: and for his sonne, to the ende in him to punish our sinne which hee tooke vpon him. Others doe

beleeue that God wil neuer suffer sinne to bee long vnpunished, notwithstāding y^t hauing long waited patiētly for our repentāce, his clemencie is at length conuerted into iustice. Some againe, that it is vnpossible for the wicked to gette the vpper hande in an euill cause, notwithstanding wee dayly see it fall out contra∣ry: vndoubtedly the Turkes victories & conquestes in Christen∣dome haue no foundation, but consist vpon meere tyrannie and vsurpation. For although Christians sinnes, especially the great a∣buse in Gods seruice, haue bin the causes of our punishment, yet must we confesse that the christians, what errors soeuer some of them do in their doctrine maintain, are not neuertheles so farre deuoid of the truth, as are the Turkes, and yet do we see howe mightily in few yeres they haue cōquered & encroched vpō chri¦stendom. Also before the comming of the Turkes, namely soone after the time of Mahamet, there came such a flock of Sarazins, that they deuoured first Egypt, then all Affrick, & rooting out Christianitie out of the said countries seazed vpon al Spaine: yea proceeding forward, they camped in Aquitain vpon the riuer of Toyre: insomuch that it was to be doubted y^t they might soone haue caught hold vpon France, & so vpon the rest of christēdom, had not God raised vp that mightie Duke of Brubant, Charles Martel, who defeating them, driue them beyond the Pirenean mountaines. But if we list to consider the examples contained in the holy Bible, whose reasons are more exactly expounded by the prophets, we do find that in the time of K. Hezechias, al∣though the head citie, namely Hierusalem, was not forced, yet the lesser townes being taken by the enemie, the flatte countrey spoyled, the K. and the princes of Iuda had no more left them but the bare walles of Hierusalem. Also, albeit God did maruei∣lously strike the armie of Senacherib, and that his own children flew him in his gods temples: yet were not gods people free from suffering much, and from seeing the enemie enioy the most part of their law: their cōmons did beare that which nowe we know, & more then we would, that is what an enemy entring by force of armes into a land is able to do. But Nabuchadnezers victories were far others, whē he tooke, burned, & sacked euē the head ci∣tie, together with y^e very temple of Hierusalē, & took their K. P. & hie P. prisoners, & ••lu pulled out y^e eies, & fettered some of thē forcing the cōmons during the siege to eate their own dong &

Who is hee therefore that dare accuse God of wrong, sith such tyrants be called the Axe in the Lordes hands, as the executio∣ners of his iustice? Further wee see, that those that haue the most right are by the wicked robbed, slaine, & murdered, which is ne∣uerthelesse Gods doing. For it is said: Cursed be he that doth the Lordes worke negligently, in which place the holy scriptures do speake of such ministers and instruments of God. In this dis∣course of Don Bartholomew de las Casas, wee do finde a mani∣fest example. For I pray you what right had the Spaniards ouer the Indians: sauing that the Pope had giuen them the said land, and I leaue to your iudgemente what right hee had therein: for it is doubtfull whether his power doe stretch to the distribu∣ting of worldly kingdomes. But admit hee had that authority, was there therefore any reason that hee should for crying in the night, There is a God, a Pope, & a King of Castile who is Lord of these Countries, murder 12. 15. or 20. millions of poore rea∣sonable creatures, created (as our selues) after the image of the li∣uing God: Heere doe I, as in the beginning I said, see a bottom∣lesse depth of Gods iudgements. For it is a small matter to say that the wicked doe molest better men then themselues, for the causes aforesaide: but to see a whole nation, yea, infinite nations perish so miserablie, and as it semeth, without any cause, is it that maketh most men to wander, yea euen astonisheth such as do ex∣amine these effects by the rule of their owne reasons. Howebeit we haue two examples in the Bible, though not altogether like, yet very neere. It is saide in the ouerthrowe of Sehon: In those dayes wee tooke all his townes, and destroyed men women and childen in the same, neither left we any thing remaining. The like sentence is there also of Og king of Basan, yea, Moses sone after alloweth all that was done, commaundeth Iosua to doe as much to all the other kinges in his iourney as was done to those two. If wee seeke the cause of such executions, man will bee as it were at his wits ende and stande mute. A∣gaine, if men should consider the example of king Saule whom God reiected, because he did not wholy discomfit Amelec, but saued their king, and reserued the fattest of their cattell for the sacrifices, their vnderstanding woulde giue sentence cleane

contrarie to gods. What will they say, was it not a comēndable, yea, a noble minde, for a king to spare his brother, either for an Israelite to spare the cattell to the ende to sacrifice them to the God of Israel: yet was Gods sentence pronounced by Samuel cleane repugnant thereto, God loueth obedience better then sacrifice. And not long before God had commaunded both, namely, that the Cananites and Amalekites shoulde bee rooted out: and therefore hee was to bee obeyed, and for their diso∣bedience the Cananites remained thornes in the eyes of Israel, and the king of Amalec whome Samuel neuerthelesse hewed in peeces, was the subuersion of Saule and his royall familie, But here may expresse reasons be alleadged for such iudgements of God, which seeming seuere to man are neuerthelesse, in that they proceeded from God, meere iustice. Moses saith, when the Lord thy God hath reiected them before thy face, think not in thine hearte, saying: The Lorde for my righteousnesse hath caused mee to enter possession of this lande, seeing hee hath for their wickednesse rooted out these nations before thy face. For thou art not through thy righteousnes and vprightnesse of heart come to inherite their land, but it is for the abhominatiōs of these people, whom the Lord thy god hath expelled before thy face.

True it is, that as in a cleeare sunnie light we may more easily discerne all that is obiect to our sight, euen so of things contei∣ned in the holy Scriptures commonly the causes are to bee founde: but for other matters, as the destruction of diuers na∣tions among the Heathen: and finally for this so cruell and hor¦rible example, conteined in this booke, there can bee alleadged no particuler reason, other then that gods iudgemēts are bottō∣lesse pits: also that sith he hath done it, it is iustly done. And yet are not the Spaniardes beeing the executors of this vengeance, more excusable then Pilate for condēning our sauiour, or An∣nas or Caiphas for procuring his death notwithstanding gods counsaile and hand wrought those things. For behold gods sen∣tence pronounced against the wicked, whom he vseth in chaste∣ning the good, whom by those meanes he doth trie, and puni∣sheth the wicked according to their desarts:

Oh Asshur, the rod of my wrath: and the staffe in their hands is my indignation. I will sende him to a dissembling nation, & I wil giue him a charge against the people of my wrath, to take the spoyle, and to take the pray, & to treade them vnder foote like the mire in the streete. But he thinketh not so, neither doth his heart esteeme it so, but he imagineth to destroy and to cut off not a few nations. For he saith, Are not my princes altoge∣ther kings? Is not Calno as Charchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus▪ Like as my hande hath found the kingdomes of Idols, seeing their idols were aboue Ie∣rusalem & aboue Samaria: Shall not I, as I haue done to Samaria and to the Idols thereof, so do to Hierusalē & to the idols thereof? But when the Lord hath accōplished al his worke vpō mount Siō & Ierusalē, I wil visit the frute of the proude hart of the K. of Ashur, & his glorious & proud lookes, because he said, by the power of my own hand haue I done it, & by my wisdom, because I am wise. Therfore I haue remoued the bor∣ders of the people, & haue spoiled their treasures, and haue pul∣led downe the inbabitants like a valiant man. And my hand hath found as a nest, &c. So that although the wicked for a time doe triumph, yet doth not God leaue their abhominable cruelties vnpunished. But Gods iudgements being in the mean time such, that by the wicked he punisheth those that be wic∣ked: notwithstanding their wickednes be somewhat lesse, as al∣so the good bee chastised by the cruell and bloodthirstie: it is certaine that wee are not thereby to iudge that our selues shall haue the victorie ouer our enemies, because our cause is the better, for we are replenished with vice enough, whereby to leaue vnto god sufficient matter to punishe vs. And there∣fore as I saide two thinges mee thought, and yet mee seemeth in these Countries worthie admiration: One is, that wee trusting that the defence of our libertie is vnto vs a iuste occa∣sion doe not in the meane time consider that wee commit no lesse faults, then those which Ezech, cast in the Sodomites teeth, Beholde the iniquitie of thy sister Sodom was pride, fulnesse of bread, and the ease of Idlenes: these were in her & in her daugh∣ters▪

and 〈…〉〈…〉 as if we had made attonement with death, we fear not gods iudgemēts. If we looke vpon the 〈…〉〈…〉 may see a great abuse in gods seruice: but so far are we from indeuoring to correct it, that contrariwise some would that the remembrance of God, at the least for this time, might be buried in obliuion: therein re∣sembling 〈1 line〉〈1 line〉 on, or the children which would that during their infancie there might grow no twigge•• in the wood••. Others 〈…〉〈…〉 reformed, being neuer the lesse reformed but in mou•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. For the wine and the harpe as the prophet saith, are as common in their bankets as afore time, neither are they sory for the con∣trition of Ioseph. The other is, that in maner euery man gene∣rally hath an eye to his owne priuat affaires, no 〈…〉〈…〉 the common, vnlesse it bee to reproove, but not to help▪ ••atr•••• possesseth many of their heartes, and which is more strange, although there bee many in these Countries that haue here∣tofore felt the manifest iniuries of the spaniards: yet as if their memo••y wholy failed them, they be redy to compound with the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they suppose, to the destruction of their confederates, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to the generall subuersion of the whole countrie. To the end therfore they may at the least 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in a ••able behold the nature of their enimie, his purpose & intent: here ••asueth a true history written by one of their owne nation, wherein they may learne not that which is yet fully executed in these low countries, but which (had not god stopped their course) they had long since put in execution: and hereby I hope al good men wil 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to be re∣solute, and ••mending their liues 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ioy•••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉, not in wordes only, but in deedes also, to repell so arrogant and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 an enemie. But there needeth no other admonitiō then the same which the authour hath set down, and therefore I pray you reade him as diligently as he 〈…〉〈…〉 graue and worthy 〈…〉〈…〉 himselfe to his owne so cruell and barbarous nation: and let vs render thanks to god for sending vs so good maisters to instructe vs in our dueties in this so miserable and wretched time, in hope ••hat we not quailing in our office, he will also final∣ly graunt vs happie deliuerance.