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.

Out of the sixt reason.

THe Spaniardes only for their temporall commoditie, haue blemished the Indies with the greatest infamie, that any man euen among the most horrible and villanous persons in the world, could be charged withal, & whereby they haue sought to take thē out of the degree of mankinde: nam••ly that they all were polluted with the abhominable sinne against nature: which is a wretched and false slaunder. For in all the great Iles. Hispaniola, S. Io••••, Cuba, & Lama••••a: Also in the 60. Iles of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whi∣che 〈…〉〈…〉 inhabited with an infinite nomber of people, the same was neuer thought vpon, or once mentioned, as ourselues 〈…〉〈…〉 who made diligent inquisition & search, euer from the be∣ginning. Moreouer, through all Peru, there is no such 〈◊〉〈◊〉 nei∣ther is there any one Indiā thoughout y^e whole realm that crime, neither generally throughout all the In∣dies sauing that in some other part there is a voice of a few: for whose 〈…〉〈…〉 all that world is not to be 〈◊〉〈◊〉. We may say as much of the eating of mans flesh, which likewise

those places that I haue named are free of: although that in o∣ther places they do it in deed. They be also charged with their i∣dolatrie, as if for being idolaters, men should take vpon them to punish them, & not referre them to God only, against whō they sin, whiles they haue both lands & dominions seuerall to them selues, which they hold not of any other thē their natural Lords: besides that our ancesters were also idolaters before the faith was preached vnto them, & that all the world was gathered to Christ. The Spaniardes haue purposely, & effectually hindered the teaching of the law of God and Iesus Christ: with all other vertues among the Indians, & driuen away the religious persons out of townes and fortresses, least they shoulde see and disclose their tyrannies: yea, they haue by their euill example, infected & corrupted the Indians, teaching them many odious behauiours and vices, which before they knew not, as blaspheming the name of Iesus Christ, practising of vserie, lying, & many other abhomi∣nations wholy repugnant to their nature. Again, to commit the Indians to the Spaniards, or to leaue them in their handes, is vn∣doubtedly as much as to giue or leaue them to these that will destroy & bring them to nought, as well in body as soule.

The Spaniards hauing fraudulently perswaded K. Ferdinand, he suffered the Indians to be trāsported out of the Iles of Lucayos into Hispaniola, and so contrary to all reason, either naturall or diuine, dispossessed them of their own houses and lands, wherby there perished aboue 50000. soules: so as in aboue 50. Iles, wherof some were greater then the Ile of Canary, which before were re∣plenished with people man Ante heape, afterward there were to be found not aboue eleuen persons as our selues can testifie. To let your Maie••tie 〈…〉〈…〉 dealing of the inhabitants of the saide 〈…〉〈…〉 the slaughters, cruelties, and spoyles that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Spaniardes, these good christians made among them, 〈…〉〈…〉 make your royall eares to gloe, and your 〈…〉〈…〉, and to your selfe to depart. That the Spaniardes haue warred vpon the Indians, that they haue killed them, taken away their wiue••, ch••ldren, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and kindred. also that they haue robbed them of all their goodes,

is alreadie sufficiently proued, as also the countrey being vtter∣ly dispeopled and desert, doeth shewe it: the worlde crieth out vpon it: the Angels doe bewaile it, and God himselfe doth dayly teach it vs by the great punishments that he layeth vpon vs.