ined the
confidence of the sovereigns by virtue of his executive ability. He was
a man of coarse fibre, ambitious and domineering, cold-hearted and
perfidious, with a cynical contempt--such as low-minded people are apt
to call "smart"--for the higher human feelings. He was one of those ugly
customers who crush, without a twinge of compunction, whatever comes in
their way. The slightest opposition made him furious, and his
vindictiveness was insatiable. This dexterous and pushing Fonseca held
one after another the bishoprics of Badajoz, Cordova, Palencia, and
Conde, the archbishopric of Rosano in Italy, together with the bishopric
of Burgos, and he was also principal chaplain to Isabella and afterwards
to Ferdinand. As Sir Arthur Helps observes, "the student of early
American history will have a bad opinion of many Spanish bishops, if he
does not discover that it is Bishop Fonseca who reappears under
various designations."[550] Sir Arthur fitly calls him "the ungodly
bishop."

[Footnote 550: _History of the Spanish Conquest_, vol. i. p.
487.]

[Sidenote: Friar Boyle.]

The headquarters of Fonseca and of the Indian department were
established at Seville, and a special Indian custom-house was set up at
Cadiz. There was to be another custom-house upon the island of
Hispaniola (supposed to be Japan), and a minute registry was to be kept
of all ships and their crews and cargoes, going out or coming in. Nobody
was to be allowed to go to the Indies for any purpose whatever without a
license formally obtained. Careful regulations were made for hampering
trade and making everything as vexatious as possible for traders,
according to the ordinary wisdom of governments in such matters. All
expenses were to be borne and all profits received by the crown of
Castile, saving the rights formerly guaranteed to Columbus. The cost of
the present expedition was partly defrayed with stolen money, the
plunder wrung from the worthy and industrious Jews who had been driven
from their homes by the infernal edict of the year before. Extensive
"requisitions" were also made; in other words, when the sovereigns
wanted a ship or a barrel of gunpowder they seized it, and impressed it
into the good work of converting the heathen. To superintend this
missionary work, a Franciscan monk[551] was selected who had lately
distinguished himself as a diplomatist in the dispute with France over
the border province of Rousillon. This person