heir people and, after taking their votes
and consent, subjected themselves of their own will to the dominion
of the kings of Castile, receiving the Emperor, as King of Spain,
for their supreme and universal sovereign; and they made some sinas,
like signatures, which I have in my possession, together with the
attestations of the said friars.
23. Just when this growth of faith inspired the friars with great joy
and hope of drawing to Jesus Christ the still numerous people of
that kingdom who survived the murders and unjust wars, eighteen
Spanish tyrants on horse entered a certain part of the country with
twelve others on foot, which makes thirty, and they brought with
them many loads of idols taken from the Indians in other provinces.
24. And the captain of the said thirty summoned a lord of the country
where he had entered, and told him that he must take those loads of
idols and distribute them throughout his country, trading each idol
for an Indian man or woman, to make them slaves; he threatened to
make war on the chief if he refused.
25. Forced by fear, the said lord distributed the idols throughout all
this territory and commanded all his vassals that they should accept
and adore them, and give him Indian men and women as slaves for the
Spaniards. In alarm, the Indians who had two children gave one of
them, and those who had three gave two; and in this way they
concluded that sacrilegious commerce and the lord, or prince
satisfied the Spaniards.
26. One of these impious and infernal bandits, called Juan Garcia, when
ill and near death, had under his bed two loads of idols and he
commanded an Indian woman who served him, to be very careful not to
exchange those idols for fowls, but each one for a slave because
they were very valuable. And finally with this testament and
occupied with this thought the unhappy man died. And who doubts
that he is buried in hell?
27. Consider therefore of what profit are the religion and the examples
of Christianity of the Spaniards who go to the Indies; what honour
they procure for God; how they work that he may be known and adored
by those people; what care they take that His holy faith be sown,
grow and expand in those souls. And judge whether this be a less
sin than Jeroboam's qui peccare