the knowledge of our
Holy Faith, is the harsh and cruel treatment that the peaceable ones
receive from the Christians."
11. "They have on this account become so fierce and enraged, that
nothing is more hated or abhorred by them, than the name of
Christians, whom in all this country they call in their language
Yares, which means demons; and without doubt they are right, because
the deeds they do here are not those of Christians nor of reasonable
men, but of devils."
12. "From which it arises, that the Indians, seeing these perverse
operations are general, and that both the commanders and the
subordinates are so devoid of mercy, think that such is the law of
the Christians, of which their God and their King are the authors.
And to try to persuade them to the contrary is like trying to dry up
the sea, and only makes them laugh and jeer at Jesus Christ and His
law."
13. "And the Indian warriors, seeing the treatment shown the peaceable
people, count it better to die once, than many times in the power of
the Spaniards; I know this most invincible Caesar from experience"
etc.
14. And in a chapter further on he says: "Your Majesty has more servants
in these parts than is supposed; because there is not a soldier
among those here who, while he is assassinating, or robbing, or
destroying, or killing, or burning Your Majesty's vassals to force
their gold from them, does not make bold to claim that he is serving
Your Majesty. It would therefore be well, Most Christian Caesar,
that Your Majesty should make known by rigorously punishing some of
them, that such services as are contrary to the service of God, are
not accepted."
15. All the above are formal words of the said Bishop of Santa Marta,
and from them it will be clearly seen what is done to-day in these
unfortunate countries, and to these innocent people.
16. By "Indian warriors" he means those who live in the mountains and
have been able to escape from massacres perpetrated by the unhappy
Spaniards. And he terms "peaceable" those Indians whom the
Spaniards, after having killed numberless people, condemn to the
aforesaid tyrannical and horrible slavery, in which they then finish
destroying and killing them, as appears from the quoted words of the
bishop: and in truth very l