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Show . 3 · ~8 DISSRRT. v. ... H I S 1' 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. t' chearful ; for they always fpeak fmiling; and although they go. '' naked, let your maJefiics believe me, their cufioms are very be.." " coming; and their king, who is ferved with great majefiy, has " fuch engaging man'ners, that it gives great pleafure to fee him, and: 1' alfo to confider the great retentive faculty of that people, and their " defire of knowledge, which incites them to aik. the caufcs and the "effeCts of things (u)." As M. de Paw employed ten continued years to fearch into the affiurs of America, he ought to have known, that 'in the countries of the new world fubj eeted to the Spaniards, no other bi{hopricks are founded there than thofe which the Catholic king has conftituted. To him belong, from the patronage given him over American churches by pope Julius II. in I so8, the foundation of bi. ihopricks, and the prefentation of bilhops. To aflirm, therefore, that Paul III. would acknowledge the Americans to be tme men, in order ' to found bifhopricks in the richeft countries of the new world, ii but the calumny of an enemy of the Roman church.; for if he was not, blinded by enmity, he would rather have perceived the zeal and hu-manity which the pope difplays in that bull. . Dr. Rober~fon, who, in a great meafure, adopts the extravagant n<!ltions of M. de Paw, fpeaks -thus of the Americans, in the VIIIth book of his Hifl:ory of America. " Some miffionaries afionifl1ed " equally at their flownefs of comprehenfion, and at their infcnfibility, cr pronounced them a race of men fo brutilh, as to be incapable of un" ded1:anding the fidl: principles of religion." But what mifiionaries thcfe were, and how much their judgment is to be tru!l:~d, can be. underfiood from no body better than Garces, in the above mentioned letter to pope Paul III. Let the paffitge which we have here fubjoined be read (x·), it will appear from it, that the·rclfons of fuch an ( u) Ca~. xxxi.i. of the_Hi~ol'y of Chr. Columbus, written by his fon.. (.•:) Q}us ta1~ 11npudc!:tl amn~o ac pcrfricnta frontc ilt apm:cs fidei ;{ffcrerc audct, quos me• c-hamcarum art1um c:~ pac dlimos mtucmur, ac quos ctiam ad mh\ifl:crium nollnrm rcdactos bonoe indoli_s,_ ficl clis,_ & fo.ler tcs cxperimur l Et f\ quando, Bcatiffimc Pater, Tua SanCl:itus al i· q~e~~ rcbg-1ofum v~rum ~n _hanc dcclinare fentcntiam nudie1 it, ctli c.,imia ~ntegritate v1t:~:, vel thgmtMe fulgere .vJ~c.atur 181 n_on. ideo quicq\mm illi hac in rc pr:cfict auCl:oritatis, fed eum• ~~m paru~ aut n1h1l mfudatfe 1111llorum convedionc ccrto ccrtius arbitrcrur ac in corum adiMc. e~da ltngu«, nut invefiigandrs i.ngeniis.parum fiudui1Tc pcrpcnd:tt: 03111 1 qui in his clll·itate c.h~tfha~~ labor~runt~ non fru~~a 111 .cos JaCl:are :c:ia caritatis afli rmnnt; illi vcro qui folitu• 41uu dcdtu, aut I!;.II&'YJa pr!lpedlti ncm1nem ad Chnfh cultum fua indu.flria redu:-trnmr,. ne in-cull• ari 2 • . ' . . . I H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E' X I C 0 .. an error, were the ignorance and fioth of thofe r.niffionaries. ;; and we· add, the falfe ideas they had imbibed from their infancy. Las. Cafas,. Acofl:a, and other grave writers on America, fay the fame· thing as Garces. " A council held at Lima," continues Dr. Robertfon,. r-r. decreed,. '"· that on account df this incapacity they ought to be excluded from "the facrament of the Eucharifi. And though Paul IlL by his fam" ous bull, iifued in. the year 15 37, declared them to be rational crea" tures, entitled to all the privileges of Chrifrians; yet, after .the lapfe " of two centuries, during wh.ich they have been members of th~ " church, fo imperfeCt are their attainments in knowledge,. that very " few pofiefs fuch a portion of fpiritual <.lifcerment, as to be deemed "worthy of being admitted to the.holy communion .•.. ~Even after " the mofi C<lreful infi:ruetion, their faith is confidered feeble and du" bious, and though tome of them have been taught the learned Ian" guages, and have gone through the ordinary courfc: of academic edu" cation with applaufe, their frailty .is fo much fufpetled, that no Ll" dian is ever ordained a priefl:, or received into any religious order .. " Jn a few words, here are four errors at lea!l:. I . That a council of Lima had excluded the Indians from the £1crament of the Eucharift, on account of their imbecility of mind. 2. That Paul III. declared the Indians rational creatures. 3. That very few Indians poffefs fuch a portion of fpiritual difcernment as to be judged worthy to approach . tp the facred table. 4· That no Indian is ever ordained a prieft. . . With refpect to the firft, it is true, that in an affembly held at Lima,. in the year 15 sz) which was called Primum concilium Limte,. though it was not a council, nor had ever any authority of a council, it was ordained that the E uchari!l: ihonld not be adminifl:ered to the Indians. until they were perfec'l:ly in!l:ruCl:ed and perfuaded in things of faith;.' culpnri poffint quod in miles fuerint, quo~ propri:c .ncg l ige.nti ~ ~ititnn .eft, id Infidel5um imbet illitati adfcrilmnt, vcra1nguc fu :un defiduun falf.<e mca pacl tam 1mpofi uone defendunt, ac non. minorcm culpam in cxc ufatione committu?t, quam ~~·at illa-,. a qua liberar~. co~anmr. L:rdit namq\\e fumme iftud hominum genus talm atfercnn~m ha1~c lndorum mtfe~r-11 n am turbam :: nam ; tliquo9 rcligiofos viros retra.hunt, nc ad er,fdelll m fide tnfirucndos ~,.o~~Jfc_a~tLI.I' ~ quamobrem nonnulli Hifpanorum qui ad illo9 dcbella "dos ncccdunt, horum. treu JUdicio 11loe neg· lige rc, perdcre,· ac macla rc opinnri folent non c:ire fiagid ·~ m. E.f litt1ris J11l!411i GaraJ E1• Z'laj. ad P aulmn III. POlito ~..&1~. be- 349' . DJSSER.1•. V~ '--v--J |