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Show '2 3 2 LA Relation of the Spanilh Voyage: do. They are conltantly expos'd to the Cruelty of 'thei'e Tyrants, and not treated like human Creatures, but wild Be‘alts, who are kept in Chains by their Owners, and difpos'd of at their pleafure. If they fometimes let 'em go to their own Country, they will not fuffer 'em to carry their Wives and Children with "em, nor hardly any thing to eat, fo that they are prefently conftrain‘d to return, while the Refieé‘tion they make on their deplorable Condition often makes 'em delire death to relieve 'em. If the excellive Labors impos'd on Dem make 'em lick, as it often happens (becaufe, as I have ob- ferv'd, the natural Temper of their Bodies‘is none of the ftrongef't) the Spaniards do not in the leaft pity their Condition, but opprefs 'em with intolerable Tasks, reproaching 'em as lazy, and only feigning themfelves ill to be eXcus'd from Labor. And when they fee their Sicknel's increafe, To that they become Unferviceable, they fend 'em to their Own Country, which is fometimes forty or fifty Leagues diftance, giving 'em nothing but a few faplefs Roots to eat by the way, fo that they often die miferably, not being able to accOmplifh fuch a Journey. Sometimes we find fome of 'em on the Road jul‘t ready to expire, others groaning hideoully in the A gonies of Death,and others quite'de‘ad. Thofe am! Crue/fries in the Weft-Indies. 2 3'; melting of Gold. The Labors exaéted of 'em Were like a furious Peftilence, which cuts off mul tit of People in a little time; and yet this fad Spe udes étacle could not engage him to revoke his cruel Orders or fo much as mitigate the feverity of 'em. How: ever he knew well enough that he was not able to ercu fe his Proceedings either before God or the King, being cxprefly contrary to the Charge that had been given him; and therefore us'd to much Subtilty and Artifice in the management of this Affair, that none of his Cruelties on the Indians were known in Spain for thofe feven years in which he tyranniz'd over the New World. They that came after him, trod in his Iteps by deltroying the Indians, tho his Catholic Majel‘ty recommended it to 'em to induce the Indians to receive the Catholic Faith, by fhewing all kindnefs to 'em, and not to make War upon 'em on the account of Religion, or to conftrain 'em to embrace Chriftianity by force, but rather to treat 'em as the King's Liege People, impofing a certain Tribute on 'em, as on his other Subjeéts. All this was exprefs‘d in thelnltruaions given to Pedmrias, when he was made Governor of the Indies; notwithftanding which he enter'd Amerim juft as a hungry Wolf falls on a flock of Sheep, of 'em that are able to fpeak, fay nothing but Hun- and made horrible flaughters on all fides, uling fuch unheard of Torments, and making fuch walte and ger, Hunger. Your Majelty by this account may fee fpoil, that nothing like it is to be found in any that the Governor of the New World had little regard to the Orders that were given him, to treat the Indians as a free People. ‘ That Governor was exprefly chargid not to do receiving the Principles of the Chriftian Religion, or prejudice their Lives or Health, becaufe the King Hiltory. He might have been look'd upon as a heavy Plague, fent by God to execute his Wrath in extirpating the Indium. This Man, and thofe that accompanied him, cheated your Majefty of five or fix Millions of Gold, and 'tis impollible to compute the Spoil they made in the India. They depopulated aCountry of above four hundred Leagues, as rich, had no defign to deftroy 'em : yet this Man faw 1n- fertil and pleafant as any in the World. finit numbers of 'em perifh that were imploy'd m ? ~v , ~ melting TYranny was us'd to. make the Indians deliver up any thing to the Indian: that might'hinder "em from All this al |