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Show The PREFACE. Merica wasfiijt difeover'd h} Chrifiopher Columbus a Genoefe in theyear I 49 2, in the Name of Ferdinando King of Arragon, hut ta/ees its Namefrom Ame- ricus Vefpucius a Florentine, who difioroer'd the Countr} of Brezil five years titer, h) order of Emanuel King of Portugal. The Europeans had no fooner enter'd on this 'vafl Continent, and the Iflands ahout it, hut the Natives/hew'd 'em all imag'inahle Kindne/i‘ and Refpec't, and were ready to war/hip 'ern as Gods; hut thefi'foon tooh tare to convince 'ern of their Error, and to de- liver 'ernfrone the danger of fading into this flirt of Idolatry, h} treating 'em with all manner ofCruel- ties, and tormenting 'em like f0 man} Devils .' fio that thefi harharons People retei-v'd as great a turn in their thoughts concerning the Spaniards, as the Barharians of the lfland of Melita did in rte/fell" of St. Paul ; for as the/e heliew'd him to he a God whorn they had ju/l hefore ta/cen for a flfurderer, fo the other really found them to he Murderers, whom the} had a little he ore e/teenz'd as[0 many Gods. Thefollowing Relation of the Deflruc'fion of man} Millions of Indians h} all the inhuman methods the; Spaniards could invent, would appear ineredihle, were not the truth of it confefi'd, and atte/led h] the Spaniards them/elves, and among others, effeeta/l} h} Don Bartholomew de las Cafas Bijhop of Chiapa, who made large Camplaints of thefi CHIA o elties |
