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Show 122 A Relation of the Spanilh Voyage: anal Crarities in the \Vel't-Indies. been heard of in the lflands of Hijpaniola, St. Wm Cuba, and janiaica, which have been very populous? ThisI can {peak with alI'urance, as knowing it to be Spaniards, and the patience wherewith they have true, becaufe I took care to inform my felf of it as foon as I came alhore in the new World. Nor is it {'0 much as known what this Vice is in all Para: not one Man has ever been found guilty of it in the whole Kingdom of Tacatan; and the like may be alTerted in general of other Countries of America: _Only 'tis faid, that in fome. very remote parts of it there are fame People addié'ced to this monltrous Crime: But is it reafonable for this to accufe the whole new World, and to calt an everlalting Reproach on To many difi'erent Nations? We mul't fay the fame of another Enormity charg'd upon the In- dians, namely their eating of Human Flelh. There are indeed in fome particular places a fort of Men f0 barbarous that they eat their own kind 5 but 'tis 123 fince undergone their Cruelties. 'Tis a molt inexcufable piece of Wickednels in the Spaniards, that they have made ufe of all the Obftruétions they could, and that deliberately, to hinder the Indians from imbracing the Chriltian Faith; they have driven away all the Monks that came into the Indies to preach the Gofpel, from thofe places where they had power enough to do it, be- caufe they did not care thefe Religious Perfons lhould be Witnefies of the Tyranny and Cruelty they exercis'd on the poor People. They have even. debauch'd the Indians by the ill Example they have fet 'em, and taught 'em a great many Vices they never heard of before they converfed with the Spaniards, fuch as Oaths and Blafphemies againlt the Name of Chrift, the Practice of Extortion, Lying, and many other Sins that feem'd oppofite to the very iniull: to take occafion from this to report the fame of all America in general. Another pretence the Spaniards ufe, by which to jufiify their ill Carriage fweet and peaceable Temper of thefe People: So that to leave thefe poor Indians under their Government, is vifibly to expofe 'em to utter DeltruEtion, towards the Indians, is their Idolatry; as if it did not belong to God rather than to them to punilh thofe that offend him by fuch abominable W orlhip and to make 'em miferable both in Soul and Body. when he fees meet. leave to tranfport the Inhabitants of the Lucaya lllands into Hifiianiola .- thefe People were forc'd out Befides, the Lands and Territories they poll‘efs are not under the Jurifdiétion of the Spaniards, nor are King Ferdinando was fo far impos'd on by the Ar~ tifices of fome felfiinterefied Men, as to give 'em of their Houfes, and out of their Country, in purc the Indians oblig'd to own any other Governors than fuance of this Grant, which was fubtily obtain'd, their lawpuland natural Soveraigns. Our Anceltors before they were inltruéted in the Doctrine of and occalion'd the deltruétion of above a hundred thoul'and People; To that there now remain but eleven of 'em in fifty lflands, fome of which are bigger than the Canaries, that were well itor‘d with Lnnfiramty, were buried in the grofs darknefs 0f Idolatry as well as the Indians. And before the coming of ChriFt, all the Nations of the World in general‘were guilty of that Crime. But that which C‘u'lt‘lintly.PFOV€S the Minds of the Indians to be V6- Peeple. And this I can affirm on my own knowledg, if your Majefty could have feen the Ravages and Maffacres that have been committed in the Luca} r3~ inceptirsle of our Religion, is the Mildnels Humility lllands, you would have been pierc'd with the molt and Courtefy they at firfi; eXprefsd til [1" Spam- lively fentiments of Compalfion ', and thenl lhlould .v ‘ ' ave |