4000003871

BooK

IV.

,Royal

Commentaries.

Countrey afforded ; he failed into

Spain

;

and demánded of the. Emperour the

Governrn@nt of

Cumana,

promiGng to improve

anfl

increa{e the Royal Revenúe;

which was much ab3ted by che frauds an,d abufes of ihófe Officers wlio had ié

managemet. But

rohn Rodrfguez., de Fonfeca

and Dr:

Lewú Capatoa,

anti

Secre:

tary

Lopez., de ConchilloJ

contradiéted him in hisreport and reprefented him as a per–

fun uncapable of füch office and emploiment, in regard he was _not onely a Prieíl:;

' but a perfon of

ill

fame aad reputation, and ignorailt of the Coi:lntrey; a,bd of the

{tate of chofe affairs which he pretended to declare. Howfoever, upóh the pre–

(ence of being a good Chrifüan, and of a -new methód he propofed

,ready way to convert the

Indians

~nd upón promifes of advancing the K{ng's re–

venue, and [ending ihem íl:ore of P,earls, he obtained the favour of Monfieur

L11-

,'l:ao,

Lord Chamberlain to the Emperour, and of feveral

Fúmins

and

Burgúndians

who were men of power and authority

that Court. At that time great quanti-

ties of Pearls were imporced into

Spain

·,

that the Wife of

Xeur,s

begged ,~.7º .

, .'·,

Marks of them which carne on account of the King's fifths, and many

Flemins

Ryalf,s .

"°

and otners begged great qua~ticie~ from the K.ing. He ~efired to ha_ve Workmen

t~:!:cvcry

and Arcificers to be fent w1th h1m, rarher than Sould1ers who were

fit

for no-

thing but ro plunder and pillage , and to be mutinous arid difobedient to Co·m~

mands : He defired alfo

be accompanied with a new order of Knights ; who·

íhould wear a golden Spur and carry a red Crofs of different íhape and faíhioa·

the order of

Calatrava ;

which difünfüon, as it ennobled them, fo alfo it was

a cefümony, chat chey went voluntadly, and oftheir own accord. Moreover, Or~

ders w·ere fent to

Seville

to provide him ~ith Ships and Seamen at the·charge of

the K:ing : and with this equipage he amved at

Cumana

in the year

po,

with

about

300

Artificers, all wearing Croífes; at which time

Gonfala de-ocampo

re-

fided at

New Toledo;

who was much troubled to fee fo many

Spaniards

onder che

c;ominand of a perfon of that

il1

charaéter., ahd tranfported thither by order of

the Admiralry and Cowicil, 'becatife

the

Countrey was of a different

namre

wbat it was reporced

che Courr. ,Howfoever,

Bartholomew

prefented and

fhewed bis Commiffo;m/ requiring that, acéoréiing thereunco, .they íhould quic

tbe

Countrey, and leave it free for him to plant bis Pe?ple,t and to gover~nhe place~

Whereunto

Gon.calo de Ocampo

made anfwer, that w1th ali ready obed1ence he did

fubmit thereunto ; bue howfoever he could not put chofe macters into executiori

w~thouc 6ríl: receiving direfüons from the Governours and the

udges of

J't.

Do-

mingo,

by whofe Commiffion he was placed in that íl:ation. And in che mean'

time he patfed

ma9y

a jeft upon the Prieíl: on certain occaGons which had former-.

happe0ed , for he was well acquaimed with him , and knew bis humour ancf

bis converíation: fomedmes he jeered his new Knighcs and their Cro'ífes , ,ali

which che Prieíl: would put off with a

Jeíl:,

chough he was inwardly troubled tó

be caxed witb

many Truths which he could not deny: And in regard they'

would not give him admittance imo che Town of

Toledo,

he built,hirnfelfa Houfé

of Wood and Morter , near to che Mona·ftery of

St. Franc~,

which ferved him

for a Magazine wherein to lodge his provifions, íl:ores

~nd

infuuments, during rhe·

time that he went

St, Domingo

td make known his Complaints and feek a Re-

drefs,

Grincttlo de Ocampo

went alfo, I know not for what caufe or reafon, whether

on chis oq:afton, or for fome Law-füit he had with'the People of that place; bue

certain it is, t'.hat ali the Inhabitants followed him;

that che Town wás aban~

doned by all excepting che Artifans and Mechanicks which he brought with him

The

Indian1,

who were glad

make their advamages of thefé düferénces aod:

quarrelsa1nongíl: che

Spaniai'ds

took this opporninity

demoliíh their Houfes ,

and to kill all the golden Knights and others which remained there ; éxcepting'

fome few who made their efcape in a fmall veífel, fo that there rémained not one

Spariiard

alive in all the Coaíl: whére the Pearl is takén.

foon as

Bariholomew de

las C~fas

was informed of the death of his friends artd

·che lofs of the King's Treafüry, he enfred himfelf a Frier amongíl: the

15ominicans

7·

wí:rh which an end was put to all his great Aétions;

he nei:i:her advanced the

King's

r~venue, nor ennobled his A_rtifan_s, nor fent bis Pearls to rhe

Flerhini

and

IJurgundians,

as he had promifed :· And thús far are the wórdsof

Gomara.

This and much more,

the préjudice and dfíparagemén(

B~rthoÍume"i$ de

Cefas,

was reponed by chofe who foundthemfelves aggrieved by rhe laté new re~

gulations : chough

GOrMrtt

endeavonrs· to mince and difguife much the matter :·

brn:'