The Kingdom of Venecuela

Our Sovereign Lord the King in the Year 1526, over-perswaded by fallacious appearances (for the Spaniards use to conceal from His Majesties knowledge the dammages and detriments, which God himself, the Souls and state of the Indians did suffer) intrusted the Kingdom of Venecuela longer and larger then the Spanish Dominions, with its Government and absolute Jurisdiction to some German Merchants, with power to make certain Capitulations and Conventions, who came into this Kingdom with Three Hundred Men, and there found a benign mild and peaceable people, as they were throughout the Indies till injured by the Spaniards. These more cruel then the rest beyond comparison, behav'd themselves more inhumanely then rapacious Tygres Wolves and Lyons, for they had the jurisdiction of this Kingdom, and therefore possessing it with the greater freedom from controul; lay in wait and were the more vigilant with greater care and avarice to understand the practical part of heaping up Wealth, and robbing the Inhabitants of their Gold and Sliver, surpassing all their Predecessors in those indirect ways, rejecting wholly both the fear of their God and King, nay forgetting that they were born men with reasonable Faculties.

In 1526, our sovereign lord the King was misled by false appearances. (The Spaniards routinely concealed from His Majesty the harm done to God himself and to the Indians’ souls and welfare.) The King entrusted the kingdom of Venecuela, longer and larger than the Spanish dominions, to some German merchants. He granted the merchants its government and absolute authority, with power to make certain agreements and treaties. The merchants entered this kingdom with three hundred men and found a kind, gentle, and peaceful people. People throughout the Indies were like this until the Spaniards harmed them. These merchants were incomparably crueler than the rest, behaving more inhumanely than ravenous tigers, wolves, and lions. Because the merchants ruled this kingdom, they could act with greater freedom from restraint. So they watched for opportunities, working with greater vigilance, care, and greed to master the business of amassing wealth. They robbed the inhabitants of their gold and silver, surpassing all their predecessors in these crooked practices. They completely rejected all fear of both their God and their King. Indeed, they forgot that they had been born human beings capable of reason.

These incarnate Devils laid waste and desolate Four Hundred miles of most Fertile Land, containing vast and wonderful Provinces, most spatious and large Valleys surrounded with Hills, forty Miles in Length, and many Towns richly abounding in Gold and Silver. They destroy'd so many and such considerable Regions, that there is not one supernumerary witness left to relate the Story, unless perchance some that lurkt in the Caverns and Womb of the Earth to evade death by their inhumane Swords embrew'd in Innocent Indian blood, escaped. I judge that they by new invented and unusual Torments ruinated four or five Millions of Souls and sent them all to Hell. I will give a taste of two or three of their Transactions, that hereby you may guess at the rest.

These devils in human form devastated four hundred miles of extremely fertile land. The land contained vast, magnificent provinces and broad valleys, forty miles long, surrounded by hills. It also held many towns rich in gold and silver. They destroyed so many great regions that not a single witness remains to tell the story. Perhaps some escaped by hiding in caves deep within the earth to avoid death by their inhuman swords. Those swords were soaked in innocent Indian blood. I estimate that, through newly invented and unusual tortures, these devils destroyed four or five million souls. They sent them all to Hell. I will give you a taste of two or three of their deeds so you can judge the rest.

They made the supream Lord of the Province a Slave, to squeeze his Gold from him, racking him to extort his confession who escaping fled into the Mountains, their common Sanctuary, and his Subjects lying absconded in the Thickets of the Woods, were stir'd up to Sedition and Tumult or Mutiny. The Spaniards follow and destroy many of them, but those that were taken alive and in their power were all publickly sold for Slaves by the Common Crier.

They enslaved the province’s supreme ruler to force him to hand over his gold. They tortured him on the rack to force a confession. He escaped and fled into the mountains, their usual refuge. His subjects, hiding in the thick woods, were stirred to rebellion and revolt. The Spaniards pursued them and killed many. But all those captured alive and held in their power were publicly sold as slaves by the town crier.

They were in all Provinces they came into entertained and welcomed by the Indians with Songs, Dances and Rich Presents but Rewarded very ungratefully with bloodshed and Slaughter. The German Captain and Tyrant caused several of them to be clapt into a Thatcht House, and there cut in pieces; but some of them to avoid falling by their bloody and merciless Swords, climb'd up to the beams and Rafters of the House, and the Governour, hearing it (O cruel Brute?) commanded Fire to be put to it and burnt them all alive, leaving the Region desert and desolate.

In every province they entered, the Indians welcomed and entertained them with songs, dances, and rich gifts. But they repaid this kindness with bloodshed and slaughter. The German captain and tyrant had several of the Indians shut inside a thatched house and cut to pieces. But some climbed onto the house’s beams and rafters to escape their attackers’ bloody, merciless swords. When the governor heard this, he ordered the house set on fire. (What a cruel brute!) He burned them all alive, leaving the region deserted and desolate.

They also came to another stately Province, bordering on St. Martha; whose inhabitants did them many egregious and notable services, bestowing on them innumerable quantities of Gold besides many other gifts, but when they were upon departure, in retribution of their Civil Treating and Deportment the German Tyrant, commanded that all the Indians, with their Wives and Children if possible, should be taken into Custody; inclosed in some large capacious place, and that there it should be signified unto them, whosoever desired to be set at Liberty should redeem himself at the Will and Pleasure (as to price;) of the unjust Governour, or at a certain rate imposed upon himself, his wife and every Childs head; and to expedite the business prohibited the administration or allowance of any food to them, till the Gold required for Redemption was paid down to the utmost grain. Several of them sent home to discharge the demanded price of their Redemption, and procur'd their Freedom, as well as they could by one means or other, that so they might return to their Livelihood and profession, but not long after he sent other Rogues and Robbers among them to enslave those that were Redeemed.

They also came to another magnificent province bordering on St. Martha. Its inhabitants gave them many outstanding services and countless amounts of gold, along with many other gifts. But as the visitors prepared to leave, the German tyrant repaid the inhabitants for their courtesy and hospitality. He ordered all the Indians taken prisoner, along with their wives and children if possible. He ordered the prisoners confined in a large space and told how they could gain their freedom. Anyone seeking release had to pay whatever ransom the unjust governor pleased to demand. Alternatively, each man had to pay a fixed sum for himself, his wife, and each child. To speed up payment, the tyrant forbade anyone to give the prisoners food until every last grain of gold was paid. Several prisoners sent home for the demanded ransom and secured their freedom by whatever means they could. They did so to return to their livelihoods and occupations. But not long afterward, the tyrant sent other rogues and robbers among them to enslave those who had paid their ransom.

To the same Gaol they are brought a second time, being instigated or rather constrained to a speedy Redemption by hunger and thirst; Thus many of them were twice or thrice taken, captiv'd and Redeedmed; but some who were not capable of Depositing such a sum, perished there. Farthermore this Tyrant was big with an itching desire after the discovery of the Perusian Mines, which he did accomplish. Nay should I enumerate the particular Cruelties, Slaughters, &c. committed by him though my discourse would not in the least be contrariant to the Truth, yet it would not be beleived and only stupifie and amaze the Reader.

They are brought to the same jail a second time. Hunger and thirst urge them, or rather force them, to pay their ransom quickly. Thus many were captured, imprisoned, and ransomed two or three times. But some who could not pay the required sum died there. Furthermore, this tyrant had a burning desire to discover the Perusian mines, and he succeeded. Indeed, if I listed his individual acts of cruelty, massacres, and so on, my account would be entirely true. Yet readers would not believe it and would only be stunned and horrified.

This course the other Tyrants took who set sail from Venecuela and St. Martha (with the same Resolution of detecting the Perusian Golden, Consecrated Houses as them they esteemed) who found the fruitful Region so desolate, deserted, and wasted by Fire and Sword, that those Cruel Tyrants themselves were smitten with wonder and astonishment at the traces and ruins of such prodigious Devastations.

Other tyrants who sailed from Venecuela and St. Martha followed the same course. They were equally determined to find the Perusian houses they believed were golden and sacred. They found the fertile region desolate, deserted, and laid waste by fire and sword. The devastation was so enormous that even those cruel tyrants were struck with wonder and astonishment at its traces and ruins.

All these things and many more were prov'd by Witness in the Indian Exchequer, and the Records of their Testimony were entred in that Court, though these execrable Tyrants burnt many of them that there might be little or nothing prov'd as a cause of those great Devastations and Evils perpetrated by them. For the Minister of Justice who have hitherto lived in India, through their obscure and damnable blindness, were not much sollicitous about the punishment of the Crimes and Butcheries which have been and are still committed by these Tyrants, only they may say possibly because such a one, and such a one hath wickedly and barbarously dealt with the Indians, that is the reason so great a summ of Crowns in Money is diminished already or retrenched from His Majesties Annual Revenue, and this general and confused proof is sufficient (as they worthily conceive) to purge or repress such great and hainous Crimes. And though they are but few, are not verified as they ought to be, nor do they attribute and lay upon them that stress and weight as they ought to do, for if they did perform their Duty to God and the King; it could not be made apparent as it may be, that these German Tyrants have cheated and rob'd the King of Three Millions of Gold and upward; and thus these Enemies to God and the King began to depopulate these Regions and destroy them, cheating his Majesty of Two Millions of Gold per Annum, nor can it be expected, that the Detriment done to his Majesty can possibly be retriev'd, as long as the Sun and moon endures, unless God by a Miracle should raise as many Thousands from Death to Life, as have bin destroy'd. And these are the Temporal Dammages the King suffers. It would be also a Work worthy the inquiry into, to consider how many cursed Sacriledges and Indignities God himself hath been affronted with to the dishonour of his Name. And what Recompence can be made for the loss of so many Souls as are now tormented in Hell by the Cruelty and Covetousness of these Brutish German Tyrants. But I will conclude all their Impiety and Barbarisme with one Example, viz. That from the time they entred upon this Country to this very day, that is, Seventeen Years, they have remitted many Ships fraighted with Indians to be sold as Slaves to the Isles of St. Martha, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and St. John, selling a Million of Persons at the least, I speak modestly, and still do expose to Sale to this very Year of our Lord 1542, the King's Council in this Island seeing and knowing it, yet what they find to be manifest and apparent they connive at, permit and countenance, and wink at the horrid Impieties and Devastations innumerable which are committed on the Coasts of this Continent, extending Four Hundred Miles in Length, and continues still together with Venecuela and St. Martha under their Jurisdiction, which they might easily have remedied and timely prevented.

Witnesses proved all these things and many more in the Indian Exchequer, and their testimony entered the court records. Yet these detestable tyrants burned many records so that little or nothing could prove their responsibility for such devastation and suffering. For the justice officials who have so far lived in India have shown little concern about punishing these crimes and massacres. In their dark and damnable blindness, they have neglected the atrocities these tyrants have committed and still commit. Perhaps the officials will only say that this or that man treated the Indians wickedly and barbarously. Because of that treatment, they say, His Majesty’s annual revenue has already fallen by so many crowns. Such vague, general evidence is enough, in their worthy judgment, to make amends for or suppress these terrible crimes. And although these cases are few, they are not properly verified or given the weight they deserve. For if the officials did their duty to God and the King, the matter could not be made clear as it can now. These German tyrants have cheated and robbed the King of more than three million in gold. And so these enemies of God and the King began depopulating and destroying these regions. They cheated His Majesty of two million in gold per Annum. Nor can His Majesty’s losses possibly be recovered as long as the sun and moon endure. Only a miracle from God could do that, raising from the dead as many thousands as have been destroyed. These are the material losses the King suffers. It would also be worth investigating how many cursed acts of sacrilege and insults have offended God and dishonored his name. And what compensation can be made for the loss of so many souls now tormented in Hell? They are there because of the cruelty and greed of these brutish German tyrants. But I will conclude this account of their godlessness and barbarity with one example. From their arrival in this country to this very day, seventeen years later, they have sent away many shiploads of Indians. These people were sent to be sold as slaves in the islands of St. Martha, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and St. John. At least a million people have been sold, and that is a modest estimate. The tyrants still offer people for sale in this very year of our Lord 1542. The King’s Council on this island sees and knows about this trade. Yet the council tolerates, permits, and supports what is plain to see. Its members turn a blind eye to countless horrible acts of godlessness and destruction along this continent’s coast. That coast extends four hundred miles, and the destruction continues. The coast, together with Venecuela and St. Martha, remains under their authority. They could easily have stopped these atrocities and prevented them in time.