OF SERPENTS. loi 



ther, and no lefs than 50000 fome years. The Priefls thought 

 it difhonourable to facrihce lefs than 40 or 50 Captives at a time 

 to one Idol, At a certain Feftival, they ript up the Breaft of a 

 manumitted Slave, pull'd out his Heart, v^^hich they offer'd to the 

 Sun, and then eat up his Body. 



Their Priefls were bloody Men, a Brood of Vipers, and 

 had fuch an Afcendant over their Princes, tha?t they made them 

 believe their Gods were angry, and not to be appeafed without 

 4000 or 5000 Men to facrifice in a day ; fo that, right or wrong, 

 they muil make War on their Neighbours, to procure thofe 

 Vi(ltims to keep their Priefts in humour. 



The next, is an inftance of Spanijh Cruelty, in this Country, 

 that could have no Original but Hell, the Seat of the old Serpent. 

 It runs thus, njiz. Barthol. de las Cafas Bifliop of Chiapa, in a 

 Letter to the Emperor Charles V. gives this account of the Bar- 

 barity of the Spaniards towards the poor Inhabitants, Natives of 

 the Land. 



. ... "Their Kings and Princes, fays the Bifliop, the Spa^ 

 ' niards fcorch'd to death, or tore in pieces with Dogs : The 

 ' poor People they burnt in their Houfes, and dafh'd out the 



* Brains of their Children : Thofe that were fpared, they forced 

 ' to carry greater Burdens than they were able to bear, by which 

 ' thoufands of them were deflroy'd : Others who efcap'd, died of 

 ' Famine in the Woods, after they had kill'd their own Wives 

 ' and Children, and eat them for hunger. In this one Province 



* they murder'd above two Millions of Men, not fparing thofe of 

 ' Quality, who had civilly entertain'd them. They tortured the 

 ' Natives with the mofl hellifh Inventions, to make them difcover 



* their Gold. Diego de Falefco^ in particular, fpared none that 



* fell into his hands, fo that in a Month's time he murder'd ten 

 ' thoufand: He hang'd thirteen Noblemen. 



** Some they ffcarved to death, by thrufting their Heads betwixt 

 ' pieces of cloven Timber : Others they buried alive, leaving 

 ' their Heads above ground, at which they bowl'd with large 

 ' Iron- Bullets : They alio forced them to eat one another.- 



* Befides other hellilli Cruelties too dreadful to be related *." 

 N. B. This Earth, de las Cafas had been a Friar y and afterwards 



made 



* Acofia, G^^?— -The Civil and Moral Biftory of tbe S^anip V/^pdndiis^ \tx 

 /it I as Geo^r. Am^rua. 



