a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1591. 



entertaine the traitours and vacabonds of all Nations : 

 seeking by those and by their runnagate Jesuits to winne 

 parts, and have by that meane ruined many Noble houses 

 and others in this lande, and have extinguished both 

 their lives and families. What good, honour, or fortune 

 ever man yet by them atchieved, is yet unheard of, or 

 unwritten. And if our English Papists doe but looke 

 into Portugall, against which they have no pretence of 

 Religion, how the Nobilitie are put to death, imprisoned, 

 their rich men made a praye, and all sorts of people 

 captived ; they shall finde that the obedience even of the 

 Turke is easie and a libertie, in respect of the slaverie 

 and tyrannie of Spaine. What have they done in Sicill, 

 in Naples, Millaine, and in the Low countreis ; who hath 

 there bene spared for Religion at all ? And it commeth 

 to my remembrance of a certaine Burger of Antwerpe, 

 whose house being entred by a company of Spanish 

 souldiers, when they first sacked the Citie, hee besought 

 them to spare him and his goods, being a good Catho- 

 lique, and one of their owne partie and faction. The 

 Spaniards answered, that they knew him to be of a good 

 conscience for himselfe, but his money, plate, jewels, and 

 goods, were all hereticall, and therefore good prize. So 

 they abused and tormented the foolish Fleming, who 

 hoped that an Agnus Dei had bene a sufficient target 

 against all force of that holy and charitable nation. 

 Neither have they at any time as they protest invaded 

 the kingdomes of the Indies and Peru, and elsewhere, 

 but onely led thereunto, rather to reduce the people to 

 Christianitie, then for either gold or Emperie. When as 

 in one onely Island called Hispaniola, they have wasted 

 thirtie hundred thousand of the naturall people, besides 

 many millions else in other places of the Indies : a poore 

 and harmelesse people created of God, and might have 

 bene wonne to his knowledge, as many of them were, and 

 almost as many as ever were perswaded thereunto. The 

 storie whereof is at large written by a Bishop of their 

 owne nation called Bartholomew de las Casas, and trans- 



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