De Orbe Novo, Volume 1 (of 2) by Trans. by Francis Augustus MacNutt

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BOOK X

AND EPILOGUE TO THE DECADE

TO INIGO LOPEZ MENDOZA, COUNT OF TENDILLA, VICEROY OF GRANADA

I have been prompted by the letters of my friends and of high
personages to compose a complete chronicle of all that has happened
since the first discoveries and the conquest of the ocean by Columbus,
and of all that shall occur. My correspondents were lost in admiration
at the thought of these discoveries of islands, inhabited by unknown
peoples, living without clothes and satisfied with what nature gave
them, and they were consumed by desire to be kept regularly informed.
Ascanio, whose authority never allowed my pen to rest, was degraded
from the high position he occupied when his brother Ludovico[1] was
driven by the French from Milan. I had dedicated the first two books
of this decade to him, without mentioning many other treatises I had
selected from my unedited memoirs. Simultaneously with his overthrow I
ceased to write, for, buffeted by the storm, he ceased to exhort me,
while my fervour in making enquiries languished; but in the year 1500,
when the Court was in residence at Granada, Ludovico, Cardinal of
Aragon, and nephew of King Frederick, who had accompanied the Queen
of Naples, sister of King Frederick, to Grenada, sent me letters
addressed to me by the King himself, urging me to select the necessary
documents and to continue the first two books addressed to Ascanio.
The King and the Cardinal already possessed the writings I had
formerly addressed to Ascanio. You are aware that I was ill at the
time, yet, unwilling to refuse, I resolved to continue. Amongst the
great mass of material furnished me at my request by the discoverers,
I selected such deeds as were most worthy to be recorded. Since you
now desire to include my complete works amongst the numerous volumes
in your library, I have determined to add to those of my former
writings by taking up the narrative of the principal events between
the years 1500 and 1510, and, God giving me life, I shall one day
treat them more fully.

[Note 1: His downfall was greeted with rejoicing throughout Italy.
In Venice the joy-bells rang and the children danced and sang a
_canzone_ in Piazza San Marco

_Ora il Moro fa la danza
Viva San Marco e il re di Franzia_.

Milan fell a prey to Louis XII., and all northern Italy passed under
the French yoke. The Pope rewarded the bearer of the news with a
present of one hundred ducats, and at once seized Cardinal Ascanio's
palace with its art treasures. The Cardinal was captured near Rivolta
by the Venetians, who delivered him to the French. He was kept in the
citadel of Bourges until 1502, when he was released at the request of
the Cardinal d'Amboise to take his place in the conclave which elected
Pius III. He died in 1505; and his former enemy, Guiliano della
Rovere, reigning as Pope Julius II., erected the magnificent monument
to his memory which still stands in Santa Maria del Popolo.]

To complete the decade, I had written a book which remained
unfinished, treating of the superstitions of the islanders; this new
book, which will be called the tenth and last, I wish to dedicate to
you, without rewriting my work or sending you my draft. Therefore,
if on reading the ninth book you come across promises which are not
realised, do not be astonished; it is not necessary to be always
consistent.[2]

[Note 2: _Non semper oportet stare pollicitis_.]

Let us now come to our subject. During these ten years many
explorers,[3] have visited various coasts, following for the most part
in the track of Columbus. They have always coasted along the shore of
Paria, believing it to be part of the Indian continent. Some heading
to the west, others to the east, they have discovered new countries
rich in gold and spices, for most of them have brought back necklaces
and perfumes obtained in exchange for our merchandise, or by violence
and conquest. Despite their nakedness, it must be admitted that in
some places the natives have exterminated entire groups of Spaniards,
for they are ferocious and are armed with poisoned arrows and sharp
lances with points hardened in the fire. Even the animals, reptiles,
insects, and quadrupeds are different from ours, and exhibit
innumerable and strange species. With the exception of lions, tigers,
and crocodiles, they are not dangerous. I am now speaking of the
forests of the district of Paria and not of the islands, where, I
am told, there is not a single dangerous animal, everything in the
islands speaking of great mildness, with the exception of the Caribs
or cannibals, of whom I have already spoken and who have an appetite
for human flesh. There are likewise different species of birds, and in
many places bats[4] as large as pigeons flew about the Spaniards as
soon as twilight fell, biting them so cruelly that the men, rendered
desperate, were obliged to give way before them as though they had
been harpies. One night, while sleeping on the sand, a monster issued
from the sea and seized a Spaniard by the back and, notwithstanding
the presence of his companions, carried him off, jumping into the sea
with his victim despite the unfortunate man's shrieks.

[Note 3: Labastidas, Pinzon, Hojeda, Vespucci, Las Casas, and
others.]

[Note 4: Vampire bats, which haunt the Venezuelan coast in large
numbers.]

It is the royal plan to establish fortified places and to take
possession of this continent, nor are there wanting Spaniards who
would not shrink from the difficulty of conquering and subjugating
the territory. For this purpose they petitioned the King for his
authorisation.

The journey, however, is long and the country very extensive. It
is claimed that the newly discovered country, whether continent or
island, is three times larger than Europe, without counting the
regions to the south which were discovered by the Portuguese and which
are still larger. Certainly the Spain of to-day deserves the highest
praise for having revealed to the present generation these myriad
regions of the Antipodes, heretofore unknown, and for having thus
enlarged for writers the field of study. I am proud to have shown them
the way by collecting these facts which, as you will see, are without
pretension; not only because I am unable to adorn my subject more
ornately, but also because I have never thought to write as a
professional historian. I tell a simple story by means of letters,
written freely to give pleasure to certain persons whose invitations
it would have been difficult for me to refuse. Enough, however, of
digressions, and let us return to Hispaniola.

The bread made by the natives is found, by those who are accustomed to
our wheat bread, to be insufficiently nourishing and therefore they
lose their strength. The King consequently issued a recent decree,
ordering that wheat should be sown in different places and at
different seasons. The harvest produced nothing but straw, similar to
twigs, and with little grain; although what there is, is large and
well formed. This also applies to the pastures where the grass grows
as high as the crops; thus the cattle become extraordinarily fat, but
their flesh loses its flavour; their muscles become flabby, and they
are, so to say, watery. With pigs it is just the contrary; for they
are healthy and of an agreeable flavour. This is due doubtless to
certain of the island's fruits they greedily devour. Pork is about
the only kind of meat bought in the markets. The pigs have rapidly
increased, but they have become wild since they are no longer kept
by swineherds. There is no need to acclimatise any other species of
animal or birds in Hispaniola.

Moreover, the young of all animals flourish on the abundant pasturage
and become larger than their sires. They only eat grass, not barley
or other grain. Enough however of Hispaniola; let us now consider the
neighbouring islands.

Owing to its length, Cuba was for a long time considered to be a
continent, but it has been discovered to be an island. It is not
astonishing that the islanders assured the Spaniards who explored it
that the land had no end, for the Cubans are poor-spirited people,
satisfied with little and never leaving their territory. They took no
notice of what went on amongst their neighbours, and whether there
were any other regions under their skies than the one they inhabited,
they did not know. Cuba extends from east to west and is much longer
than Hispaniola, but from the north to the south it is, in proportion
to its length, very narrow, and is almost everywhere fertile and
agreeable.

There is a small island lying not far off the east coast of
Hispaniola, which the Spaniards have placed under the invocation of
San Juan.[5] This island is almost square and very rich gold mines
have been found there, but as everybody is busy working the mines of
Hispaniola, miners have not yet been sent to San Juan, although it is
planned so to do. It is gold alone of all the products of Hispaniola
to which the Spaniards give all their attention, and this is how
they proceed. Each industrious Spaniard, who enjoys some credit, has
assigned to him one or more caciques (that is to say chiefs) and
his subjects, who, at certain seasons in the year established by
agreement, is obliged to come with his people to the mine belonging to
that Spaniard, where the necessary tools for extracting the gold are
distributed to them. The cacique and his men receive a salary, and
when they return to the labour of their fields, which cannot be
neglected for fear of famine, one brings away a jacket, one a shirt,
one a cloak, and another a hat. Such articles of apparel please them
very much, and they now no longer go naked. Their labour is thus
divided between the mines and their own fields as though they were
slaves. Although they submit to this restraint with impatience, they
do put up with it. Mercenaries of this kind are called _anaborios_.
The King does not allow them to be treated as slaves, and they are
granted and withdrawn as he pleases.[6]

[Note 5: Porto Rico.]

[Note 6: The system of repartimientos. Consult the writings of Las
Casas on this subject.]

When they are summoned, as soldiers or camp-followers are drafted by
recruiting agents, the islanders fly to the woods and mountains if
they can, and rather than submit to this labour they live on whatever
wild fruit they find. They are a docile people, and have completely
forgotten their old rites, complying without reasoning, and repeating
the mysteries they are taught. The Spanish gentlemen of position
educate sons of caciques in their own houses, and these lads easily
learn the elements of instruction and good manners. When they grow
up and especially if their fathers are dead, they are sent back to
Hispaniola, where they rule their compatriots. As they are devout
Christians, they keep both Spaniards and natives up to their duties,
and cheerfully bring their subjects to the mines. There are gold mines
found in two different districts, of which the first, called San
Cristobal, is about thirty miles from the town of Dominica. The other,
called Cibaua, is about ninety miles distant. Porto Real is situated
there.

Great revenues are drawn from these countries, for gold is found both
on the surface and in the rocks, either in the form of ingots or of
scales which are sometimes small but generally of considerable weight.
Ingots weigh 300 pounds, and sometimes even more, for one has been
found which weighed 310 pounds.[7] You have heard it said that this
one was brought, just as it was found, to the King of Spain, on board
the ship on which the governor Bobadilla embarked for Spain. The ship,
being overloaded with men and gold, was wrecked and sunk with all it
contained. More than a thousand witnesses saw and touched this ingot.
When I speak of pounds I do not mean precisely a pound, but a weight
equal to a golden ducat of four ounces, which is what the Spaniards
call a _peso_ or castellano of gold. All the gold found in the
mountains of Cibaua is transported to the blockhouse of La Concepcion,
where there are founderies for receiving and melting the metal. The
royal fifth is first separated, after which each one receives a share
according to his labour. The gold from the mines of San Cristobal goes
to the founderies of Bona Ventura; the amount of gold melted in these
founderies exceeds 300 pounds of metal. Any Spaniard who is convicted
of having fraudulently kept back a quantity of gold not declared to
the royal inspectors, suffers confiscation of all the gold in his
possession. Contentions frequently occur among them, and if the
magistrates of the island are unable to settle them, the cases are
appealed to the Royal Council, the decisions of that tribunal being
without appeal in the King's dominions of Castile.

[Note 7: Las Casas describes the finding of this nugget by an
Indian girl, who accidentally turned it up while idly prodding
the ground with a sharp instrument. He gives its weight as 3600
castellanos, equivalent to thirty-five pounds. The vessel which was
to carry it to Spain was wrecked in a violent storm, just outside the
harbour, and the famous nugget was lost. _Las Casas, his Life, his
Apostolate, and his Writings_, cap. iii.]

At the present time the members composing this tribunal are all
distinguished noblemen of illustrious blood, whom I will enumerate
in the order in which they sit in judging a case. The first place is
occupied by Antonio Rojas, Archbishop of Granada, who is your kinsman;
he is a veritable Cato, unable to condone his own offences or those of
his relatives. His life is austere and he cultivates literature. He
holds the first place in the Council, or in other words, he is the
President thereof. The other members of the Council rank by seniority,
according to the order in which they were appointed. All are doctors
or designates or holders of some decoration. The designates are those
who are called in Spanish licenciates. All are nominated by the King.
The Dean of the Assembly is Pedro Oropesa; next to him comes Ludovico
Zapato; then, in regular order, Fernando Tellez, Garcias Moxica,
Lorenzo Carvajal; Toribio Santiago sits next to the last-named, and
after him come Juan Lopez, Palacios Rivas, and Ludovico Polanco.
Francisco Vargas, who is likewise royal treasurer, sits next, and the
two last places are held by priests, Sosa and Cabrero, both doctors of
Canon law. The counsellors do not judge criminal cases, but all civil
suits are within their cognisance.

Let us now return to the new countries, from which we have wandered.
These countries are very numerous, diversified, and fertile; neither
Saturn nor Hercules nor any hero of antiquity who set out for the
discovery or conquest of unknown lands, excelled the exploits of our
contemporary Spaniards. Behold, how posterity will see the Christian
religion extended! How far it will be possible to travel amongst
mankind! Neither by word of mouth nor by my pen can I express my
sentiments concerning these wondrous events, and I, therefore, leave
my book without an ending, always counting upon making further
researches and collecting documents for a more detailed description in
my letters, when I shall be at leisure to write.

For I am not ignorant that our Admiral, Columbus,[8] with four ships
and a crew of seventy men furnished him by the sovereigns, has
explored during the year 1502 the country extending about one hundred
and thirty leagues west between Cuba and the continent; an island rich
in fruit trees, which is called Guanassa. The Admiral always followed
the coast towards the east, hoping by this manoeuvre to regain the
waters of Paria, but in this he was disappointed. It is claimed that
the western coasts have also been visited by Vincent Yanez, of whom
I have previously written, Juan Diaz Solis de Nebrissa and sundry
others, but I have no precise information on this point.[9] May God
grant me life, that you may some day learn more upon this subject. And
now you farewell.

[Note 8: This refers to the fourth voyage of Columbus; consult
_Storia del Fernando Columbo_; Navarrete, i., 314, 329, 332; ii., 277,
296; iii., 555, 558. Also the _Lettera rarissima_, written by Columbus
from Jamaica, July 7, 1503, to the Catholic sovereigns; Washington
Irving, _Columbus and his Companions_.]

[Note 9: Consult Gaffarel, _Les Contemporains de Colomb_;
Vespucci, _Quatuor Navigationes_.]

The Second Decade

BOOK I

PETER MARTYR, OF MILAN, APOSTOLIC PROTONOTARY AND ROYAL COUNSELLOR TO
THE SOVEREIGN PONTIFF LEO X

Most Holy Father,[1] Since the arrival at the Spanish Court of
Galeazzo Butrigario of Bologna sent by Your Holiness, and Giovanni
Accursi of Florence, sent by that glorious Republic, I have
unceasingly frequented their company and studied to please them,
because of their virtues and their wisdom. Both take pleasure in
reading various authors and certain books which have fallen by chance
into their hands, works treating of the vast regions hitherto unknown
to the world, and of the Occidental lands lying almost at the
Antipodes which the Spaniards recently discovered. Despite its
unpolished style, the novelty of the narrative charmed them, and
they besought me, as well on their own behalf as in the name of Your
Holiness, to complete my writings by continuing the narrative of all
that has since happened, and to send a copy to Your Beatitude so that
you might understand to what degree, thanks to the encouragement of
the Spanish sovereigns, the human race has been rendered illustrious
and the Church Militant extended. For these new nations are as a
_tabula rasa_; they easily accept the beliefs of our religion and
discard their barbarous and primitive rusticity after contact with our
compatriots. I have deemed it well to yield to the insistence of
wise men who enjoyed the favour of Your Holiness; indeed, had I not
immediately obeyed an invitation in the name of Your Beatitude, I
should have committed an inexpiable crime. I shall now summarise in
a few words the discoveries by the Spaniards of unknown coasts, the
authors of the chief expeditions, the places they landed, the hopes
raised, and the promises held out by these new countries.

[Note 1: Giovanni de' Medici, elected in 1513, assumed the title
of Leo X. He was keenly interested in the exploration and discoveries
in America, and unceasingly urged his nuncios to keep him supplied
with everything written on these subjects.]

The discovery of these lands I have mentioned, by the Genoese,
Christopher Columbus, was related in my Ocean Decade, which
was printed without my permission[2] and circulated throughout
Christendom. Columbus afterwards explored immense seas and countries
to the south-west, approaching within fifteen degrees of the
equinoctial line. In those parts he saw great rivers, lofty
snow-capped mountains along the coasts, and also secure harbours.
After his death the sovereigns took steps to assume possession of
those countries and to colonise them with Christians, in order that
our religion might be propagated. The royal notaries afforded every
facility to every one who wished to engage in these honourable
enterprises among whom two were notable: Diego Nicuesa de Baecca, an
Andalusian, and Alonzo Hojeda de Concha.

[Note 2: Peter Martyr's friend, Lucio Marineo Siculo, was
responsible for this premature Spanish edition published in 1511.
An Italian edition of the First Decade was printed by Albertino
Vercellese at Venice in 1504.]

Both these men were living in Hispaniola where, as we have already
said, the Spaniards had founded a town and colonies, when Alonzo
Hojeda first set out, about the ides of December, with about three
hundred soldiers under his command. His course was almost directly
south, until he reached one of those ports previously discovered and
which Columbus had named Carthagena, because its island breakwater,
its extent, and its coast shaped like a scythe reminded him of
Carthagena. The island lying across the mouth of the port is called by
the natives Codego, just as the Spaniards call the island in front of
Carthagena, Scombria. The neighbouring region is called Caramairi, a
country whose inhabitants, both male and female, are large and well
formed, although they are naked. The men wear their hair cut short to
the ears, while the women wear theirs long. Both sexes are extremely
skilful bowmen.

The Spaniards discovered certain trees in the province which bear
fruits that are sweet, but most dangerous, for when eaten they produce
worms. Most of all is the shade of this tree noxious, for whoever
sleeps for any length of time beneath its branches, wakens with a
swollen head, and almost blind, though this blindness abates within a
few days. The port of Carthagena lies four hundred and fifty-six miles
from the port of Hispaniola called Beata, where preparations are
generally made for voyages of discovery. Immediately on landing,
Hojeda attacked the scattered and defenceless natives. They had been
conceded to him by royal patent because they had formerly treated some
Christians most cruelly and could never be prevailed upon to receive
the Spaniards amicably in their country. Only a small quantity of
gold, and that of poor quality, was found amongst them; they use the
metal for making leaves and disks, which they hang on their breasts as
ornaments. Hojeda was not satisfied with these spoils, and taking some
prisoners with him as guides, he attacked a village in the interior
twelve miles distant from the shore, where the fugitives from the
coast-town had taken refuge. These men, though naked, were warlike;
they used wooden shields, some long and others curved, also long
wooden swords, bows and arrows, and lances whose points were either
hardened in the fire or made of bone. Assisted by their guests, they
made a desperate attack on the Spaniards, for they were excited by the
misfortunes of those who had sought refuge with them, after having
lost their wives and children, whose massacre by the Spaniards
they had witnessed. The Spaniards were defeated and both Hojeda's
lieutenant, Juan de la Cosa,[3] the first discoverer of gold in the
sands of Uraba, and seventy soldiers fell. The natives poisoned their
arrows with the juice of a death-dealing herb. The other Spaniards
headed by Hojeda turned their backs and fled to the ships, where they
remained, saddened and depressed by this calamity, until the arrival
of another leader, Diego de Nicuesa, in command of twelve ships. When
Hojeda and Cosa sailed from Hispaniola, they had left Nicuesa in the
port of Beata still busy with his preparations. His force numbered
seven hundred and eighty-five soldiers, for he was an older man
than Hojeda, and he had greater authority; hence a larger number of
volunteers, in choosing between the two leaders, preferred to join the
expedition of Nicuesa; moreover it was reported that Veragua, which
had been granted to Nicuesa by the royal patent, was richer in gold
than Uraba, which Alonzo de Hojeda had obtained.

[Note 3: Such was the sad end of the pilot of Columbus. The oldest
map of the New World, now preserved at Madrid, was the work of this
noted cartographer.]

As soon as Nicuesa landed, the two leaders after conferring together,
decided that the first victims should be avenged, so they set out that
same night to attack the murderers of Cosa and his seventy companions.
It was the last watch of the night, when they surprised the natives,
surrounding and setting fire to their village, which contained more
than one hundred houses. The usual number of inhabitants was tripled
by the refugees who had there taken shelter.

The village was destroyed, for the houses were built of wood covered
with palm-leaves. Out of the great multitude of men and women, only
six infants were spared, all the others having been murdered or burnt
with their effects. These children told the Spaniards that Cosa and
the others had been cut into bits and devoured by their murderers. It
is thought indeed that the natives of Caramairi are of the same origin
as the Caribs, or cannibals, who are eaters of human flesh. Very
little gold was found amongst the ashes. It is in reality the thirst
for gold, not less than the covetousness of new countries, which
prompted the Spaniards to court such dangers. Having thus avenged the
death of Cosa and his companions, they returned to Carthagena.

Hojeda, who was the first to arrive, was likewise the first to
leave, starting with his men in search of Uraba, which is under his
jurisdiction. On his way thither he came upon an island called
La Fuerte, which lies halfway between Uraba and the harbour of
Carthagena. There he landed and found it inhabited by ferocious
cannibals, of whom he captured two men and seven women, the others
managing to escape. He likewise gathered one hundred and ninety
drachmas of gold made into necklaces of various kinds. He finally
reached the eastern extremity of Uraba. This is called Caribana,
because it is from this country that the insular Caribs derive their
origin, and have hence kept the name.[4] Hojeda's first care was to
provide protection, and to this end he built a village defended by a
fort. Having learned from his prisoners that there was a town twelve
miles in the interior, called Tirufi, celebrated for its gold mines,
he made preparations for its capture. The inhabitants of Tirufi were
ready to defend their rights, and Hojeda was repulsed with loss and
disgrace; these natives likewise used poisoned arrows in fighting.
Driven by want, he attacked another village some days later, and was
wounded by an arrow in the hip; some of his companions affirm that he
was shot by a native whose wife he had taken prisoner. The husband
approached and negotiated amicably with Hojeda for the ransom of
his wife, promising to deliver, on a fixed day, the amount of gold
demanded of him. On the day agreed upon he returned, armed with
arrows and javelins but without the gold. He was accompanied by eight
companions, all of whom were ready to die to avenge the injury done to
the inhabitants of Carthagena and also the people of the village. This
native was killed by Hojeda's soldiers, and could no longer enjoy the
caresses of his beloved wife; but Hojeda, under the influence of the
poison, saw his strength ebbing daily away.

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