Finding No Person At His Arrival Who Could In Any Way Keep Him In Awe,
Bovadilla Immediately Took Possession Of The Admirals Palace, And
Appropriated Every Thing He Found There To His Own Use As If It Had Fallen
To Him By Inheritance.
He gathered together all whom he could find who had
been in rebellion, and many others who hated the
Admiral and his brothers,
and immediately declared himself governor of the colony; and to secure the
affections of the people, he proclaimed a general freedom for twenty years.
He then summoned the admiral to appear before him without delay, as
necessary for their majesties service; and to justify this measure he sent
on the seventh of September the royal letter, of which the following is
the substance, by F. John de la Sera, to the admiral.
"To D. Christopher Columbus, our Admiral of the Ocean."
"We have ordered the commander Francis de Bovadilla, the bearer, to
aquaint you with certain things from us; wherefore we command you to give
him entire credit, and to obey him."
"Given at Madrid, the twenty-first of May 1500.
"I the King. I the Queen."
"By command of their majesties. Mich. Perez de Almazan."
On seeing the letter of their Catholic majesties, the admiral came
immediately to St Domingo to Bovadilla, at the beginning of October 1500.
And Bovadilla being eager to assume the government, without any delay or
legal information, immediately sent the admiral and his brother James as
prisoners in irons on board ship under a strong guard, forbidding all
persons under severe penalties to hold any intercourse with them by word
or letter. After this, by Abington law[6], he drew up examinations
against them, admitting their enemies the rebels as witnesses in the
process, and publickly favouring all who came forwards to speak evil of
them. These gave in such villanous and incoherent depositions, that he
must have been blind indeed who did not plainly perceive their falsehood
and malice. For this reason, their Catholic majesties would not admit of
the truth of the charges, and afterwards cleared the admiral, sore
repenting that they had sent such a man as Bovadilla in that employment.
He ruined the island and squandered the royal revenues, that all men might
be his friends; saying that their majesties required no more than the
honour of the dominion, and that all the profits should belong to their
subjects. Yet he neglected not his own share, but combining with all the
richest and most powerful men of the colony, he gave them Indians to serve
them on condition of having a share in all the acquisitions which were
made by their means. He sold by auction all the possessions and rights
which the admiral had acquired for the crown; saying that their majesties
were not farmers or labourers, and only kept these for the benefit of
their subjects; and while selling all things under these pretences, he
took care on the other hand that every thing should be purchased by his
own confederates at a third of the value. Besides all this, he made no
other use of his judicial power than to enrich himself and to gain over
the affections of the people; being still afraid that the lieutenant, who
had not yet come from Xaragua, might put a stop to his proceedings, and
might endeavour to set the admiral at liberty by force of arms. But in
this the brothers conducted themselves with the utmost prudence and
propriety; for the admiral sent to the lieutenant, desiring him to come
peaceably to Bovadilla, that the island might not be thrown into confusion
and civil war; as, when they arrived in Spain, they should the more easily
obtain satisfaction for the wrongs that had been done them, and secure the
punishment of Bovadilla for his senseless and injurious conduct.
Yet did not all this divert Bovadilla from putting the admiral and his
brother in irons; and he allowed the baser people to rail against them in
public, blowing horns in triumph about the harbour where they were shipped,
besides placarding them in many scandalous libels pasted up at the corners
of the streets. When informed that one James Ortir, who was governor of
the hospital, had written a malicious libel against the admiral, which he
read publickly in the market-place, so far from punishing his audacity, he
seemed to be much gratified by it, which encouraged others to do the same
thing. And perhaps from fear lest the admiral should swim on shore, he
gave strict injunctions to Andrew Martin, the commander of the ship to
guard the admiral with the utmost care, and to deliver him in irons to the
bishop D. John de Fonseca, by whose advice and direction it was believed
he had thus proceeded. Yet when at sea, the master being sensible of the
unworthy proceedings of Bovadilla, would have taken off the irons from the
admiral; but this he would not permit, saying, that since their majesties
had commanded him to perform whatsoever Bovadilla might order in their
names, and that he had been put in irons in virtue of their authority and
commission, he would not be freed from them unless by the express command
of their highnesses. He also declared his determination to keep these
fetters as a memorial of the reward he had received for his many services.
I afterwards saw these irons constantly in his chamber, and he gave orders
that they should be buried along with his body.
Being arrived at Cadiz, the admiral wrote to their majesties on the 20th
of November 1500, acquainting them of his arrival; and they, understanding
the condition in which he was, gave immediate orders that he should be
released, and sent him very gracious letters expressive of their sorrow
for his sufferings and the unworthy behaviour of Bovadilla
towards him. They likewise ordered him up to court, engaging that care
should be taken about his affairs, and that he should be speedily
dispatched with full restitution of his honour.
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