The Next Day We Quartered A Little More At Large, But Not Into The
Half Part Of The Town; And So Making Substantial Trenches, And
Planting All The Ordnance, That Each Part Was Correspondent To Other,
We Held This Town The Space Of One Month.
In the which time happened some accidents, more than are well
remembered for the present.
But amongst other things, it chanced that
the General sent on his message to the Spaniards a negro boy with a
flag of white, signifying truce, as is the Spanish ordinary manner to
do there, when they approach to speak to us; which boy unhappily was
first met withal by some of those who had been belonging as officers
for the king in the Spanish galley, which with the town was lately
fallen into our hands. Who, without all order or reason, and contrary
to that good usage wherewith we had entertained their messengers,
furiously struck the poor boy through the body with one of their
horsemen's staves; with which wound the boy returned to the General,
and after he had declared the manner of this wrongful cruelty, died
forthwith in his presence. Wherewith the General being greatly
passioned, commanded the provost-marshal to cause a couple of friars,
then prisoners, to be carried to the same place where the boy was
strucken, accompanied with sufficient guard of our soldiers, and there
presently to be hanged, despatching at the same instant another poor
prisoner, with this reason wherefore this execution was done, and with
this message further, that until the party who had thus murdered the
General's messenger were delivered into our hands to receive condign
punishment, there should no day pass wherein there should not two
prisoners be hanged, until they were all consumed which were in our
hands. Whereupon the day following, he that had been captain of the
king's galley brought the offender to the town's end, offering to
deliver him into our hands. But it was thought to be a more honourable
revenge to make them there, in our sight, to perform the execution
themselves; which was done accordingly.
During our being in this town, as formerly also at Santiago there had
passed justice upon the life of one of our own company for an odious
matter, so here likewise was there an Irishman hanged for the
murdering of his corporal.
In this time also passed many treaties between their commissioners and
us, for ransom of their city; but upon disagreements we still spent
the early mornings in firing the outmost houses; but they being built
very magnificently of stone, with high lofts, gave us no small travail
to ruin them. And albeit for divers days together we ordained each
morning by daybreak, until the heat began at nine of the clock, that
two hundred mariners did naught else but labour to fire and burn the
said houses without our trenches, whilst the soldiers in a like
proportion stood forth for their guard; yet did we not, or could not
in this time consume so much as one-third part of the town, which town
is plainly described and set forth in a certain map. And so in the
end, what wearied with firing, and what hastened by some other
respects, we were contended to accept of 25,000 ducats of five
shillings six-pence the piece, for the ransom of the rest of the town.
Amongst other things which happened and were found at St. Domingo, I
may not omit to let the world know one very notable mark and token of
the unsatiable ambition of the Spanish king and his nation, which was
found in the king's house, wherein the chief governor of that city and
country is appointed always to lodge, which was this. In the coming to
the hall or other rooms of this house, you must first ascend up by a
fair large pair of stairs, at the head of which stairs is a handsome
spacious place to walk in, somewhat like unto a gallery. Wherein, upon
one of the walls, right over against you as you enter the said place,
so as your eye cannot escape the sight of it, there is described and
painted in a very large scutcheon the arms of the King of Spain; and
in the lower part of the said scutcheon there is likewise described a
globe, containing in it the whole circuit of the sea and the earth,
whereupon is a horse standing on his hinder part within the globe, and
the other forepart without the globe, lifted up as it were to leap,
with a scroll painted in his mouth, wherein was written these words in
Latin, /NON SUFFICIT ORBIS/, which is as much to say as, /The world
sufficeth not/. Whereof the meaning was required to be known of some
of those of the better sort that came in commission to treat upon the
ransom of the town; who would shake their heads and turn aside their
countenance, in some smiling sort, without answering anything, as
greatly ashamed thereof. For by some of our company it was told them,
that if the Queen of England would resolutely prosecute the wars
against the King of Spain, he should be forced to lay aside that proud
and unreasonable reaching vein of his; for he should find more than
enough to do to keep that which he had already, as by the present
example of their lost town they might for a beginning perceive well
enough.
Now to the satisfying of some men, who marvel greatly that such a
famous and goodly-builded city, so well inhabited of gallant people,
very brave in their apparel (whereof our soldiers found good store for
their relief), should afford no greater riches than was found there.
Herein it is to be understood that the Indian people, which were the
natives of this whole island of Hispaniola (the same being near hand
as great as England), were many years since clean consumed by the
tyranny of the Spaniards; which was the cause that, for lack of people
to work in the mines, the gold and silver mines of this island are
wholly given over.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 7 of 14
Words from 6180 to 7214
of 13847
