WHEREIN IS SHOWED IN WHAT GOOD SORT AND HOW WEALTHILY WE LIVED WITH OUR
MASTERS UNTIL THE COMING OF
THE INQUISITION, WHEN AS AGAIN, OUR SORROWS
BEGAN AFRESH; OF OUR IMPRISONMENT IN THE HOLY HOUSE, AND OF THE SEVERE
JUDGMENT AND SENTENCES GIVEN AGAINST US, AND WITH WHAT RIGOUR AND
CRUELTY THE SAME WERE EXECUTED.
The gentlemen that thus took us for their servants or slaves, did new
apparel us throughout, with whom we abode doing such service as they
appointed us unto, which was for the most part to attend upon them at
the table, and to be as their chamberlains, and to wait upon them when
they went abroad, which they greatly accounted of, for in that country
no Spaniard will serve one another, but they are all of them attended
and served by Indians weekly, and by negroes which be their slaves
during their life. In this sort we remained and served in the said
city of Mexico and thereabouts for the space of a year and somewhat
longer. Afterwards many of us were by our masters appointed to go to
sundry of their mines where they had to do, and to be as overseers of
the negroes and Indians that laboured there. In which mines many of us
did profit and gain greatly; for first we were allowed three hundred
pezoes a man for a year, which is three score pounds sterling, and
besides that the Indians and negroes which wrought under our charge,
upon our well using and entreating of them, would at times as upon
Saturdays when they had left work labour for us, and blow as much
silver as should be worth unto us three marks or thereabouts, every
mark being worth six pezoes and a half of their money, which nineteen
pezoes and a half, is worth four livres, ten shillings of our money.
Sundry weeks we did gain so much by this means besides our wages, that
many of us became very rich, and were worth three thousand or four
thousand pezoes, for we lived and gained thus in those mines some three
or four years.
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