A vanished Arcadia : being some account of the Jesuits in Paraguay, 1607 to 1767 / by R.B. Cunninghame Graham.

  • Cunninghame Graham, R. B. (Robert Bontine), 1852-1936.
Date:
1924
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A vanished Arcadia : being some account of the Jesuits in Paraguay, 1607 to 1767 / by R.B. Cunninghame Graham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    But it is to be noted that, after God, it was we, the real conquerors, who discovered them [the Indians] and conquered them * and from the first we took away their idols, and taught them our holy doctrine, and to us is due the reward and credit of it all, before any other people, even though they be churchmen .* for when the beginning is good, the middle and ending is good, which the curious attentive] reader may see in the Christian polity and justice which we showed them in New Spain. ‘ And I will leave the matter, and tell the other benefits which, after God, by our agency, came to the natives of New Spain.'* One would imagine, on reading the above extract, Bernal Diaz had never killed an Indian in his life, and that he had sacrificed his prospects in coming to Mexico solely to introduce ‘ a Christian polity and justice' amongst the inhabitants. Yet he was no hypocrite, but a stout sagacious soldier, even kindly, according to his lights, and with a love of animals uncommon in a Spaniard, for he has preserved the names and qualities of all the horses and mares which came over in the fleet from the Habana with Cortes, f The phrase, despues de Dios (after God) occurs repeatedly in the writings of almost all the conquistadores of America. Having, after God, conquered America, the first action of the con¬ querors was to set about making their fortunes. In those * Bernal Diaz, * Historia de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana,’ vol. iv., cap. 207, Madrid, 1796. t Especially noting down the appearance and qualities of ‘ el caballo Motilla, the horse of Gonzalo de Sandoval. Thus does he niinutely describe Motilla, ‘ the best horse in Castille or the Indies.' El mejor caballo, y de mejor carrera, revuelto d una mano y k otra que decian que no se habia visto mejor en Castilla, ni en esa tierra era castano acastanado, y una estrella en la frente, y un pie izquierdo calzado, que se decia el caballo Motilla) d quando hay ahora diferencia sobre buenos caballos, suclen decir es en bondad tan bueno como Motilla.'