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. As concerning those gentlemen which were delivered as
hostages, and that were kept in prison in the Viceroy his house, after
that we were gone from out the garden to serve sundry gentlemen as
aforesaid, they remained prisoners in the said house, for the space of
four months after their coming thither, at the end whereof the fleet,
being ready to depart from St. John de Ullua to go for Spain, the said
gentlemen were sent away into Spain with the fleet, where I have heard
it credibly reported, many of them died with the cruel handling of the
Spaniards in the Inquisition house, as those which have been delivered
home after they had suffered the persecution of that house can more
perfectly declare. Robert Barret also, master of the Jesus, was sent
away with the fleet into Spain the next year following, whereafter he
suffered persecution in the Inquisition, and at the last was condemned
to be burnt, and with him three or four more of our men, of whom one
was named Gregory and another John Browne, whom I knew, for they were
of our general his musicians, but the names of the rest that suffered
with them I know not.
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