DEPARTURE
Copies of the New Laws, accompanied by a royal letters of instruction,
were sent, not only to the viceroys, governors, and Audiencias in America,
but also to the priors of the different convents, so that the knowledge of
their provisions might be as widely diffused as possible and the vigilance
of the friars excited to see that they were obeyed both in the letter and
the spirit. Las Casas went from Valencia to Barcelona to thank the
Emperor, and while there, the royal secretary, Francisco de los Cobos,
waited on him one Sunday afternoon, bearing his appointment by the Emperor
to the newly erected bishopric of Cuzco, which, for extent of territory,
number of inhabitants, and vast resources, was the richest in the New
World. Such a recognition from the sovereign could not be otherwise than
welcome to Las Casas, who was perhaps the most abused man of his time both
in America and Spain, but his determination not to accept the dignity was
positive, though veiled at the outset under the plea that, being a
Dominican and bound by the rule of obedience, he could not receive the
royal nomination without the previous consent of his superiors.
Regard for consistency was, however, the principal motive of his refusal,
for he had protested before the Emperor and all men, in 1519, that his
labours in favour of the Indians were actuated solely by the desire to
advance God’s service by effecting their conversion: for all his hardships
and sufferings, he neither expected nor desired any recompense, and he
formally renounced in anticipation all and any honours or rewards the
Emperor might think of offering him. (53) His resolution to abide by that
declaration being unalterable, he left Barcelona to escape possible
pressure, and the desirable bishopric passed to another Dominican, Fray
Juan Solano.
The designation of Las Casas for the bishopric was made by Cardinal Loaysa
and the other members of the India Council and, nothing daunted by his
refusal, they insisted that some one of the newly founded bishoprics in
America should be governed by the man who, of all others, possessed the
highest qualifications, the most thorough knowledge of those countries,
and the sincerest interest in apostolic work amongst the natives. The
first bishop of the diocese of Chiapa having just died, he was designated
for the vacancy, and this time he was constrained by the arguments of
persons of influence, notably the director of the College of San Gregorio
in Valladolid, to put aside his scruples and to accept a position in which
he could most benefit his beloved Indians.
That the diocese of Chiapa was the poorest in the new World, and so barren
of revenues that a subsidy was furnished by the Emperor to enable the
Bishop to live at all, contributed perhaps as much as anything to
reconcile Las Casas to his new dignity. (54) He repaired to Toledo and
appeared before the chapter of his Order which was being held there, to
ask that some monks should be furnished him for his new diocese.
Las Casas was preconised in Rome on the feast of Pentecost, 1542, after
which a whole year elapsed before the necessary bulls reached Spain and
the friars who were to accompany him were chosen. After arranging for the
reunion of these friars, he set out for Seville, where, on the 30th of
March, 1544, he was consecrated bishop in the chapel of the Dominican
monastery of St. Paul by Bishop Loaysa, nephew of the cardinal of the same
name, assisted by the Bishops of Cordoba and Trujillo in Honduras. On the
21st of March, the newly consecrated Bishop wrote the following letter to
the India Council:
VERY HIGH AND POTENT LORDS: after we left the Court on Tuesday the 4th of
this month, we arrived within sixteen days at this city, in spite of the
heavy roads and great rains we encountered. Upon our arrival here we
found the fleet ready to sail down the river, but on account of the calm
weather and want of wind, no vessel has been able to sail until to-day,
Friday. The ship on which the friars were to sail only got as far as San
Domingo and there, the cedulas did not make it perfectly clear that the
officials should pay their passage to Puerto de Caballos; because the
cedulas say that from there they are to be paid to Honduras, because they
were supposed to go in the vessel that would disembark them at the said
Puerto de Caballos. The cedulas that I obtained, were made out
conditionally should the friars think it better to go to Quaçaqualco; so
that should they not think it better to go to Quaçaqualco they would for
that reason, be unable to leave Hispaniola. Therefore I beg Your Highness
(55) to be gracious enough to order a cedula to be supplied them, ordering
the officials in Hispaniola to pay the passage from there to Puerto de
Caballos, in case they do not have to disembark at Quaçaqualco—as I
believe they will not—and may it arrive soon, as this fleet is on the
point of sailing. Referring to this, the officials of India House have no
funds from which to give me the two hundred and fifty ducats Your Highness
had the goodness to order to be given to start me off, because—leaving
apart what was sent them to keep for the bishops, etc.,—no other monies
from His Majesty have been sent them: so here I am—with the past expenses
for works, and without a maravedi for my provisions, on which account I
have neither done nor bought anything. I do not even know in which vessel
I am sailing because there is nothing that is not muddled, but as I have
no money, I am less worried than I should be about the vessel in which I
am to sail. I beseech Your Highness, if it be your pleasure that I should
go with this fleet and take those friars, to do me the favour to send me a
cedula ordering that they give me the two hundred and fifty ducats out of
the funds of the dead. And it must come soon, and with all haste if I am
to go now, as however quickly it may arrive, it will not come in time for
me to complete my preparations, seeing the hurry the fleet is in and the
little I have with which to provide things: for I have to provide for the
needs of the friars.
I received one letter from the Court, as our bulls came two days after our
departure. It seems Our Lord will not pay me in this world for the worries
I go through for His sake. Certainly it were a great glory for me that
Your Highness should honour and favour me on my consecration, thus
completing the favours Your Highness has shown me. I give thanks to God
that He has so favoured me and undoubtedly I hope to accomplish more in
those distant parts, than in the ecclesiastical courts of this country.
Up to now they [the bulls] have not arrived, nor do I know who will bring
them nor when they will come. When they arrive I shall endeavour—should
there be time—to obtain the favour from his excellency the Cardinal of
ordering me to be consecrated by anybody who can perform the ceremony,
although I have not yet kissed the hands of his excellency, he having been
very busy these past two days since his arrival. I was likewise unable to
pass through Toledo—being obliged to await my commissions which were
necessary for my speaking to the Provincial of the Franciscans about the
twelve monks, of whom only two are here, who will sail with this fleet. I
beseech your Highness to order a letter to be written to him [the
Provincial] that he may send the others immediately if they are to go in
this ship, and they will afterwards be given provisions if they arrive in
time; and should they not, I will leave the documents concerning them in
the charge of the Superior of the Franciscan Order. May Our Lord bless
and give you all prosperity in your high station and in His service as
Your Highness deserves and we, your most humble servants, desire. Amen.
From Seville 21st of March 1544 Your Highness’s servant who kisses your
Royal hands—
FRAY BARTHOLOMEW DE LAS CASAS, _Bishop elect._
Another letter dated ten days later and addressed in the same manner to
Prince Philip through the India Council describes the episcopal
consecration of Las Casas and invites the Prince’s attention to certain
matters in the following terms:
VERY HIGH AND POTENT LORDS: To-day, Passion Sunday our Lord graciously
bestowed on me the glory of consecration—very different from the
ignominies He suffered that day, according to the representations of His
church. I do not know why His Majesty ordered it to be so done, as it
could not be done before—nor was there time to expect it could be done
afterwards—on account of the haste of the fleet to sail: but however that
may be, to him be all glory and thanks, for he deserves them. The
Cardinal has shown me great kindness in favouring me wherever possible. It
was his nephew or relative, the Bishop Loaysa, who consecrated me,
assisted by the Bishop of Honduras and the Bishop Torres. The Bishop of
Honduras was about setting out, but at my request he waited to assist at
my consecration, and in great poverty he has delayed his journey seven or
eight days, the expenses of which I would have willingly paid if I had had
the wherewithal. I humbly beg Your Highness to recompense him for what I
owe him: I shall esteem it a favour to myself. Although no occasion
should offer, I was thinking to ask Your Highness to graciously grant him
some relief, so that that church, destitute of pastor and spiritual
ministrations, may not suffer such abandonment and poverty, for I greatly
doubt that he would solicit anything. I humbly and affectionately beseech
Your Highness that this be one of the first things attended to, as it is
most important. Whatever way that Your Highness may adopt to supply that
need, will be acceptable to him. One day shortly after I arrived at this
city, I wrote begging Your Highness to do me the favour to order the
officials of this house [India House] to pay me the two hundred and fifty
ducats which His Majesty granted me from the funds of the dead, because
there are no others, and therefore I have found myself in want. Knowing
this the officials of this house did me a great service in getting a
certain banker to lend it me, against my promise to repay within thirty
days. I beseech Your Highness to do me the favour of ordering a cedula
covering it to be issued, because the fleet is in a great hurry to sail
and were the cedula delayed I would suffer great want and much annoyance,
for if I could not repay what the creditor has lent me, it would be a very
bad thing for him. I likewise beseech Your Highness to order the
necessary cedulas for the friars to be sent, that the officials of
Hispaniola may pay their passage to Puerto de Caballos, for I have one
only to Quaçaqualco, where we shall not be able to land on account of the
bad harbour. The other principal cedula authorises the officials of India
House to pay the passage to Puerto de Caballos, but this cannot be done
for lack of ships, so the friars first disembarked at the port of San
Domingo in Hispaniola and from there, they have to reembark to Puerto de
Caballos. The officials of San Domingo have no authority for this, and if
the friars had to remain there long they would suffer great danger.
Everyone here is quite well and receiving shelter and charity from the
monasteries. The Provincial and the Prior of this convent of San Pablo
and the others have well carried out Your Highness’s orders in this
respect. All kiss the hands of Your Highness and pray God to prolong the
life and Royal state of Your Highness, especially Fray Rodrigo—our
companion. I beseech Your Highness, for the service of God, to provide
that the relief and freedom which His Majesty granted to the Indians in
the island of Cuba may be made effective, before those who hold them have
finished destroying and killing them, for they are and have been most
shamefully oppressed, afflicted, and reduced in number in all those parts
of the Indies.
Likewise, that, since the Archdeacon Alvaro de Castro, whom Your Highness
charged with the care of the Indians in Hispaniola, is dead, Your Highness
will order that duty assigned to some devout friar or ecclesiastic so that
those who survive, few as they are, may not be deprived of the enjoyment
of the relief and favour His Majesty granted them. It seems to me it
would be well, should Your Highness so please, to bestow it on Canon
Albaro de Leon who is a Canon of La Vega, or on Gregorio de Viguera, Dean
of the same church of La Vega.
May the Lord increase and prosper the fortunate life and very high estate
of Your Highness in His holy service, Amen. Seville 31st March 1544 Your
servant who kisses your Royal hands—
FRAY BARTHOLOMEW DE LAS CASAS, _Bishop._
In spite of all the anti-slavery legislation enacted, there were actually
at that time a number of Indians held as slaves in Seville itself, and
before starting for his distant diocese, Las Casas undertook as his first
duty to secure their liberation. His action aroused much of the ancient
enmity against him, but to that he was indifferent: the text of the New
Laws was explicit, leaving no opening for false construction. Success
crowned his efforts and enabled him to leave, fully satisfied, for San
Lucar de Barrameda where his friars were waiting for him to embark. He
there celebrated the feast of Corpus Domini with great pomp, and during
the time occupied in his final preparations, he and his friars received
many donations of necessaries. The fleet of twenty-seven ships, amongst
large and small only awaited the arrival of Doña Maria de Toledo widow of
the Admiral Don Diego Columbus, who was to sail for Hispaniola to
safeguard the rights of her children in some disputed questions of
inheritance and upon her arrival, it immediately put to sea on July l0th.
The new Bishop, with his faithful companion Ladrada and forty-five
Dominican friars, embarked on the _San Salvador_. On that same date he
entered into possession of his meagre episcopal revenues, for an ordinance
that had been passed to oblige the bishops of American dioceses to stay in
them, established that their incomes should begin from the date of their
sailing. (56)
This proving insufficient, as there were some who were satisfied with
their episcopal dignity and preferred to remain in Spain, it was
afterwards provided that their consecration must take place in America.