REVOLT IN CHIAPA
The Bishop and the monks now departed from the Spanish town and took up
their residence in Chiapa. Some distance outside the town they found a
number of Indians waiting for them, gayly dressed, decorated with golden
chains and bracelets, and carrying crosses made of feathers and flowers.
As soon as Las Casas was conducted to the house made ready for him, the
Indians began to come in from all the country round, begging to be
taught the Christian religion. Joy filled the heart of the good Bishop.
Such a scene made up for all the torments and insults he had suffered at
the hands of his own countrymen.
Happy as he was, however, at this readiness on the natives' part to
accept the gospel message, the tales of suffering they poured into his
ears wrung his heart. All over the province women were stolen, property
taken away, and the helpless Indians bought and sold like
cattle,--overworked, beaten and starved, until they died and so, at
last, found peace.
The Bishop could not get the new laws enforced. No attention was paid
either to his entreaties or his threats, so at length,--in June,
1545,--he determined to go to Gracias a Dios, and present the matter to
the council governing the country, demanding that they compel obedience
to the royal mandate.
He took the road through Guatemala, in order to visit again "The Land of
War," now a land of peace. It was a wonderful encouragement to him to
find the Indians living peaceful, orderly, Christian lives, unmolested
and happy. Great numbers of them came to greet him with tears of joy,
and if he had needed any proof of the wisdom of his method of
Christianizing the Indians, he found it in the transformation that had
taken place all through the district.
To all who came, Las Casas spoke in their own language, giving to them
the royal command, signed by the Emperor, that they should never be
anything but a free people.
The Bishop of Guatemala went with Las Casas to visit The Land of War,
and had intended to go with him to Gracias a Dios, where they were both
to assist in the consecration of a new bishop of Nicaragua. Learning,
however, that the Protector of the Indians was going principally to
insist upon the enforcement of the new laws, and that a letter had been
written to Prince Philip, heir to the throne, informing him that he, the
Bishop of Guatemala, had many slaves and did not uphold these laws
either in practice or in teaching, he turned back and returned to his
own diocese, and from a warm friend he became one of the Bishop's
enemies.
The journey to Gracias a Dios was a difficult and dangerous one at that
season of the year. All such journeys were of course made on foot, and
the streams that had to be crossed were swollen and turbulent from the
violent rains, which had also in some cases destroyed the roads; but we
never hear that Las Casas in all his life ever once gave up or delayed a
trip either because of ill health or dangers in the way. Now, at
seventy-one, he had all the endurance and energy of youth.
Immediately upon his arrival he went before the council, but met with
nothing but insults. One day as he came in, an officer cried out:
"Put out that fool!"
On another occasion, having been commanded to withdraw, Las Casas
refused to do so, and the president ordered him to be removed by force.
The Bishop solemnly summoned the judges, in the name of God, to relieve
the Indians from oppression and remove the stumbling blocks their
tyranny was putting in the way of Christianizing them. At this the chief
justice lost his temper and shouted:
"You are a bad man, a cheat, a bad bishop, a shameful fellow, and
deserve to be punished!"
Such language used by a Spanish official toward a bishop in those days,
when the Roman Catholic Church had so great an influence upon the
nation, startled even those most hostile to Las Casas. The chief justice
found himself regarded by the whole community as practically
excommunicated because of this rash speech, and was obliged to make a
sort of half-hearted apology for having so spoken.
Las Casas was not only a Bishop but, by training and experience at the
court of Spain, one of the foremost lawyers of his time; and now, seeing
that he could obtain nothing from the judges by peaceful means, he
instituted legal proceedings against them. This accomplished some good,
for an auditor was sent by them to Ciudad Real, to see to the
enforcement of the new laws, and the inhabitants of that place were
notified of his coming by letter.
When the notice was received, at once the tocsin was rung, and when all
the citizens were gathered together, a protest was read, stating that
the Bishop had taken possession of his see without showing the papal
bulls or the royal decree authorizing him to do so, and declaring that
he must cease his innovations and do as other bishops did, if he wanted
them to pay their tithes and receive him as their bishop.
The inhabitants stationed a body of Indians on the road by which he was
to come, to give notice of the approach of Las Casas, and determined to
prevent his entrance into the city by force.
The Bishop had sent on his baggage by Indian couriers, but, receiving
word of the hostile attitude of the citizens, he recalled them, and
stopped at the Dominican monastery in the town of Copanabasta, to
consult with the brethren there.
Meanwhile, a lay brother and a gentleman of the town, who was friendly
to the Bishop, had gone to his house and removed his books and household
goods to a place of safety. The people hearing of this, a mob attacked
them at midnight; but they took refuge in the sacristy of the church,
where they could not be reached, and at daybreak escaped and got out of
the town.
News of all this was brought to the Bishop, and the Dominicans advised
him not to go on, but he said:
"If I do not go to Ciudad Real, I banish myself from my own church, and
it will be said of me with reason, 'The wicked flee when no man
pursueth.'"
He added:
"The minds of men change from hour to hour. Is it possible that the
mercy of God will permit them to commit so horrible a crime as to murder
me? If I do not endeavor to enter my church, how can I complain to the
Emperor or the Pope that I have been thrust out of it?"
And he finished by saying:
"My good fathers, trusting in the mercy of God and your fervent prayers,
I am resolved to proceed on my journey, as no other alternative is left,
without my neglecting my duty."
Then, gathering up the folds of his habit, he set out, calm in the midst
of the tears and prayers of those about him.
It was sunset when Las Casas started and late at night when he came upon
the Indian sentinels. The report had gone out that the Bishop had given
up the attempt to enter the town, and the Indians were therefore off
their guard and had fallen asleep. Wakened suddenly by the approach of
the Bishop, they fell at his feet when he said gently to them:
"Are you ready to destroy your father?"
Distressed at their position, and overjoyed to see him again, the poor
creatures knelt before him, begging his forgiveness and pouring out with
tears their love for him.
Las Casas was afraid that the Indians would be punished for failing to
give notice of his arrival, so, with his own hands he, assisted by one
of the fathers, bound them, that it might appear that he had surprised
and captured them.
That night there was an earthquake at Ciudad Real, and the citizens said
it was because of the Bishop, and that it was only the beginning of the
destruction he would bring upon the town.
Entering Ciudad Real about daybreak, Las Casas went immediately to the
church and summoned the council to meet him there. They came, followed
by all the rest of the citizens, and seated themselves. When the Bishop
came in to speak to them, no one rose or showed him any of the usual
marks of respect. The notary at once stood up and read the paper the
citizens had prepared at the town meeting. The Bishop answered this
quietly and courteously, saying that he had no intention of interfering
with their property except to prevent sin against God and their
neighbor. His gentleness was beginning to make some impression, when one
of the council, neither rising nor removing his cap, commenced a violent
speech, declaring that the Bishop was but a private individual, and if
he wished to speak to them, should have gone to them and not have
presumed to summon them to come to him.
Las Casas replied with great dignity:
"Look you, sir; when I wish to ask anything from your estates, I will go
to your house and speak to you, but when I have to speak to you
concerning God's service and the good of your souls, it is for me to
send and call you to come wherever I may be, and if you are Christians
you have to come trooping in haste, lest evil fall upon you."
Nobody dared answer this, and the Bishop, rising, immediately withdrew
into the sacristy.
There the notary of the council came to him and respectfully presented a
petition from the townspeople, asking that they have confessors
appointed. The Bishop assented and named two; but these not being
acceptable, he chose two others, whose views were not very well known to
the people, but whom he knew to be in sympathy with himself. The brother
who was with him, not understanding the character of the men he had last
appointed and thinking he was yielding to pressure, took hold of his
vestments and cried:
"Let your lordship rather die than do this!"
At that a tumult broke out in the church, and the people would have
assaulted the speaker, if at that moment two monks of the Order of Mercy
had not entered the building and succeeded in getting the Bishop and the
offending father out in safety,--taking them to their convent.
Las Casas had walked all night, and the fatigue of the journey and the
excitement of this meeting had left him much exhausted, but he was not
yet to have rest.
He was seated in his cell, and the monks were giving him some
refreshment, when a fearful uproar was heard outside, and the convent
was found to be surrounded by armed men. Some of them forced their way
into the Bishop's presence. At first there was such a noise that it was
impossible to hear what it was all about, but at last it appeared that
it was because the Indian sentinels had been bound and treated as
prisoners.
Las Casas at once said that he alone was to blame for this, and
explained that it was done for fear they should be suspected of favoring
him.
Then a storm of abuse broke out against the Bishop, no feeling of
respect for his office nor of consideration for his age restraining
them.
Meanwhile, while this was going on within, a scene of violence was
taking place in the courtyard. The mob attacked the negro who attended
the Bishop in all his travels. This negro was of great stature and the
Bishop in jest called him Juanillo (Little John). He had traveled three
times across the continent with the Bishop, and always carried him in
his arms when fording the swollen streams. Juanillo was wounded with a
pike thrust and stretched on the ground. The monks rushed out to help
him and two of them,--very strong young men,--succeeded in clearing the
courtyard.
All this took place before nine o'clock in the morning. By noon there
was a revulsion of feeling,--the minds of the citizens had entirely
changed. The members of the council came humbly to the convent, asked
the Bishop's pardon on their knees, and kissed his hands. They then
carried him in festive procession to the house of one of the principal
citizens, and sent him costly presents. Finally, they arranged a grand
tournament in his honor.
It is doubtful if this sudden change in their treatment of him was
especially gratifying to the Bishop, as it indicated fickleness and lack
of depth in the people he had come to rule. Indeed neither he nor the
monks had been in any way misled by this demonstration as to what was
likely to happen in the future. While the peace lasted his adherents
made haste to send plenty of provisions to the Bishop's house, lest he
be starved out when it was over.
Las Casas was now about to go to Mexico, to attend a meeting of all the
bishops in the New World, who were to confer concerning all questions
concerning the Indians. While he was making his preparations, Juan
Rogel,--the auditor appointed by the council at Gracias a Dios to see to
the enforcement of the new laws,--arrived. He listened respectfully to
all the Bishop had to say, and then advised him to hasten his departure.
"For," said he, "one of the reasons that has made these laws hateful in
the Indies, is the fact that you have had a hand in them."
And Rogel went on to explain that he would be able to act with much more
freedom in his absence.
Las Casas recognized the truth of this, and made all haste to get away.
He left his diocese just a year after he had entered it.
Although the news had not yet reached him, the Emperor had been obliged
practically to revoke the new laws, because of the tumults and
rebellions they had caused in his American possessions. We can imagine
the Bishop's grief and dismay when he heard of this.
On arriving at the city of Mexico, where the episcopal council was to be
held, there was such a tumult that one would have thought a hostile army
was about to take possession of the place instead of one poor missionary
bishop and four humble monks approaching the walls on foot. The
authorities were obliged to write and ask Las Casas to delay his
entrance a little, until they could quiet popular excitement.
The Bishop at length came into the city about ten o'clock one morning,
and went at once to the Dominican monastery.
The synod or council that Las Casas had come to attend was composed of
five or six bishops and the chief theologians and learned men of the
colony. Las Casas soon became its leading spirit. Some very bold
declarations were made in favor of the Indians, but the question of
slavery was very unwillingly touched upon. However, the Viceroy, who was
president of the meeting, finally appointed a special council to meet
and discuss this matter. The result of the deliberations of both bodies
on the subject was that all Indian slaves, except a few renegade
rebels, had been enslaved unjustly, and that all personal service
imposed upon those that were not slaves was unlawful.
Of course these conclusions could not be forced upon the country; but
copies of them were distributed all over the province, in the hope that
they might have an effect upon the minds of men.
Las Casas had now fully decided that he could do more for the Indians in
Spain than in his diocese, especially as he could be kept constantly
informed by the Dominicans as to what was going on. He therefore
appointed a Vicar-General to take his place, and sailed from Vera Cruz
in 1547, leaving the shores of America for the last time.