WHEREIN IS SHOWED HOW WE WERE USED IN PANUCO, AND IN WHAT FEAR OF DEATH
WE WERE THERE, AND HOW WE WERE CARRIED TO MEXICO TO THE VICEROY, AND OF
OUR IMPRISONMENT THERE AND AT TESCUCO, WITH THE COURTESIES AND
CRUELTIES WE RECEIVED DURING THAT TIME, AND HOW IN THE END WE WERE BY
PROCLAMATION GIVEN TO SERVE AS SLAVES TO SUNDRY GENTLEMEN SPANIARDS.
Upon the fourth day after our coming thither, and there remaining in a
perplexity, looking every hour when we should suffer death, there came
a great number of Indians and Spaniards armed to fetch us out of the
house, and amongst them we espied one that brought a great many new
halters, at the sight whereof we were greatly amazed, and made no other
account but that we should presently have suffered death; and so,
crying and calling to God for mercy and for forgiveness of our sins, we
prepared ourselves to die; yet in the end, as the sequel showed, their
meaning was not so; for when we were come out of the house, with those
halters they bound our arms behind us, and so coupling us two and two
together, they commanded us to march on through the town, and so along
the country from place to place toward the city of Mexico, which is
distant from Panuco west and by south the space of threescore leagues,
having only but two Spaniards to conduct us, they being accompanied
with a great number of Indians, warding on either side with bows and
arrows, lest we should escape from them. And travelling in this order,
upon the second day, at night, we came unto a town which the Indians
call Nohele, and the Spaniards call it Santa Maria, in which town there
is a house of White Friars, which did very courteously use us, and gave
us hot meat, as mutton and broth, and garments also to cover ourselves
withal, made of white baize. We fed very greedily of the meat and of
the Indian fruit, called nochole, which fruit is long and small, much
like in fashion to a little cucumber. Our greedy feeding caused us to
fall sick of hot burning agues; and here at this place one Thomas
Baker, one of our men, died of a hurt, for he had been before shot with
an arrow into the throat at the first encounter.
The next morrow, about ten of the clock, we departed from thence, bound
two and two together, and guarded as before, and so travelled on our
way toward Mexico, till we came to a town within forty leagues of
Mexico named Mesticlan, where is a house of Black Friars, and in this
town there are about the number of three hundred Spaniards, both men,
women, and children. The friars sent us meat from the house ready
dressed, and the friars and men and women used us very courteously, and
gave us some shirts and other such things as we lacked. Here our men
were very sick of their agues, and with eating of another fruit, called
in the Indian tongue, Guiaccos, which fruit did bind us sore. The next
morning we departed from thence with our two Spaniards and Indian guard
as aforesaid. Of these two Spaniards the one was an aged man, who all
the way did very courteously entreat us, and would carefully go before
to provide for us both meat and things necessary to the uttermost of
his power. The other was a young man, who all the way travelled with
us, and never departed from us, who was a very cruel caitiff, and he
carried a javelin in his hand, and sometimes when as our men with very
feebleness and faintness were not able to go so fast as he required
them, he would take his javelin in both his hands and strike them with
the same between the neck and the shoulders so violently that he would
strike them down, then would he cry and say: "Marches, marches,
Engleses perros, Luterianos, enemicos de Dios;" which is as much to say
in English, "March, march on you English dogs, Lutherans, enemies to
God." And the next day we came to a town called Pachuca, and there are
two places of that name, as this town of Pachuca, and the mines of
Pachuca, which are mines of silver, and are about six leagues distant
from this town of Pachuca towards the north-west.
Here at this town the good old man our governor suffered us to stay two
days and two nights, having compassion of our sick and weak men, full
sore against the mind of the young man his companion. From thence we
took our journey, and travelled four or five days by little villages
and Stantias, which are farms or dairy houses of the Spaniards, and
ever as we had need the good old man would still provide us sufficient
of meats, fruits, and water to sustain us. At the end of which five
days we came to a town within five leagues of Mexico, which is called
Quoghliclan, where we also stayed one whole day and two nights, where
was a fair house of Grey Friars, howbeit, we saw none of them. Here we
were told by the Spaniards in the town that we had not more than
fifteen English miles from thence to Mexico, whereof we were all very
joyful and glad, hoping that when we came thither we should either be
relieved and set free out of bonds, or else be quickly despatched out
of our lives; for seeing ourselves thus carried bound from place to
place, although some used us courteously, yet could we never joy nor be
merry till we might perceive ourselves set free from that bondage,
either by death or otherwise.
The next morning we departed from thence on our journey towards Mexico,
and so travelled till we came within two leagues of it, where there was
built by the Spaniards a very fair church, called Our Lady Church, in
which there is an image of Our Lady of silver and gilt, being as high
and as large as a tall woman, in which church, and before this image,
there are as many lamps of silver as there be days in the year, which
upon high days are all lighted. Whensoever any Spaniards pass by this
church, although they be on horseback, they will alight and come into
the church, and kneel before this image, and pray to Our Lady to defend
them from all evil; so that whether he be horseman or footman he will
not pass by, but first go into the church and pray as aforesaid, which
if they do not, they think and believe that they shall never prosper,
which image they call in the Spanish tongue Nostra Signora de
Guadaloupe. At this place there are certain cold baths, which arise,
springing up as though the water did seethe, the water whereof is
somewhat brackish in taste, but very good for any that have any sore or
wound to wash themselves therewith, for as they say, it healeth many;
and every year once upon Our Lady Day, the people used to repair
thither to offer and to pray in that church before the image, and they
say that Our Lady of Guadaloupe doth work a number of miracles. About
this church there is not any town of Spaniards that is inhabited, but
certain Indians do dwell there in houses of their own country building.
Here we were met by a great number of Spaniards on horseback, which
came from Mexico to see us, both gentlemen and men of occupations, and
they came as people to see a wonder; we were still called upon to march
on, and so about four of the clock in the afternoon of the said day, we
entered into the city of Mexico by the way or street called La Calia
Sancta Catherina; and we stayed not in any place till we came to the
house or palace of the Viceroy, Don Martin Henriques, which standeth in
the middest of the city, hard by the market place called La Placa dell
Marquese. We had not stayed any long time at this place, but there was
brought us by the Spaniards from the market place great store of meat,
sufficient to have satisfied five times so many as we were; some also
gave us hats, and some gave us money; in which place we stayed for the
space of two hours, and from thence we were conveyed by water into
large canoas to a hospital, where certain of our men were lodged, which
were taken before the fight at St. John de Ullua. We should have gone
to Our Lady's Hospital, but that there were also so many of our men
taken before at that fight that there was no room for us. After our
coming thither, many of the company that came with me from Panuco died
within the space of fourteen days; soon after which time we were taken
forth from that place and put all together into Our Lady's Hospital, in
which place we were courteously used, and visited oftentimes by
virtuous gentlemen and gentlewomen of the city, who brought us divers
things to comfort us withal, as succats and marmalades and such other
things, and would also many times give us many things, and that very
liberally. In which hospital we remained for the space of six months,
until we were all whole and sound of body, and then we were appointed
by the Viceroy to be carried unto the town of Tescuco, which is distant
from Mexico south-west eight leagues; in which town there are certain
houses of correction and punishment for ill people called obraches,
like to Bridewell here in London; in which place divers Indians are
sold for slaves, some for ten years and some for twelve. It was no
small grief unto us when we understood that we should be carried
thither, and to be used as slaves; we had rather be put to death,
howbeit there was no remedy, but we were carried to the prison of
Tescuco, where we were not put to any labour, but were very straightly
kept and almost famished, yet by the good providence of our merciful
God, we happened there to meet with one Robert Sweeting, who was the
son of an Englishman born of a Spanish woman; this man could speak very
good English, and by his means we were holpen very much with victuals
from the Indians, as mutton, hens, and bread. And if we had not been
so relieved we had surely perished; and yet all the provision that we
had gotten that way was but slender. And continuing thus straightly
kept in prison there for the space of two months, at the length we
agreed amongst ourselves to break forth of prison, come of it what
would, for we were minded rather to suffer death than longer to live in
that miserable state.
And so having escaped out of prison, we knew not what way to fly for
the safety of ourselves; the night was dark, and it rained terribly,
and not having any guide, we went we knew not whither, and in the
morning at the appearing of the day, we perceived ourselves to be come
hard to the city of Mexico, which is four and twenty English miles from
Tescuco. The day being come, we were espied by the Spaniards, and
pursued, and taken, and brought before the Viceroy and head justices,
who threatened to hang us for breaking of the king's prison. Yet in
the end they sent us into a garden belonging to the Viceroy, and coming
thither, we found there our English gentlemen which were delivered as
hostages when as our General was betrayed at St. John de Ullua, as is
aforesaid, and with them we also found Robert Barret, the master of the
Jesus, in which place we remained, labouring and doing such things as
we were commanded for the space of four months, having but two sheep a
day allowed to suffice us all, being very near a hundred men; and for
bread, we had every man two loaves a day of the quantity of one
halfpenny loaf. At the end of which four months, they having removed
our gentlemen hostages and the master of the Jesus to a prison in the
Viceroy his own house, did cause it to be proclaimed, that what
gentleman Spaniard soever was willing, or would have any Englishman to
serve him, and be bound to keep him forthcoming to appear before the
justices within one month after notice given, that they should repair
to the said garden, and there take their choice; which proclamation was
no sooner made but the gentlemen came and repaired to the garden amain,
so that happy was he that could soonest get one of us.