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.
Now after that six years there fully expired since our first coming
into the Indies in which time we had been imprisoned and served in the
said countries, as is before truly declared in the year of our Lord one
thousand five hundred and seventy four, the Inquisition began to be
established in the Indies very much against the minds of many of the
Spaniards themselves, for never until this time since their first
conquering and planting in the Indies, were they subject to that bloody
and cruel Inquisition. The chief Inquisitor was named Don Pedro Moya
de Contreres, and John de Bouilla his companion, and John Sanchis the
Fischall, and Pedro de la Rios, the Secretary, they being come and
settled, and placed in a very fair house, near unto the White Friars,
considering with themselves that they must make an entrance and
beginning of that their most detestable Inquisition here in Mexico to
the terror of the whole country, thought it best to call us that were
Englishmen first in question, and so much the rather for that they had
perfect knowledge and intelligence, that many of us were become very
rich as hath been already declared, and therefore we were a very great
booty and prey to the Inquisitors, so that now again began our sorrows
afresh, for we were sent for, and sought out in all places of the
country, and proclamation made upon pain of losing of goods, and
excommunication that no man should hide or keep secret any Englishman
or any part of their goods. By means whereof we were all soon
apprehended in all places, and all our goods seized and taken for the
Inquisitors' use, and so from all parts of the country we were conveyed
and sent as prisoners to the city of Mexico, and there committed to
prison in sundry dark dungeons where we could not see but by
candlelight, and were never more than two together in one place so that
we saw not one another, neither could one of us tell what was become of
another. Thus we remained close imprisoned for the space of a year and
a half, and others for some less time, for they came to prison ever as
they were apprehended. During which time of our imprisonment at the
first beginning we were often called before the Inquisitors alone, and
there severely examined of our faith, and commanded to say the pater
noster, the Ave Maria, and the creed in Latin, which God knoweth a
great number of us could not say otherwise than in the English tongue.
And having the said Robert Sweeting who was our friend at Tescuco
always present with them for an interpreter he made report for us in
our own country speech we could say them perfectly, although not word
for word as they were in Latin. Then did they proceed to demand of us
upon our oaths what we did believe of the sacrament, and whether there
did remain any bread or wine after the words of consecration, yea or
no, and whether we did not believe that the Host of bread which the
priest did hold up over his head, and the wine that was in the chalice,
was the very true and perfect body and blood of our Saviour Christ, yea
or no, to which if we answered not yea, then was there no way but
death. Then would they demand of us what we did remember of ourselves,
what opinions we had held or had been taught to hold, contrary to the
same whiles we were in England; to which we for the safety of our lives
were constrained to say that we never did believe, nor had been taught
otherwise than as before we had said. Then would they charge us that
we did not tell them the truth, that we knew to the contrary, and
therefore we should call ourselves to remembrance and make them a
better answer at the next time or else we should be racked and made to
confess the truth whether we would or no. And so coming again before
them the next time, we were still demanded of our belief whiles we were
in England, and how we had been taught, and also what we thought or did
know of such of our company as they did name unto us, so that we could
never be free from such demands, and at other times they would promise
us that if we would tell them the truth, then should we have favour and
be set at liberty, although we very well knew their fair speeches were
but means to entrap us to the hazard and loss of our lives; howbeit God
so mercifully wrought for us by a secret means that we had that we kept
us still to our first answer, and would still say that we had told the
truth unto them, and knew no more by ourselves nor any other of our
fellows than as we had declared, and that for our sins and offences in
England against God and our Lady, or any of His blessed saints, we were
heartily sorry for the same, and did cry God mercy, and besought the
Inquisitors, for God's sake, considering that we came into those
countries by force of weather, and against our wills, and that never in
all our lives we had either spoken or done anything contrary to their
laws, that therefore they would have mercy on us, yet all this would
not serve, for still from time to time we were called upon to confess,
and about the space of three months, before they proceeded to their
severe Judgment, we were all racked, and some enforced to utter that
against themselves which afterwards cost them their lives.
And thus having gotten from our own mouths matter sufficient for them
to proceed in judgment against us, they caused a large scaffold to be
made in the midst of the market-place in Mexico, right over against the
head church, and fourteen or fifteen days before the day of their
judgment, with the sound of a trumpet, and the noise of their
attabalies, which are a kind of drums, they did assemble the people in
all parts of the city, before whom it was then solemnly proclaimed that
whosoever would upon such a day, repair to the marketplace, they should
hear the sentence of the Holy Inquisition against the English heretic
Lutherans, and also see the same put in execution. Which being done,
and the time approaching of this cruel judgment, the night before they
came to the prison where we were, with certain officers of that holy
hellish house, bringing with them certain fools' coats which they had
prepared for us, being called in their language St. Benitos, which
coats were made of yellow cotton and red crosses upon them, both before
and behind; they were so busied in putting on their coats about us and
in bringing us out into a large yard, and placing and pointing us in
what order we should go to the scaffold or place of judgment upon the
morrow, that they did not once suffer us to sleep all that night long.
The next morning being come, there was given to every one of us for our
breakfast, a cup of wine, and a slice of bread fried in honey, and so
about eight of the clock in the morning, we set forth of the prison,
every man alone in his yellow coat and a rope about his neck, and a
great green wax candle in his hand unlighted, having a Spaniard
appointed to go upon either side of every one of us; and so marching in
this order and manner towards the scaffold in the market-place, which
was a bow-shot distant or thereabouts, we found a great assembly of
people all the way, and such throng, that certain of the Inquisitors'
officers on horseback were constrained to make way, and so coming to
the scaffold we went up by a pair of stairs, and found seats ready made
and prepared for us to sit down on, every man in order as he should be
called to receive his judgment. We being thus set down as we were
appointed, presently the Inquisitors came up another pair of stairs,
and the Viceroy and all the chief justices with them. When they were
set down and placed under the cloth of estate agreeing to their degrees
and calling, then came up also a great number of friars, white, black,
and grey, about the number of 300 persons, they being set in the places
for them appointed. Then was there a solemn Oyes made, and silence
commanded, and then presently began their severe and cruel judgment.
The first man that was called was one Roger, the chief armourer of the
Jesus, and he had judgment to have 300 stripes on horseback, and after
condemned to the galleys as a slave for ten years.
After him was called John Gray, John Browne, John Rider, John Moone,
James Collier, and one Thomas Browne. These were adjudged to have 200
stripes on horseback, and after to be committed to the galleys for the
space of eight years.
Then was called John Keies, and was adjudged to have 100 stripes on
horseback, and condemned to serve in the galleys for the space of six
years.
Then were severally called the number of fifty-three, one after
another, and every man had his several judgment, some to have 200
stripes on horseback and some 100, and some condemned for slaves to the
galleys, some for six years, some for eight, and some for ten.
And then was I, Miles Phillips, called, and was adjudged to serve in a
monastery for five years, without any stripes, and to wear a fool's
coat or San Benito, during all that time.
Then were called John Storie, Richard Williams, David Alexander, Robert
Cooke, and Horsewell, and Thomas Hull. These six were condemned to
serve in monasteries without stripes, some for three years, and some
for four, and to wear the San Benito during all the said time. Which
being done, and it now drawing towards night, George Rivelie, Peter
Momfrie, and Cornelius the Irishman were called, and had their judgment
to be burnt to ashes, and so were presently sent away to the place of
execution in the market-place, but a little from the scaffold, where
they were quickly burnt and consumed. And as for us that had received
our judgment, being sixty-eight in number, we were carried back that
night to prison again, and the next day in the morning, being Good
Friday, the year of our Lord, 1575, we were all brought into a court of
the Inquisitors' Palace, where we found a horse in readiness for every
one of our men which were condemned to have stripes, and to be
committed to the galleys, which were in number sixty, and so they,
being enforced to mount up on horseback, naked, from the middle upward,
were carried to be showed as a spectacle for all the people to behold
throughout the chief and principal streets of the city, and had the
number of stripes to every one of them appointed, most cruelly laid
upon their naked bodies with long whips, by sundry men appointed to be
the executioners thereof, and before our men there went a couple of
criers, which cried as they went, "Behold these English dogs,
Lutherans, enemies to God," and all the way as they went, there were
some of the Inquisitors themselves, and of the familiars of that
rake-hell order, that cried to the executioners, "Strike, lay on those
English heretics, Lutherans, God's enemies;" and so this horrible
spectacle being showed round about the city, and they returned to the
Inquisitors' House, with their backs all gore blood and swollen with
great bumps. They were then taken from their horses and carried again
to prison, where they remained until they were sent into Spain to the
galleys, there to receive the rest of their martyrdom; and I, and the
six other with me, which had judgment and were condemned among the rest
to serve an apprenticeship in the monasteries, were taken presently and
sent to certain religious houses appointed for the purpose.