A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies

A farther Discourse of New Spain: And some Account of Panuco and Xalisco.
After the perpetration of all the Cruelties rehearsed in New Spain and other places,
there came another Rabid and Cruel Tyrant to Panuco, who acted the part of a bloody
Tragedian as well as the rest, and sent away many Ships loaden with these Barbarians
to be sold for Slaves, made this Province almost a Wilderness, and which was
deplorable, Eight Hundred Indians, that had Rational Souls were given in Exchange
for a Burthen-bearing-Beast, a Mule, or Camel. Well, He was made Governour of the
City of Mexico, and all New Spain, and with him many other Tyrants had the Office of
Auditors confer'd upon them: Now they had already made such a progress toward the
Desolation of this Region, that if the Franciscans had not vigorously opposed them,
and that by (the King's Council, the best and greatest Encourager of Vertue) it had not
speedily bin prevented, that which hapned to Hispaniola in Two Years, had bin the
Fate of Hispania nova, namely to be unpeopled, deferred, and intomb'd in its own
Rules. A Companion of this Governour employed Eight Thousand Indians in Erecting a
wall to inclose his Garden, but they all dyed, having no Supplies, nor Wages from him,
to support themselves, at whose Death he was not in the least concern'd.
After the first Captain before spoken of had absolutely profliaged and ruin'd the
Panuconians, Fifteen Thousand whereof perished by carrying their Bag and Baggage:
At length he arriv'd at the Province of Machuacan, which is Forty Miles Journey from
Mexico, and as Fertile and Populous: The King to honour him in the Rencounter, with
a Multiple of People, marcheth toward him, from whom he had received One Thousand
Services and Civilities very considerable, who gratefully requited him with Captivity,
because Fame had nois'd it abroad, that he was a most Opulent Prince in Gold and
Silver; and to the end he might export from, and purge him of his Gold, he was
cruciated with Torments after this manner; his Body was extended, Hands bound to a
Post, and his Feet put into a pair of Stocks, they all the while applying burning Coals
to his Feet at a tormenting distance, where a Boy attended, who by little and little
sprinkled them with Oyl, that his Flesh might roast the better: Before him there stood
a Wicked Fellow, presenting a Bow to his Breast charged with a Mortal Arrow, (if let
fly) behind him, another with Dogs held in with Chains, which he threatned to let
loose at him, which if done, he had bin torn to pieces in a moment; and with these
kind of Torments they racked him to extort a Confession, where his Treasures lay; till
a Franciscan Monk came and deliver'd him from his Torments, but not from Death, for
he departed this miserable Life not long after: And this was the severe Fate of many
Cacics and Indian Lords, who dyed with the same Torments which they were expos'd
to by the Spaniards, in order to the engrossing of their Gold and Sliver to themselves.
At this very time, A certain Visiter of Purses rather than Souls hapned to be here
present, who (finding some Indian Idols which were hid; for they were no better
instructed in the Knowledge of the true God by reason of the Wicked Documents and
Dealings of the Spaniards) detain'd Grandees as Slaves, till they had deliver'd him all
their Idols, for he phancied they were made of Gold or Silver, but his Expectation