Ch. 6. encomien das. 340 Opposite Chances for "the Land of War." B. XV. different names to three or four different persons; and there were people to whom he gave rocks Alvarado's and mountains and rivers in repartimiento." Now, it must be admitted, that ill-regulated tyranny is the worst of tyrannies; and that the distribution of lands and their inhabitants in this fashion by these very rude geographers, the early conquerors (lands, too, as yet unconquered), was sure to lead to the utmost confusion, cruelty, and disappointment. The accuracy of our Norman Doomsday-Book was a protection to the conquered as well as a satisfaction to the conquerors. On one side, therefore, there was for the Indians of Tuzulutlan the fate, that sooner or later would befal them, of being conquered by Alvarado or some of his captains, and given away in his spendthrift fashion, like a gamester's gains; on the other, the chance of being converted to Christianity without the usual mode of bloodimpending shed, and of acquiring peaceful arts from wise and Fate over Tuzulutlan. learned men. But who knows his friends? And, moreover, friendly things and people often come in such a guise, and with such accompaniments, that they can hardly be recognized by any but the most discerning eyes. Nor is it always that friends have the tact to present themselves as friends, thinking that the mere intention of DE *"Daba á uno una provincia, sierras í rios por repartimientos." í repartia todos los pueblos í-A SU MAGESTAD-El ADEestancias dellos á otros; í á otro LANTADO D. FRANCISCO daba un pueblo por tres ó quatro MONTEJO. 1o Junio, 1539. nombres á tres í á quatro per- Coleccion de Muñoz, MS., tom. sonas, é á otros daba peñas í 81. Preparations by the Dominicans. 341 friendship is sufficient, and that it will explain B. XV. itself. The Dominican monks of Guatemala did Ch. 6. not fall into this error, and it will be a pleasure to recount their proceedings instinct with the wisdom of the serpent, as well as the harmlessness of the dove. prepare for prize in of War." doctrines After the manner of pious men of those times, Las Casas and his monks did not fail to commence The their undertaking by having recourse to the most Dominicans fervent prayers, severe fasts, and other mortifica- their entertions. These lasted several days. They then "the Land turned to the secular part of their enterprize, using all the skill that the most accomplished statesmen, or men of the world, could have brought to bear upon it. The first thing they did, was to translate into verse, in the Quiché language, the great doctrines of the Church. In Christian these verses they described the Creation of the expressed World, the Fall of Man, his banishment from Paradise, and the mediation prepared for him; then the life of Christ, His passion, His death, His resurrection, His ascension; then His future return to judge all men, the punishment of the wicked and the reward of the good. They divided the work, which was very extensive,* into coplas, after the Castillian fashion.† We might well wish, for many reasons, that this laudable work remained to us, but I am not aware of there being any traces of its existence. *"Congran cuydado enseñaron + See BOUTERWEK's History los Padres á estos quatro Indios, of Spanish Literature, vol. 1, que eran Christianos, las coplas p. 108; and TICKNOR, History ó versos que avian compuesto."- of Spanish Literature, vol. 1, REMESAL, Hist., lib. 3, cap. 11. | pp. 371-2. in Quiché verse. 342 They teach some Indian Merchants. B. XV. Dominicans merchants, The good fathers then began to study how they should introduce their poem to the notice of The the Indians of Tuzulutlan; and, availing themattach some selves of a happy thought for this purpose, they Indian called to their aid four Indian merchants, who were in the habit of going with merchandize, several times a year, into this province called "the Land of War." The monks, with great care, taught these four men to repeat the couplets And teach which they had composed. The pupils entered them the Quiché verses. entirely into the views of their instructors. Indeed, they took such pains in learning their lessons, and (with the fine sense for musical intonation which the Indians generally possessed) repeated these verses so well, that there was nothing left to desire. The composition and the teaching occupied three months, and was not completed until the middle of August, 1537. Las Casas communicated his intended undertaking to Domingo de Betanzos, now the head of the Dominican Order in New Spain, who was delighted to give his sanction and his blessing to the good work. The monks and the merchants, however, were not satisfied until they had brought their labours to much greater perfection, until, indeed, they had The poetry set these verses to music, so that they might be accompanied by the Indian instruments; taking care, however, to give the voice parts a higher place in the scale than that of the deep-toned instruments of the natives.* No doubt, this is set to music. * "Es de saber que no solo se contentaron con esto, sino que se las pusieron en tono y armonía música al son de los instrumentos que los Indios usan, acompañándolos con un tono vivo y atiplado The Merchants start for "the Land of War." 343 Ch. 6. music was a great improvement upon anything B. XV. the Indians had ever heard in the way of sweet sounds. The enterprize was now ready to be carried into action,-to be transplanted from the schools into the world. It was resolved that the merchants should commence their journey into "the Land of War," carrying with them not only their own merchandize, but being furnished by Las Casas with the usual small wares to please aborigines, such as scissors, knives, looking-glasses, and bells. The pupils and the teachers parted, the merchants making their accustomed journey into the territories of Quiché and Zacapula, their destination being a certain pueblo of a great cacique of those parts, a wise and warlike chief, who had many powerful alliances. para deleytar mas el oydo, por ser muy baxos y roncos los instrumentos músicos de que usan los Indios."-REMESAL, Hist. de Chiapa y Guatemala, lib. 3, cap. 15. *This must, I think, have been the Chief of Atitlan, for though, in Remesal's narrative he is never named directly, yet as he was baptized as Juan, and CHAPTER VII. B. XV. Ch. 7. LAS CASAS SUCCEEDS IN CONVERTING BY PEACEABLE MEANS THE LAND OF WAR"-HE IS SENT TO SPAIN, AND DETAINED THERE. BEH EHIND all ostensible efforts of much novelty and magnitude what silent longings and unutterable expectations lie unnoticed or concealed! In the crowded theatre, or the cold, impatient senate, the voice that is raised for the first time-perhaps for ever afterwards to command an absolute attention,-trembles with all the sensibility of genius, while great thoughts and vast aspirations, hurrying together in the agitated mind, obstruct and confuse the utterance. We pity, with an intense sympathy, the struggles of one who is about to be famous. Meanwhile, perhaps, in some dark corner or obscure passage, is the agonized and heart-sick mother, who can hardly think, or hope, or pray,convinced, as far as she is conscious of anything, that her child ought to succeed, and must succeed, but suffering all the timid anxiety that mature years will ever bring, and with the keenest appreciation of every difficulty and drawback that can prevent success. It is a bold figure to illustrate the feelings of a monk by those of a mother; but it may be |