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Jesus Maria
Lord Governor, who is here in place of the King, we come to Your Grace to speak. Having mercy upon us, we beseech him that he may hear us.
The Lord Benito Ruíz, who came in place of the King, said this to me. "Lend me a piece of land. Being in this place, I will help you and you will help me. I will make the people, who have gone from here to Apalachee, return here." But he did not comply. Also, he said to me that when the ship from Spain came here, this place of Asile would be mine. Also, he said to me that all the time he will be in San Agustín, I would be assisted with axes and hoes, and throughout all the years he would give me garments for me to clothe myself. I have been serving and obeying him, but he did not comply with this. To Your Grace, who is in place of the King, I humbly say this. You will know, Your Grace, that when the Captain Agustín Pérez came, he said to me that the people that the Lord Governor had spoken of shall gather. I said to him that I did not have anything to give them to eat, that nothing was being offered that they would gather or not, and that if they were to be runaways, the fault would be mine and not his. The Captain Agustín Pérez responded that the Lord Governor said he wanted that the place of Asile be the place, that if he did not want, that he would not be saying this to me. I said yes, at the right time. But this I said alone. "This belongs to my brothers, and nephews, me, and the olatas and principal men; without all of us being gathered, I cannot do anything." This would be known, Your Grace. It will also be known, Your Grace, that the Captain Agustín Pérez asked me to give him a piece of land. I, understanding that he said this by the land of San Luis, told him yes, that under no circumstances would this be sold nor delivered, but only lent; Sir, you will know this, Your Grace.
Your Grace will know that the time that we served the Captain Agustín Pérez had been three years, and one for Francisco Galindo, which makes four. We who labored were not one nor two, but all the men and women, boys and girls, and what we got from all this labor had been exhaustion and nothing else. They said that the hoes we used to dig with would be given to us. I asked Francisco Galindo about them and he said yes. And the Lord Governor said that yes, they are ours. Now they are taking them from us. I do not know what this is, in all the years we served the King, and we get nothing more than sweat and work. Your Grace will know this, Sir.
When the son of the Lord Governor, Don Luis, came here, he said to me to sell a piece of land, that the Lord Governor said so. I replied that even though what I wanted was given, I would not give it. It was also said to me that the cattle would be made to go to the sea. I replied, under no circumstances, because the food that would be there, such as acorns and palm fruits, would be eaten and left to spoil. He returned to me to ask if there was another empty piece of land. I said no, that even if there would be, I would not give it. He returned to say to me that yes, he was saying that in the north, there would be made a place where the cattle would be. I responded that yes, about four leagues further: from a faraway place, yes. And I said this, irritated, fearing that His Grace would be irritated. And this was lent. For this, I implore that I be pardoned, Your Grace. The inhabitants of this place have given me a piece of land to sow in. For the love of God, Your Grace, pardon me and hear me. The olatas in this place are us five. One has ten inhabitants, another twelve, another ten, another eight. The people in this place are very few, and all labor without anything given to us. We gain nothing but labor and exhaustion. They say that in this manner, they do not want to labor without any reward, and neither do I want that they work for nothing. Sir, this is what the Lord Governor had said to me. "Lend me the land; afterward, leaving the government, it will be returned to you." This was said to me, but now, they say to me that it is all the land of the King. If I were in Apalachee, where there are many people that would serve him, I would serve him too, if he were far away. Always do we serve His Grace, the law of God, and what the King commands. We would not abandon it. For the love of God, Your Grace, who is principal man and is in place of the King, I humbly request that I be pardoned this land which God has given me, even though it is bad. Fearing that Your Grace would be irritated, that to not offend him, it was lent, and under no circumstances was it sold. Your Grace would know this. Sir, I humbly pray that you hear me. God give Your Majesty good health. I have health thanks to God. San Miguel de Asile. I, the Cacique Manuel, say this.
I certify, as the friar Alonso Escudero, guardian of the convent of Santa Cruz de Tari, that this copy of the letter agrees with the original written by the Cacique Manuel of Asile in his language, which was delivered to me for its translation by the sergeant-major Don Pedro Benedit Horuytiner, governor and captain general of these provinces. I did it well and faithfully to the best of my knowledge and understanding. And it is certain and true, in San Agustín de la Florida on the ninth of December of the year one thousand six hundred and fifty-one.
Fray Alonso Escudero.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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