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Page 9
Our general, who was observing all that, enlightened by the Holy
Spirit, said to us, "I intend to change these clothes for those of a
sailor, and take a Frenchman with me (one of those whom we had brought
with us from Spain), and we will go and talk with these Frenchmen.
Perhaps they are without supplies, and would be glad to surrender
without fighting." He had scarcely finished speaking before he put his
plan into execution. As soon as he had called to them, one of them
swam toward and spoke to him; told him of their having been
shipwrecked, and the distress they were in; that they had not eaten
bread for eight or ten days; and, what is more, stated that all, or at
least the greater part of them, were Lutherans. Immediately the
general sent him back to his countrymen, to say they must surrender,
and give up their arms, or he would put them all to death. A French
gentleman, who was a sergeant, brought back the reply that they would
surrender on condition their lives should be spared. After having
parleyed a long time, our brave captain-general answered "that he
would make no promises, that they must surrender unconditionally, and
lay down their arms, because, if he spared their lives, he wanted them
to be grateful for it, and, if they were put to death, that there
should be no cause for complaint." Seeing that there was nothing else
left for them to do, the sergeant returned to the camp; and soon after
he brought all their arms and flags, and gave them up to the general,
and surrendered unconditionally. Finding they were all Lutherans, the
captain-general ordered them all to be put to death; but, as I was a
priest, and had bowels of mercy, I begged him to grant me the favor of
sparing those whom we might find to be Christians. He granted it; and
I made investigations, and found ten or twelve of the men Roman
Catholics, whom we brought back. All the others were executed, because
they were Lutherans and enemies of our Holy Catholic faith. All this
took place on Saturday (St. Michael's Day), September 29, 1565.[3]
[1] Francisco Lopez de Mendoza was the chaplain of the expedition.
His account is printed in "Old South Leaflets."
[2] These ships, commanded by Ribault,--seven in number, with 500
men besides families of artizans on board,--had arrived at the
mouth of the St. John's River on August 29, 1565. The four left
outside, as seen by Menendez, were at the time disembarking their
passengers.
[3] When the French Government learned of this massacre, the event
did not arouse any particular interest. Indeed, the colony seems
not to have had any special protection from the home authorities.
Had the contrary been the case, it would have been easily possible
for the French to have built up a flourishing colony in America
nearly half a century before the English were ever established in
the new world.
SIR WALTER RALEIGH'S VIRGINIA COLONIES
(1584-1587)
I
THE ACCOUNT BY JOHN A. DOYLE[1]
The task in which Gilbert[2] had failed was to be undertaken by one
better qualified to carry it out. If any Englishman in that age seemed
to be marked out as the founder of a colonial empire, it was Raleigh.
Like Gilbert, he had studied books; like Drake, he could rule men. The
pupil of Coligny, the friend of Spenser, traveler-soldier, scholar,
courtier, statesman, Raleigh with all his varied graces and powers
rises before us, the type and personification of the age in which he
lived. The associations of his youth, and the training of his early
manhood, fitted him to sympathize with the aims of his half-brother
Gilbert, and there is little reason to doubt that Raleigh had a share
in his undertaking and his failure.
In 1584 he obtained a patent precisely similar to Gilbert's. His first
step showed the thoughtful and well-planned system on which he began
his task. Two ships were sent out, not with any idea of settlement,
but to examine and report upon the country. Their commanders were
Arthur Barlow and Philip Amidas. To the former we owe the extant
record of the voyage: the name of the latter would suggest that he was
a foreigner. Whether by chance or design, they took a more southerly
course than any of their predecessors....
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