1,133 Matching Annotations
  1. Sep 2015
    1. And yet all this could not suppress ye breaking out of sundrie notorious sins, (as this year, besids other, gives us too many sad presidents and instances,) espetially drunkennes and unclainnes; not only incontinencie betweene persons unmaried, for which many both men & women have been punished sharply enough, but some maried persons allso. But that which is worse, even sodomie and bugerie, (things fearfull to name,) have broak forth in this land, oftener then once.

      things are getting out of hand...maybe the people have too much freedom?

    1. others rane into their howses, & brought out fire, and sett them on fire, which soone tooke in their matts, &, standing close togeather, with ye wind, all was quickly on a flame, and therby more were burnte to death then was otherwise slain;

      yikes...

    2. as that ye English were stranegers and begane to overspred their countrie, and would deprive them therof in time, if they were suffered to grow & increse; and if ye Narigansets did assist ye English to subdue them, they did but make way for their owne overthrow, for if they were rooted out, the English would soone take occasion to subjugate them

      good luck trying to stop the invasion of the Europeans...it's just the beginning

    1. So, to be short, they first resolved joyntly to write to him, and in a freindly & neigborly way to admonish him to forbear these courses, & sent a messenger with their letters to bring his answer.

      tried talking to Morton first, before fighting with him

    2. Oh! that princes & parlements would take some timly order to prevente this mischeefe, and at length to suppress it, by some exemplerie punishmente upon some of these gaine thirstie murderers, (for they deserve no better title,) before their collonies in these parts be over throwne by these barbarous savages, thus armed with their owne weapons, by these evill instruments, and traytors to their neigbors and cuntrie.

      he's really mad about this!

    3. Therfore I would [285]advise you to thruste out this Levetenant Fitcher; and I, having a parte in the plantation, will receive you as my partners and consociats; so may you be free from service, and we will converse, trad, plante, & live togeather as equalls, & supporte & protecte one another, or to like effecte.

      planning to overthrow the Lieutenant and have a more democratic society

    1. became servants to ye Indeans, and would cutt them woode & fetch them water, for a cap full of corne; others fell to plaine stealing, both night & day, from ye Indeans, of which they greevosly complained. In ye end, they came to that misery, that some starved & dyed with could & hunger

      they're becoming very desperate!

    1. ther was but 6. or 7. sound persons, who, to their great comendations be it spoken, spared no pains, night nor day, but with abundance of toyle and hazard of their owne health, fetched them woode, made them fires, drest them meat, made their beads, washed their lothsome cloaths, cloathed & uncloathed them

      just 6 or 7 people took care of everyone else?!

    2. covenant & combine our selves togeather into a civill body politick, for our better ordering & preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof to enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall lawes, ordinances, acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete & convenient for ye generall good of ye Coloni

      sounds like an early version of democracy

    1. , and they that know ye winters of yt cuntrie know them to be sharp & violent, & subjecte to cruell & feirce stormes, deangerous to travill to known places, much more to serch an unknown coast.

      they picked the wrong season to come to New England!

    2. ther was a great iron scrue ye passengers brought out of Holland, which would raise ye beame into his place; ye which being done, the carpenter & mr. affirmed that with a post put under it, set firme in ye lower deck, & otherways bounde, he would make it sufficiente.

      they were able to fix it well enough to continue on. turning back would cost them too much money

    3. to consider in time of ye danger; and rather to returne then to cast them selves into a [92]desperate & inevitable perill. And truly ther was great distraction & differance of opinion amongst ye mariners them selves

      the people in charge of the ship debated whether to turn around or continue on their voyage with the damaged ship

    4. which ye shipe was shroudly shaken, and her upper works made very leakie; and one of the maine beames in ye midd ships was bowed & craked, which put them in some fear that ye shipe could not be able to performe ye vioage. So some of ye cheefe of ye company, perceiveing ye mariners to feare ye suffisiencie of ye shipe

      I can't help but think they have no time to make any sort of plan. All of these distractions are just too much to handle.

    5. These troubls being blowne over, and now all being compacte togeather in one shipe,[AE] they put to sea againe with a prosperus winde, which continued diverce days togeather, which was some incouragmente unto them;

      He seems more concerned about the opposing personalities colliding, rather than the journey itself. Some phrases that stood out for me were "diverse days together" and "compacted".

    1. I asked him how it was that he had gone crazy too-being an Indian who spoke our language, was so intelligent, and had lived all his life in the villa among the Spaniards, where I had placed such confidence in him-and was now coming as a leader of the Indian rebels.

      "I've been so good to you, why are you doing this to me?!?"

    2. I sent some soldiers to summon him and tell him on my behalf that he could come to see me in entire safety, so that I might ascertain from him the purpose for which they were coming.

      why would they ever tell you their reasons when they are getting ready to attack? they clearly don't want to talk it out.

    3. The first messenger was killed and the others did not pass beyond Santo Domingo, because of their having encountered on the road the certain notice of the deaths of the religious who were in that convent, and of the alcalde mayor, some other guards, and six more Spaniards whom they captured on that road.

      damn...the Spanish are out of their league

    4. To this was added a certain degree of negligence by reason of the report of the uprising not having been given entire credence, as is apparent from the ease with which they captured and killed both those who were escorting some of the religious, as well as some citizens in their houses

      the threat of revolt wasn't taken seriously by the Spanish, so they were caught off-guard

    1. told the people that they had much more power than all their chiefs and a whole lot more power than the witches. The people were very much afraid of them, particularly if they had much more power than the witches. They were so scared that they could do nothing but allow themselves to be made slaves.

      the Natives think the Spanish are mythical beings b/c they used fear tactics to scare the Natives into thinking that they were all-powerful

    2. The people of Shung-opovi were at first afraid of the priests but later they decided he was really the Bahana, the savior, and let him build a mission at Shung-opovi.

      They misunderstood who/what the priest was...which I'm guessing led to their unwanted conversion to Catholicism?

    1. caused their interpreter to tell the Indians that we were of them, and for a long time we had been lost; that they were the lords of the land who must be obeyed and served, while we were persons of mean condition and small force. The Indians cared little or nothing for what was told them; and conversing among themselves said the Christians lied : that we had come whence the sun rises, and they whence it goes down : we healed the sick, they killed the sound ; that we had come naked and barefooted, while they had arrived in clothing and on horses with lances; that we were not covetous of anything, but all that was given to us, we directly turned to give, remaining with nothing; that the others had the only purpose to rob whomsoever they found, bestow- ing nothing on any one... Even to the last, I could not convince the Indians that we were of the Christians...

      One of the most famous passages in CDV. What do you think of it?

    1. The children are suckled until the age of twelve years, when they are old enough to get sup- port for themselves.

      wow...12 is when a child can finally feed themselves in this culture? that's a long time to be dependent...especially considering that the life expectancy probably wasn't that high

    1. sat down among us, and from the sorrow and pity they felt, they all began to lament so earnestly that they might have been heard at a dis- tance, and continued so doing more than half an hour.

      they feel this loss so deeply, even though it is not their own. and yet, they are "barbarians"

    2. in a plight so different from what it was before, and so extraordinary, they were alarmed and turned back.

      Interesting, you'd think that seeing them in need would give them all the more reason to want to help

    1. He answered that it was no longer a time in which one should com- mand another] but that each should do what he thought best to save his own life ; that he so intended to act; and saying this, he departed with his boat...

      Every man for himself....seems like a fateful decision, but props to de Vaca for always trying to keep the group together...

    1. we knew not how to construct, nor were there tools, nor iron, nor forge, nor tow, nor resin, nor rigging; finally, no one thing of so many that are necessary, nor any man who had a knowledge of their manufacture; and, above all, there -was nothing to eat, while building, for those who should labor...

      soo....they've got nothing.

    2. that of the persons mounted, the greater part commenced secretly to plot, hoping to secure a better fate for themselves by abandoning the Governor and the sick, who were in a state of weak- ness and prostration.

      survival of the fittest! abandon the weak!

    1. the people beyond were less numerous and poorer, the land little occupied, and the inhabitants much scattered ; that thenceforward were great lakes, dense forests, immense deserts and solitudes

      how could he have possibly gathered all this info from the Natives? did they speak his language?

    1. and for some persons difficult to believe, nevertheless they may without hesitation credit me as strictly faithful. Better than to exaggerate, I have lessened in all things, and it is sufficient to say the relation is offered to your Majesty for truth.

      he's telling the truth, okay?!?

    2. but coming in the providence of God and solely by His will.

      Claiming that sometimes have good fortune simply because God willed it. Interesting. I wonder if he is going to attribute his own success or failure to God's will.