Jews in America, Document
The Relation of Master ANTONIE MONTERINOS, tranſlated out of the French Copie ſent by MANASEH BEN ISRAEL.
THE eighteenth day of Elul, in the yeere five Elul is the firſt monethmonth of the Jewiſh yeere anſwering to our Auguſt and to ſome part of September.thouſand foure hundred and foure from the creation of the World, came into this City of Amſterdam Mr Aron Levi, alias, Antonie Monterinos, and declared before me Manaſſah Ben Iſraell, and divers other chiefe men of the Portugall Nation, neer to the ſaid City that which followeth.
About two yeeres and an halfe agoe, the ſaid Monterinos going from the port of Honda in the Weſt Indies, to go to the Government of Papian in the Province of Quito, did hire ſome Mules of a certaine Indian Myſtique, called Francis du Chaſteau, in which company, together with other Indians, went a certaine owner of Mules who was alſo called Francis, whom all the Indians named Cacique, to whom it fell out, paſſing over the mountaine Cordecilla, in a day of great winde and raine, that their carriages fell to the ground, whereat the Indians being grieved, as alſo at the evill weather, they begin to complaine of their ill fortune, ſaying that they deſerved all that, and more alſo for their ſinnes, which the ſaid Francis hearing anſwered, that they ſhould have patience, that ſhortly they ſhould have reſt; whereunto they anſwered that they deſerved it not, having uſed the holy people ſo ill, and the moſt noble of all the Nations in the world; but contrariwiſe that all the cruelties which the Spaniards had uſed againſt them did befall unto them for the expiating of that ſin; after they were gone a little while, they ſtopt upon the Mountaine to reſt, and paſſe the night ſeaſon, at which time the ſoreſaid Monterinos did take out of a box ſome few biskets, ſome cheeſe and ſweet-meates, and offered ſome to the ſoreſaid Francis, ſaying to him, take this though thou doſt ſpeake evill of the Spaniards, whereunto hee anſwered, that he had not told the halfe of the hard uſage which they received from that cruell and inhumane Nation; but that after a ſhort ſpace they ſhould ſee themſelves avenged upon them by a hidden Nation: after theſe diſcourſes between them, Mr Monterinos arrived at the Town of Cartagena in the Indies, where he was taken by the Inquiſition and put in priſon; one day praying unto God, hee uttered theſe words, Bleſſed be the name of Adonay, that hee hath not made me an Idolater, a Barbarian, an Ethiopian, nor an Indian; and pronouncing the name of Indian hee reproved himſelfe, ſaying the Hebrewes are Indians; and then comming againe to himſelfe ſaid, am not I a ſoole, how can it bee that the Hebrewes ſhould be Indians? the ſame fell out the ſecond and third day, making the ſame prayer and giving the ſame thankes unto God, whence hee gathered that that fancie did not come to him by meere chance, remembring alſo that which paſſed between him and the aforeſaid Indian; ſo that hee tooke an oath hee would ſo informe himſelfe of the whole matter, that hee ſhould know the truth, and that comming out of priſon hee ſhould inſtantly ſeeke the Indian, and would bring to his minde the diſcourſe which they had together, to obtaine by that meanes the ſatisfaction of his deſires. Being then come out of priſon by the goodneſſe of God, he went to the forenamed Port of Honda, where hee had ſo much good lucke that hee found inſtantly the foreſaid Indian, to whom he made his application, and brought into his memory the diſcourſe which they had upon the Mountaine, whereunto he anſwered that he had not forgotten it, which Monterinos hearing, ſaid that he would goe a journey with him, to which hee anſwered that hee was ready to doe him ſervice: So the ſaid Monterinos gave him three Pataques to buy ſome proviſion; whiles then they followed their journey and talked together, the ſaid Monterinos at laſt diſcovered himſelfe unto the ſaid Indian, and told him in theſe words, I am an Hebrew of the tribe of Levi, my God is Adonay, and all the reſt are nothing but miſtakes and deceites; whereat the Indian being ſomewhat ſurprized, did aske him the name of his predeceſſors, whereunto hee did anſwer that they were called Abraham, Iſaac, Iacob and Iſrael, which the Indian hearing, did aske of him whether hee had none other Father, hee ſaid yea, and that hee was called Lodwick of Monterinos; but the Indian being not well ſatisfied as yet, ſaid theſe words unto him, on the one ſide I did rejoyce at that which thou haſt ſaid unto me, and on the other I am reſolving to disbelieve thee, becauſe thou canſt not tell mee who were thy Fathers, whereunto the ſaid Monterinos anſwered with an oath, that the thing which hee ſaid was truth, having ſpent ſome time in queſtions and anſwers, and the Indian being wearied at the matter ſaid to him, art thou not the ſonne of Iſraell, to which he anſwered, yea, which the Indian having heard ſaid, make an end then of thy ſpeech, for certainly thou didſt put me in ſuch a confuſion that I would have been perplexed at it all my life time; nevertheles let us reſt a little and drinke, and then follow on our diſcourſe. After a little ſpace, the Indian ſaid unto him, if thou haſt the courage and boldneſſe to follow me, thou ſhalt know all what thou deſireſt, but I tell thee before hand thou muſt go a foot and eate roaſted Mayz, and do that which I ſhall bid thee; the ſaid Monterinos anſwered, that hee would not at all tranſgreſſe his orders; the day following which was Monday, the Indian came to the ſaid Monterinos, and bid him take out all that which he had in his pockets, put on his Alpergatas (theſe are a certaine ſort of ſhooes which the Indians weare) and take this ſtaffe and follow him, which the ſaid Monterinos did, leaving his cloake and his ſword and all what hee had, and ſo they followed on their way, the Indian carrying on his backe three meaſures of roaſted Mayz, two ropes, the one made with knots and an hooke with two teeth to climbe up by the Mountaine, and the other untied, to be made uſe of in the Marſhes and paſſages of Rivers; with a little Axe and the Alpergatas; they went then after this manner the whole weeke till Saturday on which they reſted, and returned to follow their courſe the whole Sunday and Monday; on Thurſday about eight of the clocke they came to a River as broad as the Duero in Spaine, and the Indian ſaid unto him thou ſhalt here ſee thy Brethren, and making a flag of two peeces of Cotten cloath which were their girdles, made a ſigne, after which they ſaw a great ſmoake, and in a moment afterward the ſame ſigne with another flagge; and it was not long after that they ſaw in a Boat comming to them three men and one woman, which being arrived to the banke of the River, the woman leapt a ſhoare, and the men tarried in the Boate, which after a long diſcourſe which ſhee had with the Indian, which the ſaid Monterinos could not at all underſtand, went back to the Boate, and told the three men all that ſhee had heard of the Indian, which came inſtantly out of the Boate (having alwaies lookt with attention upon him, viz. the ſaid Monterinos) and did embrace him, and the woman did the like; after this one of the three men went backe againe to the Boate, and the other two together with the woman did ſtay there; which comming neer unto the Indian hee did proſtrate himſelfe at their feete, and they received him with demonſtrations of civility and affection, and begun to talke with him; after a little while the Indian ſaid to Mr Monterinos, be not amazed, and doe not believe that theſe men will tell thee a ſecond thing, before thou haſt well underſtood the firſt; the two men inſtantly put him between them, and told him the verſe following in Hebrew out of Deut. Chap. 6. verſ. 4. Semah Iſrael Adonay Elohim Adonay Ehad, Heare O Iſrael the Lord our God is one Lord; and hee informing himſelfe of every thing by the Indian Interpreter, and learning to ſay it in the Spaniſh tongue, the two men told him that which followeth, putting a little ſpace of time between one ſentence and another.
1. My Fathers are called Abraham, Iſaac, Iacob and Iſrael, and they named them all foure with three fingers, and then they added Reuben, making a ſign with foure fingers.
2. All ſuch as will come and dwell with us we will give them lands.
3. Ioſeph dwells in the mids of the ſea, making a ſigne with two fingers ſhut, and afterwards dividing the ſame into two parts.
4. Wee ſhall all one day ſpeake together, uttering with the mouth ba, ba, ba, and ſhall come forth as the earth had brought us forth.
5. Wee ſhall goe out from hence ſhortly (ſpeaking haſtily) ſome of us to looke out, and to make water, and ſaying theſe words, they winked with their eies and thruſt their feet to the ground.
6. A Meſſenger ſhall go.
7. Francis ſhall ſay ſomewhat more, making a ſigne with the fingers, that it would be a little.
8. Give us time to make our ſelves ready, and ſhaking their hand on all ſides, ſaid with their mouth, and with their hands, ſtay not long.
9. Send 12 men, making a ſigne that all ſhall have beards and be able to write.
Theſe diſcourſes being all ended, which laſted all that day, they came backe and told him the ſame Wedneſday and Thurſday, not adding a word more thereunto. And Monterinos being wearied, that they anſwered him nothing to that which hee asked, and that they would not permit him to paſſe the River, did draw neere the Boate in a diſſembling way, and would have caſt himſelfe therein to goe to the other ſide, but they thruſt her from the ſhoare with a ſtaffe, and the ſaid Monterinos falling into the water hee was in danger of being drowned, becauſe he could not ſwimme; the men caſt themſelves ſuddenly into the water, and drew him out, and ſhewing themſelves angry, ſaid unto him, doe not think that thou wilt bring to paſſe thy purpoſe by force; which the Indian declared unto him, and they ſhewed unto him by ſignes and words.
Notice is to be taken that the Boat for the ſpace of thoſe three daies did not at all ſtay in one place, but four men went and foure other came, which all of them ſaid the ſame nine things which we have mentioned, being all the men who during that time came to ſee him, about 300 more or leſſe.
Theſe men are ſomewhat burnt with the Sunne, ſome of them weare their haire to their knees, ſome others ſhorter, and others as wee uſe to weare it, faire bodies, good countenances, well made of foot and leg, with a linnen about their heads.
Moreover the ſaid Mr Monterinos declared, that going from that place on Thurſday at night with a great deale of proviſion which they brought to him, he tooke his leave of them, having been entertained by them, during the three daies which he ſtaied there; and having ſhewed him how they enjoyed all things which the Spaniards have in the Indies, aſwell of meates as of other things needfull for the life of man. Being come the ſame day to the place where they had lien the night before, Mr Monterinos ſaid to the Indian, Francis, thou doſt know that my Brethren ſaid unto me that thou ſhouldeſt tell me ſomething, therefore I pray thee tell it now to ſatisfie my deſire, whereunto the Indian ſaid, I ſhall tell thee what I know, if thou wilt not anger mee, and ſhall relate unto thee the truth ſo as I have heard it from my Anceſtors, but if thou doſt vex me (which I apprehend, perceiving thee to be ſo ſpeculatif) thou wilt oblige me to tell thee lies; ſo then I beſeech thee take onelyonly heed to what I ſhall ſay unto thee.
Thy Brethren the ſonnes of Iſrael were by divine providence brought into theſe Countrys, God doing many miracles for them, which thou wouldſt not believe, if I ſhould tell them to thee as I have heard them of my Fathers; Wee Indians went into thoſe Countries and made warre againſt them, and did uſe them worſe then the Spaniards doe us: Afterwards by the command of our Mohanes (theſe are their Sorcerers) wee went as Souldiers towards thoſe parts where thou haſt ſeen thy Brethren, to wage warre with them, and of all thoſe that entred there, not one came backe againe alive; wee made a great Armie, and entring into his lands, all fell downe dead, ſo that not one eſcaped; at laſt wee raiſed another Army, for the making of which the Countrey was diſpeopled wholly, ſo that none but old men, women and children remained therein, which came to an end as the former had done; which thoſe who remained alive, and were not gone to that warre perceiving, ſaid, that the Mohanes had deceived them and were the cauſe of the death of their Fathers, for which they deſerved to be put to death, having then killed many of them, thoſe that remained alive did intreat them to hearken to them, and they would diſcover to them all the truth of that which they knew, which having gotten leave, declared that which followeth.
The God of theſe ſonnes of Iſrael is the true God, all that is written in his ſtories is true, they ſhall be Lords of all the world in the latter end, a people ſhall come hither which will bring many things to you, and when the land ſhall be well provided, theſe ſonnes of Iſrael ſhall goe out of their habitations, and ſhall become Lords of all the earth as it was theirs before, if you will be happy joyne your ſelves to them. The Indian having made an end to relate the prediction of the Mohanes, followed on his diſcourſe after this manner, My Fathers were Caciques, and there are yet four of them. Theſe 5 Caciques then having heard what the Mohanes had foretold, as if they had been ſome of the Sages of the Hebrewes, came and tooke their habitation neere that place, to ſee if they could get acquaintance with ſome of thy Brethren. They ſatisfied their deſire after a long time by the interceſſion of an Indian woman: becauſe thy Brethren would never ſpeake to our Fathers, and he of us that went into their Lands, did fall downe dead, and none of thy Brethren did paſſe over to us; we therefore made a League with them, by the meanes of that woman, under theſe conditions. Firſt, that five men, ſonnes to five Caciques or their ſucceſſors, ſhould come to viſit them every ſeventy Moones, and that none ſhould come with them. Secondly, that the man to whom the ſecret was to be declared, ſhould be three hundred Moones old, and that nothing of this ſhould be revealed to him in a place inhabited, but only in the open field, and when it ſhould be revealed, that it ſhould be in the company of all the Caciques; thus then (ſaid the Indian) wee keepe this ſecreet amongſt us, for the great reward which wee hope, for the innumerable ſervices which wee have done to thy Brethren. Wee cannot go to ſee them, but from ſeventy to ſeventy Moones, if no new thing fall out; there hath not been any in my time except thy arrivall which they have ſo much deſired and waited for. I finde no more but three new things according to my reckoning; the firſt, the arrivall of the Spaniards in theſe Countries, the ſecond that Ships arrived in the South ſea, and the third is thy arrivall. Of all three they have greatly rejoyced, for they ſay that the Prophecies do come to paſſe.
Moreover the ſaid Monterinos declared, that afterward hee came to Honda, where the ſaid Indian did bring to him three Indian young men, not telling him their names, till hee told him that hee might ſpeake freely with them, ſeeing they were his companions, whith whom hee was in league, and that the other namely the fift was old, and for that cauſe was not able to come. The three Indians did imbrace him affectionately, and asked him of what Nation hee was; to whom hee anſwered, that hee was of the Hebrew Nation, of the Tribe of Levi; and then they imbraced him the ſecond time, and ſaid to him, Thou ſhalt ſee us one day, and ſhalt not know us, wee are thy Brethren by a ſpeciall favour which God hath ſhewed us, and having ſaluted him they went away: the Indian Francis bid him alſo farewell, and that hee went to ſpeak with his Brethren in the company of the other Caciques. As concerning this Countrey, wee have all the Indians at our command, and when wee ſhall have made an end of theſe cruell Spaniards, wee ſhall goe and draw you out of the ſlavery wherein you are, if it pleaſe God; which he will permit, becauſe his word cannot faile.
Finis. Laus Deo.
I Manaſſeh Ben Iſrael underwritten, beare w…tneſſe, that this preſent paper hath been coppied with the whole truth of the originall, and that the Author Monterinos is a vertous man, and ſeparate from all manner of worldly intereſts; and that hee ſwore in my preſence that all that which he declared was a truth.
MANASSEH BEN ISRAEL.
J. DVRY Received this at London, 27 of Novem. 1649.
The Reader is entreated with his pen to amend theſe miſtakes of the Preſſe.
IN the Epiſtle Dedicatory, remove the note at the bottome of the Margin in the third page of (b) to the ſecond line of the next page. Page 5. line 12. read Comeſtor. p. 16. l. 19. r. and uneaſie. p. 18. l. 3. r. è contra. p. 21. 1. Witekind in the margent. p. 21. l. 16. r. they were. p. 22. l. 23. r. Maternus. p. 24. l. 19. r. records indeed. p. 32. l. laſt. r. thou. p. 49. l. 28. r. Iſrael was. p. 50. l. 8. adde, ſhould ſo farre, and ſo ſuddenly degenerate. p. 6. l. 32. r. converting. p. 76. l. 31. r. for our, the. p. 80. l. 20. r. your charity. p. 93. l. 13. r. Leitourgy. and l. 15. r. pray that. p. 93. l. 15. r. holy Spirit. Our books tell us. p. 107. l. 30. r. too late. p. 118. l. 11. r. hujus. p. 113. p. 126. l. 4. r. 16, &c. p. 136. l. 12. r. their lands.
End of the text · Thomas Thorowgood, Jews in America (1650)