From Thomas Gage’s New Survey of the West-Indies (1648, 1677
edition used here), chapter 20, p. 379 ff .
Gage,
born into a Surrey recusant family c.1603, educated at St Omer and Valladolid, disowned
by his father when he became a Dominican rather than a Jesuit, travelled to the
Philippines in 1625, embarking by being hidden in barrel of dry biscuit (for
English friars were designated for missions to England). He was in various
parts of the Spanish New World until 1637; accruing plenty of money. On his
voyage home, pirates took £8,000 in coin and jewels off him. Finally back in
England, he converted to the Church of England 1642, and informed against
Catholic priests, sending three to the gallows. As the ODNB life says, his The English-American his Travail
by Sea and Land, or, A New Survey of the West Indias (1648)
was “the first book by an English writer—in fact, the first book not by a
Habsburg subject—portraying daily life in Spanish America”. He
died in 1656.
Gage
seems to have been very much in conflict about his church, his mission, and his
aims in life. His account of his travels is very vivid, whether describing
earthquakes or being infested with jiggers in the soles of your feet. But when
it came to a witchcraft matter, he sounds very much to have responded as a true
Dominican, in an inquisitorial fashion:
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In Pinola [Gage
acted as priest for two towns, Mixco and Pinola in Guatemala, c.1635] there were some who were much given to Witchcraft, and by
the power of the Devil did act strange things; amongst the rest there was one
old woman named Martha de Carillo, who
had been by some of the Town formerly accused for bewitching many; but the Spanish Justices quitted her, finding no sure
evidence against her; with this she grew worse and worse, and did much harm;
when I was there, two or three died, withering away, declaring at their death that this Carillo had killed them, and that they saw her often about their beds,
threatning them with a frowning and angry look.
The Indians for fear of her durst not complain
against her, nor meddle with her; whereupon I sent word unto Don Juan de Guzman the Lord of that Town, that if he took not order with
her, she would destroy his Town. He hearing of it, got for me a Commission from
the Bishop and another Officer of the Inquisition to make diligent and private
inquiry after her life and actions, which I did, and found among the Indians many and grievous complaints against
her, most of the Town affirming that certainly she was a notorious witch, and
that before her former accusation she was wont whithersoever she went about the
Town to go with a Duck following her, which when she came to
the Church would stay at the door till she came out again, and then would return
home with her, which Duck they imagined was her beloved Devil and familiar
Spirit, for that they had often set dogs at her and they would not meddle with
her, but rather run away from her. This Duck never appeared more with her, since she was formerly accused
before the Justice, which was thought to be her policy, that she might be no
more suspected thereby.
This old woman was a widow, and of the poorest of
the Town in outward shew, and yet she had always store of Money, which none could tell which way she
might come by it. Whilst I was thus taking privy information against her (it being the Time
of Lent, when all the Town came to Confession)
she among the rest came to the Church to confess her sins, and brought me the best
present and offering of all the Town; for whereas a Riall is Common, she
brought me four, and besides, a Turky, Eggs, Fish, and a little bottle of hony. She
thought thereby to get with me a better opinion than I had of her from the
whole Town. I accepted of her great offering, and heard her Confession, which
was of nothing but trifles, which could scarce be judged sinful actions.
I examined
her very close of what was the common judgment of all the Indians, and especially of those who dying, had
declared to my self at their death that she had bewitched them, and
before their sickness had threatned them,
and in their sickness appeared threatning
them with death about their beds, none but they themselves seeing her To which
she replyed weeping that she was wronged. I asked her, how she
being a poor widow without any sons to help her, without any means of livelyhood
had so much mony as to give me more than the richest of the Town; how she
came by that Fish, Turkey, and Hony, having none of this of her own about her house?
to which she replyed,
that God loved her and gave her all these
things, and that with her mony she bought the rest. I asked her of whom? She answered that
out of the Town she had them.
I persuaded her to much repentance, and to
forsake the Devil and all fellowship with him; but her words and answers were
of a Saintly and holy Woman; and she earnestly desired me to give her the Communion with the rest that were to receive the
next day. Which I told her I durst not do, using Christs words, Give not the childrens
bread unto dogs, nor cast your pearls unto swine; and it would be a great scandal
to give the Communion unto her, who was suspected generally, and had been accused
for a Witch. This she took very ill, telling me
that she had many years received the Communion, and now in
her old age it grieved her to be deprived of it, her tears were many, yet I
could not be moved with them, but resolutely denied her the Communion, and so
dismissed her.
At noon when I had done my work in the Church, I bad my servants
go to gather up the offerings, and gave order to have the fish dressed
for my dinner which she had brought, but no sooner was it carried into the
Kitchen, when the Cook looking on it found it full of Maggots, and stinking; so that
I was forced to hurl it away; with that I began to suspect my old Witch, and
went to look on her hony, and
pouring it out into a dish, I found it full of worms; her eggs I
could not know from others, there being near a hundred offered that day, but
after as I used them, we found some rotten, some with dead chickens in them; the next morning
the Turkey was
found dead; As for her four Rials, I could not perceive whether she had bewitched
them out of my pocket, for that I had put them with many other, which that day
had been given given me, yet as far as I could I called to memory who and what had
been given me, and in my judgment and reckoning I verily thought that I missed four Rials;
At Night when my servants the Indians
were gone to bed, I sat up late in my chamber betaking my self to my books
and study, for I was the next morning to make an exhortation to those that received
the Communion. After I had studied a while, it being between ten and eleven of
the clock; on a sudden the chief door in the hall (where in a lower room was
my chamber, and the servants, and three other doors) flew open, and I heard one come in, and for a while walk about; then was another door
opened which went into a little room, where
my saddles were laid; with this I thought it might be the Black-Moor Miguel Dalva, who would often come late to my house
to lodge there, especially since my fear of Montenegro, and I conjectured that he was laying
up his saddle, I called unto him by his name two or three times, from within my
chamber, but no answer was made, but suddenly another door that went out to a Garden flew also
open, wherewith I began within to fear, my joynts trembled, my hair stood up, I
would have called out to the servants, and my voice was as it were stopped with
the sudden affrightment;
I began to think of the Witch, and put my trust in God
against her and encouraged my self and voice, calling out to the servants, and
knocking with a Cane at my door within that they might hear me, for I durst not
open it and go out; with the noise that I made the servants awaked, and came out
to my chamber door; then I opened it, and asked them if they had not heard some
body in the hall, and all the doors opened, they said they were asleep, and
heard nothing, only one boy said he heard all, and related unto me the same that
I had heard; I took my candle then in my hand and went out with them into the hall
to view the doors, and I found them all shut, as
the servants said they had left them.
Then I perceived that the Witch would
have affrighted me, but had no power to do me any harm; I made two of the
servants lie in my chamber, and went to bed; in the morning early I sent for my Fiscal the Clerk of the Church, and told him what
had happen'd that night, he smiled upon me, and told me it was the Widdow Carillo, who had often played such tricks in
the Town with those that had offended her, and therefore he had the night
before come unto me from her, desiring me to give her the Communion, lest she
should do me some hurt, which I denied unto him, as I had done to her self; the
Clerk bad me be of good cheer, for he knew she had no power over me to do me
any hurt. After the Communion that day, some of the chief Indians came unto me, and told me that old Carillo had boasted that she would play me some trick or other, because I would not give her
the Communion. But I, to rid the Town of such a Limb of Satan, sent her to Guatemala, with all the evidences and witnesses
which I had found against her, unto the president and Bishop, who commanded her
to be put in Prison, where she died within two months.
