Page:A New Survey of the West Indies or The English American his Travel by Sea and Land.djvu/74

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58
A New Survey
Chap. IX.

part of the night the Game, found enough to obferve; foi the more the fport increafed , fcandals to the fporc were added, both by drinking, and {wearing that common Oath, Voto aChrifioy Voto a Dios ; and alio by fcoffing and jearing at the religious Vows of Poverty, which they had vowed 5 for one of tKe Francifcans, though formerly he had touched money, and with his fingers had laid it to the ftakeon che Table; yerfometimes to make the Company laugh» if he had chanced to win a double vie (aad fometimes the vies and revies went round of twenty Patacons) then would he take the end of one fleeve of his Habit, and open wide the other broad fleeve, and fo with his ileeve fweep the money into his other fleeve, faying, / have vowed net to touch money, nor to keep any , 1 weaned then a natural ContaSl of it $ bat my fleeve may touch it, and my fleeve may keep H : Shewing with feoffs and jefts of his lips, what Religion was in his heart.* My ears tingled with hearing inch Oatfas, my tongue would have uttered fome words of Reproof, but that I confidered my felf a Gueft and a Stranger in a ftrange Houfe i and that: if anything! fhould fay, it would do no good: So filently I departed to my reft, leaving the Gamefters, who continued till Sun-rifing ; and in the morning I was informed, that the jefting Frier, that rather roaring Boy, than Religious Francif- can, fitter for Sar damp aim ^ or Epicurm his School, than to live in aCloifter,hadlofl: fourfcore and odd Patacons; his fleeve it feems refufing to keep for him what he had vowed never to poíTeís. Here I began to find out by experience of rhefe Francifcans, that Liberty and Loofriefs of life it was, that brought yearly fo many Friers and Jefuites from Spam to thofepart?, rather than zeal of preaching the Gofpel, and

converting Souls to Chrift ; which indeed being an aft of 

higheft Charity, they make afpecial Badge of the truth of their Religion : But the loofnífsof their Lives fheweth evi- dently, that the love of Money, Vain-glory >of Power and Au- thority over the poor Indians, is their end and aim, more than any love of God. From Xalappa we went to a place, called by the Spaniards La Rinconada^ which is no Town nor Village, and therefore not