CASE
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CASERTA
see of Cuzco, in Peru, but he refused it. He had
often declared that he would never accept any high
office. In the case of Cuzco it was not so much
modesty as prudence, for in Peru his life would have
been in imminent danger. Certain it is that he
afterwards accepted the Bishopric of Chiapas, in
Southern Mexico. Notwithstanding his egregious
failure in Venezuela, the Crown was disposed and
even anxious to give him further opportunities and
means to try once more the practicability of his
schemes. He was in Central America, with inter-
missions, until 1539, disseminating his views and
causing trouble everywhere. Received at Guatemala
in the most friendly manner by Bishop Marroquin,
he turned against his benefactor, because, while the
latter was in full harmony with him so far as con-
cerned his efforts in favour of the natives, he differed
with him in regard to the mode of procedure. Little
by little he alienated the sympathy of the most in-
fluential members of his own order, such, for example,
as Fray Domingo de Betanzos. Some of the Fran-
ciscans, among them the celebrated missionary Fray
Toribio de Paredes (Motolinia), took a decided stand
against the methods of relief urged by Las Casas.
Officials and private individuals, exasperated by the
violence of his language, retorted with equal acrimony,
and accusations of inconsistency were made against
him. While he refused absolution to those who held
fiefs, he did not hesitate to take advantage of personal
service without compensation. Even his private
character was, though unjustly, assailed. It must
be said that Las Casas had set the example by his
treatment of Bishop Marroquin.
The laws of the Indies were gradually modified so as to afford the necessary protection to the natives without injuring too much the interests of the set- tlers. But the bitterness of Las Casas grew with age. In 1552 there appeared in print his " Brevisima Etelacion de la Destruycion de las Indias", a most injudicious book, glaringly partial, based upon testi- mony often very impeachable and always highly coloured. That so passionate and one-sided a document should have been published with the permission of the authorities argues a broad tolerance on the part of the Spanish Government, which, more- over, still continued its support to Las Casas. In 1555 an annual pension of 200,000 marandis was granted to him. and five years later this was increased to 350,000 maravedis. Disappointed at the failure of his extravagant plans, he spent the last ten years of his life in comparative quietness, dying in the convent of Atocha, at Madrid, in the ninety-third year of his age.
Las Casas was a man of great purity of life and of noble aspirations, but his conviction that his own views were flawless made him intolerant of those of others. By no means thoroughly acquainted with the character of his Indian wards, he idealized them, but never took time to study them. His knowledge of them was far less correct than that of such men as Motolinia. Neither was lie in any exact sense a missionary or a teacher. Between the years 1520 and 1540 he accompanied some of his Dominican brethren on missions — for instance, to Honduras. He occasionally visited certain districts, but the life of constant personal sacrifice among the aborigines was not to his taste. With the exception of what he wrote on the Indians of the Antilles, in the "Historia de las Indias", he has left very little of value to ethnology, for the bulky manuscript entitled "llis- toria apolog^tica" is bo polemical in its tone as to inspire deep mistrust. He did almost nothing to educate the Indians. The name "Apostle of the Indies", which has been given him. was not deserved; whereas there were men opposed to Ins views who richly merited it, but who had neither the gifts nor the inclination for that noisy propaganda in which
Las Casas was so eminently successful. Although
for over fifty years an ecclesiastic, he always remained
under the spell of his early education as a lawyer.
His controversy with Juan Gines de Sepulveda on
the Indian question is a polemic between two juris-
consults, adorned with, or rather encumbered by,
theological phraseology.
Las Casas left no linguistic contributions like those of Marroquin, Betanzos. Molina, and other devoted priests. He was, however, a prolific writer, though not all of his writings have been published. The "Historia apologetica de las Indias", for instance, has been only partly printed in the " Documentos para la Historia de Espana" I.Madrid, 1876). The "Historia de las Indias", the manuscript of which he completed in 1561, appeared in the same collection (1875 and 1876). His best-known work is the " Brevisima Relation de la Destruycion delas Indias" (Seville, 1552). There are at least five Spanish editions of it. It circulated very quickly outside of Spain and in a number of European languages. Appearing at a time when every seafaring nation of Europe was jealous of Spain's American possessions, and bent upon damaging Spanish reputation for religious, as well as for political and commercial reasons, tills violent libel, coming from a source so highly considered as Las Casas. was eagerly welcomed. Latin translations of it issued from Frankfort, 1598, Oppenheim, 1614, Heidelberg, 1664; French transla- tions from Antwerp, 1579, Amsterdam, 1620 and 1698, Rouen, 1630, Lyons, 1042. Paris, 1697 and 1S22; Italian from Venice, 1630, 1643. and 1645. A German translation appeared in 1599; Dutch transla- tions at Amsterdam in 1610. 1621, and 1663. There is an English version: "A Relation of the first voy- ages and discoveries made by the Spaniards in America" (London, 1699). Many of the writings of Las Casas have been included in the work of J. A. Llorente: "ffiuvres de Don Bartollome de las Casas" (Paris, 1S22).
A biography, or rather panegyric, of Las Casas has been written by Quintana in Yidas de Etpafioles eelebres (Madrid, 1807). See also: YcazbaLCETA, Documentos para la Historia de Mexico (Mexico, 1866). II, and Bibliografia Mexicana del Siglo XVI (Mexico, 1886). Passing over the innumerable more or less correct sketches and mentions of Las Casas in modern works, the sources may be noted which date from the lifetime of the celebrated Dominican. (Iomaha, Historia general de las Indias (Saragossa, 1552: Medina del Campo, 1553; Antwerp, 1554: Saragossa, 1555). A most important but partial source is Oviedo, Historia general ij natural de las Indias (Madrid. 1850). From the beginning of the seventeenth century there is Herrera, Historia de los Heehos de los t'nste- Uarwsenlaslelasy TierrahrmedelMaroceano Madrid. 1601-15: Antwerp. 1728; Madrid. 1726-30). Lately there haye appeared the interesting biographical data of the ' DlEGO Guti-
erez DE Santa Clara, Historia de las Guerras eiviles del I'erit (Madrid, 1904). I. The most extensive- biographers of Las Casas have been two monks of his own order: Antonio de Remes\l. Historia general de las Indias occidentals, y parti- cular de la gobernacion ' - < Madrid. 1619, and, under a somewhat different title. 1620); Arjor/STXN Davila v Pamlla. Historia de fa Fun lacio'n >i Discuno de la
Provmeia de Santiago d, Mexico Madrid. 1596: Brussels, 1625). Finally the voluminous mrditos
de Indias, contains many documents touching upon Las Casas or emanating from his pen.
Ad. F. Ba.ndklikk.
Caserta, Diocese of (Casertan.O. — Caserta is the capital of the province of that name in Southern Italy, situated in a fertile and pleasant region about twenty miles from Xaples. It attained a certain im]>ortance under the Lombards and later under 'he Xormans, and the counts of Caserta were once powerful lords in that vicinity. Later it was held as a lief by various noble families, last of all by the Gaetani, who made it over to Charles III cif Savoy. King of Naples, by whom it. was transformed into a -croud Versailles. The royal
castle, the work of the architect Vanvitolli. is an edi- fice of great magnificence. Splendid residences were afterwards built in the vicinity by the aristocracy of Naples. It is not known when Caserta became an
