ste, the small nation of the Portingales towardes the
Southe and Easte have planted the Christian faithe accordinge to their
manner, and have erected many bisshoprickes and colledges to traine upp
the youthe of the infidels in the same, of which acte they more vaunte in
all their histories and chronicles, then of anythinge els that ever they
atchieved. And surely if they had planted the gospell of Christe purely,
as they did not, they mighte justly have more rejoyced in that deede of
theirs, then in the conqueste of the whole contrie, or in any other thinge
whatsoever. The like may be saied of the Spaniardes, whoe (as yt is in the
preface of the last edition of Osorius de rebus gestis Emanuelis) have
established in the West Indies three archebisshopricks, to witt, Mexico,
Luna, and Onsco, and thirtene other bisshoprickes there named, and have
builte above CC. houses of relligion in the space of fyftie yeres or
thereaboutes. Now yf they, in their superstition, by meanes of their
plantinge in those partes, have don so greate thinges in so shorte space,
what may wee hope for in our true and syncere relligion, proposinge unto
ourselves in this action not filthie lucre nor vaine ostentation, as they
in deede did, but principally the gayninge of the soules of millions of
those wretched people, the reducinge of them from darkenes to lighte, from
falsehoode to truthe, from dombe idolls to the lyvinge God, from the depe
pitt of hell to the highest heauens. In the 16. of the Actes of the
Apostles, when Paule soughte to preache in Asia and to goe into Bithinia,
the Holy Ghoste suffered him not. But at Troas a vision appered unto him
by night. There stoode a man of Macedonia and prayed hym, sayenge: Come
into Macedonia and helpe us. And after he had seene the vysion, ymmediatly
he prepared to goe into Macedonia, beinge assured that the Lorde had
called him to preache the gospell unto them. Even so wee, whiles wee have
soughte to goe into other countries (I woulde I might say to preache the
gospell), God by the frustratinge of our actions semeth to forbydd us to
followe those courses, and the people of AMERICA crye oute unto us, their
nexte neighboures, to come and helpe them, and bringe unto them the gladd
tidinges of the gospell. Unto the prince and people that shalbe the
occasion of this worthie worke, and shall open their cofers to the
furtheraunce of this most godly enterprise, God shall open the bottomles
treasures of his riches,