text: Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Vescy, John de

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text: Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Vescy, William de


text:
Page:Haiti- Her History and Her Detractors.djvu/39

The treaty signed in 1533 with the "cacique" Henri had at last put an end to the hostilities between the Indians and Spaniards. For a while there was no bloodshed. The relative tranquillity which ensued was not taken advantage of. Instead of thriving, the colony was on the wane. The incompetency or malversation of the various governors hastened the decline. The mines were emptied or deserted; no care was given to agriculture. In consequence, through idleness, debauchery and poverty the colonists were in a piteous condition. Everything was falling to ruin. The town of Santo Domingo alone, where was centred the luxury of the administrators, remained prosperous and assumed the appearance of great splendor. But its magnificence was the cause of serious calamities. In 1586 the English admiral, Sir Francis Drake, charged by Queen Elizabeth to curb the Spanish arrogance, bombarded the town, took possession of it, and partly destroyed it by fire. After an occupation of a month he agreed to evacuate it in consideration of a ransom of £7,000. The arrival of other Europeans in the West Indies was to become a source of continual worry to the Spaniards. From the beginning of the sixteenth century, attracted by the allurements of gain, the French had begun making incursions into the New World. Impressed by the various tales concerning the riches of Santo Domingo city, they little by little commenced the habit of calling the whole island Saint-Domingue. At first they had no idea of conquest. They were satisfied


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Page:The prophetic books of William Blake, Milton.djvu/61

 Loud roll the Weights & Spindles over the whole Earth let down

On all sides round to the Four Quarters of the World, eastward on

Europe to Euphrates & Hindu to Nile & back in Clouds

Of Death across the Atlantic to America North & South.

So spake Ololon in reminiscence astonish'd, but they

Could not behold Golgonooza without passing the Polypus,

A wondrous journey not passable by Immortal feet, & none

But the Divine Saviour can pass it without annihilation.

For Golgonooza cannot be seen till having pass'd the Polypus

It is viewed on all sides round by a Four-fold Vision,

Or till you become Mortal & Vegetable in Sexuality

Then you behold its mighty Spires & Domes of ivory & gold

And Ololon examined all the Couches of the Dead,

Even of Los & Enitharmon & all the Sons of Albion

And his Four Zoas terrified & on the verge of Death:

In midst of these was Milton's Couch, & when they saw Eight

Immortal Starry-Ones, guarding the Couch in flaming fires,

They thunderous utter'd all a universal groan falling down

Prostrate before the Starry Eight asking with tears forgiveness,

Confessing their crime with humiliation and sorrow.

O how the Starry Eight rejoic'd to see Ololon descended:

And now that a wide road was open to Eternity

By Ololon's descent thro' Beulah to Los & Enitharmon.

For mighty were the multitudes of Ololon, vast the extent

Of their great sway reaching from Ulro to Eternity,

Surrounding the Mundane Shell outside in its Caverns

And through Beulah, and all silent forbare to contend

With Ololon, for they saw the Lord in the Clouds of Ololon.

There is a Moment in each Day that Satan cannot find,

Nor can his Watch Fiends find it, but the Industrious find

This Moment & it multiply, & when it once is found

It renovates every Moment of the Day if rightly placed:

In this Moment Ololon descended to Los & Enitharmon

Unseen beyond the Mundane Shell, Southward in Milton's track.

Just in this Moment when the morning odours rise abroad,

And first from the Wild Thyme, stands a Fountain in a rock

Of crystal flowing into two Streams, one flows thro' Golgonooza

And thro' Beulah to Eden beneath Los's western Wall:

The other flows thro' the Aerial Void & all the Churches 37


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Page:Haiti- Her History and Her Detractors.djvu/40

32 with plundering. In concert with the English they lost no opportunity of injuring the Spanish trade. However, successive defeats made them feel the necessity of having a rallying-point, at least a place where they could refit their ships. In 1625 a party of Frenchmen under the command of Enembuc, and of Englishmen, under the leadership of Warner, took possession of St. Christopher Island. Private initiative began thus to deprive Spain of its possessions in the West Indies. The presence of these dangerous neighbors alarmed the Court at Madrid. In 1630 Admiral Frederic de Tolède expelled both the English and French from St. Christopher. Looking for a safer shelter, they settled at Tortuga Island (La Tortue), situated in the northern part of Hispañola or Saint-Domingue. Their new possession, eight leagues long and two leagues wide, became rapidly the rendezvous of the freebooters who swept the Spanish Main. In 1640 the French drove the English from this small island, thus remaining the sole masters. That was the starting point of their settlement in Saint-Domingue. At that time the Spanish colony was in full decline. Owing to the necessity of preserving themselves from the depredations of their terrible foes, the Spaniards had almost deserted the coasts and were concentrated in the interior of the island. The Frenchmen availed themselves of the opportunity to take possession of the greatest part of the northern seashore. They had Port Margot, and soon founded Port-de-Paix.

These new inhabitants of Saint-Domingue were rough men of very coarse manners. They devoted their time to hunting wild oxen, the flesh of which they dried and smoked over a wood-fire called "boucan"; hence their name of buccaneers. But hard pushed by the Spaniards they turned their attention to piracy. Under the name